Ok, here’s a bit of fun. The last couple of days I tried to draw some figures on the map of Amsterdam using GPS tracks from my sports watch. (Yes, I was that bored). For some reason all figures turned out like animals. Here they are: Walking the dog Biking the bird Riding the elephant … Continue Reading
Navigation can be tricky when hiking or trail running in nature areas where you haven’t been before. Sometimes there are marked trails but it’s not uncommon that markings are missing and sign post maps at the trail head often lack detail. Fortunately, these days most people have a smart phone with GPS navigation like Google … Continue Reading
TREK REPORT Just came back from a 1-week Telemark ski touring course in Southern Norway with Brian Desmond and Glyn Sheppard of Destination Setesdal (Jan. 28 – Feb. 6, 2016). We started with some nordic skiing near Evje in the South and then traveled North to Rauland and Morgedal for the Telemark ski touring. Great … Continue Reading
Tarp camping, introduced to me in 2001, offers a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to tents while enhancing the outdoor experience. Essential skills include using convenient knots, and dealing with wind and bugs. Tarp setups vary, accommodating hammocks or even campfires. … Continue Reading
When cooking over a campfire, you’ll need a way to hang your pot above the flames. If you haven’t brought any cooking gear—like a metal grill or pot stand—you’ll have to improvise with what nature provides. Over the years, I’ve experimented with several methods, many of them inspired by the techniques described by Mors Kochanski … Continue Reading
BOOK REVIEW Finally there is a book about bushcraft in Dutch. Before, aspiring bushcrafters mainly had to resort to English books like Ray Mears’ excellent Essential Bushcraft, Mors Kochanski’s classic Bushcraft, or look online for -again- mainly English content. But no more. 29 Nov. 2015 the Bushcraft Handboek (€ 29,95) was presented by René Nauta and … Continue Reading
2 Nov. 2015, I registered the domain name www.onlinecaveman.com and set up the blog in WordPress (a content management system). To get some content straight away, I’ll start by uploading some old writings, including: Popular science features I wrote for United Academics online magazine (2011-2012) Some messages I posted on the Dutch Bushcraft Forum (2011-2012) Some outdoor trip … Continue Reading
TREK REPORT In the Winter of 1943, a small group of Norwegian commandos parachuted on the snow-covered Hardangervidda in Nazi-occupied Norway. Their mission: to blow up the Vemork power plant in Rjukan which was producing heavy water that could be used by the Germans to create an atom bomb which could have dramatically changed the … Continue Reading
TREK REPORT 2-8 Aug. 2015, I was in central Sweden with my friend Dennis van Dokkum of Survival school O.V.E.R.L.E.V.E.N. for a week of canoeing and survival instruction with 6 of his students. We built fires, fished for perch and pike, navigated and traveled about 75 km (50 km paddling, 25 km portages). Good fun … Continue Reading
TREK REPORT June 15-20, 2015, I did a 1-week hiking and wild camping trip with my friends Leon Reteig and Alessio Sclocco in the Cairngorms, the UK’s largest and highest national park in the Scottish Highlands. Strong winds and snow prevented us from climbing the highest mountains there so we took a lower route (92 km) … Continue Reading
