Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Neighborhood Bear

This amazing photo was taken from the trail cam in the study area. His paws caught our attention.


Seems he has more growing to do to fill those paws.

Naturalists tell us that studying the predators and larger species help to determine the overall health of the eco system in an area.
The bears and wild hogs seem to be doing quite well.
The wild turkeys have their broods running around and there are plenty of squirrel. Deer are sighted fairly often.

I think the bumper crop of acorns last fall are still providing food.
My mountain garden is growing too. So far, no evidence of wild animals feeding in it.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I Love Andy for A Laugh In Time

http://www.borowitzreport.com/ has some hilarious stuff. When the country is in such a mess, its good to run over to Andy's page and have a good laugh.

If a person didn't know better, they would think some of these headlines are actually true:

Obama Says We're Not Deserting Afghanistan, We Promise to Follow on Twitter

70% of Existing Marriages May Already Be Gay

I watch the news and wonder about these nuclear plants in eminent danger. Our officials are telling us not to worry. Interviews with the general public show they're not buying it, however.
As the mandatory evacuation is underway in New Mexico, lines of cars backed up as the people leave their homes, I can only wonder what happens if there is no gas left to leave? What if you're on empty?

What if you're one of the those who are waiting for a paycheck to buy gas, food, or put some cash in your pocket? How do you evacuate then?
Of course, they say this plastic dome protecting the nuclear waste is not in danger of failure.
Haven't we heard this kind of stuff before?
Did they tell New Orleans the levy wouldn't break? With a hurricane bearing down, and plenty of notice, yet it seems that town was caught with it's pants down.

Then, evacuation to the sports center. Those who remember those dark days say they'd never go to a facility like that, never.
Personally, I'd live in the woods, in a tent.

We saw the Japanese refugees from the horrific earthquake-tsunami disaster dividing the space with cardboard and boxes. Everyone needs respect and space, a semblance of order, of personal control even in small measures.

Look online and see if you can find news on Japan's ongoing crisis. I read the fish is being given in foreign aid, the people are recording 3 millisiervents in the their urine. This is scary stuff.
http://www.newsonjapan.com/

I started to wonder  how close I live to a nuclear plant. What possible natural disaster could bring disaster to my doorstep? Would I be ready to participate in a mandatory evacuation? Do I keep my tank full, cash in my pocket, the car loaded with survival stuff like food, clothing, a shelter?

Some would say a gun, water, and money is the most important stuff for evacuation.
Question: if they evacuate a huge city, might refugees come looking in my neck of the woods for a safe haven?

Time and again we see that governments can not save the people in danger. They issue warnings, chase looters, punish the corporations whose inadequate safe guards have brought us to loss of life, economics and home.

Japan's nuclear disaster began with two natural disasters. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. The fatal flaw is always underestimating nature, and over estimating our own abilities to handle it.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Everything Except Corn Pasta-My New Book

My Garcia Bear Canister weighs 2 pounds 11 ounces, and can hold 7 days of food, if done right.


In my new book, I have a list and the method on how to do this. I've used one of these things in Montana. My hiking partner and I called them "the gorilla" because of how heavy they were and how hard to just strap one on to a pack. I ended up using my external frame and placing it inside the pack itself.

This is a photo of me crossing Lyle Creek on the Pacific Crest Trail. It's being used for the book cover. Even E-Books need Covers!
Today the book is being uploaded to Kindle at Amazon.com.
Everything Except Corn Pasta


In the book I've included lots of trail recipes, recipes for making goodies at home, and tricks for making delicious food while backpacking. I use economical ingredients and have a whole chapter on dehydrating everything from fruits to meats and making "leathers".

Also included are tons of trail stories, photos, and how to make your own backpackers cook set.
These and many more tips all come in handy for the survivalist because it builds on skills and knowledge the creative and thrifty person wants to learn.

The ISBN number for this e-book is: 0-9728154-1-4

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Dedicating the Cabin

I finally built a small fire at the Cabin.
We've had a lot of rain, so everything was soaked. I pulled out the fire starter, a cotton ball impregnated with wax, and broke off some twigs from a dead branch suspended from a tree.


Easy does it. The ground beneath is damp, so I laid some dry twigs down first.
The fire starter was lit with a match, then placed carefully on my twigs.

I feed my fires slowly, keeping in mind that its easy to suffocate a newborn flame.

