Fourth Blog Post. September 12th. Thor’s day. Blog Post #4

Kicking a log in half

Trying to kick down the tree

What kind of forest animals make loud huffing noises when blowing air forcefully through their nose? I would like to know. As I was walking along a deer path in the woods, I stopped to study scat that wasn’t deer. Suddenly, loud huffs came from ten feet in front of me across the creek. I froze and when it continued, I backed away slowly then briskly. I gathered some rocks, as well as my wits, and went back to the creek where the noise came from. I sung out and yelled while throwing rocks around, but it seemed to have left before I returned. I continued on my walk, albeit with more caution than before, chased after a few deer, and returned to the creek. There, I found a lot more questionable scat looking like flattened cup cakes. It’s humbling to find yourself on other parts of the food chain.

I have finished excavating my pit house but the turf I collected probably will not be enough roofing so I’ll use a few cattails for thatching. I spent a while this afternoon attempting to push over a dead tree that was held up by a steep slope and some barbed wire, but eventually, I gave up and used an adze and a saw to cut my timber from a nearby, downed cherry tree. Without an axe, it was slow going, but I ended up with hopefully enough for my frame. My plan is to make either a half pyramid or cone over the pit with the flat side open so that I may enter. This I will cover in smaller sticks, turf, and thatch as my roof. I will also dig another 4 feet away from the entrance and cover it with a flat roof where I can place my legs when sleeping. I experimented with some clay that I found in the pit today while it was raining. Maybe I’ll try to make a pot or cup out of it sometime in the future. If it’s sunny tomorrow, I'll pick up the bow drill and try my luck with getting a full fire from it. 

Overall, I found the reading to be an inspirational story that pushes me to pursue more outdoor self-reliance. I have a long way to go and learning is the only way forward.