Adventures

May 28-30 2021

I spent Memorial day weekend at my friend's family lake place in western Minnesota. I slept in my swag tent. It was about 39 deg F on Friday night...I slept in my underwear and a t-shirt. It rained on Saturday night and I was bone dry and warm. I love that tent. We shot our guns and bows on the back lot and caught a bunch of fish. I also made a couple new doggy friends.

May 22-23 2021

I took a quick overnight trip to the land. The video is of the land and the first two pictures are of Riley Lake in Eden Prairie. I took a quick paddle of the lake today when I came back from the land.

May 17-20 Hawaii

There is not much to say that will do Hawaii justice....so I will just post a few pictures. Umm...pictures don't do Hawaii justice either.

May 16/21 California 2021

Amy and I stayed in California overnight on the way to and from Hawaii.

May 11th 2021

My new 6 X 8 White duck canvas tarp arrived tonight. It is built so much better than my "heavy duty" canvas tarp from Menards. The eyelets are reinforced and have nylon tie downs. It is heavy at 6.5 lbs. The durability is worth the weight. I set it up in my favorite shelter configuration....the ploughpoint. I built the tent pole that I use out of conduit. The top of the tent pole is made from a stopper. I will carry it as a bed roll with my wool blanket.

May 8th 2021

I'm on the 40 today. My summer sleep system is a canvas shell and a wool blanket. It is tougher and more versatile than a sleeping bag. I see very similar advantages with tarps used as shelters instead of tents. They have multiple configurations depending on weather, surroundings, and use. You can use them with or without poles. They can be changed when weather conditions change. Setup configurations are almost endless. I carry a mosquito netting for bug protection. It packs very small. I also bring a 6 x 8 poly tarp for the ground tarp. I like to use canvas for the shelter. Canvas is stronger and quieter than poly. Canvas is also heavier and takes up more room, but I am ok with the trade off. My favorite sleep configuration is the ploughpoint. There is only one tent pole or tree tie off. This configuration is good in poor weather, easy to set up, has a low profile, and is easy to exit and enter. The second picture is a ploughpoint setup. I pack in stakes. I don't practice true bushcraft :-)

May 7th 2021

I took an hour and a half nap after work above the shop next to the compressor and oil tanks. It is a gift to be able to sleep anywhere. I knew I wouldn't have made it to the shack without the nap. I left for the woods at 5:10. I take I-35 to Northfield now because the traffic to Elk River is so bad. My propane ran out before I went to sleep and it hit about 36 over night. It was no problem with my good bag and wool blanket. These picture were taken when I woke up. I am clearing for a new driveway. The last picture is of fresh bear scat. They are up, hungry, and looking for food. My neighbors said they saw an adolescent black bear head for my shack today right before I arrived.

May 1st 2021

82 degrees at the 40 today. It was a warm hike as I packed for an overnight and dressed to cross the swamp. I set up a lean-to right away to dry my clothes and get out of the sun. I selected the lean-to tarp postition to get max shade. A lean-to is perfect to take advantage of any breeze as well. I would use an a-frame shelter if it was cold or raining. I show a picture of the gear I packed in today. The tent was carried in the daypack. The sleep system was carried over my shoulder. I carried the patten boards until they were needed. The last picture is me using the duck boat to clear a clogged spot in the creek. You can see it is all clear now. The whole creek is navigable from the public lake to my pond on the 40.

Lean-to

Patten

Land Map

DNR Map