tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363605042039579382011-07-28T19:28:10.464-07:00Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-9431273147917025982010-02-02T22:16:00.000-08:002010-02-13T13:37:12.211-08:00

...well, except maybe for Merino. I'm a big fan of wool: blankets, shirt & jackets, socks, mitts, pants... It's the best I've found for all these things when it comes to spending time in the outdoors in cool and/or wet environments. Synthetics have a very limited place in my outdoors wardrobe; usually only for garments that are used for fast and light peak bagging, or when you you know you

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-72556664574270677792010-01-21T19:51:00.000-08:002010-01-23T15:43:11.299-08:00

Last weekend was pretty amazing! It was a genuine study in contrasts, going from this:To this:Within a space of 24 hours!We had planned to spend Sunday snowshoeing in the Cascades east of Vancouver, but hadn't planned at all on spending Saturday exploring the beach. But when we woke up Saturday morning the Sun was shinning (I mean REALLY shinning!) marking the end of a solid 2 weeks of non-stop

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-51336853977708194102010-01-03T14:12:00.000-08:002010-01-11T22:11:40.048-08:00

I'm back in the Lower Mainland after having spent a week in the Ottawa area for the holiday season. Most of the time was spent with family, but I did get outside at least a few times... thankfully!One day was spent on the snowshoe trails in Gatineau park. For those who don't know, Gatineau park is a rather large (363 km2) park to the north of Ottawa. It is operated by the federal government,

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-10637997475010652892009-12-21T20:38:00.000-08:002009-12-22T12:40:47.058-08:00

Wow! Been a long time since I've written anything! I'll forego the quintessential excuses and simply note that adapting to a new job, moving into a new appartment, buying a new car (small and ultra efficient to be sure) and rebuilding my old Jeep to get it through the safety inspection has kept me thoroughly occupied for the past 3 months!!With all of this work though, I've been feeling ever

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-68911242561656993232009-09-19T11:46:00.001-07:002009-09-20T22:52:41.749-07:00

Finally another update, and finally an actual excursion to report! It's been a pretty rough year, what with finishing school during a recession, but I was determined to get out (once at the very least!!!)and camp in the outdoors before ski season gets here! So last weekend the girlfriend and I headed up to Desolation Sound provincial park and spent a couple of nights camped out in the great

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-20528385449728120612009-08-09T21:56:00.000-07:002009-08-11T19:34:09.620-07:00

I went for a walk down by the local creek tonight and decided it was high time I try out the bow drill method of fire lighting. We had some cooler temperatures lately and some rain today so I felt it would be ok to give it a go. Still, I felt that actually making a fire, or even a red hot ember would be going to far given that the forest is still tinder dry, just below the surface. Being

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-61915935499859404242009-08-06T15:17:00.000-07:002009-08-06T16:09:41.808-07:00

Just thought I'd post a few shots of the knife now that the shaping and fine sanding are all done. As I write this it is sitting in a bath of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. I can't wait to take it out and let the drying begin! The linseed oil finish penetrates into the wood and hardens into Linoxyn when exposed to the air. It should take about a week to dry and once ready it will protect

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-67760730565445606802009-07-31T11:50:00.000-07:002009-08-04T10:27:14.707-07:00

On Sunday the 19th I decided to scout out the trail to lake Elsay in Mt Seymour provincial park. I've started to plan a hiking trip out to the lake and I wanted to get an idea of what the trail looks like. I plan on bringing my 5 weight fly rod to see if I can't hook some trout, as well as camp out over night. But the snow lingers for a long time in the mountains and the trails can be covered

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-38897336753733300082009-07-28T21:34:00.000-07:002009-08-04T09:54:29.524-07:00

I finally have a new camera! It's been nearly 2 years since I ruined my last one, and I've been anxiously awaiting the chance to buy another. I felt that I had to complete my master's and find a new job before I could pony up the cash though. Now that I've finally landed a proper position I figured it was high time to treat myself to a reward!Thanks to my enjoyment of time spent in the outdoors

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-54365501893755922192009-07-25T16:31:00.000-07:002009-07-25T16:40:21.697-07:00

Finally I get to post to my blog again! It's been crazy around here for a few weeks. I had a big interview on the 14th so I spend several weeks and weekends craming in preparation. I did virtually nothing "outdoorsy" until last weekend, but then I was too tired to post here. Now I have 3 long overdue posts to come out within the next few days!First, just a quick update on my knife progress. I

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-58637624155294561202009-06-15T20:44:00.000-07:002009-06-20T11:20:51.659-07:00

So it's been one helluva week and a half...I've been running around non stop and finally have a chance to sit down and work on the blog a bit. I was in Ottawa and Montreal until last Saturday to get a number of things done so I haven't had much time for anything to do with the outdoors or bushcraft. It's driving me nuts!!! Still, I did manage to get some materials for my knife handles!First I

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-67423725797138635872009-06-03T19:38:00.000-07:002009-06-03T19:44:23.085-07:00

