A bit of delving and I find woodcuts and drawings of medieval folk using backpacks...sometimes made of basket weave, sometimes more like bound bundles, but others look exactly like a simple rucksack. *grins* I am not surprised, but it is nice to have proof. I can use them now with my St. Hubert's Rangers work as well as my ME Ranger activities.
The bedroll, or blanket roll, can stand alone for very lightweight needs. Admirably so. Yet for those who might want a bit more, a rucksack is a good thing. In that you can take a folding frying pan..the Romans had them, I might add, perhaps some extra bries or hose/socks. A journal, if you've a mind to. Just remember, the more carrying space you have, the more you will carry..and the heavier the load will be. It is a tradeoff, like most things. Weight vs. comfort and convenience.
I like minimalist kit because if I can get by with that I can easily get by with a bit more. Confidence builder. It does not mean I won't use a rucksack, just that I enjoy going as light as possible.
I have a design in mind; it will be made of heavy forest-green canvas...I will use elk hide to reinforce the bottom and bottom sides of the pack. It will have leather straps and incorporate a chest strap/tie. It will be made so I can lash my quiver to it, or a sword or what have you. Swords I tend to find heavier than they are worth for a scout, although they have their merits otherwise. I will design it so my bedroll can be slung underneath or carried on top. I need flexibility in the design so it won't be huge, and it won't pack a lot of stuff, but it will allow a bit more in the way of provisions and preparation items as well as the odd bit of additional clothing. I have noted some of the images seem to have a waist tie as well...this is a good thing in my opinion as it helps transmit some of the weight to the hips and off of the shoulders. With a permanently damaged left clavicle and shoulder, taking weight off them is not a bad idea.
I'm thinking my bowyer/fletcher kit in basic form would be a good candidate; I could repair arrows, rough out bows and arrow shafts, not to mention their use in camp making and whatnot. Again, it is a question of weight.
An additional pair of shoes is not a bad thing; the day shoes can be aired and dried by the night fire while one sleeps with the dry pair on the feet. In cold weather this helps a lot. You can rotate footwear to keep the feet fresh and happy. This is why I favor shorter footwear over boots.
The clothing is closest to 13th century, with the somewhat longer tunics common in the 12th and the bries and hose or pants found throughout. The longer tunic resembles a shortened dress, which for a gal is not a bad thing. Mine are not split for riding. It is comfortable kit, the inner can be more like a shirt and the outer short-sleeved in hotter weather or worn alone. Flexible.
That's where I am at the moment.
Eledhwen
The Ranger-Harper of Minhiriath
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Musing
Off on another scout here in a bit. Living in Rhovanion means frequent scouting; Mt. Gundabad isn't all that far off really. ;)
I am slowly replacing the black items in my kit and clothing with brown, green, or grey items, with splashes of color here and there where it seems desirable and appropriate. Black is not really a good color for the forest, except perhaps at night. It stands out too starkly from the background as can be seen well enough with my own recent pictures. A better choice is a neutral color, such as brown, or grey...or greens. Slate blues have their place and small splashes of color will not hurt; there are flowers and other things of color in a forest. You simply have to avoid overdoing it.
I have two grey wools to use; one is a softer, misty grey and the other is a dark, richer heather grey. My inclination at this point is to make a hood and blanket cloak from one or both of them. The cloak proper can be carted about as the blanket roll when not in use, the hood and mantle, being separate, can be worn or rolled away as best suits me. Lightening the load and making things do multiple duties is a goal of mine. One could make a lightweight cloak and wear that, leaving the blanket as just a blanket I suppose. Not sure how practical that is..and after a while, weight matters a lot.
To my mind, the need to travel light, and sometimes swiftly, is a high priority. Never mind fantasy aspects, real world needs could trigger the necessity to be able to do this.
