Task 1- What’s in my bag?

My family has a property just outside of Toronto that we call “the farm”, but it’s really just a large acreage of forest with a tiny hunting shack. Think of it as camping with the added bonus of a dried in structure. It’s a nice place to escape to from the city and let our dog have space to run. I went up for the day and packed pretty light aside from a separate cooler for food.

My baby axe is a good travel size and does the job of breaking down wood for kindling. There is a ton of firewood up at the property that’s already split so I don’t ever need to spend too much time chopping. I have a waterproof neon cover for my bag that I’ll put on even if the weather is good so that any hunters are able to see me easily. A few neighbours and relatives will use the property to hunt, and I never know when I’ll come across a new deer stand or blind. I also pack multiple tools to light a fire, and a case to put them in to stay dry. I have never needed more than one tool to get a fire going and usually the lighter or matches is fine. It’s the girl guide in me that can’t feel prepared unless there is also a plan b and c. A citronella candle was thrown in for good measure in case the bugs came out early. Having my dog with me this time around, I packed some bear bells for her to wear and extra dog food. My dog is not stealthy and has never surprised another animal in her life, but the more noise the better in the spring.

Something I would never have packed before now but take everywhere with me is a face mask. Though there is nobody to run into while in the woods, if I did need to go into a gas station en route I would want to have a mask handy. For an archeologist looking at the contents of my bag in the future, seeing that mask with items that otherwise indicate solitude and self-reliance would communicate how serious this global pandemic is. The only piece of text technology in my bag is the book I’m currently reading, Gone Girl. The absence of distractions and slow pace makes the woods one of best reading environments for me to get through more than a chapter before I check my phone or open my computer out of habit. Some other self-explanatory items:

• water bottle
• toilet paper
• multi-tool and knife
• camp soap
• hair ties (ladies, you know how important it is to always have extra)

I think these items show that I am comfortable being outside in nature and that I like to be prepared and think through scenarios. All of these items are “old” tools and technology that have not undergone much change, or any change over the years. Something like an axe or matches proves that the simplest tool can be the best for the task at hand.