Survival

Classroom Construction Started

2008-06-14T11:20:00.003-04:00

The slab was poured a couple weeks ago by Littlefield Concrete. Nick Spadaro and Mark Merena helped me insulate the outside of slab this week, and Freeman Excavating covered it with sand and put gravel on the driveway side. The lumber was delivered yesterday, so we are now ready to start framing which will commence July 8.

Tracking Evaluation

2007-12-31T12:06:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the CyberTracker Tracker Evaluation hosted by White Pine Programs and run by Mark Elbroch. To give a little background, this evaluation was developed by Louis Liebenburg (author of The Art of Tracking) in Africa after !Nqate Xqamxebe, a San Bushman, asked him to help them find jobs. Mr. Liebenburg designed the evaluation so that individual trackers could be rated in proficiency. This would allow hiring organizations such as game management departments, game preserves and safari outfitters to determine who was most qualified for available jobs. Mark Elbroch (author of Mammal Tracks & Sign) went over to Africa, was evaluated by Mr. Liebenburg, recieved a Senior Tracker rating, and two years ago brought the evaluation back to North America as "a means for competent trackers to prove credibility and gain employment in the application of tracking skills." There are two evaluation modules: track & sign interpretation and trailing. Only the track & sign evaluation has been held on the East coast. The standards are high, and the goal of CyberTracker Conservation is to keep it that way as the evaluation spreads around the world.

On the Saturday morning of the two day evaluation, Mike Douglas, Director of MPSS, and I arrived at the rendezvous location to be told that we would not be tracking in the Keene, New Hampshire area as planned but would be driving south to the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. We have had an almost perfect snow tracking month this past December, but ironically it rained the night prior to the evaluation. As this was to be the first snow tracking evaluation, I was concerned as to how Mark would be able to run it in such washed out conditions, and that was the reason we headed south as northern Massachusetts had received less rain. Where we met Mark was under a bridge over Route 2 on the way to the Quabbin. There is sand under the bridges in this area making them perfect track traps and therefore perfect evaluation sites. We had three stations there with a total of about 15 questions. The afternoon was spent in a swampy area at the Quabbin being tested on tracks in wet snow. Most of the tracks were a few days old, and I realized that I had been purposefully training on fresh tracks, so the older tracks gave me trouble. After each set of stations, Mark went over the answers usually starting by asking someone to explain who they thought made the track and why. The information that Mark shared during that time was worth the evaluation fee. I feel like I jumped a level in my tracking skill just from those debriefings. At the end of the day everyone drove to a restaurant where we ate and talked. How great is it to be able to hang with folks who love tracking. Sunday, usually a sign tracking day, was similar to Saturday. We went to a riparian area in western New Hampshire where we again spent the day mostly on tracks in the snow. The highlight of the day was when someone kicked a bobcat out of a day bed, and I got the best view because I just happened to be up on the railroad bed.

The way the evaluation is run is fairly simple: Mark sets up stations with assistants who ask the questions and record the answers. When you get to a station there are a number of tracks circled. The circled areas are sacred, and you are not allowed to touch anything within them. The major question asked is "what species made this track?", but many times there is an associated question such as "what is the gait?" or "what foot made this track?" Sounds easy. Well, it's not. There are a lot of factors that come into play and most prominent is how your mind works. Mark said during the orientation to pay attention to your thought process, and it turned out for me that this was the real benefit of going through the evaluation. Tracking is, foremost, about awareness and logical thinking, intuition comes later. I'll give you some examples. The first station we went to there was a set of tracks in an overstep walk. It looked immediately like a skunk pattern to me. I was extremely nervous and did not even get down closely to look at the prints. They ended up being domestic cat tracks. I had noticed that there were no claw marks and that the overstep walk was a little too overstepped, but my internal state did not allow me to take the time I needed to analyze the situation. At the end of the weekend I did the same thing, not because I was nervous, but because I was tired and my mind became lazy because of it. Intuition can become a major tool in tracking, but it must be confirmed by facts. On the other extreme, at one station my logical mind failed to confirm my intuition, and my first impression was correct. I walked up to a set of tracks and immediately felt them to be Grey Fox; however, looking closer, the tracks were completely round and not oval, so I said they were Bobcat. It turns out that Grey Fox tracks round out when they melt. More than one point of corroboration had been necessary. I started to realize at the end of the evaluation that it would be helpful if I had a checklist for my mind to run through so that when I was nervous or tired I would be forced to gather the information necessary for at least an educated guess. Using chapter 2 (Tracks and Trails) in Mark's book, I put together the following track analysis.

