Ultralighter's Murphy Kit

I started refering to this bag of goodies as my Murphy Kit. My partner Rainmaker called it this because its for anything that can go wrong.

I guess it includes the normal hygiene stuff: toothpaste, tooth brush, floss, toilet paper, comb and tylenol.

But then there's the stuff for all those unusual times when things aren't going so great. Something breaks, something tears, you're hurting, got a thing crawling up your back you suspicion could be a tick, water treatment, or anything needing to be rigged, this kit has stuff for dealing with those situations as well.

Now, some folks might look at this conglomeration and not know what to do with it. Thats when trail skills come in handy.

By getting outdoors, often, in good and bad weather, a survivalist can learn much.

Frugal to a Fault

Before we go any further, an admission is in order.

Hi I am Carol, and I am Frugal to a Fault.

Frugal is just another word for nothing left to spend.
Not that I am broke. Its just the pennies I save turn into dollars saved, which means less time needed to work and earn them.

It means more time to play and explore life.

By taking the simplest, least troublesome approach I save myself headaches. Frugal minimalism is the opposite of Living Large. It leaves a minimal carbon footprint. It promotes the skills our forefathers carved this nation with.
With this frame of mind, I am free from the pressures of society to compete in materialism.

So, I'll use things like empty soda bottles instead of Nalgenes. The soda bottle comes free with the purchase of soda and weighs a scant 1 ounce. The Nalgene comes in bright colors, costs about 10 bucks, and weighs 4 ounces.

I wrap a couple yards of electrical tape around the soda bottle. This serves two purposes. It is an easy way to carry tape, and it marks the bottle as your chosen water bottle.

Trail Tape

I admit, duct tape has its place. Its cheap, easy to find in local stores, is pretty wide so it covers a big surface, and has the strength to go a long ways.

But, if you've hiked much, you'll find bits of it on the trail cause it gave up. It leaves a sticky residue which collects dirt.

So, I've been using electrical tape. Strong, cheap, kinda narrow, and easy to find in local stores. Doesn't give up in the rain. Haven't had any problems with sticky residue.

Just my take on it. Try it and tell me what you think. I wrap some around my water bottles and carry it that way. Weighs nearly nothing.

Now Some Practical Stuff

http://youtube.com/user/brawny03

I made this short video this morning. It shows the trail tools I like to carry in my pocket.

A watch, with the band removed and on the same key ring as my retractable knife, a red LED light, a bright white solar powered LED light, and a tiny can opener.

Now I realize some folks might have philosophical reasons to ditch the watch all together. But, years and many miles of experience in the wilderness has taught me to value it greatly.

For instance, in easy to moderate terrain, I can cover about 2.5 miles per hour. If my trail guide or map says the next available water is 6 miles away, I will look at my watch and realize that it will be a little over 2 hours before I will get there. No panic, no second guessing if I have already missed it.

Or, if I need to arrive at the post office before it closes, I can estimate if it is doable, or I decide if I should spend an extra day on the trail, and hit it the next morning.

How many hours left of daylight, how long til sunrise, or how long until the next bus arrives can all be useful bits of information when planning the day.

Sometimes, it seems like I have been hiking forever. After glancing at my watch I see its only been half an hour. A trail watch, put away in the pocket is a handy tool, accessible without reminding me of the hustle and bustle of life like one on my wrist would.

Watches can be used as compasses if one points the 12 o'clock towards north. Three o'clock would be due east, six o'clock is south, and 9 is due west. These skills can be practiced in nonemergency situations. A real compass is handy to have, too. I'm not advocating one eliminates a true compass with a simple trail watch.

As a general all around tool, a watch can not be beat.

More tomorrow on trail tools.

One Day At A Time

I think surviving is not only a wilderness skill but a urban one as well. Especially in the work environment, taking one day at a time can make the difference between stress and calm. One of my favorite mantras is "this too shall pass". And, indeed it does. Within a week, I can't even remember what seemed so horrible.

Two people can encounter the very same challenges. How they look and approach them will determine the outcome. A co worker likes to raise his voice and by intimidation cause others to give in and do things his way. This method has only temporary success. When he's not there, people revert back to their own methods. But, if one takes the time to educate and lead with calmness, co workers become part of the process by choice, not force.

Whether we feel a measure of control or feel victimized, having no impact on the outcome, will determine our ability to handle the situation.

