Issue 03 • Edition 05

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EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS

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(aka the Black MacGyver) is known for his TV appearances on Naked and Afraid and Kicking and Screaming. A decorated military veteran, Isler is a certified instructor in self-defense and combat weapons. He is also a business owner, published author, public speaker, TV personality, and inventor.

Raymond Mhor, known as “the Kilted Prepper,” is a U.S. Army veteran, author, blogger, and Internet influencer. A survivalist for over 20 years, he is the author of eight books, has multiple TV appearances and podcasts.

Kim Martin Editor-in-Chief

HAKIM ISLER

RAYMOND MHOR

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By Kim Martin, Douglas Boudreau and Mark Hamilton Quinn

By John Rose

By Kim Martin

By Douglas Boudreau

By Raymond Mhor

Kim Martin

SUMMER SURVIVAL SERIES: DON’T BE BUGGED!

While the great outdoors is arguably at its most enjoyable in the summer months, the warmer weather does come at the cost of unwanted nuisances that seek us out and clamor like rock star groupies everywhere we go, especially anywhere there is grass—tidy or not—trees, water, and…well, just about everywhere. Oh yes, we’re talking about bugs.

PREVENTIONS

You can keep yourself, your vehicle, your home, and your camp as pristine as a military barracks before an officer’s inspection and still have insect invaders, but there are some things you can do to minimize the numbers.

For interiors, check your doors and windows for gaps; also check for holes or tears in door and window screens. Insects can make entry through the tiniest cuts and cracks, so patch or seal any

you find. Inspect caulking and repair or reapply as necessary. Check around all plumbing fixtures and pipes for dampness or leaks. These are also ideal places to treat with repellents we’ll detail further in.

Even if you consider your kitchen to be clean and orderly, go through all food storage areas and make sure containers are securely sealed and wiped clean of drippage residue. Items that cannot be totally sealed up should be put in containers with lids or Ziplock bags or airtight plasticware. Dry food items, such as cereal, rice, flour, sugar, pasta, etc., are best stored in tight-fitting jars. Consider rearranging any bags, boxes, or other containers that are stored close together. Bugs like tight, dark places. Wipe down the insides and outsides of cabinetry; a water-and-vinegar solution works well. This mixture is also good for cleaning floors. Placing bay leaves on the shelves and inside drawers works as a repellent.

Photo by Joe Green Garlic has long been known as a natural insect and animal repellent due to a compound called allicin in the garlic.

Photo by Simon Lee All kinds of mint are natural and strong insect repellents.

Photo by Zan Janzekovic Chiggers are tiny mites, too small to see, found in damp and swampy areas and around ponds, lakes, and rivers.

Photo by MD Jerry Ant bites are usually in clusters, red and swollen and painful; bites can cause an allergic reaction, especially if from fire ants.

Don’t overlook pet food and water dishes; keep food bowls washed and dried when empty.

The outside is more of a challenge, especially since you can only control so much. But there are still steps you can take.

Around your home, eliminate all sources of standing water, which not only draws insects of all kinds but results in mosquito and fly infestations. Wood piles should stacked away from your house. Keep trash receptacles completely covered, washing them out periodically. Shrubbery should be low when possible and trimmed; ideally, bushes should not be up against the sides of your house. Keep leaves cleared, grass cut and weeded. If you’re going to be relaxing on your patio or deck, light citronella candles or torches.

Plantings that repel insects and, in some cases, snakes, include: holly, marigolds, allium (also known as flowering onion), lemongrass, motherin-law’s tongue (or snake plant), wormwood (or mugwort), pink agapanthus, flowering garlic, snakeroot, yellow alder, basil, chives, and varieties of cactus. Ants are also repelled by anise, catnip, chrysanthemum, mint, pennyroyal, hot peppers, sage, lemon thyme, rosemary, nasturtiums, and tansy.

If you’re hiking or camping, the most obvious protection is covering up when you’re going to

be in tall vegetation or woods or around water, wearing light-colored clothing and not wearing any scented products.

There are many natural or organic ways to repel or deter insects. Some that are effective include oils, such as peppermint, spearmint, citronella, lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, cedarwood, lavender, tea tree, and catnip. A good way to use these is to blend with a base or carrier oil, such as almond, olive, or coconut. You can make your own on the cheap, but if you prefer a ready-made product, look for those labeled 100% natural; a popular one contains some of the aforementioned oils as well as cinnamon, bay, caraway, rose geranium, lemon, and sweet almond oil.

For applications outside—around the yard, garden, campground, etc.—mix the oils with distilled water and add a little bit of alcohol or witch hazel to emulsify. As some oils are harmful or toxic for pets, avoid using in areas where they will be.

Peppermint oil works well for fleas, moths, flies, fruit flies, wasps, gnats, spiders, ants, beetles, cockroaches, and even bed bugs. Lemongrass, which contains citronella, works for mosquitoes, gnats, fruit flies, fleas, ticks, and chiggers. Cedarwood is a naturally moisture-leaching agent that dries out insects and is effective with mosquitoes, flies, moths,

Photo by Douglas Boudreau If you’re caught in an outdoors location where a buggy presence is building, look for the wax myrtle.

Photo by Vladislav Balakshii Mosquitoes are a major nuisance if not a minor annoyance to living out of a tent in a patch of woods.

Photo by Jean Van der Meulen Aloe vera is a natural treatment for bug bites and stings.

Photo by Pixabay Many bug bites are difficult to differentiate; those of spiders are designated by double puncture marks.

fleas, ticks, lice, ants, mites, and silverfish. Lavender is not only a good repellent but also has anti-inflammatory properties that help to soothe and heal insect bites; it works well on mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, spiders, ants, fruit flies, lice, gnats, and bed bugs. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties and is effective against mosquitoes, bed bugs, dust mites, lice, ticks, bees, ants, and spiders. Catnip, also known as catmint, repels flies, mosquitoes, and some other biting insects.

MIXTURES

Lemon eucalyptus: Combine a half cup of water and half cup of witch hazel and/or vinegar, adding thirty to forty drops of the lemon eucalyptus oil. This is a great household cleaner, too, but is potent and not beneficial for children or pets.

Citronella oil: Combine the water and witch hazel/vinegar amounts (you can also use alcohol or even vodka) with a few drops of the oil. Shake before spraying and be careful around your eyes.

Lavender oil: This can be added to other mixtures that use citrus, neem, lemon eucalyptus, cedarwood, or cloves to make for a nicer smell.

Cedarwood oil: Can be used by itself or added to citrusy sprays.

Cloves oil: This is also a good additive to enhance the repellents of other sprays.

Peppermint oil: While one of the best repellents, it also has the benefit of smelling good.

Lemon juice with garlic: Garlic has long been known as a natural insect and animal repellent due to a compound called allicin in the garlic. Added to the acidic lemon, it is even more effective. A recommended way to prepare this mixture is to crush some garlic cloves and soak in mineral oil overnight, then mix the oil with water and a few teaspoons of lemon juice. Shake well.

Tea tree oil: Equal parts water and vinegar with equal amounts of lavender and tea tree oil; twenty-five to thirty drops of each to two pints of the water and vinegar mixture.

MINIMIZING BUGS IN WILDERNESS SHELTERS

You’ve got a leg up if you’re camping with a tent that zips up, but what can you do if you’re roughing it, either by choice or by circumstance?

Set up your shelter as far from water as possible. So many insects, but especially mosquitoes, gather around water. Keeping a fire with smoke is a big help to keep away flying bugs, especially when you have natural repellents to burn.

When constructing your shelter, get off the ground, whether by making a platform or setting up in a tree. If you’re using tree boughs, limbs, leaves, and fronds, be sure to thoroughly shake

Photo by Chris Yang If you have nothing else, one of the oldest methods of protection is also the simplest…mud.

Photo by Pixabay Spiders, snakes, and scorpions tend to tuck themselves inside or underneath items left unattended.

Photo by Siim Lukka Build a small fire with just enough kindling to keep it burning and produce smoke.

Photo by Eugene Deshko Cedar greens are a great repellent and for use in a smudging fire.

them out to ensure they are free of insects, larvae, eggs, webs, and nests. Ideally, you’ve found one of the natural repellents in your area and can spread some around your bedding. Cedar (the green needles, not the bark), sage, or lavender are good to use in a process called smudging. For this, you build a small fire with just enough kindling to keep it burning and produce smoke. If you are going to smoke or smudge the inside of your shelter, make the fire in a fire-safe container, such as a metal or ceramic bowl, but always have water close by. The idea is to smoke up the confines of your shelter, put the fire safely out or move it outside, let the smokiness dissipate so you’re not directly breathing it. It’s crucial that you keep the fire low and smoldering, not burning with enough vigor to burn up your shelter!

Always check shoes, socks, and articles of clothing that have been laying around. ALWAYS. To not do so is a good way to be bitten or stung. Spiders, snakes, and scorpions tend to tuck themselves inside or underneath items left unattended.

Whenever you are around any kind of vegetation, low or high, bushes and trees, you would be well advised to check for ticks frequently. In addition to causing uncomfortable, even painful bites, they transmit many diseases, some of which—like Lyme—can be serious, chronic, and even life-threatening. If

you find any ticks, make sure you remove them completely, with tweezers or by hand, pinching the skin if necessary. Extract the tick as close to its attachment as possible, pulling out firmly so as not to leave any part embedded. Clean and disinfect the bite with alcohol or soap and water. Do not use any of the old folklore methods for smothering or burning them; not only are these tactics typically ineffective, they prolong the removal process and, in the case of burning, could cause injury.

Chiggers are tiny mites, too small to see, found in damp and swampy areas and around ponds, lakes, and rivers and, while they don’t cause disease, their bites do cause intensive itching. If you feel itchiness or start to notice red, swollen pinprick bites, remove your clothing and dry it out by a fire—dry being the operative word as dry heat will kill the larvae.

If you have nothing else, one of the oldest methods of protection is also the simplest… mud. Not only does it deter bugs, it helps hide your scent and is good camouflage.

RECOGNIZING AND TREATING BITES

Most of us know what mosquito bites look and feel like, but many of the others may be difficult to differentiate. Ant bites are usually in clusters, red and swollen and painful. These can cause an allergic reaction, especially if from fire ants, so

Photo by Clement Falize Set up your shelter as far from water as possible. Many insects, especially mosquitoes, gather around water.

Photo by Annie Spratt Lavender can be used in oil repellent mixtures, to smoke in fires, and to treat insect bites.

Photo by Joanna Kosinska Effective oils include peppermint, spearmint, citronella, lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, cedarwood, lavender, tea tree, and catnip.

Photo by Laryssa Suaid There are many organic ways to repel or deter insects, including natural oils.

medical attention may be required. Flea bites are similarly found in clusters, but usually on lower legs and feet; they are also red and itchy but swell into a wider halo. Tick bites can look like a bullseye with a dime-size center and, while some are not overly itchy or painful, can cause burning, rashes, and blisters; they are typically singular. Spider bites are designated by double puncture marks; most will cause some redness and discomfort but are generally not serious, with the exception of bites by brown recluse or black widows. If you suspect you have been bitten by either of these, you should seek medical attention. Bee and wasp stings generate large, swollen red areas, and are almost always very painful. Though insect bites are, for most, an unpleasant affair but not dangerous, for some people they can be a life-threatening emergency. For that reason, it’s important to know if you or anyone in your group is allergic and carry an Epi-pen.

Natural treatments include some of the aforementioned repellent oils of peppermint, tea tree, and lavender; baking soda, vinegar, oatmeal, teabags, and honey from the pantry; and, in the wild, thyme, basil, aloe vera, echinacea, jewelweed, and broadleaf plantain. Ice or a cold pack, if you have it, will numb itching, reduce swelling, and decrease the release of histamine. If you have a first aid kit (and of course you should!) disinfect bites and apply cortisone cream. You can get more relief from ibuprofen and antihistamine, such as Benadryl.

Mosquitoes are a major nuisance if not a minor annoyance to living out of a tent in a patch of woods. Store-bought bug repellents tend to have strong, unpleasant odors that can aggravate asthmatic problems and other lung disorders. They also contain unhealthy chemicals and cost money that could be spent on food and bottled water. Mosquitoes are attracted to sweat and body odors and the invisible carbon dioxide that we exhale. They might also be attracted to the color blue and bright clothing.

The oils detailed above can be rubbed on your skin and clothing; also, citrus peels can be rubbed on as you burn lantana leaves, dog fennel plants, and termite mounds in the campfire. You can rub dog fennel stalks, wax myrtle leaves, and other wild plants on your exposed skin and clothing.

Here in the southeast, there is a native plant found throughout fields, woods, and roadsides called beautyberry or calicarpa americana. The pink berries, though edible, are not at all tasty to most palates, but the leaves can be rubbed all over your clothing and skin to repel mosquitoes (for some people) about as effectively as any store-bought Deet-containing repellent. I always rub the leaves on me before hiking through the swampy trails and even put leaves in my pockets and under my hat. Even though I have found them in abundance in deep woods, I feel that having some on hand to rub on me if I

Photo by Pixabay

If you’re hiking or camping, cover up when you’re going to be in tall vegetation or woods or around water.

Photo by Unsplash Marigolds are among the plantings that naturally repel insects.

Photo by Pexels-Pixabay Shrubbery should be trimmed, leaves cleared, grass cut and weeded.

Photo by Pixabay Wood piles should stacked away from your house.

DOUGLAS BOUDREAU ON MOSQUITOES

sweat too much is comforting.

Another thing one can do around the camp is put other leaves with strong odors like sage, rosemary, eucalyptus, bay, and camphor into the campfire. I don’t suggest using a smoky fire by tossing any old leaves and brush on the fire if one is then forced to breathe near it. A smoky fire is a good way to let people in the area know you’re there if you are lost, but not a good idea if you’re trying to keep a low-profile and hidden from prying eyes. Breathing smoke (directly) from a smoky campfire isn’t good for your general health, and if you have respiratory conditions you’d be better off using alternatives to fire for repelling mosquitoes from your camp.

Long-sleeve shirts and long pants are a must in this situation. I would never wear shorts for hiking as I see so many others do. I don’t stay on open trails anyway, so thorny vines and spiky plants can be a hazard with or without long pants, but more so in shorts, of course.

presence is building, look for the wax myrtle. This is a commonly found native plant in the south and some other regions of North America. It has a shiny leaf, and in the late summer has small berries close to the stem that are important for migratory birds, such as tree swallows. The myrtle can be utilized by collecting the leaves and crushing them, massaging the oils from the leaves into your hands and then applying it to your skin. Never put your hands in your eyes or other sensitive areas after you apply the wax. Wash your hands with some mud and rinse thoroughly to clean them of the oil.

Additionally, the wax myrtle stems and leaves can be added to your fire to create a smoke that will help deter insects, such as mosquitoes and no-see-ums. If you’re sleeping outdoors, line the area with boughs from the wax myrtle, which will help keep insects at bay.

MARK HAMILTON QUINN ON WAX MYRTLE

If you’re ever visiting humid locales in the warmer seasons, try to get out early in the morning because the rains will inevitably come in the afternoons as the heat climbs. If you’re caught in an outdoors location where a buggy

Insect bites and stings can be alleviated by the use of meat tenderizer, vinegar, and a white onion cut in half. These will draw out the toxins; then apply mud and let it dry. If you are fortunate enough to be in an area that has aloe vera, you can apply that to your wound the following day.

Insects will always be around to bug us, but some planning and precautions can help keep them under control.

Photo by Gareth Hubbard Even if you consider your kitchen to be clean and orderly, go through all food storage areas and make sure containers are securely sealed.

Photo by Adeolu Eletu Insects can make entry through the tiniest cuts and cracks, so patch or seal any you find.

Photo by Alfred Boivin You can keep yourself, your vehicle, your home, and your camp pristine and still have insect invaders, but there are some things you can do to minimize the numbers.

Photo by Niklas Stumpf Warmer weather does come at the cost of unwanted nuisances that seek us out everywhere we go.

PLANTS THAT NATURALLY REPEL INSECTS

Plantings that repel insects and, in some cases, snakes, include: holly, marigolds, allium (also known as flowering onion), lemongrass, mother-in-law’s tongue (or snake plant), wormwood (or mugwort), pink agapanthus, flowering garlic, snakeroot, yellow alder, basil, chives, and varieties of cactus. Ants are also repelled by anise, catnip, chrysanthemum, mint, pennyroyal, hot peppers, sage, lemon thyme, rosemary, nasturtiums, and tansy.

Photo by Brittney Strange Chives

Photo by Pixabay Sage

Photo by Amazon Pink Agapanthus

Photo by Wadester16 Flowering Onion

Photo by Sten Porse Snakeroot

Photo by Simone Garritano Wormwood/Mugwort

Photo by Drew Beamer Snake Plant

Photo by Anna Sushok Holly

Photo by Ibrahim al Jarushi Lemongrass

Photo by Gardenology.org

Pennyroyal

Photo by Laura Link Cactus Plant

Photo by Jeantosti Flowering Garlic

Photo by Yakov Leonox Basil

Photo by Prenn Yellow Alder

EDIBLE FORAGING IN SUMMER PART ONE

By Douglas Boudreau

In this series, foraging edibles expert Douglas Boudreau will be sharing some seasonal varieties for late spring and summer.

GREENBRIER, SMILAX

With spring fully sprung here in my state of Florida, I thought it best to start with a valuable and plentiful edible for a large portion of North America. Its most-used common name among foragers is the genus/genera name, smilax.

The best variety is smilax bono-nox, for the green shoot-tips at the ends of each vine eaten either raw or boiled. They are thorny vines known under numerous common names like green briar, cat briar, and bull briar. Some reports on them say the leaves are edible boiled with cooked greens, but you must only choose the most delicate of the light green-leaved species if at all. As I say about using any leaves of a plant for cooking greens or as a potherb, there are plenty of really good plants, which I call choice edibles, and not so choice greens can be foraged from famine food edibles. Smilax leaves are not a choice edible by any stretch of imagination.

The thick-growing tips, however, which grow most abundantly in the spring (but year-round for

the most part), are edible raw or cooked somewhat like asparagus. To identify the thorny vine, repeat a mantra that goes: “One leaf, two tendrils . . . One leaf, two tendrils . . .” (on repeat), which alternate down the vine. For some species, the thorns are few and far between. For other species, the vine is extremely thorny. Break off the most tender ends of the tips, growing shoots, and vines. The flavor is unique but tasty, if you’re hungry. The roots of some species were/are used as a beverage, flour, or tonic, but are extremely rock-hard, making it very difficult to process. I don’t suggest using the berries for anything. The vines can be used for cordage needs if not too thorny, or you can carefully cut the tips of the thorns. The places I find them most abundantly are near oak trees in areas of mostly oak hammock woods.

CHICKWEED

Chickweed, or stellaria media, is a cool-climate plant, but comes up here in central Florida in shady, healthy soil wherever it gets established, but only in our winter starting in December. It is freeze-tolerant, but not heat-tolerant. Central Florida and all of Texas is about as far south as it can handle. In the north, it can nearly reach the Arctic Circle from east to west. Introduced centuries ago from Europe, it was a prized herb by gardeners until the latter half of the last century; now it resides as a noxious weed to a shallow, shortsighted, and spoiled society.

Chickweed contains certain amounts of betacarotene, vitamin C, high amounts of potassium, iron, and zinc, with modest amounts of other minerals like copper and manganese.

I pick the top portions of the thickest colonies in bunches and pull the leaves off. Delicate when boiled, simmer for a few minutes and add butter, salt, and pepper to taste, or chop and add to salads. Remember to identify it with the single line/row of soft hairs along the stem, changing sides from one node to the next. Its name comes from how much chickens like to eat it. I’ve fed chickens, geese, and turkeys with chickweed.

SONCHUS SOW THISTLE

There are some 106 species of sonchus worldwide, all

with reported edibility. Two kinds of sonchus are seen around central Florida in winter, and elsewhere in the US in spring; both are greens with edible leaves, stalks, and unopened flower buds. They both appear a little on the prickly side, with sharp-edged leaves that soften after boiling, and one appears more prickly than the other. They are the common sow thistle, sonchus oleraceous, and the spiny sow thistle, sonchus asper. These are the two species of sonchus that I find here in west-central Florida.

The stalks can be used for famine food by peeling/stripping the leaves and skin off the main stalk and then chopping to boil with butter and spices. The leaves of both get somewhat bitter with age and might require a double boil. Leaves of both should be cooked, but especially the spiny cousin of the common one. The unopened flower buds might be edible after boiling but taste a little bitter.

My best advise concerning a survival situation where one is getting malnourished and weak for lack of food…and for foraging in general: When finding a plentiful source of what appears to be wild edibles, even if you are sure of their edibility, a little bitterness is tolerable, but in any case of a flavor that seems so bitter or rank that you feel like spitting it out, you must spit it out. Getting nauseous in an already precarious situation where heightened levels of starvation loom around the corner, you can’t take the chance on something that might make you sick. It will speed up the process of your possible demise.

LAMB’S QUARTERS

Frequently called wild spinach and goosefoot, lamb’s quarters is the closest thing to real spinach that you can find in the weeds. This is a powerhouse of nutrition that only comes up here in Florida during our winter months and is gone by late spring, but it is so plentiful in the spring and summer throughout North America that the west coast foragers mostly call it wild spinach. However, in a shady spot in my native land, with frequent watering you can keep this thing producing and seeding out to October.

The leaves are like spinach at any stage, and the seeds make a good grain. The white coloration on the tops of young plants is a good identifier. The roots might have been used for soap with its high saponin content. This is one species that is found in just about every guide book on edible wild plants. Boiled, the leaves make a tasty greens dish at all stages of development, but it is suggested by some to only be eaten when young and before seeding.

SANDSPUR

Cenchrus species aka sandspur or sandbur, is a widespread genus of spiky-topped plants in the grass family. Its species are native to many countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic islands. The thorny little devils that stab their way into your skin are actually a result of natural selection’s mutation process to protect the seed of the plant from herbivores and omnivores like us.

The easiest way to harvest them in a survival/famine/doomsday scenario is to burn off the sharp spurs, enough to eat right from the stalk. It must be burnt enough to char the points off the spurs but not burn the seed inside to a crispy chunk of ash. With all the oil in the seeds, they will frequently flame up over the campfire; you must back it away from the fire and blow out the flaming sandspurs stalk. Remember, the goal is to burn off the sharp points on the spurs enough to eat it, not burn the entire thing to a crisp.

Green ones are not yet ripe, so only harvest the yellowing ones. Seeds from plants like these invariably contain amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, as well as certain vitamins and minerals.

KUDZU

Kudzu, ueraria montana var. lobata is a fuzzy, big-leaved vine from east Asia that can grow thirty centimeters per day. It presently ranges from Florida north to Massachusetts, across to Nebraska, and in parts of Oregon and Washington, where it’s working its way northward as global temperatures increase due to climate change. When the temperature drops to -20 Celsius (4°f.), the roots of kudzu die. Parts of British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia are already seeing the invasion of the kudzu vine, which can expand to four inches thick and a hundred feet long. Square miles of forest in the southeast have been inundated by it.

First of all, the seeds and seedpods are not edible and the only part of the fuzzy vine’s stem that is edible are the growing tips or shoots. The vine produces offshoots in various places, and all growing tips can be cut off and boiled like asparagus. However, the vines, leaves, and shoots are very hairy— even along the margins of the leaves—so the texture is an issue and is the reason it’s only used as a famine food, along with young leaves raw or boiled, baked in quiche, cooked for greens, or deep fried. Older leaves can be used, but young are best. The blossoms smell like artificially flavored grape (think Kool-Aid) and can be used to make jelly, syrup, and candy.

Per 100 grams, the cooked leaves contain 36 calories, 89% moisture, .04 grams protein, .01 gram fat, and 9.7 grams carbohydrates, along with an assortment of vitamins and minerals. The roots are dried or dehydrated and then grinded and pulverized into a powder that is used for thickening soups, stews, sauces, and batter for frying. The raw root can contain drinkable fluid in extreme conditions and is used medicinally for treatment of extreme alcoholism. The tuberous root system, however, can grow well under the ground with stems leading to the main root. Finding the actual tuberous root will require a backhoe or other digging tool. Kudzu might be beneficial as a antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory with benefits to cardiovascular functions.

CREEPING CUCUMBER

The fruits of creeping cucumber or melothria pendula are the size of jelly beans, resembling tiny watermelons, and are edible raw, tasting like cucumber with a hint of lemon. When you find these little, delicate, crawling vines on

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Lamb’s quarters is the closest thing to real spinach that you can find in the weeds.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau Miles of land in the southeast have been inundated by kudzu.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau Sandspur or sandbur, is a widespread genus of spiky-topped plants in the grass family.

the undergrowth along the ground and crawling up bushes, start looking for the fruits. If there is active wildlife in the area, you may not find many, even in their most prolific fruiting season, which is usually late summer to early winter and sometimes seasonal depending on your climate. The fruits can be found any time of the year in deep forests or along the side of roads or trails. I have found them in Florida in the bushes of parks, along bushes beside a highway, along the ground off dirt roads in deep woods and far from signs of civilization. Always leave plenty for the critters if you can. However, where you find one you can usually find plenty.

They are small but very tasty, and the leaves can be added to greens. However, you must stay away from the dark and especially black ones. Once they turn dark, they have a laxative effect with the black ones causing extreme diarrhea.

CLEAVERS

Cleavers are also called bedstraw for use as filling for mattresses. I have my own name for this plant, Velcro weed. When gathered in bunches, it connects and clumps together in such a way that can create a cushioning effect under a sleeping pad.

The young leaves and shoots (minus any stems) are added to salads or boiled ten to fifteen minutes and served with butter and condiments as a side dish or used in stews, soups, and stir-fries. It requires some effort to pick the tips and leaves off. Any stem material included will have the texture of stiff Velcro. When the tiny fruits/seeds are mature they can be slow-roasted until dark brown and ground up to make a passable non-caffeinated coffee substitute. The dried leaves and tops can be steeped for tea and are used in herbal medicine. Cleavers are also known as goosegrass.

PEPPERGRASS

Peppergrass, or lepidium virginicum, has been used as a substitute for pepper since medieval times. To me, it has the flavor of mild, peppery radishes. It can be found prolifically in winter and spring but will stick around late into the summer. The roots were baked or roasted and ground into a meal/flour that was mixed with vinegar for a horseradish substitute. Some called it “Poor Man’s Pepper” and pepperweed.

Collect the seeds when they turn brown to save if you need to plant around some secret bugout site. I once collected jars full of seeds from these and lamb’s quarters, swamp dock, wild yams, sow thistles, purslane, and wild passionflower to spread around town and in some of the woods where future refugees might find a suitable campsite. In my central Florida area and when I traveled around the country, I identified many wild edibles from north of Maine to just west of Montana and down to Texas and to all points in between.

Douglas Boudreau is co-author with Mykel Hawke of Foraging For Survival: Edible Wild Plants of North America.

SURVIVAL TIPS FROM JOHN ROSE

John Rose has been an instructor and advisor of wilderness and urban survival for most of his life. He has compiled some of his best tips on a variety of topics, which we will be featuring in several parts.

CAMP AND SHELTER

When maintaining your camp area, keep all food secured, either sealed away from the camp area, or tied in a bag hung from a tree to keep animals from invading your space. Keep your camp clean and free of trash, food scraps, and dirty dishes as well. This also keeps the insect level to a minimum.

When sleeping on the ground, try to find some way of building your sleeping area up so you aren’t in direct contact with the ground. Use soft tree boughs, grasses, a lashed bushcraft bed, foam pad, anything that will insulate you from direct contact with the ground. You will sleep warmer, softer, and better.

A common mistake people make when applying

survival techniques is that they stop short of completing their task. Shelters end up not really finished, enough firewood isn’t gathered, a friction fire coal is almost, but not quite there. As a rule, when I think I may be done with a task, I give it an extra burst of activity. The reward is well worth it.

Find a good sitting or observation spot where you can go the same time every day. Here, you can observe the activity and track the progress of events over the course of a year or longer. Make this spot a convenient, comfortable spot and visit it no matter what the weather offers. You can watch the patterns of wildlife, track the growth and life cycle of surrounding plants, get an idea of the sun’s position in the sky as the seasons change, and many other interesting things. Make your observation spot visits a routine part of your daily life. You need not go far into the wilderness. One of my favorite sitting spots is in my suburban front yard.

You can make an emergency shelter from a large contractor-size trash bag.

Photo by PNW Production

When moving through the wilderness or just the world in general, it’s a great benefit to move at a slow enough pace to develop an understanding of the world around you.

Photo by Jisca Lucia Observe the differences in climate, season, and general environment in your everyday life.

When you are camping or sleeping in a shelter where wildlife has easy access, take care to check carefully for unwanted guests. Snakes will crawl under your tent or wherever you are lying to keep warm. Carefully check bedding for the same reason, also for any other animals that may be checking out your space.

If you are worried about unwanted bugs and such in your shelter, you can smoke them out with smoldering green pine needles, which kills insects, or smoldering green cedar which runs them out but isn’t as lethal. To do this, place some coals from your fire on a shingle of some sort, such as a thick piece of bark, or a rock with a bowl-like depression in it. Next, lay the green pine or cedar on the coals and carefully place this in your shelter and close it off as best you can. Take care not to breathe the smoke yourself as it will make you sick. Also be very careful not to burn your shelter down. Allow the shelter to air out well before getting inside.

It is a good idea to remove flooring and bedding from your shelter and then rebuild or relay it every day, especially in snake country. This also keeps it fresh and fluffed up. Matted down bedding provides little insulation.

When managing the latrine area of your camp, be sure to dig a hole deep enough and a good distance from your camp area. Also make sure it is far away from water supplies and food collection areas. When using it, cover your gift to the earth with good dirt to help break it down. Keep the pit covered when not in use to keep out flies. You want to make every effort to keep flies out of your campsite as they contaminate your food supply very quickly. A high percentage of illnesses occur this way.

Burn all burnable waste, and place cans with food residue in the fire to burn out any food left in them. This keep out unwanted and unsanitary pests.

Avoid putting anything in the latrine that would inhibit the natural bacteria needed to break down waste mater.

HIKING AND NAVIGATION

If you are lost, don’t panic. Assess your situation. If it’s late in the day, be prepared to settle in for the

night, which means finding a good shelter spot. Look for an area with good resource materials or a natural shelter. Stay clear of areas where flooding is an issue, animal trails, feeding areas, or dens, and look overhead for large “widow-maker” branches, falling rocks, etc. Be as protected from the elements as you can.

Here’s a little project that will help you navigate distances you have walked and prevent getting lost. First, find a few different places with varied terrain where you can walk at least 100 meters. Place a marker where you begin your first pace, measure off 100 meters, then walk from point A to point B in a straight, 100-meter line and write down how many paces it takes to walk the distance. Each pace is two steps, as in right foot step, left foot step. Do this on level ground, on an uphill grade, and on a downhill grade. And, several times for greatest accuracy. Finally, do the math and figure the average number of paces you make per 100 meters. Remember your pace in both meters and feet. Next part of your project involves making pace, or Ranger beads.

There are many ways to make a proper set of Ranger beads, which go by many names, sometimes called pace-counter beads or just pacer beads. Materials you will need are 22”-25” of cord, such as 550 paracord or a leather bootlace. If you use 550 paracord, take out the inner strands before beginning. Using a lighter, melt the ends of the cord to prevent fraying, keeping the tips tapered to a point that will allow the beads to go on easily. You will also need 13 sturdy, non-breakable beads to string on your cord.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, learn where the North Star, or Polaris, is located in the night sky. This will help if you need backup navigation. To find the North Star, first find the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, which is a group of seven bright stars that form what looks like a cooking pan with a bent handle on it. From the line of two stars that make up the pan side farthest from the handle, follow the straight line to a dim star—the North Star—located at the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper, a smaller dimmer looking pan in the sky, or Ursa Minor. Keep in mind that the North Star is not very bright, but when you find it and look up at it, you are facing North. This is the only star that maintains the same position in the sky year round. All other stars seem to rotate around it.

