Camping this weekend

I got to go camping at a beautiful spot in Iowa. Most people will tell you there is no places to "back country camp" or primitive camp in Iowa. We all believe the camp grounds are the only option. This weekend I went up to Chain of Lakes Wildlife Management area. Part of the area is County ran and part is State Run. The State run portions can be camped with out a camp site with the philosophy of "leave no trace". We set up camp in a stand of timber. Very sweet spot. We were bushcrafting it so we had tarp set ups no tents. The place had ample dead fall to use as fire wood. It was mostly smalled stuff though. We had pine needle tea, that was yummy. Yesterday morning we got hit with the storm. I heard later that a woman was killed at Lake Macbride camp ground from the high winds. I heard this through a friend but have not read the news yet. The storm was intense but we weathered it and broke camp in the wind.

It was a beautiful place by Palo, Iowa. We only saw one other person while we were there. We saw a couple of deer. In fact one came into camp early in the morning and woke us with grunting noises. We heard coyote, fox, and many many birds. Over all a great time. I almost got an ember using a bow drill but not completely so I lit the fire with natural tinder and a fire steel. Blessings to the family of the lady who lost her life.

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Practicing Skills

I have been working on my Bushcraft skills as you all know. I had the opportunity this weekend to get out and practice some stuff. I went camping with some friends in Vinton Iowa. It was a great 140 acres camp ground right on the river. We had a group of teenagers and a couple of good teachers helping us out. I got there late, just as the sun was going down. I got my tarp set up (with help from some of those awesome teachers) and was ready for the night. In the morning one corner of my tarp came loose and was whiping around like crazy. The wind had picked up a lot and we had gusts up to 45 mph. Lesson learned there is never assume the wind/ weather will stay the say all night. Take the extra time to secure your tent or tarp tightly.

In the morning I got the chance to practice some fire starting techniques. You should practice starting a fire at least five different ways. We also practice using 5 different man made tinders (jute twine, cotton ball, dryer lent etc) and five different natural tinders (dried grass, cat tails, dry leaves etc). On this occassion I practiced the bow drill method. I was not successful but I was starting to get the hang of it and get smoke. I also tried the fire steel method. I did get that one going.

Things to remember.......Practice- Just because you have it in your kit or bag does not mean you will be able to use it if and when the time arrives. It is important to get out there and try things out. Try out your pack. Test drive your GOOD route, and practice purifying water. The time to try and fail is before you really need it. That way you become comfortable with it. Have back ups- In Bushcraft I love the saying "One is none and two is one". Don't just have one way of starting a fire, have a few. Have a couple of different methods of purifying water available (even if it is just the knowledge in your head). Remain Calm-- No matter what you are doing it will go much more smoothly if you stay calm. This will help you think and allows you to flow with the situation more easily.

Here was my tarp set up

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Another Installment- Rowan's Journey

Rowan woke up with a jerk, pain shooting up her neck. She had fallen asleep on the couch staring out the window. She must have twisted wrong when she was startled awake. Glancing over she saw Joshua sound asleep on the other couch. He was curled up with his blanket holding his little airplane. Rowan could never understand how he could snuggle with a cold piece of metal, but for Joshua it was like any soft stuffed toy. Once she looked around the room Rowan began to wonder what the noise was that caused her to jump. There was nothing noticeable at first glance. She stretched and cracked her neck. The pop sounded loud in the quiet house. The room was starting to feel cool again so she threw some more wood on the fire. The noise came again. It was obviously outside, sounded like it was out back in the big garage. Rowan did not have a good view of the outbuilding from where she was at. She grabbed the pistol and walked to the front door. Hesitating she was unsure if she should leave the boy sleeping in the house to investigate. What if something happened and he woke up alone? Rowan quickly grabbed the shotgun instead.

