It was all in a day’s work at an unusual kind of summer school, one free of algebra problems and reading-comprehension drills.

In an age when Facebook and video games have conspired to keep adolescents tethered to a sofa, and the book “Last Child in the Woods” laments the loss of contact with nature, Paul Smith’s College, a small private college in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains, is providing an outlet for young people who crave a different experience. Its new summer program — a two-week, college-credit course called the Adirondack Woodsmen’s School — is dedicated to traditional lumberjack skills and sports, like carving a dugout canoe, building a fire without matches and throwing an ax.

Indeed, there was nothing virtual about the heady scent of pine, the buzz of chainsaws or the flying wood chips last week as the first session began. And the two dozen young men who showed up, mostly high school seniors and college freshmen, had the blisters and sweaty brows to prove it.

“They’re a very anachronistic group,” said Brett McLeod, an assistant professor of forestry and natural resources at Paul Smith’s who directs the summer program. “They should have been born in the 1800s. They really like working with, and learning with, their hands.”

They came from rural and suburban towns in Northeastern states , many with an established interest in the outdoors, and some drawn, paradoxically, by lumberjack competitions they had seen on television.

“There’s some fulfillment for the couch outdoorsman who is watching a lot of this stuff on TV on the weekend,” Mr. McLeod said. “But there’s a higher level of appreciation that can be earned through getting out here and sleeping under the stars and getting bit by a few mosquitoes, as opposed to watching it from afar.”

A century ago, lumberjacks were a dominant feature of the Adirondack landscape, setting up temporary camps and working in harsh, dangerous conditions to get timber down the mountains and onto the rivers for transport. Starting in the 1920s, the term “lumberjack” gave way to “logger,” as men traded in hand tools for mechanized equipment. Today, the politically correct job title is “timber harvest professional.”

But the romance of the job persists. The lightning-fast skill set of the lumberjack — and the lumberjill, as the women are known — has evolved into a popular national competition, with events like speed climbing, chopping and birling (logrolling) held at the collegiate and professional levels.

Colleges like Paul Smith’s, which has an extensive forestry program, cheer on their co-ed woodsmen’s teams the way other campuses support their football squads.

Rosey Santerre, a senior here and an instructor for the woodsmen’s summer program, was one of several students at Paul Smith’s who dominated the Stihl Timbersports Northeast Collegiate Challenge this spring, capturing the women’s title.

Ms. Santerre and another Paul Smith’s student, Tyler Rothe, who won the prestigious Ironjack competition at the same event, were fine-tuning the chopping technique of Ben St. Amand, an 18-year-old from New Boston, N.H., who will attend the college this fall.

He was alternating his swings among four different 45-degree cuts that he had made in the wood block.

“Nice job, Ben,” Ms. Santerre said. “Show me your top hits. Avoid windmilling it.”

Mr. Rothe added, “Pretend there’s a wall behind you and you can’t touch that wall.”

The outdoors has beckoned Mr. St. Amand since he was a child. The summer school here provided him with the structure to pursue the kinds of activities (hurling axes, making fires) that would at best make most parents nervous, and would turn some into furious scolds.

“I really love the ax throwing,” he said. “Everybody can hold it and swing it, but throwing it — and hitting the target — is awesome. The third time I threw the ax I got a bull’s-eye.”

The experience does not come cheaply: tuition is $1,095 per week. Indeed, Mr. McLeod conceived of the summer school a couple of years ago but was stymied by the expense.

By the end of the two-week session, students will have used $10,000 worth of hand tools and $5,000 worth of power tools. While much of the equipment is already owned by the college, the beating the tools take will require costly repairs. “You can only sharpen axes six times before they’re completely done,” Mr. McLeod said. “Those axes are $400 to $500 apiece.”

So he enlisted corporate aid. Carhartt donated work clothes, while the tool manufacturer Stihl lent power equipment, underwrote the salaries of three instructors and helped in recruiting, distributing 1,500 brochures at the collegiate competitions it sponsors around the country. Paul Smith’s also sent mailings to incoming freshmen who had indicated an interest in trying out for the woodsmen’s team.

The college ended up turning away some interested students because it wanted an intimate atmosphere, Mr. McLeod said. But next year, he said, the college could add additional sessions if there is sufficient demand. And it may try to reach beyond a core audience of young men who are already well versed in hand tools to young men and women who are more comfortable with a remote control.

Still, logrolling and other lumberjack sports are tougher than they look on a TV screen. Bill Barnik of Binghamton, N.Y., who signed up with his 17-year-old son, Dan, for the woodsmen’s program, learned that the hard way after giving the two-man saw a go. “I thought they were going to have to pull out the defibrillator, I was so winded,” he said.

Some instructors made a point of sharing their own battle scars from when they were novice lumberjacks.

