No doubt about it, the Tracker is one serious survival knife.

Back in the days when I was a student at the Tracker school, a knife called The Tracker, was made by Dave Beck, and were for sale at the Tracker school when available.  You can read the history of the Tracker knives - HERE  The Tracker is an all purpose survival knife.

Recently I have received inquiries regarding sharpening the Tracker Knife. With any knife, sharpening takes patience and developing the correct technique to sharpen and maintain the edge of your blade.

TOP Knives manufacture the Tracker and according to their website they will sharpen your Tracker knife for free. However for our purpose its better to learn to sharpen your own knives.

A note on sharpening systems that use clamp-on-guides, ceramic V,s or diamond dust stones. I have used these systems and some work better than others but your better off learning how to sharpen your knife by hand.

All that is needed to keep your knives sharp are: a coarse stone for coarse grinding the relief when needed and blade edge. A fine stone for finishing the coarse edge, and a hone for polishing the edge to make it very sharp. I use both a composite coarse and fine stone but most often I use a sandpaper system with wet and dry sandpaper and a leather belt from the thrift store for my hone. This is the same system I teach during my survival courses.

Through research on sharpening stones and hones you will find a head spinning variety. Some excellent sharpening stones are several hundred dollars apiece. Composite, wet, or oil stones that are coarse on one side and fine on the opposite side are a handy system to own.

To answer the question, “At what angle should I sharpen the Tracker knife?” or for any knife including SOG Knives Seal Pup Elite, the answer is, use the manufacturer’s angle straight from the box. Contact TOP or SOG knives if you want the precise angle.

Learning to sharpen your knife is not rocket science, but as with all bushcraft skills, there is a learning curve that includes time, persistence, patience, and elbow grease. So good luck and happy sharpening!

Or if you’re coming to Lifesong Wilderness Adventures, bring your Tracker Knife with you and learn to sharpen it during one of our very fine wilderness survival courses.

Guess who’s coming to dinner!  Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Ixodes, Rhipicephalus, and Ornithodoros…say what?

Source: CDC

Say no, these uninvited dinner guests have YOU on the menu.

• Ixodes scapularis and pacificus our favorite terrorist group the black legged tick and notorious vector of Lyme disease.  The rest of the nefarious group includes -
• Dermacentor variabili the dog tick, andersoni the wood tick, albipictus the winter tick, and occidentalis the Pacific Coast tick. If that is not enough to curl your toes add the –
• Amblyomma americanum the lone star tick and maculatum the Gulf Coast tick.

Fortunately, for us the Rhipicephalus reside in Africa, it appears not a single area of the world is without these obnoxious arachnids including Antarctica. Ixodes uriae are home to the King, rock hopper, and royal penguins.

Why address the subject now, tis the spring season, time to bring out the armor and prepare for battle.

How to avoid ticks

The most obvious and least desirable is to stay indoors during tick season.  That is not an option so what’s next.

Wear long sleeved shirts tuck pant legs into socks and take a dip in Deet.  Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz thanks for playing, negative for fun loving sun worshippers.

Since we are on the subject of Deet, what is it?  According to -

“Science Daily (Aug. 6, 2009) — the active ingredient in many insect repellents, Deet (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), has been found to be toxic to the central nervous system.  Researchers say that more investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss any potential neurotoxicity to humans, especially when Deet-based repellents are used in combination with other neurotoxin insecticides.”

Comforting…and further research indicates Deet is not effective against ticks. I can personally vouch for this updated research.

After dousing in Deet and applying the recommended clothing, I took a nice three-mile hike to a Northern Spotted Owl research survey site.  Returning from this little jaunt, I immediately searched for the “creepy crawlers,” and found thirty-three assorted arachnids on my person and clothing.  Stripped down to my birthday suit, I stuffed the clothing into a (biodegradable, thank you) garbage bag sealed it and proceeded to use the equivalent of a pet flea comb on my hair.  Moral of the story do not believe everything the pharmaceuticals preach.  Oh, and for those of you with vivid imaginations, I hike in the dead of night incognito.

Photo by Interactive Medical Media LLC.

Ticked Off!

The rest of the story, I missed one.  One tiny little microscopic terrorist and terrorizing it was.  Seems ticks have an added bonus to the list of diseases they can transmit, allergic reactions.

