Snowtrail Dogcamp AB

For the first few days of my trip I stayed with Lotti Anderson and her crew at the Snowtrail Dogcamp and wilderness lodge, between Kiruna and Gallivare.


http://www.kirunadogcamp.com/

Lotti owns 100 sled dogs and provides a variety of courses and activities in winter and summer, including;

Husky ABC
Snowmobile and sled dog experience
Sled Dog Expedition
Reindeer herding with the Sami
and much more


For more details please contact Lotti via the contact details below;

Lotti Anderson
SnowTrail Dogcamp AB
Skaulo 92
SE-98204 Gällivare
Sweden

Tel +46 970 510 23
Fax +46 970 510 23
mobile +46 10 212 39 48
lotti@snowtraildogcamp.com
http://kirunadogcamp.com/

Lapland winter trip 2008

I have just returned from my trip to Swedish Lapland.

Over the next few days I will post about my activities while there and also promote places to visit while in the area and provide details of the birdwatching course we are running there in May 2008.

Birch Bur Kuksa

I've been wanting to try carving a kuksa from a Birch bur and finally got the chance to do it. The Birch bur is an abnormal growth on the trunk of the tree


Which yields a beautiful grain pattern when carved. Here is the kuksa I have carved which requires some sanding and then oiling to bring out the grain pattern.


Once completed and oiled, I will add another picture below.

For Louie, 90% of the work was done with this gouge chisel which is currently a favourite tool to work with, second only to my knife.

Woodcock

I disturbed two Woodcock while out walking today. The picture below was taken where one a the birds was feeding and shows its two footprints and numerous holes where it had been probing with its long bill to find invertebrates.

You can find out more about Woodcock here;

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/woodcock/

Pocket bow-drill-2

The final design of my pocket bow-drill kit is now completed.

It works incredibly well and I am really pleased with the result, both for making fire and drilling holes using a flint tip.

My favourite combinations of wood for the bow-drill are a Hazel drill and Willow hearth.

Celebrating Birch

There is a new book about to be published called "Celebrating Birch" which some of you might be interested in.


"If you think of birch as simply a wood to work with, think again. For centuries, this legendary tree has been vital to the survival of mankind and is celebrated by cultures around the world. In this stunning salute, the "North House Folk School" will delight your curiosity with the fascinating history and myths of the birch, while sharpening your woodworking skills with 15 beautiful projects that include carved ornaments, turned bowls, bark baskets and more."

I pre-ordered my copy with Amazon Uk and the delivery date is estimated to be the first week of February.

Boiling water with hot rocks.

Another method of boiling water in wood or bark vessels is to heat rocks in the fire and using a pair of simple tongs, transfer them into the vessel of water and the heat released from the rocks will boil the water.


This method can also be used to cook food.