I visit my cabin regularly and add materials to it. Being 100% natural, it will decompose and collapse someday. For now, its part of my school.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Bringing the Bear Spray

Every morning, especially in the summer, I get an early hike in. Before coffee, before breakfast, before it gets so hot.
Now that our trail cameras are showing a lot of bears with cubs, wild hogs with piglets, and god knows what else out here, I'm making myself bring
The Sling.


And since it has a built in ditty bag, I'm adding some survival stuff, just in case I get off on a bushwhack.

A firestarter, matches, and cigaretter lighter all fit into a tiny plastic bag. This is dropped into the sling. I've placed a large white plastic bag, a watch and a small jack knife into the built in pouch. These simple tools would come in very handy if I had to spend the night alone in the forest.


I made this sling myself from some silnylon. Its just a large ditty bag, measuring 5.5 inches x 9 inches tall. I included a smaller ditty bag whose cord encircles the strap on the sling.

The safety clip on the bear spray has an elastic cord around it. I added this so the clip would never get lost. A small burst when the wind is at your back and the attacker is in close range is sufficent.



Every once in awhile, I practice removing the spray from the sling, sliding the clip off and aiming. I have never needed to use it yet.

By keeping it simple, I know I actually will grab The Sling before I head out the door.
This morning I saw a wonderfully healthy looking black bear. He ran from me, and I thanked him.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bushnell Trail Cameras-A Product Review


This mother bear and cubs were photographed with my boy friend's Bushnell Trophy Cam which is anchored to a tree on one of the many back trails we hike. She's quite large which tells us she's a good bear, knowing how to stay away from humans and out of "trouble".



A second camera is placed near the driveway. What a surprise to find a large bobcat using it for his travels. The camera records the time and temperature. This image was taken in the evening on a hot summer day.


A small wild hog, whose mother was later recorded feeding with a herd of about 15 near one of our many trails, seems quite intent on getting his picture taken.

The cameras are housed in a sturdy box which is anchored and locked to a chosen tree. There are settings for 5 or 8 mg pixels. You can also choose how often a snapshot is taken once motion sets it off.

To avoid thousands of photos during a windy day, sensitivity settings allow the owner to decide how much motion is required to initiate photographing.

My boyfriend bought his Trophy cams at Amazon.com.
I'm enjoying the adventure of seeing all the animals roaming these woods so close to home. Many animals are quiet and never seen in their natural settings.

The camera can also record video.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Warning! Controversial Insensitive Post

According to the June 2011 AARP Bulletin, 220,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in the United States last year.

The article is well written and gives the advantages of this drastic method for weight control.

So far, over one million surgeries have been done. The definitions for obesity and the loosening of guidelines have made this option for weight reduction more obtainable.

I find this very disturbing. In a world where people are starving to death it seems obscene that we must resort to actual surgery to keep from Eating Our self to Death.
And that's what the article details as well, how very detrimental all this excess weight is. We won't even talk about the pain and emotional trauma a 40 BMI (body mass index) creates. I did some research before coming up with my solution at this Gastric Bypass Website, a consumer based website, for those needing some facts.

My solution is creative if not extreme.
Considering that surgery alone costs anywhere from $17,000 to $30,000 and involves learning a new eating style anyways, I say we institute a program whereby people needing this surgery can participate in the
Food For Everyone Program.
As volunteers, these candidates fly to a third world country and live with impoverished and malnourished children for six months. The money they would have spent on surgery is used to fund these six months of Food Rehabilitation. During this time they buy food, cook and teach children whatever skills they have to share. All the food for their host children is paid for out of the money that would have been spent on surgery.
After six months, I sincerely believe the volunteers, or candidates, will have lost at least 50 pounds, will have built muscle mass, and will have achieved a greater appreciation for their total beings.
They will address the food addiction, suffer withdrawal, find new friends and a cause: Solving World Hunger, one meal at a time.

It won't be easy. There would not be spas or hot tubs. No massages or iced beverages while watching American Idol.
It would be an experience of a lifetime. They would reclaim their bodies, minds and souls. They would be giving to those Way Less Fortunate.
Wouldn't we all profit from a world much less self centered, a world where we don't destroy ourselves by eating our self to death?