In 'Born of Hope' we see Rangers, although not usually loaded out for overnight trips. We see Aragorn with his cloak rolled into a bundle at his back in 'The Lord of the Rings'. Aside from that, and mentions of backpacks with regards to Hobbits and Dwarves, we do not really know how long distance patrols were handled. If scouting in hostile lands one obviously cannot be taking along a wagon. A horse is possible of course, but not when infiltrating or getting into areas where the animal could give you away. Even so, horses have a maximum load and it isn't as much as one might think.
This makes me think that perhaps the way a colonial longhunter did it is not too far off what a Middle Earth Ranger would do. Certainly within the bounds of possibility. This is why my kit has begun to look as it does.
I am also finding that certain things work better than others in the tools department. I have a lovely Elven hunting knife I forged..but it is limited in its applications by its very shape, which is very Elven. Far more useful and better suited is my 15th century hunters knife. Heavy and long, it can at once clean and butcher game, or by the same token, gut a foe. It is finely balanced. Much as I hate to admit it, it is better for general use than my Elven hunting knife. Both have secondary edges which allow for the cutting of hide in a controlled fashion, both are very sharp and finely balanced...but the hunter's knife can also chop or cut, which the Elven blade does not do so well.
What it is coming down to is that I am finding the more practical items to be the more likely chosen by a Ranger in Middle Earth...just as they would have been in the middle ages and still are by most folk I know. There are exceptions; the ones who want blades that belong in some nightmare fantasy, but they tend to be the exception around here.
With my bows I am finding a great deal of freedom exists in the choosing. The descriptions of them are few and not generalized leaving a wide range of materials and shapes to play with. Rangers, being those who 'range' over wide swathes of territory and travelers extraordinaire, would have access to styles and types not their own...and some might find those better suited to their individual needs. In this case I think most sorts of bows could fit into canon without difficulty. In the end, that is an individual choice of course.
Many interpretations of the Easterlings lend them an oriental flavor...and that would bring with it certain things that are associated with that aspect; bamboo items, different swords and spears and usages, for example. A Ranger scouting East of East might find a bow made with bamboo, or a spear more like a yari, which the Gondorian spears are very similar to already. Remember that Tolkien did not model his cultures off of any one historical culture, but blended many of them from across time and space to create his peoples. It is an aspect easily forgotten or overlooked.
Our need to classify things tends to get us into the mindset that only certain things could be found in a given culture. In Tolkien's works this is not the case. Not to my mind at any rate.
Obviously I do not get caught up as much with the whole cultural purity and canon correctness that troubles other folk. Thank goodness!
In the end Middle Earth as we know it is a world built by Tolkien, populated by Tolkien....based on real world elements to be sure, but essentially a fantasy world. We want it to be the world we live in..so we try to define it along those lines...but we cannot, in either case. Not really. I would go there like a shot if I had the opportunity.
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Peperharow
Rhovanion
I am slowly replacing the black items in my kit and clothing with brown, green, or grey items, with splashes of color here and there where it seems desirable and appropriate. Black is not really a good color for the forest, except perhaps at night. It stands out too starkly from the background as can be seen well enough with my own recent pictures. A better choice is a neutral color, such as brown, or grey...or greens. Slate blues have their place and small splashes of color will not hurt; there are flowers and other things of color in a forest. You simply have to avoid overdoing it.
I have two grey wools to use; one is a softer, misty grey and the other is a dark, richer heather grey. My inclination at this point is to make a hood and blanket cloak from one or both of them. The cloak proper can be carted about as the blanket roll when not in use, the hood and mantle, being separate, can be worn or rolled away as best suits me. Lightening the load and making things do multiple duties is a goal of mine. One could make a lightweight cloak and wear that, leaving the blanket as just a blanket I suppose. Not sure how practical that is..and after a while, weight matters a lot.
To my mind, the need to travel light, and sometimes swiftly, is a high priority. Never mind fantasy aspects, real world needs could trigger the necessity to be able to do this.
