Extra space is always a plus. The loft will give us an extra bed and room for storage.
Big 3″ x 10″ x 16′ rough-cut beams add the rustic look of a log cabin. Now to figure out how to hang these by myself.
My pickaroon lifted one end of a beam enough to shove a block under for attching a choker. I laid the bucket of the tractor on the end of the board, hooked a chain to the choker, and raised the bucket. The beam bounced in front of the tractor like the lance of a charging knight.
I gently sat the end of the beam through the door on an awaiting dolly, drove the beam the rest of the way into the cabin and lowered it onto another dolly. Now the beam was off the floor and ready to be cut to fit.
The ol’ chain fall from the practice cabin lifted each beam close to the hangers. If rigged in a balanced position, the beams went to their final resting place without a hitch. Then there was the time I measured twice and cut once, but the measurement was too long from the start. Lowering to recut is no fun at all.
There’s nothing at the big box stores that would serve as hangers for anything this large. I had my cousin at A&W Mechanical and Fabrication craft 32, 3/8’s steel plate hangers for these beefy beams. They’ll not only do the job, they’ll look great doing it.
Framing Walls
I’ve piddled with building things over the years, but I’m not a real carpenter. Constructive critiques are welcome. Just keep in mind my disclaimer at the beginning of this paragraph. None of the walls are load-bearing so I didn’t use solid headers over doors.
Laundry/utility room on left, bathroom on right.
The closet in the bedroom is taking up a lot of limited space. We are considering scrapping the closet and use a few wardrobes instead.
Most of the plumbing will be run through the 2×6 wall picture below. A wider wall just makes running pipe easier. The toilet will sit about were the ladder is standing. Everything else will run into that 3 inch drain.
2×6 framing for plumbing the bathroom and laundry room.
The next big project is to rough in the drain, waste, and vent. I plan to run Pex A instead of Pex B pipe for water. If you have any personal experience, pros and cons, with either of these, please drop me a comment.
The floor of the log cabin is really not much different to install than a normal stick-built house. The challenge comes when attaching the flat rim joist to the round sill logs.
Shims go in the larger gaps between the rim joists and sill logs.
I used my electric hand planner to flatten high spots and knots on the sill logs so the rim joists could be attached plumb and in a relatively straight line. I shimmed the rim joists where there were decent gaps, and there will be gaps when building with carrots (logs with a small end and a big end).
Way back when I dug the foundation piers, I planned to have enough piers, 35 to be exact, so no floor joist would span more than eight feet. I’m glad I over-engineered this part of the build. The rim joists sit on the piers and are screwed to the sill logs to help distribute the floor load.
The main girder beam
I glued and screwed four 2″x8″x16′ for the main girder beam to span 32 feet through the center of the cabin. Again, no joist or girder beam ran over 8 feet without support from a pier.
Joists cut to length and ready to be nailed into joist hangers.
I try to work as efficiently as possible when alone. One time saver I’ve used over the years for hangers is a pneumatic palm nailer. There’s no way I wanted to drive over 1,400 nails with a hammer into joist hangers.
Rosie doing her inspection run.
Once all joists were in, a temporary door opening was cut to start laying subfloor. I used 3/4″ tongue and groove OSB (Advantech) and glued and screwed each sheet to the joists to reduce the chance of squeaks later.
Subfloor completed with Rosie’s approval.
Closing up the gable ends enough to keep rain off the subfloor was my next project. I used 2×6’s to frame the opening on 2 foot centers. Roofing underlayment was tacked to the frame until I get ready for a finished gable exterior, probably board and batten.
The front porch floor was built the same as the inside floor except pressure treated lumber was used. I’ll build the roof later. What matters now is that Kathy and I have a place to sit and watch the ducks and other wildlife on the lake.
These joists ran less than 6 feet to the girder.
The deck is Poppy approved.
The front door rough opening makes enjoying the lake easy.
