Location: Northeast Nova Scotia, Twa Corbies Hollow, approx. 1 hr from New Glasgow and Antigonish
Date & Time: April 25, 25 & 27, beginning 1000 Friday; ending 1400 Sunday.
Cost: $200 per person
Equipment Required: Warm to cold weather outdoors clothing for wet and dry conditions, and waterproof, insulated hiker boots. Also mandatory: sleeping bag, sleeping pad or cot. Also bring any other personal outdoor gear and toiletries you require. Recommended: knife, binoculars and camera.
Campfires: At this time of the year it may or may not be dry. If dry, campfires will not be permitted.
Level: basic to moderate
Contact: twa.corbies.hollow@gmail.com
Base Camp One: spending the night as we prepare the site.
This class is for those who wonder what bushcrafters do or have been in it a while but are finding there are gaps in their knowledge, such as how to sharpen a knife and hatchet, how to start a fire in wet conditions, or how to keep the tent from being blown down in a storm. This profoundly informative class will cover a number of bushcraft essentials:
- Where to make your shelter.
- Types of bushcraft shelters, from tent to tipi.
- Making your shelter rock-solid and ensuring it stays dry.
- Gathering firewood.
- Gathering wood: which trees to harvest, how to bring them down, and what to do with them.
- Knives and hatchets–the most essential tools of bushcraft (includes axes and tomahawks).
- Plants, mushrooms and animals that can aid in getting by in the bush.
- Getting water.
- Finding your way. Navigating in back country by landmarks, compass and celestial bodies.
- Campfire and trail stove cooking.
Dawn in the western woodlands during an autumn deer hunt.
This is the course! A comprehensive introduction with advanced tips on all aspects of bushcraft. If you only make it to one of our courses this year, make it this one. Because of the immense amount of material to cover, we’ll be starting early Saturday, so students are advised to arrive during daylight Friday in order to get camped and be ready to start Saturday morning.
Schedule:
Students should arrive Friday afternoon to set camp.
Saturday:
0700 – 0730 Breakfast
0730 – 0900 Essential bushcraft tools: knives, axes, hatchets, saws.
0900 – 0930 Break
0930 – 1200 More than you ever wanted to know about sharpening.
1200 – 1400 Break for lunch and discussion
1400 – 1500 Choosing shelter sites to stay warm and secure.
1500 – 1530 Break
1530 – 1800 Creating lean-to’s, tipis and using tents effectively.
1830 Dinner
Sunday:
0700 – 0730 Breakfast
0730 – 0900 Gathering wood for various purposes
0900 – 0930 Break
0930 – 1200 Making fire in wet and dry weather
1200 – 1330 Lunch
1330 – 1530 Basic foraging for edible plants and fungus
1530 – 1600 Break
1600 – 1800 Essential back country navigation
This intense course will take two days and take place at the Base Camp One of Twa Corbies Hollow School of Bushcraft & Homesteading. This lovely wooded camp is a quarter mile in the woods behind the cottage yet easy to access, set off a seldom-used dirt road beside a brook and offers a beautiful natural setting in which to practice the skills covered. Persons will leave this course with well-rounded basic knowledge of how to get by in the woods and wilds.
Camp food preparation over a wood stove (pictured above right) or over a fire is a rewarding skill to develop.
Tipi’s and lean-to shelters will be provided, though persons are welcomed to pitch their own camps in designated areas. Persons will be responsible for their own lunches, snacks and beverages. Campfire breakfast and dinner will be provided. Persons must bring their own bedding. Cool weather sleeping bags and pads or cots are recommended. Usually the Hollow is bug-free in May but if it is especially warm there may be some early biting flies, so bug repellent is recommended.
twa corbies hollow 