Tracking School

I returned to the woods this week and enrolled on a tracking course with Woodsmoke, a highly respected bushcraft school based in the Lake District. I've done a teensy bit of tracking with them before on their Woodlander Course, and lots of my own amateurish attempts, but this was to be three days of structured and in depth training that I hoped would open my eyes to the world around me. I was not disappointed. 

Sniffing out a scent trail.

We were in at the deep end from the very beginning, with exercises designed to enhance our memory and senses, culminating in following a pre-laid scent trail through the woods. Of course the human nose is not good enough to follow a natural trail, but smells are useful when identifying signs and scat, so it was wonderful to discover the human senses are not as dull as we assume.

Rainstorm so heavy night fell in the middle of the day.

The weekend was full of tests and challenges that gradually opened our eyes and helped us to tune in to the subtle signs around us. Alongside the rigours of the course, nature also had a curveball for us - epic rain fall that began on the first day, and continued in prolonged bursts for the next two days.  It wasn't long before little floods were pooling around camp and rivers running through tents and shelters.  I was impressed with the way the lessons were adapted and continued within an increasingly difficult environment. We even managed to watch a wonderful film on the first night about the bushmen who track in the Kalahari, thanks to some generator engineering and a cosy boathouse (providing welcome respite from the rain).

Dissecting a fox scat.

As the course progressed, I became increasingly confident not only in my own senses, but was able to understand where the limits of a really experienced tracker lie.  Abilities that had once seemed supernatural to me were shown to be based in science, while other tracking myths were quickly debunked. By the end of the course  I was scrutinsing broken blades of grass and running my fingers inside tracks to feel their form. Although many times I was unsure of what I was reading there, often enough I was rewarded with good evidence that allowed me to progress faster along a trail.

Course Director Steven Hanton demonstrating gait analysis- very Pythonesque.

Another comedy moment. Blindfolded piggy backs- can you walk in a straight line?

Looking for animal sign amongst dune systems at Ravenglass. 

By the end of the course, I was completely hooked, and keen to get straight on to my next trail. The skills taught at Woodsmoke are only the foundation stones of what is a huge area of study.  I think the next step for me is to try and understand better what happens to tracks and trails over time, as there is something reassuring about fresh signs, but these are rarely found in nature. I can't wait to get out again, only this time with my eyes wide open. 

 

The ending of the rain. A misty final morning in the woods.

Woodsmoke: Woodlander

Spending time in nature over the years has forged in me a deep respect for the myriad of efficient, clever and ingenious ways that life thrives in wild places.  Once upon a time humans also knew what it took to make a living in wild Britain, and there are still a few people who know, or have learned survival and life skills that rely on their own knowledge and resilience, and the resources of land, not clever kit, frieze dried meals or goretex.
I'm fascinated by the concept of humans having a place in nature, so although my own practice is generally one of "leave no trace", taking in my fancy gear and carrying out my rubbish with minimum impact,  I am intrigued enough to want to learn some of these bush skills, and push myself to understand how a human might live within and alongside nature, rather than skating over the top of it as a hardy visitor with a rucksack full of equipment.

I enrolled on a bushcraft course with Woodsmoke in the Lake District, for a week-long immersion in to basic bushcraft skills. The instruction was excellent, the course was very real and hands on, and at times incredibly challenging.  The week is not for you if you fancy a holiday, but if you want to really push yourself, definitely give it a go! I've just got back, and I'm still picking the leaves out of my hair: here is a photo blog of what the week entailed. 

Most of our days were spent either ranging over the beautiful wooded estate where the course takes place, or in the outside classroom at the camp.

 I picked a plum spot for my little tent. I was serenaded every night by tawny owls and woodcock.

 The week was characterised by a mountainous series of projects, from craft and cordage, to field cooking, tracking and plant lore. The first project involved making a Waugan Stick to suspend a billycan above a cooking fire. 

The finished article.

 Another major project was making fire using a bowdrill.  This is hard work.  Here is my first and most triumphant ember.  Only half way there- you have to get the tinder going from this. 

The tinder catches- fire!

 We built natural shelters.  Also hard work!  This is a three person shelter that took six people all afternoon to build!

It was cosy when finished.

Three of us spent the night in the shelter snoozing next to a warm camp fire. 

It wasn't all work.  We had the opportunity to play in a cedar strip built canoe, and swim in the tarn above camp. 

Badger or teddy bear tracks ?

Projects projects projects......

 Pigeon pie cooking in camp ovens....

Nom!

We learned so many wild plants with multiple uses, but here is a common and edible one, Wood Sorrel. High in oxalic acid, so don't eat too much, but a tasty addition to any hedgerow salad.