Sunday afternoon I decided to get out for a few hours to work on some skills. It was in the mid-30s with a steady light rain that occasionally picked up enough that I didn't want to be out without cover. The first order of business was to get a tarp up for some overhead protection. I rigged up the poncho with a quick bankline ridge line and some prusiks paired with toggles. I could have saved some time with my dedicated line kit, but I don't always carry it, so it's good to get practice rigging one from a hank of cordage. I stashed my pack and Little Badger under the tarp (I didn't expect any squirrels to be out in that mess) and headed off to find some wood. A dead-standing poplar proved to be dry, so I cut it down to size with my folding saw and split some of it via baton. I got to work on some shavings, and then I cracked out the flint and steel kit. I got a spark on the third or fourth strike, dropped the char cloth in the shavings, and had a flame inside of a minute. Then I was slow getting the shavings into the fire lay and getting everything set because I was busy taking photos. So... I did it all a second time, but with significantly more tries at getting a spark going. Round two was a success. After a bit of babysitting and the addition of a few larger logs, I added some water and a handful of pine needles to my canteen cup and waited for it to simmer. A dreary January afternoon is a good time for a hot drink by the fire. While I was drinking my tea I noticed the sound of the rain changed. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust after staring at the fire, but I started to notice sleet bouncing off of the leaves are me. As I was packing up, I was surprised at how much had accumulated on my tarp.
