An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

From the Blue Mountains to the Iron Hills...

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Iodo
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An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Iodo »

There seems to have been a heat wave in Erebor of late. It's brought some most unnatural weather that can only have been caused by some, as yet unknown, evil sorcerer seeking to weaken our defenses. For us local dwarves are quite un-use-to it. Work to foil the plot is underway, however, in the mean time, we just have to put up with it.

This has given rise to some changes in equipment for the average traveling dwarf and the common use of rare and unusual artifacts such as the sun hat:

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The overall shape of the hat is inspired by Udwin's cattail hat, although I couldn't imagine a dwarf wearing straw. The most likely material for a dwarf to use to make a hat seemed to be wool, although, since that would be to hot, I needed to compromise. The brim is made from wool felt, as if cut from a wool hat, and sewn onto a linen hat body to create a partly wool hat that's still good for hot weather.

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The tunic is made from a medium weight linen and will eventually have sewn patterns similar to the ones on the hat. I'm hoping it will work well as an added layer to my usual kit because the hot weather isn't likely to last for ever.

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I was pleased by how well camouflaged the whole thing seemed to be:

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Little did I know I was about to need it.


A Short Adventure

I hit the woods early in the morning to test my new kit and had a bit more of an eventful time than I expected. I took a usual route through the trees and entered an area that was surrounded by warning signs for forestry work, however everything was silent so I carried on along the track. Until the distant sound of trucks got my attention so I hid in a hollow formed by a fallen tree to wait for whatever it was to drive past. Only I couldn't decide which way it was coming from. The reason for this was quickly apparent, when two forestry trucks came down the track, loaded up with machinery, from opposite directions. They then pulled up facing each other, each side of my position opposite a turning area and turned off there engines, plunging the forest into silence, to discuss the plan for the days work. What to do? There's no rule against being on the land, so I wasn't breaking the law, but I didn't fancy explaining why I was there to them and if I could get away unnoticed it would be a good test of ranger skill.
Slowly and carefully I started to pick my way up the hill side away from them, knowing that if I carried on straight up, even though it was steep, I would come out on another track in not to long. I had one dodgy moment where I stood on a rotted branch that broke with a loud crack and one of the guys looked straight at me, I was about thirty yards away from him, was in the shadow of trees and stayed completely still (remembering Halt's teaching in RA), he looked away, phew.
I just wish I had more photos, here is one of the hollow I hid in that's next to the track however if I'd taken photos in the direction of the track my auto focus light might have given me away:

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After almost half an hour climbing the steep slope:

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I decided to stop for a break and a drink of magic elvish energy cordial :lol: :

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Then I found a trail of heavy set foot prints in the pine needles, only there was something odd about them. There was one trail leading up, and one leading down in the same place, both left by, what looked like, the same shoes. Someone had gone one way and back tracked the way they had come. Only I had no idea which way was which, not being an expert tracker and I wasn't going to go back down so I followed them up. In about ten minutes time I found they ended at a random tree? Knowing there must be a reason I had a good look around, then I found it. There was a pine cone lodged in a hollow in the roots that didn't look quite right, it seemed to be made of plastic:

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When I turned it over I found it was hollow:

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And inside was a piece of paper:

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A Geo-cash clue? Sadly I had no GPS device on me so I couldn't make anything of it and I'm not going to get the chance to go back for a while. Never mind, it was satisfying to find something.

Eventually, with the distractions over, I did reach my goal of the track at the top of the ridge:

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And the rest of the trip went without incident.
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
Straelbora
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Straelbora »

Nice kit, great photos. Looks like a fun day.
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
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Elleth
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Elleth »

What a cool adventure!

I like that tunic design - the little sleeve bits are extra interesting. :)

Also... I continue to be amazed at how fast your'e turning things out. Seems it was just a week or so ago when you were pondering hats, and there it is all done. Speedy fingers!
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
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Iodo
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Iodo »

Thankyou, both of you, for the good comments :P
Elleth wrote:What a cool adventure!

I like that tunic design - the little sleeve bits are extra interesting. :)

Also... I continue to be amazed at how fast your'e turning things out. Seems it was just a week or so ago when you were pondering hats, and there it is all done. Speedy fingers!
It's not as much as it look's. Only the visible stitching is by hand, 90% was by machine and the tunic was already on the drawing board long before I asked about hats :lol:

Glad you like the shoulder trim, that's loosely inspired by some of the stuff in the WETA books and, at first, I wasn't sure if it would work or not.
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Kortoso
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Kortoso »

Excellent adventure!
Stay safe, and have fun!
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Grimolt
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Grimolt »

Your geo-cache clue looks to be a short walk south from the Barns at Alderlee. Looks like a beautiful area to tramp around in!

Looks like you had a great time, I'm very inspired to get out and do a bit of rambling myself. Thank you!

Very respectfully,
Grimolt
Love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart; and remember that the true hope of the Noldor lieth in the West and cometh from the sea.
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Iodo
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Iodo »

Grimolt wrote:Your geo-cache clue looks to be a short walk south from the Barns at Alderlee. Looks like a beautiful area to tramp around in!
Nice, thankyou :P
Maybe I'll go out and look for it when I get the chance
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Iodo
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Iodo »

Iodo wrote: The tunic is made from a medium weight linen and will eventually have sewn patterns similar to the ones on the hat.
It hasn't been washed yet so some of the chalk is still visible, apart from that its finally finished :P

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That's probably the most hand sewing I've ever done on a single project :mrgreen:
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Peter Remling
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Peter Remling »

Very nice
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Iodo
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Re: An Adventure in Dwarven Summer Kit – Pic Heavy

Post by Iodo »

Peter Remling wrote:Very nice
Thank you :P
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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