The Bushman Chronicles!

Discussion in 'Adventure, Hiking, Backpacking and Travel' started by Bushman5, Jan 8, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    the trees filtered out the smoke nicely

    20180707_161045.jpg
    boiling puddle water for the mashed spuds
    20180707_161320.jpg

    hogging out a douglas fir stump to get to the fatwood core

    20180707_151511.jpg

    hard stump, split apart with the spike. Yea this tool will do just fine for cougar or bush meth head dealings.
    20180707_151618.jpg


    the ever awesome 5COL EPDM RANGER BANDS. Made a little knife secure tab for the Mora
    20180707_161755.jpg

    getting the spud bag out. Sure like that cadpat poncho....it really blends in here.
    20180707_161456.jpg

    love me some mashed garlic and herb spuds. Forgot the Asiago shredded cheese though....

    20180707_162135.jpg

    after puttering around for awhile, eating, I doused the fire and headed back out.

    20180707_163714.jpg

    vintage photo.....

    20180707_163759.jpg
    some puffballs, not ready for stomping on yet and releasing trillions of spores
    20180707_164209.jpg

    a fine tool
    20180707_164749.jpg

    after about 45 minutes of steep uphill climbing, got back to the truck and washed off the sweat and grime. Another flawless day with the L.R.R.P.R. gear (Long Range Recreational Pacing Rig)

    20180707_170400.jpg

    drove back to Van and enjoyed a flat of icy cold Sleeman Classic Lager, and a Frenched pork loin
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
    martin_j001, Dagwood, CWB and 13 others like this.
  2. KnOeFz

    KnOeFz Member

    Messages:
    1,186
    Likes Received:
    3,847
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Netherlands
    Enjoyed seeing the hawk in action.
    All these hawks from different knife brands poping up everywhere give me the itch for one.
    Btw, great light in that first pic.
     
    anrkst6973 and Bushman5 like this.
  3. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    So after much debate at the building Strata Council , regarding bbq's on the property.....they refuse to yield. So i've decided to start hauling slabs of meat into the woods, build alder wood fires and get a coal bed going and grill meats in the woods. Lots of knife pics and meat pics.

    Looking forward to this! I'm working damn hard now at the new job and can actually afford to eat meat once a week!

    I think BC's wilderness and oceans will be a perfect backdrop for this!

    meat, heavy metal, beers, fire, knives, tomahawks, 4x4's and wilderness!
     
    Dagwood, koolaidnd, Packrat and 6 others like this.
  4. Switchblade

    Switchblade Member

    Messages:
    101
    Likes Received:
    208
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Canada, BC
    That hawk is a good one for sure. I like mine very much, although it's been a while I used it...
     
    Bushman5 likes this.
  5. Packrat

    Packrat Member

    Messages:
    144
    Likes Received:
    220
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    northeast
    The hawk just needs the Bushman patina:cool:..nice report and pics sir.
     
    Bushman5 likes this.
  6. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    going to use my Dads German machinist files to shape the point into something more lethal, and also to put a back edge on the ax portion (the part that one would use to hook a limb and pull / control it. Once the shaping and sharpening is done, going to do a blackening of the tomahawk head, boiled pickling vinegar, muratic acid and brass black.
     
    Klynesquatch and Packrat like this.
  7. Packrat

    Packrat Member

    Messages:
    144
    Likes Received:
    220
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    northeast
    Nice!:DLike the scout rig also...
     
    Bushman5 likes this.
  8. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    Aug 5/2018, sunny, hot, humid....."The Hike Up A Mountain, Attack By Neutrino Bears, Sweat like Hell,Procure And Drink Tons Of Water, Damn This Trail Gets Steeper And Uglier!! Tour"

    Started out in Vancouver, loaded up the L.R.R.P.R. webbing kit, added some aged cheddar and bagel sammiches, walked out of the apt, noting the horrified stares of a certain problem neighbor as i walk towards my 4x4 rig carrying my webbing and knives over my shoulder.

    That neighbor is not my problem today. Today is Sunday, Church Of The Woods Day. They will be dealt with by Police another time, once another neighbor writes a witness statement.

