Earlier this year I had the opportunity to attend the spring Fiddleback User Weekend with trainings from Justen Cimino, Andy Roy, and Kevin Estella. It was held on May 24th - 26th, 2024 in Toccoa, Georgia. This was my first visit to a Fiddleback User Weekend. Fiddleback Forge is Andy Roy's knife company. Andy is a member of the Georgia Knifemaker's Guild and has taught many talented makers how to make quality knives efficiently through his apprentice program. The weekend was filled with amazing people, fellowship, training, knives, gear, camping, food and tons of laughter.
On the way to the event, I was forced to rely on my previous knowledge of map reading and land navigation. I have learned a great deal on this topic and have forgotten most of it. One of those, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” scenarios. The Google Maps GPS sent me way off the mark of the address provided through the intro email. I ended up a long way down the wrong dirt road when I realized I wasn't in the right place. Just then, I looked up into my rearview mirror and saw a local in an early 00's Ford F150, complete with Superswamper 38’s knobby tires, who was right behind me and could surely tell I was lost, Florida plates and all. I stopped, and he got out of his truck and started slowly walking up to my rolled down window. I was relieved to find out that he was a friendly and he kindly told me how to get back to the main road.
Fortunately, the event organizer sent various printable maps prior to departure so I was able to get my bearings. Once I located Rock Creek Food Store on the map on Rock Creek Road, I was able to orient myself to the correct location. It is a good practice to print maps before you leave. Take screenshots or picturwith your phone and download them from your computer at home. You never know when your GPS may decide to lose connection, or just take you to the wrong place.
I found the right road to the property, switched the ole' Toyota Tacoma into 4 wheel drive and proceeded to slowly bounce and creep my way down the dirt road, onto a luscious green open area of the 60 acre private property.
I saw a group of friendly faces hanging out on the porch of the small home that was built on the property. The first person I saw was Andy Roy. He can often be found throwing his frisbee to his pup, Penny. She is a bundle of joy, all smiles and energy.
First up was the meet and greet. I knew several of the folks already and shook hands and introduced myself to the people I didn't know. There were 12 people attending. We spent about an hour at the house on the property getting acquainted.
I found the right road to the property, switched the ole' Toyota Tacoma into 4 wheel drive and proceeded to slowly bounce and creep my way down the dirt road, onto a luscious green open area of the 60 acre private property.
I saw a group of friendly faces hanging out on the porch of the small home that was built on the property. The first person I saw was Andy Roy. He can often be found throwing his frisbee to his pup, Penny. She is a bundle of joy, all smiles and energy.
First up was the meet and greet. I knew several of the folks already and shook hands and introduced myself to the people I didn't know. There were 12 people attending. We spent about an hour at the house on the property getting acquainted.
Next, we all drove further down the dirt road to the camping area that was under the shade of several species of local trees. Everyone spent some time finding the flattest piece of earth they could to set up camp. We were sure to check that there were no widow makers (dead trees) overhead. Every camper had their own unique style of shelter setups. Each had their own unique positives and negatives. I usually camp in a hammock but this time I chose the memory foam pad in the back of my truck. Easy and comfortable. The rest of the evening was spend sitting around the fire and eating really good food.
Kevin Estella kicked off the training Saturday morning. Kevin has decades of teaching experience and has written countless articles and books. He really knows what he is doing and his teaching style is excellent. You can buy his book on Amazon.
The first topic was knife safety and skills. First, always start with sharp knife. Bring packable tools for sharpening that you have practiced with. It is vitally important to give the receiving end cut of you knife your full attention at all times and alway cut away from you. Kevin demonstrated several methods of cuts most commonly used in the outdoors and woodcraft.
Our first objective was to make a "try stick." To make the my try stick I had to find a green branch that was about the thickness of my thumb and the length of my arm. The goal of the try stick is to to get to know my knife by practicing different techniques to cut notches, holes and shapes. The knife I brought was one that I made. had a flat grind and it worked well. Then, Russell Reece of Cohutta Knife Co., let me borrow one of his knives that had a Scandi grind. Russel is a great friend and mentor of mine in the knife making game. Check out his work, amazing. Russell's knife with the Scandi grind I found to be superior to the flat grind for wood working uses.
Our first objective was to make a "try stick." To make the my try stick I had to find a green branch that was about the thickness of my thumb and the length of my arm. The goal of the try stick is to to get to know my knife by practicing different techniques to cut notches, holes and shapes. The knife I brought was one that I made. had a flat grind and it worked well. Then, Russell Reece of Cohutta Knife Co., let me borrow one of his knives that had a Scandi grind. Russel is a great friend and mentor of mine in the knife making game. Check out his work, amazing. Russell's knife with the Scandi grind I found to be superior to the flat grind for wood working uses.
