Stage 1 insulation, the sound deadener. Been keeping myself busy plodding along with filling in the deadener while waiting on my mate to finish up on his projects. Have started cutting stage 2 insulation the foam to fit over the top.
The above is why I drove all the way to Tasmania to have a boat builder work on my van furniture. At the moment were thinking of using Celery Top timber for the bench-top due to stability and weight and using a live edge with a laminated sassafras top for the grain structure. The above is Huon Pine epoxy pour matt black epoxy finish part of an upcoming exhibition, where the ancient meets the modern. Huon Pine only grows in Tasmania and was traditionally used in boat building. (Lagarostrobos franklinii).
Arrived in Tasmania after a hectic night of the ferry turning around for a medical emergency, then a storm front. Sea sick from 130am until reaching port and four hours over due. GPS sent me through the wrong route and ended up going through the central highlands. I was told a few hours earlier it was minus 3 cel and snowing.
The roads through the highlands aren’t particularly wide. One small bridge the on coming traffic has to give way and a small yellow car didn’t give way to me and I had to swerve into the bunting to avoid taking it out. The on lookers said they were amazed I didn’t roll the van. Brand new front tyre now has a four inch slash. I was stuck there an hour, several people stopped to see if they could help. The last vehicle having a long enough breaker bar and sockets to remove the rim. That’s one thing about Tasmania, people will stop to help out. Thx guys! I had the entire van packed with building materials and had left my tools at home thinking it was all going to be carpentry. No sockets, 1/2 inch rattle gun or breaker bar. The jack supplied with vehicle didn’t work and the old breaker bar only fitted the old 16 inch rims. Even if the jack had worked it wouldn’t have fitted under the vehicle with a flat tyre. Never going any where again without my tools.
Workshop cleaned out and the van empty. Couldn’t ask for a better view when working.
Today’s job strip the wall paneling, the rubber flooring and carpet.
Only jobs left to do today are pull up the tie down points with a torque wrench and move the paneling to the storage area out of the weather.
wire brushing the floor for the next few hours
Taking a short break taking photographs of Bruny Island
Woniya Thibeault wasn’t looking for an adventure of such magnitude, but when the opportunity to participate in Alone(R) Season 6 fell into her lap, she couldn’t say no. Never Alone is the story of that journey.
Dropped into the Arctic wilderness-solo-as winter descended, Woniya intended not only to survive, but to thrive. With only a few tools and meager resources, she would need her survival skills, quick wits, and whole heart to make it through.
The skids scraped against the hard granite as the helicopter settled onto the barren peninsula. My fingers were shaking so badly from the adrenaline, it was hard to unbuckle my chest straps. Then, with one step down the ladder, I left the modern world and the rest of humanity behind.
I expected the land to be harsh and unforgiving, but I didn’t expect that it would be so breathtaking.
Nor that I would fall instantly in love with it.
The northern wilderness kicked my butt repeatedly throughout the next three months, but each time it picked me back up, staggered me with its beauty, and showed me again how truly resilient I am.
My Arctic adventure could easily have been a grueling struggle, but by putting my trust in myself and the land, it instead became a beautiful journey to a deeper sense of connection and belonging.
In her debut memoir Never Alone: A Solo Arctic Survival Journey, Woniya shares how months of starving by herself in the Arctic wilderness brought more healing than suffering, and led to a deep sense of belonging and peace. Her story affirms the incredible strength of the human spirit and shows us that strength comes in many surprising forms. Never Alone’s message is one of inspiration and learning to trust in ourselves and the land around us; embracing the wild and being wholly and beautifully human, flaws and all.
Never Alone will take you on an Arctic journey through challenges and triumphs, joys and heartbreaks, and leave you inspired and wanting more.
About the Author
Never quite at home in the modern world, WONIYA THIBEAULT was always drawn to wild places and the skills our ancestors used to thrive there, and driven by a desire to honor the natural world and to feel at home in and be a part of it. Woniya’s master’s degree in science and decades spent honing land-based living skills taught her how to live long-term in the wilderness, using the natural resources it provides. Three years after the solo challenge chronicled in Never Alone, seen on Season 6 of the Alone(R) series on The history Channel(TM), Woniya was invited to compete in an even more rugged spin-off series, Alone(R) Frozen, where she made history. With this second Alone(R) journey, Woniya made history in two ways: across her two stints in the wild she set a new record for cumulative days on an Alone(R) solitary wilderness survival challenge and also became the first woman to win one. Another memoir, about that journey, is in the works.