My next project is to build the loft floor. I picked up the beams from the mill the other day. They measure 3″x10″x 16′ and weigh more than I want to lift. I’m having custom hangers made to handle these big boys.
When sitting by the fire on a winter day in the future, we want to be able to look up and see the log rafters and rough sawn ceiling boards. The challenge for this type of roof is how to insulate without an attic.
I started by nailing down the 2×6’s DJ and I milled from logs on our land. The overhang needs to be at least 3 feet on all sides. This helps keep the wall logs dry during rain.
The overhang here is 4 feet once the rafter tails are trimmed.
After using up all the boards we had milled, I was 2/3rds of the way up on only one side of the cabin. This was late October and I wanted to get the cabin dried in before the winter rains set in. We found a gentleman with a mill about 30 minutes away from us who could saw the boards needed for a reasonable price. He even followed me back with his forklift and unloaded the boards at my site!
To expedite the project, I called in some reinforcements to finish up the ceiling boards. Many thanks guys! On the first day with help, we lifted the green 2x8x12’s relay style onto the roof.
The next day Woody rigged up a well pulley to a beam over the log rafters to hoist the ceiling boards up to the roof. Non-cured lumber is quite a bit heavier than box store lumber.
With the ceiling boards installed, it was time to build a second roof on top of the board roof. I nailed 2×4’s on 2 foot centers from the ridge to the eve. This would allow me to insulate between the boards before putting the metal roof on.
I go dumpster diving to save money on lumber. You’d be surprised what gets tossed on construction sites. Ask for permission before diving in.
The 2×4’s above came from dumpsters. It’s not as convenient as building with the same lengths of lumber, but can save you money if done right.
Pictured above are new 2×4’s which Kathy bought for me as a Christmas gift. Thank you, babe!
Once the second roof frame was up, insulation was installed. I started by using three inch thick styrofoam panels I picked up from my cousin and another friend a year or two ago. I think this stuff was originally used on cooler rooms or guard shacks on construction sites. Most of the panels were 13 inches wide so I needed to rip some to make them fit tightly.
There will be enough headspace between the insulation and metal to ventilate the roof from eve to ridge. I used all the panels I had to cover 3/4ths of the roof. Fiberglass insulation batts filled in the remaining bays.
I had five 21.5 foot sheets of metal which helped determine the length of my log rafter tails.
I’ve been very fortunate when it comes to equipment, material, and labor for this log cabin build. One of the biggest savings came when Jake, my nephew, hooked me up with his father-in-law, John, for a load of used roofing metal in almost new condition.
The challenge was to install the furring strips in such a way as to line up with the screw holes in the metal from the previous roof. I only had to silicone about ten screw holes that didn’t line up correctly.
Fiberglass insulation going in.
You’ll notice that not all the metal was the same length. The metal over the fiberglass insulation was 17′ while the sheets closest to the lake are 18′. It took longer to install used metal but more than made up for it by the money saved.
The metal below the seam in the above photo was all 17′. Above the seam was 64″. The ridge cap was the cherry on top.
With the roof complete, the flooring system is next.
The roofline gives a glimpse of my future home. There are many more steps to make it livable, but I needed this boost of hope.
Ridgepole Support Logs
Three ridgepole support logs (RPSL) are installed on the two outside walls, and one in the middle of the cabin. They do what their name implies, support the large ridgepole.
The first two rest on the foundation piers vertically against the front and back walls. Once set and plumbed, we strapped the RPSL to the wall and drilled holes through the wall logs and RPSL. 5/8″ all-tread secures the RPSL firmly to the wall.
We used a 2.5″ Forstner bit on the interior wall logs before drilling the 5/8″ hole. This allowed us to countersink the all-thread and nut which will be filled later with a wooden peg to hide the bolts.
Setting the Ridgepole
With the two outside RPSL’s installed, we were ready set the ridgepole. DJ gently sat the ridgepole on top of the two RPSL’s. I climbed the wooden scaffold next to the first RPSL, drilled through the ridgepole into the RPSL, and hammered a stick of 1/2″ rebar to secure the union. We repeated these steps on the other RPSL.
