There is a minimalist aesthetic to bushcraft — the practical knowledge of the natural world — which is apparent when things are done just right.

I learned how few things are essential, and how essential those things really are.

— Beyond the Chindwin, by Bernard Fergusson (1945)
a kettle by a canoe campfire

A small stick-stove boils water for coffee on a cold day. A generous handful of twigs is sufficient fuel.

There is something comforting about fire beyond the heat it provides that I believe was placed in the heart of man by God Himself.

— Hunting Big Mule Deer, by Robby Denning (2015)
a kettle by a canoe campfire

A day camp was established, repleat with a stick-stove fire for making coffee, on a cold and rainy day. The price of admission was to leave the place looking untouched.

Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left.

— A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold (1966)
stand of pine, oak, and beech

Breakfast on a rainy morning during a canoe trip: ghakku-inspired flatbread baking on a cast-iron skillet, to be enjoyed with butter and maple syrup. The star-fire underneath produces an even, consistent heat ideal for cooking.

An Article must pay in convenience or comfort for the trouble of its transportation.

— Camp and Trail, Stewart Edward White (1906)
flatbread baking in an iron skillet

A coffee break during a fall canoe trip. The Trangia spirit stove boils water in silence. The muted colors of the canoe blend in with the landscape.

Summer lethargy has gone. No canoe water route seems too great, no portage trail too strenuous.

— The Wilderness Life, Calvin Rutstrum (1975)
coffee break during a canoe trip

Traditional-style snowshoes give you the freedom of the forest when the snow is deep. Winter mocassins are light and warm when the temperature is well below freezing.

Basically, if you can walk you can snowshoe. This is not to say, however, that if you can walk you know all there is to know about walking on snowshoes.

— Snow Walker's Companion, Garret & Alexandra Conover (2014)
snowshoes on a cold day
fin