To find north using the stick method, on a sunny day put a stick in the ground and place a rock at the end of the shadow line. Wait 15 minutes and then place another rock on the new shadow line. Stand with your left foot on the first rock and your right foot on the second rock. You are now facing north if you are in the northern hemisphere. (If in the southern hemisphere, you will stand the opposite direction with your right foot on the first rock, and your left foot on the second rock.)

When in the field, remember to tie all your valuables

down and to yourself and/or pack. Also make sure you can free your gear quickly if the need arises with quick releases. Getting tangled in brush or rocks on a cliffside can lead to a real bad day, maybe even your last.

Avoid the hazards of hiking or walking at night, especially in areas with treacherous features such as cliffs, swift water, or sink holes, not to mention the likelihood of getting lost, especially on overcast nights where celestial navigation and visibility are compromised.

Observe the differences in climate, season, and general environment in your everyday life. If you are ever in a critical situation, you will be that much more prepared.

When moving through the wilderness or just the world in general, it’s a great benefit to move at a slow enough pace to develop an understanding of the world around you. Astute observation requires patience. The pacing of the modern world allows little time for any detailed or in-depth observation. Slow down when in nature. The objective of woodland trails doesn’t have to be a race to get to the finish line.

If you’re out on the trail or in a survival situation and nightfall is imminent, stop where you are and make camp. Don’t move further in the dark as it is unsafe. Be prepared to stay the night if you are caught at sundown.

If you must venture out from your campsite after dark, avoid looking at your campfire or any light as it diminishes your night vision, making it more difficult to see such things as a cliff, hole in the ground, sharp tree branch, etc. Allow yourself to remain in total darkness for at least an hour to allow your night vision to return.

Photo by PNW Production

Make it a point to look behind yourself when hiking so you will see what the terrain looks like should you turn and walk back the same way you came.

Photo by Tadeusz Lakota

Find a good sitting or observation spot where you can go the same time every day.

An old pirate tip for saving your night vision is to wear an eyepatch over one eye when you’re in the light, and when in darkness switch the eyepatch to the other eye. This way, the eye that was covered will still have night vision.

Learn to cultivate wide angle and splatter vision when in the wilderness, or anywhere, for that matter. To do so is a process of not focusing on any one object in particular, but rather observing in a more diffuse manner, expanding the width of your peripheral vision.

Make it a point to look behind yourself when hiking so you will see what the terrain looks like should you turn and walk back the same way you came. The reason everything can look unfamiliar when walking back to the trailhead is because your vantage point is reversed. It’s easy to get turned around, even on a marked trail. And on an unmarked hike, your world will seem totally unfamiliar on your return trip. Make it a routine habit to turn and look at what the trail looks like behind yourself every few paces.

Remain as alert as you can in any given situation. Avoid distractions, especially when in risky areas, whether in an urban or wilderness situation. Be aware of your surroundings and be sure to observe your environment in all directions.

Be extra careful on the return trip home from an adventure, or even a survival situation. There is often a tendency to let your guard down because the journey is almost over. This is when most mishaps occur. Keep in mind that it isn’t over until you have safely returned to home base.

When in the woods or anywhere unfamiliar, avoid unnecessary touching and handling of things around you. Don’t grab a stick, log, rock, or tree if you don’t

need to, as you may disturb something best left alone that can inflict a lasting, unpleasant experience for you.

If your compass reverses polarity, you can sometimes correct it by taking a magnet and holding it to the compass and then dragging it the length of the needle in one direction. If this works, check it against a correctly functioning compass to see if it’s accurate again. If it doesn’t work the first time, you may have to make further attempts to right it.

But, for the same reason, don’t leave your compass near any magnetic object. This includes cell phones, computers, loudspeakers—any electronic device—as the magnetic properties will polarize it, taking it out of calibration and making it inaccurate. Buy a good, professional compass such as a Silva, Brunton, or Suunto, and learn how to use it.

When using a compass to find your way, be sure to write down all of your bearings and the number of paces you walked. If you’re returning to a point of origin, rather than recalibrating the compass with new headings, turn the compass arrow toward you or the reverse direction, and maintain the same heading, backtracking from where you are.

Alertness is a key not only in the woods but in an urban setting. Always keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Be careful with any interaction with people. If somebody asks you a question, even one that sounds harmless, watch their actions. Always be on the lookout for sudden moves.

When signaling for help, create an “X” from materials that will be visible from rescue aircraft.

Photo by Vincent Guth If you’re out on the trail or in a survival situation and nightfall is imminent, stop where you are and make camp.

Photo by Pixabay Buy a good, professional compass such as a Silva, Brunton, or Suunto, and learn how to use it.

USING GROW BAGS FOR YOUR VEGETABLES

It’s the time of the year for getting seeds in the ground to start growing those veggies.

As many of you know, growing your own vegetables is a rewarding experience that can provide fresh, nutritious produce for you and your family. However, not everyone has access to a traditional garden space required for a full-scale garden.

Last year, I discovered a really simple and effective solution that allows growing vegetables in even the smallest of spaces.

What is that? Grow Bags!

Grow bags are a type of container gardening that allows you to grow plants in a flexible, lightweight bag. They are made from a variety of materials, such as fabric or plastic, and are available in a range of sizes to suit your specific needs.

THE MANY APPLICATIONS USING GROW BAGS

Grow bags are versatile and can be used in many settings, including balconies, rooftops, patios, and small yards. They are also ideal for those

who are renting and cannot make permanent changes to their outdoor space.

For me, I used them on the backyard deck in conjunction with our traditional garden. This year I am ramping it up, and will be placing them all over the yard, as well as our deck and possibly the front yard area.

This is why I like grow bags because they can be moved around easily, allowing the advantage of using different areas of sunlight or providing protection from harsh weather conditions. This flexibility is especially important for gardeners who live in regions with unpredictable weather patterns or sunny/shady areas.

For example, we have one area where there is a lot sun part of the day and shade for the rest. This year I am looking to grow wine cap mushrooms in these areas, but I need to figure out the best place and see where they will become prolific. So using a grow bag that I am able to move around allows me to find the perfect spot.

As a side note, growing wine cap mushrooms has a number of benefits, including being easy to grow, nutritious value, sustainability, and versatility in cooking. If you plant them in your garden or raised beds, they will help boost your soil’s health. With a little bit of effort, anyone can grow their own wine cap mushrooms and reap the many benefits they provide…AND did I mention how good they taste?

For those who are interested, this is the mycelium that I use.

LAYERING THE DIRT WITH COMPOST

One of the keys to success with grow bags is ensuring that you have a healthy growing medium. A mixture of potting soil and compost is a good choice for growing vegetables in grow bags. You should aim for a ratio of approximately

70% potting soil and 30% compost.

Layering the soil in the grow bag can help promote better drainage and root growth.

Gravel or rocks in the bottom of the bag will allow excess water to drain away from the roots. Next, add a layer leaves and small, finely broken up twigs. If you do not have leaves and such, a compost mixture will do. Then fill the grow bag with your gardening soil, making sure to leave enough room for your plants.

By layering this way, you are not using up all of your gardening soil and are also creating a

positive growing environment that will feed your vegetables for the season; the leaves and such will break down.

TIP: We have a worm bin, so I add about 15 – 20 worms to each bag. This helps enrich the soil and the worms love it, too. They help break down the compost matter even more, thus feeding your plants from the compost and their castings, which will drop as they chow down.

THE BEST VEGETABLES TO GROW IN GROW BAGS

Grow bags are viable for a wide range of vegetables, but some varieties are particularly well-suited for this method.

Among the vegetables I will be growing in the bags this year:

Tomatoes - Tomatoes are a popular choice for container gardening, and for good reason. They are easy to grow, produce large yields, and are packed with nutrients.

Peppers - Peppers are another great option for grow bags. They come in a range of colors and varieties and can be grown from seeds or seedlings.

Lettuce - Lettuce is a fast-growing vegetable that is perfect for small-space gardening. It can be grown from seed or seedlings and can be harvested multiple times throughout the growing season.

NOTE: Plant a few seeds, then wait a week and plant more. Wait again, then plant more. This is called succession planting, and by doing this you will have lettuce for the entire season. Just keep harvesting and planting every week or so.

Radishes - Radishes are a fast-growing root vegetable that can be grown in shallow containers. They are easy to grow from seed and can be harvested in as little as three to four weeks.

Garlic - Garlic is a great plant for grow bags. You can “crowd” the garlic a little closer to each other (versus onions) and get about 15 – 20 garlic heads per five-gallon grow bag. The bigger the bag, the more garlic you can plant.

Herbs - Herbs such as basil, thyme, and parsley are perfect for grow bags. They require minimal space and can be used fresh in a variety of recipes.

Mint - I mention this in its own category

Photo by Gardzen Gardzen Grow Bag

Photo by Ann F. Berger

Growing wine cap mushrooms has a number of benefits, including being easy to grow, nutritious value, sustainability, and versatility in cooking.

because mint will take over a garden in just a few years. So you want to keep mint corralled so that it doesn’t spread.

In the end, just about anything you can grow in the ground, you can grow in grow bags. The key is getting the right size bag for the veggies you wish to grow.

OTHER BENEFITS OF USING GROW BAGS

In addition to their versatility and ease of use, grow bags offer a number of other benefits for vegetable gardening.

Here are just a few…

Improved Drainage - Grow bags offer better drainage than traditional garden plots, which can be especially important in regions with heavy rainfall.

Reduced Weeding - Because grow bags are a contained space, there is less surface area for weeds to grow. This means less time spent weeding and more time enjoying your garden.

Fewer Soil-Borne Diseases - Soil-borne diseases can be a problem in traditional gardens, but grow bags offer a more controlled environment that can help reduce the risk of disease.

Better Airflow - Grow bags provide better airflow to plant roots, which can help promote healthier

growth and reduce the risk of root rot.

CONCLUSION

Whether you have limited space or just want to try something new, grow bags are an excellent option. You can put them just about anywhere and have an instant garden.

The brand I use is called GARDZEN and they are great. These bags are made of high quality and durable non-woven fabric, which is fluffy and has a good hand feel. The material is BPA- and AZO-free. These grow bags are washable, and you can reuse them over several seasons.

A final added plus is that they are easy to move around, the handles are double thick and double stitched to the bag.

The Gardzen grow bag sizes that I am using this year are: 20 Pack 5 Gallon, 10 Pack 7 Gallon, and 6 Pack 15 Gallon.

I hope that this has been helpful and motivated you to give grow bags a try!

Raymond Mohr, known as “The Kilted Prepper” in the preparedness community, writes on many related subjects and has many “how-to” videos on his YouTube Channel.

raymondmhor

Photo by Gardzen

Photo by Gardzen

SUMMER SURVIVAL SERIES:

As spring edges closer to summer, the warmer weather and longer days bring plans of sun and surf at the beach, lakeside camping trips, canoes and kayaks sluicing along the currents, or just swimming laps in the pool. But fun in the water can turn into a tragic affair if safety is taken for granted. Even if you or others in your group or family are familiar with a destination, even if everyone is a competent swimmer or seasoned watersport enthusiast, there are preparations and precautions that should always be part of the trip planning.

No matter your destination, whether a community pool, the lake by a friend’s cabin, or the same coastal retreat you’ve been visiting on vacations throughout childhood, the most current information should be thoroughly reviewed beforehand. This will let you know of any changes, water conditions, environmental hazards, and the like.

THE GENERAL AND SWIMMING POOLS

In general, for all bodies of water, always employ situational awareness. Know the weather report, but don’t rely solely on it; watch for changing conditions signaled by a shift in wind direction or speed, an abrupt or extreme fluctuation in temperature, gathering or darkening clouds. Weather, even at its most benign, has a major impact on all bodies of water, the most obvious being storms.

At the first occurrence of thunder or lightning, GET OUT OF THE WATER and take shelter. This might seem an obvious directive, but there are those who delay taking action, thinking the storm will pass quickly or go around them. You can get a rough estimate for the distance of a storm by counting the seconds

Photo by Xantov

Whitewater rafting can be an invigorating and exciting activity, but it should be approached with a realistic assessment of skills and safety precautions.

between a flash of lightning and the subsequent sound of thunder; divide that by five and you’ll get the distance in miles (five seconds equals approximately one mile, fifteen seconds equals approximately three miles, and so on). But keep in mind that if you can hear thunder, you ARE within striking distance. Lightning can strike from out of nowhere, even when it seems far off. As the CDC advises: When thunder roars, go indoors!

If an enclosed shelter is not close by, avoid open areas or tall, isolated trees, and anything metallic. Also, stay away from anything that conducts electricity and do not touch electrical objects or devices. Find the lowest spot you can, but do not lie flat on the ground. It is recommended that you wait thirty minutes after the last clap of thunder or flash of lightning before going back outside and returning to the water.

Weather can affect water in other ways. Extended periods of rain and drought will factor in not only water levels, but also in the balance of natural elements that make the water safe to swim or even wade through. Above- or below-average temperatures can affect that composition, which is another reason why it’s important to be wellinformed about the most current conditions, physically and environmentally.

While checking the weather forecast and destination information, find out if there have been any insect infestations in the area or an outbreak of invasive

species of flora or fauna; increasingly, there have been recurring instances of unhealthy biological events, such as algae blooms and red tide.

These are the kinds of things of which we have little, if any, control. But as with any survival situation, being well-informed is your best defense. This brings us to what we can control or, at least, risks we can minimize.

There are over three thousand drownings in the U.S. every year, and they can happen in a backyard kiddie pool or a bathtub, let alone an Olympic-size pool or vast, open water. The best prevention against such a catastrophe is to be constantly vigilant. Even if there is a lifeguard present, his or her eyes can only be looking in one direction at a time and, in a crowd, that monitoring is even more limited. Children should be watched by parents and supervising adults at all times in and around water and, in the case of older youth and adults, a buddy system should be in place. Someone in the group should know CPR, but if not, at the very minimum find out if there is a lifeguard or pool monitor on duty and determine their first aid capabilities. Is there a first aid kit? A defibrillator? Are there rescue aids, such as a life ring or extension pole? Know where these things are.

When reviewing the latest information about the pool you will be attending, make sure you review its Inspection Report, which should be clearly posted. Check the date of the inspection to make sure it is recent and current. These are legally required, and

Photo by Genuine Anthony Young, inexperienced swimmers should wear life vests—not to be confused with air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles, or inner tubes.

Photo by Andy Holmes Rivers and streams are particularly subject to changing conditions, often rapidly, as they are affected by seasonal fluctuations and the evolution of their flow

Photo by Darwis Alwan Waterfalls are a natural wonder in nature and extraordinarily beautiful, but in recreation can be exceedingly dangerous.

the absence of one, or one that is outdated, should turn you away.

For your own pool or one that is privately owned, the CDC recommends a pH of 7.2 to 7.8 with free chlorine concentration of at least 1 ppm and free bromine concentration of at least 3 ppm.

If you are watching children in water, keep your phone handy but stay off the screen! It takes mere seconds for one to go under and not many more to drown. And drowning does not just happen to the young and inexperienced; skilled or expert swimmers can drown as a result of a variety of occurrences, such as a sudden health emergency, an accident or injury, a loss of consciousness.

Even in shallow water, young, inexperienced swimmers should wear life vests—not to be confused with air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles, or inner tubes which, while helpful as teaching aids, are inadequate in preventing submersion. Know where the pool drains are and keep clear of them, as these are suction hazards and can snag hair, limbs, and clothing. Also take extra care near ladders and rope dividers.

For older kids, adults, and experienced swimmers, a warm-up stretch before going into the water is recommended to help prevent cramps and strains. For all, wear sunscreen that is at least SPF 30, reapplying every time you get out of the water;

water does not protect against the sun’s rays, which are actually refracted and often amplified. Stay hydrated, drinking more water than you might normally; swimming can affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature, causing heatstroke.

Anyone who is not feeling well should obviously not go in the water, but don’t take for granted that others will follow this protocol or that the chemicals in the pool water will prevent germs and bacteria and illness from transmitting. Wear a swim cap, which will protect the hair from chemicals and also from being caught in anything and causing possible injury.

SWIMMER’S EAR

Swimmer’s Ear comes from a bacterial infection often caused by water that remains in the outer ear for a prolonged amount of time. Though anyone can get it, it is most often seen in children. Symptoms include pain, itchiness, drainage, redness, and swelling. Keeping ears dry and wearing a swim cap are preventative measures, also tilting the head back and forth while pulling the earlobe to allow water to drain. A hair dryer on the lowest settings, held several inches from the ear, can also help. Don’t put anything in the ears, including Q-Tips, as this could not only cause damage but push the water further in.

LAKES

Photo by Dmitry Bukhantsov Know the weather report, but don’t rely solely on it; watch for changing conditions.

Photo by Ross Stone Extended periods of rain and drought will factor in not only water levels, but also in the balance of natural elements that make the water safe.

Photo by Liz Harrell Increasingly, there have been recurring instances of unhealthy biological events, such as algae blooms and red tide.

With lakes, a good percentage of accidents and injuries occur from being uninformed or from paying little heed to the geography. Diving is especially dangerous with the variable—and often unknown—depths and uneven bottom surfaces. Always check the area you will be wading or swimming for depth and for sharp, jagged, or slippery sections. Be aware and mindful of high or low water levels; higher levels that could be due to runoff from extended rainy periods or from contaminated sources, and lower levels from drought. Posted signs may warn of contaminations, but do your own study to check for cloudy, oily, or stagnant water which could be indicative of environmental hazards.

Again, research before going, and know the specifics, including lake species you are likely to encounter, such as leeches, snakes, and fish. With fresh water, bacteria is also a concern. Aeromonas, or flesh-eating—and antibiotic-resistant—bacteria, can be life-threatening. If you jump or dive into the water, hold your nose or wear a clip, because naegleria, or “brain-eating amoeba” are also real thing and invade through the sinus cavities.

With these perils in mind, it’s a good idea to check with the CDC for the most up-to-date information on outbreaks of recreational water illnesses (RWI).

When swimming in lakes, knowing that you won’t have ropes or barriers or sides to keep you from

straying, make sure you identify and use landmarks as a guide to maintain your bearings. Consider swimming parallel to the banks instead of out into the middle.

Finally, particularly for lakes, it should go without saying, avoid areas with a high density of boats and jet skis. Their operators may not see you until it’s too late, or perhaps not at all, especially if navigating at high speeds.

STREAMS AND RIVERS

These bodies of water are particularly subject to changing conditions, often rapidly, as they are affected by seasonal fluctuations and the evolution of their flow. They will swell from rainy periods and the runoff of snow and ice melt, causing tumultuous currents. Rocks and vegetation tend to be treacherously slippery from the constant stream of water and, in some cases, moss-covered surfaces.

Before setting out, let someone know where you are going, your expected time of return, and who/where to call if you don’t.

When crossing on foot, unstrap backpacks and other gear to prevent their weight from pulling you under in case of a fall, and do not tie yourself in safety ropes as they can become tangled and cause drowning. If you lose your footing or fall in fastmoving water, do not try to stand up; the water’s

Photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery In all water activity, stay liberally hydrated with water and/or beverages infused with electrolytes.

Photo by Pixabay With lakes, always check the area you will be wading or swimming for depth and for sharp, jagged, or slippery sections.

Photo by Greg At the first occurrence of thunder or lightning, GET OUT OF THE WATER and take shelter.

force will most likely take you down. There will be a great risk of getting caught on a rock or limb, so the best chance at recovery is to lay on your back, feet pointing downstream, watching for obstacles. Do not swim against the current, and to do so will sap you of energy. Wearing a personal floatation device (PFD) is especially recommended when navigating streams and rivers.

Hypothermia is a commonly overlooked peril in cooler weather, and it is important to wear protective footwear and proper clothing. Avoid all cotton materials and look for quick-drying apparel, which is typically made with synthetic fabrics or wool. If you plan on spending extended time in this environment and know you will be wet for much of it, particularly in cooler weather, consider wearing a wetsuit and booties. Layering clothing with a lightweight, waterproof windbreaker jacket and pants is ideal.

Likewise, heat exhaustion and dehydration is a risk in warmer weather. Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, slurred speech, slow and shallow breathing, lethargy, confusion, and skin redness; for heat exhaustion, symptoms include dizziness, headache, nausea, and muscle cramps. Alcohol consumption can be a contributing factor, so it should be avoided or, at the very least, carefully moderated.

A set of dry clothing and footwear should be carried in a waterproof bag, along with a bag for wet clothes. With the uneven terrain along and within streams and rivers, water shoes are a good option. When choosing the best for your activities, look for shoes that have a sticky grip, are flexible, and made

of breathable, quick-drying material. Some of the brands that make top-rated ones are Nike, Adidas, Hoka, Astral, and Xero.

WHITEWATER RAFTING

Whitewater rafting can be an invigorating and exciting activity, but it should be approached with a realistic assessment of skills and safety precautions.

Always wear PFCs and helmets along with the proper protective clothing. When possible, take advantage of a local guide or outfitter to get an orientation of the particular river you are rafting. We could do another whole article on all aspects of rafting, but here we will just cover the different levels. You should absolutely know the full course of the river you will be rafting; in many cases, there are multiple different classes of rapids along the same river.

Class 1: Easy, with minimal risks or obstructions. Shallow, lightly moving water.

Class 2: Novice, some obstacles but easily navigable. Fun splashing.

Class 3: Beginner to Intermediate, moderately stronger currents and whitecaps. Skill starts to become more key.

Class 4: Advanced, more boisterous and churning whitewater with more restrictions, requiring faster and more strategic moves.

Class 5: Expert, for experienced and solidly skilled rafters. Currents are wild and turbulent, unrelenting and sustained. Major obstacles that are more difficult

Photo by Kenny Eliason Even if there is a lifeguard present, his or her eyes can only be looking in one direction at a time.

Photo by Jeremiah Lawrence Children should be watched by parents and supervising adults at all times in and around water.

Photo by Vidi Drone Always take some time to read any posted signs and flags.

to avoid. Knowledge of the course, proper equipment, and rescue skills are a prerequisite.

Class 6: Daredevil. Need more be said?

WATERFALLS

Waterfalls are a natural wonder in nature and extraordinarily beautiful, but in recreation can be exceedingly dangerous. They are the cause of severe injuries and deaths when used as spontaneous springboards. As with all other bodies of water, they should be well researched and carefully navigated. Even the most experienced hikers can lose control and fall, and often this happens with a false sense of security by wearing ropes and safety harnesses, which do not always prevent such occurrences. Waterfalls and their basins should never be used as plunge pools for a variety of reasons, some of which include the sudden impact of cold water that can cause temporary paralysis and hypothermia, a debilitating injury from impact, broken bones from hitting rocks, being swept away by strong currents, and drowning.

Calamities and fatalities also happen when hikers venture too close to take photographs. Resist the urge to take that selfie at the top of a waterfall! It’s not worth the risk…you won’t be able to share or enjoy that image if you’re dead.

OCEANS AND BEACHES

Oceans and seas share most of the same practicalities and precautions, but also have a whole other set of the precarious. With tides and waves and ever-changing currents, there are also drop-offs and

mud flats, sandbars and breakwaters, seawalls and caverns. Then there are the very dangerous rip currents, also known as rip tides.

Even after reviewing the latest information about the beach and ocean you will be going to, always take some time to read any posted signs and flags.

A double red flag (red over red): Area is closed, no swimming.

Red flag: High hazard, rough conditions such as strong surf and/or currents are present. Swimming is strongly discouraged.

Yellow flag: Medium hazard. Moderate surf and/or currents. Inexperienced or weak swimmers are discouraged from entering the water. For others, extra care and caution should be exercised.

Purple flag: Dangerous marine life has been observed.

Green flag: Low hazard, calm conditions.

Black-and-white checkered flag: Set up along the beach, usually in pairs, to indicate separate sections to safely space swimmers and surfers in the water.

DANGEROUS MARINE LIFE

Jellyfish cause injury and pain to more beach-goers than any other species of sea life. Their tentacles can be painful on contact even after the creature is dead. They are encountered both in the water, alive, and washed up on the shore. The most common types in North America are the Portuguese man-of-war and

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok Jellyfish cause injury and pain to more beach-goers than any other species of sea life.

Photo by Mariola Grobelska

The spines of sea urchins are a powerful defense mechanism and can cause extremely painful wounds.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov Attacks by sharks, while rare for the most part, can happen anywhere, even very close to shore.

the sea nettle. Symptoms of a toxic sting include abdominal and/or chest pain, chills, headache, muscle spasms, numbness and weakness, limb pain, redness and swelling at the contact spot, rash, sweating, difficulty swallowing. A lifeguard, first responder, or 911 should be called immediately, but in the interim the sting can be rinsed with ocean water.

Sea urchins are spiny creatures related to starfish and sand dollars, often mistaken for rocks or shells. Their spines are a powerful defense mechanism and can cause extremely painful wounds. While their punctures and stings may cause an allergic reaction, most of the time the residual damage is limited to the discomfort. The spikes should be removed with care; soaking with vinegar beforehand is advised (if you have it, also good for jellyfish stings). If soaking does not loosen or dislodge them, try plucking with a pair of tweezers.

Kite-shaped stingrays are prevalent throughout North American oceans, often close to shore, and typically lie on the seabed covered by or blending with the sand. As they are not typically aggressive, most people are stung by accidentally stepping on them or getting too close. Their tails have barbs that contain a toxic venom. Stings from these creatures are treated in much the same way as those of jellyfish and sea urchins; soak the wound in sea water and remove the pieces. And, as with any stings incurred at the beach, seek the aid of a lifeguard or first aid provider as soon as possible. Some may recall that world-renown naturalist Steve Irwin was killed by the barb of a stingray that pierced his heart.

Sharks are, without a doubt, the most feared marine danger, and with good reason. Attacks while rare for the most part, can happen anywhere, even very close to shore. Contrary to popular belief, most sharks are not predatory of humans by nature, but often mistake human presence, mannerisms in the water, and apparatus (such as surfboards) as prey. The best practice to avoid becoming one of the statistics is to swim in groups, stay out of the water at dawn and dusk—when sharks are most active—and do not go in the water if you have a bleeding wound. What you’ve heard about a shark’s extraordinary ability to detect blood in the water is true; they can smell it from hundreds of meters away, at a ratio of somewhere between one part per 25 million and 10 billion parts water. If you think you see a shark, leave the water as quickly and calmly as you can and notify other beach-goers and a lifeguard.

Shells, while not considered marine life (unless they are housing a species of mollusks), can be every bit as hazardous if you step on them and cut your feet. Wounds should be promptly cleaned, treated with antiseptic, and dressed with a bandage or sterile gauze.

Sea turtles are not part of this dangerous marine life category but warrant a mention, as they are found on many beaches. It is illegal to harm or interfere with them, their nests, eggs, or hatchlings, so kindly

steer clear. If any appear to be in distress, notify a lifeguard.

RED TIDE AND ALGAE BLOOMS

With climate change, these invasions are occurring with increasing frequency and toxicity to marine life, birds, plants, and even humans; the harvesting of fish and shellfish in affected areas causes sickness from handling and consumption. Harmful algae blooms (HABs) occur when algae—photosynthetic organisms that live in the sea and fresh water—grow uncontrollably. These events can last for weeks and are found in all U.S. waters. When checking the latest environmental conditions, if red tide or algae bloom is in effect, invariably beaches will be closed. But if you should happen to be strolling a shoreline during these conditions, by all means do not come in contact with water, ground, vegetation, or any creatures; take likewise care with your pets.

RIP CURRENTS/TIDES

These are widely misunderstood and all too often very much under respected for the extreme hazard they pose. To understand why they are so dangerous, even to the most expert swimmers and/or experienced surfers, you should learn what causes them and what they comprise of.

The tide actually has little to do with rip currents and, to debunk a common misconception, they do not pull you under but instead, pull you out beyond breaking waves. They are formed by a convergence of water surging to shore. The mass of water creates a channel back to the sea, forming a swift water stream that gushes away from shore at speeds of up to seven miles per hour or more than eight feet per second, which is faster than the speed of an Olympic swimmer. While a single rip current may be only tens of feet in width, there may be many of them spaced along the shore.

A rip current is made up of three parts: the feeder current, the neck, and the head. The feeder current runs parallel to the beach. If you’re in a feeder current, it will be imperative to take note of landmarks on the beach to maintain orientation; it is very possible you could quickly find yourself a hundred feet farther than your starting point. The neck starts at the front of the channel, which can even be in knee-deep water. You may be able to touch bottom but will feel the current pulling you out. If possible, walk/wade parallel to the beach, jumping forward with each wave. You may need to do this sideways to maintain your balance against the force of the waves, but keep moving until you’re out of the current. If you can’t touch the bottom or lose contact with it, try to float on your back. Remain as calm as possible and allow the neck to pull you out to the head where the current diminishes. When you’re in smoother waters, swim back to the beach at a 45-degree angle, going around the neck to avoid being pulled back in. At this point, the waves should ride you all the way

back.

There are a number of myths about rip currents, and it’s important to know what is fact and what is not, as it could be the difference between escaping and drowning. As already mentioned, even the strongest swimmers cannot outswim a rip current. Assembling a human chain in a rescue effort is a bad idea and may very well pull multiple additional victims in. Contrary to what you might think, these currents do not come from bad weather; they can occur during any season, rain or shine, and in any depth of water. Appealingly moderate waves of two to three feet on sunny days can, in fact, generate especially strong rip currents. It is commonly believed that rip currents are visible and therefore easy to spot and avoid. This is not true and, in fact, rip currents can be difficult to identify. Some elements that indicate their presence include: a channel of churning or choppy water, an area of water that is noticeably different in coloration from the waters around it, a line of foam, bubbles, or debris moving steadily away from shore, and a break in the pattern of incoming waves.

Undertows are not the same as rip currents. Breaking waves on the beach rush in and are followed by a backwash of water and sand, the mixture of which is drawn into the next breaking wave. For waders and swimmer, this generates a feeling of being pulled down or, in deeper water, further underneath. Typically, an undertow is only dangerous to children or inexperienced swimmers, but is something to be aware of.

BEACH-RELATED ILLNESSES

Though signs and/or lifeguards will alert beachgoers of specific hazards or off-limit areas in the water and on shore, if you go somewhere private or a place that is not designated as a public beach, there may not be such warnings. Be sure to thoroughly scout the location, looking for exposed pipes or runoffs or sewage, injured or dead birds and/or fish and marine life, excessive amounts of debris, algae, and any foul smells.

As obvious as it might sound, avoid swallowing sea water; for one thing, the salt in sea water is greater than what can be safely processed by humans. Also, waterborne pathogens and chemicals from boat fuel and other pollutants can definitely make you sick. As previously stated, stay out of the water if you have open or healing wounds. Wash your hands after handling sand, which has been linked to the risk of gastrointestinal illnesses.

Wear sunscreen, selecting one with UVA and UVB protection of SPF 30 or higher, but also know that higher SPF is not necessarily better; choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen is the key. Repeated applications should be done no less than every two hours, more often for sprays. Needless to say, if you are in and out of the water or sweating, it will need to be frequently reapplied. If at all possible, apply sunscreen thirty minutes before sun exposure to allow time to be well absorbed into the skin. For whole-body coverage, think of an amount the size of a golf ball. Make sure not to skip ears, feet, and

Photo by Mikhail Nilov Wear sunscreen, selecting one with UVA and UVB protection of SPF 30 or higher.

Photo by Florida Guidebook When checking the latest environmental conditions, if red tide or algae bloom is in effect, invariably beaches will be closed.

Photo by Raphael Biscaldi Summer fun in the water...enjoy and be safe!

the back of the neck. For added protection from the sun, apply an SPF 30 lip balm, wear head coverings (ideally a wide-brimmed hat), shield eyes with wraparound sunglasses with UV protection and, if you will be in the sun for prolonged periods, it’s a good idea to wear a dark, long-sleeved shirt or clothing rated for sun protection.

If sunburn occurs, cool down with a cool bath or shower. Apply a cold compress to affected areas. Drink plenty of water to rehydrate. Apply a moisturizer, perhaps hydrocortisone cream, but do not use products such as benzocaine, which may irritate the skin. Aspirin or ibuprofen can help relieve pain and reduce swelling.

For heat exhaustion, as previously mentioned, a person will feel sick, faint, fatigued, and sweat heavily. They should be directed to a cool place out of the sun and drink plenty of water. If recognized quickly and not too severe, they should feel better within thirty minutes or so.

