I journeyed to the Amazon not to tally another line upon the ledger of things accomplished, but to feel the vastness of the world pressing gently upon me, immeasurably old, incomparably deep. I went, as always, in search of fuel for the hidden fire.

Making bread is one of those homely tasks that offers a warm sense of satisfaction, especially when you’re adding some foraged ingredients to the mix. I try as often as I can to bring wild ingredients into my home life, in this way I feel a connection with nature in all aspects of my life. I don’t leave all my ‘friluftsliv’ in the wild, but hope to merge my modern lifestyle with that love of nature.

I didn’t understand the words he was saying, but I understood the assignment: split the vine in half to make a stronger lashing. As I cracked on using a technique I’d honed back home working with spruce roots, leaning the thicker side over to true up the split and keep it centred, Alberto recognised both my understanding of plant fibre and a well-used bushcraft technique. In that moment, bushcraft was our shared language.

There’s a rare privilege in seeing the same landscape through the airs of two very different seasons. Northern Sweden with its frozen winter silence and again in its sunlit summer waterways is one of the most instructive places I’ve found to teach, learn, and lead others in bushcraft. Guiding groups on both Borealis Winterland and SummerLand trips has taught me a host of of lessons, all leaning towards a quiet revelation.

In the bushcraft world, there’s a difference between knowing a skill intellectually and knowing it with your hands, senses, and intuition. You can read about firecraft, water filtration, shelter building, or plant identification but until you’re marshalling those skills on a windswept shore with winter sleet biting at your face, the learning remains abstract.

This guide walks through the process of making a simple frame basket using hoops of rowan and the split roots of spruce. It is not only a set of instructions, but an invitation to notice the qualities of the plants themselves: the time of year when stems bend most easily, the way fresh roots peel clean after steaming, the rhythm of wrapping a God’s Eye weave to bind two hoops into a cross. Crafting with gathered materials asks us to slow down, to learn from the woods as much as from our own hands, and to carry forward traditions shaped by necessity, patience, and respect.

In February 2023 I was grateful to receive a WayFarer water filter from Icon Lifesaver to use on expeditions and courses here in the UK. It’s seen just over two years of use now, so I’d thought I’d share a few thoughts on how it’s performed.

The featherstick is a mainstay of many a backwoods traveller, being useful for wet weather or on popular campgrounds where fine kindling may be in short supply. Done badly, the nefarious “fuzz-stick” would swiftly rule out this methodology for firewood preparation. Done well though, and this simple product of 10 minutes work will strike a flaming spear into the harshest of weather conditions.