[Brygun] The Story of Calle (long story style)

[Brygun]

Day 4 of the 10th week before summer season

Showing respect to wood and river with sacrifices on land and on water along with the teachings learned has given a steady ability to work. Yesterday and today had severe cold snaps. Yesterday Calle had been across the rapids gathering logs. He slept over there and fished on the way back. That’s when the icy spirit of north winds had crept into his bones. Even today he had started becoming dazed even though in the slowly improving cabin. Time and time again the ice winds denied a fire. It was then that Calle realized that some spirits were deep hates.

It would take both his physical work and the friendly spirits to start the fire against North Winds claws. Saying prayers as he tried again and again the fireplace finally lit up. He had already been losing sensation and eye sight. Icy claws were starting to narrow his throat when the fire glow sent them away. With that friendly glow Calle continued to work on the cabin. He made sure a good fire was going before he went to sleep!

Day 2 of the 9th week before summer season.

Taking a break from building, fishing and the odd trap catch. Calle went to “Damn Passage”. To his horror there are wolf prints all over the place. He promptly leaves! With evening and exhaustion coming Calle takes refuge at the “Middle corner” homestead. His warning is heeded with the children told to stay close to the homestead for the next few days.

In the morning Calle and the Middlers trade partings. Starting to ski Calle calls out.

“There!” said Calle.

He pointed with his ski pole to a glutton. Another fierce out in the deep winter. One certainly able to kill a child and known at times to best adults as well. It was just at the corner of the storehouse, well within bow range of the main cabin. Calle skis noisily toward it. Snuffling in protest its pushed back a way. Should he hunt it?

<CALLE 020 Glutton at middle homestead>

[Brygun]

(Gluttons are known in North America as wolverines. Though smaller than people they have a lot of muscular strength and claws.)

Calle skiis after the glutton. Now and then it turns back with a snuffle. Grunting breaths of warning. Hoping to tire it out before fighting Calle stays on pursuit. However the glutton is cunning. It circles over the tracks of a pole cat.

Maura the housewife of “Middle corner” came walking to him.

“Saw you skiing back and forth,” she asked, “Are you all right? Lost?”

“There,” Calle pointed with his ski pole, “Two predators with their trails intermixed. Mighty glutton and now a pole cat. Hard to figure out which is going where. Though it looks like the didn’t go towards your home.”

Maura’s weathered eyes looked over the muddled ground.

“We’ve seen the pole cat since the fall,” said Maura, “We live on our crops, fish, trade and the odd reindeer. Don’t be foolish getting hurt in the deep woods. The woods might want to feast on your blood. Mind the cold.”

Calle choked on his throat drying. Maura gave a grin as she went about gathering twigs. Calle swept the arc that would go back to the homestead. Seeing no more trails going that way decided they were as safe as he could for now.

(Playing grogging in the morning I messed freezing message and he died on long distance travel. First reload for those iron man purists.)

Frost crisped on his fur. He now knew why Maura had warned of the cold. He was chilling as deadly North Wind had come back. Calle pricked off branches from a standing birch. A fallen companion was moved to a wide spot in a grove. Branches feathered by knife placed beside with fluffly tinder from his pouch. Calle struck flint struck until sparks caught on the tinder. Huffing blowing expanded it to the feathered wood. Growing with care the fire started on the log. The big blaze would warm him up.

Calle now doubted if getting to the Sacred Trail now was a good idea. Roaming predators and worse the North Wind. Making south west its hardly an hour or so before North Wind is slashing at him. On a mire he hurries to assemble a shelter using a small fire. This isn’t enough. Another small tree sectioned for the fire.

He starts to warm holding off death this time. Less than an hour of travel to make camp for an hour to warm up. While waiting he gathers more spruce branches to make a mat for the bottom of the shelter. Calle makes another bundle sprcue as a mat and shelter cover to carry with him.

“If I go to stay in the homestead its two nights in a row,” said Calle, “The sage said only if I were grevious. Is this so? North Wind is clawing for death. Would breaking the one night rule mean I’ve failed or is this knowing to respect the powers greater than myself. If a keep making shelters it may get me back to Axe Rapids. I’ll try moving on.”


