OTMC Bushcraft 2018
February 2018 sees the return of the OTMC Bushcraft course. Our Bushcraft / tramping skills course is designed for people just starting out tramping to those that have done several trips and want to brush up on some tramping skills.
This years course consists of four evening meetings in our clubrooms, followed by a weekend tramp into the local Silver Peaks area, located north of Dunedin city. A day of map and compass instruction is also available, as well as a river safety day.
The first evening for Bushcraft 2018 is on February 13 (Tuesday evening) and will cover tramping clothing, footwear and equipment. The second evening (February 20) will introduce map, compass and navigation, as well as covering weather signs and environmental care.
The map and compass day will be on Sunday, February 25 and will be held on Flagstaff . A short refresh before starting will be followed by a practical exercise around a set of markers, with the opportunity to use both map and compass skills to locate them. Tramping and clothing suitable for off-track travel will be required.
The third evening (February 27) will have a look at food for trampers (what to take, how to travel light etc.) as well as consider ways to cook in the hills(stoves and cookers)
The final evening (March 6) will concentrate on planning the weekend trip to the Silver Peaks, covering all the things you need to think about when planning any trip. This evening will also discuss options for trampers in Dunedin, as well as outline the benefits of joining the OTMC are.
The weekend trip to the Silver Peaks is on March 10-11, leaving Dunedin at 8am on the Saturday morning. Participants will be split into parties of 4-5 people, each with an experienced OTMC leader. The purpose of the weekend is to put into practice the skills we have covered at the evening meetings. This includes route-finding using map and compass, pitching tents or flies, and using portable cookers. (the Silver Peaks consists of tracks of varying degrees of condition (sometimes no track) and includes some steep sections - typical tramping time for this trip is 5-7 hours per day).
River safety and river-crossing skills are amongst the most important skills a tramper needs. Unfortunately there is no suitable location within the Silver Peaks to practice this essential skill, so a further day (March 4) will be held at the Taieri River from Outram Glen to introduce and practice river crossing.
To register for the course, please fill out the application form (available here), and either email to us, post, or bring to the first night (payment can be made on February 13).