Arriving home at 4:00 am, I did not find the little culprit until rising at around 10:00 am with a very red, painful, swollen armpit and arm to fingers, chest, and neck; in addition, nausea and a headache.  Now, I am not usually prone to worry, but frankly, this was disturbing and new to my repertoire of considerable tick bite history.

Signs of an allergic reaction to a tick bite include swelling or pain at the site of the bite, a rash, skin blisters, difficulty breathing, uncoordinated movement and general weakness. Symptoms of a tick-borne disease may include swollen lymph nodes, fever, weakness, headache, stiff neck, muscle or joint aches and a rash and in extreme cases anaphylactic shock.

Gratefully, I downed some antibiotics and recovered.  I think most readers are fairly familiar with Lyme disease and its debilitating effect if untreated, and it tops the list:

• Lyme disease
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Tularemia
• Ehrilichiosis
• Relapsing fever
• Colorado tick fever
• Babesiosis
• Tick paralysis
• South African tick-bite fever for the world travelers.

Wait there is more -

• Bartonella – Bartonella strains are bacterial parasites transmitted through flea or tick bites.  Bartonella can infect humans, dogs, cats and rodents.  Bartonella invades red blood cells and uses the cell’s membrane as protection while multiplying and can cause multiple ailments depending upon the strain.  It is responsible for Cat-scratch fever in humans.  A blood test is required for diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics.
• Meningoencephalitis - is an inflammatory disease caused by numerous tick-borne viruses, and infects the brain, spinal cord, and their surrounding membranes.  The result of infection is a loss of nervous system function.  Fever, pain, convulsions, and paralysis are symptoms of infection, with rapid onset and can be fatal.  A spinal tap provides a diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics and anticonvulsants follows.

• Tetanus - known as lockjaw, keep your tetanus shot up to date, ten years is a long time to remember, write it down.

Ticks give new meaning to terrorism.

How to remove a tick

Engorged Wood Tick

Source CDC

My theory, any way you can and fast, however with tweezers is best.  The goal is not to create a back flow of secretions by squeezing the body and increasing your chance of infection.  Easier perhaps before the unwanted dinner guest gorges on prime corn fed red blood cells.

How to protect yourself

There is a chemical product known as Permethrin and is the active ingredient used to kill head lice.  Permethrin kills parasites and their eggs on contact.  Tom Grier has a great write up on the subject of Permethrin.

Did you know

Science discovered another better and safer weapon, the Western Fence Lizard.  Unbelievable, here are the facts to date –   “Lizards Slow Lyme Disease in West, by Sabin Russell, San Francisco Chronicle, April 17, 1998

Secret Weapon Western Fence Lizard

“It may sound like witchcraft, but Berkeley scientists have found that ticks who feast on the blood of the common western fence lizard are purged of any Lyme disease bacteria hiding in their gut.

The newly published findings may explain why there is less tick-borne Lyme disease in California than in the eastern United States, where the debilitating illness was first discovered and given its name.

Researchers suspect that a yet-to-be-identified protein in the lizard’s blood destroys the microbes that would otherwise flourish in the tick’s belly and can be later transmitted to human victims.

“We’ve speculated on this for years, and now we have fairly good evidence that this is the case,” said Robert Lane, a University of California at Berkeley insect biologist who has been studying ticks and Lyme disease for more than a decade…more.”

The best defense against ticks is awareness!  Hey, questions, comments, stories, or suggestions, we want to hear it all.  Warm up those flanges and send us some feedback so we know you’re still breathing. In Wilderness ~ Celeste and Mark

Survival Knives: what is the best survival knife for wilderness survival?

I ask this question quite often myself as I apply a variety of different knives to the survival tasks at hand.  Finding one knife that can do it all is a daunting task to say the least.  There are a huge number of survival knife choices available to the consumer, so many, that research can be a bit overwhelming.

I have used a singularly heavy, stainless steel (approximately seventeen ounce) single fixed blade, with the tang running completely through the handle (this is necessary for fixed blade knives) for eight years with a lanyard hole at the end of the handle (which can be handy).  The knife is somewhat fancy.

