4 DAY BUSHCRAFT TRIP - Making Native American Style Flute. This is a 4 day lake trip. The first lake connects to 2 other much bigger lakes via a small stream and short portage. I was out for 6 days, only filmed 4. The weather was warmer and the mosquitoes less of a problem so I chose a 3x3m tarp for my shelter but brought a bug net along. It held off the rain and weather just great. Early on the trip I found a dead, dry branch section on a bush of goat willow ( Salix Caprea ), I was once told that here in Scandinavia it was fairly common to make willow flutes from it. I decided to make a Native American style flute from it, a truly magical instrument. It was a slow and very laborious project but equally fun and fulfilling. As a kid I was shown how to make similar bamboo flutes, a lot easier since you don't have to hollow it out with a gouge. After hollowing both halfs of the wood, I lashed the two halves together with some cord and made some bush glue to secure them together and to make it airtight. The glue dries super fast so you have to work very quickly. Once dry if made well, it creates a very strong bond.
The holes where made with a knife and file about 1 inch apart from eachother give or take. The sound mechanism is very simple and straight forward, 2 chambers and a wooden block that direct the airflow from the first chamber to a splitting sharp edge on the second chamber.
I tuned the flute by ear which is always a gamble but I got it pretty accurate. Back home I found that the flute tuning was in the key of G with the last 2 high notes slightly too sharp. It took me 4 days to make it all by hand because I really took my time and did other things as well, like paddling for hours on end, camp chores, cooking etc.
I also did a lot of painting on this trip, I share 3 of them with you. The first one was tricky, I manage to dock the raft away from my lake shore camp and paint from the raft without wobbling or moving about, much easier that way. There were some epic cumulus clouds and low wind, perfect conditions to paint cloudscapes. Did you know there is an association called The cloud Appreciation Society for cloud nerds like myself? Have a look, its great. I had one day where it rained all day and night, but i got busy with the flute carving decorations.
I kept the food rather simple on this trip bringing a frozen solid hunk of meat to roast by the campfire on the first night. The following days i pretty much lived on wild berries, mushrooms, peanuts, eggs and dry meat. I did treat myself to some tuna salad one day. Some of you asked me why I don't catch and cook fish. The reason is simple. I really don't like eating most types of lake fish like pike, perch, roach etc. I do it if i am stuck in the wild and starving which is very rare indeed. When I fish is for the joy of it and for maintaining the skills of catching fish, but 95% of the time I let them go. The other 5% end up in the pan for my wife or friends.
Well, its great to be back, I hope you are all doing great. Thanks for watching - Ric
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GEAR I USE
nagualero.com/gear-i-use
PAINTINGS ON THIS VIDEO
bit.ly/2DIUeR6
bit.ly/31lKowu
bit.ly/3gBw21h
FOOD
meat, mushrooms, blue cheese, wild blue berries, chantarelles, garlic butter, chorizo, eggs, chick peas, fish, wild onion, cherry tomatoes, mayo
BUSH GLUE
spruce or pine resin, tinny bit of beeswax and charcoal. I usually just eyeball the measurements, depending on what I need the glue for, since wood contracts and expands i made the glue slighty flexible rather than brittle.
WILDERNESS PAINTINGS
bit.ly/30yMZRH
MERCH - APPAREL
teespring.com/stores/nagualero
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BUSHCRAFT AND CAMPING TRIPS
bit.ly/2RNvNmQ
WILDERNESS PAINTING DEMOS
/ wildernesspainting
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Behind the scenes and best moments shots:
/ nagualero
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