Survival Hacks with
Cr///ek Stewart here! I am extremely excited to be a contributor to Alumni Alive and share some more of my favorite survival hacks! My first hack will help rid you of a blood-thirsty pest in no time. My second will help protect your feet if you find yourself without shoes. Enjoy! And remember, it’s not IF but WHEN.
A Not-So-Straw(e)ful Tick Puller Ticks are nasty critters and the bane of many a woodsman. The best way to rid yourself of ticks is to pinch the head with tweezers and pull upward with steady, even pressure. In the absence of suitable tweezers, you can make a tick puller from a plastic drinking straw. Using a knife or scissors, cut an eye-shaped hole toward the end of the straw large enough to fit over the tick’s body. The outside tip of the eye cut (the side closest to the edge of the straw) should come to a very fine point. Slide the eye cut over the tick and pull from the side, wedging the tick’s head and neck in the corner of this fine-cut point. Steadily pull until the tick detaches, and then wash the affected area with soap and water.
Scrap Rubber Huaraches The Tarahumara people of Mexico are world renowned for their ability to run long distances. What’s even more interesting is that they often run these distances in improvised minimalist sandals called huaraches. You can make huaraches from a piece of cord and scrap rubber. First, trace your foot on the rubber and make a mark between your big toe and second toe where the toe thong will go. Next, cut the traced soles from the rubber and punch a hole on each side just near the back of the arch of your foot. Then, punch another one on your mark for the toe thong. Cut a 6’ length of cord and feed it through the toe thong hole with a knot on the other end to hold it in place. Feed the working end through the outside hole, around your heel, through the other hole, around the string on the top of your foot, and then retrace the lashing to lace the sandal in place.
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