    Left vancouver and hit the Sea To Sky. Encountered a major slowdown past Lions Bay. This continued for awhile.......until I saw the culprit (approx 5:33 in video, they had been in emergency mode and limping up the highway at 5km per hour until they reached the driveway) ....and oh man did i laugh............an ELECTRIC CAR ran out of BATTERY! gee , that sucks.....guess you get a TOW (about $150). Meanwhile regular ICE vehicles can simply refill from a jerry can. Try to plug in your electric car in rural areas or in the woods. Sorry....ZERO sympathy. The tech is fine for CITY USE....but it has yet to prove itself anywhere else. Sorry. LOL. When electric vehicle makers can make me a 4x4 with locking diffs/axles , 24" ground clearance and a 5000km range on a charge.....i'll change my tune.




    Pulled over at the Deeks Lake parking lot and locked the hubs in. Transfer case in 4Hi and off i go up the old venerable, washed out road. The bridge at the beginning is rotting and starting to fall apart. Won't be long until a fullsize 4x4 rig collapses it.........

    video does NOT really show how damn steep that road is. After the bridge its 4LO ,with the 3/4 ton auto tranny in L1 low tow range. (because of the 60 Hamster Power Engine......LOL)

    when my rig stops by the Hikers.....i kinda got distracted by girls legs...........missed my line and spun the rear wheels.....LOL. Road is DAMN STEEP and loose and washed out at that point. Had the sun in my eyes the whole time.....missed so many good lines and ended up in the rough




    parked and checking the L.R.R.P.R. load out.

    20180805_141101.jpg 20180805_141112.jpg 20180805_141118.jpg 20180805_141125.jpg View attachment 31154

    the area im heading into (little tiny lake at 1100 meter (3600 feet) mark)

    Opera Snapshot_2018-08-06_143708_www.google.ca.png

    rough trail map, showing Kallhanie Creek (blue), lake (red arrow), "trail" (white lines), bypass trail/brutal scramble trail (yellow), BONK point/turnaround spot (bug eyes)

    Opera Snapshot_2018-08-06_143115_www.google.ca (1).png

    3D side view of the mountain i was hiking up, to give an idea of terrain steepness


    3DSIDEVIEW.jpg



    heading up the old overgrown logging road (from the 50's) I could have driven the Moose Is Loose (BushTracker) up it for several klicks........but i did not want to stress the OIL SOAKED timing belt (front main seal is partially out and leaking bad) too much.

    20180805_142824.jpg

    this road carries on for many KM's......2-3 klicks then a zigzag again and again and again and again etc.....it just gains elevation for days.

    clearing fallen trees with the SYKCO ChopHouse

    20180805_143140.jpg

    Eventually the de-commissioned old road is blocked off for good.....massive gatekeeper of boulders

    20180805_145538.jpg


    turns into seriously overgrown fern and alder choked trail.....12" wide

    20180805_151026.jpg

    opens up a bit....LOL

    20180805_145953.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2018
    jdh, BigJake, martin_j001 and 8 others like this.
  9. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    this trail is an old logging road that zig zags for over 50 km's up the mountain. This entire area was logged in the 70's. Now it is a full forest again. The ferns take over the road first, then the alders. If you fly over these mountains, you can actually pick out every old road, just by observing the foliage differences.......cedars and douglas firs on both sides , alder trees in the middle. You can also see how DENSE the forest is to the right and left, hence no "as the crow flies" bushwacking, not without becoming completely exhausted in less than 50'. This is also why its hard to find lost hikers here. You can walk right past them and not hear them in the woods next to you.

    20180805_151913.jpg

    some webbing gear shots, Ranger Bands (5Col's) on the left strap hold the TQ and bear banger launcher / cartridge. On the right strap, more Ranger Bands secure a vac-packed Izzy and some Burts Bees lip balm. Above that is a GI Strobe

    20180805_144551.jpg 20180805_144605.jpg

    Surly

    20180805_174338.jpg

    first water re-supply was dried up, not even damp under the rocks. Already downed 3 liters of water on the drive up, and at the trailhead. Had two liters in the canteens on the L.R.R.P.R. , minus a few sips. Decided to reserve the water until i could find a water seep or creek.

    20180805_151039.jpg

    hiked on thru the "trail" , KM after KM, found some mountain berries. These turn to mush in your hands but are awesome tasting. Great in yogurt.