In 'Born of Hope' we see Rangers, although not usually loaded out for overnight trips. We see Aragorn with his cloak rolled into a bundle at his back in 'The Lord of the Rings'. Aside from that, and mentions of backpacks with regards to Hobbits and Dwarves, we do not really know how long distance patrols were handled. If scouting in hostile lands one obviously cannot be taking along a wagon. A horse is possible of course, but not when infiltrating or getting into areas where the animal could give you away. Even so, horses have a maximum load and it isn't as much as one might think.
This makes me think that perhaps the way a colonial longhunter did it is not too far off what a Middle Earth Ranger would do. Certainly within the bounds of possibility. This is why my kit has begun to look as it does.
I am also finding that certain things work better than others in the tools department. I have a lovely Elven hunting knife I forged..but it is limited in its applications by its very shape, which is very Elven. Far more useful and better suited is my 15th century hunters knife. Heavy and long, it can at once clean and butcher game, or by the same token, gut a foe. It is finely balanced. Much as I hate to admit it, it is better for general use than my Elven hunting knife. Both have secondary edges which allow for the cutting of hide in a controlled fashion, both are very sharp and finely balanced...but the hunter's knife can also chop or cut, which the Elven blade does not do so well.
What it is coming down to is that I am finding the more practical items to be the more likely chosen by a Ranger in Middle Earth...just as they would have been in the middle ages and still are by most folk I know. There are exceptions; the ones who want blades that belong in some nightmare fantasy, but they tend to be the exception around here.
With my bows I am finding a great deal of freedom exists in the choosing. The descriptions of them are few and not generalized leaving a wide range of materials and shapes to play with. Rangers, being those who 'range' over wide swathes of territory and travelers extraordinaire, would have access to styles and types not their own...and some might find those better suited to their individual needs. In this case I think most sorts of bows could fit into canon without difficulty. In the end, that is an individual choice of course.
Many interpretations of the Easterlings lend them an oriental flavor...and that would bring with it certain things that are associated with that aspect; bamboo items, different swords and spears and usages, for example. A Ranger scouting East of East might find a bow made with bamboo, or a spear more like a yari, which the Gondorian spears are very similar to already. Remember that Tolkien did not model his cultures off of any one historical culture, but blended many of them from across time and space to create his peoples. It is an aspect easily forgotten or overlooked.
Our need to classify things tends to get us into the mindset that only certain things could be found in a given culture. In Tolkien's works this is not the case. Not to my mind at any rate.
Obviously I do not get caught up as much with the whole cultural purity and canon correctness that troubles other folk. Thank goodness!
In the end Middle Earth as we know it is a world built by Tolkien, populated by Tolkien....based on real world elements to be sure, but essentially a fantasy world. We want it to be the world we live in..so we try to define it along those lines...but we cannot, in either case. Not really. I would go there like a shot if I had the opportunity.
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Peperharow
Rhovanion
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Scout & pics
This morning's scout was excellent. Ran into a number of folk, it being the weekend and all, and nary a one of them had a problem with me, my dress, or what I was doing. Since we were out taking pictures for the most part, I wasn't trying to avoid detection...and really, with the number of people here and the lack of cover for much of the place, it would be exceedingly difficult if I did.
I created an album on my Photobucket account called 'Rhovanion', as that is the area of Middle Earth I tend to associate this place with. So I am up in the foothills of the Hithaeglir scouting about the 'Sunderwood', another made up name.
There are a few pics of me in the Rhovanion album, and more will be coming as the year progresses, along with the occasional 'How I Did It' piece.
A good day. A good scout.
Eledhwen
Peperharow
The Sundered Lands
I created an album on my Photobucket account called 'Rhovanion', as that is the area of Middle Earth I tend to associate this place with. So I am up in the foothills of the Hithaeglir scouting about the 'Sunderwood', another made up name.
There are a few pics of me in the Rhovanion album, and more will be coming as the year progresses, along with the occasional 'How I Did It' piece.
A good day. A good scout.
Eledhwen
Peperharow
The Sundered Lands
Today
On scout this morning, or will be soon. Use-faded green tunic-shirt, well-used black drawstring pants, the same hood and mocs as in the other pictures, forest green belt, belt pouches, quiver, cased bow, knife, and the bedroll.
