Brecon Beacons Walkabout

Here is a video of me while walking during a stay in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.

 

My Survival Gear

I just wanted to show some of my favourite gear I sometimes take with me when I go camping or bushcrafting.  Everyone has different gear to suit them and when outdoors the greatest asset you can have with you is common sense, and to be adaptable to your surroundings.  You should also be aware of things around you that you could use in a survival situation if things go wrong.  Over the years my gear has changed.  I have had heavy rucksacks and light day bags, and have believed that I should take everything apart from the kitchen sink, but it can take its toll on the body, and now I have had a leg injury, I have to pack light and be sensible about I really do need with me.

In past years I have just used British army gear, such as combat trousers, smocks and burgens, and have found this gear to be hard wearing, quick drying and good to keep yourself from being seen in the woods.  However, if I were to get lost or hurt in the woods, then it would be very hard to find me.  So I have had a drastic change and have decided, out with the army gear (although I do feel lost without it), and in with hiking gear and maxpedition gear, and touch wood, so far so good.

So this is my main knife, the Timberwolf, which is a small knife, but very sharp.  I use it as a bushcrafting knife and have used it to batton a few logs too, and it is holding up well.  The larger knife is a Mora knife which I have as a backup and it is a real sturdy knife for most outdoors jobs.

 

 
I also have two different types of axe, one wood and one full metal.  Both cut logs well and have not let me down.

This is my wood saw.  It is a cheap saw, which is great to cut small logs for the camp and for pruning trees.

My new Maxpedition Jumbo bag, which I have just used for Geocaching.  I filled it up with food and drink and other items, and carried it for a whole day with no problems at all.  I can see this being my best bag and most used in the future!

My map case is waterproof and great to carry, and very useful as I found when I was hit once by a horrid rain storm.  :O)  I was able to navigate without the map going soggy.  Happy days!

I could go on and on with more gear, but I don’t wish to bore you, so I will stop here for now.  All I can say is, always be prepared for any event that may happen.

Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions about any of the kit that I carry.

Jase

Capturing A Sunrise

Often in our every day lives we get stuck in a rut and feel like our life is not our own, due to work and family commitments, and sometimes we can be doing the same thing over and over again, without having a chance to recharge our batteries.  We do things so fast that we fail to notice the beauty in everyday things that are all around us, and we ignore our feelings and those of the people around us too.  I have often found that I just didn’t have the time to relax.  Many people were telling me to slow down and relax and chill out, but to me I was just doing things as normal and just carried on, failing to notice the tell-tale signs of my body getting tired.

This was all until the day my life changed totally, and I came back down to earth with a massive bump, and realised I was not indestructible any more and I could break!  Most of my life I have been in good health and have had few accidents, but this was the start of something big for me.

I used to do medieval sword fighting for about 15 years or so, and I was practicing for a festival and slipped on some mud.  It all happened in just a few seconds.  My leg snapped out away from me at a right angle, and I heard a loud snap and fell in great pain to the floor.  I then swore for a few seconds and then I guess I felt nothing.  I looked at my leg and decided to try to put it back, along with my knee cap.  Now I am no expert, but I did manage to put things back quite well and then everything started to swell as I sat on the floor.  My friends were all looking at me as if I was messing around, but my wife Sara, knew I had actually hurt myself.  We were in the middle of some woods and I could not be moved, as our first aider said it was best to stay still, even though I still thought I could walk and get back to the car park.  Who was I trying to kid?

The ambulance staff arrived about a hour after my accident and rushed me off to hospital where I was given gas and air while they moved my leg about and x-rayed it.  Ouch!  The gas and air didn’t seem to work very well.  I left the hospital a while after on crutches, with a leg brace to keep it all still and safe.  My knee was the size of a small football and my ankle was the size of a tennis ball.  I had to then wait until the swelling went down before going to have a MRI scan to see what damage I had done.  The results were worse than I thought.  I thought I would be off work for a few weeks, but I did not return back to work for over 10 months.  It turned out that I had a patella dislocation and fracture, ACL and MCL ruptures, a sprained ankle and nerve damage.  I had to learn to walk again and build my leg muscles back up, as they had wasted away because I could not walk for months.  I had so much pain and discomfort and had many challenges to overcome, but I remember watching summer go by out of my window and wishing I could be out there in the sun, or even in the rain.  

I thought I would never walk again.  But I did my physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, and got stronger, and now I can walk again and enjoy the sun and rain once more.  I still get pain and swelling, but I am just happy to be able to walk and do some of the normal things I used to do.  However, I can’t do all of the things I did before and can no longer do the sword fighting.

One thing I am able to do is one of my most favourite things, and that is camping and survival training.  I have been able to take people to Wales and show them how to do simple things, like lighting fires, identifying wild foods and how to survive in the wild, and it gives me a great sense of wellbeing and peace.  I have been interested camping and survival, and have been visiting the beautiful landscapes of Wales, since I was 12 years of age, and every time I go out there, I feel free and my life slows down again.  I recently went over with friends and set off early in the morning on my own as they had decided to stay in bed.  I wanted to capture a sunrise and I sat and ate porridge and drank tea and felt the warmth of the sun on my face once again.  This was my first real hike since my injury, and made me feel I had completed a great challenge.  I remember feeling that I was glad to be alive and despite my injury, I had made it and life was great.  Maybe by reading this, it will get you thinking about your life, and how you can slow down and relax, and notice the beauty around you, and avoid an injury!

My life had changed so much.  I have lost friends and made new ones, and I have started new hobbies and became closer to the people I love, and I fell in love with my wife all over again.  So don’t wait until you have the time to look around you.  Stop now and act to appreciate what you have and those close to you, and how you can make life better for yourself.

Hugs

Jason