    20180805_152534.jpg

    the trail is not maintained, and is poorly marked. I should have brought my flagging tape and remarked the trail...but used blaze marks in the alders (these are considered weed/trash trees, are of no value except for smoking meats/firewood so i feel no issue with marking them. They grow like crazy)

    old blaze marks visible below the new blaze marks

    20180805_153021.jpg

    after several hours of gaining rapid elevation and hiking switchback after switchback, I dropped the webbing and pulled out the "musette bag" (Hidden Woodsmen) , for a high carb, high fat , tasty multigrain bagel with 10 year old aged cheddar, hot mustard and Cayenne pepper.

    20180805_155246.jpg

    some extras tucked away, along with another bagel

    20180805_155241.jpg

    oh yeah.....

    20180805_155359.jpg

    chowed down, finished off the left side canteen and swapped it to the right canteen pouch. Carried on up the mountain. Trail opened up in spots.

    20180805_151726.jpg

    found a tiny seep at one of the little water rivulets

    20180805_160207.jpg

    after scraping a trough with my boot heel, i waited. Took 15 minutes to get not much at all.......you'd need to soak it up and wring it out into your canteen

    20180805_160215.jpg

    carried on and up. These upside down bowl spider webs were everywhere. (TIP: these catch major amounts of humidity in the AM.......scoop a ton of the webs up with a shemagh for a little moisture)

    20180805_160151.jpg

    20180805_160049.jpg

    view of the Howe Sound thru a gap in the trees.

    20180805_172033.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2018
    jdh, BigJake, martin_j001 and 7 others like this.
  10. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    at this point i am literally only 500 meters up. Been zigzagging ALONG the side of the mountain the whole time. 4 hours in now.... 3 liters of water consumed between home and the trailhead, 3 liters since the trailhead. No urinary output yet, just sweat. Vest is soaked, arms, legs, head, hat, scrim net soaked. Still bloody hot though.

    20180805_174208.jpg

    finally reached a water trickle. Drank my other canteen, refilled both and treated with drops. Drank a second canteen while I was there, then refilled/treated it. Lots of little wasps around the trickle, getting their fill too.

    20180805_172018.jpg

    on and up. Well hydrated, muscles feeling loose, feet feeling great. Hotter than hell here. Was 35 deg Celsius up the mountain, no breeze until about the 700 meter mark

    Attack Of The Neutrino Bears

    Been a LOT of black/brown and grizzly activity on the North Shore mountain ranges lately. I heard a loud rustling and crash thru the dry leafy undergrowth up ahead about 30' feet. Could see the undergrowth moving a lot. Crap, here we go........

    threaded a bear banger cartridge into the launcher and fired it, while simultaneously pulling the safety off the bear spray and readying it for deployment. The KABOOOOOOM! echoed 4 times around the mountain cliffs. The movement in the under growth stopped and then i heard it.

    the chitter chatter and noise of two damn big squirrels running up trees and squawking at each other. Damn Neutrino Bears! o_O:D

    laughed and carried on. And up. And around another switchback. And then another. Not even at 550 meters yet. I started calculating the distance to the lake and figured since i started late (1400 hours) I would not make it until 2230 - 2300 hours at the latest....hmmm. Decided to keep going as far as I could anyways.

    20180805_154528.jpg


    HELL CLIMB

    rounded yet another switchback and noticed the trail diverted off the heavily overgrown old logging road. The old road ahead had not been waled on in years........looks like most people took the newer trail.......

    20180805_160929.jpg

    I should have carried on the old logging road trail, despite the heavy fern growth......this new trail rapidly became a scramble/climbing trail. Thank god i was not wearing a backpack.....i would have been top heavy and lost my balance multiple times. The L.R.R.P.R. rig kept the weight low and tight to the body.

    Cougar Scratching post. Fresh enough you could smell the fresh exposed cedar.

    lower scratches were only about 2-3' from the ground, figure Junior Cougars were scratching
    20180805_161556.jpg
    upper scratches were 5' from the ground, Big momma Cat. 20180805_161600.jpg
    you can see the slope grade. It got twice as steep further on
    20180805_163354.jpg

    lots of big rocks to hike up
    20180805_161945.jpg
    getting steeper
    20180805_161824.jpg
    hanging on as i rounded the stump. Trail was very loose here.