SOG Seal Pup Straight Edge

The design is a commercial high-end version of the Vietnam War Era’s fifth Special Forces Groups known as the Study and Observation Group, made by SOG Knives. The overall length of my older version is from tip to handle – 11 1/8″ The blade length itself is six inches, the width has been modified from sharpening over the years, but it is around 1 1/8″ at the middle of the blade.  The blade is quite thick where it meets the handle, a solid one-quarter inch and tappers to a very sharp point to a thickness 1/16 at the top of the blade at the point, or about 1/32 at the cutting edge of the blade point.

This knife was a gift to me and I believe quite expensive at the time.  The handle is a rubber type material (Kraton) for a better grip, which I have had to re-glue and rivet because of wear, and it has a brass knife guard for forefinger and thumb, which all in all works quite well from the accident of slipping and cuttings ones fingers.  I have to watch the sharp point of this knife, for I have cut myself on occasion by not being aware of where the point happens to be in relationship to my other hand.

First, I’ll talk about the positive benefits of this type of knife having used it in a variety of situations over many years.

I love the weight of this knife.  I use this knife as one would use a small hatchet.  The heavy weight and the overall thickness of this blade really make a difference when I am splitting or chopping.  If I need to take a lot of wood off fast, this is a great tool.  If I want to pry with this knife, it allows me to get away with quite a bit of pressure without breaking because of the thickness and strength of the stainless steel.  (The exception, I have broken the very tip of this knife from the action of prying).

Another technique I use with this knife for is splitting wood and making spindle blanks for the bow drill.  I take a wooden mallet (usually a heavy piece of wood, throwing stick, or whatever I can find) to pound on top of the blade to control my splitting.  The technique works very well with this blade, as long as I’m careful and stay away from large knots.

I have skinned many animals large and small with this blade and I have found that it is not the best type of blade for this, but I have found that the more familiar you become with your knife these types of tasks are easily accomplished with careful application.  Another important benefit of this knife is that it is made from stainless steel.  So it is quite easily maintained without having to worry about rust problems as you do with carbon steel.

The newer models of SOGS are painted with a black TiAIN coating, mine is a bright stainless steel.  The knife balance’s well in my hand and the handle, though somewhat sticky at times from the feel of the Kraton handle, is easy on the hands not a blister maker like so many knife handles.

All right, here are the negatives of this knife.

For fine, detailed carving, as in making notches for my fireboard, this knife is quite frustrating.  The reason for this is the way this knife is designed.  The back of the blade is quite thick and the relief or the taper maintains a strong thickness down to the cutting edge of the knife (which is why it works well as a hatchet) which makes it much to thick for fine carving applications.  The blade is simply too thick for quick cutting a notch for your fireboard.

A great blade for this fine work is the blade you find with a Swiss Army Knife. This very thin blade, when sharp, cuts through softwoods easily and quickly.  So now, this brings up another question…thick bladed or thin bladed survival knives.  I’ll get into this in a bit.

Now let us consider the weight of this blade.  This is a very heavy knife to carry with you when your backpacking, adding a lot of extra weight that you could easily replace with extra food, a camera, binoculars, or a medicinal quart of spirits.  So I would not recommend (for your general backpacking trip) this weight of knife to take along under most circumstances.

Another point to consider in regards to this knife and other hard stainless steel knives is that they take a while to sharpen by hand.  And quite frankly, I’m not that impressed with its ability to hold an edge with heavy use.  I use a coarse and fine stone sharpening system with a guide that holds the angle consistently while I sharpen the knife.  And it includes steel for the final touch up to get the razor sharp edge we all desire.  (The sharpening system I use is made by the Razor’s Edge Co.)

My conclusion and observations regarding my SOG and the perfect Survival Knife:

Though I would not recommend this type of heavy knife for most general backpacking conditions, I would definitely want this type of knife if I was stranded without my modern gear and had to depend on nature to provide my shelter, water, fire, and food.  This SOG blade is tough, and it takes all the abuse I can give it!

As for thin relief (hollow ground) blade Survival Knives, I would recommend these types of blades as well because the thinness of the blade offers the ability to accomplish finer woodwork easier.  Having used a heavy blade for so many years I believe that I have come to be partial to the weight while looking suspiciously at blades that are to light for their size.