This is the same in a wilderness situation. By calmly assessing a situation, and not simply using blunt force, we can use our most important tool, our brain. Accessing all the knowledge we have stored away in the brain requires calmness.

Taking one day at a time is a skill.

Bible readers might remember the verse
" Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

What's the Hurry?

One of my favorite quotes was found in a spiral notebook beside a water cache on the Hat Creek Rim. Rainmaker and I were hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and it was hot and dry.

Courtesy dictates a person only takes 2 quarts of water a piece, and please, don't walk off with the jug. Trail Angels who fill these jugs will return for the empties, fill them, and put them back beside the trail. On the long dusty no-water sections, this is a great deed.

In the book someone wrote: In the end you find no one wins, and the race is only with yourself.

No author was listed. Years later, the verse : So take the path of your own choosing, and be not dismayed if no one leads or follows.

These two sayings placed together define how I look at my life journey.

So, what's the hurry. If my hobo stove, or my Pepsi can stove take a little longer than a fuel injected camp stove to cook my supper, what's the hurry?

So often we measure success by the speed in which something can be obtained. How quickly we cover a distance, how quickly we cook a meal, how quickly we read an article.

This is something to ponder, especially in the quest for survival. Sometimes the hurry can lead to our demise. Or the planet's demise.

The type of fuel determines how hot a stove will burn. The amount of oxygen given to a fire determines how quickly it will burn. But in the end, the race is only with yourself. No one will care how quickly you made Ramen noodles. It only matters that you got to eat at all.

Sucessful Fire Building

Building a fire, whether in a hobo stove, on a beach, or in the woods requires fuel, oxygen, and a source of ignition.

If you take away any of those three things fire won't happen.

If your fuel becomes inoperable, like wood becoming soaked in water, or liquid fuels becoming diluted with non flammable substance, ignition and subsequent heat will be very difficult if, not impossible, to achieve.

If you deprive the fire of oxygen, either initially or into the process, it will suffocate and go out. Adding too much firewood too quickly is an example of suffocation. If the firewood is wet, one should be especially careful of suffocation because the water must evaporate from the wood through heating in order for the wood to be usable fuel. Water acts to suffocate fire.

Without a source of ignition an entire stand of dry timber is safe. Ignition can be as simple as a burning cigarette stub, broken glass on the side of the road which the sun uses to focus rays thus causing the ignition, a lightning strike, or deliberate striking of a match.

To build a quick, successful fire, remember these three key ingredients.

Other tips I've learned over the years is to always build a fire on a dry base. Even when building in a fire ring or pit, the ashes left from before could be damp. Put down dry material, or a rock, and build upon that.

Lay your wood upon the fire in either log cabin or tepee pattern. This avoids over crowding of large pieces and subsequent smouldering or suffocation.

Another favorite configuration is the lean-to fire. Choose one large log, lay it in the fire ring. Lay small twigs against on the log, reaching to the ground at an angel sort of like this: /O .
The O represents the end of the log and the slash represents the twigs. Gradually increase the size of the twigs.

Fire safety includes safe choice of location. Not too close to a flammable shelter, not on top of duff and pine needles without barriers to rapid spread. Not where strong winds or gusts could carry embers to available fuel sources.

The Hobo Stove

I'm a frugal survivalist. The money I don't spend is the money I don't have to earn. A dear friend told me this years ago. He has Thoreau's tendencies like me.

This wood burning stove was made with a tin can and was field tested on the Foothills Trail in N.Carolina in April 2009. This stove weighs just 3.5 ounces, and doesn't require a pot support or fuel bottle. Pretty lightweight. No moving parts to break.

I made some videos showing how to make this stove, and how it tested on trail. Both of these can be viewed on my channel at youtube.

http://youtube.com/user/brawny03

A larger version of this stove is made with a gallon sized can, sometimes called a 10# can in institutions, or the special aisle at Wal-Mart's.

A drill can be used, but I took the primitive route of using a screw driver/punch and hammer. It costs nothing to make, and works.

Make Granola in the Microwave

It's easy to make Granola in the microwave. I came up with this recipe while raising my family years ago. It was tedious using the oven because of the long period of time it took to cook it in the oven, frequent stiring necessary, and tendency of overcooking.

Granola is a versatile, nutritious and high calorie food suitable for long periods of time. High in protein and fiber, served with milk or eaten by the handful, a little goes a long way. Eat it cold or hot, as a snack or main meal with ingredients chosen by you. Does it get any better?