I am going to experiment with combining the bedroll with the quiver and/or pack for a bit and see where that leads. With this will be a variety of belt pouches and/or shoulder bags. I am going to see which of them suit me best and are most efficient and effective for the widest range of uses. There will be pictures here.
At the risk of causing much gastric distress in folk, I uploaded the two earlier pics to my photobucket account and then linked from here to there...so clicking on them ought to trigger a much larger photo...as I say though, be warned about potential gastric distress. ;)
I shall also be bringing the work table in later today; there are arrow shafts to cut and other items for other things that need a higher and more robust table. I will also fetch my buffalo hide in from storage.
Work on the Númenorean shortsword begins soon. Changes to the hilt area are minimal, but the grip and pommel will change significantly and a proper wood and leather scabbard with appropriate decoration will be made for it. I have my Del Tin Glamdring, which I love, but a shortsword suits me better and this Kris Cutlery version needs work anyway...neglect correction mostly...and so I may as well work it up as a proper blade for my Ranger activities.
I like my shoe packs. I am looking at making a pair based on them, but taller with a full length tongue and laces with a buckled cuff. Still soft enough to use with the ground, high enough to protect the calf and shin, easily bound about the foot for comfort and support. Progress and eventually a 'how I made it' series here.
Speaking of 'How I Made It', the bedroll series is nearly complete; look for it soon.
Lots going on, on multiple fronts.
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Peperharow
The Sundered Lands
I am going to experiment with combining the bedroll with the quiver and/or pack for a bit and see where that leads. With this will be a variety of belt pouches and/or shoulder bags. I am going to see which of them suit me best and are most efficient and effective for the widest range of uses. There will be pictures here.
At the risk of causing much gastric distress in folk, I uploaded the two earlier pics to my photobucket account and then linked from here to there...so clicking on them ought to trigger a much larger photo...as I say though, be warned about potential gastric distress. ;)
I shall also be bringing the work table in later today; there are arrow shafts to cut and other items for other things that need a higher and more robust table. I will also fetch my buffalo hide in from storage.
Work on the Númenorean shortsword begins soon. Changes to the hilt area are minimal, but the grip and pommel will change significantly and a proper wood and leather scabbard with appropriate decoration will be made for it. I have my Del Tin Glamdring, which I love, but a shortsword suits me better and this Kris Cutlery version needs work anyway...neglect correction mostly...and so I may as well work it up as a proper blade for my Ranger activities.
I like my shoe packs. I am looking at making a pair based on them, but taller with a full length tongue and laces with a buckled cuff. Still soft enough to use with the ground, high enough to protect the calf and shin, easily bound about the foot for comfort and support. Progress and eventually a 'how I made it' series here.
Speaking of 'How I Made It', the bedroll series is nearly complete; look for it soon.
Lots going on, on multiple fronts.
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Peperharow
The Sundered Lands
Friday, March 23, 2012
Projects and a Scout
As you can see, I am looking toward the camera as I did not have any notion of exactly where in the field I would be. You can clearly see the fat broad here, even though I am a lot less fat than I was three months ago.
Anyway, these are my baseline images. While it does not show well in the photos, the tunic is actually green and the pants are beige. The vague bow in my hand is my ash longbow with horn nocks, a traditional D section made for me some years ago.
Tomorrow I ought to be wearing either black pants or the beige ones again, a black tunic, and of course the black hood..unless I reverse it out for the green side, which I might do. Same quiver, different pouches, probably a different bow.
I am currently working on a new tunic, a green Norman style tunic with keyhole neck opening, short sleeved, and black hosen/pants...probably more like the footed Thorsberg sort than not. Not going for precise here, just for works.
A new quiver is under way as well, this one is being designed to go with the blanket roll and shoulder bags and/or pack. I am experimenting here and it will be documented here as I go along and as I have the time.