<CALLE 021 Stalked by North Wind>

[Brygun]

Head south west Calle was very mindful of his temperature. Maybe he could make it all the way to Axe Rapids.

“Plan to survive today and tomorrow both,” Calle repeated words of his grandmother.

On a mire at this middling hike distance he setup a new shelter, matted it and made a warming fire. Traveling again he completed the retreat to the Axe Rapids cabin. It was a retreat. That North Wind was more powerful than he. Maybe with even more furs like a coat and a cloak both it might be a battle to fight. For now the cabin stocks of wood for heating and the befriended river for fish to eat. A hare was caught in a trap adding to his means. It was a slim time. A slim margin between thriving, being alive or passing through the spirit gate. Several days of barely being alive at times near fainting from numbness trying to start a fire.

Calle reminded himself North Wind was strong but would pass. A week or few more would see North Wind going back to its ice palace far from these lands. Calle thinks that had he gone to Sacred Trail he would now be a guest in the ice palace at the icy feast table of North Wind.

<CALLE 022 Fighting North Wind>

[Brygun]

Day 1 of the 8th week before summer

His cabin has been expanded with room for a work table and bench. Walling is still incomplete. It is going from the L shape to a circle. In the center is the fireplace so wherever you the fire is right next to you.

This day Calle gives his first go at cooking.  There are heavy bags of barley and rye in the cellar. At least some can be used with North Wind stalking around. A clumsy edible set of set of rye flat beads with heather and hemp seeds keep him going that little bit longer.

The amount of wood going through is stunning. Blocks of section trunks the size of stumps are burned two or three a day. At least some in the cabin and another if he uses the fishing shelter as North Wind’s claws like to reach out of the water.

Whether baking or fishing to survive his one layer of fur over cloth still needs both shelter walls and a fire. North Wind is very strong this year. When warm his clothes are enough to bring down a tree either nearby or from across the river. Fishing on the water is potentially fatal in the deepest cold. A tip in the water would certainly be! Calle laughs that at least he has water! A block tub, made by charring a block then chipping it out with an axe over and over, has let him keep a good supply of water inside the cabin. It is a very short walk to the rapids to refresh if you want to tease North Wind.

Next day is hours of baking up a big stack. He could make four or five sets of this of rye and again of barley. It is a nice smell and a change out of the boredom that was setting in from repetition. Even better was a bird caught in one of the traps. Meat to go with the bread! A simple thing that seems a luxury when fighting North Wind alone for the first time in your life. A sacrifice of thanks is left out to the wood spirit. Its an endurance hunt with North Wind the hunter and Calle the one striving to survive.

Making trade crafts come to mind. It would be a real gamble to travel to trade though. The work though can be done sitting next to the central fireplace. At night Calle plays out stories with the elk and bear figures. Sometimes he chats with the cellar figurine, a fox on the idea that if there is one fox there already the others will stay away.

<CALLE 023 Used flatbreads>

Map attached
The circular cursor is over the main cabin at Axe Rapids. Yeah... angry bear right near me.

[Brygun]

“Now Calle, eat your hemp biscuits,” mother said.

Calle pondered the dream he had. His mother would make them hemp biscuits to go along with the rye or barley. Their different taste means they have different nutrition. Recalling his cellar contents Calle spreads out his consumption with rye and hemp baking. Flatbreads and longer lasting hardtack. He really wanted meat yet the draw of the hemp was tasting.

“Your body will call for foods it needs, or sweets,” mother said.

As Calle ate the his first hemp flatbreads he really enjoyed them more than as a boy. This the thin diet he had it really must be he needed them. With his stacks of bakes he figured he had ready food for maybe a week with three more in the cellar. Any fish or game was extending his time. Time to outlast North Wind.

Eating the barley twice as often as the hemp seemed to be working. Even without meat Calle felt stronger after a few days of that diet. To change fishing bait he pulled off rotting meat from one of the traps. He needed to remember on the next catch to set some aside for bait.

