Week4: Foraging a New Path

This week I started off mostly writing. I’ve spent a lot of time working on a blog about the role of Elders in rewilding. Sasha wanted to go on a bike ride with me, but I told her I had too much work to do, whatever that means. Sometimes I feel my mind caught up in thinking about the work that needs to get done, and not enough time getting work done.

I told Sasha we would need another purpose besides “just a bike ride.” She suggested we gather nettles up the Spring-Water Corridor, a 40 mile loop that starts in Portland. I said that sounded great and we set off.

Irresistible, even though they sting you; a metaphor for so many things.

I had never traveled up the corridor before, despite the fact that I knew it began in Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, one of my stomping grounds. Foraging this new path felt refreshing. Taking plants in the City I often feel a little scared of people catching me, and scared of what chemicals peoples may have sprayed on their plants. But on the corridor, I felt no external pressure and the greens looked toxin free (aside from the base level of toxicity found in every living organism, thanks civilization, for nothing!).

Don’t let the Miners catch you stealing their lettuce!

We also saw lots of wildlife; a Sharp-shin hawk sat eating a fat city pigeon under the I-205 overpass, about a gajillion wooly bears, lots of brush rabbits. The corridor just hums with life. Of course it does, where the hell else would animals live? Nature parks pop up every once and a while, and it seems the corridor works like a wild-highway from nature reserve to nature reserve. The corridor seems the perfect place for wild animals, wild herbs, and people who want to rewild.

“Come inside ‘n meet the misses.”

In short, I think I found my new home… or at least, another stomping ground. Plus, it seemed many older homeless people foraged the path too. I felt compelled to talk to them and ask them questions, but it didn’t feel like the right time.

Me and Captain Kiwi.

Okay. Enough rambling, time for:
Urban Scout’s Weekly Laundry List: #4

Shelter
The Tipi feels better and better. As of late it has become full of fun wild materials that I will turn into tools.

Water
Still drinking from the tap.

Fire
Played with fire.

Flora Food
Gathered a grip of greens this week: Miners lettuce (both regular and Siberian) , Stinging Nettles, young Oregon Grape leaves, Mullein leaves for tea, Spearmint leaves for tea, Bedstraw, and Dandelions.

Fauna Food
Squirrel! I know what you may think, “He did it! He killed his first squirrel!” Alas, I found this poor lady in the gutter; a victim of the road. Still, she did provide me with my first wild animal flesh of this project.

Transportation
My bike tires keep popping, and I have to keep paying for replacements. Bicycles trap me in the monetary economy. Gotta figure that one out. Bike or no?

Hygiene
Coffee makes me smell bad. I can’t remember the last time I took a shower… have I unfairly blamed the coffee?

Entertainment
I watched The Adventures of Baron Munchausen with Sasha, because she had never seen it, and I wanted some inspiration. Again, renting movies for entertainment traps me in a monetary economy. Soon I will write a blog about how many monetary traps I have found. I did cancel my cellphone finally (despite my mothers demand I keep one).

Awareness
My awareness ebbs and flows. I didn’t feel much skinning the squirrel, but later when I told the story of how I think it died, the crunched shoulder, the twisted pelvis and the blood-clot filled chest… I just can’t imagine the pain the squirrel must have felt when it died. It reminds me of the squirrel that I hit with the rock, that survived, probably in much pain, but still it survived. Squirrels show great resilience, and I honor and respect them. Someone who can primitively kill a squirrel must have skills, but I see no honor in the death of road kill. Cars stumble and fumble down the road like giant drunk bullets, killing anything in their path. To die at the hands of such a retched machine, to roll a painful roll into the gutter only to rot… How terrible for these animals. I only hope I can honor their spirits by using their bodies to provide me & those I love with sustenance. I find it interesting that I didn’t really make the emotional connection until I told the story of what happened, and in telling the story and describing where the squirrel got hit, I could feel it in my own body.

Did I meet last weeks goals?
I had to watch the stupid video just to see what I said I would do.

* Stone Axe – Because I broke the last one, instead of pecking this one I have abraded it. This seems to take MUCH longer, but I feel will work out better in the end. It still doesn’t look anywhere near done.
* Cook on a fire – I cooked the squirrel on a fire!
* Try to kill another animal using dead-fall – No
* Hot Rock Tea – No
* Cold rain water shower – No
* Tipi fire pit cover – No
* Plants – Gathered a ton o’ plants, so I’ll give myself a yes on this one.

Week 4 Score: 3/7 Go feral failure club!

Goals for Week 5:
* Burn Bowl. Make one dammit!
* Boil spearmint tea with hot rocks in burn bowl!
* Set up a dead fall, work on a snare.
* Work more on stone axe.
* Make spear blade.
* 5 more entries in the Rewild Field Guide

That wraps it up. See you next week!

*I wrote this blog in E-prime.*

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