A new hood is also in the works; one without dags. ;)
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Learning
The more I think about it, and the more I cart it about and use it, the more appropriate the bedroll seems to be for a Ranger of Middle Earth. It is simple enough, easy to carry, can be tied to the bottom of the pack or carried by tumpline, it can carry things not immediately needed, such as the copper corn boiler stuffed with coffee beans or even chocolate and muscovado sugar or whatever else you want to go in there. Extra shoes of the soft sort..and I might say that shoe-packs would fit perfectly into Middle Earth, especially with a little modification, perhaps some extra pants or an extra tunic, whatever really. That would leave the pack or haversack free for things like the folding frying pan carrying a bag of corn meal or flour, or perhaps parched corn or what have you.
Yes, the Longhunter's basics are pretty much the same, but then what the two are doing is essentially the same.
My Middle Earth Ranger self has already incorporated elements from my Longhunting activities, generally the bedroll and some of the food/food prep stuff. Still pretty minimal...and the added benefit to that is it leaves weight and space for things like the quiver and other weapons, meaning that even fully loaded I have pretty minimal kit in place so can travel fast and light.
Really, the two activities parallel one another, with occasional curves here and there where they overlap.
The 'single blanket tricks' of the Longhunter are perfect for the Ranger too. Note that I am not speaking of imminent large scale battle here...no, for that the Ranger would don armor and fight with others in a different way. I am speaking here of skirmish, ambush, interdiction, and harassment. The need to move swiftly, silently, and strike with sudden strength. The ability to patrol large regions efficiently and quickly. Armor does not lend itself to this sort of movement; I have tried it often enough over the years.
I have armor yes...several sorts in fact. Yet for me the Ranger is the ultimate Reconnaissance source, and recon means light. 'Swift, Silent, Deadly' was the motto of 2nd Recon (still is I think), and a very accurate one too..and pertinent to the ME Ranger as well. In my own opinion, naturally.
The same foods a Longhunter took along would be available to an ME Ranger too; parched corn, various sorts of tree syrup for sugar, jerk of various kinds, corn meal or other kinds of flour, perhaps even some kind of raw sugar or something, although I do not recall it being mentioned in the books. Still, coffee is mentioned, so bringing along green coffee beans for roasting and crushing, or tea for brewing is appropriate. It is said that an Eastern Woodland Indian could go all day on a handful of parched corn and a cup of water. Not a bad thing to aspire to as an ME Ranger either.
In my Longhunter pursuits I have been running about in moccasins and shoe-packs...and it has begun to really toughen up my feet and legs, really doing a nice job of it. This benefits the ME Ranger too...soft boots work just fine, are easy to field repair, and easy to make and it means I do not have to worry about hard soles and that I can literally feel the earth under my feet (and other things). I noted the other day while running about that I was actually using the entire foot, not just the toes, to grip things. Walking on a log, the arches of my feet curled around the surface and my toes gripped as well...it gave me a seriously solid grip on the log, something unobtainable with hard shoes.
I am learning a great deal from my scouting and rangering....and it all crosses over. A Ranger I am becoming...but the journey is only just begun. There's a lot of weight to lose, a lot of muscle to trim, and skills to re-master. It is all fun, and anything that gets me into the outdoors and active and away from computers and televisions and the ridiculousness of modern culture is a Good Thing in my book.
Lacho calad! Drego morn!
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Yes, the Longhunter's basics are pretty much the same, but then what the two are doing is essentially the same.
My Middle Earth Ranger self has already incorporated elements from my Longhunting activities, generally the bedroll and some of the food/food prep stuff. Still pretty minimal...and the added benefit to that is it leaves weight and space for things like the quiver and other weapons, meaning that even fully loaded I have pretty minimal kit in place so can travel fast and light.
Really, the two activities parallel one another, with occasional curves here and there where they overlap.