She slowly opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Looking into the sky, Rowan tried to gather what time it might be. It had to be at least two O’clock. Joshua usually took a nap at three but this had been an unusually tiring day. Rowan crept cautiously towards the big metal out building. It seemed secure but there was a small opening at the right bottom corner of the huge sliding door. She stopped a few feet from the door and listened. At first all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart. “Get a grip Rowan” she scolded herself, breathing in a deep breath of clean air. The air smelled more normal now. There was no sting in her nostrils from burning jet fuel. Rowan grabbed hold of the door handle and slid it open wide so she could see in. There appeared to be nothing in there. She was happy to see the big red truck though. It was a towering 3 ton Ford 350. It was a diesel. Rowan wondered if it had fuel in it. Then a snap sounded from the back corner of the building. Rowan yelled in a commanding voice, “This is private property. I have a gun and I will shoot. Come out of there.” Nothing moved. “I SAID COME OUT NOW”, still she heard nothing. She glanced towards the house and contemplated high tailing it back to the safety of lockable doors. Then she heard a sound like a scratching. It must be an animal. She felt a little relieved but then wondered what kind of animal it could be. She slid soundlessly closer to the corner and kicked over a stack of empty crates Wade had been saving for some project. At that moment a masked bandit bared its black claws and white teeth, screeching at her. Rowan screamed and put a shot gun blast through the roof. It was that damned raccoon. That creature had gotten great joy out of tormenting Rowan the last few months that she lived there. She thought it had been long gone. Here he was though acting like Rowan was the invader. Rowan pointed the shotgun at the beast and was about to pull the trigger when she heard Joshua screaming for her from the porch. The Raccoon ran past Rowan and out the open door, scampering off into the field. Rowan didn’t dare take a shot in that direction. It was too risky with the house in the background. Rowan yelled to Joshua, “It’s O.K. baby, it was just that awful raccoon.” She temporarily secured the sliding door and went back to the house.

The boy was rubbing his eyes and still looked red faced as they went back into the house. After holding and rocking the boy for awhile, Joshua took it in stride. Again taking up his crusade to save the animal, Joshua started explaining all the reasons why it was a good idea to keep it alive. In Rowan’s mind that menace had been carrying out a well planned attack on her ever since she interrupted him snacking on the apple trees three years ago. Anyone who says a raccoon is a stupid animal has never met a raccoon. This bandit has been stealing things, leaving land minds around the property, and specifically messing with Rowan’s things. It would poop on her car but never on Wade’s. One time Rowan had left a book sitting in a lawn chair when she went inside to get a drink. When she came back the terrorist had urinated on the book and chair. For a moment this made Rowan laugh as she recalled the huge argument her and Wade had because he had said she couldn’t prove the Raccoon had done it. It would get into the garbage, mess up the lawn furniture, and eat the vegetables out of the garden. Rowan had been out voted two to one last year to stop trying to kill it. Rowan once again conceded and promised Joshua she would not shoot the offender. Rowan opened the door and shouted, “O.K. I am sorry. I call a truce. I won’t try and hurt you anymore. Now if you would please not pick on me anymore that would be great. We need to work together if we are gonna get through this.” She closed the door to see Joshua as pleased as punch that he had negotiated an end to the war. It was good to see him smile. Rowan felt silly for the display but in her heart she knew the words were more for God than for the raccoon. She was feeling scared and alone in protecting her son and she couldn’t waste energy on some grudge against a furry foe.

Rowan felt hunger pains. All of the excitement had left her feeling drained and in need of food. She cooked up some hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. The meal tasted surprisingly good. It is amazing how good boring food can taste when you are super hungry. Rowan let out a big sigh and filled a plate up for Rascal (as the masked opponent had come to be called by Joshua). Rowan quickly put it out on the picnic table, “There a peace offering. Friends O.K.?” She grabbed some more wood, went inside, and locked up the house tighter than a vice. Of all the things she hated because of the break up, Rowan now felt a weird sense of comfort and support by having her nemesis still around. It gave life a sense of normalcy for the time being.


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Iowa Weather

Well slap my knee and call me pink Iowa, It's snowing. Yet again I woke up to snow blanketing the yard. It snowed Friday while I was in Des Moines and now it is snowing here two hours East. I am trying to recall if it is normal to have snow this late in the season. Being Iowa I am sure it is, but for some reason it is not sitting with me well. The weather report says it will be 46 degrees today so the snow will not linger long. I am getting nervous for my campout this weekend. Two weekends ago I drove 8 hours, hiked to miles to camp in Southern Illinois on The Trail of Tears down by the Shawnee National Forest. It was beautiful. This coming weekend I will kick off my camping/ hiking tour of Iowa. Let's see how the experience holds up. We had thunder and lightning and I slept in a tarp set up (no tent. Yeah I am a Bushcrafter). It will be interesting to see what the Iowa weather does this weekend. The forecast looks good, but then it does change it's mind moment by moment. When I first moved to Iowa I was told repeatedly, "If you don't like the weather in Iowa wait five minutes." I suppose it is nature's way of making sure all of the new growth has plenty of moisture to start us into Spring.

