Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1532587
That day, Szlendi took us under his wing. Armed with knives and fire starters, we headed into the forest... Along the way, we stopped multiple times to listen to the le- ader's stories about the plants we passed and their uses. I must admit, we were im- pressed by his knowledge. As it turned out, the foundation of our forest survival was birch bark. After finding some fallen tree trunks, we started collecting small pieces of bark, which we would soon use to start a fire with a flint. I quickly frayed my piece of birch with the tip of my knife and, rubbing the flint vigorously, showered the wood with a continuous stream of sparks, igniting my first fire on Swedish soil. After this experience, we continued deeper into the forest. Szlendi divided us into three teams. Our task was to build a shelter: a one- they had been up for a while already, brewing delicious coffee on a camping stove. "You fell asleep so fast," I heard. "And your snoring scared away all the creatures within a kilometer of the parking lot," my friends continued to tease me. After a quick breakfast, consisting of Swe- dish bread and salty caviar paste, we took a boardwalk through the swamps to the meeting spot designated by Szlendi. It was a spacious area with benches arranged in a circle, a neatly prepared firepit, and a striking wooden yurt that would be our home for the next few days. Phew. So I won't have to spend the following nights getting acquainted with the tread pat- tern of Bartek's off-road tires, I thought. After greeting the team and meeting the other trainees, we were briefed on the chal- lenges awaiting us over the next few days. To start, we were given a lesson in land na- vigation. Coach Hubert handed out maps and com- passes, and for two hours, we got acquain- ted with this clever tool, so boldly replaced by GPS. As it turned out, determining azi- muths and reading map scales defeated most of us, and Hubert had to explain eve- rything again. Only after a while did we start to grasp it, and things got better. After the session, we returned for lunch. Lunch. Lunch. A great culinary survival fe- ast. After a full day outdoors, gnocchi in a tomato sauce with wild boar meat tasted exquisite. As it turned out, Hubert also knew how to feed us well. Thanks, chef. The afternoon belonged to Mr. Dariusz. For three hours, he taught us everything related to combat medicine. A fascinating experien- ce. All the knowledge we had acquired so far was multiplied here. Confronting the re- alities of wartime medicine made us realize that war is far from the beautiful and roman- tic adventure young cavalrymen sing about in their songs. After returning, I quickly adjusted my tour- niquet and attached it in an accessible spot on my vest. The evening passed under the banner of "Polish night talks," but following the exam- ple of the Partyzanci Lubelszczyzny training crew, I opted out and chose to sleep before 10 PM. The warmth of a small stove inside the yurt quickly lulled me to sleep. The next morning greeted us with a slight chill, but coffee made with lake water and scrambled eggs with bacon made life beara- ble again. www.fragoutmag.com