I haven't had a chance to get out much the last couple of weeks because I'm working on contract monday through friday and spending my weekends trying to get a proper job! Next week I'll be back in the Montreal/Ottawa area and I'm hoping I'll get a chance to work on my knife handles. Not sure though; it's gonna be hectic! I have to attend a convocation ceremony, clear out my apartment, and find

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-55342863535553203872009-05-20T20:35:00.000-07:002009-05-20T21:42:28.121-07:00

Just thought I'd share a few pictures of a knife I've started working on.It's a 3.5 inch carbon steel blade. I'll also be doing another out of 4 inch stainless steel.The handle in the pictures is a rough draft. I made it as a preliminary essay in order to find a shape and size that I like.It's basically a simple oval shaped handle, sized for my hand, with a lower guard and pommel. It's

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-23345782039151066242009-05-10T19:54:00.000-07:002009-05-16T09:50:54.561-07:00

The spruce tips are out in full force around here!They make a great tea, loaded with vitamin C, and has a slightly citrusy quality; though in my opinion it doesn't compare with eastern white pine as far as flavour goes. According to "Discovering Wild Plants, Alaska, Western Canada, The Northwest" by Janice J. Schofield, sweetening the tea with honey, orange slices, cinnamon and cloves, or a nip

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-1043673982467608182009-04-26T17:41:00.000-07:002009-05-03T13:30:30.843-07:00

I'm a little fussy about some things; knives & cutting tools, outdoors clothing, cookware, etc. Fancy design, a "technical" look, or eye catching packaging are not important to me. I like these things to be simple, functional and long lasting. That's a big part of why I never buy teflon coated aluminum pots and pans. I prefer to stick to good ol' cast iron and carbon steel, with a few stainless

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-10819837774103637932009-04-10T14:59:00.000-07:002009-04-17T17:34:04.600-07:00

I went for a walk in the woods 3 days ago and came across some swamp cabbage. At the time I had no idea what it was, but the green colour was so vibrant, especially in contrast to the swampy ditch it was growing in, I felt that I had to take a picture and try to identify it. Here it is:As I mentioned above, it's called Swamp Cabbage, or Lysichiton americanum. It grows in wet, swampy areas, and

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-25007997345340764872009-04-06T14:07:00.000-07:002009-04-17T17:33:45.248-07:00

Just a GORGEOUS day here yesterday, and today is even better...too bad I have to spend it inside finding paying work!I took some time off yesterday though to go searching for some nettles. I happen to know of a spot where, in summer, they grow thick and fast. I wanted to know if there were any new sprouts coming up and figured that if I was lucky, I might be able to harvest a few for an omlette

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-49853157522912914552009-03-28T19:11:00.001-07:002009-04-05T12:51:26.976-07:00

Before I start a little apology for the poor quality pictures: My real camera got wet during a ski trip in 2007 and died a slow months long death afterward. Given that I had quit work to go back to school I decided not to buy a replacement until I finished my masters and had an income again. For now I'm just using a phone cam!!I went for a quick walk along the local creek today just to see how

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-87912000964057835422009-03-21T19:43:00.000-07:002009-03-26T14:53:19.985-07:00

Finally a nice sunny day! We've had generally grey, cloudy, drizzly weather here for the past couple of weeks with only the occasional sunny break, so I've dedicated most of my time to finding employment...on a side note, don't EVER finish a master's degree at the same time a recession hits!!! Given that it was such a gorgeous day, and being Saturday, there was no chance for me to work the phone

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-85376787209971676992009-03-19T13:27:00.001-07:002009-03-20T17:47:33.727-07:00

So we had a bright sunny day not too long ago, and I, unencumbered by the daily grind of a job/career, decided to take a "day off" and work on my wood carving skills. And just what did I choose to carve? Why a spoon of course!!! How original...Well, it may not be the the most fantastic and original of carving projects, but it is useful and gives you a great opportunity to develop familiarity

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-51120704895301645192009-03-10T16:59:00.000-07:002009-03-11T09:30:07.726-07:00

Canada's national film board has put together a library of some very impressive films over the years, many of which deal with the natural beauty of Canada. I am unaware of a similar organization in the states, but I would be interested in hearing about it if there is one; the US is full of beautiful areas too!I came across the following two films on the NFB website recently, both of which I

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-31028139438958887482009-03-09T20:32:00.000-07:002009-03-10T16:56:19.826-07:00

So we went to Le Festival du Bois de Maillardville yesterday and had a really great time. It was a gorgeous day and we even got some snow around 4:30. As a born and bread easterner it certainly was a little heartwarming to see some snow on the west coast!The festival was a lot of fun. A lot of traditional Quebec fare and music. Crepes, saussices, oeux, sirop d'erable, tourtieres, feves aux

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336360504203957938.post-45497506905246822922009-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:002009-03-09T21:10:20.320-07:00

Another blog...This is a temporary location for my blog until I get my Wordpress server and blog set up. But it'll be another little while yet before that is done!And what is this blog about? Well, mostly about my interests outside of my professional career. I'll be focusing a lot on outdoors trips including fly fishing, canoeing, camping, alpine hiking & Skiing and maybe a little sailing.

Ælwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13870264867957863164noreply@blogger.com0