The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

Last night I watched back to back episodes of Survivorman, Les Stroud, and The Art of Dual Survival with Cody and Joe.


I enjoyed both. They're real, hard core and cautious. Real survivalists have to be cautious. No one is out there to bail them after a bad decision.


Les made an interesting point. He said most folks get lost within a mile of their cabins. I guess that compliments the fact most car wrecks happen within a mile of home. The odds would agree with that because that's where you feel comfortable enough to let down your guard, get careless, start thinking about other things.
His cabin just happened to be up near Ontario, tons of mosquitoes and water. During the episode he ate what he thought was a young wild cucumber, then regretted it because it was not a correct observation.


He uses a huge rock as part of his shelter and explains the beauty of natural habitat to make the process easier.
I thought Les was a lot more mature, seasoned and informational in this new episode and plan to watch show he does.


With Cody and Joe, stranded on a small island in the Fuji chain, we see a great compliment of skills. I enjoyed watching make fire with bow and drill. It was real, nothing leapt into flames with the mere suggestion of effort.
It was weird they found a complete scuba diving outfit near shore. I would have wondered where the owner of such was, maybe dead?
Cody used the tank and hoses to successfully desalinate the ocean water, they moved their fire when the tide came in, and Joe built a series of thick vines as a SOS signal.


All told, both are great shows for the survivalist. Way better than the other things being broadcast lately. 

Tent cities haven't gone away, though we don't hear about them in the news. Simply google
tent cities in America and see what you get. Wikipedia even has a list and links for the biggest ones. Tent City Slide show


While I've lived in tents while backpacking, I think this full time situation would be quite difficult.
Showers, water, cooking, crime and boredom are just a few of the problems I see.


One shanty town rising up has people living in tool sheds. Of course, these sheds are nearly new and provided by the town trying to keep homeless people off the streets.


Its almost like a SHTF scenario, for these folks especially, or end of the world real life scenario.

I can't believe the time is flying and here we are 2014, January 7th.
Hope everyone had their new year in order.
The rule is you have to write it down if you plan to accomplish your goals.


Life has a way of testing your mettle though. What's really important? I find as a survivalist, the attitude is more important than anything I have or don't have. Survival stories abound for all age groups, all around the world. What we call hardship, third world countries call daily life.


Like clean water, a roof over our head, food without fear.

I watched this series all the way through for the first time. The challenge takes place in a Panama jungle.

At first the two couples meet, unaware there's another couple heading to the same target zone. The couples have no problem stripping and hugging each other. It doesn't take long before they're snapping at each other, fighting over the work load and life style.

Eventually the couples meet, shake hands and we have a foursome working towards the same goal of survival.
A co-worker watched it with me, both of us calling out suggestions when the four naked people seemed clueless. What I couldn't understand was how you could be walking through crystal clear stream in the swamp and be dying of dehydration. Finally they come to a waterfall and drink freely.

Manu suffered from a virus three days later and will suffer for the rest of her life. They lost many pounds, up to 16. The food situation proved to be the most surprising because vegetation was abundant. I figured some of that greenery would be edible and easy to access.

One thing we all can take away from this is its way harder than one can imagine. Each was allowed to bring one item. Both women brought machetes. One guy brought a flint. One guy brought plastic goggles.

I would definitely watch this series again. It helps a survivalist think about scenarios and possible outcomes.

The weather has definitely improved here near Bozeman. Last week we suffered negative temperatures, as low as 23 below. Cars started reluctantly, we eased over ice, through long narrow roads, peering through frosty windshields.

The blue skies are still here in big sky country, but its warmed up to the single digits. Still, one can't drive too fast. Yesterday a blizzard closed the Interstate for awhile.

Snowshoe rabbits and deer grazing in the fields are common sights. People get off work and hunker down. Not enough snow here to cross country ski. I'm loving the blue skies after working in Girdwood, Alaska for 3 1/5 months. There are two more hours of daylight than when I left Alaska, and soon the days will be getting longer.

Just remembered this short footage I took at the Howling Dog Saloon in Fairbanks Alaska. The place was very interesting. There were bras hung on a rafter. The owner told me I could have a free t-shirt if I wanted to add mine. I laughed and said, "Maybe if I have enough beers."



Some were in costume that night. It was a Saturday end of October, not quite Halloween. Paul, the Policeman sang first, then Burnt Orange warmed up, playing until 3 a.m.

We celebrated my new friend's birthday party. Thanks, Georganne, for letting me share your home and adventures for three days.

