Photos and Youtube Video from Gila

My savvy friend makes the Dakota fire pit extra large in order to reinforce the walls with rock while I quickly build a lean-to in driving rain, gather leaves and sufficient firewood to last the night. 

Sorry for the water spots on the lense.

Follow this link :Gila Survival Training if the embedded youtube video is chopped off, as sometimes occurs. There's a lot of talking and explanation on this adventure.

Thanks for your patience with my sometimes blurry, jerky work. I'm always learning.
Happy trails.

Survival Hiking-Testing Bear Spray

 

We're expecting a bunch of snow, finally. I was surprised the initial 12 inches melted off, resulting in mud all around the man camp. Other than the hike up to Elephant Back Mountain, snow seemed to disappear.

Taking advantage of my day off, I headed out, even though heavy snow was predicted. I brought along my bear spray, something I've carried up here in griz country for seven years. I've never, ever tested it.

 

Once I got far up the mountain, I released the safety on the spray, pointed it up the trail. With no wind, and heavy flurries, I gave it a shot.

A great burst of yellow spray covering 8 feet in diameter, easily shooting 20 feet distance, was a rewarding sight. The spray still works. I began to feel the sting, started running full out away from the bear mace.  

Reaching the man camp via the employee trail brings one right to the back of Teal Dorm. You can see the trailers to the left of the photo. Once there, a new friend said he just saw a big wolf head right past where I just came from.
I, personally, am not afraid of wolves unless they're in a pack. Its the griz that concern me. I saw lots of tracks on the snowy elephant back trail, some large canine. Wolf, coyote, grouse, some thing big. I practiced walking back in my own tracks, an old "indian" trick. If a person isn't careful coming up the trail, they tend to drag the back heel. If I needed to hide my tracks, I'd be careful to step high. That way, walking back in my own footprints, the drag wouldn't give my direction away.

As soon as I got back to my dorm, I took a hot shower, started packing a survival kit. Around her, a whiteout could mean death if you're not prepared.

Right At Your Door-Movie Review

This is a must see movie for any survivalist.

Heartrending shit, too.

I'm surfing through channels and see this 2006 suspense movie with Mary McCormack and Rory Cochrane: Lovers must remain apart after dirty boms explode in Los Angeles.

My only complaint is the IFC channel has started doing commercial breaks. See this movie without commercials if you can.

Nearly the whole thing takes place around the couples home. The man tries to get his wife, but is turned back by armed gas wearing cops, who shoot another trying to flee. He goes back home, listening to the radio. We recieve so much information on the crisis, genius way of making it so real without running us all over the city.
A maintanence man joins him, and they are instructed to tape up the house, seal everything. The phones, electric, water all still work.

I ask myself, do we have enough plastic and tape to do this should it come to that? He has alot, because eventually his wife, who escapes from the ground zero red zone, coughing and totally contaminated, gets some space inside their home, sectioned off and completely sealed from him.

Its both a love story and survival story. Not  a sugary thing, not a chick flick. They both realize he's not going to tear down the barriers so they can die together.
One thing leads to another and the feds and public service announcements try to control crowds, most of which are unarmed.

Without giving the very disturbing and totally realistic ending away, I'll say there's an unexpected twist that leaves you wanting an arsenol of home defense weapondry for escaping your own home.

The grid plays an important part of this scenario. Without the radio and phones, our story would go untold and people might chose to flee rather than wait for the help that is promised and comes in a very unexpected way.

The bottom line: people don't really matter, governments do.

This is a movie I plan to watch with my partner when he returns from his dive trip.
wow

Repair and Recycle- Steps in Survival

I read an interesting article in Country Woman about Creative Junking-making awesome home furnishings by using "junk" or what I call found objects. I was glad to see the author recommend looking in your own stash of junk first, and cautioning people not to pick up stuff randomly. After all, have we not seen hoarders, or Buried Alive?

The mission I'm on is downsizing, minimalizing my collection of personal belongings. I did several films on http://youtube.com/user/brawny03 showing simple hand sewing techniques for repairing gear. Replacing buttons, adding drawcords, modifying exisiting stuff to prolong its life are all important skills.

Then I did a whole series of hobo gear ideas, from backpacking wood stoves, making cordage from plastic bags, survival in a can systems, and more. The idea here is to practice recycling otherwise useless items into things I need. Not that I need them now. These projects provide skills and useful knowledge about how raw materials behave under heat, cold, and stress.

For instance, I tested the idea of bringing water to a boil in a soda bottle over a camp fire, using cordage made entirely of plastic bags. This could become a survival tool in a SHTF scenario.

I tested the idea of various lamps using motor oil, cotton strips from a bandana, and tin can. This worked better than I anticipated!



As I repair stuff, or decide its not worth repairing, I look for ways it might be recycled into useful Other Items.

A lamp, a fuel starter, a stove, a boiling water apparatus, all made out of typical landfill, side of the road junk are items that a person would need if the world no longer functioned as we're used to.

Veterans Day Appreciation

Today HBO is playing the ten part series The Pacific. Executive Producer Tom Hanks does such a remarkable job. My Vietnam Veteran life partner says it is very realistic. I believe it.

If you get a chance to see this series, do it. Not only do I appreciate the sacrifice of young men on the battle field, but also the men and women who were nurses and doctors, cooks, therapists, and mothers and fathers who saw their young men go off to war. They survived the impossible.

I am not a war hawk, nor do I believe in violence as a solution. Self defense is another story. All creatures have the right to defend themselves. In a perfect world there would be no aggressors and no need for self defence. Yet nature shows us that the food chain causes prey to become stronger and predators see to it that the weak, old and sick are removed from the herd. This leaves more resources for the rest, and preserves the species.

Is this how war fits into human civilization? Especially in times of economic crisis, perhaps we revert back to the food chain model of preservation. Perhaps civilization becomes optional.

One saying I've lived by is "don't be big and strong, be hard to find". When that doesn't work, be prepared to defend yourself and those you love.

Thank you Veterans for all your sacrifice, your time, heart and soul.

The Bee is a Good Sign

Rainmaker sent me this photo of our garden. Previous to coming out to Zion to work for the summer, I planted a small garden.
A mountain garden, the first in this location, I really didn't expect much. The soil must be prepared and built up. Plants must be allowed to flourish, even weeds if necessary, to build a "green manure". I wanted a natural, organic garden. Looks like I will have a lot to work with when I get back home.

This sunflower is doing pretty good. If it reaches maturity, edible seeds will result. I'm pretty happy just to see the bee there.
That means there will be pollination and the air is clean. I've read where bees are disappearing. Some growers have had to import bees to pollinate their crops.
I know hornets are not disappearing. Rainmaker also told me of a huge nest under the eve that needed removing.

Survival of the fittest is an ongoing thing in North East Georgia.

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.

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.