Beginner’s Survival Knife

The students who take my First Circle Camp begin their introduction to survival knife use.  For beginners I recommend a fixed blade that is about four to six inches in length, four inch is optimum.  Making sure the tang runs the full length of the handle for strength and long-term durability.  The handle should fit comfortably in the hand and balance well.  Were not looking for a Machete or a Bowie here, a good strong, comfortable working knife is what were after.  The comfort of the knife is the most important factor to consider for the beginner I believe, because after an hour of steady carving, (uncomfortable handles, and folding knives) can make your hand quite sore.  One does not need to spend a lot of money for this type of knife.  Down the road when you have some carving time behind you, you will have a better idea of the type of knife that fits you best, as well as the type of work you use it for the most.

Knife Manufacturers

All of the major knife manufacturers make good reasonably priced knives for our type of application.  So I would recommend visiting several knife stores in your area and try them on.  Listen to what the dealers say, but stay away from hollow handle knives that have a survival kit stashed in the handle with a compass at the end of the handle.  Sorry, these are weak knives and cheesy as well.

SOG Knives - Great Knives

KA-BAR knives have a long history of use.  Their tough knives, though a bit light for my taste, (important for military application) and the handles are quite uncomfortable and take a while getting use to.  They do sharpen easily which is a positive and their generally inexpensive.  But for heavy utility use, digging foxholes and such, as I said, they are tough!

Buck Knives make many good knives as well and offer a variety of price ranges.  Most are good solid knives, though the cutting edge usually is quite dull and needs quite a bit of relief grinding to get a professional edge.

Ontario is a knife company to check out.  I purchased their Spec-Plus Bolo recently to get the feel of a large blade, machete style knife.  I use this knife mainly for chopping brush here on the coast of Oregon.  I have to watch the rust problem with this knife because of the carbon steel.

TOP Knife Company makes a variety of Tactical knives that are in the high dollar range.  TOP makes the Tom Brown Tracker Knife, which if you have never seen one check it out on their website.  It’s a multi-application knife.  Very beefy and well made.  I have tried the earlier version made by Beck a number of years ago, its quite heavy and expensive, but it’s a work of art.  Tom also developed a companion knife to go along with the large Tracker knife.

These are just a few of the companies that offer Survival Knives the list is more then I’m willing to write today.  I do not necessarily recommend these companies, I am including them because I have used their products and they offer a good variety of knives.

The perfect Survival Knife
I’ll leave this to others to determine.  (I’m working on my own version of a perfect Survival knife.)  I love and do recommend the Swiss Army Knives as well for a secondary knife system; they have many cool tools to pick from and are a well-built multi-tool lightweight system.

I would enjoy hearing about recommendations on Survival knives or any good sharpening systems familiar to you.

Mark Wienert Jr.

Oregon wilderness survival courses with Mark Wienert of Lifesong Wilderness Adventures consultant to Man Vs Wild.

It's not the trousers she's checking out...

Hey Craghoppers, we’re ready for some new Bear Grylls’ necessities.  We hear there are some old favorites and some new styles this season.

Seems the survivor trousers, so called by Brits and lovingly referred to as pants by us Yanks, are still a favorite for all, including the survival instructors at Lifesong’s outdoor adventures.  The survivor trousers, wore like iron for me.

I may not jump out of airplanes to get to work, but I put the survivor pant through the rigors of fieldwork and survival training scrambling over downed timber, inching through brush and scrub, wading creeks and rivers, and using mountains sides like slip-n-slides.

It's lunch!

Not only did I wear them during survival training, but also as a wildlife biologist searching for the endangered Northern Spotted Owl.  She’s not interested in Craghoppers Nosquito Cargo pant, but is very interested in lunch.

Alas, they are in tatters after five years of pure abuse. What can I say they are comfortable, don’t tear easily, dry quickly, don’t stain, literally wash and wear.  I must be a fan!

Hi, I’m Kirstin Mack,

PR and Marketing Assistant for Craghoppers Adventure Travel Clothing.

“Craghoppers has such a variety of clothing, ranging from our protective NosiLife permanent insect repellent and SolarDry UPF40+ clothing for travel all over the world, to sturdy survival proof Bear Grylls clothing approved by the Original Born Survivor!

It’s my job to promote all Craghoppers clothing, including our Bear Grylls by Craghoppers range. This involves sending out product for reviews, approving press releases and encouraging production companies to use our clothing for TV shows – which can be very exciting! Building relationships with journalists and outdoor experts is such an important part of my role and it’s always great when you get some fantastic people, like Mark and Celeste from Lifesong Wilderness Adventures, to work with.