Microwave Granola

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup canola oil

2 ts. cinnamon

1 ts. salt

9 cups uncooked oatmeal

2 c. shredded coconut

15 ounce box of raisins

**nuts, dried fruit, wheat germ-optional additions**

Measure the honey, oil, cinnamon and salt into a large microwaveable bowl. Put bowl in microwave for one minute. Stir well to mix.

Now add the oatmeal, and microwave that for 4 more minutes. Add the coconut and cook 3 1/2 minutes. Stir well, especially the bottom cereal.

Cook another 3 1/2 minutes, adding wheat germ or flax seed at this time if desired.

Cook another 3 minutes, stir. Now cook an additional minute. Each time you stir the granola be sure to bring the cereal from the bottom of the bowl to the top, rotating well. The hot spot is near the bottom and center, and will actually burn if not mixed with the stuff at the edges.

Total cooking time is 15 minutes, and the the closer to finish time the more frequently you stir it, each time incorporating some new ingredient of your choice. I save the raisins until the granola is fully cooked so they don't burn.

Finally, remove the bowl from microwave, add raisins and dried fruit. Allow to completely cool. Store in an air tight container.

The Three Ounce Cookset

I made a lot of oatmeal while hiking my long distance trails. While on the Appalachian Trail, I came up with this cook set which only weighs three ounces. By heating water in the small pan, and pouring it over oatmeal in this instant powdered Lemonadaid container (which I recycled), I could make hot food when ever I wanted.

This also works well with instant mashed potatoes, coffee, instant grits, tea, instant soups, or just about anything you need boiling water from.

The containers can be found with an assortment of powdered drinks in them. Use the mix, then remove label, and cut to desired height.

The stove is a soda can stove made by Rainmaker, along with a windscreen made from two large beer cans, a lid made with aluminum foil and pot support made with a tin can, and cut to size.

In Praise of Oatmeal

100 % Whole Grain Oats must be one of the best all around foods. A 42 ounce container costs $2.24 cents at Wal-Mart. It has 30 servings, each one 1/2 cup dry oats.

In this serving there are 150 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber.

I use oatmeal as a staple in my backpacking food bag. It can be eaten raw or cooked. An easy way to fix it without cooking in a pot is to simply
add one and a fourth cup (1 1/4 cup) of boiling water to a bowl which has half a cup of dry oatmeal in it. Stir just enough to mix.

Cover this bowl with a plate or lid, and let set until the oatmeal has absorbed most of the water. Season with salt, sugar and cinnamon. For an extra caloric and nutritional boost, add one tablespoon canola oil, chopped nuts and/or raisins.

Oatmeal can be carried for a long time without spoilage as long as it is kept dry. When I eat oatmeal raw, as a survival snack, I also drink a lot of water to aid in digestion.

This is an easy food item which can be found in many convenience stores along the trail, easily packed into a bear canister and requires little or no fuel for preparation.

A Little Black Bug and Stuff

This bug is really not very little. There are plenty of them in Zion, too. On just about any given day you can find one crossing a sandy trail. Not sure where he's headed off to, but he'd be easy to catch.

Not sure I'd want to eat one, though.

If you get close enough to a bug they have eyes, and distinct attitudes.

Today, for the first time, there were also small grasshoppers in Zion.

My luck, they will grow to be big ones.

Grasshoppers have to be one of my least favorite bugs. They seem to jump erratically, and excrete nasty brown juice. We once hauled 5 huge grasshoppers all day on the Colorado Trail by accident. They had stowed away inside our tent while we were packing up. Upon reaching the evening campsite, low and behold, they emerged from the tent. That is how species travel the world!

The largest ones, locusts, are definitely eaten around the world. John the Baptist reportedly ate them. They are considered a delicacy when roasted and covered in chocolate. I say just give me the chocolate.

Packless Pack

This is a photo of me and my Packless Pack. I designed this configuration for my Pacific Crest Trail hike in 2001. The details for the whys and hows can be found at my website homepage. Scroll down until you see the appropriate link.

http://trailquest.net/BRindex.html

I hiked over 800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with Rainmaker July -September in 2000. This hike began at Sonora Pass and finished at Crater Lake. It was Rainmaker's second section, having completed the first thousand miles the previous year. He invited me to come along for the mid section. I was given my trail name during the winter while in a chat room, but it was during this hike I really earned it. Brawny was born.

I love trail life. In order to complete the PCT with Rainmaker the following year, I needed to complete the first 1000 miles first.

