| May 2008 Survival in the New Millenium
In March of 2008, I did the first program with survivalism as the topic on the Dawn of Shades. A lot of people reallyquestioned how appropriate the topic was for this program, since its normal theme is always something paranormal. To these people, I have a few things to point out.
A common theme in many predictions and prophecies, no matter what or who the source is, focuses on various kinds of disasters and adverse situations. Our current world is filled with all sorts of things, from weather to geology to warfare, that result in difficult situations for people to survive in. The focus of the guest, as well as the program on survivalism, is not advocating huge stockpiles in some remote fortified location, but rather a state of preparedness to handle adversity. This is primarily not the equipment at hand so much as the mindset, the mental preparation, and the knowledge that a person has.
Skills and knowledge are best honed with practice, which means getting out and using them. This leads to a favorite pastime of my own: Camping. Camping takes you away from the comfort and security of your home and puts you in nature, with just the equipment you have and the things that are available in the environment during that season of the year. Camping is a great family activity, and with children, there are a myriad of fun lessons to be had about everything from botony world gradually. I should have taken him to bear and had him cook a pot of beef stew in his tent, but we live and learn, right?)
When I resumed camping, 15-20 years ago, as an adult, I didn't have a lot of equipment or money for it. It does not have to be an expensive undertaking, and if you aren't going to be doing a lot of it, I definitely don't recommend breaking the bank buyto zoology, it just takes a bit of creativity and ingenuity to find both the fun and the lesson. Its also a favorite way of mine to gauge friends' reaction to nature, especially when its new to them! Being single and dating always means "kissing a lot of frogs" along the way, but camping will definitely help you weed the frogs from the wartiest toads too! I have been greatly amused (after the trip was over) by memories of how someone reacted to the unfamiliar sound of coyotes calling in the distance, (He woke me up with the announcement that we were being surrounded, which caused great alarm and concern for a few moments while I achieved full wakefullness enough to realize that the "danger" was merely a pair of coyotes several miles away. Being "surrounded" while camping in a state park is a very concerning event! I had chosen the state park in an attempt to break him into the camping top of the line equipment.
Go to the library and research what you can about camping. Equipment can be minimal, a small dome tent can be had at any discount store for under $40 that is suitable for up to 2 people. Get your spouse and children involved, choose a state campground nearby for the first "adventure." They are easy camping, having features such as toilets and showers usually, as well as programs about the park being arranged by the rangers. They are relatively "safe" as well, with the rangers' presence. If you are single, recruit a friend to share the adventure with you, there are a lot of people who want to try it, but are afraid to do so on their own. The primary needs are always food, shelter, and water. Summer camping means you are not battling the cold, which is a formidable adversary in a tent at times. An inexpensive tent can sometimes be borrowed from friends, found at a flea market or yard sale, or purchased from a discount store such as Walmart or KMart. For cooking, keep it simple. There are a variety of stoves available at a variety of prices. My first stove was a Sterno stove, which uses a can of jellied alcohol, just like a chafing dish does. Its not fast, and I'd sure not want to get too excited about cooking much over it, but it will heat water or a can of soup. Most campgrounds also have grills, but check before planning on using one so that you don't have a nasty surprise at its absence. Today, most state campgrounds also offer reservations, some as much as two years in advance. Make reservations! Its awful to plan a trip, arrive there all prepared, only to discover that there are no vacancies. For sleeping, you do NOT have to have a sleeping bag to go camping. I didn't buy a sleeping bag for years, and I happen to hate using one--it makes me feel confined and I am prone to waking up with nightmares about my feet being caught in various horrible situations. Make a bedroll, you will want something to pad you and keep you from being chilled by damp, cold ground. An old folded quilt will work. You will then want something to cover with, appropriate for the worst temperatures possible. In summer, I normally carry a sheet (it can be hot) and a light blanket. Don't forget your pillow! (If you do, a folded jacket can substitute though.) There is your inexpensive bedroll, and you can roll it up nice and neat, fastening it with an old belt to keep it rolled, and stuff it into a garbage bag to protect it.
