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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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Throwing knives for survival

October 8, 2015 by Michael Zimmermann 2 Comments

From the first time I saw James Coburn play the ultimate badass in the 1960 classic The Magnificent Seven I (and I suspect many of my readers) thought, “How cool would it be to have that skill?” Possessing an awesome skill is, of course, impressive, no matter what the discipline, but let’s put this into context. Does throwing a knife make…

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Filed Under: editorial, Front Page, Personal, Questions, Technology, Things to try, tips

“Father Nature Outdoors” — Camping Blanket

August 22, 2014 by Michael Zimmermann 4 Comments

Most successful bushcraft is about creative problem solving and sharing of knowledge, resources, and support. I owe a lot of my current level of experience to the generosity of others, and I’d like to encourage everybody to think about how important that is. I love the outdoors. I love the simplicity, and the isolation, and,…

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Filed Under: editorial, Front Page, Gear, News, Technology Tagged With: Father Nature Outdoors, kickstarter, quilts, sleeping bag

Happy Trails

July 16, 2013 by Michael Zimmermann Leave a Comment

I occasionally wonder if I talk too much about the woods. I probably do, but that doesn’t deter me in the least. It warms my heart to see evidence of that sort of passion elsewhere, too, and makes me feel less like a deviant. I’d like to share a recent example of just this type…

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Filed Under: editorial, Gear, Guest posts, Personal Tagged With: algonquin, Gear, hiking, learning, Special Ops Mosquitos, Speech, wedding

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

Blacksmithing and leatherwork and bushcraft, oh my.

June 20, 2012 by Michael Zimmermann 5 Comments

Like most people, I have a variety of interests. Sometimes, the popular pastimes that appeal to my colleagues and friends don’t hold that same draw — I don’t play golf, or follow sports. Some of my passions do fall closer to the mainstream — craft beer, pool, good food. The interests that titled this post,…

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Filed Under: editorial, Front Page, HowTo, Personal Tagged With: art, blacksmithing, bushcraft, craft, hobbies, leatherwork, problem-solving

Disclaimers and the like

April 16, 2012 by Michael Zimmermann 5 Comments

Ross Gilmore Indulge me in a personal rant, and a rally cry of support for a moment. Ross Gilmore (aka “Wood Trekker”), a blogger I read from time to time, has posted something that’s gotten my blood boiling a bit. His posts usually deal with outdoor pursuits and bushcraft, axe-handling and history, and all sorts…

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Filed Under: editorial, Personal Tagged With: disclaimer, frivolous, kids these days, rant, Ross Gilmore, WoodTrekker

Balance leave-no-trace extremes

July 14, 2011 by Michael Zimmermann 4 Comments

Perhaps not something that everybody likes to hear, but I, for one, found myself nodding along with many of the points in Don Tryon’s Leave-A-Trace editorial page. He makes the point for a common-sense approach to camping, and takes issue with the extremes that some enthusiasts have gone through to erase our existence on the land….

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Filed Under: Conservation, editorial, Front Page, Personal Tagged With: camping style, editorial, ethics, Leave no Trace, LNT, opinion, purcell

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