Category — Survival

Well my Winter Wilderness Survival class and I made it back with out a hitch. Yeah we survived! We all had a blast and spent some good quality time practicing shelter building and plain old “will” to survive. The days were beautiful and we were fortunate enough to have great visibility and most, if not all of us made it with nothing but smiles! I am pretty drained now and will post more tomorrow. Here is a picture of my class after a night in the cold.

They all did a great job and should be proud!

There is something that reinvigorates the soul when you break out the camping gear lay it all out to plan what you need for an upcoming adventure. The smells from past trip campfires comes flooding back and a new since of purpose fills your soul.

Today I laid out all of my gear as I prepare to take my Winter Wilderness Survival class out for their field experience or as I call it concept reinforcement. I am whittling down the last details and figuring out the best balance for my load. It is odd that as I look at all of the gear guides and drool over the new stuff I realize that it seems like all of the gear is becoming too specialized. To the point where it seems necessary to “need” a different set up for each season. Packs are designed with specific uses and their pockets and lashings are designed to fit a niche and only that niche.

Gone are the days of army style do it all external frame rucksacks. I now realize that the external frame is what made the pack back then. The actual bag really had nothing to offer. It was a simple, well, er, bag and that is it. The key was that you lashed all of the extras to the outside. (Am I the only one that remembers the old camp tin cup banging rhythmically to the side of the frame?) I guess I am lost. Searching for the perfect pack. I have used my Gregory Palisade for quite a few years with no real complaints aside from the irritating bottom section that is this ridiculous shape and size (Gregory quickly realized the issue and created a stuff sack to nestle inside this area perfectly…for a price).

I am also trying out a new beer can stove (1oz denatured alcohol burns for 5 minutes @ 8500ft elevation long enough to boil 2 cups of water. More about that later. I just wanted to share the soothing feeling of getting the gear out and the calm that I enjoy just before a trip.

I was going through my recent issue of Backpacker and I was stoked to read all about their efforts to revamp their website, so today I decided to check it out. The site is awesome, it is chock full of information ranging from local trail recommendation to gear reviews to “how to” videos. I think anyone interested in being outdoors could definitely benefit from this well put together site. Ease of navigation and wealth of information make this newly redesigned site tops. Check it out under the “mountains” section on the right side of this page. Enjoy.

All different names for the same type of fire starting tinder. Essentially this is wood from a pine tree stump that has either been cut down or died naturally. The wood is super impregnated with pitch and is extremely useful as tinder for fire starting. I am going up towards Deckers, CO today to see if I can harvest any before the winter wilderness trip to Bemrose Ski Circus this weekend. If I am able to find any I will post a video of how easy it is to use and just how valuable this stuff can be.

Update: I found some yesterday but have yet to try it out. I do not think it is quite as “pitchy” as I would like but I will let you know when I try it.

Update to the Update: here is the pitchwood demo.

Update to the Update to the Update:  I just burned a piece a little larger than a quarter and it burned well for 3minutes 46 seconds. Pretty amazing stuff.

Just kidding. Seriously if there was an avalanche during one of your backcountry adventures would you be prepared? Do you have the necessary equipment and more importantly do you know how to use it? Uncle Travelin’ Matt does and he has posted a great article on his blog about a great place to test your avalanche beacon skills. Check it out here. And if you ever run into UTM or Bumpy listen to what they they have to say and then offer to buy them a beer!

Chances are if you are checking out this blog or any of the other outdoor blogs, you have at one time or another run across Man Vs. Wild, Survivorman, or one of the many other survivor shows shown on t.v. these days. While these shows may be eye-catching and exciting they also breed a new generation of mock survivalists. This new breed is fed by the countless products labeled “survival”, a prime example is the survival knife.

These Rambo type knives are pretty useless for true survival needs, so keep that in mind when you go to build your own kit. If you are truly interested in learning true survival techniques. Learn the basic skills and practice, practice, practice!!! Find references, learn techniques and build upon your knowledge base.

These productions should not be your sole bases of survival information. Survival, by definition, is a serious thing, so take the time and research. Simply be aware that these are shows, meant to sell. I admit I have seen a lot of them and will continue to watch them when I get the opportunity, after all they are entertaining. However, I realize that the shows are not necessarily geared towards the needs of the lost. Remember these hosts have an out, whether it be a camera crew or satellite radio, knowing that there is rescue a mere call away diminishes the fear a bit. And fear is the ultimate undoer in survival situations.