To stabilize the ridgepole, we installed one set of log rafters and knocked off for the day.
Installing the middle RPSL was bit more challenging in my mind. This support log, cut 3/8″ proud, needed to be wedged under the ridgepole on the center foundation pier. My idea was to get it close and pound it plumb with a sledgehammer at the top of the support log. A couple of swings while on top of a 30 foot extension ladder was like shooting an elephant with a BB gun.
DJ, not only operates the boom with precision, but, has superpowers when we need mechanical solutions. In his usual southern draw, he says, “Let’s put the top of the support log under the ridgepole and let the boom do the work.” A true man of genius!
We followed along and the center RPSL slide into place with ease. All-thread attached the support log to the girder beam. Rebar was then hammered through the ridgepole into the middle RPSL. Now the ridgepole is supported with three points of contact at 15 foot sections.
Driving rebar to secure the center RPSL
The Tale of Two Rafters
On my Practice Cabin (12’x16′), we simply sank one screw in the top of two 2×6 rafters so they would hinge open to sit on the ridgepole. Easy peasy. In theory, this same technique would work for larger, longer, heavier log rafters. I’d just use 5/8″ rebar for the hinge pin.
Theory doesn’t always produce desired results.
Day two began with over two hours experimenting with different rigging techniques to get the bolted rafter set spread apart and off the ground without scissoring back together. Frank’s idea finally offered a solution… so we thought.
The rafter set was lifted in nearly a flat plane (see pic above). However, once the hinge touched the ridgepole, the rafter set lost its middle support and the tails would come down on the wall logs with reckless abandon. We stuck with this method for a few sets. Yet another problem became apparent.
Jake pinning a rafter set on top of the ridgepole.
When building with dimensional lumber, the hinge pin can be centered so the rafters are level across the roof. When building with “carrots”, not so much. While one flat side of the rafter would sit level, the other one would cant down due to the hinge bolt not being exactly centered. I figured we’d have to shim the un-level rafter later.
We finally abandoned this lifting technique when a rafter set rolled as it was lowered on the ridgepole. The flat side was facing down instead of up. This set had to be lifted off the ridgepole and back to the ground.
For safety reasons, we started setting rafters one pole at a time (see pic below). The rafter could be rigged at the approximate roof pitch on the ground. This revolutionized the process. I wish we had done this from day one. Hindsight, huh?
The first single rafter lifted in place.
We only pinned the rafters to the ridgepole. The rafter tails need to be notched/shimmed to make the flat side of the rafters as level as possible. Also, as I mentioned earlier, those bolted rafters which twisted when set will have to be reworked. Remember, I’m building with a bunch of carrots.
Pinning the last rafter was satisfying!
Below is a short video of highlights from the roof raising weekend. I can’t say thank you enough to my family and friends for all your help on this project!
Memorial Day ’23 was my last update. Why has it taken 6 months to go from ten logs high to the finial 13th row? Well, nothing is easy about building a log cabin from scratch off the land.
This journey is traveling at Todd-Speed, which is slow but steady.
Getting the crew together is a challenge during the Christmas season. We’re all busy with family gatherings, company parties, and holiday stuff. However, the skeleton crew showed up and finished the log walls in two days. Thank you all for making it happen!
Stacking Logs
The girder pole was pinned perpendicular at the midway point on top of the 10th row at our last stacking party. This log gives stability to the 32 foot long log walls. It will also be used to build the loft floor eventually.
DJ and Jessie hoisting a half-log to mate up with the girder log for the beginning of the 11th row.
The photo above shows how the half-logs were butted and pinned to the girder log. I was happy at how the logs matched height wise for the next course of logs.
Woody and Frank guiding one of the 12th row logs.Drilling row 12
The scaffold system I built this summer allowed us to reach the last three rows much better (safer) than using ladders. We drilled and pinned each log after DJ expertly placed and held the log steady from the boom truck.
