By Křišťan Věstonice, Underforester
Hrothric and Felipa, Lord and Lady of Fenwald March, hosted a Forester’s “Midwinter Gathering on the Borderlands” (Fenwald March is located on the borderlands between the Kingdoms of Aethelmearc and Atlantia) on 25 January 2025.
Organized by Finn Lachlannach Ui’Domnaill, the objective of the gathering was to build our expertise toward advancement in Forester’s ranks through skills, food, and fellowship. The entire day was spent outdoors in the snow and bracing chill; however, participants were dressed warmly in period attire, and were very comfortable in their natural surroundings.
The gathering began with an obvious necessity: a warm, practical campfire. Finn and Lady Ludovica di Corda, armed with flint, steel strikers, and ample char cloth, set to work on their primitive fire-starting practice. Despite the snow and chill (and a gusty, fickle breeze) both Finn and Ludovica were quick studies: both succeeded in rapidly striking a spark, coaxing a tinder bundle to life, and setting kindling to feed two rapidly growing campfires.
Once the fires could accept larger slabs of split wood, the fire-making lesson pivoted to campfire management. Both Finn and Ludovica’s fires were consolidated into one larger fire, and fed to a warm, roaring blaze. An hour of careful stewardship of this campfire produced a compact bed of coals to provide steady heat for cooking.
For a campfire lunch, Křišťan Věstonice prepared and baked Dutch Oven three-cheese tortellini (with chicken) in alfredo and pesto sauces, paired with a crisp Riesling white wine. Finn – experimenting with a brand-new Dutch oven – managed his coal placement effectively, and baked perfectly light and fluffy homestyle biscuits to accompany the tortellini.
Eoghan of Ferns – the group’s entertainer – amused the group with storytelling and added to the immersive experience by playing soft melodies on his camp dulcimer. Eoghan was deputized by Will of Liddesdale, Warden of the North (who could not attend) to administer the Forester’s Oath to Finn, and we welcomed Finn into guild membership.
After lunch, forestry skills for the day continued, focusing on ropes, cord, and knotwork. Křišťan taught the participants three separate skills: 1) laying a back splice and eye splice in a three-strand rope, 2) whipping the ends of a rope with waxed thread, and 3) tying a decorative, yet functional jute fob that can be cut and fluffed for fire-starting.
The attentive foresters learned and assimilated these skills quickly, and Křišťan provided materials to the group for continued practice and mastery at home.
The group enjoyed an afternoon saunter in the winter sunshine to inspect the forests and glades of Fenwald March. On the saunter, the group spent time reinforcing a most practical forestry skill: winter tree identification using tree bark. The report upon return was that the borderlands remain secure, the forests are pristine, and the streams flow clear and clean.
With the approach of evening, the group relaxed in high spirits by the warm, cheerful fire. Aficionados enjoyed pipes and cigars while Eoghan’s soft dulcimer tunes were borne upon the night air. A friendly barn cat joined the group and graced everyone with purring feline affection.
As has become the tradition of the Foresters at Fenwald March gatherings, cordial gift-giving added to the warmth of fellowship. Finn presented rustic period scarf cowls to members of the group; Křišťan gifted spicy garlic/pepper jerky from his latest batch; and Eoghan and Křišťan – each impressed with Ludovica’s very first successful try at flint and steel – presented her with: a deerskin tinder bag and a charring tin with charred cloth, respectively.
Forester skills of fire and woodcraft. Snowy woodland saunter. Delectable food and drink. Soothing, soulful music. Warm campfire fellowship on a chilly winter evening. All contributed to a perfectly “period immersive” outdoor forestry gathering.
Mark your calendars! Lord Hrothric and Lady Felipa of Fenwald March invite foresters and interested gentles from the Kingdoms of Atlantia and Aethelmearc to a “May Day Foraged Feast” on Saturday, 10 May. Check the group Facebook pages for more information.