This is the first year that we are attempting a garden at my house. We have our seeds planted and they are starting to sprout. What a rush, right? We brought them in because of the weather last week. Looks like they will be stuck inside with us for a while. This is one thing to consider when prepping in Iowa. If your life depends on your garden, timing will be important for planting. Looks like I have a lot of learning to do. Gardening is not as easy as it looks on Youtube. :)

Well enjoy the white stuff today Iowa. Hopefully we won't see too much of it the rest of this season. I have the "Hiking Iowa Guide" which is going to be my starting point for hiking and backcountry camping in Iowa. If any of you Iowans know of some great spots to hike/ primitive camp give me a shout. I would love to explore this amazing state. I know we have more than corn fields here, can't wait to prove that fact.

Stay warm and Keep prepping, FreedomFox

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Installment Three Of Rowan's Journey

She slowly pulled out of the garage and parked next to the side door to the house. For some strange reason Rowan was relieved that they could not be seen from the street. She felt a need to be careful and not draw too much attention to them. She got the car seat out of the Prius and installed it in the 4Runner. Having extra room now, Rowan decided to get some more things from the house. They went into the kitchen and Rowan pulled the extra grocery bags from underneath the sink. Trying to keep Joshua and herself calm she asked the toddler to load a bag full of cans from the bottom cupboard. As the boy worked Rowan cleaned out the cupboards and loaded all of the food into the SUV. She also grabbed all of the food from the refrigerator and freezer. Over the last six months Rowan had become a bit of a prepper. She had been watching Glen Beck and following a few different stories on the Internet. Something about having extra things stored away made her feel safe. She had started buying extra food and stowing it away in her bedroom closet. She had saved up enough food to last two adults six months and enough water for two or more weeks. Rowan set her son to task and he was loading up his little radio flyer wagon with bottles of water. Some of the food was in a Rubbermaid tub, which Rowan now realized was way too heavy to move. Filling every bag in the house, she loaded every bit of food into the Fore Runner. They were almost ready to go and at the last minute Rowan grabbed the extra blankets from the closet and two sleeping bags. Ready to leave the house now, she took one last look around and sighed. She had no idea how long it would be before they would come home.

Rowan strapped Joshua into the car seat and buckled herself in. Joshua’s Dad’s place was not that far away but she had no idea what they would find on the road. It was a great property just outside of town and was surrounded by 150 acres of farm land. In the back there was a small stand of trees with a pond. The property itself had a large outbuilding, an old well, and a vegetable garden. The house was a ranch style 3 bedroom 2 bathe home. It was bought at auction and completely remodeled, including a small apartment in what used to be the garage. There was a wood stove, a fourteen gallon reverse osmosis water reserve in the basement. It was off city utilities and used a propane tank that was kept full always. The place was a pretty good start to self sustainability. Not yet off the grid but with great potential for it. The home also had sentimental value, as it was the house Joshua was born in.