(UrW Nutrition for flour by type: https://www.unrealworld.fi/wiki/index.php?title=Flour
Note that Barley and Rye are high in carbs but low in protein. Hemp reverses that making it great thing to mix in)

Day 1 of the 7th week before summer season

Today was only moderately cold. His clothes and single fur layer kept Calle comfortable while fishing on the river itself. That didn’t mean catching anything. It still felt good to be out of the deeper cold. It might snap back once or twice yet.

Day 3 of the 7th week before summer season

Still no fish nor game. The 2-1 bread mixes have been nourishing. Calle takes a little break to ski to the across the river to the high peaks to the south west. Since he is warm enough still Calle caries onto the village of “Moron summit” to the south west. The first people he has seen in weeks bring him joy. Among them is the sage Ilari. Good to know if sick again to go south west from Axe Rapids. There is talk of a wounded adventurer. This time Calle isn’t super eager to go into danger with North Wind still lurking nearby.

Calle pulls out arrows for trading, “Made these myself. Hare bone for the tips, raven feather fletching made from good straight wood. The cordage is hemp yarn I traded for from other Reemi. They are good and true.”

They agree to give three cuts of smoked meat per arrow. This is meat that will expand Calle’s diet.

Coming to the headman’s hall Calle speaks with the wounded Korjus. The man survived a bear attack. His direction of north east the direction of Calle’s home. Calle paused at that. He would have to do this after all. Its at the border of a large spruce mire with a pine mire to the west.

<CALLE 024 midwinter quest>

[Brygun]

Heading home a wind steers him on a new course.

(Robber attack led to a reload. Robbers don’t seem slowed by the thigh deep snow. Did cripple one with leg chops for light head wounds. Turns out he had a friend who beat Calle out.)

Calle made on this new course back to the Axe Rapids. To face the bear Calle first decided to invest with his carpentry skills. First he made another of the raven arrows like those he traded. Then without metal fittings he could still assemble a wooden shield. Boards with back braces pegged then those pegs wedged to expand.

He collects his spare bandages to join those he kept on him for accidents. A few pinches of heather, the only herbs he has, for poultices. A refresh of his waterskin to have fresh water for washing wounds.

His first day searching didn’t get a lead. Its so close that in late afternoon Calle skis back to his own cabin. A warm rest wondering if the next night noise is that angry bear.

<CALLE 025 shield made>

[Brygun]

Another day searching that area. Though half the search time went into building a shelter, extra spruce mats and guard traps. This is placed on a middling lake. Its near the center of area to search too. If wounded badly or freezing its a safety shelter. As for this night it is safer to go back to Axe Rapids again.

The next day can be bolder knowing the safety shelter is in place. It is cold. North Wind is still playing its tune with its children at play. Thinking of making a fire Calle focuses on skiing along the forest edge looking only ahead for tracks. Making his way toward that safety shelter he spots tracks!

Broad crescents.

Those aren’t bear tracks.

Lifting his head up Calle sees a small bull elk that is already a little fatigued. Well that’s a worthy hunt. A laugh chuckles out thinking of the elk that became a bear. This could well end up much the same.

<CALLE 026 small bull elk>

[Brygun]

Skiing drives the elk into the spruce. There its a series of switch backs and circling where surely the elk is resting. Its tracks become speckled with reindeer. Both being hoofed animals its quite confusing at times. Either would do for a big stock of meat.

Breaking off in wide rim to hub search Calle spots the small elk through the spread out pines of the adjoining mire. Its fleeing brings it back onto the existing trails in the spruce. By noon Calle breaks off this hunt. Back to bear searching with no finds. Calle camps out in the prepared shelter with a stump sized block amid the fire stones. He sleeps fine.

Back to the cabin then. Since Calle could stay out searching so much he can fish on the river again. A trout and a salmon come in this night. A good catch! Calle remember to cut of parts of the trout to restore trap baits and for future fishing bait.

There is the question of a possible bear attack. Calle sets out to build a nearby bear trap. He stops though. He sings a song of thanks to the woods and river spirits. They were with him in the struggle against North Wind. Today is the 1st day of the 6th week before summer meaning the deepest cold has passed. North Wind has journeyed back to the ice palace to feast the new guests and play their games until the next winter.