“Trees living near one another transfer water and nutrients to one another through mycorrhizal networks. The older, more established trees in the network are called hub trees or Mother trees Their roots go deeper into the soil, which means they have access to even more resources to pass to other trees. Research also shows that trees “talk” to each other by sending chemical signals through mycorrhizal networks. They can send and detect distress signals, and send resources to trees in need. “
This is part of my attempt at becoming minimalist. Only one plate knife fork and spoon.
The Firebox premium Small Cowboy Plate is hard anodized inside and out so you get the cooking performance of aluminum’s excellent heat conducting properties yet your food is in contact with a highly conductive scratch resistant ceramic layer, which tolerates very high temperatures and has the perfect micro structure to accept a seasoning. Use with a Pan Lifter so you can use your cowboy plate as a second fry pan.
I always forget to do before pictures of vehicle builds. So far to pass the roadworthy, Ive had to change the sump plug, weld the K-Frame, replace tire rod ends and front rotors.
Ive removed the safety cage at the front to allow moving between the seats and the rearwood paneling will get painted. bed will come to the front of the wheel archesstandard looking LWB Sprinter
Written by Frances Bodkin, illustrated by Lorraine Robertson
This book was recommended to me by Jake Cassar, one of my mentors and is a beautifully written and illustrated book explaining cultural practices and the cycles of the land. From times of the day, to annual seasons, to the Mudong, a 12 year cycle of the land.Based on observations over thousands of generations. Gugagaradjanaba Pre-dawn “The awakening, as the first rays of the sun-lighten the horizon and the mists blanket the earth, the kookaburra calls to all within earshot to announce the new day. It is the freshest part of the day,a new beginning, the time to gather dew before the sun’s rays evaporate it from the medicine plants.” The yearly calendar does not rely upon dates in months and weeks, or even an understanding of the solstices, but on the key events that occur in the environment. These events involve specific plant flowerings and fruiting’s, and noticeable quirks in animal behavior that occur only at certain times of the year. it is the result of many thousands of years of living within, observing and understanding the land. When the flowering stem of the Kia’mia (Doryanthes excelsa) or Gymea Lily reaches the top of the leaves and the spear-pointed buds turn pink, it is time to make the trip to the coast, because it is a sure sign that the whales will shortly be arriving on their journey north. However when the flower comes into bloom, it is an indicator that the whales will be returning to the southern waters and it is again time to travel to the coast. I found this book fascinating. After doing so many bird language and tracking courses I’m finding I’m no longer a bushcrafter. I started this journey to learn bushcraft skills however I now see my self more as a budding naturalist.
“Never Cry Wolf” adapted from the book by Farley Mowat. I re-watched the movie today for the first time since 1983. It is still visually stunning. I realized that I had never read the book. I had also lost my copy of “People of the Deer”. Something Id like to remedy this week.
I ended up selling my 2019 Ford Raptor, which I never thought Id do. That thing would go any where . Then brought a Mercedes Sprinter 313 LWB 2013 high roof to make into a camper to live the Van Life. Much easier when traveling doing courses having a vehicle to sleep in. I started off in a 30 foot Bedford bus, downsized to a caravan and now to a van over the past five years.
Ill be driving the van to Tasmania for the build by Antisocial Engineering in Margate and get to spend a month in Tassi doing the build and taking some time off to check out the scenery and trout fishing..
The build will consist of insulating and sound deadening everything, installing solar and batteries, futon queen sized bed at rear (sideways), lounge near the sliding doorway and a kitchenette. The roof and walls will be will be a blackout concept with timber batons covering the walls an ceiling and strip lights leading up either edge of the roof. Beech floor covered in 6mm hybrid vinyl floor planks to match the ceiling.
(Three attempts to deliver the two lithium batteries, they supplied the wrong regulator with the kit. They stopped making the 175 amp size so to increase to four batteries I now have to sell the two I purchased and will be going back to AGMs. Returned the agm reg for a refund that has now been over two months and they don’t answer their phones and when they do they have not received or cannot find the returned item. Their warranty and customer service sucks I would not recommend company to deal with again.)
Leto Bamboo: ( higher density for sound reduction and heat dispersion ) Anne was great to deal with. Had written up a cutting plan, and shipping to two different destinations.
New England Backbutt: Ask for John, he informed me which brands to suit a vehicle with 5G locking systems, txted me pictures of the exact colours. Also great to deal with.
I’m trying out a new product from Tacmed Australia called a heat sheet for inclusion in my first aid kits made from LDPE (low density polyethylene) in 1.25mil 142x213cm. They seem a little stronger than the standard Mylar blankets usually found in emergency equipment. I grabbed a couple to add to my kits to treat hypothermia and shock.
