Carefully drop your glowing ember into the centre of a tinder bundle.
With the landowner's permission, find a suitable, level spot for your rocket stove, clearing it down to bare earth, or laying down a heat mat or other stable, heatproof material if needed.
Remove the knife from its sheath and hold it in your dominant hand in a fist grip, picking up the branch you want to work on in your non dominant hand, taking care with where the blade and tip are pos
Set up your sharpening area on a flat, stable surface with good lighting.
Before starting, research the particular plant or tree you plan to gather, especially from an identification and ecological perspective, using field guides and getting to know the plant alongside a su
Light a fire and let it burn down to create a bed of hot embers.
Remove any knots and cut your wooden stave to your desired length of digging stick, with some designs suggesting around two thirds of your height, and others around six hundred millimetres.
Split the wood centrally down its grain until you reach the knot or fork at one end.
If food will go directly onto the grill, scrape the outer and inner bark off all the green wood it will come into contact with.
Whenever you photograph or sketch a track or sign, include something that shows its size.