As they pulled out of the driveway Rowan realized the Prius was blocking the driveway. She thought about trying to push it out of the way but decided just to drive through the yard. As she drove down the lawn people started to look at them. Rowan noticed all of the cars just sitting in the driveways. Her next door neighbor asked how she got the car started. Rowan shrugged her shoulders and yelled it just started. There were people walking down the street with suitcases and wagons full of personal belongings. The road was clear though. Because of the early time of the morning no one had been up and moving before the plane crashed. As they got farther away from their neighborhood Rowan noticed that the power was out all over town. There were smoke plumes all over the place. The sun was coming up over the horizon and as they crested the hill Rowan gasped for breathe as she counted at least ten other plane wrecks around town. What could have possibly caused this? Rowan felt a stir of panic well up in her. Joshua asked, “what a matter Momma?” She tried her best to cover her reaction up. “Nothing baby, Mommy is just trying to wake up.” Rowan decided the best option was to take the highway around town instead of trying to go through the streets that now looked filled with people. As she drove down the on ramp it was almost unnatural how deserted the road was. There were no cars, no people, and no movement what so ever. At first the drive was smooth then Rowan saw the small plane down in the middle of the highway. It was one of those cessna type planes, a four seater. The landing gear was gone and it rested on its belly off kilter on the road. It was blocking both lanes. The cabin door was open and Rowan did not see anyone moving inside. She was not sure what to do. She could only think of getting Joshua to his Dad’s house. They would be safe there. Wouldn’t they be? Rowan put the car in neutral and pulled the emergency break. Rowan had to lock in the four wheel drive on the tires. Once the tires were locked in place, she shifted into four high and drove off the road onto the center- median. The vehicle seemed to have no problem driving through the thick brush. Then she saw the landing gear lying across the brush. Rowan had to drive all the way to the other side of the highway. She felt strange driving the wrong way down the road but had no other option. After they had cleared the wreckage she got back onto the right side of the road. She contemplated unlocking the hubs but decided she would rather leave it in four wheel drive and go a little slower than to have to get in and out if they needed to used it again. Just in the short time they had been out Rowan could tell that something big had happened. She had no idea what it was, but it was BIG.

Installment four coming soon…


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Winter Over Night Review

The over night went great. There were four of us that camped and this guy was woodsy enough to sleep outside. He made Butter Nut Squash soup that was delicious. We also had salmon, cous cous, and zuchinni for dinner. In the morning breakfast was oatmeal and Hot cocoa and chai tea.

Who says you can't eat good while out camping?

The company was great and the dogs were the perfect addition. Two huskies tromping through the snow always makes my day brighter.

We got a break in the weather and had temps in the high twenties to thirties. The over night low was above twenty. We woke up to an inch or so of snow blanketing the campsite.

We camped in the primitve camp ground. There were no other campers there so we had the place to ourselves. There were Ice Fisherman out on the lake just a short hike from camp. There was a pit latrine as well as modern bathrooms a short walk or drive from us, with showers.

All in all Belva Deer County park and lake was a wondeful place to be. I would highly recommend it to anyone. I think I will make a return trip when the weather is warm.

Thank you, Freedomfox

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Winter Storm Coming

It appears that we are expecting a large winter storm that will affect a large area. The weather channel is reporting that this storm could affect a million people. See the link below. I checked the weather report for SE Iowa and it seems like we will be getting snow Monday and Tuesday. The temps should warm up in Time for our winter overnight in Sigounery Iowa February 5th. With more snow rolling in Sunday afternoon on the 6th. Seems like we are being given a window of opportunity for our campout. That is way cool. Also it looks like the midwest will get hit with the storm, but check the weather report for your local area as SE Iowa often has less severe weather than Northern Iowa.

Also I will be posting the second installment of the Fiction series soon. So check back to find out what Rowan does next.........

Stay warm Iowa, Freedomfox

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Lake Belva Deer Recreation Camp out Feb 5th

Weather permitting a group of us will be braving the Iowa winter to camp at Lake Belva Deer Recreation area in Sigourney Iowa. That sounds like an oxymoron “weather permitting.” We will be there unless we get a blizzard or the temps dip down in the negative numbers. If you are interested in joining us please let me know. The trip is planned for Saturday February 5th. We will be practicing a variety of survival skills and having some fun. This is winter camping so if you do come please be prepared.

Lake Belva Deer Recreation area sounds like a wonderful place to go. Their website states, “The Belva Deer Recreation Area is the Keokuk County Conservation Board's largest and most heavily used area. It is located two miles east and two miles north of Sigourney. Facilities at the 1,669 acre park include eight picnic shelters, camping areas, showers with flush toilets, eight miles of hiking and horse trails, seven fishing ponds, and a 260 acre lake. The lake has a large beach area on the north side of the lake with plenty of space for family gatherings.”
Some of their trails are Equestrian friendly. They offer cabins, modern camp sites, and primitive camp sites. We will be camping in the primitive campsites that run $10.00 per night. The park offers fishing and hunting as well as many other outdoor activities.

I will be posting a review of the park and an overview of the camping experience (along with pictures) after we get back. Check back often to keep up on what is happening in Iowa.

Here is a link to the parks webpage
http://www.keokukcountyia.com/Conservation/Belvadeer/belvadeer.htm

By FreedomFox


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