The walk in
Parked beside a bunch of guys prepping their mountain bikes for the trails and got some odd looks as I donned enough gear for what looked like a permanent move into the wilderness!
I had decided to carry my sleeping bag since it takes up a huge amount of space in my pack.
So on my back was 19.2kg and I was carrying my 3.3kg my BA arctic bag.
I was initially heading for a fire break I had seen on Google Maps which was approx 1km from the parking area and had a stream running through it. However, after walking 2km I decided that I had missed it and/or it was overgrown. I eventually decided on a spot near another bit of said stream where I stopped my 'Map My Hike' app at 2.4km
I felt pretty busted so sat and had some water and fruit and nut mix for a wee break.
At Camp
I had obviously found a spot used by a group in the summer as there were a multitude of cans, plastic cups, wine bottles, BBQs and bottles (whole and smashed), a tent (in it's bag! Why didn't they carry it out after repacking it?) and a water canteen. I brought the tent and canteen home and tidied what I could find of their mess but had to leave the bags of rubbish at the path side as I just couldn't carry it all.
Someone had made an effort to hide the remains of a fire but I'm assuming it wasn't the same group.
So, I set up my tarp & hammock and set about looking for dry wood with approx 2 hours until sunset.
Fire
There lay the first problem. Everything was mush, moss covered and black with mould. Even the upright dead standing. I think because the trees are so closely planted that the rain gets in but the sunlight doesn't.
I gathered what I could and set about prepping it to cook up my steak and rice dinner.
I got the fire lit 6 or 7 times before, during and after sunset but couldn't for the life of me get it to be sustainable. Once the tinder burned through it just went out, every time.
6pm frustrated and pitch dark, I retired to my hammock to read.
Morning
I woke several times through the night with cold spots and I got up at 8am on a mission to get the fire going for coffee (& breakfast)
I found a dead standing non-pine tree and dragged it back to camp, prepped it, made reasonable feather sticks and got some grass which had been drying in my pocket for tinder.
All set methinks!
No.
The tinder burned, the feathers burned, then out it went again.
Yet more feather-sticking and during battoning a piece with a knot my knife snapped!
One last try at lighting the fire failed so I packed up and walked out.
Thank goodness I had the fruit and nut mix with me!
Home
Got back home 26 hours after I left, cooked up my steaks, sausages, black pudding, made onion bannock in the oven and guzzled coffee.
Feel better now but I'm disappointed that my fire skills failed me on this occasion but it was a good experience and I will do better next time!
Video to follow later this weekend.
look forward to the vid