I have to say the British weather leaves us very few days to actually get out there and enjoy it! However, when I do get the chance, I love admiring the scenery whist walking or cycling. For a bit of a challenge I recently started learning how to snowboard in Bulgaria – which was very nerve-wracking but great fun!”

Check out our range further at: www.beargryllsstores.com

Bear Grylls survival trouser a good resting spot for baby owls.

As I am usually the one behind the camera and wearing the survivor trousers, I have failed Kirstin and Craghoppers miserably with photos but the survivor pant made an excellent resting spot for this recently fledged Northern Spotted owl, an adorable ball of fluff with mega talons!

It is satisfying to help an endangered species survive and to teach you survival necessities just like we did for Bear in Man vs. Wild.

Looking for a con, okay, there was one; I had to buy a belt after a season tromping through the woods and over mountains.  Best kept secret, wear Craghoppers and lose weight!

Lifesong thanks, Bear, Kirstin and all at Craghoppers for great products – for great adventures!

“By listening to our customers and comments from the man himself, we have also been able to enhance some of these core pieces, to ensure they are improved versions of their predecessors. Taking these comments on board has resulted in a Full Stretch version of Bear’s favorite Survivor Trousers which offer higher performance due to even more stretch, making them suitable for all outdoor activities.”    Kirstin Mack of Craghoppers

I’m going to try out the new and improved versions from Craghoppers and I have one suggestion for you Kirstin, make the Basecamp fleece in a 3/4 zip and my life will be perfect.

A Lifesong Wilderness Immersion student experiencing the excitement of owling.

What about you, leave your suggestions for Lifesong and Craghoppers.  We always look forward to your comments!

Share with a friend  ↓↓↓↓ and sign up for a Lifesong survival adventure now.

Spring is here and humans are exiting home and hearth while bears leave their winter dens. Accidental encounters of a scary nature happen between humans and Ursus during this time.

First, a little background information on bears and their behavior to help you understand and safely plan your next wilderness adventure.

The three bear specie associated with North America and the ones you are most likely to encounter are the Black bear (Ursus americanos), Brown/Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), and Polar bear (Ursus maritimus).

Grolars

Let’s add one tiny little exception to that and the discovery of hybridized grizzly bears and polar bears…Grolars. Ursus inopinatus, which is far from official, and while the scientific wheels turn slowly bears just keep being bears, it looks like some of them think the ice queens are pretty hot.

Lifesong Wilderness Adventures can make you bear aware.

The possibility of running into a bear is minimal, but occurs, and in any event, it is wise to be prepared. What follows is information for you about bears, their nature and behavior, and ultimately how they might affect your outdoor experience.

Bear relationships

Bears mate anywhere from April through June and monogamy is not high on the list for females; however, the males do their best to maintain territorial rights and often herd the females away from other possible suitors.

Speaking in generalities, female black bears do not mature until around the age of four, grizzlies six to eight years of age, and polar bears between three and five years, this is when mating occurs. Bears typically breed once every four years after attaining maturity and have very low birth rates.

Bear den and...

crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle.

Half-pregnant

There is a very, very old joke you can’t be half-pregnant, but bears and other mustelids prove this statement false. After fertilization, the embryo (called a blastocyst) stops growing, avoids implantation, and surfs the uterine fluids until mom heads into winter slumber.

If she is in good physical condition, the embryo will implant, and she will give birth in January or February; if not she will abort, this is nature’s way of maintaining a balance between birth rates and available food.

Successful birthing brings one to four cubs for black and grizzly bears, and polar bears one to three, twins are the average for all.

Myth #1

All mother bears are cranky and dangerous. NOT true. Many black bears will not come to the defense of their young for any reason; and, a grizzly mom might feel threatened just by your presence in her vicinity, whereas mother polar bears eat anything and everything in sight including humans, generally speaking.

Nursery Views

One pound dynamo.

Triplets and there are only two faucets.

You're in the way dude.

Cubs spend from two to three years with mom.  A sow (female bear) does not come back into estrus until she kicks the cubs to the curb leaving them to run amok like teenagers at Disneyland.  Up until the cubs are weaned they learn how and what to eat from mom by following, observing and smelling her snout for residue.  Do you ever wonder why your dog has his nose in your face or uhmm…in other key areas; it is to determine what you’ve been eating.

