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A Word in the Woods

A city-dweller's outdoor travels, gear reviews and field tests, survival tips and tricks, camping and canoeing.

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The basics of building a fire

January 21, 2016 by Michael Zimmermann Leave a Comment

The bloggers over at Fix have provided an excellent infographic that highlights the elements of building a safe and successful fire. Source: Fix.com

Filed Under: Bushcraft, Conservation, Courses and Education, DIY, Front Page, HowTo, tips Tagged With: campfire, Fire, Fire-building, how-to, kindling, tinder

Backyard cedar strip canoe: Part 1, Introduction

January 26, 2015 by Michael Zimmermann 2 Comments

Canoecraft cover

So, I’ve done it! [The Story so far] This is the first in a series of posts about building a backyard cedar strip canoe. Follow along as I research, cost, plan, schedule, and possibly fumble my way through an urban build of one of the most loved forms of backcountry transportation.  Well, to clarify, I haven’t done a…

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Filed Under: Backyard cedar strip canoe series, Canoe, Courses and Education, DIY, Front Page, Gear, HowTo, Things to try Tagged With: Backyard cedar strip canoe, boat building, building in the ciy, Canoe, canoeing, construction

Knife-making with Dean Piesner and Robb Martin

March 18, 2014 by Michael Zimmermann 2 Comments

Knowing as much about my tools as I can has always been the way I’ve been wired. It’s the reason I took up an interest in blacksmithing in the first place — I took a one-day historical society course on how to make a traditional Native neck knife (the pocketknife of the fur trade era)….

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Filed Under: Blacksmithing, Courses and Education, DIY, Front Page, HowTo, Personal, Things to try Tagged With: blacksmithing, bladesmithing, featured, Knifemaking, Thak, tools

Advising new campers? Here’s some advice.

March 4, 2013 by Michael Zimmermann 3 Comments

“…but I’m not looking for anything hardcore, yet.” I’m often asked for advice about outdoor trips, and every once in a while, the person ends the question with the above statement.  I find this interesting, especially the “yet” part. The inference is that there’s a hierarchy to the camping world; your first trips start with…

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Filed Under: Courses and Education, editorial, Front Page, HowTo, Questions, Things to try, tips, Trip Reports Tagged With: advice, education, featured, guiding, planning

Making a classic bow-frame saw

November 7, 2012 by Michael Zimmermann 1 Comment

I’m the first to admit that despite my love of the outdoors and the woods, I’m relatively unschooled in the fine art of woodworking compared to some. Natural wood has a life and character unlike any other material, and it’s hard to ignore those who make this craft their pursuit. I love to listen and…

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Filed Under: Bushcraft, Courses and Education, Front Page, Gear, Technology, Things to try Tagged With: diy, education, saw, skills, woodworking

Bushcraft courses: Ray Mears Summer 2012 Ontario Updates and more

July 9, 2012 by Michael Zimmermann Leave a Comment

Here’s an update on the Ray Mears course I mentioned in a post last fall. It was being organized by School in the Woods [ed. note: no affiliation with this site]. The course as described didn’t happen, unfortunately. The organizer informed me that the agent wanted a very hefty non-refundable deposit with still no contract…

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Filed Under: Bushcraft, Courses and Education, News Tagged With: bushcraft, mors kochanski, ray mears, school in the woods

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