There's a strange story coming out of Fairbanks and Denali right now as rangers search for the culprit who bought several animals from a pet store then took them out to Denali, made an illegal campfire and ate part of them.

Check it out at http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/identify-of-man-who-bought-pets-found-roasted-eaten-in/article_a3ede16e-41bb-11e3-919c-001a4bcf6878.html

But, here's my thought....why would you not eat all of it, or why wouldn't you just buy a couple burgers and fries. Don't even tell me a python would be cheaper, or the guinea pig and mouse, plus then he let the turtle live.

Do we have a random survivalist making pet eating youtube videos on the loose?

It will be interesting to see what happens. The pet store remembers some character, seemingly in a hurry.

Maybe its a Halloween prank? Maybe a satanic ritual.

time will tell!

While surfing, I found this blog and one of the first things he says is Be Yourself, don't try to be me.


http://ghostskamo.blogspot.com/


I like that because in the end each person has different needs, although they do boil down to the four basics he describes as food, water, shelter and rest.

Many times we don't think of rest as a need, but without it, we loose strength, health and the ability to reason.

One of his posts deal with the 12 Cs of survival. Ghost also has many videos on youtube, a great resource, especially in the winter when getting out is much more difficult due to roads and work.

Of course, practice your skills, don't just read and watch. The mark of a true survivalist is patience and adaptability. The more you know and are exposed to intellectually, the greater your field of reference becomes, should you ever get in one of those tough spots.

The Yukon Quest 1,000 mile Race  begins February 1st. The Iditarod Trail Sleddog Race is the well known race which involves sled dogs, men or women and brutal weather over a period of 9 days.

These dogs are a key component to success. They run, eat and sleep to please their masters. The connection is amazing, especially for those of us who have never really owned a dog.

I was privileged to get an interview with owner and trainer, Eric Cosmutto from Muzzy's Place Sleddog Adventures today. Its obvious he knows and loves each one of his dogs. As we walked around, petting and viewing the well kept dogs, Eric explained the nature of each one, how old they were and key signs of health race organizers look for.



You can enjoy a tour, a sled dog ride, attend mushing school or enjoy an overnight tour.
Their phone number is 907-378-7620 or 907-347-8427.

I admit, the longer I was on location, the more I could visualize living in the yurt, feeding the dogs, being part of the support team.

A two-part video series of Mountainman Mike setting up his solar panels at his three acre retreat in southern Wyoming is finally done. From pulling the components from the box to connecting the last cables, Mike very patiently describes the process.

I was very impressed with his inexpensive basic power system. It allowed both of us to maintain our batteries on our laptops. He was able to keep his cell phone charged as well, enabling to touch base with his parents living in Colorado.

Mike understood my work, both the filming and writing aspects dealing with survival techniques and off the grid living.

Just read this article and scoped out the 3.2 ton truck, Romania's all purpose Vehicle for the end of the world.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/romania-answer-hummer-prepares-end-world-204815032.html

There's a video too, and several awe inspiring photos.
No doubt a line is forming. Better get in it before production ceases.

If there's enough fuel, this thing can go anywhere, flood, land, masses of angry militants.

I liked the paint. Red. Looking good, Romania!

I just finished watching Assault on Wall Street, a 2013 film staring Dominic Purcell and Erin Karpluk.

Its on Netflix, if you get that, and is 98 minutes long.

The story revolves around a man whose wife becomes ill and the insurance company quits paying because they've reached the "cap". Its 2008, Wall Street dumps useless paper on the markets, everyone is loosing all their life savings.

A person can't help but take pleasure in the hero's desperate revenge.
I won't spoil the story, but it gets a very satisfying 5 stars from me. The twist at the end begs for a sequel.

See it if you get a chance. Its fast pace takes you through many themes and soul searching ideas, heavy with emotional impact.

Yesterday I was privileged to spend the day with a renown Alaskan Guide. For the sake of his privacy, I'll call him Sourdough, his online name.


He knows all the back trails, history and valuable survival skills, including where the game is and how to utilize the land. I really appreciate the honesty and openness of this man.
He obviously knows what he's talking about.




The footage in part two is complete with off the wall commentary. Hope you like it.

Its ready! My second book is now available, for the first time ever, in paperback. Be one of the first to have this Second Edition sitting on your nightstand. Please write a review, if you could. I would really appreciate it.

An Ultralighters-True-Trail-Stories-Beyond the Journey