Myth #2

Bears have poor eyesight, NOT true.  Bears see as well as humans during the day, but have the same capable night vision as cats and dogs which, have a reflective layer, called the tarpetum lucidum, lining the back of the eyeball. This layer reflects light back through the retina, allowing the light to stimulate the rods a second time, thus improving night vision.

Bears also have color vision, like humans, which probably helps identify foods.  Polar bears have the best eyesight and have adaptations that allow them to see underwater and filter snow glare.

A bear’s hearing and sense of smell is extremely sensitive and acute.

Whatcha been eatin momma?

“A black bear in California was once seen to travel upwind three miles in a straight line to reach the carcass of a dead deer.”

“. . .male polar bears march in a straight line, over the tops of pressure ridges of uplifted ice . . .up to 40 miles to reach a prey animal they have detected.”

…any takers on Search and Rescue bears.

Bears have additional help with smell via a Jacobson’s organ in the roof the mouth.

The vomeronasal organ or Jacobsen’s organ can be found in all vertebrates. While snakes and other reptiles flick substances into Jacobson’s organ with their tongues, several mammals (e.g., cats) exhibit the Flehmen reaction.

When ‘Flehmening’, an animal appears to sneer as it curls its upper lip to better expose the twin vomeronasal organs for chemical sensing.  Deer, horses, monkeys, and bears do not use it simply to identify minute quantities of chemicals, but also for subtle communication between other members of the same species, through the emission and reception of chemical signals called pheromones.

Most notably pheromones are emitted during estrus, but there are also alarm pheromones signaling stress or fear, food trail pheromones (how do you spell rotten meat), and many others.

Early scientific studies deemed humans did not use this organ, but recent studies show that’s bogus.

“There are indications that Jacobson’s organ may be stimulated in pregnant women, partially accounting for an improved sense of smell during pregnancy and implicated in morning sickness.”

Bears are omnivorous which means, like humans, they eat both plant and animal, a polar bear being the exception for obvious reasons.  However, and it’s a big however, bears are predominately herbivores and feed on newly emerged grasses, plants, bulbs, and sap from trees.  Bears had an affinity for maple syrup long before humans.

Guess who's coming for dinner.

Humans and bears come into conflict around food sources, if you built your house on last years berry patch, expect a visitor, just be sure you don’t provide an alternate food source like a bird feeder full of rich sunflower seeds.

Tune in for the rest of the story on bear behavior in the next post.  Learn how to avoid and protect yourself from unexpected encounters in bruin country.

The information provided here is valuable and helpful; but it is no substitute for the hands-on personal training Lifesong Wilderness Adventures provides.  Sign up today and go prepared on your next adventure.  

July is Teen adventure month at Lifesong.  Check it out!

Share your favorite bear stories or have questions, ask!

Not what I had in mind...

“Try to set the night on FIRE”…not.

Step 6 – Fire

Since the dark ages, literally, fire has been and is a desirable companion and useful tool. Depending on your cultural background, fire was delivered by any number of interesting ways with interesting characters.

The Cherokee received fire from Thunder via lightening and it was captured and delivered to the people by a water spider.

Apache history has the wily fox stealing fire from firefly village, via use of his tail…a burning bush so to speak.

Hephaestus, fire will be all that's required.

Fire is venerated throughout history to the present and whether it comes from the Greek god of fire Hephaestus or the wily fox we are truly inspired and entertained by it.

Logically, of course, we may assume there was once a time when man had no fire; but, very early, he must have become acquainted with fire derived from natural sources, and made use of it for no remains of man’s art show him without fire as his companion. Much later, in the scheme of things, he invented processes for making fire artificially.

Fire’s desirability is obvious and sometimes comes before water in the sacred four of survival.  Do you all remember the order for survival training?

1. Shelter 2. Water 3. Fire 4. Food

Fire jumps back and forth between second and third depending on your circumstances. If you just took an unanticipated dunk in the river and it’s not 90 degrees out, you probably need to be warmed up as quickly as possible and fire may be your only option.

Fire is good!  I’m a fan for any number of reasons:

- comfort
- cooking
- signaling
- protection

However we managed to obtain fire and the ample knowledge surrounding its creation, maintenance, and management, be assured it is a vital wilderness survival skill with powerful implications.

Now go enroll in survival training insuring your ability to be self sufficient in the outdoors and remember, panic not cool, shelter very important, water a must, and fire very desirable.