So, the next spring in April I got on a plane, armed with my Whitney Permit, trail guide and data book, a host of other things, and began at the Mexican border. I did the first thousand miles, re hiked another 80 or so miles up to Echo Lake, hitch hiked into South Lake Tahoe where I caught a bus to Reno, Nevada.

Rainmaker flew in to Reno, we rented a car, and eventually got back on trail at our tag point at Crater Lake. Brenda and Ralph, wonderful people we'd met the year before, were instrumental in these logistics working out.

Trail people have trail angels, a wonderful group of selfless people who have a vision for the quest. Sometimes we quest for the unknown . They help us in unexpected gifts. Perhaps they are missives for the trail gods themselves. I haven't figured that out yet.

Anyways, once back on the trail from Crater Lake, we spent a couple more months crossing Oregon and Washington state, until finally just 89 miles from the Canadian border, September 11, 2001 happened. We were in Stehican at the time. The border was closed, all flights suspended.

At any rate, we continued onward, crossed the border and completed our Pacific Crest Trail hikes, the entire 2,658 mile National Scenic Trail.

My journals for that hike can also be found on the website address listed above. I have a gear list there as well.

My ultralight systems, gear choices and ultralight philosphy can be directly traced to these experiences on the Pacific Crest Trail, a truly life changing experience.

Four Deer A Munching

Early this morning I came upon four deer happily munching grass. After they saw me, the moved away from the trail and began munching this tree.

I tasted the leaf and found it bitter, with a fuzziness not totally agreeable. Many plants loose this hairiness when cooked, or dried to make a tea. I found nettles to be like that.

I am searching for a good online identification site for edible leaves. Please e-mail me if you have one to recommend. Survival guides suggest a simple taste a couple days in a row and wait and see approach. If nothing adverse happens, you can eat more. I like to watch what other mammals are eating too.

Early mornings are good for viewing wildlife. There's less distractions and noises. I try to be as quiet as possible, and give myself plenty of time to enjoy watching the animals feeding.

A Bitter Taste and Quest

While hiking this morning in Zion National Park, I rounded a bend and surprised four young mule deer. At least one was a buck, its new growth antlers just visible above the long perked ears.


They were feeding on grass, then moved farther away from me to browse on the leaves of a small tree. I tasted a leaf. It was bitter. Of course, after a breakfast of french toast and syrup this isn't unusual. It is said that things that taste bitter to us are more likely to be poisonous. If it has a milky sap, we are instructed to avoid that.


I took a good closeup of the leaves to make research and identification easier. This link http://plants.usda.gov/gallery.html one would think , would generate the immediate answer. Humm, not so.

It is also helpful to notice the type of bark it has, and whether any seeds or buds are forming. So, I went back later in the day and noticed trees identical to one another, except some had winged seeds in clusters hanging from it. A male and female tree is the answer to that. Flowers have male and female stamen and pistils, so this is not so hard.

So, armed with that observation, I visited the Arbor Day site: http://arborday.org/trees/wtit .

Many other sites were visited in an attempt to find a definite answer.

And finally, http://vagabonders-supreme.net/Trees.htm had just what I was looking for.

Sometimes its not all that easy identifying a plant. A field guide helps, but that's kind of heavy to carry around all the time. After some searching, with just the leaf photo and taste test I decided this was a Texas Mulberry, edible and eventually it should have berries. This tree is found in the southern United States, not just in Texas.

But then I changed my mind.
After touching the bark, seeing the winged seeds, and general growth pattern, and viewing the Trees Along My Journey photo essay, I concluded it is the Box Elder, member of the Maple Family. No wonder it looked so familiar. This tree grows wild in every state, and has the seeds common to the maple family.

Two Strike Fire Starter

In the north east corner of Georgia there are great places to practice survival skills. While camping at this remote campsite, Rainmaker took a couple photos and shot some film of my method for making a fire with flint and blade.

You can watch this video at my channel on youtube:

http://youtube.com/user/brawny03

Brawny is my trail name since 1999 when it was bestowed on me by fellow hikers, but more about that later.

After attempting to light this dry grass and tinder with just a flint (no magnesium shavings added) and blade, and getting pitiful results, I added my "fire starter". With two strokes of the blade I had a great flame.

