Primitive Skills
This week we really got down to some primitive skills, the nitty gritty of wilderness survival. Out in a riverside cedar grove we became a primitive village united by our central fire. We used coals from the fire to burn out logs to use as bowls, then used rocks heated in the fire to boil and thus purify river water for drinking. We also experimented with several primitive cooking methods including building stone and clay ovens from scratch, using a steam pit, boiling food in rock-heated water, and cooking over open flames. These days involved some good hard work as well as quality time spent as a tribe by the roaring fire. The water and food we took in may have been a little dirty, sooty, under or overcooked, but the time, effort and laughter that went into it made it all worth it.