Heat stroke is a much more serious condition, occurring when the body’s temperature spikes dangerously high. Children, the elderly, and individuals with chronic illnesses or disease are especially at risk. Symptoms include dizziness, dry skin, confusion, headache, thirst, nausea, hyperventilation, and cramping. Heat stroke should always be considered an emergency with first responder authorities being summoned. Before their arrival, the affected person should be sheltered, cooled in any way possible, and given water.

FINALLY AND IN SUMMARY

In all water activity, stay liberally hydrated with water and/or beverages infused with electrolytes. While much-desired and enjoyed in the hot sun, ice-cold soda and beer, wine, lemonade, sweet tea, coffee and energy drinks are not good choices, some for their dehydrating effect, others for their sugar content.

Research your destination, familiar or not, ahead of time; maintain situational awareness of changing conditions; adhere to the rules of signs, guides, and lifeguards; make sure friends or family know your plans and timeline for return; use the buddy system; have adequate supplies, including a stocked first aid kit. Hydrate and stay hydrated!

Have fun but be safe!

Kim Martin, Survival Homes and Gardens magazine Editor-in-Chief, is co-author of the Jake Tyler thriller book series with Mykel Hawke.

martinandhawke.com

HOW TO PROPERLY FIT A BACKPACK VIDEO AND COMMENTARY

Have you ever gone through the totally miserable experience of hiking or climbing with a poorly fitting, overloaded, or falling apart pack? Guilty of all the above. What misery, and just to add to the mix, it usually seems to be raining whenever this happens. Well, we have come across the solution to your problems, except for the rain part.

Welcome to the Good Trekker, Safe Climber Series, our topic: Properly Fitting a Backpack.

We feel so fortunate and happy to introduce you to some cutting edge research on the art of getting this key skill right.

At a recent conference of the Wilderness Medical Society, we entered a workshop conducted by Dr. Martin Musi; Angela Wilder, MHS, PA-C; and Dr. Jacqueline Kieran Pieper, PT, DPT. These three put together a workshop that is one of the best learning experiences we have had on our gear. We filmed some of it and hope to do more with them in the future. We talked to Jacqueline about the project.

Can you tell us about your research and how you put this program together?

The research started off with the realization that

there is a lot of info out there about fitting a pack, and designs are constantly adapting to hypothetically fit most individuals. However not much consideration is made when looking at the individual and realizing that no two people are built the same. Additionally there is a gap in the literature regarding why you want to fit a backpack a certain way based on biomechanics. This workshop and our research is meant to bridge the gap and give people more knowledge and independence when choosing the right pack, and hopefully reduce discomfort and musculoskeletal injury.

What do you hope people will get out of your presentation?

I hope the public will be able to use the info to make informed decisions when choosing a pack. I’m also hoping to be able to give this presentation to vendors and ensure that they also have a better understanding of why they are fitting people the way they do and therefore help troubleshoot problems that may arise.

In the future, I hope to get the ball rolling in the research community to start looking at the individual when fitting. What we seldom realize is, there is the individual and there is the backpack, and together they are a system. When new backpacks are manufactured, adding features such as a rotating hip belt, a lumbar support or suspension, I feel the vendors tend to not take the individual’s body habits and posture into consideration, just focusing on the pack. For example, a person with a flat back posture that is rigid in the lumbar spine may not benefit from a lumbar support, and this may actually cause more discomfort. I’m looking forward to starting this area of research in the near future.

We hope you enjoy and learn from this short video. We thank Martin, Angela, and Jacqueline for their time and discussion of this research that takes us steps closer to enjoying our backpacks. Ahh, backpack bliss!

musamasala.com

HOW TO APPLY SURVIVAL TO HOMES AND GARDENS

Firstly, I’d like to personally thank everyone who has been supporting the magazine, from the staffers and writers to the subscribers; we’re glad you’re here as we share lots of info to help make life better.

Secondly, I felt it was important to share a driving concept behind the magazine, which is quite simply, all your survival skills can be applied to your home and garden life, and much of what you do at home can be applied to your survival, too.

Next, let’s get after some key basics. All survival skills can be useful in many aspects of home life, from everyday emergencies to long-term survival scenarios. Here are some ways you can apply survival skills to home life:

1. Food storage and preservation: Knowing how to store and preserve food can save money and ensure you have enough food in case of emergency. You can learn how to can, dehydrate, and store food for long periods of time. We like to use sugar, salt, and smoke for storing meats and canning for fruits and vegs.

2. Gardening and farming: Learning how to grow your own food can be a great way to ensure a steady supply of fresh produce. Even if you only have a small garden or balcony, you can grow herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Aquaponics are a great way for urbanites to keep a small food farm in their homes, and you can even grow tiny pots of spices and herbs on any

kitchen counter.

3. Home repairs and maintenance: Knowing how to repair and maintain your home can save you money and prevent small problems from becoming bigger ones. You can learn basic

Photo by Ray Shrewberry

Knowing how to store and preserve food can save money and ensure you have enough food in case of emergency.

Photo by Pixabay

There is some cool tech out there right now that can monitor everything in your house.

plumbing, electrical, and carpentry skills. If you can’t master all of them, at least get the basics for them all and try to master whichever best suits your interests and capabilities.

4. Self-defense: Knowing how to defend yourself and your family can help you feel safer and more secure in your home. You can learn self-defense techniques, practice situational awareness, and invest in security systems. It is always better to have a plan before you need it and make sure everyone is trained what to do in that plan. Prevention is better than response, if possible.

5. First aid and medical care: Knowing basic first aid skills and how to care for common injuries and illnesses can be useful in emergencies. You can learn CPR, how to treat burns and cuts, and how to recognize and respond to common medical emergencies. Have a good supply of basic first aid gear, some advance kit if you know how to use it, and for sure, keep a supply of medicine for snivels to diseases.

6. Communications systems: You can learn about personal cell phone towers, signal boosters, HF/ham radio, CB radio, family and marine radio, Morse code. Have a plan, practice it, and test your equipment regularly.

By applying survival skills to home life, you can become more self-sufficient and prepared for emergencies.

If you want to make your garden into a food source, here are some starter points to consider:

1. Choose the right crops: Some crops are better suited for survival gardening than others. Look for crops that are high in calories, easy to grow, and can be stored for a long time without refrigeration. Examples include potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, squash, corn, and tomatoes. It’s good to grow some root vegetables so you can have winter vegs.

2. Plan for year-round production: To ensure a steady supply of food, plan your garden so you have crops that will produce throughout the year. This may require staggered planting and the use of cold frames or other season extension techniques.

3. Save seeds: Saving seeds from your crops allows you to plant again the following year without having to purchase new seeds. Make sure to store them properly in a cool, dry place. We try to germinate many of our seeds in the house beforehand as it’s always nice to plant a seed you already know will yield.

4. Compost: Composting is a great way to improve the fertility of your soil without relying on synthetic fertilizers. It also allows you to recycle food scraps and yard waste. We have a nice one in our kitchen that allows us to make compost daily from our food prep scraps. So we have a revolving plan for feeding all our plants and crops.

5. Learn preservation techniques: In order to make your garden into a true survival food source, you will need to learn how to preserve your harvest. Techniques like canning, dehydrating, and fermenting can help you store food for longer periods of time. My fave is smoking but it is labor intensive.

6. Consider livestock: Depending on the size of your garden and the resources available, you may want to consider adding some livestock to your property. Chickens, rabbits, and goats are all good options for small-scale farming and can provide a source of protein in addition to your crops. And for you urbanites, it sounds hard core, but “Puffy” is always an emergency food source when it comes to your kids starving…

Remember that building a survival garden or raising animals takes time and effort, but it can be a valuable investment in your long-term food security.

There are several steps you can take to make your home safer for survival in emergency situations:

1. Have an emergency kit: Prepare an emergency kit with essential items such as water, non-perishable food, first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, and a portable radio. Make sure to store it in a safe and easily accessible location. We preach this all the time, so we won’t belabor it here, but have varied kits for everyone.

2. Secure doors and windows: Install sturdy locks on doors and windows to prevent unauthorized entry. Consider reinforcing doors and windows with steel bars or shatter-resistant film to protect against forced entry or a vicious storm.

3. Create a safe room: Identify a safe room in your home where you can take shelter during extreme weather events or other emergencies. The room should be located in the interior of the house, away from windows, and have a sturdy door. This doubles as a safer place for hurricanes and tornados. Be sure to make it safe for fires too, with extinguishers, oxygen masks, water and fire blankets.

4. Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors: Make sure to install working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in every room of the house. There is some cool tech out there right now that can monitor everything in your house by getting a baseline measurement, then it can tell you if a light is out, a toilet is leaking, or a vent is not working.

5. Have a backup power source: Consider investing in a backup power source, such as a generator or solar panels, to provide power during power outages. I recommend many kinds— electric, gas, solar, and even hand crank—and have many sizes for different jobs.

6. Learn basic first aid: Learn basic first aid skills and keep a well-stocked first aid kit in your home. I recommend the Wilderness First Aid course as the very best a non-medical person can take; it allows you to do the most.

7. Practice emergency drills: Practice emergency drills with your family to ensure that everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. Make it fun, but do it at least once a year.

By taking these steps, you can help ensure that your home is a safe and secure place for survival in emergency situations. There are many gadgets, gizmos, and goodies that can make it easier and I highly recommend you do as much as you can.

Things will likely be very miserable, so there’s no need to make it more of a misery-fest than is necessary. That said, keep an eye on this space as we share lots of solutions for all these challenges.

Happy Survivalin’!

Mykel Hawke is the author of numerous survival books and has created and been featured in a variety of survival shows, including The Discovery Channel’s Man Woman Wild.

mykelhawke.com

Become A Prepper:

One of the best survival mantras I ever heard is the one I learned from my wife when she was the leader of my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. The Girl Scouts’ motto is “Be Prepared”—simple, easy to remember, to the point and maybe the best advice ever given. Be Prepared. Words to live by.

That is really all that a prepper is: someone who believes in being prepared for virtually anything. The term prepper is used almost derogatorily by some non-preppers to describe people who are wise enough to be prepared for many types and levels of emergencies. They invest the time, money, and effort required to provide food, water, shelter, and security for their loved ones in times of need. Preppers are quite often misunderstood and marginalized by

non-preppers, simply for wanting to be more self-reliant than those who believe it’s society’s responsibility to take care of their needs. This is pretty absurd when you think about it.

When a disaster occurs on a massive scale, you can expect the majority of first responders from your area to head toward the disaster location, leaving you to essentially fend for yourself if you are in need of assistance. Knowing the right time to bug out will help you avoid the traffic jams and gridlock that are sure to come with a mass evacuation.

So, if the “grasshoppers” prefer to be caught off guard and then have to go through the harrowing experience of trying to fend for themselves, competing against every other unprepared person around them, that’s their choice. They will learn the hard way that when all walks of life begin to compete for limited resources and no re-supply trucks or cargo planes are on the way, their survival is going to be an uphill battle.

The great advantage preppers have over grasshoppers is that they know it’s always better to plan for emergencies before they happen than to try to react after society’s fabric begins to unravel.

COMPREHENSIVE PLANS ARE BEST

Being prepared means taking steps to make some changes to your lifestyle. With a few simple adjustments, you can go from helplessly unprepared to being a full-fledged prepper.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine Practice your skills before you need to use them.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine Be sure to include your pet in all your emergency preparations.

Every journey is made up of individual steps. In the prepper’s case, some of these steps are: organizing your everyday carry kit; building a home— preparedness kit; having a survival kit in each of your vehicles; making a plan to survive in your home; developing a bug-out plan; and having primary and secondary bug-out locations to go to. You can’t just have a bug-out bag and think it is going to make everything okay. That is an incomplete plan.

The time to identify evacuation routes in the event of an emergency taking place near your home is now— not after it occurs. Be sure you have pre-determined rally points so that all the members of your family know where to go in the event an emergency forces you to abandon your home. A camper is a very cost-effective and efficient way to enhance your bug-out plan. You can pick up a used camper truck for a lot less than an average new pick-up.

Do you have life insurance? Do you have vehicle insurance? Do you have homeowner’s insurance? If you have all these reactive comprehensive arrangements in place, you should understand that the prepper’s proactive plans for when the crap hits the fan will have a greater impact on the quality of life and peace of mind their policies afford.

If your bug-out plan is to head for the hills, be sure to

put your plan into action in a full-blown rehearsal to help you identify seams and gaps in your plan. Make sure you take small children and elderly members of your family into consideration when mapping out your bug-out plan. It is a good idea to keep a pack in your vehicle with items you would need if forced to abandon your car and walk home or to your back-up location. Always have a good first aid kit on hand that contains all the things you could need in an emergency. In the event that you have no access to GPS technology, it’s a smart move to keep a detailed map or atlas that shows all the roads, trails, and obstacles between your home and your bug-out location.

ANATOMY OF A BUG-OUT PLAN

A bug-out plan is not something you should write on paper or brief your family on and then just forget about. It should be treated as a living, breathing plan of action, and it should be changed or revised each time circumstances change for you or someone in your party.

Have your kids gone off to college? You need to revise your plan and make one up with them for their new situation. Has someone in your party suffered a serious injury or contracted a long-term illness? If so, you will need to revise the plan. The more details that go into your plan and the better everyone in your group understands it, the better your chances will be of surviving.

One of the most effective acronyms I’ve ever used is

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine It’s a good idea to keep a pack in your vehicle with items you would need if forced to abandon your car.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine

One of the best survival mantras I ever heard comes from The Girl Scouts’ motto: “Be Prepared.”

KISS—“Keep It Short and Simple” (some know this acronym as “Keep It Simple, Stupid”). If your plan is too complicated, you increase the chances of someone in your group not remembering what to do. You should always keep your plans at a level that suits the lowest denominator of your party.

While there are literally hundreds of things you can do to create and improve on your personal bug-out plans, below are four of the most applicable lessons I’ve learned that give you the greatest odds of surviving and leading your family or group to safety.

Just keeping a bug-out bag by your door is not enough. You need to have a solid bug-out plan that is continually revised and improved upon.

BUG-OUT PLANS

Consider making a bug-out plan (BOP) that goes beyond just having a pre-packed bug-out bag (BOB) in your house.

In the U.S. Army Special Forces, one of the biggest differentiating factors between success and failure is detailed planning and rehearsals. We utilized something called MDMP (the “Military DecisionMaking Process”), along with CoA Development (“Course of Action Development”). These processes allow you to set specific criteria for success, develop several initial plans, scrutinize and grade each plan, and then take the best parts of each and combine them into your final plan of action.

Our goal was to spend no more than one-third of our time planning an operation so that we had twothirds of our time to rehearse it. When it comes to creating a good BOP, there is no reason you can’t apply MDMP, CoA, and the one-third/two-thirds rule.

One of the greatest mistakes some preppers make is that they limit themselves to a BOB and forego a BOP. The reality is that a BOB without a well-planned-out and rehearsed BOP is nothing more than a bag of stuff. Without a solid plan that includes rally points away from your home where everyone in your family or group should meet, along with a signal to let stray members of your group know you moved to an alternate or bug-out location, your chances of success decrease exponentially. And don’t forget to conduct after-action reviews (AARs) when you practice your plan to identify the parts you need to sustain or revise.

Make sure you have a way to communicate with all the members of your party in the event cell phone towers are not working. A line-of-sight radio, such as a walkie-talkie, is an excellent way to stay in contact when everyone is within relatively close proximity.

BUG-OUT BAGS

You can’t have just one! Instead of thinking of a BOB as a single item, think of it as a system of kits. Your main BOB should be kept where you spend the

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine

A camper is a very cost-effective and efficient way to enhance your bug-out plan.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine Put together an emergency preparedness kit for your home that contains all the things you will need in an emergency situation.

majority of your time. Your “bug-in” or “get-home” bag should stay in your vehicle and have the essential tools and gear to get you from your vehicle (should you have to abandon it) to your home. Your EDC (everyday carry) kit is nothing more than those essential items you should have on your person at all times; these might include a pistol, knife, smartphone, lighter, and your wallet.

In a perfect world, you will have to do nothing more than grab your BOB and run out of your house as soon as the SHTF. Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law says that your group will be separated from each other when an emergency hits. That’s why having each person kitted out with multiple bags described above is critical to surviving the threat.

Some things you should already have in your vehicle are jumper cables or a rechargeable jump-starter, a jack, lug wrench, functional spare tire, road flares, reflective vest, good first aid kit, paper map, and a flashlight.

Put together an emergency preparedness kit for your home that contains all the things you will need in an emergency situation.

HEADING FOR THE HILLS?

You’ll have to learn how to live off the land if your BOP is to head into the wilderness to survive

catastrophic events at home. There are many questions you need to address and honestly answer before you should consider yourself able to live off the land.

If you are planning on tackling Mother Nature in the event the SHTF, make sure you have the proper gear and the right training—or you might become another statistic.

With natural resources available in many parts of North America, if you don’t know exactly what you are doing, you could easily starve to death—while a virtual grocery store of untapped natural resources surrounds you, ripe for the taking. Without the knowledge to harvest these resources, you might as well be stranded on the moon.

Do you know how to find or construct a shelter or make a fire in a downpour? Do you know where to find water, and do you know how to make it safe to drink? Drinking raw water in a remote survival situation can be a fatal mistake.

Can you treat yourself and those in your party for illness and injury? A simple, unattended cut can become infected and kill a person just as surely as a bullet.

Be sure to include your pet in all your emergency

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine In the event that you have no access to GPS technology, it’s a smart move to keep a detailed map or atlas.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine

If your bug-out plan is to head for the hills, be sure to put your plan into action in a full-blown rehearsal.

preparations—especially food, water, medicine, and mode of transportation—in the event you have to bug out.

What about finding food? Do you know how to hunt, trap, snare, and fish, and are you able to process your harvest? Do you know which plants are edible and which ones are poisonous?

Are you able to maintain a secure environment? What kind of military, law enforcement, or other applicable tactical training do you have to protect yourself and those you love?

The point I want you to understand is that this array of skills takes quite some time to master, and you’ll need to have them in place before an emergency occurs. You need to do a thorough and honest selfevaluation about your skillset. Once you’ve identified areas you need to improve, get training and practice as if your life depends on it. Because one day, it might.

Don’t forget about anyone in your party with special needs when devising your bug-out plan.

HAVE A BACKUP PLAN

Another great acronym to remember is PACE (primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency). I’m not saying you have to come up with four unique bug-out plans. However, in many situations, one plan just won’t do.

Murphy’s Law proclaims, in essence, that anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst

possible time.

With that in mind, what if your plan is to hold in place, but before you start digging into your stockpile of MREs and freeze-dried food, Murphy’s tanks come rolling down your driveway? Guess what? It’s time to switch to Plan B, so you’d better have one. Chances are, if you don’t have at least one alternate bug-out location, you’re going to be up the creek without a paddle.

A rugged shelter in the woods might be at least a temporary home if you have to bug out of your primary location. You might not have the time or ability to bring a temporary shelter with you when you bug out, so be prepared to take advantage of materials you may find along the way.

Perhaps the most important advice I can give you is to not delay making a BOP just because you don’t think you have the time to create the perfect plan the first time.

U.S. Army General George S. Patton is quoted as having said, “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” When it comes to a BOP, start with the best plan you can come up with and use the techniques I have laid

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine

Knowing the right time to bug out will help you avoid the traffic jams and gridlock that are sure to come with a mass evacuation.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine

The time to identify evacuation routes in the event of an emergency taking place near your home is now—not after it occurs.

out to revise and improve it.

I hope you will never have to use your plan, but if you do, at least you will have the confidence of knowing it has been well-thought-out and rehearsed, giving you the greatest chances of surviving to live another day.

Remember: The Girl Scouts have it right— be prepared!

In many, if not most, survival situations, one plan will not be enough to respond to the challenges at hand. Be prepared for surprises by using this helpful PACE method to create viable alternatives to your ideal strategy.

P - PRIMARY

THE PLAN THAT IS MOST EFFICIENT AND HAS THE HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD OF ACHIEVING ALL GOALS IN A GIVEN SITUATION

A - ALTERNATE

SIMILAR TO THE PRIMARY PLAN BUT HAS EXPECTATIONS OF A SOMEWHAT LESS OPTIMAL OUTCOME

C - CONTINGENCY

LESS EFFICIENT THAN P AND A BUT STILL ACHIEVES

THE MAIN GOALS OF THE PRIMARY PLAN

E - EMERGENCY

OPTION OF LAST RESORT; LIKELY TO BE SLOWEST AND LEAST EFFICIENT WAY TO ACHIEVE THE MAIN GOALS OF THE PRIMARY PLAN

Brian M. Morris is the author of The Green Beret Survival Guide: Advice on Situational Awareness, Personal Safety, Recognizing Threats, and Avoiding Terror and Crime and The Green Beret Bushcrafting Guide: The Eight Pillars of Survival in Any Situation

JMDynamic.com

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine Be sure you have pre-determined rally points so all the members of your family know where to go in the event an emergency forces you to abandon your home.

Photo by American Survival Guide Magazine Just keeping a bug-out bag by your door is not enough. You need to have a solid bug-out plan that is continually revised and improved upon.

MY MUSTHAVES FOR SURVIVAL ON THE GO

My goal with my must-haves is being able to survive in an urban or wilderness setting if “shtf” and I am away from home. I planned for three days with an eye towards longer terms for a really bad situation. What I have in my “bug-out/git home bag” in the car at all times:

1. Water: A Nalgene 32 oz (1L) water bottle, filled, and a Roving Blue O-Pen or GO-3 to refill using surface waters.

2. Shelter: An ultralight tent and sleeping bag, Patagonia down jacket, rain poncho, change of clothes, hiking boots in summer, winter boots in winter.

3. Food/Food prep: Three-day food supply (partly consisting of quick energy bars, freeze-dried meals, and pasta), mini rocket stove, pot set, spork.

4. Protection: Kimber micro 9 and ammo (I conceal carry); compact .22 rifle and ammo.

5. Tools: a Leatherman Wave, spool of paracord, cigarette lighter, fire kit, flashlight, compass, hand axe, bolt cutter.

6. Fishing: Fishing pole and tackle.

7. Comms: Baofeng handheld ham radio, AM/ FM/shortwave/weather radio.

8. Medical: First aid kit and meds.

9. Navigation: Garmin Rino, compass.

10. Reference materials: Topo map book of the state of Wisconsin, Mykel Hawke and Douglas Boudreau’s Foraging for Survival book.

Photo by Garmin Combining map-guided trail navigation with two-way radio communication, the Rino 750 and 755t handhelds bring a whole new level of confidence to your outdoor adventures. (garmin.com)

Photo by Yana DeMyer

Photo by Yana DeMyer

Photo by Leatherman

The Wave has 18 multi-purpose tools that can be opened and locked quickly and conveniently to tackle most any task. (leatherman.com)

Photo by Yana DeMyer

Example of a small axe with paracord, both of which are basic essentials in survival gear.

A VERY BERRY SAMPLER: Edible Berries in the Wild

1. Beautyberry – Used to make jellies and wines, a vital food source for wildlife, it is edible for consumption in small amounts. Its berry growth is of the more unusual manner, clusters growing on the plant stems.

2. Elderberry – Commonly used in medicinal applications as well as juices, jams, pies, and wine, it should be cooked; leaves, stems, bark, and roots are toxic.

3. Mulberry – Is sweet and juicy and packed with vitamin C; used in pies, cordials, and teas. It is also endowed with beneficial minerals and antioxidants.

4. Staghorn Sumac – Unlike the itchy variant of sumac, the staghorn is edible and tasty with a lemony flavor. High in vitamins A and C, it has long been used as a medicinal herb. Red in color, it differentiates from the poisonous variety, which is white.

5. Surinam Cherry – Technically a fruit and considered an invasive species by some, it ranges from pale green to bright red. As with most berries and fruits, the unripe green ones are tart; the dark red ones are tangy and sweet.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Dmitry Bukhantsov

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by healthbenefitstimes.com

6. Wild Black Cherry – Sweet and delicious, these are smaller than traditional cherries and grow from trees that can become tall and full, favored by multitudes of birds.

7. Creeping Cucumber – Can almost resemble a tiny watermelon in its unripe state, which is when it’s safe to consume. Avoid the darkened purple-to-black ripe stage as it is then a powerful laxative.

8. Foot Fruit – While the fruit itself is edible and sweet, the plant and seeds are toxic. The pulp and skin—red, blue, or purple—can be eaten raw or cooked.

9. Huckleberry – Sweet and tart, it is rich in antioxidants and contains more beneficial compounds than some other berries.

10. Black Chokeberry – Though astringent in the raw, it can be cooked for use in baking and in jams, jellies, syrups, tea, juices, and wine. It is also vitamin- and antioxidant-rich with immunity-boosting properties.

11. Muscadine – is a grapevine species with a thick skin ranging in color from gold to purple and black. It is a source of vitamin B2, high in riboflavin and fiber, and used to make muscadine wine.

12. Gooseberry – These grow on bushes and are green to red to purple, varying between tart and sweet. A cup contains nearly 50% of the daily value of vitamin C.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Andie Kolbeck

Photo by MrGajowy3

Photo by lifeonthestoop

Photo by Flora F

Wake up, grab your bag…we have to get out of the house right now! There’s a fire, and it’s a big one. We’re losing everything…take only what you have ready now or we may die!

This scenario could happen to anyone at any time. It doesn’t have to be a fire. The nightmare scenario for any parent could be caused by floods, storms, riots, or worse. The cause is not the point. The PLAN is.

I’ll start with a confession. When I was a younger father, and an actively serving Green Beret (U.S. Army Special Forces), I took the remit to do my mission very seriously and it spilled over into my family life, too. That may be good or not so good, depending on how you view it. For being ready? We were tight. For being a bit too harsh? Yep, that’s right. Let me explain.

For an example—and this is a true story—I used to train my young sons, maybe ages 8 and 6, how to respond to a fire if Dad was deployed and Mom was unconscious from smoke inhalation. The eldest was trained to drag an 80-pound duffle bag, representing his unconscious mother, off the couch and low crawl out the front door. The younger was taught to reach for the phone—yes, before cell phones—and take it to the floor below the smoke, dial 911 and answer questions about the fire, his address, number of people, status of people, and then leave the phone off the hook and low crawl out the front door to join his brother and mother. To make it worse, we did this at night, while asleep, while being timed…all after training of course. And this was just one thing. There were more.

Photo by Annie Spratt Young boy practicing navigation.

I still hold to those high standards and principles with my younger son, thank God, but I have softened my approach significantly, choosing fun over force, especially with kids and family. I find they like that better, and so do I. And for what it’s worth, I think kids learn better that way, too. When it’s fun, they engage, they ask questions, they imagine, and that gets them to buy in. Which makes it better in the long run, a lot more pleasant, and a much fonder family memory.

Now, if I only had a short time, a harder approach might be warranted. But in general, when it comes to the family, a softer, loving approach is usually best. So, with that, I wanted to share an introduction to Family Survival Training Strategies I’ve developed and used over the years in the hope it may be of use and benefit to some.

That said, it’s far beyond the scope of this article or any article, to tell you exactly what to teach and how to train your family, as that will be a unique case by case story. I have been teaching survival to families, couples, and kids for 30 years, and they have been custom tailored as every family is unique. So, while I can’t give you exact answers, I can give you a great overview that will help you, as the family leaders, to better plan and conduct your own training. But first, let’s discuss time.

Before you can really make your annual training schedule for you family, you have to make a realistic assessment of how much time you have to work with. Some folks do home schooling and they can likely spend all the time they want on any subjects they choose. Some folks have kids in school, with part- and full-time jobs, and time is a precious commodity. So, I’ll try to keep this as a big picture concept. I have full faith you smart folks out there can take the ball and run with it from there.

I do recommend for everyone, regardless of your time constraints, to schedule one weekend a year for Family Survival Fun. You may camp out in the backyard, or if you live in a city, try camping out in your apartment. Just don’t use any electricity, gas, or running water. Turn off the air conditioner or heaters, too. Make it as rustic and fun as possible.

With the minimal one weekend a year, it is much more viable to do, no matter who you and your kids are. It is much more sustainable, too, as almost everyone has one weekend a year to play with. Now, when I say a weekend, I mean like a long, three-day weekend.

Why? Because I have learned over years of teaching, doing, living, and learning survival, that after three days, the fun meter (aka misery factor) is definitely

Photo by Mykel Hawke Mykel Hawke teaching son, Gabe, first aid.

maxed out and everyone is sick of it, ha! But also, the practical aspect is very solid; if you can do the right things to survive the first 72 hours, chances are very high you can keep doing that as long as it takes to keep surviving. Statistics show that most folks are rescued within three days (if rescue happens, at all).

But that doesn’t mean you need a heavy commitment to three days. I encourage folks to start light and easy and just have one night, with the full day before—and this is key—the full day after. This way you really start to figure out what you know and don’t know, have and don’t have, need and don’t need. And from those three key things, you find where you’re strong so you can shore up and reinforce, and where you’re weak and need other supplies, skills, and/or training.

Remember, the name of the game is fun first. Trust yourselves, and you will get the learning needed. From that, you can plan the rest of the training you need for the year. For example, you may learn you need a few more options for ways to purify water, so you need a few more supplies or items in your kit(s). Or you may find that your fire making skills have gotten rusty, so you need to practice that more. Or you might find you’re wholly lacking in navigation skills, so you need to seek out some training.

By doing this one night over a weekend fun survival at home operation, you’re conducting an assessment, analysis, and review in order to establish priorities of work, acquisition of logistics, and coordination of training schedules for the remainder of the year. This gives you a comprehensive approach to your mission planning for family survival.

Once you have a baseline assessment of your capabilities, you have to address your threats. What are they? Do you live in a place prone to drought, blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes, or fires? Figure out ALL the potential threats you face, then begin researching countermeasures that work for you, your time constraints, and budgetary limitations.

The last aspect of preparing your personal family survival plan is to do an honest assessment of your own assets. How many kids do you have? How old are they? What are their physical and mental propensities? I’ve learned you can train anyone and

Photo by Maël Balland

Everyone, even the pets, have a purpose and a place on your team. Make them all valued participants.

Photo by Yogendra Singh Schedule one weekend a year for Family Survival Fun.

everyone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the best or even reliable. So work with their strengths and compensate for their weakness. Everyone, even the pets, have a purpose and a place on your team. Make them all valued participants.

When it comes to survival, everyone has skin in the game and everyone’s part helps, and that matters. Remember, they’re not soldiers, they’re family. They’ll be worried, maybe even afraid. Fatigue is to be expected and sickness is a likely possibility. Make backup plans for every person and everything.

Finally, the Eight Pillars of Survival are Food, Water, Fire, Shelter, Communication, Medication, Navigation, and Protection. With these guidelines, you can deduce what your needs are and then your budget will determine what your supplies need to be. You work with what you have to make sure everyone knows as much as their capacity allows. That means cross-training for everyone. Teach your youngest how to start a fire—lighters are fine—and teach them how to do basic first aid, even if just on themselves.

All of these shared methods are tried and true, battle tested, special ops-style principles for making a sound training plan for anyone and everything, and they will certainly enhance whatever your current family plans are.

In future issues, I will offer up some suggested family survival outings and itineraries with skills and drills to practice, techniques to make the learning fun for kids, and recommendations for gear.

Mykel and Ruth Hawke are the authors of Family Survival Guide: The Best Ways for Families to Prepare, Train, Pack, and Survive Everything.

Photo by Bambi Corro

Teach your youngest how to start a fire.

Photo by Greg Rosenke

Remember, the name of the game is fun first.

RECOMMENDED SURVIVAL FILMS

By Mykel Hawke

I’m often asked what my favorite survival movies are, and as you’ll see here, I have a long and growing list…and I’m sure I’ve missed more than a few. What makes a good survival flick? Being both a teacher and a student of the lifestyle, I like to see credibility and action that informs, but when a film is also entertaining or even light-hearted, it has the added potential of engaging many of the less knowledgeable, particularly kids.

While some films get it right, or mostly right, and others stray a bit too far into the Hollywood lane, there are usually good lessons and things to learn.