The fire starter is just a simple 100% cotton ball with a generous glob of petroleum jelly smeared on it. Vaseline is the brand name. I use Dollar store stuff. Sometimes you'll find the basic, unadulterated product is the cheapest. Look for it in dollar stores, or Wal-mart.

Petroleum jelly/Vaseline and cotton balls are things that I usually carry on a backpacking trip for general hygiene purposes, cleaning wounds, treating scrapes and sore feet.

Other good fire starters use dryer lint (if you use a dryer) charred cloth, and mouse nests. As you can see, cotton balls are readily available. Adding the petroleum is a smart move to increase temperature output.

To speed up fire making in wet weather use this "fire starter" as well. It will help dry out those small twigs with hot burning grease.

The trick with fires is using small tinder, adding slowly so that you don't suffocate it.

Always begin your fire on a dry base. If you are uncertain about the base, lay down a large rock or dry wood first. Wet ground, or a fire ring will cause moisture to leach into your tinder

and effectively twart any attempts at successful fire building.

A Dedicated Ultralighter

This is a photo of a cutting tool. It's the only knife I carry on backpacking trips: razor sharp with a retractable blade capable of cutting fabric, cardboard, shoes and most packaging.

I do use a larger, one blade knife for survival adventures. It comes in handy for striking flint, or building shelters.

But, I'm a dedicated ultralight backpacker. Lots of gear choices I make depend on size and weight. I started this compulsion while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2000 with Rainmaker. Before we hit the trail, he taught me that if I watch the ounces the pounds will take care of themselves.

Back in the 90's, Ray Jardine wrote a book about light weight backpacking. He introduced ideas few had even considered: making your own gear, using unusual equipment, stealth camping, and short fast seasons.

More importantly these ideas set the stage for individuals to reevaluate their needs, adopt a new mind set, and challenge accepted back country concepts.

When packing for a trip, I think about my comfort level and the goals of each adventure.

Hiking a long trail is about the miles, the traveling. There are no base camps, and time spent in the shelter is minimal.

How, and why would I need a knife?

I needed one for gear repair or refitting. I needed one for opening packages in towns.

I might need one for basic self defence. But seriously, would I be likely to find myself in hand to hand combat? This small one could be hidden in my hand, and brought to play for quick swipe. Then I would run. My goal would be escape.

For my backpacking needs, I found this small, retractable razor knife suited me perfectly. I carry it on a key chain with other tools in my pocket. Very accessible, it weighs 5 grams (there are 28 grams in an ounce).

It is about a person's mindset. What works for me may not work for anyone else.

Edibles

I'll admit, I've never killed and eaten a small creature like this. As far as I know, I've never eaten a bug. Not on purpose.

You see that kind of stuff on survival shows. Makes for good t-v.

If I ever got truly hungry, suppose anything is possible.

There are a lot of edible plants out there which are capable of sustaining large animals. At present, I like to focus on those things. Things without guts and eyeballs looking at you. Without stingers, teeth and venom.

If I ever needed to eat an animal (bugs are animals) I would have to kill it first. No need to have something squirming as it made its way down my intestinal track.

Most of us could go days with out water and weeks without food if the proper skills and tactics were used. Mindset is key.

Our minds tell us we need food everyday, and sure we'd get hungry without our three squares.

But, there are plenty of stored calories in our bodies for most survival situations to get us to safety without resorting to potentially dangerous tricks like robbing bee hives, battling poisonous snakes and feasting on gutpiles.

Right now I am working and exploring in Zion National Park. With caves, box canyons and little rain, its much different than the Appalachians where I live.The desert has its challenges, among them water and heat. There is some vegetation which deer feed upon freely in the lower levels of the canyons. I'm watching what they eat. I'll try some of that soon.

But for now, you bugs and lizards are safe.

The Survival Shelter

I'm really into survival and wilderness stuff.

Lately I'm thinking survival in this economy is going to take some skills too.

Things like sewing, cooking, gardening, making do with what we have, trading for what we need.

So why not blog about it? A way to share, get comments, brainstorm new ideas.
Why not?

The survival shelter I built above is very small, but adequate. It'd get you through a cold night, shed most rain falls, and be snug as a bug.
I started with a log which had landed all by itself in the crotch of another tree.
Then, placing branches, leaves and natural debris in a lean-t0 formation, I continued to shape a Bivy -type shelter for sleeping. It will hold in my own body heat because the layers of dry leaves, beneath me and above me, are great insulation.

No vegetation was harmed in the making of this shelter. No live plants were cut or distroyed.