Creek Stewart uses his survival knowledge, and a few good knifes, to tell a rockling adventure story, with a good romance interwoven throughout.
Valentine’s Day saw the release of survivalist and Whiskey Knives co-collaborator Creek Stewart’s young-adult romance novel, “Rugosa.” What knife enthusiasts will appreciate about this adventure is that by page 4 a machete crafted from a lawn-mower blade has made an appearance, and many others follow.
In the dystopian world of post-globalization America, 17-year-old Omaha Hoyt must leave the farm and woods were he is most at ease and travel to the city to rescue his love. The plan is to stay on back roads and subsist off his trapping and foraging skills. Very quickly plans change and the lifelong Boy Scout is forced to help someone he meets along the way.
Omaha’s pocketknife gets lots of use, and his sister makes a survival girl’s dream barrette that is shaped like a butterfly with cutting edges, a fishing line wrap with hooks for antennae, and is apparently weighted for easy throwing as a weapon. In what one might consider the equivalent of a gun getting reloaded in a movie, in the book there is actually a knife-sharpening scene.
This is not to say that “Rugosa” is knife heavy. It’s first and foremost a survival story about a 17-year-old who uses his scout training to survive physical and emotional challenges. But knives are more than an essential tool in this book. They each have a story behind them. Even the knife used against the protagonist is rich in lore.
“Rugosa” is also equal part love story. An author must possess the emotional intelligence to remember what it was like to be 17 and be able to convey what’s going on in the heart of a young man before that youth necessarily understands his own emotions, never mind knows how to convey them. It’s hard not to come across as a mature adult when writing from the perspective of a teen, but Creek creates a believable character. You can read more about the wilderness survival instructor and knife co-collaborator at “Survivalist Creek’s Life Led Naturally to Whiskey Knives.”
The book’s opening is slightly choppy, but only because editors now demand action begin in the fist paragraph. The beginning describes the farm and woods where Omaha lives with his mother and sister and the secret storage bunker he keeps hidden by “Rugosa.” It’s relaxed reading and idyllic, but once Omaha departs on his mission, the excitement is ramped up and the pace is non-stop. It’s easily read in a day or two.
You can get the paperback edition of “Rugosa” for $14.99 and the Kindle version for $3.99 through Amazon. Young-adult novels are one of the healthiest segments of publishing, probably because they’re fun for adults to read as well.
If you’d like to learn more about how Creek collaborated with Hank Gevedon of Reptile Toolworks to create Whiskey Knives, the bushcrafters that look like they stepped out of a 1700s mountain man’s kit, be sure to pick up the June 2017 edition of BLADE Magazine.
And yes, Creek is working on a follow-up novel to “Rugosa.” It takes place during the same timeframe but is told from the perspective of Omaha’s love interest, London, while she struggles to survive during the hostile takeover of Philadelphia.
Build a bug-out bag for your next adventure
Follow Creek’s instructions for putting together your emergency kit and you’ll have least a fighting chance of surviving.
Larry Wayne “The Hammer” Harley, friend, knifemaker, bladesmith and knifemaking teacher to anyone who showed an interest—especially kids and “wounded warriors”—passed away in his sleep Feb. 12. He was 66.
A lifelong resident of Bristol, Tennessee, Larry made knives under the business name of Lonesome Pine Knives. An American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith, he was the chair of the ABS Youth Program and was involved with the Wounded Warriors Project. He was best known outside the knife industry as one of the stars of the National Geographic television show Lords of War, on which he went simply by the nickname of “The Hammer,” specializing in identifying and judging the worth of assorted knives, swords and other edged weapons.
Though not a tall man, Larry was large with burly arms and a massive chest—which was no doubt needed to contain his huge heart. He conducted bladesmithing symposiums at his shop in Bristol, entertaining youths, veterans and anyone and everyone who wanted to make knives. He also taught at the Batson Bladesmithing Symposium, youth programs at the BLADE Show and Smoky Mountain Knife Works, and just about anyplace he could find that would allow him to teach the craft, and interact with the people involved, that he loved so much. “Larry always felt that the real payment for teaching a youngster of any age was the irrepressible smile that was always on their face when they realized they could do it,” wrote ABS journeyman smith Wes Byrd, who, along with Larry, taught kids how to make knives in the ABS Youth Program.
Larry learned to make knives from his father, the late B.L. “Pap” Harley. “It just so happened that my daddy made knives and that’s how come I’m a knifemaker,” Larry said in the February 2015 BLADE®. “I remember my daddy working on bowie knives on the kitchen table when I was 4 or 5 years old. He also read me books by Raymond Thorp, author of Bowie Knife and Crow Killer, for bedtime stories, and I remember we saw the Alan Ladd movie about Jim Bowie, The Iron Mistress.”
Larry “The Hammer” Harley talks with young knife fans at a past BLADE Show seminar.
