Mark's Bushcraft

08/22/2026

Holy [expletive deleted]! The bridge is right where I left it!

Note the huge tree that had been upstream. It was forced under the bridge and carried almost its entire length under the bridge!

08/12/2026

For those who know, my main campsite is beyond the bridge now completely submerged if not floating to the Ohio River.
The red shed is mostly empty as flooding has covered the floor many times, though never like this.
The good news, [it's not bragging alert], is that my tarp/hammock camp is dry and intact after heavy winds and rain!

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07/24/2026

I took Tippi and Nibbles tent camping last night. It was Nibbles first time. Both cuddled up on top of me, switching positions from my midsection to between my knees.

07/22/2026

I'm about an hour away from climbing into the (netted) hammock, but I do hear a steady rain tapping out a tune on the canopy above.

The showers should move south of me by 10, then clear and finally the mercury will fall to the upper-50s by sunrise.

Near perfect for this time of year.

07/10/2026

So last night, Nibbles, a rescue, saw an opportunity and dashed out the door.

Stay with me.

At nearly 2300, I found myself outside, in my robe and slippers, right in and among trees and intertwined bushes, trying to coax Nibbles on how to get down from her prestigious height.

Having long periods with no movement, I kept busy selecting tinder for tonight's attempt at building a fire in the Dakota Fire Hole.

Even though the pencil lead thickness pieces snapped easily, the relative humidity makes building a good fire more challenging than I anticipated.

I nursed the fire for a good ten minutes with steady, long, frequent breaths.

I learned valuable lessons about fire-building and strengthened skills I knew. Oh, and Nibbles, she was spotted on the property multiple times until she trapped herself by running into the open side door to the garage.

07/08/2026

I put new batteries into this much used fan and I couldn't be more comfortable.

07/08/2026

With Corporals Corner – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

06/20/2026

Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas

06/20/2026

I never heard of a "perfection knot" until I typed into Google, "best knots to form a loop at the end of a line."

Ranking high, if not often first among several bona fide sources, I took advantage of the experience of learning a new knot.

I broke a tie out at tge top of my mosquito net. Using two feet of bank line, I threaded the bank line through a firmly attached label tab at the center of the the netting. On each end of the line, I tied a perfection loop knot, creating a strong loop of two inches.

Tightening the top of the netting to a ridgeline supporting the tarp was accomplished with a prusik knot, made from each loop. My last image shows how much more supported space in the hammock I have.

Perfection Loop Knot | How to tie a Perfection Loop Knot using Step-by-Step Animations | Animated Knots by Grog https://share.google/SnzSApvlMzBxDj1n8

06/19/2026

I don't want to be lucky; I want to be prepared.