.jpg)
This tip was found in “The Way of the Woods: A Manual for Sportsmen in Northeastern United States and Canada,” by Edward Breck, 1908. I have been trying it out all week and it seems to work. Let me know your experience with it. It works differently depending on whether you are in the northern or southern hemispheres.
Hopefully I’ll come across more camp recipes this summer like these for fish chowder. The ingredients all seem to be portable without much hassle except for the milk. It seems like water can be substituted for milk when you don’t have access to refrigeration. These were found in “Camping and Camp Cooking” by Frank A. Bates, 1914
Without the conveniences of home, basic tasks require some preparation. I found this resource for how to boil water without a kettle in “The Book of Camping and Woodcraft: A Guidebook for those who Travel in the Wilderness,” by Horace Kephart, 1906.
Many a night camping has been spent tossing and turning. And that’s when you don’t pitch your tent over a prairie dog hole – but that’s a story for another time. I was surprised to find that there were air mattresses available in the early 1900s.
The better option, it seems, and one where you don’t have to tote an air mattress around is the browse or bough bed. This excerpt comes from “The Way of the Woods: A Manual for Sportsmen in Northeastern United States and Canada” by Edward Breck, 1908.
#/media/File:Theb1883.jpg)
In this last installment about “mountain travel” from “Mountain Scouting, A Hand-Book for Officers and Soldiers on the Frontiers” by Edward S. Farrow, U.S. Army, 1881, Farrow points out the usefulness of signals in communicating over long distances. I’m used to being able to pick up my phone and sending a text or email, but without that convenience, having a system of signals worked out surely would have been a great advantage. Although technology is ever present (how else would I be writing this entry), I’m jealous of a lifestyle where society wasn’t as “connected” – where the use of signals etc. was even a consideration. It’s also a reminder of how things have changed to hear Farrow mention “savages” and that he believed them to have a “superstitious nature.” Also, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be as easy to pick up a dog to relay your messages these days.
The man pictured above is my great great grandfather, Lebbeus Hammond Mathews. In the generations that have passed from his time until mine, the vintage skills needed for everyday survival have vanished.
Read more
Having never been truly lost while hiking, I imagine that it’s terrifying. In the world of GPS I have an artificial reliance on technology to keep me on the straight and narrow. The entry below is the second part of 3 having to do with navigating mountains and wilderness from “Mountain Scouting, A Hand-Book for Officers and Soldiers on the Frontiers” by Edward S. Farrow, U.S. Army, 1881. Near the end of the explanation Farrow explains through numbers how to calculate your escape. Math is not my strong point so lets just say it took several readings for me to grasp what he was saying. In the coming days I’ll be researching the next and final entry in this series about mountain travel covering ways to signal for help when you are lost in the wilderness.
I’ve always been fascinated by mountain men and how they knew the backcountry inside and out. Men like Jim Bridger and Jim Baker. The next couple of posts are going to be about navigating the mountains and various techniques for knowing your general whereabouts and what to do when you get lost.
I found this initial entry in “Mountain Scouting, A Hand-Book for Officers and Soldiers on the Frontiers” by Edward S. Farrow, U.S. Army, 1881.
Edward Farrow sounds like he was a good guy to have around in a tricky situation. Enjoy!
.jpg)
This unique method of tree stump removal comes from “The New England Farmer; A Monthly Journal Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture and their Kindred Arts and Sciences,” 1855. The funny thing is, I thought about doing this once but figured if it was this easy, no one would pay a tree service to come out and remove their tree stumps this way. Now I wish I had at least tried.
This advice for starting a campfire without matches came from “Mountain Scouting, A Hand-Book for Officers and Soldiers on the Frontiers,” by Edward S. Farrow, U.S. Army, 1881. I’d be interested to hear if any readers have methods other than those described below. Please respond in the comments.