Larry’s friends were too many to count. In fact, if you met him he probably counted you as one of his friends and you counted him one of yours. His infectious laugh and twinkling eyes immediately broke the ice. A regular exhibitor at the BLADE Show in the early years, he was known then for his “hog-killing knives” and excursions on which he would take customers to hunt wild hogs in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee and the surrounding area. He was also known as a top competitor in the early years of the ABS cutting competitions, winning at least one championship before the competitions became more organized and eventually evolved into today’s events conducted by BladeSports International, including the BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition, the 15th annual rendition of which will be held at this year’s BLADE Show June 2-4 in Atlanta.
Larry is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Kristine; sons Richard and Nicholas; goddaughters Sarah and Julia Denton; aunts, uncles, cousins both in the Holbrook and Harley family; and many friends.
The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 15, at Oakley-Cook Funeral Home in Bristol. The funeral service will follow at 7 p.m. with the Rev. Steve Playl officiating. The committal and inurnment service will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 16 at Glenwood Cemetery in Bristol.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, POB 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517 woundedwarriorproject.org.
Greg Martin (left) of Michaan’s Auctions watches as host Jamie Colby admires a katana from Robert Marek’s collection on “Strange Inheritance.” The show is scheduled for tonight at 9 EST on the FOX Business Network. (FBN image)
The knife and edged-weapon collection of a man who once drew the FBI’s attention in the infamous Unabomber case will be the focus of the “Hatchet Man” episode of “Strange Inheritance” on the FOX Business Network tonight at 9 p.m. EST.
Robert Marek dedicated his life to making and collecting knives, swords and axes, including bowies, battle axes, broadswords and more. His collection grew to over 5,000 pieces in all—so many, in fact, that the FBI got wind of it when it was hunting for the-then unidentified domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber. Marek’s interests in weapons and his association with the University of California at Berkeley were enough to move the FBI to interview Marek, though the federal agency quickly ruled him out as a suspect.
Marek passed away in 2015 and left his collection, which lined the walls and rafters of Robert’s Berkeley home, to his brother Tom. Neighbor Sara Wolf remembered one night when Robert invited she and her husband to dinner.
“I was in shock because it was these beautiful wood walls, but floor to ceiling axes and knives,” she recalled. “After we got in and the door closed, I kind of felt like we were never coming home.”
It is just such inheritances that are the subjects of “Strange Inheritance,” which is hosted by Jamie Colby. In its third season, the program is the highest rated one on FOX Business.
In tonight’s program, Tom takes Robert’s collection to auction to determine the value of the vast trove of blades, and the collection winds up being worth in the thousands of dollars. For instance, an early Plains tomahawk fetches $250, a rare Civil War hospital knife brings $550 and a Japanese Gunto sword goes for $700.
According to swordsmith Francis Boyd, probably only about 40 or 50 makers in the world could produce the pieces like the ones in Marek’s collection. Greg Martin of Michaan’s Auctions adds Marek must have conducted extensive historical research into the design of the ancient weapons to reproduce them with such stunning accuracy.
Knifemaker Tony Bose, one of the world’s leading crafters of custom slip joints and a long-time knife collaborator with Case, will be the featured attraction of “Handcrafted America” at 9:30 EST tonight on the INSP Network.
Hosted by Jill Wagner, “Handcrafted America” travels the USA to find the very best of what is made domestically, “seeking out extraordinary American artisans dedicated to crafting fine products the traditional way … with their own two hands.”
Tonight’s episode will originate from the Bose “Wilfred Works” knife shop in Shelburn, Indiana, where Tony has made some of the top traditional single and multi-bladed custom folders for many years. Bose, who recently entertained Case fans in the Case booth at the annual Shooting,
Knifemaker Tony Bose, author of this stag Saddlehorn trapper for the annual National Knife Museum knife in 2012, will be the featured attraction of Handcrafted America tonight on the INSP Network. (Kerry Hampton image)
Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, was soft-spoken and humble as usual talking about tonight’s program. He said he thought the show would come out well, though he admitted he was not comfortable having to sit still for a makeup session and wear the makeup for the program’s filming.
It will be just the latest in the acclaim the talented maker has received over the years. He has been collaborating with Case on new factory knife designs and modifying old ones for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. His Case collaboration for 2017 is the Case Bose Tribal Lock, a single-blade lockback folder that comes in a choice of nine different handle materials. A regular exhibitor at the BLADE Show, Bose always sells out of knives at the show. His knives are so popular there, in fact, that his customers have to enter their names in a drawing for the right to buy one.
Survival instructor, author and TV star Creek Stewart cross-carries a Whiskey Knives Corvid.