    20180805_163503.jpg
    this 5' diameter douglas fir stopped all those smart car sized boulders.
    20180805_164121 (1).jpg

    looming monster of a douglas fir root ball. That rock is about 2' across
    20180805_162808.jpg

    I shut off the cell gps/ location sharing at this point, after writing down my Coordinates and sending them to Reno Lewis (location sharing) . My battery was at 50% and I wanted to conserve it.

    The next part of the scramble was up almost vertical terrain. Lots of people had slipped and fallen....there was evidence of boot slips, torn fabrics caught on sharp roots etc. Eventually I made it up the slope and it emerged back onto the old logging road. Why the shortcut? it made NO SENSE......it took longer and was more physically intense than just keeping on the old road...........

    anyways...the trail carried on..........and up, and on and up.,........

    found a creek, totally buried under 12' tall underbrush. Managed to refill my canteens again. That open creek slot in the forest goes up for approx 1km to the cliffs.

    20180805_175307.jpg

    moth and flowers

    20180805_190220.jpg

    Still climbing........

    By this point it was 1815 hours. I was still only approx at the 800 meter mark. 3/4 of the way up, and there was still another 4+ hours to go. I marked my spot and turned around, heading back down the old trail.

    freaking jungle. Should have brought the Esee Lite machete and done some brush clearing (next time!)

    20180805_180429.jpg

    was feeling good and loose so i double timed it down the old logging road trail. Made excellent time to the 4x4. Cooled off , drank more water (10 liters total consumed today), popped a salt/sugar tab and had a choclate bar before descending the main access FSR in 4Lo and headed home. Stopped at Toby's in North van and picked up some cold ones.

    20180805_191230.jpg

    thats it.

    :cool:
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2018
    jdh, BigJake, Datilite and 11 others like this.
  11. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

    Messages:
    2,698
    Likes Received:
    7,461
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Center, Texas
    Nice stuff. The further from humanity, the better I like. Give me hogs, bears, murder kitties, even mozzies. Still better IMHO.
     
    Bushman5 likes this.
  12. Hawkeye5

    Hawkeye5 Member

    Messages:
    283
    Likes Received:
    484
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Texas
    Very cool thread Bushy! Do you ever use a pump instead of tabs?
     
  13. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    dont need a pump or tabs yet...i'm too young! :D

    no i hate pumps. Too big, too bulky, too much extra to carry. The new EF-Chlor tabs i have , one tab treats 20 liters of water. I just make a solution in a small Nalgene lab bottle and dose the canteens accordingly. I can literally carry like two tablets in my kit (but i carry more). Fill the canteen by straining thru the mesh shemagh, add three drops of concentrated EF-Chlor soultion, shake and GO!

    whole idea with the L.R.R.P.R. Webbing rig was to be as light, minimalist and streamlined as possible. Tabs take up exactly 1" x 5" x 1/4" space in my load out, and weigh about 20 grams. The Nalgene lab bottle is 3" x 1.25" and when full of solution , weighs less than 2 OZ
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2018
    Hawkeye5, koolaidnd and Zeek like this.
  14. Reno Lewis

    Reno Lewis Knot-A-Challenge Champion

    Messages:
    2,058
    Likes Received:
    5,215
    Location:
    Wherever my boots are
    Good stuff man, always happy to provide overwatch as well.
     
    Bushman5 and koolaidnd like this.
  15. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

    Messages:
    2,698
    Likes Received:
    7,461
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Center, Texas
    I freely admit to water envy. East, West, North, from here everybody gets at least clear water to start with. Here even after pre filtering, and sending thru a pump/purifier...it still taste and smells like just what it is, river water. Safe to cook with, or drink, but it's still river water..my nose tells me so.
     
    Zeek and Bushman5 like this.
  16. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    So reading a few ClubTread (local) hiking reports......apparently I was not far off from the Lost Lake/emergency hut. Several hikers report (a few years back) report doing this hike to the Hut in two hours.....from the Hwy Parking lot......Hmmmmmmm, 2 hours? Im not convinced of that.....at all.........in winter its a 8 - 10 hour snowshoe and thats going hard core.....

    I was going hard, the thick undergrowth was not really a slow down factor for me.......and i sure as hell did not make the Hut or the lake in 2 hours..........
     