There were a few logs we had to roll while suspended to tighten the gap with the log underneath. To do this, we would lower and rest the strapped log over the adjacent log wall creating a triangle, loosen the crane cable, and rotate the straps 90 degrees. Lifting the log again would spin the log as desired.
Having two drills running sure sped up the process. Thanks, Jessie!
Hammering Rebar Stakes
This is the time in the process where personal tensions get released.
Casey starting stakes
Kyle driving rebar
Tac Santa took a break from his toy shop to drive metal stakes. Ho, ho, ho!
Building with Carrots
In my log cabin classes, I often joke about building with carrots. That’s exactly how this works, though. Each log has a big and small end. Matching their size at each butt and pass joint is challenging.
For instance, I had a large diameter log (16 inches) labeled for the top row. Woody and I decided that it would work even though it would be 6 inches taller than the log it was suppose to butt against. Since I was tired and ready to finish the last row, I figured chinking would just have to fill the unusually large gap on these corners.
We rigged and placed this monster log on the front wall. Nope. Not going to work. I didn’t like the size of the corner gap this log would create. We lowered the log and returned it to the landing to be milled for lumber.
Luckily I had just enough logs on to make adjustments. I replaced the monster with a log I had designated as a Ridge Pole Support Log. This decision will create “normal” gaps on the last row, making me a happy log cabin builder.
The final log going up to complete row 13!
The next step is to attach Ridge Pole Support Logs to the front and back walls and secure the 48 foot Ridge Pole on top of these vertical poles. Oh that should be a lot fun! Stay tuned for more updates.
I welcome the sight of goldenrod blooming in Georgia. These tiny, golden flowers signal the end of the dog days of summer and usher in cooler weather.
Goldenrod gets a bad rap when it comes to seasonal fall allergies. The average person sees the blooming yellow stalks on roadsides and fields and automatically blame these showy goldenrod heads for their itchy eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. The most likely allergy suspect is goldenrod’s cousin – ragweed.
Goldenrod and ragweed both belong to the Asteraceae family. The good news is that goldenrod, the good cousin, can be used to treat seasonal allergies caused by the bad cousin, ragweed. Instead of blaming goldenrod, use it. Here’s a simple tincture recipe.
Harvest goldenrod in full bloom by cutting a few inches below the yellow flower head. I don’t recommend harvesting from highways/roadsides that are likely sprayed with chemicals for weed control.
I was in a hurry so I didn’t finely chop the flowers, stems, leaves for this batch. Chopping creates more surface area for contact with the alcohol used in the tincture process. We’ll see how this goes. I’m betting it’ll turn out fine.
Add the chopped goldenrod to a clean glass jar. Pack it down as you fill the container about 3/4’s full of plant material.
Pour enough alcohol into the jar to cover the chopped goldenrod. I used cheap vodka… because I’m cheap, and retired.
I remembered seeing someone top off the alcohol with water to fill the jar. They said some of the medicinal properties in goldenrod could only be extracted using water. I’m no expert herbalist, but I thought I’d give it a shot. I used filtered water from my Berkey water filter even though I have well water.
Seal the jar with a lid and label it with the date of production. Store it in a cool, dark cupboard. Shake the jar and contents every day or so if you remember… which I forget to do at times.
In about six weeks, the tincture can be strained and ready to use.
I mention that I’m far from a professional herbalist. I do have two friends who are highly accomplished in this field. If you’re interested in learning more from them, follow them at the links below:
The usual disclaimer: I never give medical advice here. I’m not a doctor. Consult your physician for your health care needs. I have personally overcome health challenges using plant-based medicine. Your mileage may vary.
Goldenrod has been used for many years to help with allergy symptoms, sore throat, runny nose, itchy eyes, and colds and flu. It may also relieve toothache, sore muscles, inflammation and pain. Some claim antioxidants in the plant have anti-cancer properties.