Now, I know there are those who say they don't even eat that much, they simply can't loose weight. Somehow a diet never works for them.
Please, do us all a favor and donate your self to science so the world can learn how bodies create calories from nothing and can subsist on little food. The study of real people defying physics would be very valuable information.
This would aid the whole planet in finding solutions to the energy crisis. As more crops get turned into bio fuel, food becoming more expensive and scarce, the ability to remain fat on little quantities of food will be important survival knowledge.

And that's my controversial post. It is insensitive. Sorry.

Monday, June 20, 2011

The Road Trip Report


I got home last night around 7. After 2,589 miles in less than 72 hours, I was pretty tired. The mug shown above was my good friend. It holds one quart.

Every morning, bright and early I'd fill it full of hot coffee and hit the road. By the time that was drank, it would be time to fill the gas tank. My 1996 Geo gets nearly 45 miles to the gallon, so every four hours or so it would be time to stop.
After paying at the pump via credit card, I'd grab this mug and ask for ice. It was always free.After using the bathroom and washing up I'd head back to the car.

I carry at least two quarts of water with me and thats what goes in the mug now.

Black Jelly beans were my main food source the first day. I drove 994 miles.
The Motel 6 in Laramie was very friendly. I'll always remember its at exit 313. Do not take exit 311. Been there, done that. Lived to tell about it.

Next day I drove over sixty miles out of my way on a reroute around I-29 due to flooding. This was the Highway Departments official Detour and the result was a long scenic drive down US 2 in Iowa.It finally intersected with Hyw 71,which wasn't too shabby. Once in St. Joseph, we got back on I-29 Southbound.
Chocolate Animal crackers and taco chips fueled that day's drive. I got a Motel 6 in Columbia, MO. after a quick meal at McDonald's. This was Saturday night. Tomorow morning, early, I'd get through St. Louis.

The next day, according to plan, I made it home to North East Georgia. My car did a great job, and I survived in spite of the air conditioner biting the dust in Idaho. As I neared the Appalachian range, I had to choke back tears. There's no place like home, no place like those timeless mountains.

Road trips by yourself open up all kinds of possibilities. I wrote an entire novel in my head to break up the monotony of the same Mp3 play list. Singing out loud is fun, be all the star you can be, American Idol eat your heart out.
I smiled and cursed out semi truck drivers who seem to change lanes right behind me after I've passed. How do they know, or am I just lucky?

Today I unpacked and wondered why I bring so much stuff. I picked beans and summer squash from a flourishing mountain garden. Rainmaker showed me the photos taken by his automatic trail cameras and I have a greater appreciation for just how wild it is up here. A huge bobcat, mother bear and cubs, wild turkey with her brood, deer and wild hogs are abundant.

All told, I put on 6,135 miles going to visit all my family, work in the Tetons a month, and head home.

I never want to see another chocolate animal cracker. Black Jelly Beans are still good.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Trampoline

Repair a Trampoline



The neighbors gave my family a trampoline. Eight of the hooks had ripped off, so a huge gap was preventing the trampoline from being safe. They gave us five straps with corresponding metal triangles, and all eight of the springs to hook it back on, should we be able to sew the hooks on.

Well, armed with a stout needle, some eight pound test fishing line, and much determination, I managed to get the thing back in working order. I also found three round metal rings to replace the missing triangular metal things and cut some spare web strapping off an old piece of gear.

The grand kids love it. No throwing this trampoline out. Its still got some good years left.

I think we all can learn survival skills like sewing and basic repair by practicing on daily needs.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Replying to the Comments

For some reason I can't seem to post a reply to my own blog. Hey, Google, please let me comment.

Thanks Arsenius for the link, the comments, and the moral support about me leaving the crazy dorm life of my seasonal job at the Grand Tetons.

http://ajournalofselfsufficiency.blogspot.com

Thanks Bala for enjoying the post on alternative cooking.

I've resorted to posting a thank you here, and once home in Georgia, I promise to get serious help on why I can't reply on my own page.

Humm, weird.

So, looking forward to some Real panning for gold in my secret place. Looking forward to cooking various forms of focaccia for my friends. I posted the recipe at my other blog today.

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Know The Signs

When I'm hiking a trail, especially alone in Griz country, I stay alert and examine the signs of bear traffic.