Day 2 of the 6th week before summer

Arrived at the Sacred Trail. Nothing in the traps. Damn Passage yields an arctic fox with the warning of spotting wolves in the distance.

Day 6 of the 6th week before summer

Calle’s quiver was bursting with an additional dozen raven fletched arrows and five wood blunts. Its still the deep snow season. These will let him take risks at shooting game.

What what would really be good is a stronger bow. Making a bow could be done. A longbow perhaps? Best if the wood dries for … Calle tries to recall. It would be a month. Would he even stay here that long? Searching for good trees he wonders about finding adler. South west there are Reemi villages with groves. Checking those they definitely could make good bows. Logging a tree here feels like stealing. Then how would he get it back to the cabin? Quarter it carry just the one part?

Calle decides to ski into the town. Asking about a bow they directed them to a longbow freshly made this winter by Kuopia. Calle trades his shortbow and 5 of the trade arrows leaving the raven fletched for himself. The rest of his initial arrows he trades for a basket of hemp seeds, having learn how nutritious it is as bread.

<CALLE 027 new archery set>

[Brygun]

As he skied back to Axe Rapids Calle went up the hills. He saw a distant elk but couldn’t close with it. During his searches he studied the longbow. Once back at Axe Rapids he looked in this forest. There were a few adler trees. There could be enough time to dry them. It would be good to develop this skill. He searched for an adler that was fairly straight. Up the slope amid a cluster of spruce he picked one that had been shielded by the winds giving it a straighter trunk than most.

(Game wise chopping the adler gave slender trunks not a full sized trunk. So I took down a nearby spruce as well to represent the time investment.)

The next day his splitting axe made quick of fulfilling its purpose. Four quarter logs were stood against the cabin exterior. Dry winter air would keep pulling the moisture out. 30 days would be shortly before summer time. He can’t use all of them himself. These would be useful trade goods when he decided to start his life after the first winter challenge was won. Calle’s confidence had grown. He respected North Wind and always would. He had managed to get past North Wind once on his own now.

Day 3 of the 5th week before summer

For a few days he searched. This was the time of deep snow. Skiing turned the rivers into roads. Bogs were easy to cross. He searched for a few days. While visiting the bear hunt shelter he spotted across the lake a reindeer!

Skiing across the lake he comes to the shore a little west of where he saw it. He hoped now that by crossing at an angle he might better spot tracks. Moving eastward a poke of shore is the reindeer. Away flies a raven arrow from the long bow. It gouges a wound in the reindeer’s thorax.

Pursuing on a broad head arrow to the abdomen bleed a while. It kept moving around the mire. A few shots miss, a few hits. The reindeer collapses. Calle skis up. With his hunting knife of several years he stabs the neck. Calle speaks quietly to soothe it passing. Once it stops breathing he puts out cranberries as thanks and food for its crossing.

Skiing and quartering on the mire Calle brings over a hundred pounds of meat in. There at the cabin are fox tracks with the fox caught in one of the medium predator traps. Ha! While cleaning the reindeer skin a hare dashes around and into a trap. Blessed bounty!
< CALLE 028 Blessed bounty>

[Brygun]

It took into the next day to process all this. The reindeer hide Calle is resoaking to dehair. With the worst of winter over what will be needed in the future isn’t fur clothing but leather. Three quarters of the reindeer is hung to start drying. It will be finished around the same time as the drying quarter logs. Enough meats from the three animals are roasted or left raw in the cellar. This is weeks of food without any fishing needed. A chance to build goods or finish the cabin.

Rain splatters down. Rain not snow. The snows that made the ski hunt possible will be weakening. Maybe a few days or a week it will last. The season of slush. Clearly North Wind has gone.

Once the rain stopped the slush froze as a crust on the deep snow. There was still good skiing. With so much food, already having a shelter and stockpiles of materials Calle had a moment of no worries. He could question major projects with what he had. Should he make a water craft better than his raft with crude ties? Should he go ski hunt another animal while he could?

< CALLE 028 Blessed bounty>

[Brygun]

Day 5 of the 5th week before summer

Considering back and forth. Only one of the possibilities really needs to happen in the next few days. That is catch another animal so its meat dries out about the same time as the reindeer. What he learned is to use the viewing scanning across lakes and mires. Going north he saw an elk briefly but couldn’t find its tracks.

