Surviving!

Loch Morlich - beside Glenmore campsite

Got to say thanks to Will and Nikki for the ideas you shared for Forest Survival while we were at Keldy. Over the past few weeks I've been gradually adding more to my sessions. Now after our shelter building I introduce the fire plough. After everyone has tried that, I produce the fire steel and cotton wool from my survival kit and we all try that on a large stone.

Having shown the survival kit I then share the contents of this and discuss water purification, etc. We try out the wire saws (I bought a second one to supplement the one in my survival tin) and most folks are amazed at the efficiency of that; in fact, over the past couple of weeks we managed to create more pine branches for our shelters by shortening some of the numerous fallen branches that were too big. I show how to make a handle for the bow saw by using a piece of green-ish wood (from a freshly fallen branch) as in this video. I realise that as this wood dries it is going to break instead of bending, so I test it for 'flex' each week before using it.

We all try the pine needle tea that I make up the previous day and allow to brew in my flask all night.

Like you, Will I too have people ask where they can buy Survival Tins. I love doing Forest Survival sessions now - they're such fun!

I'm really enjoying learning new bushcraft skills and am exploring ideas in my own time. I've made a hobo woodburning stove that I'll use when wild camping in suitable (safe) places and have learnt knotting to make a paracord (survival) bracelet.

The height of Ranger fashion!

Enjoying the water and the glorious weather at Glenmore

I held a Glenmore Scrapheap Challenge Mini Raft Building Exercise and Race on Saturday. Six teams entered and had a great time making rafts from scrap and natural materials. Most teams opted for plastic bottles and metres and metres of duct tapes, though some used sticks - more as a token gesture to traditional rafts. They also had to make a Captain for their raft and some added other crew members.

It was fascinating to watch the teams at work. Some of the parents lounged on the grass enjoying the sunshine letting the children make decisions and work on the rafts, while others got very competitive! But it was all done in a fun way and it was not billed as a children's event, but meant as a family-fun-meet-the-(mad)-Ranger event. I did my "Hello. No, no, no, I said... HELLO!..." and did 'freaky Sheila' (as instructed by CREW Adam).

I brought in re-use, recycle message during the activity and prizes included an aluminium drinks bottle (snapped up in Blacks sale at £2.50). The other prize was one of last year's (unsold) FH Rucksacks - which I'm recycling as prizes.

Team Take Down won the race with this raft



and Team Keiser's Crew won the Best Looking Raft (as judged by 2 site assistants who helped before they came on duty and one seasonal camper). The pipe cleaner figure on the left is Keiser - the family dog! I noticed Dad seemed to be 'chief engineer' in this team!




I spent about 30 minutes in the river supervising the heats and final of the raft race - walking alongside the 'raft-guides', who were allowed to free stuck rafts with a stick - so did not manage to get any photos of the actual race. But I've been promised some pictures from one of the team members.

All the adults signed the photographic consent forms - as provided by Nikki - for themselves and their children, allowing the photos to be used by the company for promotion - including on the 'net, but for my personal use I've cut out the people.

More photos can be seen at the end of my Glenmore set on Flickr

Pine cone pets and painted pebbles

From Young Explorers session (and spruce cones creatures too!)



(Just testing posting photos from my Flickr account)

Mothing at Glenmore

Just a quick note to say we had a great moth trapping session this past Saturday night. I switched the trap on when we returned from the Dusk Walk about 11.40pm and turned it off when I was up in the night (in bright sunlight) at 5am. I'd picked 7 moths off the white walls of the toilet building before turning in at midnight, just in case there were few in the trap. This was the best trapping night since I started as we had 30 moths in the trap. We had to keep releasing some to free up the specimen pots.

I had about 10 people who'd been at the Dusk Walk come round at 9.00/9.15am to see the moths and it took about one hour in all to pot these, try to ID them and release them. I find many people are fascinated to see the huge variety of moths and some have spoken about trying it at home and buying a moth Field Guide.

I was so busy I didn't manage to get any photos of the moths this week, but last week I snapped a Poplar Hawk Moth that we caught.

Nikki and Will

Really great to see you all last week! Hope you have all settled back to your sites and enjoying the hot weather. I'll email you instructions for updating this blog soon. Here's our own blog, although I haven't updated it for ages as Internet connection is so slow here! http://daisyswalkies.blogspot.com/
Chris, are you sending us feedback forms for the Crew training? Clap attack really works for Young Explorers, especially interesting for doing it again at the end but using things seen/learnt on the session instead of names as a conclusion. Surprising what both the kids and adults remember, so a good indicator of what works on the activity etc.


Here's a picture of the flag making that works here, especially on campsites in the Ranger Tent.
Materials: Canvas, masking tape, mud and water (great from a mole mound), natural colouring materials (grass, leaves, broom/gorse petals), a stick. PVA optional.
Method: Cut flag shape, stick tape on for shapes, paint on mud mixture, peel away tape, colour if desired, cut slits in flag for stick to weave through. PVA/water mix can be painted on after mud has dried to increase weather reisitance.

Forest Holiday Rangers Summer 2009

Welcome fellow Rangers, to our new blog (great idea Nathalie : ) so we can keep in contact with each other and share ideas while we're all busy inspiring others with our local forests!

Go team, no, no, no, no, no, I can't hear you - GO TEAM!

Douglas Fir, Aberfoyle