The one component common to all the best survival films is the psychology you will read often in the pages here, from me and other experts in the field, many times over, because even without tools and

skills, the one thing that is most important to survival is the indomitable will of the human spirit… to never give up!

So have a survival movie night with the family, enjoy and learn together, use it as a springboard for discussion and to incorporate preparedness in your household. Grab some popcorn!

Photo by Freepik

So have a survival movie night with the family, enjoy and learn together, use it as a springboard for discussion and to incorporate preparedness in your household. Grab some popcorn!

127 Hours

A Man Called Horse

A Quiet Place Against the Ice

Alive

All is Lost

Beast

Black Water: Abyss

Captain Fantastic

Castaway

Centigrade

Contagion

Defiance

Desierto

Finch

Gold

Gravity

Greenland

Hacksaw Ridge

Hannah’s War

Hart’s War

Hidalgo

Horizon Line

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunted

I am legend Into the wild

Io Jeremiah Johnson

JoJo Rabbit

Kon Tiki

Life of Pi

Lord of the Flies

Master and Commander

Meander

Miracles Still Happen

Moonfall

Mud

Open Water

Oxygen

Papillion

Prey

Rabbit Proof Fence

Red Dawn

Rescue Dawn

Robinson Crusoe

Shackleton

Special Forces

The Book of Eli

The Bounty

The Decline

The Donner Party

The Great Escape

The Grey

The Jungle

The Martian

The Mountain Between

The Omega Man

The Pilot

The Rescue

The Revenant

The Road

The Way Back

Thirteen Lives

Touching the Void

Unbroken

Waterworld

Wings of Hope

by Everett Collection

PRODUCT REVIEWS:

GEERTOP, DARK ENERGY, AND HULTS BRUK ALMIKE

By EJ Snyder

When it comes to the outdoors and gear, I try to never cut corners, and the gear I take out into the wild has to be good, reliable, durable, and make life a bit better or more efficient. One relies a lot on their gear out on an adventure, especially when it comes to survival. I remember back in the army when the flavor of the day was lighter kit (gear) because, as I said, ounces equal pounds and pounds can equal misery. I was in the light infantry, a foot soldier, so we would try to find lighter but high-quality gear to use. It sure paid off, because it allowed us to move faster and farther and have less wear and tear on our bodies. It’s a lesson I have kept with me ever since, and still use today. So, I was recently at two trade shows, SHOT and the Great American Outdoor, both of which showcase the latest and greatest gear coming out. It’s how I start every year, always on the lookout for good gear to update my kit. Here are some of the items I plan to try out this year to see if they make my permanent gear list.

GEERTOP Wood Burning Camping Rocket Stove: I really love stoves like this for their portability, being made of durable, rustproof, high-quality stainless steel and able to fold up flat at approximately 6” X 9” with a weight of 0.78 kg… that’s a winner. The other great thing about these stoves is you don’t have to purchase or carry fuel for them, as you can just process wood in the field for it. They can also use coal, dry leaves, or sticks as fuel. This rocket stove is designed and upgraded by using the chimney-effect concept. It burns more efficiently and saves fuel. By starting combustion, hot air rises and cold air is sucked up more and more from below, creating a draft phenomenon to improve combustion utilization efficiency and create powerful thermal power. It is easy to assemble and cooks things faster and more efficiently, and uses less wood to get the job done. It disassembles quickly and stores easily taking up little room. See it on Amazon.

Photo by Amazon (geertop.com)

DARK ENERGY Poseidon Pro Battery Pack: I am rough as hell when it comes to electronics, and being in the outdoors in all kinds of weather conditions and rugged terrain, I have destroyed battery packs and been left with the inability to recharge critical gear like GPS, sat phones, etc. That can be a life-threatening situation in an emergency. No Bueno! So, when I linked up with Dark Energy and found this battery pack, I was stoked. Super tough and durably built with Armor Flex technology, these things are said to have survived being crushed by 1,000-plus pounds, falls from 75-plus feet, and even the shock of high explosives. Now that’s tough, and its outer shell is made of resilient, steel-like polymer that has been tested to the extreme. Rated at IP68, it lists the capability to be underwater for 45-plus minutes. This will truly be the last charger I will ever need, with its cutting-edge engineering giving it an incredible ability to long life, with the capability of retaining 70-80% of its life up to 3-plus years (and they even froze it in a block of ice for four weeks). It really has been tested to the max, and I was seriously impressed with it. It is a power bank with 37.74 WH (10,000 MAH) power capacity, is longlasting, and gives the ability to recharge many items for longer periods. It is only the size of a smartphone and weighs approximately 9.6 ounces. Its Power Pulse technology also charges items faster than the average battery pack. It currently comes in high-visibility orange, black, and camo colors, and heir cool Carabiner Pro has a knife and several tools. See it on Dark Energy.

HULTS BRUK ALMIKE Hatchet: I love a good pack axe and Hults Bruk has been handcrafting them in Sweden since 1697 and are well respected within the axe community. It comes with a 16-inch curved hickory shaft handle, offering great leverage for tree felling, chopping wood, and light-duty outdoor tasks such as pounding stakes, making kindling, and other chores. The one-pound Swedish steel head is designed to maintain its sharp edge and, when not in use, is protected by an included leather sheath. Not a bad little powerhouse coming in at 1.75 pounds. See it on Amazon.

Photo by Hults Bruk Almike (https://hultsbruk1697.se/)

Photo by Dark Energy (darkenergy.com)

The Denial Bubble

Statistically, the United States ranks second in countries with the most natural disasters, according to statista.com. According to fbi.gov, recently there was a 4.1% rise in violent crime in the U.S. totaling over $1.2 million. There is also the continued looming and growing threat of domestic terrorism that must be considered. According to an article by the Washington Post, “a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) survey found that nearly 60 percent of American adults have not practiced what to do in a disaster by participating in a disaster drill or preparedness exercise at work, school, or home in the past year. Further, only 39 percent of respondents have developed an emergency plan and discussed it with their household. This is despite the fact that 80 percent of Americans live in counties that have been hit with a weather-related disaster since 2007.” Even with all these facts, it seems that to most Americans still don’t pay attention. FEMA highlights that people still choose to be oblivious, nonchalant or just plain irrational about the importance of preparedness, even on a small scale and although faced with real facts and life altering disasters that have touch us, friends or family members. In my research, I have found names for this behavior like “Normalcy Bias,” which is explained as a way for the brain to deal with a traumatic experience by leading us to believe all is okay or believing that bad things will never happen to us.

A much more common, longer used and more direct name for this type of behavior is, “Denial.”

According to Sigmund Freud, a 19th century neurologist, denial is classified as a defense mechanism. He categorizes denial in 3 main categories.

1. Simple Denial – This is when someone is in denial that something unpleasant is happening

2. Minimization – This is when someone admits an unpleasant fact but denies its seriousness

3. Projection – This is when someone admits an unpleasant fact and the seriousness of it but chooses to not take responsibility for it or blames someone else for it.

First, simple denial. Often, when we hear about traumatic or stressful situations, we hear the phrase from the people who lived through them: “I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.” Sure, if you are like me you, have thought to yourself “well, why could you not believe it was happening? Bad things happen to good people all the time?” I believe that which has happened in our society is that people’s lives have become so busy, disconnected and full of alternative options that it becomes more and more easy to consciously and subconsciously avoid negative experiences. Slowly, our lives become one sided allowing us to experience only the things we feel are pleasant. When we feel something may be unpleasant, we avoid it or remove ourselves from it. This creates the illusion that we are safe from the things that we don’t want to happen. The illusion that somehow we are in complete control of our total experiences in the world.

However, when the unavoidable truth of something bad happening interrupts our lives, we can’t believe it is happening because it is not something we chose to happen. An easy example of this is something we do at our martial arts seminars.

We sometimes use aggressive language with people who normally don’t deal with this in their life. The result is that people freeze, or they need a break because they simply aren’t used to the projection of energy given off by aggressive language. People just cannot believe that it is real when something like this happens because it is not their normal reality. So, they deny it and usually that means they don’t act. This happens in survival and disaster preparation as well. People are so far removed from the idea that they will not have water or power that they choose not to prepare. This is because it is not a real threat to them, since they have never allowed themselves to be in a situation like this, which leads to not believing a situation like this is possible.

Second is minimization. My first overwhelming experiences with this were in the Army. From everything to jumping out of planes, to getting an ankle twisted very badly while on a night land navigation course. In order to keep up with the group, a soldier would often minimize his or her injuries. “Yeah, I hit the ground really hard and landed on my hip weird; it hurts but I’m okay,” as they are barely able to walk away. When it comes to disaster this happens when people repress situations they, or their families, lived through. You will know what I’m talking about if either you, or someone you know, lost everything in a flood or lost heat and power during a storm. Immediately after you suffered through it you probably told everyone how horrible it was and how you, or the person you know, was on the precipice of not making it, but then help came or things were restored. The difficulty is made clear, yet after a few months have passed it just becomes a cool story. One that after each time you tell it, the power of the experience becomes more a fairytale and distant, than a real event that lasts in a way that invokes action to minimize it from ever happening again.

The survivor who uses the minimization type of denial when telling stories about distressing situations in the past make statements such as, “yeah that was a little scary, but I was fine.” However, the people who talked to them after the event heard a very different story which normally sounds way more dramatic and dyer.

Repression is tempting because few want to remember their hardships, especially hardships that were made significantly worse based on their lack of action and preparation. It then becomes a cycle because, instead of acknowledging this fact using it to act, they avoid the truth as a way to not have to acknowledge their failures.

Thirdly is projection. It has happened so many times that it has become like a bad joke. A storm is reported to be moving towards an area and the people are warned to leave that area. However, instead of leaving the area the people choose to stay. Segments on the news show locals stating, “I don’t think it will be that bad,” or “I’ll just ride it out.” Then the storm comes, and those areas are decimated and some of those same people end up on the news complaining about

Photo by Ractapopulous

how long it took for rescue to come or how little help they are getting when it comes to medical care, food and shelter. Those of us watching feel bad for them but often wonder why they didn’t leave when the warnings went out, or at least prepare. The answer is summed up in a word, but it is not simple at all. The reason some of these people chose to not follow the advice of officials is called “projection.” Projection, as mentioned earlier, is a state of denial where someone acknowledges the seriousness of a situation but refuses to take action or responsibility. Common aspects of how projection can manifest are as follows:

• People can, and will, procrastinate because it is not immediate. A simple way to see this in action is to look at the field of investing. A study done by Northwestern Mutual showed that 58% of American’s feel their financial efforts need improvement and 34% have done nothing to plan for their financial future. We live in such a here and now environment that the idea of seriously planning for something that will happen in the future is not something we feel we prioritize or take action on.

• People will sometimes not take action because the task or outcome is so big that they have a hard time imagining an outcome and thus a solution. Without actually living through a disaster, it is tough to understand the level of devastation one could cause in your town. Sometimes the thoughts of this type of thing can initiate procrastination or rationalization. People will often push the responsibility off to a perceived authority. I have

read statements where people say stuff like “that’s why I pay taxes, so emergency responders can be equipped to help in a disaster.” I have also heard people submit to the concept that “I would just die.” It is understandable that if it is out of a person’s scope of life, it becomes tough to imagine a solution or outcome. However, this excuse was much more applicable before streaming news and the internet. Now, it is too easy to see and learn about the effects of natural disasters. This takes a lot of the guess work out of it. Disasters are still a big deal, but seeing their effects gives a reality-based example that can be used to determine response to a possible threat in a person’s area.

• Often a response to an issue can be tempered by social acceptance by people who’s opinions we value. If a friend or neighbor feels like it is not an issue, we may not believe it is an issue. People follow other’s behaviors. If a person is unsure of what to buy at the grocery store for survival during a pending disaster, then when they see people buying milk and bread, that’s what they buy. In my hometown of Fayetteville NC, I am always surprised at how the milk and bread shelf goes empty during a severe storm warning. People don’t take into account that perishable items are not good choices as they spoil quickly, especially things that should be refrigerated. They also put too much energy towards things with low nutritional value. There are better choices, but they are not commonly known and thus people will see someone else buying something and decide that is what they will buy.

There are some Simple Solutions. People will argue many points about why they aren’t prepared and as I’ve shown earlier in this article, it can often just be denial. Let me first state that it is okay to be skeptical about what could and will happen, but to flat out deny things that are happening and that have happened is where things become unhealthy and dangerous. You don’t have to become a disaster guru or a doomsday prepper to be prepared for a natural disaster. All you need is a slight change in mindset and small actions that will lead to big results if something does happen. Below I list four small things you can do to help defend yourself against this unhealthy “disaster denial” and to prepare for a possible storm:

Photo by Polina Zimmerman

1. First just accept that it is a good idea to have some bare essentials around the house, just in case you need them. Having some extra bottles of water and first aid essentials can’t hurt. If you live in a cold climate, having a way to stay warm without electricity is never a bad idea either. You can normally go three weeks without food, so for most Americans who suffer a disaster, they will be able to get food within this time. However, if you have a baby you may want to have some extra food around.

2. Second, accept the fact that disasters are real and can and will happen in your area. Turn on the news and you will see disasters happening everywhere. It may not be today or tomorrow, but they will happen close to you at some point. If you can accept this truth, it will make facing the shock of a disaster a lot easier to overcome and thus improve your response time.

3. Thirdly, find out what disasters have happened in your area. They may not have happened recently, but most areas have had, or are susceptible to, some sort of disaster. Unlike 25 years ago when you would possibly have to go to a library to figure this out, now the answer is one Google search away. Once you have your answer, come up with some small preparations to help your situation during an event like this. If you are unsure, take another minute or so and do a Google search for this as well.

4. Fourth, don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed or burnt out. The only time things get really serious is when the storm is upon you. Think of training to be fit or studying for a degree. None of this happens overnight. This is a marathon not a sprint. Gradually get to a point where you feel comfortable. If not, you will burn out and end up further away from success. I have read that most people fail to follow through with stopping bad habits because they change to drastically, too soon, and they also fail to replace bad habits with good ones. People who follow these guidelines tend to have more success than people who don’t. Instead of trying to become a full-on disaster prepper tomorrow and wiping out your bank account to buy a bunker in the hills and stock it with food and ammo, start simple. Take a cheap two-hour self-defense class every few months and

buy an extra case of water once every month. Once you have six cases, or whatever number you choose, start the process of drinking the oldest case and replacing it with a new one. Follow this same process with canned foods. Take a one-day survival class with your parks and recreation group, especially if you are not an outdoor-person, this way you don’t have to campout and you are not too far from home. Buy a pack of lighters and candles once every year. Soon, you will find that you will start to build a strong emergency kit and it was a smooth and painless process.

As we become more technologically advanced and wrapped into our digital reality, our physical reality becomes much less pressing. We don’t experience danger the same way or fear the same way. We are quick to remove ourselves from environments we don’t enjoy or that make us uncomfortable. Our new belief is that real is only what we want real to be, and facts are only what we choose to believe. Unfortunately, when life and nature show us the contrary, we find ourselves grossly underprepared and at a loss. Not because we were not warned, but because we chose not to act and to deny the reality of nature. Unlike our ancestors who focused heavily on nature to survive, modern people lack the need to listen to what nature has to say. This is due to the artificial environment that we have created, which allows us to hide from the voice of nature until she throws a disaster tantrum that can’t be ignored. It is then that we recognize our mistake; when it is too late. So, I ask you, “what are you going to do with this knowledge? Will you shrug this off as a good read, or will you plan for a brighter future in your darkest moment by taking some small steps to prepare yourself for what could come?” Today is the day you no longer deny it, but you defy it! Be as ready as you are comfortable with; just start your preparation!

Three weeks without food, three days without water, three seconds without hope. Under extreme conditions this is how long humans can survive without these essential components. Hope is a mindset and arguably one of the most precious survival resources available. It can be defined as a combination of optimism and realism and may best be understood by way of the “Stockdale Paradox.” The name refers to Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was the highest-ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” during the Vietnam War. During his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale was tortured, starved, stripped of his rights, had no set release date, and no certainty as to whether he would survive to see his family again. When asked in an interview, “who were the ones who didn’t make it?” His response was, “The optimists.” Hope doesn’t replace preparation and hard work. Relying on false hope and the utilization of denial as a coping strategy is dangerous. Through his experience, Stockdale determined that a survivor “must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” as written in Jim Collins’ bestselling book, Good to Great.

A survivor is adaptable and resilient. They possess a keen ability to see the big picture while focusing on small and obtainable goals towards progress; refusing to be discouraged by setbacks. A survivor will do whatever necessary to overcome any challenge; they don’t know quit. Simultaneously, a survivor is acutely aware of the reality they face, if they are lost, they recognize and accept that they

are lost. If they are injured, they accept that they are injured. Acceptance of reality prompts action necessary for survival.

Maintaining hope in a survival situation can quite literally be the difference between life and death. “Give-up-itis” is a term that was coined by medical officers during the Korean War. They described it as a condition where a person develops extreme apathy, gives up hope, relinquishes the will to live and dies, despite the lack of an obvious physical cause. This concept is described in more detail in the article Give-up-itis: when people just give up and die by John Leach, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. The medical officers witnessed some of the prisoners within just a few weeks, begin to refuse food and become mute and unresponsive before they “turned their faces to the wall” and died. The result of losing hope or surrendering to give-upitis is psychogenic death or, in other words, literally thinking oneself to death. Our minds have profound capabilities to control our bodies, understanding the mind-body connection and our instinctual stress responses is one of the best ways to prepare for and increase chances of survival.

When humans experience stress or encounter danger, our sympathetic nervous system, or what I call our primitive brain, takes control. The amygdala is considered the center of the brains defense system. As advanced as us humans feel we are, when it comes down to it, we are just animals. When we sense danger, our response is primal. In a survival situation the amygdala signals our body to prepare for fight, flight, or freeze. In doing so, physiological

and hormonal changes happen involuntarily. Our blood pressure and heart rate increase to supply more oxygen to our major muscle groups, pain perception lowers, hearing sharpens and vision narrows by almost 70%, according to Psychology of Survival by Robert

B. Kauffman.

Cortisol released from the adrenal gland interferes with the capacity for complex reasoning and problem solving. These changes make us intensely aware of danger while inhibiting the mind from taking the time to access long term memory. This makes it possible to react in an instant. This is one reason why practicing a skill until it becomes muscle memory can be hugely beneficial in stressful situations. This primal response to stress is key to survival, however, after a traumatic incident or under situations of consistent stress, the bodies nervous system can get stuck in panic mode or in a chronic state of fight or flight. If stuck in this state, the survivor will have a more difficult time with problem solving and the use of logic and reasoning, making it difficult to maintain a positive mental attitude, plan, prepare and take action. One way to combat this is to strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system. It is designed to calm the body down after a stressful situation or remain calm when faced with danger. The Vagus Nerve is the longest cranial nerve found only in mammals. It connects the brain stem to the rest of the body. A healthy Vagus Nerve means calmer responses to stress and increased resilience. As stated above, a survivor’s ability to pull through trauma and bounce back from failure or disappointment is critical. It doesn’t take the biggest, strongest, or most skilled survivor to overcome the most extreme and dire circumstances, it takes true grit and the mastery of psychological strength.

Outlined here are some suggestions to help strengthen the survival mindset and increase resilience and mental fortitude. These are tools that will not only help you in your everyday life, but, in the case of an extreme emergency or survival situation, could determine the outcome for better or worse.

Preparation - Knowledge of the environments, terrain, natural resources, threats, shelter building, fire craft,

Photo by Tntk

food and water procurement, etc. are all extremely beneficial skills for a survivor’s toolkit. Practicing the skills to muscle memory will assist the survivor in responding appropriately when the fight/flight response is engaged. Remember, knowledge is beneficial, but application is best. Continuously find ways to challenge your skills and mindset. Pursue activities in your daily life that push you outside of your comfort zone and present the risk of failure. The goal is to experience failure, disappointment and stress as often as possible in a safe and controlled environment. Exposure training in therapy is a leading intervention in overcoming anxiety and phobias, guiding individuals on how to better control their stress response. In military SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) programs, students are exposed to the discomforts of wilderness survival, simulated capture and resistance, simulated downed aircrafts and under water egress. These scenarios are designed to test their knowledge, apply their skills and train their brains to respond appropriately to intense and dangerous situations. Virtual exposure therapy is being utilized by the Navy Seals to train for combat in studies for prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder. All of this training is designed to prepare and strengthen the survival mindset and increase one’s ability to bounce back quickly. There are other opportunities to help manage and strengthen the

stress response is through meditation, yoga and martial arts. All of these activities help one practice mindfulness of the mind-body connection, strengthen the Vagus Nerve and develop the skills to regulate the nervous system and increase resilience from trauma/stress.

Planning - Develop courses of action and determine what you need in order to execute them. Supplies, currency, logistics, medical, communication etc. Be constantly conscious of what could go wrong and whether you are prepared to handle it appropriately. Have a plan as well as a contingency plan. When the situation changes, have a well thought out strategy of where to go, how to meet needs, mentally cope and more. Remember, it is better to have a plan and not need it, then need a plan and not have it. Keep your head on a swivel, pay attention to detail and continue to assess danger and plan accordingly. The benefits of planning are that it provides the survivor with direction, confidence, stability and reinforces the positive mental attitude and the will to survive.

Execution - When you experience conflict or disappointment in everyday life, how high does your stress meter get? If you find yourself losing your cool often, staying upset, or ruminating on the negative, you may not do as well in a survival situation as you

Photo by Bethany Bowater

might think. When failures, setbacks, or disappointing events happen, I encourage you to notice what is happening with regard to that mindbody connection. First, do a body scan. Start from the top of your head and notice everything that is happening within your body. Is your face hot/ flushed? Is your jaw tight? Is your heart beating faster? Is your stomach in a knot? What is happening to your body temperature, knees, fingers and toes? Pausing and practicing this mindfulness technique will begin to calm the nervous system down. Another way to strengthen your Vagus Nerve is through diaphragmatic breathing exercises.

Here is an example of how to engage in a diaphragmatic breathing, from an article by Theodora Blanchfield, AMFT, a marriage and family therapist trainee as well as a mental health writer.

How to do diaphragmatic breathing (deep breathing)

1. Begin with one hand over the heart and one hand over the belly.

2. Breathe in through your nose and let the air fill your belly. Keep your hands on your heart and belly and observe how the one on your belly moves while the one on your heart should stay the same.

3. Draw your navel in towards your spine as you exhale as if you were blowing out birthday candles.

4. Feel as the hand on your belly slides down to its original position.

5. Repeat this three to five times to start, noting how you feel after each time.

Next do a mind scan. What is your self-talk like? Do you speak to yourself with compassion, understanding and encouragement or do you call yourself names and have self-defeating thoughts? Many people struggle with cognitive distortions, or thoughts that are extremely unhelpful and selfdeprecating. Here is a list of just a few:

Polarized thinking: “All or nothing” or black and white thinking patterns, inability to acknowledge that two things can be true at once.

Overgeneralization: Focusing on a negative event and making conclusions based on that single piece of negative evidence.

Catastrophizing: When a thought is over-exaggerated or diminished. Instantly believing the worst-case scenario will happen with little evidence to support the thought. Or minimization of the positives.

Control Fallacies: Control fallacies can go two ways. An individual either feels responsible for everything and holds all the control or blame when things don’t go right, or the individual believes they have no control over anything that occurs in their life.

Heaven’s Reward Fallacy: The belief that good things will happen to good people or that one will be rewarded based on how hard they work. This cognitive distortion will leave its believers constantly disappointed, frustrated and even resentful.

How many of these cognitive distortions do you fall prey to in everyday life? Our thoughts have an impact on our behaviors as well as our feelings and mood. The moment negative thoughts, self-doubt, or cognitive distortions enter your mind it is important to quickly reverse it into a more adaptive and helpful thought. For example, change “I won’t ever get this fire started” to “I didn’t get this fire started this time, let me come back to it and try again.” Assess how well you handled that stressful situation and decide how you can adapt and do better next time.

Adaptation - Constantly analyzing and monitoring your reactions and making necessary changes to be more successful. Heighten your awareness of how you respond to stress. Maybe log it in a journal. Take note of what happens in your body and practice different techniques to find which ones works best for you. Reassess early and often during your preparation, planning and execution to see where you need to improve and then tackle it.

Understanding the psychology of survival and developing a stout survival mindset is an invaluable resource for anyone who finds themselves in an extreme or dangerous situation. It has been consistently proven that no matter the size, age, physical strength or skillset a person possesses, if the individual loses hope and the will to survive, their chances diminish greatly. The human mind is profound in its ability push through and overcome the most austere circumstances. The body’s natural defense system is nothing short of a real-life superpower. Understanding the mind/body connection and working to become a psychological juggernaut takes practice and consistency. The tools and techniques discussed within this article to develop a healthy nervous system will increase resiliency and improve the overall mental health of those who practice them. Whether we find ourselves in the elements, battling mother nature or surviving a world that is growing more uncertain every day, a survivor will never discount the importance of mental fortitude and developing the survival mindset in all that they do.

Winter Survival Fishing

During the colder winter months, forage is extremely limited and game animals can be scarce, providing limited opportunities to harvest calories. Most bodies of water are likely to hold at least some species of fish, but you will need to know how to approach the quarry in winter. Once it’s determined where efforts are best focused, with a little bit of practice, catching fish can be a very efficient means of sustenance. Salmonids in par-ticular, such as salmon, trout, char, and graylings, are an oily fish with the nutrients that a body needs in order to survive and continue the journey towards self-rescue.

CRUCIAL GEAR

The most practical and minimalist gear for catching fish in a survival scenario would consist of three basic elements: ultralight fluorocarbon line, small-sized fish hooks, and tiny BB split shot. There are many different ways to catch fish, but during the wintertime and in a survival scenario, a hook and line will be the most effective method. Fish are mostly sitting on the bottom of deep pools, rendering any sort of net or trap largely ineffective.

A person is unlikely to have nets in their possession, but a basic fishing kit is generally light and compact—easily and almost unnoticeably carried in any hiking pack, or even in a vehicle’s glove box or center console. These items can often fit in the palm of your hand and only weigh a few ounces. A tippet spool provides 100 yards of fluorocarbon line and can be carried in any size. A rod can be improvised from most any flexible sap-ling. There are also various compact, collapsible rods on the market; it all depends on how prepared you choose to be.

Photo by Wes Walker

Photo by Popescu Andrei Alexandru

The size and weight of gear is an important consideration, and keeping that in mind, the three aforementioned items are considered the bare minimum. It is extremely difficult to improvise a proper working hook or fishing line in the wilderness, so those items are best carried when visiting remote areas.

Just like a good first aid kit, a basic fishing kit should be considered essential gear for enjoyment and peace of mind.

WHERE TO FIND FISH

As the air temperatures drop, the water temperatures soon follow. This signals a fish’s metabolism to slow down, and as a result they will be feeding less often. The water is also home to a whole host of aquatic insects, many of which begin their lives as larvae or pupa, clinging to rocks and debris in streams, lakes, and ponds. Bug activity is also tied to temperature, and similarly to the fish, there will be far less activity in the colder months. In the winter time, fish overwhelmingly favor deeper water. This is great news in a survival situation because the quarry will be concentrated in the deep pools of mov-ing water (rivers and streams), which means less time and calorie-expenditure is re-quired in order to locate the next meal.

In still water, multi-species angler Jeremiah Giles

recommends: “Focus on deeper water during the cold days. If it’s sunny and warm, then concentrate on shallow water that is adjacent to deep water, and around rocks.”

Exposed rocks will absorb warmth from the sun and that little bit of warmth can cause bug activity, which fish soon follow. In the winter, a significant increase in temperature or a warmer day almost always translates to an increase in bug activity, followed by an increase in fish/feeding activity, meaning greater odds of success for the angler. Look for the areas of water that receive direct sunlight, and watch closely on warmer days. It would be wise to focus the bulk of your fishing efforts to the afternoons, during the warmest part of the day.

HOW TO CATCH FISH

With the gear and insights on where to find the fish, next is knowing the right method. This is for survival, not for sport, so bait will be used.

Jim Queen is a lifelong outdoorsman and native of Southern Appalachia who has been pursuing fish with a fly rod since he was a kindergartner. He recommends looking under rocks and downed, decomposing timber to find worms, grubs, or sow bugs, all of which a fish will eat. Jim also says to also look in low-lying spots where leaf litter stays damp and there is decaying vegetation; rake through it

with a stick, and you can find worms. Crayfish can also be found in slow, shallow pools, often under rocks.

Jeremiah Giles recommends using whole crayfish as potential bait, or the tails for smaller fish. Bluegills and other small baitfish can be consumed, or they can be used as bait for larger predatory fish.

The important thing is to find some type of bait, preferably a worm, and then get it onto a hook. Ensure that the offering is able to sink to the bottom, since that’s where the fish are most likely to be found. In moving water, it is often necessary to add one or more split shots to the line several inches above the hook, depending on how swiftly the water is moving.

Success in fishing is directly related to stacking odds in your favor. This is accomplished by using what is arguably the most effective bait—a worm/grub— then putting that bait in the places most likely to hold fish, focusing on dredging the plunge and bend pools. When fishing in still water, look for rock piles, timber, and other structure(s) that are ad-jacent to deep water. Concentrate on the prime locations first, and then move down the list to the more marginal spots.

Whether choosing a “handline” (without a pole, just a line in hand) or opting to fish with a sapling/cane pole, be ready to set the hook when the fish strikes. A handline offers more line sensitivity and a greater ability to feel strikes, since the fishing line is directly in hand. The downside to handlining is the lack of reach; it is difficult to fling a hook very far without the leverage of a pole. It is important to select a flexible cane or sapling ver-sus something more rigid, so go as lightly as possible. As long as you keep the line tight, a fish strike will be felt through a cane pole and then the hook can be set.

As with most things in survival, a little bit of advance preparation can pay off in spades, if a contingency comes to bear.

I highly recommend that everyone carry at least the three basic items discussed—hook, line, and sinker. Next time out and about in nature, take a peek under some rocks and logs. Test whether bait can be found, if needed. When near water, scan to see if any fish can be spotted, and think about the approach to get a cast in front of them.

A little bit of fishing never hurt anybody, so feel free to practice it as often as possible.

Photo by Taylor Grote

Bad things happen. It’s a fact of life. They can happen to anyone at any time and they do happen to everyone at one time or another. The best way to deal with a bad thing is to get out of it.

This is especially true when it comes to survival. You can have all the gear in the world and still die. You can be the best trained in the world, and still die. Things can happen to hurt or kill anyone, and only the foolish would think otherwise. We can hope for the best, but hope is not a plan.

When we plan, we plan for the best, and the best plan is to get out of the survival situation and to do so as soon as possible. The best way to get out is to call for help. Sure, we can survive, and we can survive for a while, maybe even survive long enough to walk out of danger and all the way back to Fort Living Room. But it is so much easier to just call for help and get rescued.

And that rescue call requires planning and being equipped. What is the best kit to get the heck outta trouble and back to your sweetie? You need to figure out the best tech for your needs, skills, and budget. Tech is constantly changing, evolving, and improving. So here are some of the principles you need to consider and the gear you need to be eyeballin’.

Principles of signaling are pretty straightforward: make yourself seen or heard, because it’s the

Photo by Mykel Hawke

squeaky wheel that survives. But to get seen/ heard/found, you should have a five-point contingency. You need one for everything really, but especially for your commo (communications) plan.

It’s best to have a few layers of communications on you at all times, if not all five. In the military, we call these “redundancy” systems, but I prefer to just call them backups. In Special Forces we always have at least five layers or a five-point contingency plan. We use the acronym PACE-GTH, which stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency, and “Go To Hell” plan when all else fails.

You should have these items on your person or in your bag at all times, and this is especially true anytime you’re out and about or traveling, be it in the woods, desert, or sea—as the desert and sea can be the deadliest places on the planet, more so than the icy cold.

PACE-GTH

P) CELL PHONE: It might not work out of range, but try to have phones with real GPS built in, so even when out of cell tower range, you can use the map function to get to help.

A) RADIOS: Handhelds like Family or Marine can be good UHF/VHF options, or for carrying in a pack, or you should have a CB type as a backup system, in your car, boat, or plane. And some kind of HF longrange radio at your log cabin, beach hut, etc.