“It’s important because I’ve chopped about 9,000 logs, so 9,000 logs later, yeah, I can chop it really fast,” said Mr. McLeod, a Paul Smith’s alumnus who, while growing up in rural Connecticut, got his first ax at age 5 and his first chain saw at 7. “But when I was starting out it was very discouraging.”

Mr. McLeod told a frustrated student about his initial attempt at the standing-block chop, which simulates felling a tree. “My first time was not pretty at all,” he said. “I ruined my coach’s personal ax, and it looked like a beaver had chewed the log when I was done.”

41 years ago today man first walked on the moon. What a feat based on the technology of the day. Article on Wired here.

Hey if you have a tough Job Carhartt wants to hear about it. Just go here and tell them about your tough job. Have a picture ready to of you in your Carhartt gear. Maybe your job will show up online!

Brian

Ok so now I am happy. Just finished listening to the Apple press conference on the iPhone 4 antenna problem and Apple made good by me. They offered to take the phones back with no-restocking fee and give everyone a free case to fix the reception problem.

Myself, now that Apple has more or less admitted there may be a small issue and offered to make it right, I don’t want the free case. I would gladly pay for it. All along I just think they needed to acknowledge there is or may be an issue. Thank you Apple. I feel better now.

Brian

Carhartt has a great contest going on and you could win one of 89 pair of 1889 jeans given away every week or $1889 dollars! Simply go to Carhartt’s Facebook page here for details. While your at it join our Facebook Fan Page here. Nothong beats Carhartt and this is a really neat contest with lots of prizes. Like them now on Facebook!

Brian

Well it’s pretty much confirmed that the iPhone 4.1 software upgrade did nothing to fix the signal drop issue. I installed it and I can still repeatedly get the signal to drop from 4 bars to 1 just by covering the antenna gap. Set it down on the table and it comes back to 4 bars. I’ll just wait to see what Apple says at their press conference tomorrow and if they say there is no issue then I will conclude I must have a bad phone and I’ll return it to the ATT store for a replacement.

Brian

Antenna Problems on iPhone 4

Hey I love my iPhone 4. I had the 3g and I loved that but I really love my iPhone 4. What I don’t love is the response Apple has given on this antenna issue which I can recreate with ease on my iPhone 4.

Now I could actually live with the antenna problem and have adapted the way I hold the phone so for me I love the phone enough to live with it. If it was a lesser phone I may have returned it. I am just baffled as to why Steve Jobs would utter those words when asked about the problem…”Non Issue…don’t hold the phone that way”. I’m not 1/1000 as sharp as Mr. Jobs and you would have never heard those words come out of my mouth  if facing the same circumstances. …For me the response would have been, “We are looking into these concerns our customers have brought to our attention. Rest assured if a problem is found we will address it. To all our loyal Apple customers bear with us for a bit while we investigate this concern. Thank you.” Now you’ve bought some time and can work on solving the problem and not having to deal with a PR nightmare like they have to do now. Seems like a couple days after consumer reports released their findings saying the problem does exist and they therefore couldn’t recommend the iPhone that Apple sprung into action. Too late. Should have beat consumer reports to the punch and acknowledged the problem before they did.

Again I am not bashing the iPhone 4 and I wouldn’t give it back…well unless Steve Jobs still calls us all  morons tomorrow. I can deal with the antenna issue. I just would love to know why Apple would disregard this evidence so blatantly and more or less say shut up you whiners, just hold the phone a different way.  I have had many dropped calls with it in low signal areas. By holding the phone and not covering the lower left corner I can eliminate this issue and I can reproduce this on demand so there is an issue. Most comments I have read from iPhone 4 owners mirror what I have said. I can deal with the problem Apple, just don’t call me a liar when thousands tell you there is an obvious issue. At any rate I’ll be waiting for the press release tomorrow. If they do anything other than apologize maybe I will take it back and get a Droid.

Brian Needels
7-15-2010

From the I never knew this file of my mind comes this little snippet of education. I always loved the Filson travel kit (also available in Tan) as it reminded me of the one my Father always touted around but never knew they were also called a Dopp kit until I stumbled across this great article. Read it here and also after the jump if the link is broke. Pretty interesting I thought.

Have Dopp, will travel

BY CHRISTOPHER PARKER   July 13, 2010 12:07

Once upon a time long, long ago, when travel by air spared us the indignity of cramming tiny shampoo bottles into plastic bags under the malevolent glare of former high-school bullies, adolescent boys were given the gift of a Dopp kit as they transitioned into adulthood.

A Dopp kit is a toiletry bag for men, invented by Charles Doppelt in 1919 (although some claim it was actually his nephew Jerome who did the inventing) and later issued to American GIs in WWII. Much like everything else in men’s military style, these were a hit with civilians when soldiers returned stateside, leading to the company being purchased by Samsonite in the 1970s.