The 'single blanket tricks' of the Longhunter are perfect for the Ranger too. Note that I am not speaking of imminent large scale battle here...no, for that the Ranger would don armor and fight with others in a different way. I am speaking here of skirmish, ambush, interdiction, and harassment. The need to move swiftly, silently, and strike with sudden strength. The ability to patrol large regions efficiently and quickly. Armor does not lend itself to this sort of movement; I have tried it often enough over the years.
I have armor yes...several sorts in fact. Yet for me the Ranger is the ultimate Reconnaissance source, and recon means light. 'Swift, Silent, Deadly' was the motto of 2nd Recon (still is I think), and a very accurate one too..and pertinent to the ME Ranger as well. In my own opinion, naturally.
The same foods a Longhunter took along would be available to an ME Ranger too; parched corn, various sorts of tree syrup for sugar, jerk of various kinds, corn meal or other kinds of flour, perhaps even some kind of raw sugar or something, although I do not recall it being mentioned in the books. Still, coffee is mentioned, so bringing along green coffee beans for roasting and crushing, or tea for brewing is appropriate. It is said that an Eastern Woodland Indian could go all day on a handful of parched corn and a cup of water. Not a bad thing to aspire to as an ME Ranger either.
In my Longhunter pursuits I have been running about in moccasins and shoe-packs...and it has begun to really toughen up my feet and legs, really doing a nice job of it. This benefits the ME Ranger too...soft boots work just fine, are easy to field repair, and easy to make and it means I do not have to worry about hard soles and that I can literally feel the earth under my feet (and other things). I noted the other day while running about that I was actually using the entire foot, not just the toes, to grip things. Walking on a log, the arches of my feet curled around the surface and my toes gripped as well...it gave me a seriously solid grip on the log, something unobtainable with hard shoes.
I am learning a great deal from my scouting and rangering....and it all crosses over. A Ranger I am becoming...but the journey is only just begun. There's a lot of weight to lose, a lot of muscle to trim, and skills to re-master. It is all fun, and anything that gets me into the outdoors and active and away from computers and televisions and the ridiculousness of modern culture is a Good Thing in my book.
Lacho calad! Drego morn!
Nai i-Valar tiralyë.
Eledhwen
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Bedrolls and Ranger-Longhunter kit
I began taking pics of my bedroll this morning, along with the tumpline and the rolling and tying of it all. There will be pics of the making of my Longhunting bags and kit, much of which is perfectly applicable to my ME Ranger activities as well. I will also be making moccasins and shoe-packs, and eventually having a go at shoes and boots.
I will put some of this here as a tutorial of sorts, and maybe on the MER site too; there are some who might find it useful after all.
I am going to be recording a lot this year, as I delve more deeply into living the history, not just learning it.
Stay tuned.
Eledhwen
I will put some of this here as a tutorial of sorts, and maybe on the MER site too; there are some who might find it useful after all.
I am going to be recording a lot this year, as I delve more deeply into living the history, not just learning it.
Stay tuned.
Eledhwen
Monday, March 19, 2012
Ranger & Longhunter
Right then. That's me. There's a mixture of medieval and colonial in that picture. Drawstring pants and the soft high mocs...SCA pieces. Osnaburg shirt, haversack, powder horn, bedroll, and belt axe all colonial longhunter pieces.
They are not so different as one might think. If I had my quiver and bow with me and traded my hunting horn for the powder horn, perhaps a hood for the hat...a Ranger would be standing there.
The bedroll and pouches combination appeal to me far more than the more commonly used backpack. Simpler, often lighter, it does the job and does it well.
Either way, the scouting and the tracking and trailing, the hunting..all of that is the same. Just the weapons and some of the clothing is different..and even with the clothing a LOT of it is really just stylistic in difference.
It has been a curious thing, finding the commonalities and watching the differences diminish.
Food for thought.
Eledhwen
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Scout
I am sauntering along the road to the summit as is my wont, making occasional deviations in course to climb a hill topped with hemlock, or to gain a vantage into a cut or gully. My progress up the road is slower than usual, but the ground I am covering is rather more than usual. It is a nice enough day; a bit brisk so that the melting has not yet begun, although it will be well under way before I return this way.