When Matthew Stewart was 5, his grandfather gave him a nickname that would chart the course of his life. “I was always playing in the creek,” said Creek Stewart, survival instructor, author and star of The Weather Channel’s now-cancelled “Fat Guys In The Woods.” No matter the time or weather, the boy was at the creek—happy. Not much has changed, except the budding outdoorsman of yore has now built an empire on his comfortable, family-friendly style of survival instruction. All things Creek also includes the soundly crafted, old-timey line of Whiskey Knives, which in addition to being ideally designed for bushcraft and easy on the wallet, also offers some scaled-down versions of classic styles that hands of all sizes can control. You can read all about Whiskey Knives and how they are made in an upcoming issue of BLADE magazine. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up so you don’t miss it.
Creek is “everywhere” and there are good reasons for that, not least being that he is genuinely warm and friendly. “I like working with people,” he said. Creek was a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout. The first E in the CRE///K logo is representative of a scratch from an eagle’s talons. He continues to be a devotee of the Boy Scouts of America and a counselor for the Wilderness Survival merit badge. He lives the Be Prepared Boy Scout motto, and opted for Not If But When as his own tagline. Yes, scouts are being taught all kinds of skills, explained Creek, “but they’re also building character and learning life lessons.” He listed perseverance, teamwork, manners, camaraderie—all things the Boy Scouts instilled in him.
At Butler University in Indianapolis, Creek first perused a pharmacy major, but the misdirection, the urban setting and a campus crow that thought it was an alarm clock brought him to an awakening. You can read about his adventures trying to snare the bird on his website at The Crow, but in summary, the crow reawakened Creek’s inner woodsman. He decided he wanted to teach wilderness survival skills and set about making it happen.
He settled on a business major, a plan that would serve him well. During his sophomore year, he wrote and illustrated a wilderness survival field manual that collected his knowledge at the time. He had the book printed and spiral-bound, and offered free classes at Boy Scout troops to peddle it. He sold books, but he longed for a way to bring his customers to him rather than traveling to them. He asked his parents if he could teach a class in the woods on the family farm. Although still unnerved by his switch in major, they agreed. He sent out press releases and 15 people showed up. He’s been teaching ever since, part-time for many years but never quitting on his dream.
Creek’s business schooling helped him hone his marketing strategy. His many brands include, in addition to Whiskey Knives, Willow Haven Outdoor Survival School where he teaches one-day and weekend getaway survival courses on his 20-acre property, complete with lodge, in Anderson, Indiana. He also is lead instructor for the Escape The Woods challenge, which takes place at various locales around the country. The Not If But When Survival Store, which his parents now run, offers a collection of widely available survival items. And, Apocabox is a bimonthly subscription; six times a year members receive a box of survival tools and gear, hand-picked by Creek. It also includes a challenge that you can practice in the calm and comfort of a non-crisis. For instance, the December box included instructions on making snowshoes from your Christmas tree.
Creek’s overview of Whiskey Knives includes a revelation: his first knife.
Creek also saw that writing was going to be essential to reaching the right people—namely men and women of all ages and abilities. (While other survival instructors might emphasize immersing you in a survival scenario while you’re still learning, Creek feels that people absorb more and retain it longer, if they’re warm, dry and fed.)
His best-selling book is “Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag,” but he offers one on putting together a bug-out vehicle, two on survival skills and an intriguing one on the survival skills used in “The Hunger Games.” But Creek has also written two fiction books. “Stuck” is a short story about a Boy Scout dropout who through a series of bad decisions finds himself in a crisis situation—quicksand!—that he can only survive by using what he learned in scouting. “Rugosa” is a young-adult romance, due out this month. The novel has been in the works for six years. “I’m really sticking my neck out on this one.” Creek is anxious to see if his fans “get” it. “I’m a survivalist, but I’m also a person,” Creek said. (Check back for an upcoming review.)
Some people learn about Creek via completely different avenues. They may read some of his guest posts on The Art of Manliness blog and other websites. “I’ve known Brett (McKay, founder of AoM) a long time. I’m so proud to be a part of that,” Creek said. The Art of Manliness celebrates men stepping boldly into their roles as men, husbands and fathers, and includes articles on everything from health and style to relationships and how to survive in the wild. Creek has also been a guest on television shows such as TODAY, Inside Edition and Fox & Friends. He’s been featured in magazines like Men’s Fitness, Backpacker and Outdoor Life. And he was the star of The Weather Channel’s hit show, “Fat Guys in the Woods.”
When IBM purchased the digital portion of The Weather Channel in 2015, many programs were slashed, and “Fat Guys in the Woods” was just one of them. The show provided Creek with the ideal outlet for his wildlife survival instructing and was an inspiration to viewers who wanted to spend more time in the outdoors or jumpstart a healthier lifestyle. Three sedentary buddies would spend a week with Creek, learning survival basics. The last 24 hours would be spent alone, each man building his own shelter and fire. Creek would award one of them with a knife-sheath set. One would stand out as needing encouragement, or being there for the right reasons or excelling in a certain skill. “He gave it everything he got—a job well done,” as Creek put it.
