survival

When you hike, you carry a survival kit that should cover the basic needs for yourself in a survival situation. When you hike with children you carry a bit bigger kit to help you care for your needs and the child’s. But what happens if you get separated from the child? Your best line of defense is a survival kit suited for your child’s needs and abilities.

The basic needs that you’ll need to meet are Shelter, Warmth, Signaling and First Aid. These are real needs for a child. If they have to spend the night hugging a tree until the survival crew gets there, if it gets cold, if she cuts herself or if he needs to signal to a helicopter or emergency crew then they will definitely need to have the means to do so in their kit and as importantly, know how to use them.

But that’s not the only thing you’ll be interested in. Psychology is just as important. To keep them from panicking and getting themselves in a worse situation you’ll want to give them things to keep them occupied. This can be a flashlight to keep the scary things away at night, candies to suck on, toys to play with or what have you. They will need to pass the time, be it 5 minute, one hour, or 1 day.

In the below video you’ll see the kit I put together for my 5 year old daughter and my reasoning for the things I included.

“I know the theory”… I chuckle when I hear that. Not because it isn’t true, but like anything, there are so many factors that you don’t see on paper. As much as understanding the concept, one has to consider the physical effort/coordination/will to survive that plays a part in successfully transferring theory into reality.

One of several iterations of my fire-bow set

For example, The first day I tried to start a fire with a firebow and drill all I got was a sore arm from the numerous tries, and a couple bruised and bleeding knuckles from the firebow punishing me for trying to record a DIY video without ever having actually done it before myself. Yes, I successfully got the coal burning, but it was a long, hard slog, and it took me a few days to get the materials, rhythm and everything else to work. So lets talk about what I’ve learned so far and what the “theory” is for starting a fire with what is considered one of these easiest methods of friction fire starting.

What you need:

• Drill or spindle – A cylindrical piece of wood about 8-10 inches with a point at one end and flat/slightly tapered edge at the other.
• Fire board / hearth board – a piece of dry, wood (same material as the spindle) around a foot long (30 cm) with at least 3 flat sides.

Both of the above should be made from dry softwood (evergreens).

• Firebow – just like any bow a piece of wood that is slightly flexible and has a string tight enough to keep a good hold of the drill
• Bearing block – A small object, preferable hardwood, stone, bone or shell that has a small hole for the point of the spindle,
• catcher – bark, dry leaf, thin piece of wood or other surface to place under the board to catch any wood dust and powder.
• Tinder Bundle – dry, finely shaved / shredded bark, dry wood, moss, cotton, etc. Used to ignite the coal created by the bow and drill.

Steps:

1. On the fireboard, cut a circular hole deep and wide enough to keep the drill in the same spot while drilling.
2. Place the drill in the bow so that the string wraps around the drill once.
3. Place the catcher underneath the fireboard, directly beneath the hole.
4. Place the flat end of the drill in the hole in the fireboard, and apply pressure to the bearing block
5. start a slow, consistent sawing motion with medium pressure on the bearing block. Continue until you see smoke.
6. Cut a V notch that intersects almost to the center of the hole in the fireboard.
7. Start to saw again applying enough pressure and speed to produce a pile of wood dust that is dark brown to black in color.
8. When you start to see smoke, continue sawing and apply a bit more speed and pressure.
9. When you have maintained a strong billow of smoke for 10 seconds or more, stop and tap the dust off the fireboard and onto the catcher.
10. If you can see a red coal in the pile, slowly and carefully transfer your coal to your tinder pile (take your time, fan it gentle with your hand so ensure good airflow before transferring it).
11. Close the tinder bundle around the coal 
12. Blow gently and steadily into the bundle. (Make sure you hold the bundle out to one side so as not to allow sweat to drop on it).
13. Continue blowing until fire is produced… or you pass out from exhaustion. (ok, so don’t do that last part)

“Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink.” So says the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I say that our friend forgot to pack his desalination still. I had been planning to make a still to purify and remove the salt from salt water for a while. A few days ago I finally pulled out some of the gear I take with me on every hike and tried making one. It worked!

As will most survival skills, the chances of you actually having to do this is slim, but knowing how to desalinate water is one of those skills that could just save your life if you do need it.

Obviously there are other ways to do this then the one I present below, but I tried to make this with only things that a regular backpacker/day hiker would carry with them.

• One container to boil water
• One container to catch water
• One tube from a hydration pack
• Tin foil
• A means to cool down the tube
• a means to boil water

If you want to do this as a kids project, it is a condensed way of showing them the water cycle.

As an avid hiker, climber, and backpacker, I have quite a collection of outdoor gear. My closet is filled with ropes, backpacks, cookware, hiking poles…basically everything one would need for an outdoor adventure. Some things I don’t get much use out of–for example, I’ve got an ice ax in there somewhere that hasn’t seen action in three years. However, there are other things that I find so useful that I never enter the woods without them. One such tool is the subject of today’s article–my handheld GPS receiver.