C) SAT PHONE: These are very affordable and lightweight. Anyone going anywhere remote or dangerous or at risk of going down should buy or rent one of these. This is a surefire way to get help and get home anywhere in the world. Some systems work in specific regions, some work globally.

E) AUDIO-VISUALS: These are mainly for when your electronic communications fail, break, batteries die, are lost or…you just flat didn’t bring ‘em!

E1) AUDIO, WHISTLE: Travels farther than voice, day and night.

Photo by Mykel Hawke

Photo by Mykel Hawke

Photo by Mykel Hawke

E2) VISUAL, SIGNAL MIRROR: Primarily day.

E3) VISUAL, FLASHLIGHT: Primarily night.

GTS) NATURAL: These are for when you’re caught out with nothing and you’ve got to make use of whatever is around you. Some examples are fires and signs. See the list below for ideas on options in different terrains.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR ELECTRONICS IN SURVIVAL COMMO PLAN

• For all phones, consider options that keep the GPS function even out of cell tower range

• Consider apps like Zello that work off a phone’s own Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and can act like a short-range walkie talkie

• For all electronics, consider dual power sources as best

• Use batteries that can be recharged by car, home, or sun

• The very best options have a hand-crank option for cloudy days

SAT PHONE: Very common and affordable. There are different sizes, plans, and prices, and also different satellites and areas covered. Getting one of these for your travel region is essentially always having 911 available to you.

BGANS: Basically like the WiFi that lets other phones tether to yours for Internet access, the BGANS converts satellite to data and then lets family use their phones, tablets, and laptops to connect to it and communicate through the Internet. But it is expensive and connection speed is slow.

GPS RADIO: (Examples: SPOT, Rino) Wonderful tools to have, many brands and prices. Key things to look for are the standard functions of the higher-priced models.

The RINO 750 has a two-way radio with a range of about 20 miles, which is pretty good, but it also has a GPS so you will always know where you are.

With the maps on the screen, that often means you can find your way to safety.

The EXPLORER gets you the GPS with the extra satellite function that lets you do some texting to a loved one, for example to let them know you are okay or need help.

The SPOT and devices built in them means you have a sort of Bat Phone in that you can press a button and an all-call alert goes out indicating you are in trouble, and it functions as a homing beacon to help bring rescuers to you.

HIGHER-PRICED OPTIONS: Watches that have a beacon transponder in them just like planes have. When a plane crashes, the beacon is activated. In this manner, a GPS device sends a distress signal to satellites, they pick it up, and emergency services know the exact location where the signal is coming from and a rescue crew is dispatched. Breitling is the standard. You unwind the knob, pull the cable, and activate the signal. It’s $18K for the watch and $100K if you make a fake call.

CB RADIOS: Primarily a vehicle radio, they require a strong battery and antenna but have good range. If you do a lot of road trips in a car, camper, van, SUV or RV, this should be a mandatory part of

Photo by павел-гавриков

Cell phone range may drop out in remote regions, but the CB will always be able to receive and transmit anywhere you are. The range is 5 to 50 miles. If anyone is near and has their CB on, they can respond.

VHF/UHF RADIOS: These radios are like CBs for cars. They use slightly different frequency ranges and are mainly used in boats and on aircraft.

UHF is ultra-high frequency with very little static but a shorter range. Often used with family band handheld radios.

VHF is very high frequencies, travels farther, picks up more static.

HF will travel around the world if the factors are right, also has most static.

HF radios (aka ham radios) have been around a long time, think WWII. I consider them to be the best survival radios after the SAT phone.

These can be mobile, with some gear or a base station. They are often the only thing that works after mass disasters. Ham radio operators often become the crucial link for FEMA, Red Cross, et al, helping in major catastrophes when all other communications fail. They require skill to work but can be the best radio out there.

GOOD RULES for communication plans, especially when power supply is limited:

WHERE: Always broadcast from the highest, most open, and most likely to be spotted vantage point, where visual signals can be seen from the greatest distance, and broadcast transmissions travel farthest.

WHEN: Try to concentrate your power-based communications in the first 24 hours, as this is when most search parties will be initiated. Broadcast your signal continuously during this window if you’re able.

Consider delaying your 24-hour broadcast period

Photo by Donald Giannatti your kit.

for a day or two if you have reason to believe it will take folks that long to begin looking for you. If you need to go in power-conservation mode, space out broadcasts, limit duration, transmit at regular intervals, and at standardized times such as dawn, dusk, noon, and midnight.

TIMES: Dawn and dusk have atmospheric changes that can help broadcasts travel farther. At midnight and noon the sky is stable, making them good times. Finally, human habit is to listen to the radio in morning and at night. 9 AM and 9 PM are good times to transmit for a person to catch your message.

CHANNELS: If you have an HF radio, tune to 5.000, 10.000, 20.000, etc. These broadcast WWV Universal Coordinated Time. People around the world use this to set their watches. SOS tapped out in code has a good chance of being heard here.

NOTE: It’s illegal to broadcast without a license, but you can handle that after rescue!

OTHER ELECTRONIC SIGNAL OPTIONS

STROBES: are a great tool. They definitely can catch any human eyes, day or night. They make great

ones that actually flash in Morse Code. SOS!

LASER FLARES: are also great. Like old flares, they are bright, go high or far. But they are better as they are not single-time use; they can be used for hours and days. And they are a lot safer in that they are not flammable, explosive, or gaseous.

LIGHTS: Use these as an SOS signal for any passing planes, ships, or any lights you can see in the distance. Three long, three short, three long. Say it, practice it!

There are apps for phones that can send this SOS signal using your flashlight, and if you have a radio, these apps can make the Morse code sound for you, too. There are even apps that can read Morse code and send it for any message you type.

PYRO-FLARES: should be fired overhead, at a slight angle away from you and never directly at a ship or aircraft. Only use when you can see/hear the craft.

LASER POINTERS: Can be used for signaling, but may be disregarded as kids. Use SOS.

Again, the best way to survive is to get back home, and that means calling for help.

If you plan, you’ll be ready. But if all else fails, these options can give you a chance.

AUTHOR INFO: As a U.S. Army Special Forces Captain and Sergeant First Class Communications Specialist, (18E), Mykel Hawke was trained in Morse Code, Clandestine Communications, Satellites, and Cryptology. Prior to Special Forces, Hawke was a Radio Operator (O5B) and a Radio Repairman (31V). He is a licensed Ham Radio Operator.

TRIVIA: Mykel Hawke taught survival radios on Man, Woman, Wild, the Montserrat episode on urban survival in a post-volcanic eruption environment.

Photo by Dmitriy Suponnikov

The Psychology Of Survival:

Controlling Your Emotions And Thinking On Your Feet

By Brian M. Morris

Life is not an action movie.

Actors use the magic of Hollywood to make themselves seem invincible, but the reality is, in the real world there are no stunt coordinators, bats and clubs are not cardboard, rocks are not paper machete, and guns shoot real bullets. In a real, potentially dangerous or life-threatening situation, running away is not always a bad option. I have personally been in situations where I had to run as fast as I could toward the sound of (enemy) automatic gunfire, and I can tell you that counter-intuitive is an understatement. If you sense danger, and your mind tells you to run, then either you are not trained and conditioned to react to that particular situation or the threat is just so overwhelming it is beyond anything your subconscious thinks you are prepared to deal with. This is not to say you should not stand and fight if you are ready and able to do so. Personal courage, emotional connection, training, and motivation are all factors that can override the freeze and flight parts of the response and propel you forward to engage the danger, whatever it may be.

THE ACUTE STRESS RESPONSE

The acute stress response—also known as the fight, flight, or freeze response—is hardwired into the human psyche. This is how our ancient ancestors were able to act appropriately when facing a dangerous animal or when fighting an enemy. In the moment of danger, blood on the surface of the skin reduces so that blood flow can increase in the arms, legs, shoulders, eyes, brain, ears, and nose. This physiological change heightens all of the senses, making you extremely alert, and it transfers blood flow to the arms and legs so you can fight or run. While fighting and fleeing are possible choices to make, freezing, or simply doing nothing is—while not always a good choice—still an option.

FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE

These are some other physiological and psychological signs of the fight, flight, freeze response that human beings may experience when faced with a threat:

Photo by Daria Usanova

Fight:

• Trembling out of anger

• Increased heart rate

• Hands in fists, desire to punch, rip

• Flexed/tight jaw, grinding teeth, snarl

• Fight in eyes, glaring, fight in voice

• Desire to stomp, kick, smash with legs, feet

• Feelings of anger/rage

• Knotted stomach/nausea, burning stomach

• Feeling like a volcano is erupting inside of you

• Bursts of above-average strength compared to normal ability

Flight/Freeze:

• Trembling legs

• Holding breath/shallow breathing

• Screams of fear

• Terrified look on face

• Sweating profusely

• Loss of use of small muscle groups

• Able to quickly move out of the way or run away

THE PHYSIOLOGY OF STRESS

Humans are uniquely designed with all the physical potentials and psychological instincts needed to either club a wild boar on the head, thrust a pointed stick into a woolly mammoth, run up a tree to escape being eaten by a saber-toothed tiger, or outrun a tribe of Neanderthals trying to crush the skull with rocks. That said, in today’s modern world of precision weaponry, fighters are often required to maintain steady breathing and body position and make slow, calculated movements requiring the use of small motor skills.

The problem is, that along with these feelings and displays of behavior, comes a loss of fine motor skills needed to react quickly and lethally in response to the threat in order to provide a tactical advantage. The fight, flight, freeze response can also result in a surge of adrenaline that can, in turn, result in tremors

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

affecting the stability, surefootedness, and accuracy needed to neutralize any threat(s) you may come up against. Finally, the natural fight, flight, freeze response can result in a severe decrease in spherical awareness as the mind becomes fixated on the perceived threat, as if in tunnel vision.

HOW TO TURN ANIMAL INSTINCT INTO A MODERN PRECISION THREAT RESPONSE

The threats today are no less real than they were to our ancient ancestors. How is it that we can control our physiological and psychological responses to danger in such a way as to be able to overcome some of these natural reactions to danger and perform the actions necessary to eliminate the threats that we are faced with?

The answer is, stress inoculation coupled with repetitive training techniques. This allows us to turn specific motor skills into natural bodily movements requiring little to no conscious thought. In the Special Forces we called it “muscle memory.” Obviously, muscles do not have actual memories, but by engraving a specific motor task into memory by way of repetition, you will eventually gain the ability to perform that task without any conscious effort.

Think of what happens when a child runs out into the road in front of your vehicle while you are driving. You immediately take your right foot off the gas pedal and place it on the brake pedal. Unless you are brand new to driving, chances are this action required very little thought. By using repetitive training techniques, it is possible to achieve this same level of muscle memory or Zen in any of the

lethal arts.

When I first began learning the Special Forces way of fighting, I started by simply learning how to draw my pistol. It was almost two months before I actually fired a live round. I wore my rig, consisting of a pistol belt, spare mag pouch, and a drop holster that was attached to my pistol belt and strapped to my leg. I had my F92 Berretta 9mm service pistol with a magazine of dummy rounds, and I spent hour upon hour and day upon day practicing drawing my pistol from the holstered and secured position, running it up my side, then joining my firing hand to my non-firing hand at my sternum. I then picked up a sight picture on a target and fully extended my arms, either into a completely extended fighting stance, or by placing my finger on the trigger and simultaneously extending my hands, pulling the trigger so the hammer would fall at the exact moment when my arms were fully extended. Next, I would put the weapon on safe and then back onto fire in order to de-cock the pistol. I would re-holster the gun and start the process all over again. I’m not sure how many thousands of times they would make us do these drills, but I can tell you they helped build a muscle memory foundation that I would have for the rest of my life. This was, of course, just the foundation of our training. After advanced rifle and pistol training, we would learn to use a whole arsenal of other weapons from sniper weapon systems, recoilless rifles, mortars, and even Naval gunfire, to learning how to fight with a knife or simply with our bare hands. The Green Berets pride themselves on being able to conduct precision operations where threats are neutralized with surgical precision and collateral damage is minimal

Photo by Tembela Bohle

to nonexistent. This requires each member of the team to be trained to perform their duties flawlessly under enormous amounts of stress in the most arduous environments.

The only way to do this is to first train in individual tasks until you are at a point of muscle memory, and then train with your other team members to not only complete your own tasks to perfection, but also be able to step in and complete the tasks of other team members if needed. To accomplish this elite level of training, it is imperative that the conditions are stressful enough so you will eventually become inoculated to the stress and physiological changes that take place when facing danger. These will be kept at bay to a point where you can still function and accomplish the mission. It is good to have a little bit of fear in dangerous operations. The fear will help by making you hyperalert to any potential threats, and can be quite beneficial in a combat-like scenario.

I always say, “Never get in a foxhole with someone braver than you are.”

TRAINING AND PREPARATION: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR DUE DILIGENCE AND HARD WORK

So, obviously it is not realistic to expect to be able to train yourself to the elite level of our Special Operations Forces. That kind of training costs millions of dollars and requires a specific type of person who must be disciplined and committed enough to spend years of time solely dedicated to training in order to achieve the level of mindfulness required to override the body’s natural response to run or freeze when faced with overwhelming

danger and extremely high risk of loss of life. Soldiers are able to do this successfully through intense and prolonged training and rehearsals coupled with every man on the team taking part in the extremely detailed planning process. The fact that each man knows every plan intimately and has rehearsed and trained ad nauseam on standard operating procedures and contingency plans is what allows these elite fighters to mitigate risks from a suicidal level down to an acceptable level of risk.

The good news is that you don’t have to train like a Green Beret or a Navy SEAL to prepare yourself to override the natural desire to run from a threat.

You simply need to think outside the box in order to create an environment that will allow you to practice under enough stress to achieve the focus to execute under duress, building skill and confidence, ultimately making you better at whatever it is you are trying to learn to do. No matter if it is shooting, mixed martial arts, or any of the lethal arts, if you are willing to put in the time, energy, and dedication, you can train yourself to a level where you can confidently and effectively stand and fight or get up and run toward the sound of bullets when duty or obligation calls.

GET GEARED UP: MY ESSENTIALS FOR A BASIC KIT

By EJ Snyder

When it comes to the gear that you take when heading out into the wilderness to hike or camp, going on a hunting excursion, or preparing for an unpredictable survival or emergency, you should make sure that what’s in your pack covers every contingency. When a situation occurs, what’s in your pack can make the difference between living and dying.

Sure, it’s great if you can walk off into the wild with just the clothes on your back, a knife in your hand, and the bushcraft skills needed to live off the land, but in my opinion that’s a shortsighted stance for one to take against Mother Nature, even for those who are more experienced in survival. I always look at survival and gear as a simple thing and try to keep it easy for everyone to understand, with some “skull-crushing sense” (this is like common sense but with an edge! ) Everyone has their own opinions, theories, and favorite go-to gear and that’s okay, and they aren’t wrong. Because everybody’s situation is different, as are levels of skills and experiences. I am just going to tell you how I like to skin the deer here. So, pull up a log around my campfire and let the Old Skullcrusher give you his two cents on gear.

I am continually asked about survival kits and bug-out or go bags. These days, with pandemics, crime and civil unrest, weather

Photo by Life Straw

Drink directly from lakes, rivers, and streams or fill a container to use with the LifeStraw, filtering protection against bacteria, parasites, microplastics, silt, sand, and cloudiness. (lifestraw.com)

events and natural disasters, war and man-made catastrophes, folks want to have some reassurance for themselves and their loved ones. Yes, survival skills are great to have, and I am a believer that everyone should learn them, right up there with swimming and basic first aid. But what kind of a kit do you pack if you’re just an Everyday Joe or Joan out there with no time to attend or even afford a class on skills? While there’s no substitute for an actual class taught by a qualified, experienced instructor with formal training and hands-on practice, a lot can be learned from the abundance of survival media and even from good old-fashioned manuals like the U.S. Army Survival Guide or The SAS Survival Handbook. Learning basics— shelter building, water purification, fire building, and some food sourcing, like basic

fishing, simple traps, or common and easily identifiable edibles—would be a huge boost to one’s confidence and give peace of mind. But a good basic survival kit with tools can make all the difference even without such skills.

I have never left home without one. When I was in the Army, I made sure every soldier had a basic survival kit on them, as well as one in the vehicle. I preach to folks to apply this in their everyday life. One in your cargo pocket, purse, day pack, or glove box; just have some. They are more affordable than you think. I’ve built them from Dollar Stores as well as some expensive high-enders too. Survival kits can provide you with just the right amount of tools to get you through a very challenging emergency or survival situation. I always say you need to foresee problems and/or issues before they happen and be prepared, so always have a backup to the backup. Threes are even better! We will not be looking at weather, terrain, and such for these kits—those are always special considerations and what I call add-ons. But what I will discuss is what you need to build your own kit, or stuff to have in your bag that won’t require special skills to use. We can call it the Everyday Joe or Joan Survival Kit.

MY TOP 10 MUST-HAVE ITEMS FOR YOUR PACK OR KIT:

1. Knife or machete: In my book, it’s the most important tool in any kit. A good fixed-blade non-folding knife with at least a five-inch blade is extremely versatile. I carry the TOPS Knives SXB which, for me, is great for chopping, small tasks, and self-defense. I recommend one made out of high carbon so it can throw a spark for fire, sharpen easily on a rock, and hold an edge. It is needed for all survival tasks, such as shelter building, fire making, sourcing water by cutting water vines, making traps for food, and building items and tools. You need to have at least one. A

good machete has a lot of perks, too, especially for clearing a path and defense at a distance. Remember, I said always have a backup to the backup. So, in my pocket—and I never leave home without it—is my EDC, Cold Steel Knives 4MAX. A hearty folder if there ever was one, it can actually handle bushcraft tasks. But this year Cold Steel Knives will be releasing the 5MAX, and I can’t wait to switch out for the extra inch-long blade to the 4MAX.

2. Fire making: Fire is a critically needed item. You can hedge your bets here easily. Lighters can allow you to start a fire quickly and efficiently, which is why I carry two…always! Also carry some good windproof and waterproof matches in a watertight container as a backup to your lighter; lighters can malfunction, run out of fuel, or break. I also like a good magnesium

ferro rod fire starter like the Purefire Tactical that can literally ignite in the wettest of conditions and even in water. Fire will light the way, purify water, cook food, warm you, be a morale boost, and keep predators and bugs at bay. Place all this in a Ziplock plastic bag for organization and waterproofing. Tip: Store some cotton balls dipped in Vaseline in another smaller Ziplock as well as some collected dryer lint in another; these two hacks will help get that tinder bundle up in flames in no time.

3. Water Purification: Purifying water primitively by boiling can be time-consuming but isn’t bad as a backup way. I use a two-bottle water system to head out into the wild. I personally like the Grayl Water Purification GeoPress bottle with a single-walled stainless steel water bottle as a backup. You have two ways to carry water and two ways to purify it, and if the purifying filter breaks or has passed its longevity and effectiveness, you will still be able to boil water and have two water bottles on you. I carry a Life Straw as a good option as well; you literally use the Life Straw to drink purified water either directly from the water source or from the bottle you collected the source water in. Water purification tablets are also an easy-use item; the water doesn’t taste great, but many come with a second bottle and another tablet to make it more palatable. I’ve used these throughout my military career. Tip: When getting water-sourcing gear, make sure you know the difference between filtering and purifying as there is a difference.

4. Food Sourcing Kit: I use a Ziplock bag and fill it with all kinds of stuff to help with food procurement. A large roll of high-tension fishing line with 50 hooks of all sizes, a few lures, rubber worms, and weights. I also carry a half dozen gator hooks, too, and a couple of rolls of .24 gauge snare wire. I carry a sling bow with me, which is a modified wrist-rocket slingshot. I carry a small bag of marbles and ball bearings, an added whisker biscuit attached with zippy

Photo by Snugpak

The Snugpak single tent is great if you’re solo as it’s lightweight and easy to pack. (snugpakusa.com)

ties to flip up and down so that I can fire modified arrows. I have golf tees glued in at the arrow knock point to hold onto as I shoot the shorter arrows; it’s very effective on medium to larger game like deer and hogs.

5. Navigation Kit Tools: A compass, signal mirror, and a light source. A good compass is handy even if you aren’t very skilled in orienteering. Just knowing basic direction is a huge confidence builder and can ease fears. A compass can point and keep you in the right direction. And, if at night you see lots of lights in a town, shoot a direct azimuth to it and you will be able to head that way for help. A good flashlight or headlamp will be very handy to light the way. A flashlight is easier to point and is directional, but a headlamp allows your hands to be free. Either way, you will be glad you have them. Not only can they help you see in the dark, they can be used to signal for help as well. A signal mirror will enable you to signal for help from a great distance away. Tip: Bring extra batteries. I also carry a battery recharging pack from Dark Energy and their foldable lightweight solar panel. Store away with the batteries backwards so they don’t accidentally drain.

6. Basic First Aid Kit: Injuries can happen at any time and are quite common in these situations. Without treatment, even small wounds can turn into big debilitating events and make your situation worse. You need common first aid things in there, like Band-Aids, gauze, medical tape, ointment for wounds, liquid stitches, tweezers, wraps, and even basic pain meds of a variety. I also tell folks if they have prescription drugs, have enough for at least a few weeks, if not longer. A bee sting kit, a snake bite kit, insect repellent, and sunscreen. Tip: Carry a backup pair of prescription eyeglasses if you wear them, as contacts go bad fast in the field and your primary pair may break. They also work for starting fire through magnification.

7. Parachute Cord: Or any other cordage in a

minimum of 100 feet, will have many uses in a survival situation. You can build shelters with it, traps, project construction, or other items, and even use as part of a bow drill kit to start fire primitively if you absolutely have to.

8. Stainless Steel Cup or Pot: Very handy for boiling water, cooking food, or making soups. They can even hold smaller items of your survival kit to keep them from getting lost. I carry a nesting cup with an outer cooking sleeve. I have and still carry a Coleman camp coffeepot as it has an inner basket which is nice for making teas, and its percolator helps boil water a lot faster. My favorite cooking pot is the medium-size CanCooker designed from old

metal milk jugs and is now modified with a couple of latches for the lid with a small hole in it. It acts like a pressure cooker and cooks amazingly. In any case, make sure your pot has a lid, as when you are boiling water it helps keep the water from evaporating too much and keeps the juices and nutrients from leaving the pot when cooking food.

9. Tarp or Snugpak Single Tent or Hammock: A good tarp can go a long way. I like the ones with one colored side and one silver side. A tarp can make a quick and easy shelter, wrapped up like a blanket, used to catch water, and so much more. The Snugpak single tent is great if you’re solo as it’s lightweight and easy to pack. If you’re running as a duo, I like the Big Agnes tent systems, which you and your partner can divide up and carry between you. I also know a lot of folks who live and die by the hammock, and with a rain fly and insect net set up are lightweight to carry and can get you up off the ground in wet areas and away from the crawling things.

10. Waterproof Windbreaker or Raincoat or Parka with a Hood: I am a firm believer that just having this one piece of kit with you will make your life so much better. It will help keep your core body temp in check, keep you fairly dry, and somewhat warm. I never leave home without one.

BONUS ITEMS:

Wool Blanket or Military Woobie Poncho Liner and Insect Net: Even the best natural shelters can be quite cold, and a tarp shelter is rather exposed, but adding a good old-fashioned wool blanket can make all the difference to being way too cold and will help with a good night’s sleep. Parts, or all of it, can be fashioned into additional clothing, too. Wool is a bit heavier in weight and somewhat bulky, but it’s great and breathable,

and even when the wool gets damp or wet, it can still keep you warm. The Woobie, as it is affectionately called by military folks, is a basic poncho liner that is lightweight but works as well as a wool blanket. Insect nets not only keep the bugs away and ensure a much-needed good night’s sleep, but can double as good fishing nets.

Not discussed here are some items such as types of packs and bags, personal protection (like firearms, ammo, and body armor), food, extra

clothing, building items (like axes, saws, and shovels, etc.), some or all of which many might say should be in a Top 10 list and I get that. A true pack list will always have an additional 10 or 15 essential items for a more complete pack, but here I am just covering my personal musthave top 10. Also, folks will tailor bags, gear, and weight of contents to their personal preference and/or personal fitness and skill level. This is a

Photo by Amazon Paracord has many uses in a survival situation...for shelters, traps, project construction, and even as part of a bow drill kit to start fire.

whole other debatable subject in itself, especially with the popularity of thru-hiking and ultra- lightweight gear. I won’t argue there, though…as an old army foot soldier, we had a saying: Ounces equals pounds, and pounds equals misery!

As you can see, just having a basic survival kit like this won’t break your bank, is a smart item to have handy, and can definitely help get you through any tough situation you may find yourself in. With the explanations I have provided, I don’t believe there is a single item on this list that the average person can’t handle. Even so, always be safe when working with any of these items, as a survival or emergency situation will be very stressful and can cause you to make mistakes. Always remember: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. With this list and what you’ve read here, you are halfway there to being ready. So now you, the Everyday Joe or Joan, can get your kit and pack together and start practicing with it!

Here is a link for my recommended gear list.

CONCLUSION:

So that’s the Old Skullcrusher’s two cents on survival kits and packs, and what I think is important to have in them. I love sharing my favorite gear and philosophies with all of you. I am always testing and looking at new things. When it comes to gear that you need to count on for tasks in the field—or, heaven forbid, need to get yourself out of a bad situation—always look for the best stuff out there! Look for written reviews, check out gear expert videos, and ask around. Now be safe and survive on!

Watch EJ Snyder’s YouTube videos, The Dollar Store Survival Kit and Walmart Bug-Out Bag.

Photo by Purefire

Purefire Tactical magnesium fire starter. (purefiretactical.com)

Photo by Grayl Filter and purify water and bring it back to camp to boil alongside hot coals, or place it direct on a backpacking stove. (grayl.com)

Photo by Sylas Boesten

PART ONE: GEAR

By John Rose

holding off until you really need it, only to find out its attributes were underestimated or you have no idea how to use it properly. Try going low tech, and experiment often with what you’re going to carry.

When carrying a backpack, or any other baggage for that matter, be sure it is stable and balanced on your back. There are many reasons for keeping everything centered, the most obvious being not to cause muscle strain or twists in your back. You are also better able to keep your own physical balance if your pack is balanced. Another often overlooked problem is, if you have more weight on one side than the other, you will drift toward the heavy side when walking and not walk in a straight line, which could lead to getting lost if you are off trail or not using proper navigation techniques.

Take a notebook and make a note every time you think of an item you wish you had. Write this down every time you think of it. If it is a recurrent item, then add it to your EDC (everyday carry) bag.

GEAR (TOOLS)

A knife is probably the single most important tool one can have. Select a knife that is easy to use and good for multiple tasks. If it’s too small, it will be of little use; the same holds true if it’s too large. A really huge knife has its usefulness but is often a sign of someone who is inexperienced in Bushcraft.

Among the most essential items in your kit is a container with which you can collect, boil, and drink water. I recommend a sturdy stainless steel cup or something of that sort.

A small magnifying glass serves many purposes and takes up little space. You can use it to help identify edible plant parts, as it allows you to study often subtle but vital parts of a plant that may be the difference in recognizing a poisonous versus an edible one. It can be used to start a fire by focusing the sun’s rays. It can take the place of reading glasses and be helpful to see map details. See how many uses you can come up with.

Make a survival stick. Find a solid stick of green wood big enough in diameter so that, when you grip it, your fingers just touch. It should be straight and

Photo by Zaiwizi

A knife is probably the single most important tool one can have. Select a knife that is easy to use and good for multiple tasks.

Photo by Karson Chan

Learn how to use all the gear in your kits. Take each item out, experiment with it under different conditions. If it doesn’t perform, discard it!

about the same length as you are tall. It’s good to have a “Y” fork on one end which serves many purposes—such as pinning a snake by the head when you want to catch it—and sharpened and fire-hardened on the other end. It isn’t necessary to shave off the bark or be too refined in making it, just one that will provide solid functionality. Small saplings work well.

Try your hand at the throwing stick, sometimes called a rabbit stick. Make one out of a solid piece of hardwood about as big in diameter as your wrist and a little longer than your forearm. Try setting up a target a few feet away and practice throwing the stick, making it more challenging as you go. Observe a proper stance, which is standing sideways to your target. If you’re throwing with your right hand, have your left foot facing closest to the target, or vice-versa for left-handed throwing. When approaching the target, have your arm already in position for the throw. This allows for the least movement before throwing the stick. Practice this in the event you have to hunt small game with your stick or fend off an attacking animal. The reason for approaching game sideways is to somewhat disguise yourself, as animals will recognize the human form as a threat.

Baby wipes are very useful for many things in the woods. Once you discover them, you may never leave home without them.

Carry a small scrub brush in your kit, like the ones used to clean fingernails, to clean roots, scrub pans, and a variety of other things.

Even though there are a lot of useful gadgets on the market for survival and camping, learn to get by with the simplest of items. Batteries eventually die, gadgets break, and technology will eventually fail you.

If you are looking for a good flashlight, consider an LED headlight, as it leaves your hands free for other things, and LED lights have longer battery life than old-style incandescent bulbs.

When using a flashlight, try to use low-light settings whenever possible to maintain as much night vision as possible, and if in a group, don’t shine your light in

someone else’s face. This also preserves battery life.

Beware of the false security of a flashlight. When using a flashlight, you’re blinded to all that is outside of its beam and therefore vulnerable. An added hindrance is that your night vision is wiped out.

GEAR (CLOTHING)

Dress in layers so you can keep your body temperature regulated. You want to avoid sweating in cooler temperatures to avoid hypothermia. It’s

Photo by Jon Flobrant Be sure to break in new footwear anytime you venture out to avoid blisters or any other discomfort related to your feet.

Photo by Patrick Hendry Dress in layers so you can keep your body temperature regulated.

better to dress so you are a little bit cool. However, it’s good to sweat when the weather is hot. When you stop sweating, you are in great danger of overheating and are already on the edge of heat exhaustion.

Take note that in cool or cold and damp weather conditions, cotton clothing can be a dangerous choice as it absorbs moisture and traps it next to your skin.

Carry a pair of leather work gloves in your kit. They are useful for many things, a few of which include handling hot cooking pots from the fire, clearing briars, collecting thorny plants and, of course, keeping your hands warm in the cold.

Keep a spare change of clothes with you in a dry sack in the event that the clothes you’re wearing get wet in some way. Include a warm knit-style cap and a pair of light gloves for added comfort. They take up little space and make a big difference.

Go through your wardrobe sometime and ask yourself how each article of clothing you have would be in a situation where you were forced to spend time in the elements, or escaping from a disaster or emergency situation. This is not to say that every article of clothing needs to be survival-ready, but do make sure that you have access to clothing that is, such as extra clothes you carry in your car or in a bag with you.

A poncho or tarp makes an excellent shelter, raincoat, water collection device, and windbreaker. These things are available at army surplus or outdoor supply stores. Make sure to get the ripstop type as it is better quality than the cheaper, vinyl sort.

When you find yourself feeling cold, there are a few things you can do. Change your socks, put on a hat, add another base layer; take a few deep breaths or do something active.

To keep insects and such from crawling up your leg, tie a string or bootlace around the ankle of your pants legs. You can also tuck your pants into your boots or wrap duct tape around them. Improvise

anything you can to close off access at the hems.

Be sure to break in new footwear anytime you venture out for a hike or expedition of any sort to ensure a good fit and to avoid blisters or any other discomfort related to your feet. Keeping your feet in good condition is essential to the well-being of the rest of your body.

Keep your feet comfortable and dry year-round with wool socks.

Photo by Romain Gal

Make your emergency or bug out bag contents as simple and easy to get to as possible.

Photo by Charlie Seaman Among the most essential items in your kit is a container with which you can collect, boil, and drink water.

Dakota Fire Hole & Water Purification

By Ruth England Hawke

Video by Ruth England Hawke

The world we live in is a dangerous place. The possibility of violence happening in the workplace is a real and present danger. In 1999, twelve students and one teacher were shot and killed at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and an additional 24 students were injured. In 2012, twenty-six people were shot and killed and twenty-four additional students were injured at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The likelihood of one of these incidents happening again in the future is likely. Regardless of what the shooter’s motivation is, be it a mental condition, a disgruntled employee, or a terrorist, it is imperative that you know the proper signs to look for, precautions to take, and what your actions should be in the event of an active shooter scenario taking place.

