Untidy camp

[Les Marshall]

I went for a walk in Houghton forest near Arundel, Sussex on Monday. Lovely forest with plenty of scope bushcraft wise. As I walked I noticed that some one had recently built some shelters, being a nosy sort of fella I went to have a look, intending to use the shelter to have my lunch in. .photobucket.com/albums/tt20/lesmarshall801/Bushcraft/Haughtonforest7thJune2010002.jpg[/IMG][/video]
When I got closer I saw that the shelter must have been built by someone smaller than me (is there someone smaller than me?) Looking round the camp I found 2 empty charley cans:

also, whoever camped there damaged a couple of trees by cutting thier intials into them:

I have to admit I was a bit miffed at the two beer cans, but angry at the damage to the trees. I worry about what sort of an impression this behavior gives to non bushcraft users of the forest.

Any opinions?

 

[locum76]

Two cans left is scruffy but no where near the worst. The carving on the tree probably isn't any worse than birch tapping. Folks have been carving their names on trees for hundreds of years, its just one of those things...

for example.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3568086/Scanner-gives-old-Moriori-art-new-life

 

[Bushwhacker]

Probably some young kids who raided their dad's beer stash and wanted somewhere out of the way to drink it.
Surely there'd be six cans if it was a real man!

 

[Matt.S]

Whos' to say there's more than a coincidental link between the camp, the cans and the carvings? Not neccesarily the same person(s).

 

[Neumo]

I live south of Arundel & know that it get's very busy in those woods at the weekend up there by the Bury roundabout; even during the week there are lots of people out walking. Unfortunatly where you get the day trippers you will always get the trash, as mentioned on plenty of other threads on here. There are the usual bins in the car park or by the cafe but lots of people think it's OK to just leave the trash where they have consumed the contents.

As for carving on trees, it is not something I have seen a lot of myself so do not know if it is a big problem. It.s not something I condone but it is probably not going to kill a tree (AFAIK). It's just another bit of pollution that we have to deal with out in the sticks.

I see shelters in many of the woods round here, which have been abandoned. I also see lots of wigwam type ones, where lots of sticks have been propped up all around the tree but having read some threads recently I am begining to think that these may be piles of wood left to dry out & may not be shelters at all... I have not seen any textbooks or diagrams of shelters which are built round trees, so do not know.

I tend to go to the woods round Eartham, North of Fontwell racecourse, which are a bit more remote so you dont get nearly as many people up there; those that do go are proper walkers (who are usually pretty tidy) or people having a picnic by their car. If you fancy going out some time then send us a PM & we can sort out a trip.

 

[Les Marshall]

Neumo, I've pm'd you

 

[Neumo]

PM recieved & replied to