Wilderness Survival Skills Could Save Your Life!

You don't have to be a contestant on the "Survivor" television program to learn wilderness survival skills. This information was second nature to our ancestors many generations back, but in today's high-tech world, we have grown out of touch with nature and unaware of how to provide such basic needs as food, water and shelter.

But, with modern conveniences at our fingertips, why should we learn how to build a fire without matches, or how to obtain safe water to drink? The answer is simple. One only needs to look back to Hurricane Katrina to see how quickly natural disasters can strike and deprive people of the electricity they depend upon to get them through each day. Even less predictable than hurricanes are other natural disasters such as earthquakes that strike without warning, and tornadoes that can materialize in minutes.

Many experts say that we are seriously at risk for a worldwide disease pandemic, like the Spanish flu that decimated populations across the globe in the first quarter of the 20th century. It is highly possible that an infectious disease epidemic of the bird flu could put such a strain on community infrastructures that services such as hospitals, police, fire departments and ambulances could not be depended upon, and residents would be forced to fend for themselves. Also, in today's increasingly uncertain world, the risk of a terrorist attack destroying power stations, water reservoirs or other civic infrastructures is not out of the question.

That is why the wise individual will invest a few hours to learn such survival skills as fire making, finding water, making shelter, finding food and preparing meals with only primitive tools. Gaining this knowledge should not be viewed as a bothersome chore, but rather as a fascinating challenge to become more self-sufficient. And, should disaster strike, these skills may very well prove to be more valuable than any insurance policy.

Some of the best sources for learning wilderness survival skills are the books by Tom Brown Jr. Mr. Brown was taught tracking and hunting at an early age by an Apache elder, and he went on to establish a survival school as well as writing such classic texts as "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival" which clearly illustrates many ways to start a fire without matches, build wilderness shelters using only natural materials, identifying edible plants and hunting wild animals for food.

It only takes a few minutes and the investment of a few dollars to assemble a pocket size wilderness survival kit that contains a small knife, compass, matches, fishing hooks and line, and perhaps a lightweight, metallic "space blanket." A visit to most any sporting goods shop or camping supply store will be time well spent if you should suddenly be faced with a survival situation. But more important than survival gear is the learning of wilderness survival skills. This is because the greatest asset in case of emergency is not your technology but your mental attitude. An individual with proper skills and knowledge can survive much more comfortably without any tools than someone who has lots of survival gear but does not know how to use it properly.

And even if you are never faced with an emergency situation that requires the application of wilderness survival techniques, you still might use them to win a million dollars if you should be chosen to be a contestant on the "Survivor" TV show.

Robert Scheer is a freelance writer and consultant to the wilderness survival website and recommends the book "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival."

Article Source: Robert Scheer

Survival Preparedness - Survival Skills and Emergency Kits!

Most of us would agree that at any moment we could find ourselves in a disaster or other emergency situation. Even if this fact is only lurking in the back of the mind just below consciousness, the statement is no less true. Anyone can suddenly be thrust into an emergency situation or have a disaster land squarely upon them quite unexpectedly. How well one survives or IF one survives may be a matter of luck. Far better to invest some time and effort in survival preparedness.

Survival preparedness for the purpose of this article is not a call to be constantly fearful of impending doom and disaster skulking around every corner, or to hoard great caches of dried beans, MREs, bullets, and gold then hunker down with your stash in some remote area.

More realistically, survival preparedness is the act of obtaining knowledge of and practicing basic survival skills, gathering survival gear, food and water together into emergency survival kits. These kits can then be placed at easily accessible points in the home, car, office, etc., or on your person.

Think ahead to anticipate what sort of situation might arise and what survival skills, gear, and supplies would be useful to successfully see you through to the end of it. Some excellent items on the list of basic survival skills to learn (and practice!) would be:


how to build a fire with or without matches
how to build a simple emergency shelter
how to obtain food and water
how to use a map and compass
how to signal for help
how to use the survival gear you have chosen

The size of the emergency kits and the items they contain will be determined by the scenario for which they are intended to be used; lost in the wilderness, stranded in your vehicle on a lonely back road, recovering from the aftermath of a tornado or other disaster.

Always include fire starting items, items to build an emergency shelter, survival tools, a medical kit, signaling device, emergency lighting, containers of water, and rations. There are many helpful web sites that describe complete lists of items to include in emergency survival kits of all sizes.

In any emergency situation strive to remain calm. Use your mind. It's one of your best survival tools.

Initiative belongs to the individual. Make the time and effort for prudent preparations toward your own survival and that of others. Do not risk suffering the consequences of taking no action at all.

Survival after all is being alive at the end of an ordeal.