Searching he met a woodsman.

“Can you help me,” began the woodsman, “I gotten lost. My name is Ruurikki. By your dress we are both Reemi. Will you help a fellow tribesman?”

Calle laughed, “Yes of course.”

His felt rose high in his chest. A few months ago he was at the start of his First Winter challenge. Here he is now the local expert to guide another.

Ruurikki bent forward hands on knees taking a deep breath.

Ruurikki said, “Just any village to clear my head. It may have been the forest cover wrapped around my mind. When you are disorientated or a little lost sometimes the forest covers you. We were once with the trees. Its them calling someone back to them. Then they are deeply lost. Perhaps never seen again. Unless someone else who is still in the world of people can lead them out.”

Calle pursed his lips, “There are several villages near. It won’t take long. Loru’s Corner is a few hours walk west.”

Together they went west. Around a lake’s north edge. North east of that was a stand of spruce in the mires that might make a great hunting look out. If the spirits were friendly there.

At Loru’s Corner Ruuriki patted Calle in thanks. He then explained a hunter’s way he knew. The bear being great hunter always finds its prey. To carry bear teeth with you is to call that blessing about you. You’ll find more hares and game birds with them.

“Thank you for this teach. Be safe here,” Calle said, “I once fought a bear and won. Its teeth may be at my camp.”

[Brygun]

Scan hunting Calle probes a little farther north spotting a cliff. Next to cliff he sets up a shelter and two guard traps. In the morning one of the traps has caught a bird.
Heading east he comes to Damn Passage, where he fought the angry bear whose skull he gave a home and teeth are now guiding his hunting. Wolves had been seen around here. No game today. With a bit of the bear’s power with him Calle decides to disarm these traps.  It doesn’t seem right to leave the traps to wound an animal that might not be checked once Calle moves on. That sort of thing might have angered the spirits in the first place.

Nearing the original Sacred Trail camp an elk is seen across a mire. Catching up works this time. Its a mother with a baby. A momentary consideration of leaving the mother to raise the cub is met with the needs to provide. A broad head arrow is loosed and misses. Those iron heads aren’t something Calle can yet make for himself. Luckily keeping up the track he finds it a few minutes later. As Calle tracks it into a spruce forest evening begins to close in. Calle decides that this is a good sign to stop this hunt of mother with child.

Day 2 of the 4th week to summer

Calle had slept at Sacred Trail. In the morning he disarms the traps here. It really feels like he has emerged from the challenge. Winter wasn’t over yet. Coming to these traps though was a bit more of a chore now that Axe Rapids was producing from fishing, local trapping and hunting. Spirits can grow angry if traps keep animals suffering. To a Reemi keeping ties to the spirit world are important. As thanks to Sacred Trail providing what it did, for it had, he puts out berries.
 
Calle made a wide circle around the cabin. He didn’t see any more large animals.

“You don’t always get a kill on a hunt,” Calle said, “It was good to see them. The forest and river are already providing. Time then for a big build project. A wooden punt, a finnish punt, seems good. Its durable, sturdy, can carry cargo yet can still be carried.”

(Finnish Punt is a modded item from the BAC based on real life Finnish boats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW7BdhOZZ_c&t=4s )

A yelp. Another yelp.

Just after making that choice Calle scoots to see the source of the noise. A fox has been caught. It dangling on the fox board. Stuck up right to hold weight the top has a W shape. When the fox leaps a paw gets caught in the bottom notch. Bait is put on the center spike to encourage the jump. Its important the board be sturdy in the ground to stay upright on the leap and struggle. Calle hadn’t reset this trap in months. Is this a sign from the forest to support his choice?

Thanks are giving to the forest and water spirit of fox and grouse meat. Calle appreciates their being at peace with him. Amid the project work he can reset the traps here and fish. Maybe a day or two hunting for a break in the future.