As the owner of a GPS rental service, I have lots of experience helping people learn how to use handheld GPS units for outdoor activities. I have found that most people aren’t aware of just how useful a handheld GPS unit can be. Even people who have owned one for years often are not getting full use of the unit’s capabilities. In today’s post, I’ll cover the best ways to use a handheld GPS unit for a typical hiking or backpacking trip, from the planning stages to the post-trip sharing of your experience.

Planning the trip

The trip planning stage is very important when using a handheld GPS unit, and it’s often one that many people skip–which is why they’re not getting full use out of their GPS. It’s during the planning stage that you’ll load any maps, waypoints, routes, or tracks on your GPS unit that you think might be helpful. For example, for a typical short backpacking trip, you’d want to create waypoints at the start and end of the hike, your planned camping spots, water sources, trail intersections, etc. Most GPS manufacturers provide free computer software that you can download to assist in this process, so that you can do all the planning on the computer and then simply transfer the information to the GPS.

There are many excellent websites, such as Backpacker.com and Trailheadfinder.com, where you can download routes, tracks, and waypoints for many trips that other people have already posted. Many free GPS maps are also available at sites like the GPS File Depot.


Taking the trip

At the trailhead, activate the route you’ve loaded on the GPS, or select the first waypoint you’ll be navigating to. As you hike, keep the GPS clipped to a belt or shoulder strap on your pack so you have access to all the information it will give you. Using the GPS, you’ll be able to see how far you have to go until your next waypoint, and how long it will take you to get there at your current rate of travel. You’ll also be able to see how many miles you’ve covered, what your average speed is, your time moving vs time stopped (i.e, rest breaks), altitude gained and lost, and much more.

By looking at the map page, you’ll be able to see at a glance where you’re at, what terrain features are nearby, and what’s coming up around the next turn or over the next hill. It greatly increases your situational awareness, and gives you the information you need to make decisions. For example, let’s say you’re trying to reach your next campsite by a certain time. Your GPS will give you a constantly updated ETA, so you’ll know if you have time to stop and enjoy the scenery, or if you need to increase your speed to make it on time.

After the trip

At the end of your hike, you can save your track on the GPS unit, so that you can share it with your friends or post it on-line for the benefit of other hikers. Also, if you’ve taken pictures on the trip at locations where you created waypoints, you can geo-tag those pictures so others can see exactly where they were taken (GPS units with built-in cameras automatically do this for you). Finally, you can review your stats for the trip to see if you really traveled as far, climbed as high, and moved as fast as you thought you did

Now, a handheld GPS unit is not a substitute for a paper map and compass. You should always carry those with you, and know how to use them. However, when used correctly, a good GPS unit will give you the confidence you need to take your outdoor adventures to the next level.

Ray Mears. He knows what he’s talking about. And he put some of what he knows is in a book. That’s Raymond Mears’ “The Outdoor Survival Handbook.”

Based out of the UK and a common feature on the BBC, he’s known for his many TV survival series and experience with traditional cultures around the world. He learned from how the indigenous peoples from around the world have lived and shows others those skills that have been lost. Did I mention that he also runs a survival school? Imagine all that knowledge distilled down into 235 pages of easy to read, easy to duplicate instructions with an abundance of drawings and diagrams.

I just finished reading it and there is enough to keep you busy all year round for many a year. From survival skills, to primitive crafts and projects there’s a ton of things I want to teach and show my kids as they get older to make them feel more at home in the woods.

Let’s start with the layout. The majority of this book is structured around the seasons, divided into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Although this took me a bit to get used to, it makes a lot of sense. What we need to survive and what we can make use of varies by the season. What wildlife to expect, shelter needs, available wild edibles, etc. are all seasonal issues and best presented as such.

Of course, some outdoors skills or needs don’t have anything to do with the weather and so they book end the seasonal info.

For example, the book starts like this:

• Introduction – Everything you’d expect from an introduction.
• Clothing – the role it plays, what you should wear and how you should layer it
• Personal Kit – As he says, “Make sure that you carry what you need, and not an item more.”
• Under cover – From Hammocks to Bivy sacks to tent, it’s a brief look at the role of the different shelters.
• Base Camp Kit – For those of haven’t considered the possibility of setting up a camp and doing short expeditions from there he gives some suggestions of how you can do that.
• Cutting tools – Ray Mears’ take on different cutting tools 
• Navigation – An easy to understand, but detailed section on Compass and map navigation, as well as a look at navigation with natural signs from trees to sun to stars.

• Cordage
• knots
• Birch bark creations
• Pottery
• Basketry
• Carving
• Sap
• Wild plants and fungi for utility
• Making snow shoes

Appendices

No, this isn’t a field surgery section, but it does provide a couple other things

• A list of “useful addresses” which are just outdoors suppliers
• Sharpening a knife – lots of useful pictures and info to show you how you’ve been doing it wrong/right
• Coppicing – Say what? (Not even the spellcheck recognized that word). It shows how to correctly prune/cut trees and stumps to keep a tree healthy and make it a source of future bushcraft and survival resources. Did you know that if you take off a branch and don’t cut it flush with the trunk that fungus could enter and harm the tree? Neither did I.

