Working on Paleotech almost exclusively. The liberation and empowerment that come from mastering the deceptively complex skills used by Stone Age people is incredible. From hand drills, bow drills, and fire plungers to make fire, though flint knapping to make tools and weapons, to cordage making for weaving and rope...right on through hunting and survival. Amazing stuff, in a nutshell. Really working from the ground up with this stuff. It gives one a feeling of immense self-confidence. Way beyond what modern survival routines do.

It is a crying shame there is no one to go out and experimentally live with in this regard. Nowhere to hunt with these weapons.

I am still working with atlatl darts and soon will be working with Stone Age brain-tanning of skins and hides as well. My goal; a complete wardrobe of skins and furs to experiment with. Mind you, I have been doing minimalist with longhunting and rangering for some time so I think I have a fair idea what I am looking at here.

It would be pretty nifty to have a go at immersion for a couple of weeks or a month. I suspect it would be highly illuminating...and of course, quite dangerous. Still, I bet it would be worth it. Know it would be. Definitely a kill ya or cure ya evolution. ;)

Considering making some rabbit throwing sticks too. Once again, they are illegal to hunt with here, as are various bird throwing sticks. 'Cause of course, it be cruel to kill this way and the poaching/assault of low flying aircraft rate would be just horrible. Horrible. ;)

Cannot even spearfish or bowfish here. Sheesh. At least I can use a drop line. Oh, and basket traps are strictly forbidden, as are booby traps, snares, or deadfalls. Trapping in general, really. Might catch someone where they oughtn't to be, I guess. Who knows?

There are a number of things I can do..for the moment..so will do as I may. There are some downed trees from which I might get the 'rind' for experimenting with making some kinds of canoe.

Making of fire..although this one is restriced to here because of course one cannot build a fire in the wild places without a permit or at properly designated fire places. Make your population as helpless and dependent as possible, aye Captain.

One good thing about learning these paleotech skills is freeing oneself from that sort of nonsense. Perhaps not totally, but as close as one can get for now.

Anyway, after making myself a brain-tanned buckskin wardrobe with furs. Guess I'll be a target of the anti-fur crowd. Oh well.

Eledhwen

Back Again

Wow. Illness, injury, holidays, broken tech, all sorts of stuff going on.

Still, I have been at least somewhat busy. Making arrows, of course. Lots of them. I am, I think, getting pretty decent at it, though still learning things as I go along. :)

I received my flint knapping kit but have yet to try to actually make anything. It is something I am reluctant to do in the apartment after getting both cut and a splinter of obsidian just handling the stuff. I do not want the small shards in the carpet and what not. I'll work on it outdoors, which would be a lot better.

I received my atlatl...I bought one of bamboo for experimentation. It has a bit of shaped bone for the 'hook' on the tip. I still need to make darts for it. I checked the bamboo stakes we have...most of them are much too short. There are some others to look at...I really only need a couple of them to make into darts. I have fletches for them and all.

I received also my fire drill and hand drill kits; these are tested to work and are something I can practice on as I make my own and try those too. I also have a fire plunger that I built from a kit, and naturally, flint and steel. Many ways to make fire!

I am keenly interested in paleotech and all that goes with it. Having read the writeup on that awesome show 'I Caveman' in the current issue of 'Primitive Archer' (thanks Ken!), I am even more motivated than before. I know how the man felt and feels. I have experienced that same thing..and the longing to get away from the world as we have made it never leaves. He'll find that out soon enough, if he doesn't know it already. There is something about being out primitive, whether it is longhunting, medieval hunting, or paleo living, that changes ones perception, makes one aware of another world underneath this thing we have built. It instills a deep seated longing, a sense of loss and loneliness that is hard to describe.

The Winter is closing in on us here and that is good time for working on many things. I will work a great deal on primitive kit over the Winter; most of my medieval and Range stuff is sorted anyway, and my Longhunting stuff is near done too.

Ritual stuff is ever ongoing...and one cannot separate that from paleo living...it is part and parcel, as it is of my own life.

Pictures of packs, flint pieces, darts, and whatnot as I get them.

Eledhwen

It has been a hectic time indeed. I have been making a LOT of arrows...and doing some shooting at the range as well. I am improving continuously

Today I went out to the hills, to a friends' house. The morning was brisk enough for breath to smoke on the wind and snow flurries to dance about. There was sign, mostly old, but no game was had. I did bring home a rabbit for dinner sometime this week.

Today was St. Hubert's Day...patron of the Hunt. A fine day to go a-rangering and hunting.

I am now making a set of arrows ordered from me; we will see  how this works out. If it goes well I will allow other folk to order some. I guess that would make me some kind of fletcher should it happen. Not a bad peaceful pursuit for a Ranger.

I am still working at making bows. That's a longer learning period to master.

Busy busy.

Eledhwen

Hah! I have been even busier!

I have been making a lot of arrows...in part because I enjoy it, in part for practice, and in part for preparation; I will begin construction of the ordered arrows here this coming week. All field tests of arrows I have made have been positive; they fly properly, are spined correctly, and are well balanced. Here is hoping that continues!

I still practice shooting from a variety of positions...and I recommend others do as well. Unless, of course, you can guarantee that anything you need to shoot at will be easily seen and targeted from the standing and that it does not have some intention or ability in shooting back. Adding in a wider variety of skills is no bad thing.

I will, I hope, get some photos this weekend, of the arrows I have been making and of the positions in shooting. I am going to be up in the hills at a friends' house tomorrow, in part to visit but also to impart a few skill lessons on tracking and arrow construction. Might even manage to bag some game.

So busy, yes, but with Ranger concerns on the whole. I prefer it that way.

Eledhwen