Track Analysis
Print
1. Shape: is it oval, round, or rectangular; symmetrical or asymmetrical?
2. Size: measure track length & width taking into account substrate & weathering
3. Toes: how many?
4. Pads: are there metacarpal (palm) and/or heel pads? Note size, shape, & proportion in overall track
5. Negative Space: is it X, C, or H shaped?
6. Claws: are there claws or not?
7. Fur: is fur visible or not?
8. Carpal Pads or Dew Claws: do these show themselves in the print?
-----------------------------
Best guess as to species

Pattern
1. Gait (what is the gait? walk, trot, lope, gallop, hop, or bound)
2. Stride Length (needed to differentiate between some animals)
3. Group Length (if broken gait)
4. Trail Width (must correlate to gait)
-------------------------------------
Best guess as to species

Compare best guesses. If they don't match, go back through the track analysis and justify your answers to all of the questions until they do. If you have ever done double entry book keeping, that would be a good metaphor for this. I'm going to print this on a card, laminate it, and carry it with me. After using this analysis for a while, it will become routine for the mind to run through the checklist, and the card won't be needed anymore.

On Sunday Mark explained the grading system to Mike and me. Questions are divided into three categories: easy, medium, and hard. For correct answers, easy questions receive one point, medium two, and hard three. If the questions are answered incorrectly, three points are deducted for easy questions, two for medium, and one for hard. There are bonus questions, and I have no idea how they are factored in. An overall score of 70% receives Level 1 ranking, 80% Level 2, 90% Level 3, and 100% gets Specialist. Louis Liebenburg designed this grading system so that it becomes exponentially harder to go up levels. The frustrating thing about this system is that you have no idea how you are doing during the testing. The evaluation ended at 3pm on Sunday, and we went to a co-op in Brattleboro, Vermont where we ate while Mark ran the numbers. Finally we went into the common room, and Mark gave us the results. At the last minute, I mentally tried to prepare myself to not even get Level 1 because I realized how crestfallen I would be. Too much attachment, too much ego. I ended up with a Level 2 and was extremely pleased, or should I say relieved.

You might be wondering why I wrote about a tracking evaluation when this blog is about survival. Well, to get protein you have to hunt or trap and to hunt or trap you need to be able to track. This tracking evaluation has given me the motivation to go out tracking for the past three months, so maybe someone else out there might be motivated by it as I have been.

Survival Knives

2007-06-02T19:50:00.001-04:00

Let me say right off that there are a lot of great knives out there, and we couldn't live in a better time in history for knife selection. The quality of workmanship for custom and production knives is unbelievable, so you can go hog wild collecting lots of super cutting tools. With that said, how many knives do you need? You can only use one at a time. Yes, it is nice to have redundancy in the survival world, so you should definately have a couple of good ones. However, it would be much more economical not to have to purchase twenty knives before figuring out what makes a good knife and what you like. I will throw in my two bits on good survival knives so that you can make an informed decision on what to purchase.

A field knife has to be tough and that means you want to avoid certain features which would compromise a knife under duress. Here are some you want to avoid: hollow handles, heavy knives, pointy tips, partial or bolt tangs, folding knives, hollow ground blades, leather or wood handles, serrated edges. With a hollow handled knife the cylinder has to be welded onto the blade which is extremely weak. A heavy knife is tiresome and will pull your pants down. With a clip point or other narrow profile blade you will break off the tip. Partial or bolt tangs will break the handle. A folding knife will either fail on you, or you will loose it. The edge on a hollow ground blade is weak. Leather handles become slippery in the rain and are made with bolt tangs. All wood handles, no matter how hard the tree species, are susceptible to breakage. Serrated edges cannot be sharpened in the field and are difficult to sharpen at home.

What you do want is a full tang knife made of high carbon steel with a 4-6" flat or convex grind drop or spear point blade with a synthetic handle. A full tang is when the knife blade extends the full length and width of the handle and is by far the strongest design. High carbon steel is stronger than stainless steel because it does not contain chrome which weakens the steel. Of course there are some amazingly strong modern stainless steels out there, so the general rule breaks down. However, high carbon is easier to sharpen in the field. The drawback is that it rusts if not kept dry and oiled. A 4-6" blade is the best all around length if you are only carrying one knife. Flat or convex grinds have stronger edges. I prefer a drop or spear point blade because of its tip strength. I like a canvas Micarta handle because it is virtually indestructable though there are many high quality synthetics out there. The only thing I've left out is a good sheath- leather, ballistic nylon, or Kydex are my choices.

Above are pictures of three knives which are my top picks in three different price ranges. Starting from the bottom in the $10-20 range is the Frosts Masters Series 780 with Triflex laminated blade. The price is right, it is almost unbreakable, and if you loose it you won't cry. I tested this knife in the field by chopping through a 8" maple log using a wooden billet (read another log) and bashing it as hard as I could. I was as careless and unreasonable as I could responsibly be. Only two things damaged the knife- throwing it and prying with it- both no nos by the way. Throwing it chipped off a piece of the handle and prying with it broke the tip. The sheath stinks, so replace it with a homemade leather sheath.