  17. CWB

    CWB Member

    Messages:
    1,867
    Likes Received:
    3,654
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    MO
    Hey BM, you still have the Fiddleback? if so how are you liking it?
     
  18. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    Sure do Bro..... its a little laserbeam.

    Going to get a kydex sheath made for it, so it can go on the webbing shoulder straps
     
    CWB likes this.
  19. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    yea when its spawning season here, some of the river waters taste real nasty.......so I throw in some NUUN citrus tabs or Gatorade powder
     
    anrkst6973 likes this.
  20. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

    Messages:
    12,319
    Likes Received:
    26,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    west
    SUN AUG 12, 2018, warm, overcast, humid, "The Big Cougar, Insurance Fraud Vehicle, SAS MKettle Brew Up Tour"

    Headed up to Porteau Road, near Deeks Lake BC (North of Lions Bay). Spent a few minutes rigging bankline and flagging tape on the damaged wood bridge. Its not much, but its something visual to catch the eyes of people that use the old bridge.

    20180812_140035.jpg

    carried on up the old road and parked the rig. Chatted with a couple of lads that had hiked from Cypress Mountain and spent the night in the meadows before Deeks. They were going to head all the way to Whistler BC.

    Donned the L.R.R.P.R. webbing and headed out. Came across two ethnic females, mid 20's who had no idea where they where............As well, no water, no nothing, but flip flops and cell phones that don't work up here. They were also severely dehydrated. I asked them some questions, were they in a group? alone? what? they were in a group of 5 with one "experienced" "tour guide" and got separated. I asked them if they stayed on the gravel road we were on...yes....but then no no.....they tried to go down a little trail about 30 minutes up........ thinking it was to the parking lot.....

    JESUS H CHRIST!!! that is a 12" wide game trail that spits you out onto mossy slippery 500 feet high cliffs over the hwy...........!!!

    This is NOT an area you go unprepared, or with no experience. The weather changes rapidly, the terrain is brutal, there are cougars and bears a plenty...etc.

    I rehydrated them with my two canteens, and told them EXACTLY how to go down the old logging road to the parking lot. There was enough hikers out today that they would have no issues from this point down. Easy walk. Esp with no packs!

    weather system holding steady on the mountain tops.

    20180812_140331.jpg

    I carried on, up the trail from last weekend, but took the left fork of the old decommissioned road this time.

    found a water drenched fungi

    20180812_143242.jpg

    some edible, yet tasteless and chewy tripe
    20180812_143604.jpg
    spur road off the spur road, off the main Deeks Trail FSR
    20180812_143702.jpg


    new knife (with fresh epoxy soaked leather wrap) from Prodigal Knives in Logan Lake BC
    20180812_143802.jpg

    after 20 minutes found a nice cliff bluff with lots of moss. Good camping spot
    20180812_144012.jpg

    found a discarded tarp and a females thin purple hoody.............both had been here a while. Always get curious when i see tarps and womens clothes in the forest..........esp since the days of Clifford Olsen here locally.,.......

    20180812_144049.jpg 20180812_144106.jpg 20180812_154314.jpg


    entering the track trap....this spot seems to pool water when it rains, and then a ton of animal (and other) tracks are easy to find in the firm yet moist mud.


    20180812_144152.jpg

    dirt biker had been thru here in the last two days (no rain for months up here until this weekend)

    20180812_144208.jpg

    found some big cat prints. Size of my hand. About 3/4" deep in the firm/moist mud. Big Cat!

    20180812_144222.jpg 20180812_144228 (1).jpg 20180812_144233.jpg 20180812_154208.jpg 20180812_144256.jpg 20180812_154220.jpg

    actually looking back at these in a negative photo.....these look to have 5 toes.....

    @Reno Lewis - your opinion?

    UPDATE: it is indeed a cougar paw print, the dew claw can often make the 5th "toe" mark.

    CO figures by the depth of the track in the firm yet moist clayish soil, and the size compared to my hand, that the cougar is about 150 - 165 lbs, quite large.

    Also interesting to note....I have started to map out wherever I find cougar sign in that area, the scratching tree, the track trap prints and more. I'm starting to get a VERY good idea of the travels of the big cat.......I going to pursue this more and map more signs as i find them.

    If i can spare the cash i might just put up some very camo;ed game cameras.
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2018
    jdh, Zeek, BigJake and 4 others like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page