Kroka Expedition Paddles & Gear

While browsing around I came across some blogs for Kroka Expeditions which run a 5 month semester program taking youth on a 600 mile ski and canoe journey from January to June. Blogs from previous years showcase the homemade gear the students make (paddles, pack baskets, etc). Here is a selection that I found interesting...

Carving a northwoods paddle...

http://krokavermontsemester2012.blogspot.ca/2012/04/update-9.html

Wanigan and Pack Basket Portage...

http://krokavermontsemester2012.blogspot.ca/2012/05/update-13.html

Paddles lashed in for a carry...

http://krokavermontsemester2012.blogspot.ca/2012/05/update-13.html

Poling before ice out...

http://krokavermontsemester2011.blogspot.ca/2011/05/nhvsp-2011-update-13.html

For anyone interested, I just found the blog for the 2013 semester. Looks like the group just departed on their skiing journey. Looking forward to their canoe pics in the spring. Check it out at: http://krokavermontsemester2013.blogspot.ca/

Birch Bark Baskets

During an unusually chilly summer evening up north, I used some of the harvested bark and left over spruce roots from the canoe build to make a few simple baskets, including some pieces of winter bark with crude etching. Both of these are simple foldup designs with a contrasting ring of bark as a skirt aroung the mouth made just like the mini-basket for the canoe but with all spruce root sewing. The bark was soaked in hot water and worked wet so as to minimize splitting. Etching out the winter bark was more challenging that I had thought so I ended up with pretty crude geometric lines on one basket and left the other "au natural". I've got even more respect for artists who can intricately shape patterns in this working medium.


Two different baskets
Anyway, we have some fake maple leaf ornaments at the cottage that were sitting in a utlitarian stainless steel "vase" (actually the cottage unused ice bucket...my parents' notion of artistic accent) so I decided to ditch the cold steel and place the ornaments in a basket on a shelf by the stairs, but eventually moved them to dresser counter in the guest room.


More rustic decoration for the cottage

I've actually since ordered Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art, and Craft of an Ancient Tree from Amazon. Looks to be a fantastic book on the subject including some photo tutorials on making other bark crafts

Mini Pack Basket & Paddle

In keeping with the minature scale of the model canoe, I decided to use some of the left over bark and spruce root to make a miniature birchbark basket. NativeTech has some nice info about Birch Bark containers as well as some sketches. In the end, I ended up with a simple design that contained sewing methods I learned from the lashing of the canoe.

I started off with two pieces of bark, although I only ended up using one (bottom piece in the pic). It was actually a full delaminated outer layer that was paper thin. The panel was soaked for additional pliability and then formed into a basic shape held temporarily with clothespins.


Bark pieces; Forming the shape; Temporary clamping
The top portion would be round while the bottom square with folded up sides. The triangular seams would be sewn with root using a saddle stitch while the upper seams sewn with a stitch identical to the one used for stitching the gores of the canoe.


Stitched up with dark spruce root
To form the rim, a thicker piece of fresh root was coiled into a circle and cut to fit the circumference of the opening. In addition, a thin strip of bark with the white side facing in was prepared to form an additional layer around the top of the basket. Then a coiling stitch was sewn through both bark layers binding the rim into shape.


The rim piece; Clamped into position with outer bark; Coil stitching
The mini Maliseet paddle had been cut out of some scrap poplar stock last time I went to the Carpenter's Square workshop. A few minutes with the spokeshave and the paddle blade was formed, although to even out the grip area, I ended up using the Ferrier's knife I picked up a while back. This was sanded out and using a mini round rasp, I carved out the hollow spots on the grip.


Mini paddle blank; Shaving it down
The paddle makes a great utensil for stirring stews & sauces. I think I might make a bunch more just for fun of it - a good use of the scrap wood. The pack basket is pretty crude by most standards, but I've got a few more pieces of bark to make more when I'm in the mood.


Mini basket & paddle