Stay posted

Next up fire in the outdoors with and without technology, successful fire making, fire keepers, signal fires, leave no trace, (it doesn’t just apply to garbage), and fire safety.

Don’t forget to share this with everyone you know, it’s easy, just push a button below.

Ballerina style.

What does Bear Grylls have that your teen wants? Read on.

He is an ordinary person with a big heart, loads of energy and charisma, and a number one television program tweens, teens, and youth are paying attention to.  Man vs. Wild may be entertainment, but some of the survival skills exhibited by Bear Grylls have influenced and benefited kids, in powerful ways.

Where did Bear learn those skills, from us.

Take the story of Jake Denham 14

“Skiing with his family in Oregon on New Years Eve 2011, Jake found himself lost and alone on a mountain for 9 hours with temperatures hovering around 0° (degrees).

“It started getting dark, and I saw the stars. I saw Venus — it was red and bigger than the North Star. I dug a canal, and it went up a hill, so the wind would blow over it so the wind wouldn’t hit me,” Denham said.

Jake Denham photo & clips from news press sources

The teen recounted how after three hours he saw helicopters flying above him, but they didn’t come back. Recalling what he’d learned on “Man vs. Wild” and “Survivor Man,” he said he found ski trails and followed them down the mountain.

“I went down and then when I got lost, I got down on my hands and knees and followed the trail again,” he said, “I walked down, and then I saw lights.”

Thank you, Bear Grylls and the survival instructors who supplied training for the invaluable life saving skills used by Jake and many others who avoid tragedy.

Ask yourself -

• Do I want my child to have those same skills and knowledge, to be resourceful, competent, and confident in the outdoors?   Yes, yes, yes and yes!  There’s more…

Beyond that, a good camp offers, opportunity, opportunity to build leadership qualities and learn teamwork, growth in self-reliance, self-esteem, and experience adventure in an exciting environment! You have one, two, three outstanding adventure treks to choose from.

"i feel like i could go to lifesong adventures every summer for the rest of my life and still be challenged and surprised." ~ Eli

“Our whole family (three teenage boys, plus two parents) wholeheartedly recommend Mark Wienert’s tracking and camping experiences.

Mark is grounded spiritually and physically. He teaches by example from a wealth of experience and knowledge gained by living off and in harmony with the land. He’s a great role model and mentor — calm, wise, highly skilled, and thoughtful soul.

  We are very lucky to have found him. He has been a pivotal person in our sons’ coming of age over many years now.”

~ Meg Durbin, M.D., Pediatrics & Internal Medicine, Utilization Management Assistant, Medical Director, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

~ Clinton L. Lewis, MS, Professor of Astronomy, Division of Science & Mathematics, West Valley College, Author of “Explicit gauge covariant Euler–Lagrange equation”

Tweens, teens, and young adults, if you’ve outgrown the typical summer teen camp and are looking to dive into adventure, it’s time to turn off the television and experience a Lifesong’s Teen vs. Wild (x) three, first hand.

Have questions?

Post your questions now or feel free to contact us, just click on the envelope below, it’s that easy!  We are looking forward to hearing from you.

BE aware, Japan’s failing nuclear reactors are causing concern regarding an up-tick in possible radiation contamination on the west coast.  Reports mention a period of six (6) or more days from the time of the radioactive release from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant reactors to begin coming onshore along the west coast from Alaska to Baja.

Not much, we can do about that right now, but we can research our options like special foods and diets that can be helpful if we do experience unhealthy levels of air-born radiation in the atmosphere.

Super Size Me

Waiter, “Would you like your anti-radiation easy meal super sized sir?”  All west coast culinary entrepreneur’s here is your opportunity.

Anti-Radiation Easy Meal

2 cups spring water (nice touch.) or filtered water (500 ml)
1 organic carrot, grated
1 ounce organic ginger, grated (30 grams)
1 cup organic broccoli and/or cauliflower florets (250 ml)
handful of kelp or other tasty quick-cooking seaweed
2- 4 fresh shiitake or reishii or wild mushrooms, sliced
1 “brick” organic brown rice ramen noodles
2-3 tablespoons miso (30-45 ml)
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar (30 ml)
* sea salt to taste

(Do not add roadkill.)