Get out and enjoy yourself, do some research about your area's geology, climate, flora and fauna and then do the touch and smell routine in it. Get to know the area around you and what else is out there. Most of all, have fun doing it, make it a grand adventure, not an exercise in austerity and misery
Summer Camping--A Group Weekend Trip I took a weekend to go camping with a few friends near our favorite creek, and it was a great time. This is primitive camping at its best, which gives us all a break from the world fo technology that we all live in. It was also an exercise in "group camping," which can be tricky at times. It can be tricky to coordinate meals, camp cleanup duties, and schedules at times. With our group, at least no one had a schedule issue, so we didn't even go there. But, what I meant by schedule issue is when the group does not have the same sleep/wake cycles, and the noise bothers the others in the group. When camping with a group that isn't familiar with each other, set some basic ground rules, even if the area in which you are camping doesn't have them, such as "quiet times." Mostly its about being considerate and polite to your co-campers. Meals can be trickier, especially if your group does not have someone who is an organizational maniac. Loosely coordinated meals means either too much food or not enough. There are two very simple ways to deal with this. The first is to go with pre-packaged meals such as MREs or freeze dried meals. They are available in a wide variety of flavors & ingredients to satisfy everyone, they are shelf stable, and easy to prepare. They are, however, a bit more expensive than "normal" meals for a weekend trip. The second method is to designate one person as a "camp cook." This person does all of the shopping, brings all the food, and divides the cost among the entire group of campers. This is somewhat an act of faith though, because not all camp cooks are created equal. If the group has camped together previously, the camp cook would be selected over time by reasons of their skill, their willingness, and their devotion to providing tasty meals for hungry campers. It is really not difficult, even with today's skyrocketing grocery prices, to have a great selection of snacks & meals, including ice and beverages, for under $10 per day per person if your cook is a savvy shopper. If anyone in the group has special dietary needs, make sure the cook is able to accomadate them or supplementary food(s) will have to be brought for the person in question. Some situations demand that the food be provided by the family of the special diet person, such as when it is an infant. Expecting the camp cook to accomadate that radical of a departure from the normal fare is not fair at all. Camp clean up duties are a touchy subject at times. This includes trash and debris not being left around the camp or in its vicinity, maintaining an inoffensive latrine if its primitive, and then the regular duties of post-meal dishwashing. It is NOT fair to expect the camp cook to also wash dishes and clean camp, or you may find your cook refusing to participate in future trips on the grounds that if she (its a fact, when its a case of everything being one person's duties, its often "mom" that gets the tap.) was going to work that hard, she would just stay home. Camping is supposed to be fun for everyone, so divide up the chore portion. Even very young children can help with dishes (they think its fun, and the mess is outside on a picnic table, not in the kitchen at home.) and picking up camp. Helping to pick up the mess also encourages the mess to not happen to begin with!
A clean campsite is an important part of being a responsible camper
NEVER EVER leave a camp looking messier than when you arrived. It should be as clean when you leave as you wish it had been when you arrived---so if it had been left with trash, debris, etc. when the prior occupant had used it...just clean it up, including the fire pit. Don't take items that have been stashed near a campsite that has obviously been used by others for a long time. Their stashes may include things like fire grates, buckets, fire wood, sapling poles, etc. Typically, they are hung from tree branches, hidden in brush thickets, etc. These items may be important to the campers who use the site often. If you use the items, replace them where you found them.
ALWAYS clean out fire pits prior to use, as some people are uneducated and will do things like toss batteries into a fire, and these are explosive when they get hot enough. If the fire was put out before something like that did explode, it may be you who has the unpleasant experience.
(Yes, I did learn this the hard way once.)
Don't let the other campers throw things into the fire besides firewood. Once, for some unknown reason, a member of the party threw an unopened can of tomato juice into the fire. When it exploded (no one was hurt, not even burned. We were VERY lucky!) we all looked like someone was in serious danger of dying, being well spattered with the red tomato juice that resembled blood. It is funny in hindsight, but someone could have been seriously injured.
Everything but the kitchen sink...
In the post weekend discussion with one of my co-campers, we concluded we were carrying along too much excess gear, that weekend camping should not look like we are going on a year long expedition down the Amazon river. Its very easy to start bringing along everything, including the kitchen sink, as you acquire more gear and more skill in camping.
