Land and Sea-Survival Continues

Now that I'm back at a real job, punching a clock as a cook at Mount Rainier, I have to fit my passion for studying survival skills into  precious few hours.

Every morning, I practice tying knots, particularly the running bowline, which is handy for setting all sorts of snare and traps. Every night I read a few more pages in How to Survive on Land and Sea, and think about those concepts on the long commute to work.

Heads up. If you want to work at Mount Rainier, try to get housing at the same location. From my current location to my job location, its an hour shuttle ride. One way. I know. Yuck. At least everyone is nice and fun to talk to.

So, back to my topic. Survival lessons. One thing that seems obvious, but I never really thought about. If you set good snares in really random places, they're useless. find a game trail, or at least tracks first.
Also, I learned about making bird lime from pine sap and sticky natural substances. By putting that lime on the right tripod trap, with the proper bait beneath, your chances of getting fowl for supper are greatly increased.
Of course, the pages that deal with fire making are crucial. I had never heard the thong method discussed before, but it makes more sense than the bow and drill, if you have a long enough cord and a dry log to build embers.

As true survivalists know, a book can only plant seeds of knowledge. True knowledge is gained in the field. While walking to town, I tried making cordage from various plants along the ditch. Some were too brittle while others seemed viable. One thing is quite obvious. Patience is required and practice makes your efforts useable.

I'm finding this survival volume straightforward and useful. Often the author talks about using something from a parachute because this manual was originally written for downed pilots. Still, much information can be gleaned for the lay person.