Look for the signs

Start by using your situational awareness to identify pre-attack signs that something is wrong, such as:

• Signs of aggression or threats directed at coworkers or supervisors

• Existence of unapproved weapons

• Severe mood swings

• Depression/withdrawn behavior

• Talks of suicide

• Paranoia

• Strange behavior such as flashbacks

• Drug and alcohol abuse

• Repeated violation of policies in the work place

• Talk of personal problems such as marriage or finances

It is not always possible to predict an active shooter incident and not everyone who exhibits these signs is a potential active shooter. These are just situations to be sensitive of and to notice when someone displays one or multiple signs. In any case, you should report this behavior to your supervisors or to the local authorities, depending on the severity of the situation. Doing nothing is rarely the right answer.

Photo by Harrison Haines

How to respond

If you find yourself in an active shooter situation, you have several options regarding how to respond. Your first choice should always be to help others to evacuate the area. If there is an opportunity to evacuate, make sure you:

• Have a plan: Make sure you have an escape route in mind before you move

• Leave your belongings, they will just slow you down

• Help others escape, if possible

• Prevent other people from going near the area where the active shooter incident is happening

• Call 911 immediately

• Go out in the direction first responders are coming in

• Do exactly what the police officers tell you to do and keep your hands visible. Evacuating the area

may not always be an option. If you find yourself unable to evacuate, consider finding a place to hide.

The location you choose should:

• Be out of the view of the people or person doing the shooting

• Provide good cover (be able to deflect bullets fired in your direction), such as a concrete wall

• Have an escape route if possible/try not to box yourself in

• Have doors that lock from the inside

• Have heavy objects like furniture to block the door.

Remember to put your cell phone on silent and hide behind the largest items you can find in your location. Stay calm, cool, and collected, and call 911 as soon as you get the chance.

Taking action

In a worst-case scenario, you may find yourself having to take physical action against the shooter.

This is a very difficult situation, particularly if not trained and conditioned in the art of hand-to-hand combat. Still, it may be your last resort in a desperate situation and when innocent people are dying. If this is the case, remember to:

• Have a plan

• Commit to your actions

100 percent

• Be as aggressive as possible

• Improvise weapons if you can find any…throw large objects if they are available

• Get others to help you incapacitate the shooter if possible… several grown men can often combine their strength to tackle down a lone shooter. Taking action against an armed aggressor is extremely risky but it may be your only chance (or the only chance for those you are responsible for) of survival.

What to do when the police arrive

One of the most dangerous times during an active shooter scenario is when first responders arrive. It is extremely confusing for them to differentiate between the victims and the perpetrators when these incidents take place. The best thing you can do when you make contact with the police is to:

• Stay calm and follow the instructions of the police

• Put down anything you may have in your hands

• Raise hands high in the sky so they can be seen by the police and keep them there

• Don’t make any quick or jerking movements

• Avoid screaming and yelling. Maintain your situational awareness so that you will be able to provide the police with:

• Location of the shooter(s)

• Number of shooters

• Description of the shooter(s)

• Type of weapon used by the shooter(s)

• Estimated number of casualties

Being prepared for an active shooter scenario requires not only personal situational awareness but also teamwork, leadership, and practice through response drills as well as continuing education on the topic. In a work environment, actions to take should come naturally through rehearsal and duties and responsibilities should already be assigned long before one of these instances occurs. Additionally, remember, if you see something, say something. All too many active shooter events could have been mitigated or stopped all together had people that observed signs that something was happening out of place and reported those events to the proper authorities.

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Photo by David Pereiras

Bugging In

By EJ Snyder

You hear the term all the time, “bugging out,” and most people believe that when the SHFT that is what everyone will do. However, it’s quite the opposite in my humble opinion. I believe that 90% of the populace will actually stay put and not go anywhere. Those that do “bug out” are only moving to another place to “Bug In” anyways, so everything I am about to present to you applies to both. With that comes the need for home defense as well.

We saw this happen during the COVID-19 pandemic and many folks were not properly prepared to do so. Many people quickly ran out of supplies, food, medical needs and other things very quickly. Store shelves emptied quickly, factories and distribution centers shut down, transporting these things by way of trucks, rail and air came to a halt and so many people in the world were left wondering how they got to this point and how it happened.

All great questions and thoughts, and the answer is very simple...lack of planning! People may say well, this was a once in a lifetime event. But was it? Never make the mistake thinking that a disaster or emergency is not going to come knocking on your door when it comes to you and your loved one’s survival. A myriad of things can happen and will happen. It’s just a matter of when. So, the time is now! This is when planning for these things matters most. The next pandemic, hurricane, earthquake, civil unrest, wildfire, even war, etc. could be just around the corner.

Do not be caught with your pants down, wondering, “why did this happen.” Be the solution to your own problem by acting. You don’t need to be a millionaire to prepare. There are lots of budget friendly options to fit all economic situations. Visit ejsnyder.com to see the “Ultimate Bug In and Home Defense” video for mor in depth information. For now, here are some things you can do immediately to start getting ready! There is a plethora of other related items on my website as well.

So, the first of many things you need to do is assess where you are at in your preparedness level. Start a list, organized by category, so that you can get that survival preparedness laundry list going and fill it up. It is a critical step in the process and will help keep you on track, even sane, and make your needs a lot clearer.

Snyder talks about how he stays prepared for a bug-out situation.

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I am old school, so I always grab a clean sheet of paper, a pencil and a clip board. Electronic lists are great, but this list is one thing you need to see looking at you in the face every day and often, as a staunch reminder of what you got but more so...what you still need! Here is a sample list and it’s just that, everyone’s list will be different.

Bug-in list:

Shelter:

- Radio

- Extra blankets or sleeping bags

- Shelving

- Backup generator

- Extension cords

- Solar chargers

- Tent

- etc.

Navigation:

- Extra fuel for generator and vehicles

- Flashlights

- Extra batteries

- Headlamps

- Compass

- Candles

- etc.

Water:

- Several five-gallon water jugs

- Filter system

- Water bottles (2 for each person)

- etc.

Food:

- Extra non-perishables foods and canned goods

- Coolers

- Cases of dehydrated meals

- MREs

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Photo by Anthony Acosta

I even visit those great and abundant dollar stores, as it’s surprising how affordable the items in there are and how many quality items a person can get in large numbers without breaking the bank. You can really knock at that list fast, even if you are not on a strict budget.

When it comes to storage, that also depends on your particular domicile situation. Somebody in a rural area, say on a farm, may have several outer buildings and designate one for their Survival Storage area. Suburban types may have a basement or garage to use. This can apply to a town home. For my urbanites things get trickier, but being a professional hoarder, I can tell you that every nook and cranny counts and can be used.

I usually try to suggest to those in apartment situations to think about getting an apartment for what you need in terms of bedrooms, plus one. This way you have sleep spaces for everyone and one extra room that is usually at least a 10-foot by 10foot size to set up shelving and make it a survival supply storage area. Never forget the laundry rooms, utility closets, attics, crawl spaces and sheds for

additional space.

I recommend good sturdy shelves. You can buy some plastic ones of different types and sturdiness, or get some metal racks, or build wooden ones yourself. Even wall lockers can work and give you the ability to lock them up for added security. I also suggest categorizing your shelf or storage areas by type: water, food, medical, etc.

All of these tips and things should now have your mind engorged in the planning and stocking phase of “bugging in.” They say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That holds true here, and I like to say, “Good planning prevents pain!”

GET TO YOUR SAFE ZONE

Now that you have gotten things straight at your “bug-in” safe zone and things are set and ready for when you and your loved ones arrive, what do you need to actually get you here from where you may be? Well, you never know when, where, how, why or what will cause you to be smack dab in the middle of a catastrophe. Again, planning and

Photo by Robert Knechke

and things to consider for your vehicle. Again, user digression is advised, pending various state and federal laws.

“Get-you-home bag” list:

- Vehicle (no matter what your ride is, it needs to be in good working order, serviced, and topped off on all fluids)

- Paper maps (road and topographic)

- Additional communication (optional like a CB, Ham Radio or satellite phone)

- Spare tire with working jack and car iron

- Small tool bag with basic tools in it

- Flashlight with extra batteries

- Road flares (excellent fire starters and signaling devices)

- Extra fuel can, oil and other fluids

- Small shovel

- Tow straps and chains

- Extra fresh water

- Box of Food and a way to prepare it

- Larger tarp,

- Extra rope, cordage or paracord

- Sleeping bag and or blankets

- Possibly another bug-out bag in case of breakdown (beefier than the “get-to-your-car” bag)

- Winter Kit (if in a snowy area, including tire chains, ice melt, snow shovel, candles, winter clothing, etc.)

The vehicle offers a lot of protection from the elements, helps conserve energy and can carry a lot more supplies. The bug-out bag is a very important back up plan for in case your vehicle breaks down or you must bail out of your vehicle due to the situation and must now get home on foot. The argument of what goes in the perfect bug-out bag may never be settled, but for me it’s all about your needs, must haves,

budget, situation and what I call plain old “skullcrushing sense!” This is just like common sense but with attitude.

Now that you are rolling in your vehicle heading to your domicile with a backup plan in the trunk, all is well, right? Wrong. It seems the analogical riot has cut off both your primary and alternate routes. Thankfully, you were planning ahead and have a contingency plan that takes you to a “Hold-up” spot at one of several cache sites you planned for and have in place. So, what exactly is a cache site?

A cache site is a location where you can get to either by vehicle, or on foot, that is off the beaten path, so it does not draw attention. This spot should be hidden enough to keep you safe but easy for you to find, day or night. It should be marked in a way so that if anyone sees it, it doesn’t cause them to investigate it. It should provide some cover from eyesight of others, protection from the elements and be easily defendable.

You will also have already hidden supply caches there in some fashion. Whether you bury your caches or simply hide them by camouflage, you need to ensure they cannot be found and pilfered, because you want them there for you when you need them. They will act as ways to support you without dipping into your vehicle set up or bug-out bag, as well as to resupply what you used. There are many ways to set them up. Where you place them needs to have enough space to hide them or bury them. If you are hiding them by camouflage, you

Photo by David Pereiras

can use natural brush. However, over time vegetation dies and turns brown, so I recommend using some military camo netting, or an old canvas tarp that you can spray paint with colors to match the area and season.

I have seen these large fake boulders that look very real in which to hide things. This technique is most vulnerable to theft in my opinion. I personally like to dig a hole and bury stuff. Once in the ground you can cover the cache supplies with an old tarp or some wood and throw the dirt right over top of it. Camouflage the area where it’s buried, and you are good to go. You can mark it in some way to easily be found, but I generally like to make a small strip map of each cache site and pace the buried site off from a known point, like a recognizable tree covertly marked. I also would stash a D-handle shovel somewhere nearby, or in your kit, so you are not stuck using your hands to get to it.

Lastly, I have known folks to just be blatant about it and drop a Connex, dumpster, locker, container or some sort of shed at a spot and just throw a lock and or chains on it. I even knew a guy who used a Port-A-Potty.

Now, the cache supplies themselves can be packaged in many ways. I love old military canvas duffle bags, and I usually stuff the items into heavy-duty leaf trash bags (this is added layer of protection, waterproofing, and preservation) and then tape it closed with duct tape before putting them in the duffle bag to help protect them.

Duffle Bags are generally good for most any items, like extra batteries, gear, food, etc. I also like using footlockers with a lock on them. Plastic heavy duty tote boxes work really well. Place your supplies inside them, separately packaged for protection, then seal them up with Duct Tape. For a third layer of protection, put the totes in heavy-duty leaf trash bags before you are done. All these steps help protect your supplies from the elements and wildlife.

For things like fuel I just use the plastic five-gallon fuel containers and for water I use five-gallon plastic jugs, one-gallon milk jugs, two-liter plastic bottles or the collapsible camp water jugs. I will even have dry cut firewood in plastic trash bags stored, so it’s there and ready to go with a few bags of tinder, kindling and even some fire starter. Things to include at a cache site may include, extra fuel cans, water, firewood, food batteries, extra survival gear and supplies, tents, clothes, extra ammunition, etc.

Together a hold-up site with a cache will give you a place to refit, rest and adjust your plans. You should be able to stay there for a few hours or up to a few days. I normally try to only plan for 72 Hours max, then get mobile and maybe head to the next hold-up/cache site if I can’t get home.

All these things I have talked about here are things you need to be thinking about. You need to be thinking about and planning for your very safety and success in getting back home may depend on it. Having your home ready for bugging in does you no good if you can’t even get there!

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Coping With Cabin Fever

Bowater talks about the effects of isolation and how to combat the extreme symptoms of “cabin fever.”

By Bethany Bowater

Whether you find yourself hunkering down during inclement weather in an actual cabin, stranded on a life raft in the open ocean or, even worse, forced to quarantine with your spouse and two toddlers during a pandemic, you have likely experienced the symptoms of stress, anxiety and negative emotions that accompany cabin fever. The term cabin fever is not a medically defined condition, but a ‘folk syndrome’ defined as “extreme irritability and restlessness from living in isolation or a confined indoor area for a prolonged time.” During a recent interview I was asked what the most difficult part of survival was for me, the answer came easily: boredom and isolation. The interviewer seemed disappointed with my answer and moved on quickly as if surely, the disgusting things I had eaten must top the charts instead. I guess my answer seemed well… boring. How much thought or curiosity have you put into exploring what boredom means to you, what loneliness is like for you and how you respond? My guess is that your response is automatic or perhaps boredom seems trivial and insignificant because there is always such an easy fix available. When experiencing negative emotions, we tend to quickly do whatever it takes to minimize or eliminate the felt experience. At the risk of sounding like your typical therapist, I encourage you to slow down and notice. Notice your emotions and notice how you respond to the world around you. Boredom, loneliness and all emotions should be approached with curiosity not judgment, denial or dismissal. They are important signals that often indicate a need for appropriate action that supports overall wellbeing or, in some cases, survival.

Boredom seems to have always been part of the human experience. The book Out of my Skull: The Psychology of Boredom by James Danckert and John Eastwood discusses the earliest accounts of boredom and the research and theories that have come to be. One of the earliest written accounts of boredom was from the narrator of Ecclesiastes who wrote of the continuous daily labors that all felt meaningless. There are also writings by Seneca, a Roman philosopher, who described the monotony of daily life as one that made him nauseous and left him feeling dreadfully empty. Over the past few decades there has been an increased interest in the study of boredom; why we experience it and what it means.

The answer is that there are many different theories. According to Danckert and Eastwood, it could be due to a lack of meaning and purpose, a push to engage, an attention deficiency or a neurological state that is rooted in our physiology. Like all emotions, boredom is not a bad thing, it is how we respond to it that is innately bad. The Covid-19 pandemic and the quarantines enacted to slow the spread of the virus shed new light on the experience of ‘cabin fever’ and the mental health effects of isolation.

Prolonged lockdowns due to the coronavirus magnified the impact isolation can have on mental health and how difficult it might be to learn to cope given the current state of societal norms. If you think about how easily accessible and how continuous our minds are stimulated today compared to more simple times, it can be enlightening. With the constant flow of entertainment, social media, TV shows, gaming devices, shopping, etc. at our fingertips, it is not surprising that when faced with less stimulating environments we are seeing more

emotional and psychological dysregulation at a greater rate and speed than we have ever seen before. This is especially true in our youths, who have never known anything different. In my private practice so many of my clients express extreme distress in their lack of ability to be still or feel content moving at a speed less than a million miles per hour and constantly engaged and stimulated. This type of programmed behavior can only exacerbate the symptoms associated with cabin fever and the ability to cope.

What can isolation do to our mental health? Depending on duration and circumstances, the effects of isolation can truly be devastating to a person’s psyche. In her book, Solitary Confinement: Social Death and its Afterlives, Lisa Guenther outlines the harmful effects of social confinement within the U.S. penal system. She writes, “Deprived of meaningful human interaction, otherwise healthy prisoners become unhinged. They see things that do not exist, and they fail to see things that do.” Social isolation and loneliness are strongly correlated to anxiety,

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depression, self-harm and suicide attempts. The symptoms of cabin fever may include lassitude, irritability, moodiness, boredom and feelings of dissatisfaction in response to confinement, bad weather, routine, isolation, or lack of stimulation. Sleeplessness (insomnia), excessive sleep (hypersomnia) and hallucinations have also been reported. Paranoia and difficulty in rational decisionmaking can lead people to do unthinkable things. Some may feel compelled to escape their confined space or limited routines, regardless of external conditions or the cost to themselves or others, according to Paul Crawford in his piece for The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Editorial Perspective: Cabin fever - the impact of lockdown on children and young people. Having an awareness of your thoughts, feelings and bodily reactions is crucial as they are all important signals trying to cue an appropriate response.

Actions to combat cabin fever will likely vary on the individual, the circumstances and their responses to stressors. It is important to do everything possible to maintain a positive mental attitude and the will to survive. Never lose hope, practice acceptance of the things you cannot control and focus on the things you can. Below is a list of things you may be able to control that will help you overcome or lessen the negative effects of cabin fever:

Create a routine- Try to create a routine that incorporates and prioritizes basic health needs.

Set goals- Focus on setting small and obtainable goals. Setting goals can help provide a sense of purpose and achievement. Track your progress and create a reward system when you reach a goal.

Maintain proper sleep hygiene- It is important to try to maintain proper sleep hygiene and sleep routines. Too much sleep, too little sleep, difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep could be signs of anxiety

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and depression. Sleep hygiene plays an enormous role in overall health.

Maintain healthy/ normal eating habits- Try to maintain a balanced diet. Staying more sedentary can cause people to snack or eat more due to boredom. Less activity could also cause a lack of appetite. Maintaining a balanced and regular diet will improve energy and mood.

Exercise- Continue to move. Activities that increase heart rate and blood flow will improve physical and mental health. Exercise is an excellent way to expel excess or pent-up energy. This will improve symptoms of anxiety and increase energy and mood.

Go outside- Spend time outside or in sunlight, if possible, for its countless benefits include

maintaining sleep cycles, changing the scenery, feeling less couped up, Vitamin D exposure which can help regulate mood, fresh air and more.

Social engagement- Humans are social creatures. Whether you consider yourself an introvert or not, human connection is paramount for emotional regulation. In-person or virtual communication can alleviate loneliness, boredom, restlessness, irritability, etc.

Keep your mind active- Play games, do puzzles, read, imagine, daydream or get creative with artwork. Do what you can to engage your senses and activate your brain. These things will make the time seem to go faster and help alleviate boredom and the sense of helplessness.

Practice mindful meditation- The ability to be still, quiet, calm and attuned to one’s body, thoughts and feelings will help regulate the nervous system. This is a proven method to combat symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can help the mind recalibrate, improving focus, logic, mood and more.

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The human capacity to adapt and overcome extreme circumstances is profound. There are many stories of survival where people have endured extensive periods of extreme isolation. Elisabeth Fritzl was held captive by her father in a basement for 24 years. Hiroo Onoda was a Japanese soldier who spent 29 years in the Philippines, cut off from civilization after WWII. Louis Zamperini survived 47 days at sea in a life raft and then 2 years in captivity. All the survivors of these true accounts describe utilizing most of the coping mechanisms listed above. Cabin fever is most often viewed as a temporary annoyance. However, as discussed in this article, extreme cases can have a devastating impact on mental health and overall wellbeing. I encourage you to always listen to your body and pay attention to the symptoms as they are important signals calling for action. In most cases of cabin fever, where symptoms are mild, taking the steps listed above will help you feel better. If symptoms of cabin fever persist or you feel you are being impacted more significantly, reach out to a doctor or mental health provider.

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Tricks Of The Travel Trade

By Mykel Hawke and Kim Martin

Most people today do some sort of traveling. Many folks travel a lot, and just about everyone, sooner or later, will have to travel. Be it across state lines or across the globe, there are always those who will seek to exploit the traveler’s ignorance. Like it or not, when you go somewhere new, there are things you can’t and won’t know. And even for the seasoned traveler with lots of experience in a certain place, the fact that you don’t reside there means something could occur or change while you’re away, or someone could take notice of your repeat returns and actually exploit that as a way to take advantage of regular patterns.

This basic tenet is a principle of military tactics— when you are static you have the advantage of fortifying your security and knowing your environment, but when you’re mobile it’s impossible to make every step of the journey safe from vulnerability, so vigilance is your best defense and preparation is your best offense.

The sad fact is that when you travel, you’re open to being taken advantage of, so you simply must be aware and do what you can to make yourself a hard target. Most criminals are looking for the easy pickings, not those that present a problem.

The first thing you should do before traveling is a recon or intelligence gathering. Thanks to the Internet, most of this can be done online before you leave. A great place to start if you’re going overseas,

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is to look at the US State Department’s (DOS) Travel Advisory for the country you plan to visit. Often they will have warnings about certain crimes, crime areas, criminal groups, and even some types of crimes that are prevalent, such as ATM robberies or car thefts.

The next place to check for dangers, such as shady places and dirty tricks, is to study some travel sites about the place(s) you want to visit. I have often been amazed at how a certain method of crime gets to become common practice by the crooks, likely because a technique works, they share it, and it’s the technique of choice until folks figure it out and it no longer works. Then they try something new. So just because you know the tricks to look out for, don’t assume that you know them all. Stay on guard.

Once you look at the most dangerous things that can happen, you have to look at the most likely things. Look at the weather, how it might delay or detour your travels and what dangers that change might expose you to.

Consider vehicle/vessel malfunction, what alternatives exist, and their risks. And even consider lodging issues and what the backups are, how to access and secure them. In developed countries these issues are easily sorted, but in developing or under-developed nations, these small details could be life changing.

Last bit for recon, check the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to see not only what shots you need to get before you go, but also to look for what unusual diseases are currently prevalent where you are going. Read up on the causes, the signs and symptoms, how to avoid them, and when to seek medical help. Make sure you know what the treatment should be in case someone tries to sell you bad medicine or give you a false diagnosis. And, of course, know where the hospitals are and how to call for help, how to get medical care, and have a medical evacuation plan set up. Consider insurance and even repatriation of remains should the worst happen.

COVID: The Coronavirus has brought a whole added dimension to health considerations while traveling. Unfortunately, by all indications, it is something the world will be dealing with for the foreseeable future. No matter how you personally feel about it, whether

you take the vaccinations and boosters or wear a mask, remember that you will not be on home turf or familiar territory when mixing in public places and with masses of people. You will be exponentially more at risk for exposure. And, besides COVID, there is a plethora of other, equally dangerous respiratorytype viruses and infections that can be found on surfaces and vaporized in the air. These kinds of illnesses tend to be highly contagious and could easily take you down in a hurry and set you back while on a trip. With that in mind, at the very least, it would be advisable to get the most up-to-date information on what variants and local spikes are present where you will be traveling.

In general, if you have enough time in advance of your departure—a week or more—do what you can to boost your immunity. Drink plenty of water to be well hydrated, get your fruits and vegetables (vitamin and nutrient content), get good rest and sleep, and consider supplements, especially those with zinc and vitamin C.

After your prep and recon, you have to make ready. Start by breaking down every step of your trip and looking at what could go wrong, have a plan for how to avoid it, and then make a plan for a countermeasure if it happens anyway.

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It starts at the airport, seaport, train station, bus station, or drive to destination once you exit the safety of the transport and begin to interact with the local people.

Immigrations, customs, and border authorities are usually a safe zone in most countries, but the less developed ones may harbor your first danger of the bribe versus the fine issue. Usually, there will be information online to prepare you for those things. For our purposes here, we will focus on the commonalities of travel dangers most likely to be experienced.

Helpers: One of the first encounters are usually folks waiting for fresh meat. They offer help with bags, taxis, hotels, you name it, there is someone offering to help. Best to have a plan, know the

names, and use only the official entities available; even if it is slow, it’s better slow and safe, than suckered and sorry.

Luggage: Shortly after the wave of helpers is the luggage issue. Try not to travel with more than you can carry on your back and/or pull with one hand so that one hand is always free to fight or what have you. If you’re traveling heavy, have a plan to put your family or team members to work as lifters or security.

Money: This is always tricky business. Make sure you know the local money and current exchange rate before you go. Try to get some at an exchange before you enter the country, but if not, usually it’s safer and easier to get money from an ATM inside customs— the rate can be a bit higher, but it’s safe and easy.

Taxis: This is one of the best means for bad guys to try to do bad things, as your senses are being overwhelmed and so much is happening so quickly. Be sure to state your destination and get a price before you step in, and make sure to keep your bags in sight at all times. If they are put in the back, make sure they are locked up. It’s a common trick to almost close the trunk, and while you’re in the cab and haggling with the cabbie, his accomplice is gently unloading your bags to steal them. Also, be aware of the roofie blow, as sometimes a cabbie will turn around and blow powder into your face, like Rohypnol, so you pass out, get robbed, stripped naked, and left on the streets with nothing and no memory. I always sit behind the driver to reduce the ability to do that or any other maneuver. I pull out my weapons/knives from my bags as soon as I clear customs so I can be armed before I leave the safe zone in the airport should they try some act of violence against me during that vulnerable transition.

Rideshares: Much the same as with taxis, but with services like Uber and Lyft, while there are some added benefits—such as flexibility, availability and, in some cases, cost—there are additional precautions to take. First, by all means, use their official apps, which have safety measures built into the process. Try to request your ride in the company of others so you’re not alone while waiting and, if possible, choose a visible and populous place. Make sure

you verify the make, model, and license plate of the vehicle, and follow all the directions in the app. Ask the driver: “Who are you here to pick up?” This way, you are not giving out your name unless they already have it. If it’s an option, share the details of your ride with someone else. If, at any time, your gut is telling you something is not right, use the 911 emergency feature in the app or separately on your phone. Finally—and this applies to other transportation as well—do not ride alone if you feel unwell.

Hotel: This is another time when you can get hustled or robbed, depending on the type of hotel. The usual tricks here are to steal money out of your stash but not all of it, or to take a credit card imprint but leave the card, or tell you places to go where their accomplices are ready to hustle or rob you.

Rooms: Hide your valuables in good places. Do not always trust the hotel safe or front desk safe. Do not keep all your valuables in one place. Sometimes, I hide mine inside vents, inside box springs, behind the fridge, anywhere I think a crook or a crooked maid is unlikely to look. Make little trip wires that let you know someone has moved something. For example: a small plastic water bottle cap by the corner of the fridge; if they move the fridge, they’re unlikely to notice it or won’t think it was pre-positioned. You come back from dinner, see it moved, and you’re alerted.

Vehicles: Be sure to check your vehicle thoroughly before you leave, be it a rental or a company vehicle. Sometimes these are rigged to break down and you are forced to pay for recovery services, or they are set up to fail so criminal elements can trail you and then be there to offer “help” and rob you. If on your own, make sure you have a spare tire, and always keep an eye on your vehicle when away; keep your most valuable items on you at all times.

Parking Lots: Sometimes there will be kids aimlessly hanging out, but often they are used as decoys, early warning, or even scouts. They may ask to guard your car while you’re in a shop, then as soon as you go in, they let their buddies know and you come back to an empty car, the kids nowhere to be seen. This is especially important if your car is loaded, the kids see that and they are marking you for a robbery.

Restaurants: Often restaurants are fairly safe as a static location, their business depending on your safe experience. But be ever aware of snatch-and-grab thieves, so secure your bags to your body or table or chair. Be wary of pickpockets, people seeking to steal your identity through Wi-Fi or chip readers that are designed to pick up the low level RFID info off your cards. Best to use good firewalls on laptops and phones and good bags with wire mesh RFID blockers.

Trips: If you go out on a pre-arranged trip, these are usually safe—again, as the operators’ business depends on your safety. However, there may be parts of the trip where you’re dropped to have some time

to explore or shop or go out on your own. Here are a few things that you can be on the lookout for while you’re out and about…

Distress Requests: This is a common ploy these days…a stranger asks for help and then assaults you or, like you, pretends not to know what is happening but meanwhile actually targets you for a robbery.

Panhandlers: This is a slippery slope. If you give to one, they may ask for more, and others may see and follow suit. Before you know it, you are mobbed. Best to just keep the money to yourself.

Animals: Be careful with animals. Some places have no concern for them, other places take it seriously if you harm one, even if it’s a stray. And beware the scammer who claims you just hurt their animal and you need to compensate them or they will call the police.

Bars: Always size up the bar by its patrons and cleanliness. Unless it’s filled with tourists, indicating it’s safe, best to leave local bars to locals.

Streets: Pay attention to street names and the look of the streets. Don’t take shortcuts through dark alleys—does that even need be said? But always pay attention to main roads, and if you get lost, take the way back that you know and is safe, even if you’re tired. Nothing worse than being tired and lost in a dangerous place.

Authorities: Sometimes the police can be trusted,

sometimes they cannot. And sometimes criminals will impersonate a cop or other law enforcement, so make sure you look at the whole picture when you deal with a policeman. A nice uniform but a pair of dirty sneakers may be a sign they’re a fake.

TIP: Have a photocopy of your passport hidden in all your luggage and keep a few spares around. Having a copy of the info page can help prove who you are, get you into the US Embassy a lot faster, and get you a temporary replacement in just a few hours versus waiting a few days to get verified and issued a new passport.

The Bottom Line: Look for normal so you’ll spot the abnormal. Example: You approach a cabbie, he should ask where to and not just say get in. He should say twenty bucks, or you ask and he answers the expected amount, not let’s go or we’ll see. If he takes your bag, watch him put it in the trunk and close it firmly, not leaving it almost closed. If he says sit there where he can “roofie” you, then slide behind him. Etc. Etc.

Tricks and scams will always be around and constantly evolve, but if you stay vigilant by remaining alert in each moment during high-risk exposure periods, most of the time you’ll catch the trick and be able to prevent or respond as needed. Safe Travels!

NOTE: Special thanks to the book Green Beret Pocket Guide, Safety & Security by Brian Morris.

Photo by Cory Schadt

RATTLESNAKE SAFETY TIPS: A Venomous Snake Tutorial

By Musa Masala

In this video, Jules Sylvester of Reptile Rentals shares valuable insight into the three venomous snakes of Southern California. In the 10-minute video, you will get an overview of these snakes, how avoid getting bitten, what to do if you do get bit, and a quick view of the treatment plan at the hospital if you wind up there. These treatment protocols are basically the same for all pit viper envenomations in the United States, so this information is standard nationwide. Every bite is unique, though, so there will be adjustments to treatment for every bite.

Venomous snakes are all very important members of the ecosystem. They are masters at rodent control and they don’t need or seek out human interference. Our best advice is to wear appropriate shoes and clothing when working

Photo by Joshua J. Cotton

Venomous snakes are all very important members of the ecosystem, but interaction with them can be extremely dangerous.

or traveling through these snakes’ habitats and respect your surroundings by paying attention. These snakes will do everything they can to stay away from you. Unfortunately, we humans tend to be the ones who cause interactions. And please, never pick up any snake. You may get much more than you bargained for.

Musa Masala is dedicated to safe and culturally aware mountain travel. This tutorial is part of their Good Trekker, Safe Climber series. For more information, visit Musa Masala.

Jules Sylvester of Reptile Rentals has worked with over 10,000 venomous snakes, and never been bitten—a good sign! Sylvester is concerned with the safety of the film crews and works within the motion picture industry. Often on late-night TV and in specials on snakes and reptiles, he brought all the snakes and wrangled them for the film Snakes on a Plane! He is the founder of Reptile Rentals.

Video by Musa Masala

Video filmed by Vanessa Manlunas; Voiceover by August McLaughlin; Editing by Gabe Harder

When a dog is not man’s best friend

Most of us think of dogs as our companions. Friends that will love us unconditionally, so long as we feed them, exercise them and love them. But for some people a dog can be an enemy. One that can attack and even kill, one that can discover hidden or illegal substances or one that can smell human scent. In this article I will look at dogs that use their noses to scent humans and to track them down.