Final Thoughts

This book is a good balance of survival and primitive skills with lots of pictures and an easy how to format that makes the knowledge offered easy to remember and apply. It covers a wide array of subjects and projects that make long term survival a lot easier.

It really focuses on the outdoor experience (I was going to say “outdoor adventure” but it seemed to cheesy). Ray several times speaks about awareness and experiencing nature. He’s about preserving nature for future generations while exposing it to them so they can appreciate it for themselves.

This book does not deal with first aid in survival situations. Aside from a couple wild plants and a reference to bringing a first aid kit it doesn’t dig deeper. 

If you’re looking for an easy read and easy to understand book on the outdoors, this is definitely worth a look.

Take a look at these other Ray Mears Books:

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For the next little while I’m down in South America and I didn’t bring a sleeping bag. I don’t want to buy a new one down here if I don’t have to, so in typical DIY fashion I decided to work with what I have: A closed cell foam sleeping pad and an emergency blanket.

The biggest thing I was worried about was the fact that mylar blankets, being so light, tend to let the warm air out the gaps. Yes they insulate to 90%, but that’s if the are tucked in nice and snugly. I decided to take a hint from ultralight backpacking. To shave off a few more ounces, several companies make sleeping bags that are open on the back (because any part of the bag that you lie on doesn’t insulate very well anyway). They use the sleeping pad inside the quilt by using strings or thin fabric on the back of the “ultralight quilt” and voila! I decided to put that to work.

I tried it out at 10 500 feet where the temperature got down to 3 degrees C (40 degrees F). That was to cold, but down to 50 degrees F(10 C) it was quite comfy. 7 degrees Celsius is probably the limit. All told it weighed 2 oz for the blanket system and 7 oz for the mat.

Here’s the materials list:

• One closed cell foam sleeping pad
• 1 roll of tuck or packing tape
• 10 feet of string cut into 18 inch lengths
• 1 emergency blanket

My son grazing on wild raspberries

As a kid, I remember my dad taking us around the property and through the woods and on our journeys he would show us new wild berries to enjoy. I never forgot the ground berries, the salmon berries, the huckleberries or the blackberries (to name a few) and now that my kids are growing up I decided to share these simple pleasures with my own kids.

This summer we came back from our travels to visit family and friends and it gave me the perfect opportunity to show them the abundance that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

DISCLAIMER: While many of us have eaten wild edibles without problem and enjoyed them, make sure you know what you’re doing and that you can correctly identify the berry/fruit/plant that you plan on using/eating. Also, be aware of family allergies and sensitivities. Basically, know what you’re doing before you do it. In most areas there are experts and courses or classes that will help you identify and enjoy what is available in our fields and forests.

Here are a few of the berries we enjoyed.

Wild raspberries. Although these guys are midgets in comparison to store bought ones, I find that they pack a punch. I’d say they have the same, if not double the flavor of store bought raspberries.

Bunch berries. OK, so these guys were never shown me as a kid, but they’re edible. That’s pretty much all I can say positive about them. The don’t have a lot of flavor and there is a large seed in the middle of each ones. Still, I’d been wanting to try them for a while.

Wild Strawberries. Of course, these are another berry in league with the wild raspberries. Tiny, sweet and delicious. There was a whole field of these at our friends’ house. The kids wandered through the plants gorging themselves on these fellows. The stains on their knees showed that they missed a fair few!

Were berries a staple in your childhood diet? If so, what was your favorite?

We want to look at one more tip on how to find out which way is north. All it requires is a watch. An analog watch (one with hands) is best, but if you can draw an analog watch based on the time displayed on the digital watch then you’ll be fine.

One last tip

OK so this isn’t to do with navigation but it’s fun none the less. How much daylight do you have? You probably have seen this on shows like Survivorman, but it is worth the reminder nonetheless. Here’s what you do:

1. Without looking directly at the sun, hold out your hand horizontal.
2. Using your four fingers line up the top of your hand with the sun. Each finger you have indicates about 15 minutes of sun left in your day. 
3. Move your hand down to just below where your hand was and repeat until you get to the horizon. This will show you just how much time is left in the day.

Alright, so far we’ve seen some traditional tools on how to navigate without the need for the sun, but now we want to get to the more accurate and easier to apply tools of navigation, the sun!

Me and my shadow

The first tool in the list is you and your shadow. You can almost always guarantee that when the sun is out, so is your shadow (bonus points for people who can tell me in what situation you would have NO shadow on a sunny day). IF you have half an hour and a couple sticks you can use that to your advantage. Here’s what you do:

1. The first thing you’ll want to do is set up a Straight stick directly vertical. This is going to cast the shadow you’ll need.
2. Take a marker (small stick, rock or other small object) and place it at the tip of the shadow.
3. Every 10 minutes mark where the new tip of the shadow is with other small markers.
4. Draw a straight line connecting all the markers together.
5. Draw a line perpendicular (at a right angle to) the line drawn in step 4.