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On an outdoor dirt track lined with pine trees under a breezy morning sky, a curious student wearing a blue backpack steps on crunching stones. Small birds flit above the path.
We reached the dirt track to our Alternative Provision. The Norwich wind smelled like pine. Our boots crunched softly on stones. I felt excited and a little nervous. Birds chattered like tiny tour guides.
Outside a tall wooden gate beside dense hedges on a bright morning, The Bushcraft Man smiles while carefully turning a key in the lock. A curious student wearing a blue backpack stands just outside the entrance.
A tall gate waited ahead. We stopped beside the hedges, listening. The adult called, "Bushcraft Man?" Friendly footsteps approached the gate. He smiled and unlocked it carefully.
Inside the woodland entrance at noon, The Bushcraft Man with short brown hair and a green jacket stands on leaf-strewn ground, one hand on the freshly closed gate. He smiles while greeting a curious student wearing a blue backpack.
The Bushcraft Man had short brown hair. His green jacket rustled in breezes. Sturdy boots stepped lightly on leaves. "Welcome," he said, "follow me, please." The gate clicked shut behind us.
In an open grassy clearing bordered by tall trees under late-morning sun, The Bushcraft Man leans slightly toward a curious student wearing a blue backpack, finger to lips. Dappled light dances across the grass around them.
We passed an open grass space. Trees lined the edges like guardians. Sunlight painted dappled patterns everywhere. "Listen for birds," he whispered. My worries floated away like clouds.
On a leaf-littered slope beneath afternoon shade, The Bushcraft Man extends a steadying hand to a curious student wearing a blue backpack who carefully steps heel-to-toe among exposed roots. Tall woods loom at the base of the incline.
A gentle slope curved toward the woods. "Small steps," he said, "watch roots." We followed heel to toe, steady. Leaves slid; his hand steadied me. We reached the Bushcraft area safely.
In the woodland camp clearing under bright afternoon light, The Bushcraft Man points toward a tidy fire pit encircled by log seats while a curious student wearing a blue backpack watches. Axe-area marker posts and tarp shelters dot the background.
He pointed to a neat fire pit. Logs circled it like friendly seats. "That's the axe area," he said. "We only look today, very safely." "Here’s the fire store and shelters."
Beside a bright orange safety line sprayed across the forest floor in midday sun, The Bushcraft Man gestures calmly while a curious student wearing a blue backpack listens. Tall oaks cast shifting shadows across the boundary.
"First, rules," the Bushcraft Man said. "We walk, not run, near tools." "Ask before touching anything," he added. We nodded, feeling trusted and careful. A bright safety line marked boundaries.
At the unlit fire pit on a sunny afternoon, The Bushcraft Man crouches beside arranged tinder, kindling, and a water bucket. A curious student wearing a blue backpack sits at a measured distance on a log seat, watching.
At the fire pit, he crouched. "Fires warm and cook," he explained. He showed tinder, kindling, and water. "We won’t light one today." We practiced safe sitting distances.
Inside a lean-to shelter in gentle afternoon rain, The Bushcraft Man flashes a thumbs-up. A curious student wearing a blue backpack tightens an overhand knot on a hanging rope beneath the green tarp roof.
We peeked into a lean-to shelter. Rain pattered softly on the roof. "Strong knots keep tarps secure," he said. I tried a simple overhand knot. "Nice job," he cheered, thumbs-up flashing.
At the roped-off axe area under a cloudy sky, The Bushcraft Man gestures toward a chopping stump inside the boundary. A curious student wearing a blue backpack stands just outside the marker posts, watching respectfully.
We stood by the axe area markers. A stump waited inside the boundary. "Only trained hands chop wood," he said. "Everyone else watches from here." Safety made the space feel welcoming.
Beside the open wooden fire store beneath swaying branches in late afternoon, The Bushcraft Man lifts a small log. He shows a curious student wearing a blue backpack the neatly stacked wood shelves as a gentle forest breeze passes.
He opened the tidy fire store. Stacked wood smelled like clean forests. "We take only what we need." "We thank the woods," he smiled. Wind hummed softly through the leaves.
Along the returning forest path under soft evening light, The Bushcraft Man walks beside a curious student wearing a blue backpack. The student’s mud-caked boots leave fresh prints toward the distant gate.
We walked back toward the gate, smiling. My shoes were muddy, heart bright. "You explored safely and bravely," he said. We thanked him and promised to return. The day felt like a new friendship.