In the next price range my choice is the Cold Steel Master Hunter. This knife retails for $129.99, but you can get find it for $60. It has a nice blade shape with a full width flat grind. The tang is full, but the rubber handle wraps around it so it is invisible. I like the grip with the rubber. Sheath is Kydex. Cold Steel prides themselves on the toughness of their cutlery.

In the most expensive but best bushcraft catagory is the Bark River Aurora. If you look you can find it for around $150 online though it retails for around $200. This is my favorite knife. It comes with a nice leather sheath which needs to be dampened to have it form fitted to the knife. Don't leave the knife in the dampened sheath too long as I did because the knife will rust. Once dry put some beeswax waterproofing like Snow Seal on it. A nice feature on the sheath is a loop for a fire steel.

About purchasing knives, I suggest supporting your local knife shop where you can develop a friendship with an expert and swap info, but if you want the cheapest price you have to go online. First Google the knife you want. Usually a listing of knives with prices will come up then check ebay where you will probably find the best price.

Emergency Shelter

2007-04-08T16:58:00.000-04:00

Al Cornell, a friend from Arizona, recently showed me this one person survival shelter which he developed for his SAR (search and rescue) team. It is designed to keep a person from getting hypothermia in an emergency situation. It is not designed for someone to get a good night sleep in since you have to sit up in it. He uses it when he finds a lost person and they have to wait for morning, a helicopter, or a rescue team to get out.

The shelter is basically a three sided lean-to made using a blaze orange SPACE Brand All Weather Blanket (not the thin silver disposable kind), 50' of parachute cord, and 8 aluminum tent pegs. The first thing Al does is modify the blanket with plastic grommets (less likely to tear the blanket than brass gromments) spaced about a foot apart all the way around. To set it up first you want to find two trees at least 5 feet apart and perpendicular to the prevailing wind (you want the wind blowing towards the back of the shelter.) String the parachute cord between two trees at about waist height (this height translates to about the top of a person's head when sitting.) A trucker's hitch is preferable to tie the p-cord to the second tree as you can really cinch it up tight. Divide the long side of the blanket into thirds and tie the middle third to the taught parachute cord (make sure the orange side of the blanket is out and the silver side in.) You should keep ties attached to the grommets in the middle third of the blanket. The sides are folded down and to the inside of the shelter where they weighted down with rocks or sticks. Stake the corners to the ground using p-cord extensions. Stake the back edge and bury the edges with dirt or snow to keep the wind from getting underneath.

Al includes with the shelter a heavy duty black plastic garbage bag which he fills with leaves or debris for the person to sit on and a square piece of tin foil so that you can start a fire on wet ground. He also carries a lighter and some form of water proof quick tinder (piece of rubber inner tube or Vasoline coated cotton balls) in the bag in which he keeps the shelter components. This shelter is basically a reflector oven and is designed for use with a small fire. The silver interior reflects the heat of the fire to the sides and back of the person. The fire and blaze orange exterior of the blanket act as signalling devices. It is a very well thought out design. Thanks Al for coming up with this and sharing it with me. I hope other people will put these together and keep them in their survival packs. Remember, it is crucial to try out any survival gear before you put it in your pack. Thanks to Nick Spadaro for the pictures.

Survival Nutrition II

2007-01-04T11:01:00.001-05:00

I recently finished reading a book Arthur Haines recommended called Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine by Ronald Schmid, N.D. It confirmed much of what I already knew, and also filled in many blanks. He talks alot about Weston Price, a dentist born in 1893 who noticed that many children of his adult patients had problems that their parents did not experience. "Besides having more decay, in many children the teeth did not fit properly into the dental arch and were, as a result, crowded and crooked." This quote is on on the first page of Chapter 1, and he already had my interest as I was born with too many teeth that were crooked and crowded. He continues, "Price suspected that changes in nutrition were responsible. He noticed that the condition of the teeth reflected overall health. Considering possible reasons, a revolutionary idea occurred to him: perhaps some deficiency in modern diets caused the problems. Anthropologists had long observed and written of the excellent teeth found in primitive cultures. While others in his profession continued looking for causative factors in dental decay, Price decided to search among primitive people for a nutritional factor protecting them." Now he's got me hooked- once again more possible answers to modern problems through the past. "His discoveries may genuinely surprise you. He found entire cultures with neither tooth decay nor children with misshapen dental arches and crowded teeth. He interviewed an American Medical doctor living among Eskimos and northern Indians who reported that in thirty-five years of observation, he had never seen a single case of cancer among the natives subsisting on their traditional foods. When natives eating the white mans's foods developed tuberculosis, this doctor eventually took to sending them back to their native villages and native foods; they then usually recovered. In every culture where the people were immune to dental and degenerative disease, biochemical analysis showed the diet to be rich in nutrients poorly supplied in modern diets."

