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Practice Survival Foraging!
Quite Nutritious!
Foraging while on the move is a technique used to feed yourself while traveling on foot. While using this method of food accumulation, it is critical that you be super-vigilant during your movement for food products that could be easily harvested for your cooking pot. These products, regardless of how small, would include all types of food categories (animal, insect, plant). An example might be:
- Clover – This green vegetation grows in the cool/damp areas of a forest;
- Slugs – A shell-less snail, most commonly found on land in damp/dark hiding places and an ideal protein source;
- Bugs that Eat You – Whether they fly or crawl, all should be considered fair game for your cooking pot;
- Grasshoppers – An excellent choice of survival food;
- Ants – Readily available, easily harvested, and an ideal food snack;
- Pine Needles – Nutritious, high in vitamin C and other nutrients;
- Dandelions – A yellow, very distinctive flower that is native to all temperate areas. Green leaves are mild and quite palatable.
To be completely safe, all items should be cooked in/with available survival cookware. It will not only make the food more appealing but kill/destroy any existing parasites or disease.
Survival Foraging!
Edibles!
While in the service, I recall attending annual survival training; as a minimum, it was always conducted prior to any/all major deployments. During the training, they always reinforced or taught skills necessary to conserve your energy while on the move. One of the concepts taught was called Survival Foraging; this form of multi-tasking allows the survivor to gather edible food products while spending little or no additional energy. The criteria includes:
- Attempting to move from one point to the next;
- Food products must be on the direct line of travel and require little effort/time to acquire;
- Discard food prejudices. Remember insects and other creepy crawlers are eaten by some cultures on a daily basis. However, do not place survival at risk due to ignorance.
To be successful, you must be observant. Collect easy to get edibles no matter how small or what type (animal, insect, or plant). Stick to your route, but when stopped for pauses/rest breaks collect edibles. Storage of edibles and food preparation will be based on available survival equipment.
Hand-held Outdoor GPS!
Hand Held GPS!
I have never been an advocate of having a Global Positioning System (GPS) as the primary source for outdoor/cross-country navigation. However, if working, I do think a GPS would be nice as a secondary confirmation, and reinforcement that you were using good sound Map Reading/Land Navigation skills.
Buying a GPS is like buying a car – you normally get what you pay for. But, before purchase, a person must know what’s available versus what your needs are. A GPS receiver can be purchased that will give you everything a topographical map, compass, and good Map Reading/Land Navigational skills will; but, it must be working, and it may be cost prohibitive.
A small, gray scale GPS receiver with no or limited mapping and other functions will cost $100+, while a top-of-the-line color receiver with topographic mapping, a touch screen display, and other advance procedures could cost as-much-as $600+. However, there are good GPS receivers that offer a good mix of these extremes for about $300; but, you must know WHAT YOU WANT!
Flash Flooding!
"WHOA"!
In several of my last few blog posts, I mentioned precautions that could/should be taken during certain adverse weather conditions. However, I would be remiss if I did not mention those for flash/river flooding. It has become the biggest weather related killer across the U.S., causing about 50 deaths annually. To help prevent becoming a Flash Flood statistic, the following safety considerations/precautions should be exercised:
- Do not camp near small streams. Rain upstream can cause a flash flood. Camp on higher ground.
- Pay attention to signs warning of areas prone to flash floods.
- Do not try to cross a flowing stream on foot if water is above your knees.
- It only takes two feet of water to make a car float. If your car does stall, abandon it immediately and move to higher ground.
- Be very cautious at night when it’s hard to see flood dangers.
- Never try to cross rushing water. If you must cross standing water, be sure you know that the water is below your floorboards. Drive slowly so-as not to make waves.
As stated by someone, common sense and good emergency gear/equipment will prevail.
Tornado Safety Precautions!
Safety Precautions!
The United States averages about 1,200 tornadoes a year; however, this year we have had over 1,817 twisters, with at least 566 deaths reported thus far. You would think that we would learn from past mistakes; but , reports indicate that there continues to be a general complacency and lack of knowledge as to the precautions that could/should be taken.
In a House or Apartment:
- Go to basement if available. Seek shelter under sturdy furniture, a work bench or a stairwell. Cover your head or keep a helmet handy.
- In homes without basements, take cover in the center of the house. Go to a small room without windows, closet, hallway on the lowest level or hide under heavy furniture against a strong, inside wall. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm.
- Keeps windows closed, and draw the blinds/shades over the windows to reduce glass damage.
In a Mobile Home:
- Evacuate your mobile home and seek shelter in a building (45% of people killed were in mobile homes when the twister(s) hit).
- If necessary, find a low spot such as a ditch or ravine.