There are many different grinds out there, and they all have advantages and disadvantages. At this type of event you can try out several different makes and styles of blades and see how they perform next to each other.
Next, Justen and Kevin held a training on how to work with leather. There are endless useful things that you can make once you learn how to stitch. Kevin made a David and Goliath style sling. He was able to demonstrate its abilities by launching tennis balls for Penny to fetch. I made a slip style front pocket sheath for one of my blades. Others made different styles of wallets and pouches.
Following leather, the next class was on shelter building. Knots are key here, I can’t use my words to explain, just know there were a lot of wraps and fraps and take a class.
Next on the agenda was lesson on land navigation. I still consider myself a novice in this field and still have so much to learn. It’s one thing to watch a YouTube video and think you’re squared away, you’re not. It hits different out there in the actual wilderness. Kevin taught us how to read features, elevations, and symbols of topographic maps.
It is extremely important if you go into an unfamiliar wilderness area that you have a backup plan if your GPS and electronics fail. This day and age of technology has made it very easy to plot your course on your phone. I have been guilty of placing all of my faith in technology, only to have lost GPS signal. One time my cell phone battery died overnight, even in airplane mode, because I did not know cold weather drains your batteries life rapidly. Those expensive devices became useless after that. Have a backup plan. Bring a printed map with nearby roads and a compass.
To navigate the distance I travel along a map, I first had to find out my pace count. To find out your pace count, Walk 100 feet ten times. Then divide 100 by the average of your 10 walks. There are 2 steps per pace count. For example - count in your head step "1" (Left foot), "and"(Right foot), "2"(Left foot) "and" (Right foot), "3"(Left foot) "and"(Right Foot), "4"( and ….repeat for 100 feet.
Yes, it is confusing and most likely incorrect. That is why you MUST take a class and practice. I'm sure I’m wrong about the info above so let me know how to correctly do it the comments. lol.
My favorite compass is the Suunto MC 2 that has a mirror and a small magnifier. There are multiple uses for the mirror such as emergency signaling or removing something from your eye. Be careful of any type of metal that may be near your compass, it will throw the magnetism off.
Natural cordage? Haha, My brain was too tired to wrap my head around this skill. Kevin demonstrated how to make natural cordage. A whole weekend could be dedicated to learning this skill.
Fire was the next subject of the training. When it comes to fire, improvise. Never give up, practice, practice, practice. Try new techniques in your backyard in all weather conditions. Experiment with different species of woods in your local area. I have found that the best firewood is dead, dry, and standing off the ground. Even in wet conditions, the interior of limbs that are not on the ground are dry on the inside. A folding saw will make procuring this valuable resource easy. My favorite brands are Bahco Laplanders and Silky Saws.
If you are able to carry the weight, hatchets, axes and large chopping knives will make your life much easier. Practice splitting the wood so you can know how in situations when you need it when time is critical.
Kevin showed how to make a proper firelay and use a ferro rod to ignite the tinder. There are usually materials in your possession that will help accelerate the fire. In this case, Kevin had some antibiotic ointment and even bug spray amplified the sparks and flames.
I love these types of events because I am a gear nerd. There is a gear swap at the end of these events so bring things to barter. Usually folks that attend these outings are just like me, they have to have the latest and greatest outdoor gear so it is cool to check out what everyone is using. Andy Roy had his fresh batch of Fiddleback Forge knives he going to sell at Blade Show. The highly skilled and multi talented Amy Valerous of Warlander Enterprises always have several pieces of her work to check out. Her knives are as clean as they get. Russell Reece of Cohutta Knives is one of the best in the game in my opinion. I own several of his blades, I brought my latest Cretul Limited creations for everyone to check out and receive feedback I even saw a cool old knife by the Legendary Bo Randall.
I had the pleasure to meet Rob, who is one of the founders of Exotac. Exotac manufactures the highest quality fire starting and innovative outdoor gear in industry. His products are made in the USA and I have owned several of his products for years prior to meeting him. Rob is hilarious and a treat to have in your camp.
He also owns a firearm manufacturing company called Lionheart. I was fortunate to fire a few rounds at the range on the property with one of his amazing pistols. I also tried Kevin’s suppressed Glock. That was neat.
There were many more faces and names that attended that I failed to mention but you know who you are. Send me a message and I’ll add you in.
The event was hotter than expected and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. And I left with only 3 bug bites, not bad. There is an event this weekend October 27th and 28th. I unfortunately I can’t make it. Get a hold of me if you’d like to attend and I’ll place you in contact with the right people.