Are you starting to question the foods that the FDA, the food and medical industries, and the government are telling you are good to eat? "Price visited and studied cultures where people following tradional ways and diets lived near kinsman who were eating the foods of modern civilization. Throughout the world in the 1930s, groups in the early stages of modernization were using foods imported from western countries- sugar, white flour, canned foods, and vegetable oils. These people often lived close to fellow villagers and people of the same ancestry living in nearby villages who still ate entirely according to native ways." What he found was that the dental problems with his patients at home correlated with the native societies who had been exposed to modern foods. People who were eating traditional foods had no cavities and straight teeth, and not just that but there was no incidence of tuberculosis, diabetes, cancer, or arthritis. How can this not be eye opening. He goes on in Chapter 2, "he noted changes in behavior that accompanied the adoption by a culture of refined foods. In native cultures, strength of character and relative freedom from some of the moral problems of modern cultures were typical. Studies of populations of prisons, reformatories, and homes for the retarded revealed that a large majority (often approaching 100 percent) had marked abnormalities of the dental arch, often with accompanying changes in the shape of the skull. This was not coincidence; thinking is a biological process, and abnormal changes in the shape of the skull from one generation to the next can contribute to changes in brain funcitons and thus in behavior." Wow. Could ethical behavior be related to nutrition? Can depression, fatigue, and other medical/psychological conditions? Wow.

Schmid goes on to explain that the culprits of nutrition are not who we think they are. Meat feed on grass has fatty acids that are good for you. Commercially raised meats fed on grain has fatty acids that are bad for you. Wild, low on the food chain fish is great for you. Milk products are healthy if they are not pasturized. Grains are called into question. Remember that grains were developed by mankind. Hybridization of plants and domestication of animals is what delineates the move from hunter/gatherer to farmer. Remember, our bodies have not evolved beyond our hunter/gatherer ancestry. He basically outlines paleo trio I talk about below- meat, green vegetables, and starch. So, here is the quote from Chapter 8 which is why I started this post in the first place: "An example of a balanced regime would be one-third animal-source food (fish and shellfish, meat, organs, eggs, raw milk and cheese); one-third raw greens and sprouts; and one-third whole grains, other vegetables, and fruits. Grain and cooked vegetable consumption increases in winter as raw-vegetable consumption decreases. In late spring, summer, and early fall fruit might be used in quanity; consumption of grains may at such times decrease and even approach zero. Raw-vegetable consumption too goes up in summer, when animal-source foods are usually eaten less."

Survival Nutrition

2006-09-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

People practicing survival usually overlook the nutrition aspect of eating in the wild. Unfortunately, most people also don't pay attention to their everyday diet. I've suffered from fatigue for 12 years, and the upside of this is that it has forced me to focus on how my body reacts to food. My blood type is 0, the hunter-gatherer blood type, which genetically is the oldest and the most common. Blood types must be taken into consideration because people with A, B or AB may not experience the same results.* What I have found is that my body likes green vegetables and red meat in equal quantities at a meal combined with an equal or lesser amount of starch.

Wild greens are fairly easy to come by in season as long as you are not stuck in a forest, desert, or during winter. If you study the common edible plants and practice harvesting and cooking them you will be in pretty good shape for your part of the country. When first learning wild edibles it is important to first study the plants that will kill you, then learn the common edible plants, and after that work on what you can eat in winter. If you are still driven to learn more then work on the more obscure edibles, and then move on to the next closest bio-region and start all over. What you will get out of green vegetables is mainly roughage, vitamins, and minerals. Don't plan on sustaining your energy level with wild greens, especially if you are exerting yourself as you will be when building a shelter.

Meat must be hunted or trapped and these skills have to be practiced ahead of time. The learning curve is too great and you are not going to just pick up these skills on the fly. Meat will be your protein source which will give you energy and build and maintain muscle mass. In the winter meat is an important source of fat which keeps the body warm. I have heard that native tribes would eat red meat in the winter and switch to a vegetable/fish diet in the summer. Be aware that people in the far North have starved to death eating just rabbits to survive. Rabbits or hares have no fat and fat is needed to utilize protein.

Starch is the problem child of the wilderness diet. Starches are hard to find in the wild, so one must make a point of finding a source such as cattail or groundnut. In the southwest Agave is roasted in a pit for 4 days before it is edible- that is how rare and valuable a starch source can be. Personally, I love starches; yet I find that if I eat too much I am logy, and if I eat too little I crave it and have no energy. When we eat starches it takes a lot of energy to digest, so if we overeat them our bodies goes into torpor. The benefit of starch is that it is a long term energy fuel which can keep us going a longer time between meals. I have a theory that people genetically crave starches because in the wild they are scarce, and it is a message to our brain to make sure we get enough. The problem in modern society is that they are too available; combine this with refined sugar, which in my experience is highly addictive, and you get a fat population. However, in the wild starch craving is in context. Starch sources are roots, tubers, seeds and nuts, so finding starch in the winter may be problematic. The inner bark of many trees have a high starch content and this may be your only starch source available in winter.