The most common and best known of the human tracking dog breeds is the bloodhound. Bloodhounds are the ultimate scenting dogs and there are packs which are used for tracking all over the world. Their origins date back to the Middle Ages in Europe, where they were originally used for hunting deer and wild boar. It is impossible for us to really comprehend just how good these dogs are at scenting and tracking humans. They can detect human scent days after a human has passed, they can scent over water and they can do this over long distances. And, here is the thing, they are tenacious and perfectly designed for scenting and ‘trailing’ their target. They are so impressive at doing this that in some places in the world their results can be presented in court and are admissible as evidence.

Everything about the dog is designed for scenting, including its face, ears, shortish legs and long strong neck. However, what makes a bloodhound so exceptional is its nose or rather the olfactory (scenting) area inside of the nose. In humans, this area is about the size of a postage stamp, in bloodhounds it is the size of a handkerchief. Physiologically, the number of scenting cells inside the bloodhound’s nose is about 300 million, compared to a human’s which is about 5 million. In real terms, means that this breed of dog,

under optimal conditions, only needs to detect one or two human cells to lock on. Even more impressive is that these dogs can scent discriminate and lock onto the target scent once it is known by the dog.

Humans shed about 40,000 skin cells per minute, approximately. The longer a person stands in one place, the stronger the scent becomes. It is this skin shedding that is the principal method of tracking that the bloodhound uses. The record for picking up and tracking a scent is held by a dog that found a family dead 330 hours after going missing in Oregon. That is nearly 14 days later!

Most of our knowledge, or preconceptions, about tracking/ trailing dogs comes from Hollywood, from such films as Cool Hand Luke, The Shawshank Redemption and others that feature these dogs sometimes give the impression that they are easy to fool. In reality, they are not. In experiments, trained and experienced dogs tracked human subjects successfully 96% of the time. From our armchairs it is easy to think that we can distract these dogs. We may think that we can use peppers or other chemicals to disrupt their noses. We can’t, and a dog will simply work through them. We may think that we can use water to mess and disrupt our scent, but this barely slows the dogs down.

Joel Lambert, ex U.S. Navy SEAL and star of Manhunt/Lone Target, and I recently had the experience of being chased by bloodhounds from a police bloodhound unit in the USA. This episode of Manhunt/Lone Target was the last to be filmed in season two and it was the one that we most wanted to win. It was also the one that caused us the most concern. We strategized and planned during the preceding weeks and, like most people, made some assumptions that proved to be misguided and, in some cases, and downright wrong. Now, I have been hunted by dogs before during a number of escape and evasion exercises, both in the UK and in Germany, and Joel had been up against dogs during Season One in Poland, but they were other breeds. These were mainly German shepherd dogs, which are not dedicated scenting dogs and easier to evade than bloodhounds. Going up against these dogs was not only going to be a challenge if we were to be successful, it would also require a sound strategy and a certain degree of luck. The details of how we did will remain a secret, but I can reveal some of the considerations that we took into account and some general guidance.

I should state at this point that the police bloodhound unit we were up against do not come up against soldiers with training in escape and evasion. We were not criminals running for our lives, but professional ex-soldiers who have served with

elite units in the U.S.A. and UK, and have had some excellent training in Survival, Escape, Resistance/Recovery, and Evasion/ Extrication (SERE). Some of the emotions and tensions that a person on the run exude are easily detectible by scenting dogs. We on the other hand, were cool and calculating. We were not intimidated by the dogs, and we had pre-formed strategies that we could implement depending on the environment and the opportunity.

So, here are a number of things to take into consideration and some general pointers:

1. Bloodhounds are single minded once they pick up your scent and can pick up the scent many days afterward.

2. They can scent through shallow water through which you can wade, but have difficulty in water in which you can swim in.

3. All a police bloodhound unit needs is an accurate location of where you were. They do not, as is commonly believed, require an article of clothing or object to obtain your scent.

4. They are not disrupted by pepper, pepper sprays, CS gas or other chemicals and frankly if you are on the run, you are unlikely to have access to these anyways. All these devices do is confirm to the handler that you were there. Do not waste time. Time and distance are your friends when evading dogs.

5. Trailing teams do not need to rest at night. They can bring in relief teams to work through the night and operate shift patterns as the dogs are usually part of a pack. This means that you cannot afford to rest. Unlike the tracking teams, you will not be able to use light to guide you through rough terrain.

6. These dogs have incredible endurance, and some have even died from exhaustion while scenting.

7. If you cannot evade the dog, then target the handler. I am not suggesting taking the handler out, as mostly the dog is usually only one part of a professional tracking team and, unless you are experienced in laying and initiating an ambush, it is likely that this will get you shot or at the very least re-captured. A good team will have an experienced handler who can interpret the

dog and also have a flanking armed security team for protection.

8. Target the handler by exhaustion. Use the terrain and the vegetation to slow down the dog and handler. When these teams move through open ground trailing, they are very fast, and the handlers are usually pretty fit.

9. The dogs usually work in isolation with relief dog and tracking teams being brought in as required.

10. Contrary to popular belief, they usually do not bark when trailing. However, the handlers will often be heard encouraging the dog. When this happens, you need to do something quickly as they will be on you quickly if you continue without taking evasive or deceptive actions.

11. Using places where lots of humans have congregated will likely slow down the dog, but with a good dog, it will only be a minor delay. Your scent is unique, and the dog can discern your scent from that of others. However, if you are being tracked by a younger or less experienced dog, you have about a 50/50 chance of evading successfully.

12. When moving over ground, use terrain that has little or no bacteria within it. Sand, concrete, and rocks all make it more difficult for the dog, but remember it will work through this eventually.

13. Use deep water to swim through. Yes, the handlers will know where you have entered, but now they have to figure out where you went and they will have to scan two sides of a watercourse, which all takes up time. The more difficult you can make this the better.

14. Make the handler doubt the dog. This works best with an inexperienced dog, handler or both. Where time is on your side, put in multiple deceptions.

15. Bloodhounds have been known to scent their quarry even when in a vehicle. This can be used to gain distance and time to be used to your advantage later.

Be under no illusions, these dogs are hard to evade and frankly bloodhound units are very well trained as are the dogs. A certain amount of luck goes a long way. There are some techniques that have not been discussed and will remain in the domain of the elite units, but generally speaking and if you consider the measures above, you will give yourself the best chance of being successful.

Photo by Koolshooters

Photo by Gary Smith

Preparing With A Group For Natural Or Other Disasters: A First-Person Account

By Hakim Isler

Almost deaf to the screeching sounds of my two-month-old son crying, my senses are hyper-focused on whether there is an immediate danger to me and my family.

The power is out, but according to my wall clock, it is only about 1 PM, so the sun is providing natural light. An earthquake has just hit, and my family and I are in the doorway to the bathroom.

I tell my wife to stay with the kids in case there is an immediate aftershock, and I survey the house for damages. I find minor cracks in the walls and items strewn throughout the house, but nothing major. My wife has tried to call her mother, but the lines are down. We open our laptop, which still has a charge of 30 percent, but the Internet is down as well. I pull out our hand-cranked radio and ask my wife to monitor it for any information while I circulate about the neighborhood to check on others. It appears that only three out of seven neighbors are home, most at work this time of day.

As I go house to house, I find that everyone is okay. However, one of our neighbors lets me know he has heard via CB radio that there is a mass power outage. He also says water and gas

are down and several sources are speculating it may be a long-term outage.

Good thing for us, we formed a neighborhood emergency response group and a disaster response plan.

One of the first steps on our plan is to inventory and consolidate, while a few of us will go to the store and collect additional supplies in the event we are indeed facing an extended situation. Unfortunately, there are only three guys home, and as the saying goes, you can’t plan for everything, so we decide to use our emergency cash stash and purchase as much water and food as we can. Even though the power is out, we know if we hurry to the local store, workers will still be there, and with cash, there will be no need for a cash register. As part of our community emergency plan, we have all been saving resources but still feel that factoring in

a last run for supplies is important if we can do it safely and before looting ensues. There are several items on our list, such as tuna, canned chicken, rice, crackers, peanut butter, trail mix, medicine, multivitamins, baby food, pet food, batteries, lighters, Clorox bleach, rubbing alcohol, soap, and iodine.

Before we go to the store, we make sure we have a way to communicate. Our plan consists of short-wave radios for communicating between aisles, but we also make sure our group has GoTenna, which is a device that allows us to form our own communication network over a distance, giving us the capability to send text messages and GPS info without the use of a cell tower or satellite. Meanwhile, those who remain at the house are tasked with contacting friends and family, also using GoTenna, to see if they are okay and find out when they will be home.

Photo by Zoe Schaeffer

Just as we are leaving, we see some store employees frantically rushing out the door as other people are pulling into the parking lot; the remaining employees are struggling to keep them out while simultaneously pushing us out. I hold no hard feelings, as I know they have families of their own to be concerned about. As we approach our vehicle, a few individuals are circling it so we load up quickly and take off. It is obvious to us that, in another hour, there will be looting at the store. Unfortunately, we are not able to get gas; the lines are long and the pumps do not appear to be were working.

For power, we have our generators, as well as solar box kits to provide power for light and heat. We also stop at the local hardware store for a few extra propane tanks. On our way back to the house, I get a text from my wife saying that the missing families in our group have arrived at the pre-designated congregation spot and are

all accounted for. There are twenty of us in total, and three of the twenty are babies, which will pose a great challenge for long-term survival. There are also three dogs, four cats, and fish between the families. It is important for us to assess the needs of all during this event. The congregation station is the home of one of my friends, his being the largest house with the most room for everyone. Once we arrive, we all start to work on the details of our situation. Based on reports from the hand-crank and CB radios, as expected, we will be without service for a long time. What makes the situation worse is the fact winter is only a few weeks away. We have to make sure all of us can survive with little or no help from others.

On the positive side, we all have a monthly budget for what we call Survival Insurance. Just like home and life insurance, this is money set aside for the purchase of disaster prep items,

Photo by Markus Spiske

including food and supplies. We have been doing this for two years, and together we have amassed enough resources to sustain us all for four years. We have freeze-dried food, water, rainwater collection barrels, water purifiers, and solar panels on our homes (which, with a little tweaking by one of our group members, can link directly into our homes). Other members have herb and vegetable gardens, stocks of baby and pet food, and supplies of candles and batteries.

In further contingency planning, we divide our supplies between two or more homes; in the event one sustains some kind of damage, we will not lose everything. For the group members, we choose to collectively occupy two houses with big backyards, privacy fences, and wooded environs. We know at some point those who are unprepared could come scavenging, and although we may be able to help some of them, we won’t be able to help all of them. The moment we have to say “NO” might be the moment nice people become desperate and not so nice. Therefore, being in these houses gives us good security; from the top floors, we can see anyone coming from any direction and, even with the woods, there is enough cleared land to spot potential threats at a distance.

For additional security, we decide to block off the entrances with folding sawhorses and arrange our vehicles in the garages with one at a backyard exit point. They are full of gas, food, water, and medical supplies in the event we have to bug out. We remove the batteries and gas from any we do not plan to use, the batteries and fuel being usable for power and generators. For heat, we have had a fire collection crew cut and process enough wood to sustain our houses for the winter.

For more water, we have drained the pools and used tarps to help funnel rain into them. We can also run our gutters into the pools. With a combination of above- and in-ground pools, we can hold 10 to 20,000 gallons of water. This will be more than enough to prepare and make

food, for personal hygiene, and for drinking. The average individual should consume about 32 to 64 ounces of water a day, so it’s important to tap every potential source. If needed, we can drain our water heaters. The pools will be covered overnight, adding the appropriate bleach to help clean and keep the bugs out. We will always boil the water we plan to ingest.

Finally, there is the issue of the waste management for our group of twenty. One member has previously found a solution by transforming a shed on a nearby hiking trail into a waste compost.

I share this account in the hope it will provide some inspiration and motivation for preparedness thinking as a group of family, friends, or neighbors. There truly can be strength in numbers as sharing knowledge and resources cannot only provide comfort, but sanity and security as well.

Photo by Roger Brown

Ihave loved roses for as long as I can remember, with memories of their sweet scents and beautiful colors and glorious blooms going back to my mother and grandmothers. You could argue that they are a plant for the survivalist as they have been around as a species for at least 5000 years. Most varieties tend to be robust and resilient, withstanding or rebounding from wet and dry weather, an abundance of pests and diseases, and able to grow in cold and warm climates.

At one time, I was growing over 500 different roses, from hybrid teas and shrubs to old garden and English to miniatures and climbing. I have grown both grafted and own-root roses. In the earliest days of my gardening, without the knowledge I eventually acquired, I relied on the mainstream boxstore potting mixtures and maintenance products. But as I acquired more varieties of roses over the years and began to discover the handful of specialty rose nurseries and emporiums, I also explored and experimented in more varied approaches to planting and maintaining them. I also realized early on that good fertilizers, pest and disease control, were expensive—especially for hundreds of roses!

BEGINNINGS: THE BASICS

Rose growing does not have to be complicated— though it can be if you’re as serious as I have been—and success depends on getting the basics right. As with a garden of anything, whether you’re

Photo by Cottonbro Studio

Good soil and the preparation of it are key to getting the best start.

Photo by Kim Martin Gold Medal, Hybrid Tea Rose

growing flowers or plants or vegetables, it starts with good planning and proper preparation, which can be said about survival in general.

If you’re new to roses, the best place to start is not at a box store or hardware gardening department, but a local nursery. It will be tempting, no doubt, because of the lower prices of a Walmart or Lowes. But your best chance of success is to start with the healthiest plants, and these will come from places that do not purchase their inventory in mass quantities with little regard for which varieties are most appropriate for your region. In fact, they tend

to carry roses that are most commonly known and produced on a larger, more wholesale scale. Their stock may be under- or over-watered, baked by hours of sun while displayed on a slab of heatradiating asphalt or withering in the artificial light and stifling air circulation inside the store. While being grown for export, they will have been sprayed with pesticides.

And, most importantly, at a nursery you will find associates with horticultural knowledge who can advise you on the best choices for your level of experience and environment.

In planning, the first thing to take into consideration is placement. Roses love sun but can do fine in some shade, particularly if you live in a region with extreme heat. Ideally, they should get six to eight hours of sunlight, four at a minimum, and direct exposure from morning intensity is the best (east or south side of your house or lawn). Choose a site that is protected from strong winds and avoid placement directly under trees. When selecting your roses, make sure you determine how big they will get in both height and width and whether they will spread. With potential growth in mind, plot your placement, allowing plenty of room in between; consult with your nursery as some varieties require more space to grow and spread than others. A good rule of thumb is to allow five to six feet in between and from row to row.

While experts will tell you the best time to plant is after the last frost of spring, you can generally do so anytime in moderate temperatures that fall between 40 and 60 degrees. Just avoid the hottest summer months. To install an in-ground bed or garden (as opposed to a raised-bed), remove all grass and weeds, digging to a depth of about two feet. Prior to preparing and supplementing the soil, use a test kit such as MySoil or Soil Savvy to measure the pH balance. For roses, this should be in the range of 6.0 to 7.0. Your nursery can then advise on what is needed to adjust and correct to a good level.

The soil mixture I favor, which makes for a good density and allows adequate drainage consists of equal parts soil removed from the hole (mine is

Photo by Pixabay

Well-prepared and cultivated garden beds produce make the best foundation for great rose gardens.

Photo by Kim Martin Veteran’s Honor, Hybrid Tea Rose

primarily clay), a dark topsoil, manure, peat moss, and coarse sand. Some experts discourage the addition of sand, suggesting it creates a cementlike consistency, but in my experience it helps to break up and aerate the clay. If you have organic compost, you can also add this. Compost and other organics provide a more stable growing environment, enriching the soil and plants through the roots.

Holes should be 16 to 20 inches wide or about 8 –12 inches wider than the root ball or pot size. Before planting, if your roses are in pots, let them acclimate for a day or so, keeping them watered and close to where they will be placed. Alternatively, especially for plants that are not in pots, such as bare root roses wrapped or in boxes, it’s a good idea to rehydrate the roots in a bucket or tub of water for a couple of hours. And, in the latter case, you can inspect the roots before planting and trim any weak or straggly ones.

To plant, position the rose in the center of the hole with the bottom of the stems about two inches below the top. This is to cover the bud union, which protects it from cold temperatures, gives it a more secure foundation, and fortifies the root structure. Next, backfill the hole with your soil mixture, lightly tamping it around with your foot. Water well, about a gallon, and when the soil settles add enough additional to fill in. Finally, layer two to three inches of organic mulch. You can use wood (redwood or cedar) chipped or shredded, saw dust, leaf mold, grass clippings, straw, or compost, but many use pine needles, which make the soil acidic and favorable for roses. Another popular choice is mushroom compost. In any case, monitor your mulch for freshness and, ideally, replace it every few months. Mulch is essential for protecting against the growth of weeds, retaining moisture, regulating soil temperature, and preventing erosion.

WATERING

Roses thrive best when well-watered and will struggle if under- or over-watered. In the spring, newly planted roses should be watered every two to three days; established ones can be watered once or twice a week. The idea is to maintain moist, but not soggy, ground. Particularly in the summer,

watch for wilting, which will be a good indication of the need for more watering. In the fall and winter, water as needed if the ground is dry until your roses go dormant; in frost-free climates, continue to water through the winter. For application, water close to the base, pausing to allow soil absorption, and take care to avoid getting water on the foliage, which can cause diseases. The best time for watering is in the morning.

FEEDING ORGANICALLY

The great thing about organics is that much can

Photo by Kim Martin Young own root roses ready for planting

Photo by Kim Martin Spring flush of floribunda shrub roses, Bill Warriner and Fabulous

be found in your own kitchen. Egg shells, banana peels, tea leaves, and milk powder, for instance. Others include fish bones, alfalfa, Epsom salts, blood and bone meal.

Teabags, which contain acidic tannin, caffeine, and some nitrogen, can be soaked in water for a few hours and then watered it in. You can also sprinkle old tea leaves around the bush.

Eggshells (washed well) should be finely crushed and worked into your compost or soil, and are a great source of calcium.

The peels from ripened bananas are rich in potassium, which is an immunity booster that aids in protection from disease and pests. Potassium also encourages stronger, more spectacular blooms. Yellowing leaves or poorly developed buds and blooms on your roses are indicative of a potassium deficiency. The peels can also be planted in the rose hole to give it a good start, and the sugar content produces microbes that act in the same fashion as worms.

As with egg shells, wash and dry fish bones, then crush and sprinkle around the base of the plant or work into the soil. Fish emulsion also works well with a ratio of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water.

Milk powder is another great source of calcium for the roots and foliage and, as an added bonus, can be mixed with two parts water to one part powder to make a spray that has been used to reduce powdery mildew and black spot.

A half cup of Epsom salts per bush, applied in the spring, provides magnesium for enhanced greening, healthier canes, and prolific blooms— but do not add them if your soil has a higher salinity (check your soil test).

Blood and bone meals contain nitrogen and iron, both of which are essential in the fertilization of roses.

Alfalfa is a long-time staple of organic gardeners and the base of many premade fertilizer mixes. It contains nitrogen, magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorous, and zinc. Pellets work well as they decompose gradually.

With all things organic, pets and other animals will naturally be attracted to the smells, so take care in your application; the best practice is generally to rake back some of the topsoil, mulch, and/or compost, apply, layer with fresh or untreated cover, and slow water in.

Photo by Kim Martin Jude the Obscure, English Rose

Photo by Kim Martin Cupcake, a Newly Planted Miniature Rose, surrounded by organic mulch.

The best time for feeding your roses is initially in the spring and then after bloom cycles—generally about every six weeks—which will stimulate repeat flowering.

ORGANIC PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL

All gardens are beset with a number of pests, but roses are particularly vulnerable to aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, scales, caterpillars, mealybugs and, of course, the dreaded Japanese beetles. Additionally, they can be prone to black spot, mildew, blight, cankers, rust, rosette, mosaic, and gall.

Soap oil spray for leaves and stems can work well to control most of the standard pests, and is easy to make with just a few drops of dishwashing liquid or baby shampoo to a quart of water, blending in a tablespoon of cooking oil. Spray on all parts of the plant except the flowers every few days as warranted, avoiding the hottest part of the day to prevent scorching. Garlic, which has natural antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, makes a strong pesticide, using five peeled and crushed garlic bulbs mixed into 16 ounces of water. Let that stand overnight, adding a dash of dishwashing liquid. Strain the garlic bits, add the liquid into a gallon of water for use in a spray bottle, and you’re good to go.

Ants are often drawn to the sweetness of roses, and while they don’t directly harm them, they can be a detriment to the natural predators of beneficial insects. To help control them, you can make a solution of one part peppermint oil to ten parts water and spray around the base of each bush.

Epson salt spray is made with one cup dissolved in five gallons of water and is especially effective on slugs and beetles.

Citrus spray, which is good for soft-bodied insects, can be made with the grated rind from one lemon to a pint of boiling water. Let it steep overnight, strain off the rind, and put into your sprayer. For the best effect, spray directly onto insects by coating the tops and bottoms of leaves.

Sometimes the purest approach can work just as well…a strong blast from your hose (again, only in the morning) will knock off insects and wash away the honeydew produced by some types of pests, such as aphids. Unfortunately, there are some pests, most notably slugs and caterpillars, that you may have to hunt down and manually remove; left unattended, these can cause a lot of damage.

For powdery mildew and black spot, two of the

Photo by Walkersalmanac

To install an in-ground bed or garden, remove all grass and weeds, digging to a depth of about two feet.

Photo by Kim Martin Awareness, Hybrid Tea Rose

most common fungal conditions, mix two tablespoons of baking soda into your gallon of soap oil spray and begin using it before you see these develop, then every five to seven days afterward, as needed. A mixture that has been used to great success in even commercial rose gardens can be made with one tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of water. For each gallon you can then add your baking soda, dishwashing liquid, and oil mixture for an all-in-one treatment.

JAPANESE BEETLES

All I can say, on behalf of rose-lovers everywhere (or those who covet anything that grows for appreciation or consumption), is UGH! They are a notorious, extremely virulent, and massively destructive plague—simply calling them a pest is vastly incommensurate to the damage they do. Worst, they have virtually no natural predators and even the most potent chemical control has minimal impact on their invasions. Fortunately, they occur during a brief window in the summer, but for me that window has always seemed interminable. During their peak, they descend in swarms to feast on blooms and foliage alike.

There are a few things you can do to help in

reduction. In larvae form, they are underground grubs, which can be killed with milky spore. This compound is harmless to humans, pets, and wildlife, and can be obtained from your nursery or garden store. Another application for this approach is beneficial nematodes.

For adult beetles, there has been much debate on the effectiveness of the traps that can be purchased just about anywhere. They do attract and trap beetles (as long as you keep them cleaned out and replaced as needed) but…they attract beetles. Your best bet here is to position them away from your bushes and no more than two to three feet from the ground.

Many rose growers make regular rounds (I did) with a bucket of soapy water, and knock the beetles into it.

ROSES AS EDIBLES

My final topic here…all petals, leaves, hips, and buds are not only edible, but a good source of vitamins A, C, and E. Not all roses are fragrant— most that are tend to be of the old garden or English varieties—but the more intense the fragrance, the better the taste. Petals can be tossed

Photo by Rodnae Productions

Compost and other organics provide a more stable growing environment, enriching the soil and plants through the roots.

Photo by Kim Martin French Perfume, Hybrid Tea Rose

in salads, used as garnishes, and to make herbal teas, jams, jellies, and syrups. New or young leaves (make sure they are free of disease) can be made into a tea sweetened with honey. Rose hips are especially sweet and tasty and known for jellies and sauces. They have also been widely used medicinally for their anti-inflammatory properties and are thought to provide relief for symptoms of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Harvest them when entirely red or orange, cutting in half if you want to remove the seeds.

WRAPPING UP

There are many other topics I could cover, but hopefully these will be informative and motivational. One of the best things about growing roses is the frequency of their blooming and, with good care, longevity in the garden.

Not to mention they’re lovely to look at.

I leave you with this…

Time grows roses, with the gentle hand of love An earthly imprint of heaven’s tapestry above. Time grows roses, with the patience of ages A story creating itself from the ground’s fertile pages.

Time grows roses, with the determination of day To break from the night and make a new way. Time grows roses, with the light spring slumber That skips, then jumps, then rushes into summer. Time grows roses, the way only time can Love keeps roses...by God’s perfect hand.

Photo by Kim Martin Robin Hood, Hybrid Musk Rose

Photo by Kim Martin Claudia Cardinale, Shrub Rose

Photo by Kim Martin Time Grows Roses

Photo by Gabriel Jimenez

A robust and nutrient-rich soil mixture can be made organically.

HugelKultur

Using Hugelkultur for Flourishing Gardens and Effective Water Conservation.

By Sam Coffman

Hugelkultur is a concept that has probably been around for at least centuries if not millennia. The word “hugel” means “hill” in German, and “kultur” means, well… culture. The idea is pretty simple. Stack a lot of rotten logs and other natural plant debris into a mound and cover it with dirt. This is a little oversimplified however, and I would like to explain how to use and modify this concept to produce excellent garden yields with a fraction of the water used in a flat-bed style garden watered from above.

My primary reason for first using hugelkultur in my own gardening was primarily to be able to conserve water in the very hot and dry drought years in central Texas. I found it to be almost as effective as a closed wicking bed in water conservation and an amazing way to create nutrient-dense soils that can last for years without needing much extra work once they are made.

While water conservation may not be an issue depending on where you live, hugelkultur can still be a way to get better long-term high yields from your garden for several years without as much work as raised beds and other closed systems. This is because of the way in which nutrient cycling takes place in a well-built hugelkultur bed.

In regard to where you live and whether hugelkultur will work for you, there are a few considerations. First, a hugelkultur bed works best the first season you plant in it if you prepare it at least a few months ahead of time. This is because it takes a little time for the bed to both settle and “cure” as well as the nutrient cycling to be underway by the time you plant.

Another consideration is wind. If you live in an area that has a lot of wind during your growing season, you may want to build a wind block to prevent erosion of your hugelkultur garden topsoil. The same erosion issue is true of heavy rains if they happen before your crops have grown enough to give you a root system.

Speaking of roots, the first year or two of a hugelkultur bed works better for above-ground harvests than root crops. This is because of the branches and plant debris deeper under the topsoil, such as tubers and roots, will get stuck in. This will make it harder to harvest without tearing up portions of the bed.

So aside from the excellent water conservation and nutrient cycling that one can get from a hugelkultur bed, what are some other advantages? One is that it is easier to weed and harvest from a hilly garden bed, and if it is built correctly and one does not have to worry about walking on it – especially if one is trying to maintain a no-till garden. Another is that from year to year, if you build it correctly, you can continue to plant without having to worry as much about feeding the soil from the top. Finally, you can not only get a better effect from top-down drip irrigation, but you can also automate an underground watering system if you want to set up your hugelkultur bed similar to a wicking bed.

To make a hugelkultur bed there are several variations, but I will discuss my own personal tips that have worked best for me over the years.

First, although you can place your branches and natural debris directly on top of the ground, I prefer to dig a trench. My reason for this is that it gives more depth to use, and also that it integrates the soil health better into the earth around the bed, making for a better garden space even years later if you decide to unearth the mound and plant on flat ground. By adding a trench, the whole bed becomes some sort of slow nutrient feed to not just your garden on top of the mound, but to the surrounding area including the sub-surface. Additionally, a trenched version will retain water better and not dry out. Building on top of the ground can also be more of an attraction to rodents who might start making their homes in the base logs of your mound. If you are trenched, there is more dirt

and protection. Finally, if you dig a trench, you will be able to re-use that dirt on the bottom layers of your mound. Or, if it is already really good soil, it can make up the top layers of dirt too.

I start with a trench that is anywhere from eight inches to one foot deep, about five feet wide and 10-15 feet long. Since I spent the last 15 years in the hill country of Texas, it wasn’t easy to dig very deep because of all the limestone. It is fine if you have to dig around rocks a little and your trench is not completely uniform in shape. Bear in mind that your mound can be anywhere from a few feet to even as high as six or seven feet. The higher you are making the mound, the steeper it will be, given the same width. Therefore, a higher mound usually needs to have a wider base. Note that having a high mound that is protected from wind and water erosion until fully planted can create different microclimates that produce more of a polyculture and healthy garden. In fact, a high mound itself can serve as a good wind block for other parts of the garden.

Now it is time to layer your material. Starting from the base of your mound, in your trench, you generally want to put the largest pieces of wood that you have. These will take the longest to break down and will hold water at the base. It is very important you are not using green wood for any of your hugelkulture. Green wood will take much longer to break down and could arguably rob the soil around it of nitrogen for some time while it slowly decomposes. Ideally you want wood that is not only dried, but at least partially rotted. The more it is already aged and rotting, the better. Again, place

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite

the thickest and largest pieces of rotting wood at the bottom and then slowly start to pile on thinner and smaller pieces of dried and/or rotting wood. Many folks say it is best to use hardwood logs at the bottom and then use softer woods as you layer up. If you don’t have the luxury of selecting different hardness’s of old wood you might have available, do not worry about it. If you don’t have any larger old wood at all, then use what you have. Bark, smaller branches and clippings that have had time to dry out, dry leaves, dried grass clippings are all fine, but the larger the wood pieces can be at the bottom, the better.

Have a hose and spray nozzle nearby to thoroughly spray down each of these layers as you go. Spray down the old logs filling your trench. You can even spray down the trench before you put the logs in. Spray down the smaller wood pieces after you layer them up at least a foot over the ground level. Walk on top of all the mound to help pack it down and spray it down some more. I like to make sure that at a minimum the lower 2/3 of the mound is soaking wet as that will retain the water best and help with decomposition over the next few months.

As I work my way up the mound and I am at least a foot or two (depending on how high I want my mound to be, at least 50% - 60% of the final height) over the level of the ground, I like to add layers of old straw and some of the “greens” in composting along with the small dead wood pieces. This can include everything from kitchen vegetable scraps that you would put into your compost pile, to partially or fully

composted matter from your compost pile. Burying vegetable scraps in or around a garden is sometimes referred to as “trench composting” and it works well if layered into the smaller wood pieces along with some dirt.

We have grown rabbits for food for years, and I like to use straw for their bedding. They like the straw as well because it’s easy to burrow in, nest with, etc. This rabbit straw mixed with rabbit manure has always made an excellent addition to my hügelkultur. Add layers of thin or small woody debris mixed with dirt on top of the mound at least a few feet over the ground level. This sort of “lasagna” layering approach to creating the above-ground layers of your mound allows a lot of potential nutrients to cycle inside the mound over the years.

Spray everything down again with water. This is now a great time to add in some earthworms. Worms are colony insects and do best if you put at least a handful together in each location throughout the length of the mound. Earthworms can be bought online or at your local garden store by the hundreds or thousands. They can even be grown at home. 2000 worms are more than enough for the dimension of the kind of mound I am discussing here. They will do best on top of the pre-wetted hay or dried grass clippings, then covered in dirt and with plenty of fresh kitchen scraps, rabbit poop, or other good worm food nearby. If you don’t have or want to put worms in the mound, that is fine too, but they will greatly speed up the decomposition and nutrient cycling of your hugelkultur mound. Whether you added worms or not, this is now the time to add about four to six inches of dirt across the whole mound. If possible, use the dirt you dug out from the initial trench for the mound. Spray it all down with water again until it is soaked through.

At this point the mound should be somewhere between two and three feet about the ground. This is where I like to mix up enough good topsoil to give myself at least three to four inches on top of the dirt we just put on to work with across the entire mound. Of course, you can buy ready-made topsoil, but it can be on the expensive side. If you are composting already and have some finished compost, this is a great time to use it and it can be part of a much

Photo by Julia Volk

less expensive DIY mix for basic topsoil. I usually mix roughly equal parts finished compost (humus – whether store bought or homemade), sand (and/ or perlite), and peat moss to make my topsoil. I also throw in several handfuls of pea gravel per wheelbarrow load of topsoil to help with drainage. The peat moss is more acidic in pH (which you may want, depending on what you are growing), and the pea gravel down in central Texas usually has limestone (alkaline) in it which helps balance out the pH a little.

