First Aid Training With Woodlore

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The following article was written by Aspirant Instructor and regular blogger Sarah Day:

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day

Sarah Day

This season I’ve been working quite a variety of courses and I’ve been struck by how different they are in terms of overall feel. The Fundamental Bushcraft courses are very fast-paced, with lots of skills and lectures being crammed into the week. The Campcraft course meanwhile is slightly slower-paced, to allow for adjustments to using a heavier more powerful tool like the axe. The Tracking Course is much slower, but no less intense; I would say that it has a more academic feel – not that you spend the week studying books, but because you are encouraged to study the minutiae of the woods, to really slow down and try and take it all in.

But whatever the prevailing atmosphere on even the most intense of courses, the aim is rarely to cause stress or fear; to test you certainly, and make you push yourself, but not to actually be stressful. The WEM courses are slightly different.

We put a hell of a lot of time (usually in the evenings, that’s when you might catch us whispering and cackling in a conspiratorial way), effort and material resources (the makeup box is awesome) into turning first aid from an academic exercise to a practical one; because that’s where a lot of first aid training fails – it doesn’t prepare you for actually doing it for real.

A typically realistic first-aid scenario from the WEM3 Course

A typically realistic first-aid scenario from the WEM3 Course

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Canoe Training in the Ardeche Gorge

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The following post was written by Woodlore’s Head of Operations, Dan Hume:

I recently travelled to the beautiful Ardeche gorge in Southern France and spent three days paddling on the crystal clear water with the aim of improving my open canoeing skills. I hadn’t received much canoe training prior to this trip, so I was very keen to get out on the water and learn.

The Ardeche gorge is absolutely stunning and as you paddle along it’s as though you could be on the other side of the world. The sheer limestone walls tower a thousand feet above your head on both sides of the river as it twists and meanders for thirty kilometres.

Dozens of small cave entrances are visible high up in the rock, many of them never visited and some of them containing ancient evidence of hunter-gatherers. There is one particular cave in the gorge, the cave of Chauvet-pont-d’arc, which contains 31,000 year-old rock art.

Students tackling the rapids on Woodlore's Canoeing in the Ardeche course

Students tackling the rapids on Woodlore’s Canoeing in the Ardeche course

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Greetings from Alaska!

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It’s always a pleasure to hear from our customers around the world, especially when they’re in the thick of it and putting their kit and clothing to the test. So it was great to receive the following message this week, courtesy of Kristian from Denmark:

Dear Woodlore,

It is now 4 years that I have been using my Swazi/Ray Mears Tahr Anorak. I’m here in Alaska, and recently I’ve been on an expedition on Kodiak Island, crossing the island on foot. And I pretty much live in the jacket every day. I’m writing this just for you, because I am a happy customer 🙂

Here is a picture of me and the Swazi in the Kodiak wilderness:

 

Kristian in his Swazi Tahr Anorak, on Kodiak Island

Kristian in his Swazi Tahr Anorak, on Kodiak Island

 

Next stop – to cross New Zealand on foot in October, with only flour, rice, water, a rifle, knife and, of course, my Swazi Tahr Anorak.

Thanks again, sincerely and big smile,

Kristian Jersing

Raiders of the Lost Card

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Over the past year and a half, Woodlore’s Aspirant Instructor and Quartermaster Keith Whitehead has been happily snapping away on his many adventures around Britain and further afield. Whether he’s canoeing in France, paddling rafts in Scotland or snowmobiling in Sweden, it seems as though Keith has had his camera with him at all times.

So when a battered looking memory card turned up on my desk this week, it was with great intrigue – and a little trepidation – that I delved in to see what Keith had been up to.

Over the coming months I’ll be sharing some of the highlights from Keith’s many adventures, beginning with this selection:

A serene early morning view in Sweden, on Woodlore's Arctic Experience expedition

A serene early morning view in Sweden, on Woodlore’s Arctic Experience expedition

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Steve Watts’ Julius Pettersson Knife

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The following post was kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Steve Watts, who created his own handle for the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade:

Hello to all my fellow scar collectors,

Here’s my meagre attempt at doing this blade justice. I caught the knife handle-making bug from one of those birch and antler kits – wow was I chuffed with the result… at the time! Now I see the tiny misbalance and subtle vulgarity of my naivety. Damnit, and I was so happy too. Many knives later, I’m kidding myself I can do the truly beautiful Julius Pettersson blade. I nearly cried when I first saw it in my hand (great delivery service by the way)…

Steve Watts' Julius Pettersson Knife

Steve Watts’ Julius Pettersson Knife

I am afraid that I did the deceptive Brass and Linseeded Hickory. I was tempted to crudely mark my name into the wood like on all of grandfather’s tools that I used to make it. I am sad I won’t see how it looks in 50 years, I think the ol’ fart woulda liked it.