I cross the Hayhay brook where it meets Roaring Brook, loving the sound of the waters blending and rushing off down their bed. The Sunderwood lies quiet all around me as I continue questing back and forth as I climb the road. I have noted the RF trail where it joins the road..and the fallen trees from last year's storm that make an obstacle course of the area.
I climb to the Bend, where the road almost doubles back on itself as it makes its run for the ridgeline above. Here the RF bypass splits away; it will join the trails that run into North Mountain Road after a time, yet I turn and head up the Mountain as I ever do.
I pass through the glade that lies at the foot of the last real ascent; all is quiet here and as it lies in a saddle between two ridges, sheltered too. I pause for a moment to soak in a bit of sunlight and the sounds around me.
Almost two hundred paces later I am brought up short; voices are coming down from the Mountaintop...I think I perhaps recognize one or two of them. I slide off the road and 'tree' as I consider. In my quiver are only six common arrows, in my hand my ash war bow, unstrung and cased. I have not even a knife with me this day; it was an excursion meant for pleasure and exercise rather than real scouting. I am well dressed; hooded mantle over tunic, simple braccae and high soft-leather boots. My belt with its pouches and need wallet is comfortably cinched about my waist.
After considering for a moment I decide to see who is up there, but I do not wish to be seen in turn. I raise my hood and wrap the liripipe about the lower half of my face, tucking the tip under my quiver strap. Now I take on the aspect of the predator hunting prey. I exercise silent movement and slip across the ground with very little sound. I note that I am not as fast as once I was, but I am more sure of my route and footing, more patient in my technique; wisdom has refined the raw skills of the younger years. The intensity remains but the flame that sustains it is a steady, constant one...not the blazing and flickering one of years earlier. I am working my way around to face into the wind...if these are the ones I think they may be there will be at least one dog present.
It takes some good time, but that is no matter as the work itself benefits from the care...and I manage to slide into a small depression screened by bushes that lets me see those on the hilltop while remaining hidden....and I am only some thirty feet from them so can hear quite clearly. I was correct, there is a dog present, and some children, running about the place. The wind blows into my face so I do not worry overmuch about my scent reaching the dog.
They are speaking of someone they seem to have expected but have not seen. No name is mentioned but they say that sign of said person was noted at the trailhead and that they had taken a faster route to here in order to beat 'her', who always takes the road up. Another, who comes in from the road, offers that he has seen no sign of anyone coming that way. I have no idea who they might be speaking of, but I do recognize them from some days before. I observe them for a time; closed, wary, shifty...all words that pass through my mind in regards to these people. I see no reason to remain here, and I definitely do not wish to reveal myself. As I am considering the best route down, a squirrel scampers across my buttocks....I am amused.
I slip from the Mountain and return to the Road by the glade. Down the Mountain I go, once again questing from side to side along the way. I am moving faster now though, I wish to put distance between myself and the folk on the Mountaintop.
Near the trailhead I come across a gentle walking up the Road. We pause and exchange greetings; he asking me about the Road ahead, myself simply wishing him a good day. He goes his way, and i go home to Peperharow.
By the way, the device on this page is the one I created for my Guild of Rangers & Foresters. It is both in and out of the SCA..in, it is a kind of Baronial Guild, out it is all about Rangers, Hunters, and Foresters. It is unusual, especially in an SCA context, as to be a member requires one to have attended the basic hunting safety courses, whatever they might be, wherever a person resides. It also expects said members to actually hunt....it isn't about make believe or pretends. It is really about hunting and scouting and the surrounding activities and crafts.
Probably why it has a membership of just one; me. Hehehe My son and lass might join, once their hunting courses are sorted. The courses here are free courtesy of the Wildlife Service, but they are offered by volunteers and fill up so fast it is hard to get into one. That and they are not one day evolutions either. They are quite thorough..and I will say this for them; they are acceptable for licenses in any state of the union...the archery course too. They cover a lot.