Researching the benefits of goldenrod, I also discovered it shows promise for fighting kidney stones. This possibility alone makes me smile big! If you’ve never had a kidney stone, you won’t understand.
If you’ve personally found goldenrod to be helpful, drop us a line in the comments, please.
This is my Field of Dreams. I’ve long dreamed of moving back to the land where I cut my teeth. Each day, each long, hot or cold day on this patch of Georgia dirt brings the dream closer.
This past Memorial Day weekend, a few of the Fuel the Fires crew and family joined in to raise more logs. This kind of work ain’t easy. It’s hard and dangerous at times. But they roll up their sleeves anyway.
This whole log cabin thing is like building a house with a sack of carrots. Nothing is uniform. Logs have big ends and little ends, bows and curves and bends. The goal is to stack them in place so the walls are relatively level.
We started Saturday morning with six and a half rows of logs from our last stacking party in November 2022 (pictured below).
Donny is a smooth operator on the boom truck even with stitches in his shoulder.
Couldn’t do it without A & W Mechanical and Fabrication’s boom truck. Thank you Wendy and Bryan!
After setting a log, we tack both ends to the log below by driving a stick of 1/2 inch rebar vertically through the top log into the log underneath. This holds the log in place while holes are drilled along the length of the log where more rebar stakes are pounded in to fully secure the log wall.
As holes are being drilled, we grab and drag the next log with the tractor to be rigged and lifted.
The log-getter crew.
J.J. guiding the next log lift with a tag line.
Blake and Simmons driving rebar.
I wasn’t prepared for the loss of sledge hammer heads. One of the short handled sledge hammers snapped and left me scrambling for tools. Mel took off at lunch break and found two at Ace – 5 and 8 pound hammers. J.J. cut the handles down to accommodate short swings in tight places.
Eight and a half rows completed on day one.
We worked up an appetite on a long day and finish up with a meal fit for log home builders!
Blake and Co. treated the crew to a low country boil at the end of day one!
By the end of day two, the 10th row was perched 15 feet off the ground in places. I decided the practice of straddling logs to drive metal stakes through logs had to be remedied.
Mel of the Mountains and Tac-Santa getting hammered!
Scaffold System
Over the past five years of research, I’ve come across some great log cabin builds online. One which is similar in size to my build is located in the state of Washington. I adopted his scaffold system as it seemed sturdy and movable as needed. Building with no mortgage, I’m always cutting corners on costs and doing it as safe as possible.
The brackets are easy to build, lightweight, and adjustable. I used scrap 2×4’s, 1×6’s, and other scavenged material from construction dumpsters over the years. I did have to purchase a few 2×10’s for walk boards – which shocked my senses and wallet!
1/2 inch all thread rod shown at the top of the 2×4 bracket with washer and nut.
The all thread passing through the log with a 2×4 on the outside wall securing the bracket.
Why is the all thread so long for the brackets? Well these all tread pieces were already cut to be used to secure the vertical ridge pole support logs to the wall logs (more on that process once the walls are complete).
Blocking is used between the bracket and log wall for leveling the scaffold as need.
Shown in the picture above is a piece of 2×4 and 1×4 wedged and screwed to the bracket, not the log, which levels the top of the bracket. Of course you’ll want to do this before walk-boards are on the brackets. You have to be creative when building with a bunch of carrot-shaped logs.
The first side done with only one walk board and no handrail yet. OSHA would not be happy.
Two sides of scaffold installed with handrails
Scaffolding complete on all four interior walls.
With the scaffolding complete, we’re ready to add the remaining three rows of logs to complete the walls. There may still be log-straddling required to pin these logs, but the scaffolding will offer a stable landing if needed.
In my research of Butt and Pass building style for my “practice” log cabin, I discovered this site, Log Cabin Journal, about 5 years ago. Now that I’m building my “permanent” log cabin, I took a drive to see their nearly-finished log home in person. The trip was well worth the drive!
