I've just returned from the Arctic after 4 days of hammock camping and 6 days of intensive professional arctic survival training in Norway, 100 miles inside the arctic circle with Bushcraft Expeditions.
The location was Overbygd, near the Dividalen mountains in Malselv region, Tromso, Northern Norway.
We were taught about
Emergency firelighting
Tree felling in extreme cold, including axe work
Quinzee building
Shelter building
Natural bedding materials
Arctic trapping
Emergency shelter building
Snow graves
Safe ice crossing
Cold camp admin
Equipment needs
Water procurement
Ice fishing
Safe group travel
Carving
Safe knife work
Tracking
Survival knots
Cold injuries
The first 3 nights were spent 2km from the airport in the woods that Harstad kindly recommended us to stay in. We weren't dissapointed, they were beautiful boreal piney and birchy woods.
Set up in snow shedding dangly mode
My friends lightweight Lavvu
Pertex DIY hammock, Exped 9 lw mat, Wiggys Ultima Thule -20F sleeping bag on Dutch hooks, buckles, whoopies and tarp Flyz with experimental cleats.
The cookset for the trip. Trangia 27 with omnifuel mod, alcy cat stove, thermos flask, hobo stove and large saucepan lid to capture waste heat and collect snow.
Whittled myslef a birch spoon;
Snowy tarps rock;
My homemade roll up dyneema toboggan;
The journey to the course in the bus; we were to spend the next 5 nights sleeping in our shelter and snow holes/quinzees.
My friend and myself's shelter we built for the course duration out of pine and birch and a poly tarp;
Our fireplace;
Snow melting in action;
Drilling holes in the ice for water and fishing;
Our group at a mountain hut;
A 10 man emergency mountain shelter we built;
Icey guy-lines;
My winning emergency fire at the back of our quinzee
Hard at work;
Nice food;
After the course, 5 of us we walked up to a mountain hut and camped near a lake for the last 2 nights in the arctic.
Hammocking by a frozen lake;
Northern lights;
Experimental cleats that worked great;
Lots more pics here and more to follow
A big thanks to Woody and Ross at Bushcraft Expeditions for teaching us so much and to the guys on the course who were fantastic company.
It will never be forgotten.
Pete.
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