That kit was an Ontario Knife Company’s Black Bird SK-5 wilderness survival knife with a sheath designed by Paul Scheiter of Hedgehog Leatherworks. It was the sheath that had Creek thinking about how to fine-tune the products he offered going forward. “I love my parents, and every day I get to spend with them (at Not If But When) is a blessing,” Creek said. He’s also happy to provide a place where people can find all the products he recommends in one place. But what he really likes is working with small American businesses that reflect simple, well-made, traditional craftsmanship. “I like things that have a story.”
That quest for mom-and-pop entrepreneurship and throwback workmanship with a story behind it, is what led to one of Creeks proudest collaborations: Whiskey Knives made by Reptile Toolworks in Kentucky. To read more about this partnership and exactly how Whiskey Knives are constructed, be sure to subscribe to subscribe to BLADE magazine.
BLADE Magazine is all about the blade: what it’s made out of, how its made, to what specifications and even who makes it. Be sure to keep your issues coming as the months tick down to BLADE Show, June 2-4 in Atlanta, Georgia. At $21.98 you’ll save 70 percent off the newsstand rate. Other options include digital, Canadian print and International print subscriptions.
Chuck Ward is the new Official BLADE Show Photographer. (Chuck Ward image)
Long-time knife photographer Chuck Ward is the new Official BLADE Show Photographer, the BLADE Show and BLADE® Magazine are happy to report.
The BLADE Show is the world’s largest and most important knife show and will be held in its 36th annual rendition June 2-4 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.
Chuck replaces Eric Eggly and PointSeven, who had been the Official BLADE Show Photographer for about 20 years. Eggly retired from photography late last year to enter another industry.
The new Official BLADE Show Photographer counts being president of the Arkansas Knifemakers Association and membership in The Knifemakers’ Guild among his credentials. He is also the official photographer for the Oklahoma Custom Knife Show and the Arkansas Knifemakers Association Show—officially known as The Art of Steel Custom Knife Show slated for Feb. 18-19 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. He has been photographing knives for over a decade and has been published in many magazines, including BLADE.
As the Official BLADE Show Photographer it will be Chuck’s job to photograph all of the annual BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® winners, all of the winners in the annual BLADE Show custom knife competition, and all of the American Bladesmith Society’s annual best knives named at the show. All told those images will total 32, give or take a few. The resulting images will be the exclusive property of BLADE and will be used in the magazine’s stories recapping the annual BLADE Show.
The Official BLADE Show Photographer will be ably assisted by his staff. His grandson, Brennan Ward, will help Chuck with the photography, editing and printing of images. Brennan’s wife, Mrs. Anna-Catherine Ward, will handle all clerical duties and Chuck’s grandson, Grayson Ward, will assist in returning knives after they have been photographed. Brennan and Anna-Catherine are graduates of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Brennan is director of marketing at Elite Core Audio, and Grayson is custom shop director at ECA.
The Blondie Man’s Blades, the latest in filework, the hottest knives of the hottest custom makers and much more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!
ABS master smith Wally Hayes was an up-and-coming maker when he first met Chris Stein at a late 1990s New York Custom Knife Show. The co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie featuring lead singer Debbie Harry, Stein has collected knives for decades and added another one to his collection when he bought Hayes’s first double-edged wakizashi at the show. Get the story on Stein and his knife collection in “Blades of the Blondie Man.”
The Blondie Man’s Blades are in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!
Filework is one of those understated yet elegant bits of embellished finery that many of today’s leading makers incorporate onto the spines of their knives. Daniel Jackson picked the brains of some of the top practitioners of the art in his story, “Cutting The Tool That Cuts”—which includes the Panama Trapper cover knife by Luke Swenson.
Staying abreast of the hottest knives of the hottest custom knifemakers is something the leading custom knife purveyors must do on a continuing basis if they want to keep bringing home the blade bacon. BLADE polled seven of the industry’s top purveyors to see which knives of which makers apply in “Top Of The Food Chain.”
Tactical knives have enjoyed varying degrees of popularity since the mid-’90s, but they never really go away for long before getting hot again. One of the reasons for their popularity is that they seem to constantly evolve to meet market needs. Get the lowdown on what is, isn’t and what’s to come in the genre in “Is It Tactical?”
The latest installment in our “Knives That Changed Knife History” is on the Buck 110. When the iconic folding hunter first appeared in 1964, lockback folding knives had pretty much faded into the background. The Buck 110 was big and strong and worn on a belt. It was much more a hardcore using knife than a pocketknife and it changed knives forever. Learn about the groundbreaking cutter in “The Buck That Went Bang.”
There’s much more in the latest BLADE. Get it on newsstands now!