Mudflap (Brian) was gracious enough to take some time out of his busy day to give me a tour and answer any and all questions I had about the build… and I had a lot!
Front view of their home. Notice the substantial roof overhang which helps protect the logs from rain. Brain said he has to water the sunflower plant growing to the right of the front door due to the roof’s rain-protection.
Brian standing in his front doorway. He milled the massive door frame himself!
Back view of home. No, the roof is not sagging. My camera is bending the photo evidently.
Standing at the oak kitchen counter top he built from lumber he milled. Quite impressive!
The 10,000 pound ridge pole supporting the roof structure. 10,000 pounds!
The exposed rafters are 4×12 milled lumber set at 4 foot centers with the unique live-edge seen from inside the home.
Stairway view from the second floor… milled lumber for treads and rebar railing.
Storage under the stairwell.
The wood heater rests on a brick hearth laid by Mrs. Mudflap. A sandstone countertop rests on the attached kitchen island.
Tile and hardwood floors are going in soon.
Block and tackle used to lift logs throughout the build.
To build a home, log or stick-built, without a mortgage requires creativity, resourcefulness, hard work, and stamina to turn a vision into reality. A possum mentality, if you will.
To follow along on their journey, be sure to subscribe to their blog, YouTube channel, and BitChute channel. Thank you Brian for all the inspiration!
I’ll be posting an update on my log cabin build in a few days.
Until then, keep Doing the Stuff of Self-Reliance!
This one is considerably larger than my “practice cabin.”
I built my practice log cabin just to see if I could do it and to hone my ax skills. However, the Big Log Cabin is being built to provide a basic human need, shelter. This will be my home base on the land I grew up on. Roots run deep here!
After completing the foundation piers in the scorching Georgia summer, I waited for things to cool down before stacking log walls. Heavy lifting equipment and help needed to be lined up for cool Autumn weather. Everything fell into place.
It’s a family thing. I’m thankful to have kin folk with heavy equipment. Chris, my across-the-lake cousin, hooked me up with yet another cousin, Wendy (A & W Mechanical and Fabrication), who was happy to let me use their 20 ton boom truck! This was a far cry better than my tripod and chain fall system I used to set logs on the practice cabin. The boom truck easily handled the two 46 foot sill logs.
On the chilly Friday morning, Donny, Woody, and I began setting the sill logs. Donny operated the crane, among other duties, while Woody and I coaxed the pre-drilled sill logs onto 1/2 inch rebar cemented into the piers. Lining up the holes in the sill logs as they floated over the metal anchor rods took some patient wrangling. Once the rod slide through the hole, we bent the rebar stub over the log to anchor the sill logs to the foundation.
About noon that same day, reinforcements arrived in the form one JJ Morris (Fuel the Fires). With a crew of 4 now, we made good progress and completed 2 courses of logs on the walls.
In the Butt and Pass method of log cabin building, each new row of logs has a length of half inch rebar driven through the top log into the log underneath to provide strength and stability to the structure. Each course of logs took about 45 sticks of rebar spaced apart at 30 inches. And each butt joint, the corner junctions, gets a stick of rebar to tie it all together.
This is the most time consuming part of the wall construction, drilling holes through the top log and partially into the lower log with a Milwaukee Hole Hawg 1/2 inch drill. Next comes hammer time! We drove the rebar into the bottom log with a sledge hammer.
By quitting time Friday, we had complete two rows on the walls. That may not seem like much to some, but it was a good day’s work.
Saturday brought more help. Melonie (Mel of the Mountains) arrived and jumped right in to help where needed. She did a lot of lifting of the heavy Hole Hawg to JJ and Woody as they drilled and drove rebar. She also was in charge of filming this monumental occasion.
My cousin, Chris, operated the boom which freed up Donny for ground duty. He mainly operated his tractor to lift and drag logs from the landing to the crane. Of course if you know Donny, he did way more than that… entertaining stories and BS is one of his specialties. Two of my nephews who live on the land, Blake and Kyle, also came to lend a hand.
