By Sean Fagan

It wasn't all bad on my recent trip to the Kerry mountains. Sitting before my campfire at the base of a mountain cliff provided much-needed warmth and a sense of calm to an otherwise strained day. Note the fantastic, spark-trails in above photo (Photo: Sean Fagan).

5 Things to do When Plans go Bad in the Great Outdoors

Recently I went solo winter-camping up the mountains of County Kerry, Southwest Ireland.

Things started off badly – a very mild viral infection flared up.

To make matters worse – the ambient temperature tumbled downwards and it started to rain - a lot!

8 rain showers in 24 hours.

That night I slept fitfully in a dry cave in the mountains.

The next morning I changed my plans for the better and my camping trip improved.

Learn 5 tips to consider when outdoor plans go down the tubes...

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By Sean Fagan

The Hag's Glen, southwest Ireland. Even in the cold depths of winter this valley resonates with a timeless charm (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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I've complied a short photographic journal of some of my favourite wild places of southwest Ireland.

It's my sincere hope you'll visit these places.

That you will soak in the history, the wildlife and the landscapes of these mostly uninhabited, wild places.

I know I'll revisit these places for as long as I can...

Photos here...

By Sean Fagan

Sitting before a simple campfire can be a great way to imaginatively connect to the first Hunters & Gatherers - to a people that regarded campfires as central to their very existence (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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I would like to wish everybody a happy WINTER SOLSTICE…

I love this day – not only is it a pivotal turning point in the year when the days start to slowly lengthen - but it’s also culturally important - especially in the distant past.

In Ireland - the winter solstice was of great significance to the first farmers – the Neolithic People, and was undoubtedly used (among other uses) as a dependable calendar of sorts to mark the slow transition from the lean months of winter towards the abundance of spring.

The solstice was probably of great importance to the people that preceded the Neolithic people – the Mesolithic people...

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By Sean Fagan

A still evening by the shores of Lough Lein, southwest Ireland. In the distance - Innisfallen Island - were the Annals of Innisfallen was written and illustrated, creating one of the most important Christian manuscripts ever created (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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That's one of the great things about being outdoors a lot - it can open up some interesting avenues of thought and exploration.

One can stumble upon an ancient ruin.

Or look upon a map and match some old places-names to a landscape - adding a rich layer of intrigue to an outdoor walk.

I've compiled a brief photo-journal of two of my favourite outdoor subjects...prehistoric archaeology and old places names.

All I need to find these in a landscape is a good topographical map.  A map, that's all  - and I'm transported into the past...

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By Sean Fagan

Hornbeam leaves emerging in spring (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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"...and there were sunsets where trees stood hushed and patient" ~ John Muir

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Lets face it - it's hard to do bushcraft and many other outdoor activities without becoming, at the very least, besotted with trees.

Trees are fundamental to many ecosystems - they provide shelter and food to a myriad of life forms, they are even silent partners to many mushroom species.

On a practical level - trees are one of the most important resources for bushcrafters - fuel, carving wood, weapons, traps, food, shelter material, cordage, even medicine...

The list is long and wondrous.

Bushcraft is many things - but at its root is the study of nature - wild nature.

It's also about enjoying and appreciating nature.

I've put together some of my musings about trees - because if you are around trees long enough, sooner or later, you'll consider them as friends.

I know I do.

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By Sean Fagan

Great winter-camping country - are you up for the challenge? (Photo: Sean Fagan - Hag's Glen, Southwest Ireland).

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7 REASONS TO GO CAMPING IN WINTER

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(As winter is coming, I've redone this 2015 article with improved photography & text...hope you enjoy it).

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If I received a euro for every time someone told me that winter is a "wet & miserable", "dull", "dismal" or even a "hopeless" time of the year to be outdoors...I'd be a lot better off financially!

What's kind of ironic, is that years ago I often had the same bleak attitude towards winter - until I actually started regularly camping in winter.

Was I wrong! Yes, winter is obviously a colder, wetter & darker season (especially among the more northerly and southerly latitudes of the globe) but there is still tremendous merit in exposing yourself and your bushcraft skills to winter.

Learn some of the lessons I've picked up over the years from camping & bushcrafting in winter.

There really is no season like it...

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By Sean Fagan

On camping trips I often use small tripods for conveniently suspending gear such as, in photo, a hatchet, a spoon, cups, and two water bottles (Photo: Sean Fagan - County Wicklow, Ireland, 2015).

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CAMP TRIPODS (mini-post)

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Damp socks & boots, cups, knives, axes & saws, water bottles, hats, gloves, spoons, bowls, bags of food, first-aid kit, sit-mats, compass, torch...

You name it, I've hung them on my CAMP-TRIPODS.

Camp tripods are smaller versions of cooking tripods. They make for a great addition to a basic camp - easy and quick to make and very handy for elevating gear off the ground (all I need to make a tripod is 3 sturdy stakes, some string and a cutting tool, such as a knife).

By Sean Fagan

Red fox track on Glenbeigh dune system, southwest Ireland (photo: Sean Fagan).

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Common Track Features of Wolves, Dogs, Foxes...

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I've made a departure from my usual text-dominant articles and ventured into a more photograph-journal format.

It was fun creating an article centred around photographs instead of text. Still, each photograph is accompanied by some descriptive text.

The focus of this photo-journal is common track features of the canidae family of mammals.

Canids are the dog-like mammals which include the wolf, coyote, fox, dingo and domestic dog.

All canids have certain common track features - by becoming familiar with these features - it's possible to significantly boost your recognition of canid tracks in the field and just as importantly - eliminate other tracks that are somewhat similar to canid tracks (such as the feline tracks of cats).

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