Although mostly replaced these days by nylon bags — replete with mirrors, pockets and other unnecessary doohickeys — that are basically the fanny packs of luggage, a classic Dopp kit in leather or waxed cotton is something that every guy should still have as part of their travel gear. Filson makes a great kit in the same material as their field bags, but don’t discount eBay as a source for a vintage one, which aren’t too hard to find in decent shape.

So, while there’s little one can do about the current state of air travel, a small and relatively inexpensive luggage upgrade can at least make things feel a bit more civil.

End note: once you have your Dopp kit, its time to fill it with some decent products. Jack Black, available at Holt Renfrew, makes some great travel size items just for men. Fear not — the company has nothing to do with the actor.

I always find it interesting when I see the impact of American Culture in foreign countries. I’ve seen a few articles popping up about the spread of American Heritage clothing in other countries. I knew Japan for example always liked USA Boots from Red Wing and Chippewa but it appears to be spreading to other countries with  other brands as well. Read this article here and also after the jump in case the link is broke.

Now that there’s a Red Wing concept store in Berlin, you can buy Filson in Paris, and scarves from Brooklyn’s Hill-Side have made it to Amsterdam and Trieste, it’s clear that the fetishization of American “heritage” style is no longer just for American men. And few shops in Europe are more faithfully dedicated to heirloom denim and classic work wear than the new Stockholm shop Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold. The name alone, taken from a Townes Van Zandt classic, is like Carhartts incarnate. The shop, in Södermalm, the city’s answer to Brooklyn and the only party of town that could be called gritty, is outfitted almost entirely in unfinished knotty pine boards; they line the walls and form blocky benches and tables for merchandise that includes Mr. Freedom work shirts, Quoddy moccasins, Pendleton blankets and Wesco motorcycle boots. And true to the cult of craftsmanship, the narrative behind every company the store does business with is highlighted on its Web site. The expertly focused selection of brands includes plenty of international origin — canvas satchels from Brady Bags of England, founded in 1877; Grunden rain gear (Sweden, 1926); jeans by The Real McCoy’s (Japan, 1990) — but the effect is nonetheless a mashup of styles that feels unmistakably American. Easy rider meets California gold miner meets New England stevedore, all crammed into your dad’s tool shed, circa 1976.

Just found another positive news item about Carhartt. They closed this plant in July 2009 in Galesburg, Il but they donated the building instead of selling it and it looks like it may bring some new jobs. I posted the article in full after the jump and you can also read about it here and a not so positive spin on it here. Here is an excerpt from one article.

Carhartt is a Michigan-based manufacturer of “premium workwear” that closed its distribution center in Galesburg last August. However, instead of selling the building and abandoning Galesburg altogether, Carhartt’s majority owners (Mark and Gretchen Garth) donated the building to their family foundation, HumanLinks, and have been turning it into the Sustainable Business Center.

GALESBURG, Illinois – A plant closure usually marks the end of a company in the community. But in Galesburg, there’s an exception this time. It’s going from making work clothes to embracing green technology.

The sun is shining on Carhartt again. Dark times disappearing nearly a year after the plant closed for good.

“Everybody was expecting it,” said Cindy Teel, who spent 31 years with the company. “Except when they finally closed us, we didn’t expect it.”

Shock for Teel and the other remaining employees. When the work clothing manufacturer shut down in Galesburg in July 2009, she was the last one out the door.

“We had worked here most of our lives,” she recalled. “It’s a part of your identity, and your identity is gone.”

But now, the identity is back.

Carhartt’s ownership team didn’t give up on Galesburg. It selected the plant to become a Sustainable Business Center. Using green technology, it hopes to eventually replace some 200 jobs that were lost here.

“It’s full circle,” said owner Gretchen Garth. “There’s no such thing as waste. It’s just how you impact the environment and earn income at the same time.”

There’s a vision to turn bare shelves into a thriving business incubator. Plenty of space and opportunities for small businesses to make green products for energy or food.

For starters, the center plans to build a large kitchen, open a cafeteria, and sell organic meals.

“They have a lot of really neat ideas,” said Kyle Cecil, University of Illinois Extension. “It’s just that they need some help getting from the idea to the product. This is going to be a one-stop shop for them.”

After going back to Carl Sandburg College to study business, Teel is reinventing herself. She’s back in the plant where she started in 1977. And the Galesburg business community is discovering new opportunities one business at a time.

“I’m sure it will have a whole different look,” she said.

As facility manager, it will be a totally different job with plenty of potential.

“I’m very excited,” she concluded. “I look forward to learning more about this.”

Learning more about green business in Galesburg.

For more information on the Sustainable Business Center, call (309) 343-1191. It’s located at 2900 West Main Street in Galesburg.