While water comes to a boil, prepare vegetables.  Add noodles, tofu, seaweed, mushrooms, and vegetables to water, cover, and cook 2-5 minutes.  Mash miso and vinegar with a fork in your bowl; add soup, and instant joy!  Servings one, unless you super size it of course.

Nutritional Health and Wellness BlogSpot notes, “Depending on the speed of the Jet stream, which flows directly from Japan to the West Coast of North America, radiation detection stations here should start to see a spike in their readings about tomorrow afternoon or Monday morning, 14 March 2011.”

Check all ingredients...

Hey, that sounds like today, headed for my stash of kelp now!

“At the time of the atomic bombing in Japan, Tatsuichiro Akizuki, M.D., was Director of the Department of Internal Medicine at St. Francis’ Hospital in Nagasaki and he fed his staff and patients a strict diet of brown rice, miso and tamari soy soup, wakame, kombu and other seaweed, Hokkaido pumpkin, and sea salt.  He also prohibited the consumption of sugar and sweets since they suppress the immune system.

By imposing this diet on his staff and patients, no one succumbed to radiation poisoning whereas the occupants of hospitals located much further away from the blast incident suffered severe radiation fatalities.

Much of this positive result has to do with the fact that the sea vegetables contain substances that bind radioactive particles and escort them out of the body.  This is why seaweed sales usually skyrocket after radiation disasters and why various seaweeds and algae are typically used to treat radiation victims.”

The anti-radiation diet

Focus on the following foods:

• Miso soup
• Spirulina, chlorella, kelp, and the algae’s
• Brassica vegetables and high beta carotene vegetables
• Beans and lentils
• Potassium, calcium and mineral rich foods
• High nucleotide content foods to assist in cellular repair including yeast, sardines, liver, anchovies and mackerel
• Cod liver oil and olive oil
• Avoid sugars and sweets and wheat
• A good multivitamin/multi-mineral supplement

Farmer Bob's safe nuclear growth hormone.

We are not offering any particular glowing or mushrooming medical advise, but you could no doubt order just about all of these recommended foods at your local Sushi restaurant.  So go on, take that special someone out to dinner tonight, but make sure the sardines aren’t glowing.

We’ll meet you there!

I know it's down there somewhere!

Dowsing or water witching, does it work, who knows for sure.  What we do know is there is water underground and we walk on it without a second thought, until we need it.

How to locate water

• surface
• underground
• plants
• solar

Surface

The most obvious water sources are the surface systems, streams, lakes, rivers, etc., the fresher the better.  Stagnant or turbid ponds, streams, puddles require filtration and or boiling before being safe to drink.  For safety’s sake, treat all water before consumption.

Remember the gnarly dude; he likes to hang out in slow moving water, collect-aerated water if possible.

Underground

One of the quickest ways to locate underground water is to find the greenest spot on the landscape.  The shallower the root systems of the plants, i.e. grasses and forbs vs. trees the more likely you are to find water closer to the surface.

Plants that are key indicators of water are cattails and willow.

Let’s face it; no one has time to dig a well in a survival scenario, best to leave that to the water diviners.

Plants

You'll earn it...

A plant closely associated with water retention and found in many locales is miner’s lettuce.  As with many plants the greatest value is in earlier specimens consumed during spring and early summer.

Desert plants are most associated with water storage; however, there is a caveat.  The barrel cactus idealized in the movies as the preeminent water source causes many people to react unfavorably after consumption due to the alkaloids found in the juice (not water).  The severe cramping and vomiting that usually occurs aides in dehydration.

The only non-toxic barrel cactus is the fishhook and it’s likely you’ll need a chain saw to get at the juice without causing severe injury to yourself.

Solar

The sun can create moisture for you using a simple baggy and the branch of an evergreen tree (leave it attached to the tree) no need to defoliate the landscape.

What about the solar still, it is best utilized as a skill for living “off the grid.”  The practical application in a survival scenario is limited.  You must have a means to dig a pit, plastic to cover the pit with a container at the bottom to collect water.  If you have the foresight to have these items with you, it is likely you’ve seen the wisdom in carrying ample water with you.

Other possible water indicators and locales

• insects
• frogs
• birds
• animal trails
• dry stream beds
• rock depressions

Reminder

Survival training important enroll now

Panic at your own peril

Shelter number one in the survival line-up

Water take it with you

Print, share with a friend, stash this page where it will do you the most good, when you need it.

Step 6 – Fire