I was lucky enough to secure a remote test location in the mountains thanks to a fan of the blog, who owns property which borders the National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. I have been working very hard to set up a base camp there from which to blog from, hence my conspicuous absence.
This location is completely off the grid, to the point where I will have to backpack in my food, water and supplies. My home will consist of a single 10'x14' canvas tent, with power coming from a portable solar power unit, which I will use to charge my digital camera and laptop. This will allow me to edit photos and write reviews offline, which will then be published when I visit town once or twice a week. I will be staying there for the duration of the summer, and since this location is in active bear country, performing tasks as simple as eating and sleeping should be "interesting" to say the least.
This place is also perfect for launching on and off-trail hiking and backpacking trips, and the extreme weather makes it excellent for field testing gear. Due to these extreme conditions, there are lots of blow-down trees that make great fodder for reviewing axes, hatchets and saws. With Dave's assistance, I will also be testing bug-out scenarios for natural disasters as well as base camping gear. This should keep me very busy indeed!
I am very excited to have this opportunity to live the bushcrafting life 24/7 and to take all of you along with me on this new adventure!
My base camp:
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Blow-down trees illustrating the high winds that frequent this location:
View from the clearing!
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Jason
About the author
Jason Schwartz is the founder and senior editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and has taught bushcraft and wilderness survival techniques to the Boy Scouts of America, interned with the US Forest Service, and studied wilderness survival, forestry and wildland firefighting at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. Jason has also written for magazines such as The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)