Among the tasks for the project is to make an adze. This is different version of axe with the blade crossways to the handle. Without iron Calle will need a stone one. That takes a good stone. After hours of maintaining the Axe Rapids traps Calle heads to the mountain to the south west. There he goes through picking out suitable stones and rocks. A whetstone would also be good, a flat small grit stone for sharpening tools and arrows heads.

Days of work has seen Calle prepare a good list. A stone adze will be used in hollowing out a tree for the punt. A pair of wooden tubs, for crafting and trade. A sanding block which has been good with wood working.

The reindeer leather has started being used for clothing. Better three finger paws replace the rough bear ones. Calle had long wanted a pair of shin guards as shins get scraped by bushes and ice so much more than anything but your feet. A leather cap for rainy days if not wearing his furs and just that more warmth. Making a shirt would use up the six and half pounds of the reindeer leather left so Calle holds off that for now. That big section will join the craft work with the various bird skins being used until now.

< CALLE 031 Leather clothes>

[Brygun]

Day 1 of the 3rd week before summer

Since upcoming tasks will need pitch Calle skied north toward a cluster of pine trees. Near Axe Rapid he found a few bits of pine tar. These are often seen as the colored lumps or sticky paths on pine trees. Where the tree was wounded it makes these to heal. Its a big part of making a glue or pitch.

Traveling Calle’s eyes went wide.

Its a wild sow. Several others running nearby. At least three wild pigs in the pack. Sneaking, shooting, recovering among the horribly churned up crusty snow. These pigs have been foraging area for a while. Two arrows get into one sow giving her a limp. She is still vigorous enough to get out of sight then the sea of jumbled tracks confuse Calle. There is even hour old elk tracks in the mix.

Rain pats down from the sky. Muddled crusty trails wriggle with riverlets of water. Sounds are muffled by the rain. Calle makes a wider rim around hub search.

Between spruce he can see a big sow. Its not the pig that has two of his arrows. Its likely the grand mother of the herd. Quietly he moves behind then around spruce. Big sow’s head was down snuffling through the slush for food. At two man lengths away Calle sends in one of the expensive broad head arrows. She’s crippled with a deep hindleg strike. Blood bursts out over and over with an artery hit.

Calle pushes his feet waddling on the different length skis without the pole. As he readies his handaxe Big Sow pushes herself through spruce branches. She has strength that one. Calle gets up an arrow that skims another leg. Her progress isn’t far. Calle catches up to bludgeon her with the handaxe’s back. A few blows for her lay down. Calle switches to his hunting knife putting the tip into the neck.

How blood from both wounds pool out. It steams the snow as the rain pushes it widely about. Another neck stab to the sleeping Big sow. Blood pulses from three artery hits.

Once her breathing stops Calle tries to move her. She must weigh nearly three hundred pounds! Her broad skin comes away to deep muscles below with a meat yield close to half her weight. No way can Calle eat this all himself. Villager’s are going to be eating well soon!

Being quite close Calle makes back to Axe Rapids. He cooks patches to preserve some in the cellar. Rotating his stocks Calle cooks up the reserve Reindeer meat. Sow meat will be held as the bait reserve. This still leaves eighty pounds to trade. That plus a tub and a pair of paddles make a decent trade run.

Its a haggle with Calle finally getting an iron pot. Once you start truly cooking that matters a great deal. Calle traded the 80 pounds of sow, the tub, 2 fine paddles, his wooden shield and a bone tipped arrow. He hadn’t planned on the shield. Calle made that one and with the foods stocks he certainly can make another.

<CALLE 032 Calle gets his pot>

[Brygun]

On his way back is through a pine filled heathland. Along the way inspecting trees brings in the lumps of pine tar Calle wanted. It took time to check the trees for the exposed lumps. Adding the many pine tar chunks to the stockpile at Axe Rapids Calle figured on over 15 pounds. This still had to processed farther.

Calle will make the melting fire outside by the fishing shelter. It already has a ring of rocks and stone for a fire pit. Melting the pine tar down thickens it by driving out moisture. Charcoal is stirred in to make it into a gooey soup. The bits of ash give the tar things to stick to like mortar for stone. The rendered result is sticky black paste. To apply this pitch glue will take heating it up again.

