New member from Sweden

[Jonas Sjöblom]

Hello everyone!
I'm finnish but atm living in Sweden. I love paddling, portaging, poling, lining and all other ways to get by with a canoe where other crafts fail. I like long trips in wild nature, where you have the chance to get into the rythm of nature . I have lived 2 years in tipi, waking up to birds flying in through the smoke hole in the morning, falling asleep to the sound of the fire and watching auroras at night. I paddle almost every day while it's possible. I do a lot of handicrafts too, including my own canoe, anorak, sleeping bag and much more. But my biggest handicraft interest is making paddles.

I've got a (kind of new) paddling blog where you can read more about me.
http://paddlereflections.blogspot.com

 

[Boatman53]

Welcome Jonas! I'll have to check out your site later when I get a chance.
Jim

 

[Robin]

Hi Jonas, Thanks for joining. I gave a quick check to your blog, nice canoe for sure. 2 years in a tipi, that's a long time in a tent, you should share your experience's, sounds interesting.

 

[Jonas Sjöblom]

No Title

My tipi living was an optional part of a 2 years course in "friluftsliv" / bushcraft I took in Sweden last 2 years. The school offers the students to live in tipi if they want. You have access to storage and toilet / showers indoors. So it's quite a relaxing way to live in a tipi. Still it was a very nice experience, I got much closer to nature, I learned a lot from reading the weather everyday and making fires all the time The hardships of the wet weather and stormy nights in fall, like waking up in the middle of night because water is dripping in your face. Or all the hassle of mouse-protecting food and clothes, and the amazing time in spring when nature sprouts all around you. Almost every day brought something new when I lived in tipi. There's so much that it's hard to recall all of it.
About once a month on the course we did a week long trip, usually in canoes but sometimes skiing or hiking. And att the end of term an almost 3 weeks long canoe trip. And the other part of the course was handicraft, stuff like sewing, smithing, knitting, felting and woodworking. That's also where I built my canoe.
I would say those 2 years I spent there were the best 2 in my life.

For anyone interested the link to the course is: http://www.sjovik.eu/utbildning/fhl/ It's in swedish but maybe you can google translate it. During my second year we had 2 people in class who did not speak Swedish. So it's possible even if you don't.

During those 2 years I spent the summer, when I was not going to school first one summer in a Hennessey hammock and then the second in a baker tent I sewed at school.

I had a very nice close encounter with nature once in that baker tent. I was sitting alone in there sewing, then something sounded beside me, I look there and see a frog. What are you doing here? I thought. Then I looked outside and saw a snake with raised head looking straight at me. Trying to decide if it should keep chasing the frog or leave. I just stood there for maybe half a minute. Then decided to let it go and left. The frog stayed there with me the rest of the night.
It was a very scary and very exciting experience.

 

[Murat V]

Welcome Jonas! Looking forward to seeing more of your paddle creations and reading about your tripping adventures.

 

[Hanz]

Welcome. I'm looking forward to learning from you.