Chuck McIntyre is active in helping others learn basic survival skills. He offers reviews and recommendations of survival gear and emergency kits at MySurvivalPro.com

Article Source: Chuck McIntyre

Survive Power Outages: High Winds, Snow, and Other Natural Disasters Take Out Power!

When your lights go dim, you may wonder what the problem is? Or, you may know? Either way, you have a lot to do. I’m going to share some survival tips for Power Outages, resulting from recent experience.

1. Locate light sources and keep them handy.

Light Sources include candles, flashlights, camp lanterns, and oil lamps. Most homes have a few of these items being used as ‘decorator accessories’. Candles in glass jars are particularly appropriate for lighting during a power outage. In fact, I keep a few extra in the cupboard just for this purpose.

Oil lamps work well for overall lighting. These have a wide wick and offer a few degrees of warmth as well as light. By raising or lowering the wick you get more or less light. Adjust it for maximum light using the least wick for economic lighting.

Flashlights require batteries and should be used sparingly, unless you have an unending source of batteries. They are required for exterior lighting, when you leave the house. Candles won’t work outside in the dark. Winds blow them out.

2. Locate heat sources and use them sparingly, but stay warm.

Alternate heat sources may not be readily available. However, by using good old fashioned common sense, you may be able to find heat sources that will work.

If your kitchen stove is not electric, it may be helpful. Newer gas stoves require electricity to light, if your stove is electric light, do NOT try to bypass the electric lighting mechanism.

All gas water heaters are a good source of warmth. Turn the hot water on to drizzle to keep pipes from freezing and allow the water to fill a wash pan in the sink, so that it can also ‘drain’ overflow. Warm water in the sink emits heat. Do this in all rooms with running water.

All gas cook stoves are a good source of heat. Bake cookies, prepare food in the oven, cook soups or stews on top of the stove and keep them cooking. The steam warms the air, and the heat keeps you warm. A warm bowl or cup of soup warms your body. Warm cookies are also heart and body warming. You can leave the oven on low to heat your home. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR OVEN UNATTENDED when leaving the door slightly open to emit heat.

If you happen to have a fireplace, it would be an awesome source of heat and cooking resources. You can prepare food in most fireplaces with a bit of ingenuity. Forks to cook meat, or a large cast iron pot or pan can be used in fireplace cooking.

3. Body heat and snuggling power work wonders.

Those old-fashioned activities are meant to keep you warm. Wrap up in blankets and snuggle on the couch with a good book. Read to your family members, or encourage them to read to you. Put on extra clothing, and bundle up as if you were going to be out in cold weather. (You are.) Pile on the extra blankets at night. Leave the hot water running but turn off all other heat at night, while you sleep. Occasionally get up and turn on the oven for an hour or so if necessary but NEVER leave it unattended.

Keep little kids warmer by putting them in with older kids or parents. Their bodies don’t make as much heat as yours does, so take extra precautions to keep them warm. If you get wet, change immediately; wet bodies get cold faster. Stay dry and stay warmer.

Remember your Christmas stockings, all hung by the fireplace with care. This is an excellent way to dry clothing only NOT on the mantle. Hang your stockings, damp clothing, and other wet gear over the back of a chair 4 or 5 feet from the fireplace.

4. Resort to power free work sources.

This article was written first with a pen and paper by candle light. You can still work, even without a battery powered computer. Keep a spiral notebook handy for inspirations. Working pens are a plus.

Since you’re going to write everything on a computer later, a rough outline by pen and paper is probably enough, with a few comments to pull it all together. Grammar, spelling, and other editing can be accomplished later on the computer.

Phones with hard lines that don’t require power hookups are necessary to power outages. Have at least one on each line coming into your home.

You can probably charge your cell phone when you drive your car, although you may not be going anywhere. So, use it sparingly.

5. Check power sources to be certain cause of outages is not a repair issue.

Make sure lines on your property are not down, or burned. Visual inspections will verify this. Just check at connections outside to power meter, to connections, and fuse boxes. Check breakers to be certain they haven’t flipped or kicks off.

Various causes of outages require an electrician to repair your services before you can restore power to your residence. During the recent storm ice and weight on the lines caused a burned connection before the meter. I lived with the outage for four days before I called in the local power company, because an electrician had thought it was inside my house.

Don’t hesitate to call in an expert. Their help can be a time saver as well as a life saver.

Jan Verhoeff lives in southern Colorado where snow is not so much an annual event as a decade event. Recent storms and weather issues have given her insight to a different way of life. Power outages and emergency preparedness are becoming a necessity even in the USA. Business resources and the thrill of adventure are logged at http://lamarcolorado.blogspot.com some days are missing and some are downright silly, but the storm photos are there.

Article Source: Jan Verhoeff