First item to be made with it is a stone hammer glued onto a spruce shaft. A top wedge presses them tightly together. Bindings of spruce bast cord is wrapped on. Pitch glue is pasted on to lock the bindings in place.

<Calle 033 play pause>

[Brygun]

Day 5 of the 3rd week to summer.

Calle found a spot of good visibility to the west north west. A patch of raised heathland not so tall as a hill yet with a long view in most directions. It is linked to Axe Rapids by the river and reachable by land as well. He set up a shelter and traps for hunting shelter. It pleased him to see the birds flying by.

Returning with no game sightings Calle rafts across to look for a tree to start building the punt. One seems likely not far from the work shelter. Moving past he looked for other candidates. His heart kept singing to him of that first one. Listening the spirits Calle made an offering of the almost last heather petals.

“Forest, thank you for singing to me,” said Calle, “This tree will come from the land to live on the water. All my best will be done to make it strong and swift.”

The low notch for felling was made on the river side. A symbol this tree was meant for water. Cutting the higher notch on higher ground it walloped down. He trimmed away the branches for dragging. Hauling it to the river they started across with Calle talking to the tree.

“This is your first water journey. Feel the water flow. Soon you will be a great swimmer.”

The he spoke to the river.

“Great river spirit. Long have you fed me fish. I have honored you with gifts. You never drowned me and for this I think you. This tree is going to be a boat. Help me teach it how to swim!”

Back across he idled the evening making a stone knife from a chipping rock. He still had his hunting knife. Calle felt he should show that he had this skill. Its smaller size might just fit in among odd shapes too. A check of cellar stocks estimated at least three weeks of food.

Next morning Calle offered the almost last cranberries in offering.

“Spirits of forest and river today begins the transforming. Like the caterpiller wrapped in a cocoon becoming a butterfly this tree is becoming a punt. Watch and guide, see and teach. Together let us make a great boat.”

Chopping begins. The stumps of branches still on are cleared away. A few starting chops then levering the axe in sideways the bark was lifted off. Now Calle had a good look at the log. Eating while studies he turned the log to a way that seemed to suggest a flatter bottom. His eye was calculating the grain to be revealed.

Now cam the first shaping. First he turned it to give a flat strip along the bottom, this to brace it on the ground while working. Next he axed at the ends to give the pointed shape for the bow and lesser point for the stern. It was good exercise working on such a large shape. That was done with the steel of his axes.

Center hollowing to begin. Like he made the block tub and pot with this was to burn the center with fire. This project took that stone adze. Its chopping was scooping motion through the charred center. When needed whacks with the stone hammer could nudge it through the notches where large branches had been. More fire would be set to burn the inside. He packed snow and mud along the edges to keep them from burning.

The processing of charring and scooping is an ancient one. It weakens the wood where you want it leaving the outsides strong. On a break Calle went fishing on his raft. Water slapping rocks sounds amid the gentle snowfall. A jerk on the rod with a snap and yanking the line brings up a trout. Calle removed the head as a gift back to the river. With food stocks well in hand he thought to peel the under skin layer off for a making a different glue. In a few weeks the melting snows would raise the river. Calle looked to his quirky cabin near the shore. He hoped it would be fine. It wasn’t right at the shore but more than a few feet of rise here at the choking rapids would be a problem, especially for the cellar.

A few more days of working was needed. After the layers of charring and adze scooping came the expanding. Heat and steam now were the powers called on. The sides of U like hollow log were thicker at the bottom then thinner going up. Applying heat to make steam softens the wood. With braces inside the U shape become very wide. This would make more water be pushed out. The now V like shape had far greater stability.

Testing of holding water was done and the exterior inspected. More pine glue at times with fine wood shavings was painted over leak points or forming cracks. Calle figured on having used five pounds of pitch glue from fifteen pounds of pine tar. That would need a little time to cool dry.

Calle put his left hand on the boat while his right hand extended over the river. Tipping his hand a few of his heather petals slipped onto the water.
“See how they stay on top of the water?” said Calle, “That is what you will do. You are bigger mighty version of that. So big you will carry me. Be safe with me. I will depend on you to live just as you depended on me to give you life.”


<Calle 034 made Finnish punt>