Lady Siani
Peperharow
The Sundered Lands
I cross the Hayhay brook where it meets Roaring Brook, loving the sound of the waters blending and rushing off down their bed. The Sunderwood lies quiet all around me as I continue questing back and forth as I climb the road. I have noted the RF trail where it joins the road..and the fallen trees from last year's storm that make an obstacle course of the area.
I climb to the Bend, where the road almost doubles back on itself as it makes its run for the ridgeline above. Here the RF bypass splits away; it will join the trails that run into North Mountain Road after a time, yet I turn and head up the Mountain as I ever do.
I pass through the glade that lies at the foot of the last real ascent; all is quiet here and as it lies in a saddle between two ridges, sheltered too. I pause for a moment to soak in a bit of sunlight and the sounds around me.
Almost two hundred paces later I am brought up short; voices are coming down from the Mountaintop...I think I perhaps recognize one or two of them. I slide off the road and 'tree' as I consider. In my quiver are only six common arrows, in my hand my ash war bow, unstrung and cased. I have not even a knife with me this day; it was an excursion meant for pleasure and exercise rather than real scouting. I am well dressed; hooded mantle over tunic, simple braccae and high soft-leather boots. My belt with its pouches and need wallet is comfortably cinched about my waist.
After considering for a moment I decide to see who is up there, but I do not wish to be seen in turn. I raise my hood and wrap the liripipe about the lower half of my face, tucking the tip under my quiver strap. Now I take on the aspect of the predator hunting prey. I exercise silent movement and slip across the ground with very little sound. I note that I am not as fast as once I was, but I am more sure of my route and footing, more patient in my technique; wisdom has refined the raw skills of the younger years. The intensity remains but the flame that sustains it is a steady, constant one...not the blazing and flickering one of years earlier. I am working my way around to face into the wind...if these are the ones I think they may be there will be at least one dog present.
It takes some good time, but that is no matter as the work itself benefits from the care...and I manage to slide into a small depression screened by bushes that lets me see those on the hilltop while remaining hidden....and I am only some thirty feet from them so can hear quite clearly. I was correct, there is a dog present, and some children, running about the place. The wind blows into my face so I do not worry overmuch about my scent reaching the dog.
They are speaking of someone they seem to have expected but have not seen. No name is mentioned but they say that sign of said person was noted at the trailhead and that they had taken a faster route to here in order to beat 'her', who always takes the road up. Another, who comes in from the road, offers that he has seen no sign of anyone coming that way. I have no idea who they might be speaking of, but I do recognize them from some days before. I observe them for a time; closed, wary, shifty...all words that pass through my mind in regards to these people. I see no reason to remain here, and I definitely do not wish to reveal myself. As I am considering the best route down, a squirrel scampers across my buttocks....I am amused.
I slip from the Mountain and return to the Road by the glade. Down the Mountain I go, once again questing from side to side along the way. I am moving faster now though, I wish to put distance between myself and the folk on the Mountaintop.
Near the trailhead I come across a gentle walking up the Road. We pause and exchange greetings; he asking me about the Road ahead, myself simply wishing him a good day. He goes his way, and i go home to Peperharow.
By the way, the device on this page is the one I created for my Guild of Rangers & Foresters. It is both in and out of the SCA..in, it is a kind of Baronial Guild, out it is all about Rangers, Hunters, and Foresters. It is unusual, especially in an SCA context, as to be a member requires one to have attended the basic hunting safety courses, whatever they might be, wherever a person resides. It also expects said members to actually hunt....it isn't about make believe or pretends. It is really about hunting and scouting and the surrounding activities and crafts.
Probably why it has a membership of just one; me. Hehehe My son and lass might join, once their hunting courses are sorted. The courses here are free courtesy of the Wildlife Service, but they are offered by volunteers and fill up so fast it is hard to get into one. That and they are not one day evolutions either. They are quite thorough..and I will say this for them; they are acceptable for licenses in any state of the union...the archery course too. They cover a lot.
Lady Siani
Peperharow
The Sundered Lands
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