My experience with wild greens, meat, and starch generally needing to be balanced means that I have to pay particular attention when gathering and cooking meals in the wild. Some people with blood types other than O have the ability to eat a more vegetarian diet. The problem for vegetarians is that eventhough you may not need much protein you must have some and it is almost impossible to find a vegetable protein source in the wild. To think your are going to survive long term in the woods without hunting, fishing, or trapping is a mistake. Homo Sapiens have eaten meat for tens of thousands of years, and vegetarianism (as well as obeisity) only appeared 10,000 years ago with the A blood type and the advent of agriculture.

*see Eat Right 4 your Type by Dr Peter J. D'Adamo.

Update: I recently received an email about this post (thanks Hue) which calls into question Dr. D'Adamo's research (or lack there of) on the earliest blood type and what people with certain blood types should eat. On a quick Google search, I certainly found many critics. It seems that Dr. D'Adamo's theory and research are questionable and more studies need to be done. It is an intriguing concept however. Blood types aside, I have recently started to suspect that if you ate a paleo diet, you would feel better. This stems from a gut (forgive the pun) feeling that we have removed ourselves from the way of life for which our bodies were designed. Practically, what it comes down to is paying attention to what foods make you feel good and what foods make you feel not so good. Remember- food is medicine.

Bow Drill Woods

2006-08-31T20:38:00.000-04:00

Notes on Successs w/Bow Drill Woods:

Agave (stalk) - Very Easy (probably not in wet conditions)
Ailanthus – Easy
American Basswood – Very Easy
American Beech – Difficult
American Elm – Difficult
Apple – Very Difficult, unsuccessful so far
Atlantic White Cedar – Very Easy
Balsam Fir – Easy, bonus: sap is only found in bark
Black Ash – Difficult
Black Birch - Moderately Difficult
Black Cherry – Very Difficult
Black Walnut – Moderately Difficult/ Very Difficult, white sapwood works/unsuccessful with dark heartwood
Box Elder – Moderately Easy
Common Juniper – Easy
Eastern Cottonwood – Easy
Eastern Cottonwood Root – Very Easy
Eastern Hemlock – Moderately Difficult, need to select as sap free wood as possible
Eastern Hop Hornbeam – Difficult
Eastern Red Cedar – Moderately Easy
Evening Primrose on Basswood – Easy
Grey Birch – Moderately Easy, always wet, must be dried
Mullein on Cedar – Easy
Northern White Cedar – Very Easy
Pitch Pine – Moderately Difficult, try to find as sap free wood as possible
Quaking Aspen – Moderately Difficult, hard to find dry wood
Red Maple – Difficult
Red Oak – Difficult
Red Pine – Moderately Easy
Saguaro Cactus – Very Easy, easy to find dead standing cactus, use ribs
Sassafras – Difficult
Speckled Alder – Easy, virtually impossible to find dead dry wood
Spruce (species?) – Moderately Difficult
Staghorn Sumac – Moderately Easy
Striped Maple – Moderately Difficult
Tamarack – Moderately Easy
White Ash – Difficult
White Pine – Moderately Easy, must use wood without sap, does not work well after rain
White Pine Root – Very Difficult, don't even waste your time
Willow (species?) – Easy
Yellow Birch – Moderately Easy
Yellow Poplar – Moderately Easy

When using hardwoods downward pressure on the spindle must be lessened and speed increased. Softwoods (mainly conifers) absorb moisture faster than hardwoods, so may not be the woods of choice after several days of rain; however, if you have a knife outer wood can be carved away to reach dry interior.

Survival Group Dynamics

2006-08-29T15:22:00.000-04:00

Something usually not considered in survival training is how the people involved affects the situation. Sure, you have to take care of the Order of Survival, but how you go about it with the people you have is important. So, attitude is not just about the individual, but also about the group. Group attitude will either save you or kill you. Ever been on a trip or in a class where one person ruined the entire experience? The bad apple syndrome in a survival situation needs to be taken care of immediately. Egos kill. Bad attitudes kill. Poor decision makers kill.

If you are training, only bring people with you who you know will get along. Of course, survival training is stressful, and stress creates friction, so the people you thought you knew may have a side you are unfamiliar with. The upside of stress is that, if you can work through it, a bond will be formed that will be unbreakable. The problem is working through it. It will be an even greater problem in a real survival situation when you have people who are not invested in each other. The question then becomes do you try to get them to all pull together or save yourself. This depends on the group and the situation. A great example of a problem situation is displayed on every episode of the TV show Survivor. The situation is set up to be competitive. Real survival situations can not be competitive if you plan on living through them. The problem will be if the people involved see it that way, and Survivor is not helping the perception.