Five rows of logs were up by the end of the day Saturday!
Building with “carrots” has unique challenges compared to dimensional lumber. You’ll notice in the pic above that the sill log doesn’t rest on the second pier from the left at the bottom… even though the piers are on a level plane. We remedy this by adding blocking to raise the pier to meet the log.
Sunday turned into a short day. I had enough logs on the landings for what I thought would make 8 or 9 rows. After sifting through all the straightest logs the two previous days, reality set in. Many of the logs had warped while laying there since May of ’21 making them unfit for the walls. That was a hard pill to swallow. We ended up only having enough logs to complete six and a half courses. We knocked off around two o’clock.
Before gathering more logs, 30 more logs to complete the walls, I will add more supports for the 2 landings. Too much blood, sweat, and tears goes into prepping straight logs to see them warp in storage. Lesson learned!
Even with the setback, I’m so thankful to my family and friends for their love, support, and hard work on this project! Happy Thanksgiving!
Retirement (June 2022) has me reflecting on my lifework. The dust-covered rocking chair overlooking the pond tells me that it ain’t over. In between working on my new log cabin, I’ve been building my next adventure, the Survival Sherpa School!
Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
~ Fred Rogers
December 2022 marks the 11th birthday of this blog. While writing over 600 articles here, I’ve never made a dime from the blog. I’m not more virtuous than others by offer all this free information over the years. I don’t hate money, it’s just the model I chose from the beginning.
However, the Survival Sherpa School is a separate site with a mission to offer hands-on classes to help you learn, prepare, and survive. With the help of my good friend, Melonie of Mel of the Mountains, we now offer a variety of classes on many primitive and traditional skills from bark baskets to hide tanning. I’ll be adding more class content in the near future.
Do me a favor and go check out the site to see what may interest you or someone you know.
While you’re visiting the Survival Sherpa School, hit that Subscribe button to join our community. You’ll be the first to be notified of upcoming classes, events, and exclusive content you won’t see on this blog, YouTube channel, or social media.
Some of our followers have been here from the very start and I can’t thank you enough for all your faithful support! We’ve learned a lot together through the magic of the internet. I’ll continue to post value-added content here, don’t worry.
After our Appalachian Bark Basket class at Little Rose Nature Adventures, we’ve taught three more classes in two states (GA and NC)! Below are some highlights of the experiential learning going on.
Appalachian Bark Baskets
More than an arts and crafts class, these eager students learned the context of making natural containers which their ancestors used many years ago.
Firecraft Essentials
Fire is life and learning many methods to achieve a sustainable fire is essential.
Modern ferrocerium rod in action.
Although we teach primitive and modern techniques, we stress that your fire kit should be simple enough that a five-year-old can use it.
Homeschool Co-op Demo in North Carolina
Melonie demonstrating the utility of turning raw animal hides into useful material for clothing and gear.
Axmanship 101
Students discovered and practiced hands-on techniques to safely fell, limb, buck, and split wood with their ax only. Thanks to Georgia Bushcraft, LLC for hosting this class.
Georgia Bushcraft Fall Gathering
A few of the classes we taught at this years fall gathering. Mel of the Mountains showing students how to make their own buckskin medicine pouches.
Two ladies getting their hands dirty practicing the Flip-Flop Winch.
As you can see, we’ve had a busy schedule recently! If you’d like to stay up to date on future classes and content, be sure to subscribe to our email list here. By the way, we will travel to you or your group’s location for classes and personal instruction.
I’d also like to thank my long-time blogging friend, Patrick Blair of NinjaWolf Studios, for his expert work in building the new Survival Sherpa School website! Be sure to check out Southern Dreams Homestead where he and Jessie are building a self-reliant urban homestead right here in Georgia.
P.P.S – If you find value in the blog, I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking hereor on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…
Survival Sherpa 