A prudent person would have a family rehearsed plan. This would include a pre-packed emergency/survival kit that would be readily available.
Safety during Lightening/Thunder Storms!
Storm Safety!
While storms are necessary to our existence, they can also present a threat to it. Lightening kills about 80 US residents a year and can strike 10 miles from the rain area. If you can see lightening or hear the thunder, you’re at risk and should take the following precautions:
Stay Inside:
- Get inside a home, large building, or automobile/truck (windows rolled-up);
- Stay away from open doors and windows;
- Don’t use plug-in electrical equipment such as a hair dryer, razor, or tooth brush;
- Don’t take a bath or shower;
- Don’t use the telephone except for an emergency.
Caught Outside:
- If in a group, spread-out to minimize potential injuries;
- Avoid being in/near a picnic shelter, baseball dugout, bleachers or metal fences;
- Avoid hilltops, and tall objects such as isolated trees or poles;
- In the open, seek a low area, squat with your hands on your knees and keep twice as far from nearby trees, as the trees are high;
- Get off golf courses, athletic fields, tennis courts, bicycles and mowers. Remove shoes with metal cleats;
- Get out of water and off small boats;
- In a forest, find a low area under a thick growth of small trees.
All planned outdoor activities should be preceded with a needed clothing/equipment inventory and a detailed/comprehensive weather and information report.
Shopping On-line!
Convenient!
We have a tendency to shy-away from things that are unknown or we don’t understand. I for one went into the electronic age dragging my feet and screaming/hollering all the way. But, the more I got into it, the more I realized its true merits. This includes researching and shopping for things on the Internet. If your intent is to purchase a quality item at the lowest price, you should do your research on the Internet.
There are many Internet search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) that will help to simplify the buying process. They will assist in developing the data needed to determine product quality, as-well-as the information required for cost analysis. It has been my experience that prices on-line are normally a little cheaper than like items bought at the corner retail store. If it is a high dollar item you‘re purchasing, the tax savings alone could save you a bundle.
One of the nice things about shopping on-line is that the items are normally sent to your front door. Shopping for things like camping gear can be both fun and educational. If you are a show-me person, many times there will be video tapes/subject experts showing and further explaining the product.
Camping Gear Replacement Items!
Perfect!
I’m in the process of doing my end-of-season camping gear inventory. Inventory reflects that there are several items that need to be replaced. This includes a tent (4-5 person), a couple battery operated lanterns, and possibly a new 4-burner stove (propane). Total cost of these items will be several hundred dollars. However, being a prudent shopper, I want both quality and savings.
As Granddad used to say, there has got to be “method too this madness. You don’t go food shopping when you’re hungry”. The same principle applies when buying camping gear. You need to first determine exactly what you want as compared with the maximum price you can afford. This preliminary research can be done by going to a local sporting-goods store or referring to the respective Manufacturer’s website.
Experience has shown that bargains in camping gear can be obtained but you need to do some leg work. Once you have determined the item wanted (can afford) by Nomenclature (name), Manufacturer, and Model Number – you can go-out with confidence and buy the item needed. Whether it be a seasonal sale at the local sporting goods store or a reputable on-line shopping site, you are prepared to make item price comparisons. Make sure the prices compared include taxes/shipping and handling.
Making Fire Without Matches or Lighter!
Carbon Steel Blade
Here many years ago, I attended survival training while in the military. Even though several weeks in length, the course was not long enough to cover each and every situation requiring survival skills. However, it did make a believer out of me on how important fire was to self preservation. Of course clothing, gear/equipment and environmental conditions have a big bearing on it as well.
As I recall, during this training, emphasis was placed on many things, but the over-riding factor was that you should never put all your eggs in one basket. You are the master of your universe, and must always insure that you have alternatives. To do this , a person must develop a “what-if” attitude and plan for the not-for-seen. What if you haven’t got matches, lighter or any other device that creates fire? This is not as difficult as it seems but does require some special tools:
- Survival Knife: Preferably with a carbon steel blade, a stainless steel blade may not give you the spark that will be needed. This spark/flash will come when tapping the top the blade against a strike rod (using the blade portion will dull the knife).
- Strike Rod: This must have item should be in every survival kit. It is normally made of magnesium or a combination of steel and magnesium. With a short piece of parachute cord, it can be attached to the knife’s sheath.
The third must have item to start a fire is properly prepared tender. Use your survival knife to strip bark off of trees(fine strips) with dried grass. Fluff it up, make it loose and place tender in an old bird’s nest. This will provide protection from the wind. Place the tip of the strike rod in the tender and tap the top portion of the blade against the strike rod creating a spark. You would continue until getting smoke. Blow ever so lightly until you get flame and then continue to feed with tender and small branches – Have Patience!
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