On the topic of drainage, a hugelkultur mound will usually have very good drainage, but as I mentioned we want the whole mound to settle for a while first before planting in it. Ideally, we want not only good drainage downward, but also some wicking upward of moisture. As the mound settles, one should have a nice balance of moisture retention in the woody parts of the mound, while also having some wicking effect upward with the wood, sand and even pea gravel. At the same time, it should have good moisture retention in its topsoil with the peat

moss and compost, but also good drainage thanks to the sand and pea gravel.

Once you are ready to plant in your hügelkultur mound you can either plant seeds or seedlings. Using mulch material such as straw on top helps retain the moisture in the soil. If you are planting early in the year, it can also help protect your seeds or plants from colder temperatures. Adding in some logs, boards or even rocks or cinderblocks along the edges of the mound (where the mound hits level ground) will help mitigate any erosion, both while letting the mound settle as well as once it is planted. This also gives you some footing to more easily reach the top and upper sides of a mound for planting and harvesting.

You can water your hugelkultur garden from the top, with drip irrigation, or even use a root feeder or buried hose or PVC pipe in the same manner as a wicking bed. The logs, wood, and other plant material in the lower half of the mound will retain moisture for much longer than the upper soil and will both water and nourish your plants’ roots.

Photo by Sanghwan Kim

Plan your summer garden now! In the winter

It is wintertime, and for many of us, it is raining or there is a lot of snow on the ground. There is not much we can do outside per se, so why not look to next spring now as a good time to start planning your spring/summer garden? Why? Well, if you are reading this, I believe you know there is a lot going on in the world now. I am not trying to push scare tactics; this is simply where the world is. However, read on for the good news of how to best overcome these challenges! There are many things we can do to provide for our families.

Many things are taking place today that affect the food supply chain, and many places will have food shortages and possible famine soon. Inflation is destroying the dollar, and like it or not, it is not going away anytime soon. Even if it does, it will take years to recover from what has already taken place. The last huge recession took place during the Lyndon B Johnson era, and it took more than 14 years to recover.

On December 7, 2022, the retail technology platform Swiftly reported that 69% of shoppers said they were struggling to pay their grocery bills after months of persistently sky-high inflation. They also stated that 83% currently rely on some form of coupons or loyalty programs to put food on the table. This is all

according to Swiftly’s “True Cost of a Grocery Shop” survey. The study also pointed to shifts in consumer behavior. 74% of those surveyed said they changed their grocery shopping habits in the past year, and 33% said they are now shopping in-store more than in years past.

Our dollar is not buying as much as it used to, and food is getting more and more expensive. My concern is that there will be people who will literally be priced out of the market for food, as we are beginning to see this already in some areas of the US.

Fertilizer is just the first domino with food that is creating several effects. The world’s fertilizer reserve was tapped out in September 2022. This is not easily replaced and will take one to three years to build back up. Ukraine, Russia and Belarus produce 40% of the raw materials and these areas are impeded at this moment. Very little fertilizer means fewer and smaller crops. Because of what is taking place now and the rising costs of fertilizer, the seed industry is also being affected. No seed means no food

being grown.

To bring it closer to home, I was talking to a gentleman who is a Missouri State Fertilizer Inspector. He stated, “With the shortage of fertilizer and the high prices, there was a lot less put on this past spring. That means a lot fewer crops. People won’t have hay for cattle which means selling out. We are going to be in a world of hurt when it comes to food. The price of food is going to keep climbing. Fill your freezers and pantries now. I’ve been an inspector for 30 years, and I’ve never seen the fertilizer industry this bad. Remember most of our fertilizer comes from Russia and Ukraine. As long as that war continues, it will remain this way.”

Ranchers are going out of business due to insane heat, drought, and the exploding costs of feeding, watering and caring for cattle. They have been selling off their meat and breeding cattle. This means that next spring, there will not be as many calves born, which means that for the next several years, there will not be much US beef coming to market. It takes about ten years to recoup a herd to 100% efficiency.

Due to the avian flu, mass quantities of poultry are being killed off or have died. Go to the store now and look at how high the prices for chicken have become. Using the example of chicken wings, these were easily $3 to $4 dollars a pound. The other day, I priced chicken wings at $18 for two pounds or around $9.35 per pound. Legs, thighs and breasts are right behind that, sitting at $5 to $8 a pound. Turkey prices were up quite a bit as well. Inflation is taking its toll on the poultry industry, but so are supply and demand. There simply isn’t enough chicken, so prices reflect this.

The cost of seed and crop seeds are going up drastically. I was talking to a local rancher, who told me that the cost of a 50 lb. bag of corn seed has gone from $1,000 to $2,000. One bag will seed only 3 acres. I know this rancher has over

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

50 acres, so his cost has doubled. What is going to happen if it triples? Add the cost of fertilizer and diesel and you can start seeing how bad the picture is getting for our ranchers and farmers.

I am hearing more and more from gardening friends all over the U.S. that garden seeds and commercial seed packets are getting harder to find. Not only has the cost of garden seeds gone up, but the germination rate of the seeds is very poor. Heirloom seeds are getting harder and harder to find as well. Many of my sources are getting sold out quickly with many in the know understanding that heirloom seeds are becoming scarce. In other words, everyone is buying gardening seeds now to have seeds for the spring and summer gardens. So, this is creating a lack of heirloom seeds being out there for the homestead gardener market.

This is why I am highly recommending that you start planning as well as securing the things you need now, to get you through the spring and summer gardening season of 2023. I mean ASAP because supplies are dwindling quickly. Starting now can save you time, energy and money as well as make your spring garden much more productive.

For many folks, deciding where to put what is the hardest part. The first thing on the to-do list is deciding whether you have space. I am going to say something here that may upset some of you: If you have a bunch of grass growing in the backyard, rip it up and plant a garden.

Like it or not, that beautiful, manicured lawn will not help you save money at the grocery store, so rip it up and plant a garden. Then you can augment your grocery bill and feed your family healthy and delicious food.

I will share one of the greatest gardening sites I have ever used, and I have used a number of them. I am not getting compensated by their organization. This is the site that I personally use

and fell in love with last year when I moved to an entirely different location and growing zone. It has helped me immensely, and I cannot recommend it enough. The site is https://www.growveg.com. This is one of the most feature-rich apps that I have used, and it does a lot. So, what does it cost?

1-Year Subscription- $40

2-Year Subscription- $70

Annual Automatically Recurring Subscription- $29

They have a seven-day free trial so that you can try it before you buy it. They also have a lot of great videos as well as weekly videos from Master Gardener Benedict Vanheems. I like his realistic as well as simple approach to gardening. The tips and tricks he shares have been outstanding and I have learned a lot just by watching his videos.

Photo by Maksim Goncharenok

This is my working garden plan for 2023:

The key thing to remember when laying out your garden is to consider your garden bed placement from every angle, including where your shadows are and what area gets all-day sun or partial sun. Record the amount of daylight that parts of your garden will get on a typical sunny afternoon. Remember that partial-shade garden beds can work as well, but you’ll have to choose your varieties carefully.

Here’s a tip: GrowVeg has a journaling app where you can record your findings and upload pictures to your journal. Journaling your garden is a great way to elevate your past mistakes as well as make notes of what worked and what did not. You can map out your garden with GrowVeg with varieties and types and they have it in your database. By using GrowVeg to lay out your garden, it will consider your garden spacing as well as your climate. But on top of that, you can use the look-ahead feature, and it will give you “empty space” where you may have planted something, but it is no longer producing.

On top of that, the app will send you twice-a-month planting reminders, so you stay up on early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer and fall plantings. Thus, you can maximize.

We are coming into the winter months and what I have noticed is that fertilizer goes on sale at the big box stores. When sleds move in, the fertilizer moves out. What was $11 a bag is only $3. Check out your stores and start looking for your soil augments, and if you do it now, you could save a decent amount of money.

Starting plants from seeds can save much money, but you’ll have to get your start early, or the seeds won’t have enough time to grow.

Again, this is where GrowVeg can help you. It tells you when to sow indoors and outdoors as well as the projected harvest time.

Start looking over those seed catalogs by early to mid-winter to decide which plants you’d like to grow from seed. I am a big fan of heirloom seeds because you can save seeds from the previous harvest and use those for next year’s seeds. In the long run, you will want to create your own resource for seeds, and you can do that with heirloom seeds. The great thing is that in most cities, there is a seed exchange where you can take your seeds and trade them with other folks who grow heirloom fruits and vegetables. Thus, expand your seeds and the variety of fruits and vegetables you can grow.

If you live in an area that has many leaves, start composting. Leaves have great nutrients for your plants and add to the soil. If you already have a compost pile, you can add any fresh kitchen scraps as long as they are not greasy or oily. So, veggie peels, eggshells and even torn-up cardboard are things you can add to your compost pile and get it going.

Here’s another tip: If you have friends that want to get rid of their leaves, ask for their bags of leaves and add them to your own compost pile. I am sure they would be happy to let you have them.

Photo by Raymond Mhor

Worm castings and worm juice. I am a fan of worm castings a.k.a. worm poo. This is God’s fertilizer, and the great thing about worm castings is that you cannot over-fertilize with it as compared to commercial fertilizers. Consider putting together a worm bin and start collecting your own castings as well as the worm juice (worm pee). This is liquid gold and is chock-full of the nutrients that plants need. My mixture is a cup of worm juice to one gallon of water. Pour that directly at the base of your veggies and watch them take off! You will be amazed. Again, you cannot over-fertilize with the worm juice either.

Plants love the byproducts worms produce, and you will get a strong, healthy plant from this. Another point is that you will save money as well. Buying worm castings can get pretty expensive. You can also feed the worms your kitchen scraps. Again, as long as they are not greasy or oily. Worms also love coffee grounds, and both the worm and the coffee grounds are good for your plants. Creating your own worm bin is easy and something that the kids will enjoy.

Now is a good time to look for garden tools on sale. Another place you want to watch for gardening tools is garage and estate sales. You can pick them up inexpensively, and you will get many varieties of tools too.

There are several tools that I have found to be really great and super useful in the garden. One is the Barebones Hori Hori Ultimate Garden Tool. Think Rambo’s knife made for garden use. This is a thick stainless-steel blade that has a black stonewash finish. It has a walnut handle, full tang and stainless pommel. I used to have one of those wanna-be ones from the big box store, but about the third time I used it to pry up a root ball, the handle bent right over. That will not happen to you if you get the Hori Hori. This is one tough tool. It has a heat-treated doubleedge (straight and serrated) blade, an integrated twine cutter and a bottle opener. You can use the stainless flat pommel for hammering in garden spikes and it comes with a gray waxed canvas belt sheath with a copper snap. You can find it here:

https://tinyurl.com/RM-Hori-Hori-Garden-Tool.

Photo by Sergio Souza

The Cold Steel Spetsnaz Tactical Camp Shovel. I love this shovel, and it is way better than a miniature shovel with the “D” Handle. The handle gives you better leverage, and you can use this comfortably on your knees in the garden. In fact, this is what the shovel was made for, digging trenches while on one’s knees or in a prone position. The edges come sharp, but you can sharpen them more to get a nice edge. This was actually considered a fighting tool; you can use it much like a tomahawk and short sword. This will easily hack through small roots, grassy patches and such, but it is a great digging tool, and you can’t beat it. Oh, and it is balanced so you can throw it too! How cool is that! Here is a link to this shovel: https://tinyurl.com/RM-Spetsnaz-Tactical-Shovel.

When it comes to cutting gear for the garden, then Barebones is the best, and I recommend the Barebones Pulaski Axe. I must admit that it is expensive, but think of how many cheap Chinese tools you have bought, used once and they break? How many of those have you purchased? I am a big proponent of getting the best gear that you can afford, and if you have to save up for some of the gear, then do it so that you will have it for a long time. Barebones is one tool company that makes top notch gear that will not break and will take a beating and keep

on doing the job.

I became a fan of the Barebones Pulaski Axe when watching Naked & Afraid XL Season 8. A survivor named Gary Golding brought the Barebones Pulaski Axe as his one allowed tools. Even though Gary had to do a medical tap out, he left his Pulaski Axe with the rest of the crew, and they used it like crazy.

At a price of $148.00 and some change, this is a tool that you might have to save up for. But it is a beast of a gardening tool, and there is a lot you can do with it, from cutting down small trees and clearing brush, to chopping out those deep thick roots, digging furrows, and getting under root balls. There is not much this tool won’t do. So, save your pennies and get this one for sure. It can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/RM-Barebones-Pulaski-Axe

Here is another tip: These three tools would be great to add to your get-home bag/bugout bag.

People are going to have to become food independent, grow their own, hunt and fish their own, forage their own and barter their own. And NOW is a good time to start. Let me ask you this: would you rather buy a 20 lb. bag of rice now for $14, or would you rather buy it at $50+ dollars a bag later? Common sense tells us to do that now, unless you are independently wealthy and will have money to burn in the future, where you will be buying food at three to four times what you are spending on it now.

I am deeply concerned with what we are going to be facing these next few years. It would be prudent for people to stock up now, tear out that backyard lawn and grow a garden to feed their family. I have done that and I am ripping out more lawn to grow double what I grew last year. Shouldn’t you? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at ray@raymondmhor.com

Photo by Daniela Crucez

Eight strategies to increase food preps while on a budget

With all we are facing in the world today, including inflation and rising food costs, we now see a lack of food on grocery store shelves. We are experiencing less than we are accustomed to. So many things are happening to affect us and our wallets. In times like these, we need to seriously focus on getting our home food pantry in order. Why? Because I, as well as the UN, USDA and the Agriculture Department, are all predicting it is not going to get easier. It is, in fact, going to get much worse.

According to this video: (https://tinyurl.com/RM-UN-Food-Chief) by the Associated Press, the UN Food Chief, David Beasely, used the words, “It is going to be hell on earth,” to describe the coming food shortages.

Food prices will not drop any time soon. So, what do we do? First, we need to start looking at food as an investment. What we buy today will go up in the coming weeks. Now, let me ask you a question. Would you rather buy less expensive or more expensive food? Odds are, you will say you would rather buy less expensive food, which is a good thing. How do we buy food now, knowing prices will go up, while our food budget is not growing along with the food price increases? I am hoping to share with you several strategies I use to promote long-term savings.

Strategy #1: The $5 Rule

The key thing is for you and your spouse to sit down and look intently every time you go to the grocery store. Depending on how much extra cash you have, this price of $5 will either go up or down. For some, it may only be $5. For others it may be only $3, or maybe you can spend $10 to $20. The key is to determine a figure you will stick with no matter what happens, and no matter what is happening in your life. Now, if you have a sudden turn of hardship, you simply re-adjust your figures and determine a new number. But the main thing is spending that $5 every time you go to the store and buy $5 worth of food specifically for your pantry.

If you do this and you are consistent, you will begin to see your pantry grow rather quickly. But again, the key factor is you make this a habit, and you do not alter this habit.

Photo by Pixabay

Strategy #2: Set Realistic Target Goals

So how much should you buy? Start with seven days of food. Then move it to two weeks of food. Then make it one month. Then three months, and so on.

How much do you need in your home food pantry? I recommend you have at least 90 days’ worth of food. Why 90 days? Because it takes a human an average of 90 days’ time to adapt to a “new normal.” By having 90 days of food on hand, you will not be out there fighting and scrapping for what food items you can find.

Here is a prime example. Remember the Covid-19 toilet paper shortage? Remember how many people were going crazy just trying to find toilet paper? Imagine that with food, and you can see what chaos could ensue. By not exposing yourself to the chaos, you can focus on other things your family needs. I call this, “staying ahead of the curve.” By always staying ahead of the curve, you are staying away from the chaos, which is, obviously, the best place to be.

Strategy #3: Buy Double What You Eat

You know what you like, and you know what your family will eat. So, when you are shopping, you double up on those items. You can also apply the $5 rule to this strategy as well. This is a really easy way to ensure you are buying food your family will eat and enjoy.

If, for example, your family likes Fruit Loops bagged cereal, purchase one bag and pick up another bag for your pantry. Say they like tuna, then pick up a can to eat and one to stick back in your pantry. Buying double will help build your pantry with the foods you know you and your family love and will eat.

Strategy #4: Shop Current Sales

This is one strategy I leverage a lot. Honestly, I am not a great coupon clipper, but I do shop at Kroger’s and use my Kroger’s reward card. Kroger’s also has digital coupons you can add to your card if you know you will be shopping during those extra specials. While I am shopping, I always look for good sales on food items I know my family likes and eats. When I

see these sales, I buy not only for the meal but also two to three extras, since the price is low and I can afford more.

By doing this, I am getting a better investment in my food and not paying as much as I was when shopping at full price. This is a great way to purchase condiments too. You will always need mustard, mayo and ketchup. When I see a sale of any type of condiment, I pick up a couple of extra bottles and stick them away in the food pantry.

Strategy #5: Buy During the Holidays

This is one to focus on. Things you will see on sale are:

• Green beans

• Corn

• Stuffing

• Butter

• Baking supplies including flour, sugar, salt, etc.

Just about anything you may imagine for Thanksgiving will be on sale. It may not be at the

Photo by Lina Kivaka

same time, but if green beans are on sale, pick up extra cans. The next week you might see stuffing and corn on sale, so again, pick up extras. The prices during the holiday season are usually pretty good, and it is an excellent time to start stocking your pantry. So, take advantage of the Thanksgiving sale season.

Christmas is another sale holiday, but the food prices seem to be better for Thanksgiving than for Christmas sales. This is because Christmas focuses on presents and traditions. On Thanksgiving, the focus is on families eating.

Also, consider purchasing “typical” Thanksgiving foods you can eat year around. If stuffing is $1.50 a box, why not pick up six or eight boxes to store in your pantry? Now you have six or eight meals covered for your side dishes. The same thing goes with pumpkin pie makings. These are on sale a lot, so why not stock up and make pumpkin pie at other times of the year? Seriously, who doesn’t love a good pumpkin pie?

Thanksgiving foods are not just for Thanksgiving anymore. Cook these items year around, and it helps

you be reminiscent of special family times, and they will bring back good memories.

Strategy #6: Shop for Meals

What I do is shop for meals. I look at how many meals I currently have on hand. So, I know if I have 90, 180, or a year’s worth of meals. By meals I am looking at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I might have 80 dinners, but only 30 lunches and 60 breakfasts. By counting meals, I am ensuring that I have enough to ensure my family is getting solid food throughout the day.

For example, a one-pound bag of fettuccine will provide us with two dinners. I cook up the entire

package and eat half for the meal. I then add olive oil to the other half and place it in a zip-lock bag to save it for a meal later that same week. Pasta stored in this manner will easily last 5-7 days refrigerated.

Look for side dishes like beans, corn or mashed potatoes. For example, green beans packed in a four-pack are usually on sale during the holidays. A four-pack is four individual side dishes you can have on-hand so you can add variety to your meals.

Another great thing to look for are mashed potato packs. They come in a variety of different flavors, and

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

Photo by Pixabay

right now, they run $1.75 - $2.00 a pack. I have seen these on sale for about $1.00 to $1.25 per pack during the Thanksgiving season. So, pick up multiple bags, and you have a great-tasting side dish that is quick and easy to make.

Strategy #7: Buy in Bulk

I suggest you look into buying in bulk and store up extra savings. I was at Sam’s Club and saw a 50-pound bag of white rice for $14.95. I could not pass up this good deal and bought a bag.

Once home, I filled up two five-gallon foodgrade buckets and still had some left over, which I stored in mason jars. Needless to say, we now have a good amount of rice on hand. You can do the same with beans, lentils and pasta. If you have a grain mill, look into buying wheat so you can grind your own for making bread, rolls and pizza crust.

If you don’t know what Gamma Lids are, they are lids with a twist-on top you use on fivegallon food-safe buckets. This way, you have easy access to the food you have stored, and because they have rubber gaskets on the rim and a twist-off lid, little critters cannot infest your food. I also add 3000cc oxygen absorbers into these buckets. These absorbers will suck the air/oxygen out of the buckets. This helps keep the food fresher for longer. They also deprive any critters of oxygen, and any eggs you may have in the food will die off. And yes, you will have critter eggs as there is no way to get rid of them. However, this is a great way to prevent them. Here are some links to the ones I use:

Gamma Lidshttps://tinyurl.com/RM-Gamma-Lids

5-Gallon Bucket Absorbershttps://tinyurl.com/RM-5gallon-Absorbers

Strategy #8: Cook Big Meals and Freeze or Can the Rest

This is a strategy I use often, especially if I am making soup, stew or pasta. I mean, hey, you are going to be doing the cooking anyway, so why not cook up extra you can freeze or can the excess? This is an inexpensive way to build up

A PICTORIAL WITH DOUGLAS BOUDREAU

1. Arrowhead: This plant was favored by many native North American Indian tribes. All 30-plus varieties, which are part of the water plantain family, are edible and used in a variety of ways.

2. Cattails: Have been called “nature’s supermarket” and are considered by many to be one of the top 20 wild edibles in North America. Young, unopened flower buds in the spring can be peeled and cut, cooked by boiling, and taste like corn. The long stringy roots can be processed for making flour, and the shoots at any stage can be pulled to reveal a white starchy core that is very edible raw or cooked and tastes like cucumber.

3. Groundnut: Produces edible stems, beans, and tubes, which are notably starchy. Used by early Native Americans who introduced it to the Pilgrims, it is a perennial flowering vine, growing as long as 18 feet.

4. Kudzu: Which has become notorious as “the vine that ate the South,” does have value as an edible. The roots can be dried and ground into a powder to use for breading or as a thickener; the flower blossoms are also consumable. Young shoots, leaves, and the tips of growing vines can all be boiled and eaten. The flour from the roots was used for treatment of alcohol dependency.

5. Lamb’s Quarters: Also called “Wild Spinach,” can be boiled as greens and used to roast and grind into flour; the saponin in the roots has been used to make soap. A single plant can yield up to 75,000 seeds.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Jud McCranie

Photo by Wren Everett

6. Passionflower: Has medicinal properties and herbal qualities, and its leaves, roots, and fruit can be consumed. The fruit has delicious, tart pulp, a jell-like substance around the edible seeds. It’s best to wait until the oblong, egg-shaped fruit is starting to turn yellow and shrivel, and then a beverage can be made from the pulp. Soak and simmer in water, adding sweet fruit juices for extra yumminess.

7. Wild Mustard: Mustard as a condiment does, in fact, come from this plant, but it is edible in its natural, raw state, most commonly as cooked greens or in salads. The seeds, flowers, pods, and roots are also edible.

8. Wood Sorrel: Also known as sour grass, every part can be consumed although, as its variant name suggests, it is tart. It has also been used medicinally to treat fevers, infections, and nausea, among other things.

9. Burdock: Known to herbalists as a powerful medicine, but the leaves, stalks, and roots are also edible. Young leaves should be boiled in several changes of water. The roots of the first-year plants, removed from the rind, can be boiled for 30 minutes in two changes of water. This is necessary because of the bitterness.

10. Plantain: Not the same as the banana-like plantain, this plant’s young leaves and mature seeds can make a medicinal tea for constipation and other digestive issues. The leaves can be chewed slightly before putting on an insect bite.

11. Prickly Pear: A cactus that is a tasty and nutritious plant should you ever find yourself stranded in the desert, the pulp of mature fruit is best. Of course, you’ll have to remove the spines first.

Douglas Boudreau is co-author with Mykel Hawke of Foraging For Survival: Edible Wild Plants of North America.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

SURVIVAL TRIVIA: EDIBLES

Q: Which of these weeds is good to eat?

a. dandelion weed

b. poke weed

c. hemlock weed

d. oleander weed

Q: Which of these flowers is edible?

a. rose

b. lily

c. iris

d. daffodil

Q: Which of these cacti is considered NOT to be edible?

a. saguaro

b. nopales

c. pipe cactus

d. prickly pear

Q: Which of these swamp plants is edible?

a. cattail

b. horsetail

c. belladonna

d. water hemlock

Q: Which of these marsh plants is edible?

a. lily pad tuber

b. foxglove

c. philodendron

d. elephant ear

Q: Which of these tree barks is edible?

a. pine

b. manchineel

c. yew

d. rhododendron

Q: Which of these cooked roots is edible?

a. yucca root

b. mandrake root

c. snakeroot

d. monkshood

Q: Which of these leaves are edible?

a. pine needles

b. laurels

c. azaleas

d. buttercups

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

Q: Which of these nuts are NOT edible raw?

a. cashews

b. macadamias

c. beeches

d. candlenuts

Q. Which of these seaweeds are NOT edible?

a. none

b. red algae

c. brown algae

d. sea grapes

Q: What does the presence of milky sap in a plant usually mean?

a. it’s poisonous

b. it’s full of calcium

c. it’s very nutritious

d. the plant is dying

SURVIVAL HOMES AND GARDENS: SURVIVAL TRIVIA CONTEST

Are you ready to put your survival knowledge to the test? Join the Survival Homes and Gardens Survival Trivia Contest and compete against other survival enthusiasts for the chance to win exciting prizes!

How to Play!

Starting on April 3rd, every Monday, a new category of multiple-choice trivia questions will be posted on the SHG website. With eight categories in total, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to show off your survival know-how. To enter, you must be a subscriber to SHG and have a valid email address so that we may email you if you are the lucky one.

Winners!

Make sure you answer all questions correctly and email your responses to:

win@survivalhomesandgardens.com . Entries for each week will close on Friday, and winners will be announced on Saturday. But that’s not all! You can play every week and increase your chances of winning. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 72 hours to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond within the given timeframe, a new winner will be chosen.

Photo by Douglas Boudreau

SURVIVAL TRIVIA: FIRE

Q: What is the best of these woods for starting a friction fire?

a. yucca

b. ironwood

c. Osage orange

d. red oak

Q: Which of these fire-starting methods require cordage?

a. bow drill

b. fire plow

c. hand drill

d. bamboo saw

Q: What is the best technique for a safe fire in high winds on open ground?

a. Dakota hole

b. fox hole

c. cat hole

d. fire hole

Q: What is the best way to retain heat from a fire for a shelter?

a. fire wall

b. stone ring

c. coal bed

d. fire shelter

Q: What type of rock should NOT be used for fires?

a. river

b. granite

c. sandstone

d. quartz

Q: Which of these formations is the best for starting a fire?

a. teepee

b. pile

c. bundle

d. circle

Q: What do you call the small ball of fire-starting material?

a. tinder

b. tender

c. tundra

d. twine

Q: Of these poor fuel choices, which is not a type of wood for burning?

a. mossy barks

b. rotten logs

c. milky saps woods

d. green branches

Q: Which kind of wood is most difficult for starting a friction fire?

Photo by Mykel Hawke

What is the best technique for a safe fire in high winds on open ground?

a. iron

b. hard

c. soft

d. medium

Q: What is the best primitive way to transport a fire to a new camp?

a. fungus carry

b. brush fire

c. twig torch

d. coal hold

Q: Which of the following is not a fire extender?

a. flint

b. lamb fat

c. Vaseline

d. rubber

Q: Why would you use a smudge fire in a survival situation?

a. cook food

b. signal to help

c. get rid of insects

d. boil water

SURVIVAL HOMES AND GARDENS: SURVIVAL TRIVIA CONTEST

Are you ready to put your survival knowledge to the test? Join the Survival Homes and Gardens Survival Trivia Contest and compete against other survival enthusiasts for the chance to win exciting prizes!

How to Play!

Starting on April 3rd, every Monday, a new category of multiple-choice trivia questions will be posted on the SHG website. With eight categories in total, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to show off your survival know-how. To enter, you must be a subscriber to SHG and have a valid email address so that we may email you if you are the lucky one.

Winners!

Make sure you answer all questions correctly and email your responses to: win@survivalhomesandgardens.com . Entries for each week will close on Friday, and winners will be announced on Saturday. But that’s not all! You can play every week and increase your chances of winning. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 72 hours to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond within the given timeframe, a new winner will be chosen.

Photo by Kim Martin

What do you call the small ball of fire-starting material?

SURVIVAL TRIVIA: WATER

Q: On average, what percent of the human body is water?

a. 60%

b. 30%

c. 90%

d. 85%

Q: What is the average amount of water per day

a male adult needs?

a. 4 liters

b. 1 liter

c. 10 liters

d. 2 gallons

Q: How long can a person go without water?

a. 3 days

b. 2 days

c. 1 day

d. 1 week

Q: When is it possible to drink urine?

a. first pass

b. last chance

c. never

d. anytime

Q: When is it possible to drink sea water?

a. when mixed with fresh water

b. never

c. anytime

d. last chance

Q: How can you make water safe to drink with rock?

a. heating to boil

b. absorption of toxins

c. soaking to clean

d. filtering through pores

Q: How can you create pure water from leaves?

a. through distillation

b. sucking moisture out of them

c. crushing them for juice

d. leaching them in water

Photo by Samad Deldar On average, what percent of the human body is water?

Q: What’s the best way to get water from a tree in a temperate climate?

a. collection reservoir

b. from sap

c. from root

d. spike to center

Q: How can you tell a water vine from other vines?

a. hollow sound, rough bark

b. hollow sound, smooth bark

c. solid sound, rough bark

d. solid sound, smooth bark

Q: Where is the best place to seek water in a dry riverbed?

a. outside bend

b. inside bend

c. shallowest part

d. widest part

SURVIVAL HOMES AND GARDENS: SURVIVAL TRIVIA CONTEST

Are you ready to put your survival knowledge to the test? Join the Survival Homes and Gardens Survival Trivia Contest and compete against other survival enthusiasts for the chance to win exciting prizes!

How to Play!

Starting on April 3rd, every Monday, a new category of multiple-choice trivia questions will be posted on the SHG website. With eight categories in total, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to show off your survival know-how. To enter, you must be a subscriber to SHG and have a valid email address so that we may email you if you are the lucky one.

Winners!

Make sure you answer all questions correctly and email your responses to:

win@survivalhomesandgardens.com . Entries for each week will close on Friday, and winners will be announced on Saturday. But that’s not all! You can play every week and increase your chances of winning. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 72 hours to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond within the given timeframe, a new winner will be chosen.

Photo by Kim Martin How long can a person go without water?

Photo by Kim Martin

How can you create pure water from leaves?

SURVIVAL TRIVIA: FOOD

Q: Which white berry is safe to eat?

a. white blackberry

b. white baneberry

c. mistletoe berry

d. dogwood berry

Q: Which of these black berries is not safe to eat?

a. European nightshade

b. American blackberry

c. northwest huckleberry

d. pacific salal berry

Q: Which of these red berries is poisonous?

a. red baneberry

b. dogwood berry

c. sumac berry

d. thimble berry

Q: Which of these sea creatures is poisonous to eat?

a. flamboyant cuttlefish

b. blue ringed octopus

c. venomous sea snake

d. toxic sea urchin

Q: Which one of these snakes is NOT edible?

a. all snakes are edible

b. black mamba

c. king cobra

d. Gabon viper

Q: Which of these mammals is the least safe to eat?

a. platypus

b. porcupine

c. skunk

d. armadillo

Q: Which turtle is poisonous to eat?

a. hawksbill sea turtle

b. box shell land turtle

c. alligator snapping turtle

d. bottlenose softshell turtle

Photo by Gasoar Zaldo

Q: Which kind of bird is poisonous to eat?

a. hooded pitohui

b. vulture

c. buzzard

d. bald ibis

Q: Which fish has deadly, poisonous organs if eaten?

a. fugu

b. sea pig

c. toadfish

d. lumpfish

Q: Which of these creatures is NOT edible?

a. all are edible

b. scorpion

c. tarantula

d. centipede

SURVIVAL HOMES AND GARDENS: SURVIVAL TRIVIA CONTEST

Are you ready to put your survival knowledge to the test? Join the Survival Homes and Gardens Survival Trivia Contest and compete against other survival enthusiasts for the chance to win exciting prizes!

How to Play!

Starting on April 3rd, every Monday, a new category of multiple-choice trivia questions will be posted on the SHG website. With eight categories in total, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to show off your survival know-how. To enter, you must be a subscriber to SHG and have a valid email address so that we may email you if you are the lucky one.

Winners!

Make sure you answer all questions correctly and email your responses to: win@survivalhomesandgardens.com . Entries for each week will close on Friday, and winners will be announced on Saturday. But that’s not all! You can play every week and increase your chances of winning. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 72 hours to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond within the given timeframe, a new winner will be chosen.

Photo by Julia Filirovska

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