Most likely you will want to try to help everyone come out alive. If you have survival skills, you will have to take charge. Profile the group as quickly as their roles reveal themselves. Use individuals' strengths and have others cover their weaknesses. If the group is filled with egos, bad attitudes, and/or poor decision makers, you will have to decide on whether to set out on your own, or shift the dynamic. Shifting the dynamic may necessitate having a meeting, reprimanding an individual(s), separating the group, or even in the harshest situation banishing someone. This is not pretty, easy, or politically correct, but the bullshit must stop here. Do you want to survive? Do what has to be done to save as many people as possible.

The good of the group comes before the good of an individual, but if the group refuses to pull together, take with you whoever (if any) you think has the will to work together to survive and leave. Just as with frost bite or gangrene you may have to amputate a limb to save the body. Don't be like the frog put in cool water heated to boiling- jump out instead. A sinking ship is a sinking ship, and if you realize you cannot stop it get in the life boat.

Forgive me the gloom and doom, but I am a realist. In today's society (the collective Me generations) people may not have the ability to subordinate their wants (not needs) for the overall health of the group. What you can do is be willing to put other's before yourself. Lead by example. Your shining light will give them hope when their hope is lost. Also, expect something of them. Make them responsible for themselves and others. Purpose beyond self is the key to life. Give them that gift. For people to have hope they have to look outside themselves. To look outside themselves they have to be invested in the lives of others.

We are one family. If only we would realize it, we would be one world.

Rock Bashing 101

2006-08-04T15:13:00.000-04:00

In a survival situation, most likely, you will not find appropriate material to flintknap. So what do you do if you don't have a metal knife? For cutting and scraping tools, smash some rocks into smaller pieces with sharp edges. Abrading will take the place of many of the tasks for which you are used to using a steel knife. For example, if you need to make a bow drill set, find a suitable sized spindle and point the ends on a coarse boulder then find a suitable fire board, split it (with a piece of wood, stone or bone) or abrade the sides flat. To mate the spindle and fireboard first use a pointed rock shard with a downward twisting motion then burn it in. To cut the notch, find a boulder or large rock with a thin edge and abrade by holding the fireboard in both hands, rubbing it back and forth on the stone. Fire also replaces many steel knife tasks such as carving bowls and spoons. You can even use fire to section logs into more usable lengths.

Flintknapping is a long term living skill which takes months of practice to become competent. You will have to travel to a specific site to obtain material. If you have knappable material, just by smashing it into pieces you will obtain shards which can be used as a surgically sharp cutting tools. Realize however, even expertly knapped stone knives cannot be used like a steel knife. They can be used to cut, pierce, skin, and saw vegitable matter and animal flesh, but will break or immediately dull on anything harder.

You will truly appreciate a steel knife only when it is taken away. Stone tools were tremendous technological advancements, but they have tremendous physical limitations. Think of all the knapped artifacts you have ever seen: spear points, arrowheads, scrapers,and burins. Were there any drawknives or carving tools? The only tools that were used on wood were pecked and ground axes and adzes because they were made of really hard stone and polished to protect from breakage. So, don't expect your really cool flintknapped knife to replace your steel knife- I made that mistake for you.

Update: 3/13/07 I was shown an excellent technique for quickly getting a cutting edge by Al Cornell. Find a nice flat rock about 4-6" in diameter. It does not have to be a knappable stone, but it must be hard, however, like Basalt or Quartzite. Also find a large stone with an approximate 90 degree angle- the edge does not have to be sharp. This second stone will be your anvil, so place it infront of both your legs. Hold the first stone with the thumb and fore fingers of both hands, and swing it downwards onto the edge of the anvil. Make sure you just hit the edge of the stone you are holding as well as close to the edge of the anvil so you can follow your swing through your legs. If done right a decent sized flake will be removed, and you will end up with a good cutting tool and a chopper. Thanks Al!

Survival Kits

2006-08-04T11:10:00.000-04:00

I have compiled a number of survival kits for various situations. You must decide which kits are appropriate for you and your family. The items within each kit are suggested and must be modified for your personal tastes, needs, life style, and budget. When putting together a survival kit be conscious of differentiating between needs and wants. Some items in a survival kit need to be changed after 1-2 years such as batteries, handwarmers, water disinfection tablets, food stuffs, etc.