This log has clear signs of a bear ripping a hole into one end of it, looking for grubs. Sense it appeared fresh, and a griz and her cubs had been sighted nearby, I simply took some photos and turned around to hike another place. No need for confrontation where I would most likely lose.


I decided that three room mates, and the housing manager or security's habit of knocking and entering our dorm room with the master key whether we answered the door or not was not working for me.
In spite of loving my job, the living situation was not sustainable, so I left the Grand Tetons, went to Yellowstone to visit friends, then visit family and will head home soon.

To all things there is a season, and a time and purpose under heaven.--Ecc.

In the end you find, no one wins, and the race is only with yourself. So take the path of your own choosing, and be not dismayed if no one leads or follows.--a favorite quote of mine.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Kindle for Computers

A friend turned me onto Kindle at http://Amazon.com

She wrote two books about Yellowstone and showed me how I could download kindle free for my pc and then have books delivered directly to my computer. I can then read them at will and keep them forever on my hard drive. No worries about clutter, post office fees, or delivery charges.

Betsy E. Judson wrote Visit Yellowstone Park, A Bison Led Tour of the Geyser Basin, and Volume two, A Bison -Led Tour Along the Yellowstone River.

Both have photos on every page of wildlife, flowers, and gorgeous scenery. She tells the story in rhyming verse with a large vocabulary. I was amazed at how well it read aloud because she uses words for the educated person.

"Now Bart's spindly legs, all sinewy muscles
Spin a three sixty and propel as he hustles
Up ancient trails, and through wildlife mazes
that run through forest marked by buffalo blazes"
on page 4 of volume two with accompanying photo is an example of the artful method Betsy uses.

Check out Kindle for Pcs if you get a chance.
Yellowstone National Bison Led Geyser E-Book by Betsy E. Judson

Friday, June 10, 2011

Survialist Stuff

While catching up on some of my favorite blogs, among them
http://thesurvivalistblog.net I read the post on surviving a bout of diarrhea. The woman who wrote the guest post is a registered nurse. Very informational about the body's system of purging via elimination. I know I've used Imodium on my long distance hikes for quick relief, without really analyzing how I got the symptoms. It always seemed to occur immediately after a town day of eating lots of ice cream, hamburgers and greasy stuff. I chalked it up to too much rich food after a week of lean rationing.

I found this link which describes how to make an electrolyte solution at home:
http://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm

The Brat diet is a very effective, safe and inexpensive way to deal with diarrhea. Bananas, rice, applesauce and dry toast make up the easy treatment. Plenty of clean water, with the salts and sugars described in the rehydrate.org website,  are also inexpensive additions to the plan.

Its important to stay healthy so our bodies can heal themselves in many situations.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

How A Story Changes

While hiking off a gravel road, near Pioneer Creek, a friend and I came across these bones. At first, we were sure the resident grizzlies had done the work.

Two streams run down the steep forested slopes, giving bears good cover while waiting for the unsuspecting prey.


So many bones, scattered over a large area seemed awfully weird, though, and somehow, even after hiking up the hill and recreating a possible hunt and kill scenario, it was just too many bones.


Then, we walked beside a large evergreen tree. Leaning against it were five lodge pole pines, tied at the top. One only needs to bring in a canvas and the tepee would be complete.

These bones, with part of a horn sawed off, now tell a different story, one perhaps of poaching.

The moral of this exercise is that with a few new details, the complete picture changes.
I've learned to hold back opinions until all the facts, if possible, can be known.



Friday, June 3, 2011

Two Oceans and Grand View in Tetons

This thigh bone looks fresh and very delicious to a carnivore. I talked to the wild things that be while hiking though there. I do have bear spray.


The trail had patches of snow which became thicker and less traveled the nearer I got to Two Oceans. North bound around the Lake had no signs of travel, while the south side showed a few prints, which also turned back. I can access Two Ocean Lake Trail via another route another day. Hopefully this other route may have thawed along the shore.

I chose other trails  to continue my 12 mile day, knowing the thickening clouds could bring snow and rain. The more I hike these trails, the shorter they seem, until after work a five mile hike is easy.

Flowers bloom, sage brush and willows line the trail. The pine smells are wonderful.
Horse smell is a potent as well. Learning the specific smells helps me navigate and assess how close to the lodge I am.
On my lunch break I sat beneath a spruce tree. The two men on horse back never even noticed me. Wearing stealth colors allows me to blend into the scenery.