4/22-4/28 Week Update

After finishing the Individual Shelter/Fireplace test at the beginning of the week, I completed the First Aid, Map of Area, and Cooking sections. The First Aid was not a very big task, as all Candidates from Birch Rock will have sufficient training in First Aid and will have the Red Cross book as a reference guide at testing camp.

The Map of Area test entails drawing a map with correct directional bearings (azimuths) between 5 posts that are driven into the ground at testing camp. The map must be correctly oriented with a magnetic/true north guide, and the candidate is expected to fill in extra objects that surround the posts, such as large trees, bushes, rocks, tents, bodies of water. This test can be completed throughout the week in between other tests, and teaches the candidate how to make a correctly proportional map of his surroundings. I will include examples from the old JMG book of good and bad maps to help illustrate what is expected.

Cooking is a main component of JMG testing camp, and campers are evaluated on this skill for three meals per day for the entire week. 

"Throughout the week, you will be expected to cook three meals each day for not only your group but for one or two counselors or testers who will eat meals with you. The group of counselors and testers at testing camp rotate throughout different camps for each meal...

...Each candidate in the group must prepare at least one bake, boil, and fry throughout the week. The testers at each meal will grade the meal and give each candidate a grade as well. (See below for grade sheet examples)."

Individual Shelter and Fireplace

This week I finished the "Individual Shelter and Fireplace" tests, which examine the candidates' ability to construct his own small yet sleepable shelter with a tarp, as well as a fire pit cook on and keep warm. After construction, the site is evaluated and the candidate breaks everything down. The end goal is making sure that the area looks untouched and that there is no trace of the candidate. This is all done in 90 minutes.

The four W's of shelter building:

Water – Try to find a high area relative to your surroundings so that if it rains your shelter does not become a puddle. It would probably be prudent to think of this when picking a spot for a fire pit. Also consider your placement near drinkable water (this does not exactly apply at JMG as you are given a specific area in which to build your shelter).

Wind – Make sure you position your tarp so that it does not run the risk of becoming a wind tunnel and blowing away.

Widow-makers – Watch out for dead branches that could easily fall on top of your shelter while you are asleep. Watch out for low-hanging branches that could easily burn if they are too low near your fire.

Wigglies – Avoid game trails, rodent holes, and other animal/bug dwellings when choosing a spot for your shelter. You do not want to wake up to a bed full of mice or a moose standing over you.

End of April Break in Maine

Yesterday I successfully finished the most comprehensive section of the book: axemanship. As I began to outline some of the tests for which I have yet to write, I realized that the main purpose of this book is a helpful study guide for candidates who are at testing camp, as opposed to an explicit "textbook" for the program. Most of the skills that are tested in the JMG program are physical knowledge that require experiential learning.

The axemanship test however, is a tricky examination on which you can easily earn demerits that will result in a failing score. This section will remind the candidate what to do to make sure every action with the axe is a safe one.

"I. Axemanship - candidate should know how to use an axe, knife, and saw safely and comfortably.

- Remember to bring your own axe, saw, and knife (exact specifications explained below) with proper sheaths.

- Sheath your blades and/or stash them under wood when not in use; testers will demerit you for “leaving blades in the open.”

- Bring an axe that fits you

- Do not swing an axe over your head. While we teach axemanship one way at camp, JMG has rules that differ from ours. Make sure to follow theirs when they are testing you!

- Remember that your axemanship evaluation continues into your wet-day fire test. If you pass the axemanship test and are unsafe with your blades at wet-day fire, you could fail both.

- Always carry your tools with care; do not swing the axe around, toss your knife and saw when you are not using them, etc.

Examination:

1. Select a fallen tree-

    Make sure you choose a tree that is not going to be too difficult to saw through. You should take size into account, but also notice how soft/rotted or hard/green the wood is. Common sense will tell you what tree is a good choice.

2. Limb the branches off your tree-

Be sure to only be limbing the side of the tree that is opposite your legs. The tree should be in between your shins and the axe, and the axe should be cutting from the roots end to the top of the tree. When you have finished a side, go to the other side and do the same thing.

3. Saw a normal-sized billet off your fallen tree-

Try to avoid an area of the wood with a lot of knots. These will be a pain when you start splitting. When you are sawing, put the tree on top of something such as a rock or another piece of wood so that the tree is at an angle. As you cut through, the part sticking up in the air will help spread apart your cut and will make it easier to get all the way through.

4. Cut a “V” into your tree to use as a chopping block for the billet-

Using the axe, cut a “V” shape in the tree by making cuts back and forth on the tree.

5. Split your billet with the axe-

Place the billet in the V so that the top of the billet is resting in it, with the lower part resting on the ground. Split the billet down the middle making sure that you do not swing the axe over your head (with a billet this size you should not have any problem). When you have split the billet twice, take a quarter piece and contact split it with the axe. Put the blade in contact with one end of the billet while holding the bottom flush with the axe handle, forming a triangle. Strike the two objects together on the chopping block until it splits apart.

6. Split (with your knife) the piece you just contact split with the axe-

There are several methods of knife-splitting. The safest way is to place your billet piece straight up on the chopping block, your knife blade perpendicular along the grain, and to then strike the blade with another piece of wood to wedge it through the piece you are splitting. The final step is to take this smaller piece of your billet and make shavings.

The best blades to bring:

Axe- pick a wood-handled axe that is free of any cracks in the wood and has been recently sharpened; use it at camp beforehand and make sure that it is an appropriate weight for you. Bring a sheath (or make one out of duct tape and cardboard).

Saw- a bow saw (with a sheath) is the best choice, however if you are going to use a small-handled tree saw make sure it is a fixed-blade and not a foldable/collapsible one as the locks on them are not 100% safe.

Knife- bring an appropriate size knife and make sure it has a finger guard and is a fixed-blade (not collapsible). It is also a good idea to get a knife that is full-tang, where the metal of the blade continues to the butt, ensuring safe contact-splitting."