Micro Survival Kit - this kit is hung around neck and worn at all times
4-6" Ful Tang Sheath Knife- worn on belt
Mini Compass
Mini LED Light - white
Small Pealess Whistle
Mini Magnesium Fire Starter
32" Parachute Cord - for use as bow drill cord and to carry items above

Mini Survival Kit - kept in small 6x8" pouch worn on belt
4-6" Ful Tang Sheath Knife- worn on belt
Compass
Small Flashlight or Headlamp- AA batteries to be kept separate in film canister
Pealess Whistle
Disposable Butane Lighter
Magnesium Fire Starter
20' Parachute Cord
Straw Type Emergency Water Filter or Iodine Tablets
Wet Tinder (or cotton balls coated with vasoline)
Fishing Line, Sinkers, Bobbers,and Hooks
Disposable Emergency Blanket
2 Disposable Handwarmers
Disposable Emergency Poncho
Gallon and 2 Quart Sized Ziplock Freezer Bags
Signal Mirror
8" Folding Saw w/Japanese Style Cutting Teeth
2 Energy Bars or Jerky
Red Bandana
Small Med Kit (bandaids, alchohol swabs, neosporin)
Large Contractor Garbage Bag
Diamond Rod Knife Sharpener

Small Survival Kit - kept in Small Drybag which is kept in Daypack
4-6" Ful Tang Sheath Knife- worn on belt
Compass
Small Flashlight or Headlamp- AA batteries to be kept separate in film canister
Pealess Whistle
Disposable Butane Lighter
Magnesium Fire Starter
50' Parachute Cord
Water Filter or Iodine Tablets
Wet Tinder (or cotton balls coated with vasoline)
Fishing Line, Sinkers, Bobbers,and Hooks
Orange Space Blanket for Emergency 3-Sided Shelter (add extra gromets)
2 Disposable Handwarmers
Poncho
2 Gallon and 2 Quart Sized Ziplock Freezer Bags
Signal Mirror
8" Folding Saw w/Japanese Style Cutting Teeth
Box of Energy Bars or Jerky
Red Bandana
Med Kit
2 Large Contractor Garbage Bag
2 Nalgene Water Bottle wrapped with Duct Tape
Stainless Steel Cup
Stainless Steel Bowl, Billy Can, or Mess Kit
Spork
Wool Cap
Thin Gloves
Thick wool shirt or jacket
Extra Pair Wool Socks
Bug Net

Large Survival Kit - kept in Medium Drybag within Full Sized Backpack
Everything (except Daypack and Small Drybag) in Small Personal Survival Kit plus
Sleeping Bag - 0 degree
Sleeping Pad
Small Tent or Bivy Sack
Water Filter (.2 micron)
Extra Nalgene Bottle or a Hydration Bladder
MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) or Dried Food - enough for 7 days
Camp Stove
Cooking Pot
Spoon & Fork or Spork
Sun Screen
Bug Repellent
Thin Set of Polyproplene or Silk Long Underwear
Hat - w/bill or brim for sun and rain
Small Axe, Hatchet, or Large Sheath Knife (6" blade or longer)
Foldable Entrenching Tool
Toilet Paper
Large Plastic Garbage Bag
Toiletries
Change of Clothes

Emergency Home Evacuation Kit - must be modified for number of people
Large Plastic Tote - everything is stored in this
Everything in Small & Large Personal Survival Kits plus
MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat), Dried, or Canned Food - enough for at least a month per person
5 gallon Containers of Potable Water
Large Tent - large enough for your family
Cook Set & Utensils
Full Size Axe
1000' Spool of Parachute Cord
Roll of Duct Tape
Lighters
Tarps
Salt
Sharpening stones
Extra Sheath Knives (at least one per person)
Scissors
Nail clippers
Large Medical Kit
Gill Net
Solar Shower
Blankets
Box of Gallon Sized Plastic Freezer Bags
Magnifying Glass
Tweezers
Sewing Kit/Speedy Stitcher
Extra Clothes
Winter Clothes
Survival Rifle, Ammo, & Cleaning Kit
Gerry Cans - filled with gasoline for vehicle
Zip Ties
Box of Large Plastic Garbage bags
Water Purification Tablets & Water Filter
1/2" Nylon Rope - 50 feet
Waterproof Boots - for each person
Extra Rolls of Toilet Paper

Vehicle Emergency Kit - to be stored in vehicle
Small Backpack
Space Blanket
1 Gallon Water (more for desert climes)
Toilet Paper
Rain Gear
Tow Strap
Jumper Cables
Road Flares
Self-generating LED Flashlight
High Power Flood Light w/12v cigarette lighter plug-in
Bungee Cords
Jack
MREs, Dried, or Canned Food - enough for 2-3 days
Med Kit
Jacket
Wool Cap
Winter or Work Gloves
Windshield Scraper
Extra Oil, Antifreeze, Brake and Windshield Fluid
Multi-tool
Lighter or Magnesium Fire Starter
Compass
Road Atlas
Gazetter - for your state
Sheath Knive
Spare Tire - fully inflated w/good tread
Entrenching Tool or Small Shovel
Extra Gas - carry only when necessary
Flood Light - plugs into cigarette lighter
Fire Extinguisher
Come-along
Small Tool Kit
Tire Repair Kit
Duct Tape

Survival 101

2006-08-04T10:38:00.001-04:00

This post is about learning how to survive. Just reading it will help you deal with being lost. Practicing it will give you the confidence to stay alive. Becoming competent will set you free.