Happy trails everyone,

Steve Watts

No Smoke Without Fire!

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2012 has seen a whole host of new courses being added to the Woodlore roster, covering such skills as navigation, flint knapping and tracking. Arguably though, the most important skill to have in Bushcraft is the ability to create fire and, as we all know, there is more than one way to do it. Woodlore’s first ever Fire Lighting Techniques course took place last week to teach exactly that, with a cracking team of Dan, Keith and Steve at the helm.

Fire Lighting Techniques - 2012

Fire Lighting Techniques – 2012

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Wilderness Emergency Medic – Our most gruesome course yet?

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For those of you who are unaware, Woodlore has now been running a series of First Aid courses for over four years. Nowadays, a quick search online will reveal dozens, if not hundreds, of first aid training providers. But what makes a Woodlore First Aid course so special is that we gear them specifically for those of you who spend time in the outdoors. What’s more, each course revolves around highly realistic scenarios, aimed to really put your learning to the test.

Students rush to the aid of a gunshot wound victim on the WEM2

Students rush to the aid of a gunshot wound victim on the WEM2

So if you work in the outdoors, go camping alone or with friends, or are planning a more serious expedition, then the Wilderness Emergency Medic (WEM) range of courses that Woodlore run will provide you with first aid training that could prove vital in the field.

This year’s Level 2 course took place at the end of June and, with the help of Woodlore’s ever-inventive team, is now firmly in the running as one of our most gruesome courses yet! The aim of this method of teaching is to prepare our students for the worst; understanding first aid is one thing, but being able to apply that knowledge at times of high pressure is essential. A word of warning though – stop here if you’re squeamish…

Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day plays her part in a burns scenario

Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day plays her part in a burns scenario

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The New Swazi Tussock Range – Now in Stock

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The Swazi Clothing Tussock Range

The wait is finally over – the brand new Swazi Tussock Range is now in stock at Woodlore and available to order for same-day dispatch*. Woodlore remains the exclusive UK stockist of Swazi Clothing, so you won’t find these items in any other British shops.

This exciting collection contains brand new Swazi designs such as their heavy-duty, windproof fleece The Nahanni Shirt, as well as longstanding Swazi favourites like the Bushman’s Tee, now all produced in their classic Tussock Green colour.

Take a look at the full Swazi range here.

* Orders placed before 2 pm GMT will be dispatched the same working day.

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

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Ray Mears Sightings – June 2012

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Welcome to our second ‘Ray Mears Sightings’ post, in which we bring together the best stories, news articles and interviews with Ray from the past month:

Ray visits Isle of Wight for new series:

As part of a brand new series for ITV, Ray recently visited the Isle of Wight in search of the island’s local badger population. To aid him in his quest, Ray enlisted the help of Badger Trust member Graham Lee, as well as his dog Breez. Yes, the German Shepherd, who has been specially trained to locate badger activity without disturbing the animals, helped to sniff out the creatures for Ray and his film crew. And, as if that wasn’t odd enough, Breez was also fitted with an HD camera to capture her findings. Find out more in this Isle of Wight County Press article, and keep your eyes peeled on the blog for future news on Ray’s upcoming series.

Ray on the set of his second Wild Britain series last year

Ray on the set of his second Wild Britain series last year

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Postcards from Norway

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Steven Bullen, a member of Woodlore’s full-time office team, paid a short visit to Norway recently as part of a trip organised by the good folk at Bergans. Spending three nights in the Aust-Agder region of southern Norway, Steven joined a whole host of Bergans affiliates from all across Europe in making the most of the Norwegian wilderness. The group spent their time fishing, canoeing, hiking and camping, all the while putting their Bergans clothing and equipment to the test. In between paddling and hitting the trails, Steven had his camera on hand to capture the experience:

Having never visited Norway before, the first thing that struck me was just how sparsely populated the landscape is. Having left England behind with its crowded motorways and tightly-packed terraced houses, the sight I was greeted with as I stepped off the plane was a very different story; the wilderness clearly dominated the landscape here, with homes and offices seemingly dropped in amongst the trees here and there – a complete opposite to back home, where any green space seems to be surrounded by buildings.

A typically tranquil view of the Norwegian countryside

A typically tranquil view of the Norwegian countryside

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