Note: If you practice survival skills, you and only you must accept the responsibility for your actions and the situations which result. This is part of being an independent and mature person. If you are under 18 or not mature, please practice these skills under the supervision of your parent or guardian. I accept no responsibility for your mistakes, misfortunes, or other acts of God. The information on this site is in no way comprehensive. The ability to survive in the wilderness with minimal equipment requires research and practice. It also requires a strong will, common sense, and the abilities to think ahead and quickly adapt to change.

Rule of Threes
You cannot live more than:
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
3 months without companionship

The 4 Deadly Sins of Outdoor Recreation (from Al Cornell)
1. Don't know the weather forecast before going
2. Don't tell anyone where you are going and when you will be back*
3. Don't wear the proper clothing, carry water or emergency gear (survival kit)
4. Do more than you are capable

* I strongly recommend that if you are going to use the great outdoors that you always bring a map of the area and a compass, as well as, be proficient in their use.

Order of Survival
The Order of survival is a good checklist to use in a survival situation. The order is not set in stone and must be adjusted to the environment and conditions you find yourself in. We use the Order of Survival at the Maine Primitive Skills School as an outline to teach our classes because it reinforces not only the needs of survival, but makes us appreciate the needs of life.

1. Attitude
2. Shelter
3. Water
4. Fire
5. Food

Attitude is number 1 because it most important. Without a positive mental attitude there is no point in going on to step 2. Many people die in situations that are barely life threatening because they either lose hope or they panic. Just the knowledge of the Order of Survival gives the mind a focus and the ability to take control of the situation. Awareness of what is around you is a major part of attitude. You must clearly see the reality of your situation and not be guided by programming uploaded from society. If you are rigid in your thinking when caught in a survival situation then you will die. Improvise, adapt, and overcome is a military phrase which rings true. Truly see what is around you, use it, and you will live.

Shelter is number 2 because it needs to be taken care of in case severe weather arrives. Clothing is body shelter, and is a concern if it is cold. Stuff leaves, grass, etc., in clothing for insulation if you don't have enough clothing. Usually, you will need to build a physical structure to keep out of wet weather and if cold, to stay warm overnight. The debris hut is the best shelter in most environments, probably good for 50% of the planet, but again be adaptable. In the arctic, the desert, etc., you will not find the materials necessary for a debris hut. First learn how to build the debris hut, and sleep in one. I said sleep. That won't be the first, or second time you stay in one. Then, learn shelters for the closest environments to you where a debris hut won't work. What good is a tool box if there is only one tool in it?

Water, next to warmth, is the bodies most important need. Water keeps everything flowing. We evolved from the sea, and this is the internal environment we must maintain. Here in Maine water is not an issue. You cannot walk a mile without finding water. In Arizona, we are talking about a whole different ballgame. Can you see how the Order of Survival must rotate? To find water in arid environments look for vegetation and mountains. Sometimes watching animals and their trails will lead you to water. After finding water, purification is the next priority. If you haven't had water for 3 days, you might not worry about it, but giardia, e-coli, name your bug, are now found all over the world due to the travels of man. The major survival purification technology is boiling, so in many ways fire and water are in a neck and neck race for third place.

Fire. What is the hardest thing to acquire in a survival situation? What were aboriginal temperate zone (and colder) peoples obsessed with? What do all of our students struggle with? Fire. If you have ever been camping and been cold, you love fire. There is a primitive pyro in all of us. All you need to do is set it free. The most universally adaptable primitive fire making technique is the bow drill. It evolved for temperate climes. The hand drill, on the other hand, came about in arid climates. Keep this in mind. You may love the simplicity of the hand drill, but if you live in any place where it rains on a regular basis, it better not be your primary fire skill. All other primitive fire making techniques evolved around certain materials and their climates, so they are generally location specific.

Food is what all kids say when asked- what is most important in the Order of Survival? Of Course, it is actually the least. Why? Because you can live 3 weeks without food. But, once the other steps are taken care of food becomes the major pre-occupation. Protein is the hardest nutrient to come by in the wild. Carbohydrates are easy- wild edibles don't run away. Whatever a die hard vegetarian may believe, in a non-agrarian long term outdoor environment, the human body needs meat. There were no vegetarian hunter-gatherers. In the winter you especially need certain meats for the fat. Fat is what keeps you warm. Your most effective and energy efficient form of getting meat is trapping- a trap works for you 24 hours a day. Trapping and identifying wild edibles are the primary food gathering skills you should practice.