Camping trips shouldn't be a long list of loading/unloading, setting up/tearing down, and packing it all up both to go and to come back home. Gizmos and gadgets are entertaining, but think twice about whether or not you really need them along on a short trip.This is the reverse of excess minimalism, and turns the trip into a misery I have a bad habit of bringing along extra gear on these trips, "just in case" it is needed. It was June, and while the southeastern USA has frequent rain and thunderstorms, its very warm to very hot. Just for basics, I hadbrought along two tables, my chair, a cot, three tents, a cooler, and my cook kit (including 3 different kinds of stoves.) Out of that gear, I actually only used ONE tent, ONE cot, both tables, ONE chair and the cooler. The only thing I got out of my cook kit was some cinnamon and a can of peaches. I never used any of my stoves, as we used the stove of one of the other members of the group. Meal preparation also got excessively complicated too. Different styles of eating weren't conducive to one cook cooking one meal at each mealtime. Several of the group were "grazers" who were apt to eat a few bites here and there during the evening. The kids in the group, (early teens) were more interested in the snack sort of foods as well. Cooking, barring that of the camp coffee that gets guzzled down, was actually not even needed, and we probably would have spent less money and had happier diners if we'd gone with the MRE routine. The sultry evenings were just not conducive to appetites that wanted a meal, but the continual activity and dips in the creek were good for inspiring the grazing type of eating. We did have problems with keeping coolers actually CLOSED to preserve the ice's life as long as possible, so in a group situation, perhaps a single cooler designated for beverages and snacks might be a good idea to keep the other coolers closed. I did test a new tent on this trip, one with an integrated frame and it impressed us all with its simplicity on a budget. I had bought the tent on clearance at K-Mart for about $32, and it was a bargain! It didn't get a real storm to test its weather worthiness, but for an inexpensive tent, it was a dream to put up. | | Winter 2008/2009 Winter camping is a different experience than summer camping, and has different issues entirely. In summer, rainshowers, thunderstorms, heat, sunshine....these are the name of the game with weather. There are also snakes & reptiles, insects & bugs. In winter, however, there aren't these particular issues. It is more critical to be adequately prepared in order to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Car camping is less dangerous in terms of winter camping than most other types. However, a stray snowstorm or blizzard can soon turn the trip into a much larger test of endurance than what was intended. Something like this can happen even in the southern states that seldom are inflicted with blizzards, so don't think that just because you are within a few hundred miles of our southern borders that you are immune to the threat of severe winter weather. I don't recommend winter camping as the first venture into the camping world. Its a bit tougher than the summer experience and requires more forethought. That does not mean that just because you haven't done it before that you CAN'T, just if you are going to do it, please go with an experienced camper or group. If you are ready for that first trip in the winter, here are some suggestions from personal experience. Cold & damp are your enemy, and most heat loss happens through your head. Wear a beanie, even to bed. Take a couple of them, they are small and pack easily. Wear a different one to bed than you wear outdoors. Now you wonder why its necessary to change beanies before bed. Not just your beanie, but do NOT wear any clothing that you were wearing out doors or during the day. The clothing you wore during the day has collected moisture, and will cause you to chill as you sleep. Your sleeping garments should be hung up inside your tent during the day to dissipate any accumulated moisture from the night. Now your bed. The ground is cold, and it will literally suck the heat out of your body if you let it. You want both a moisture and a thermal barrier between you and the ground. If you are sleeping in a tent, and its properly set up with a ground cloth & tent floor, you have the moisture barrier already. Now you just need a thermal barrier. Sleeping on the ground is fine, but you will have to choose some thermal assistance. There are closed cell foam pads that work well and are relatively inexpensive. You can layer blankets under you to create that layer of insulatin too. I personally don't recommend the air mattresses for a few reasons. 1) they have to be inflated. 2) They frequently spontaneously deflate with no warning at 3 a.m. 3) air alone in a large pocket is not good insulation. 4) they are relatively expensive 5) they aren't very compact in a small to moderate sized tent. I have had friends who spent very miserable nights after the failure of their air mattress. The self-inflating mattresses are "ok" but I think they are a pain to deal with for the benefits--the closed cell foam is much easier, less expensive, more compact, and quicker to set up or pack up than the self inflating variety. Cots are my favorite way to sleep in a tent. That does not mean you do not need a thermal barrier though! I typically will put one or two thermal pads and a folded blanket under me, then the sleeping bag. Its as comfortable as sleeping on a bed at home then! In choosing your sleeping bag, pick one that is rated at least 10 degrees BELOW what your normal low for that time of year is. Adding a microfleece "liner" helps as well--if your sleeping bag is too warm, you can always just sleep on top of it and use the liner bag. I actually don't bother to buy a bag rated for less than 20 degrees F. even though I live on the Gulf Coast. I do carry microfleece blankets along. Yes, I often sleep on top of my sleeping bag rather than in it. I also don't personally like the mummy-style bag--I tend to be claustrophobic and like plenty of room in my sleeping bag. Another hint for winter camping--I often will put my clothes for the next morning, especially the inner layer, in the bed with me so that they are not icy cold when I get up. I also tend to either put my coat under my pillow, use it as a pillow, or toss it on top of my feet so that it is close at hand if I need to make a midnight latrine visit. Your big project before bed will be to get warm. Try to avoid crawling into your sleeping bag in a pre-chilled state. There are chemical packets for hand warmers/foot warmers that are handy. If you have a campfire, you can sit beside it and toast your toes while sipping a hot beverage. There are coffees, teas (herbal or regular), instant hot drinks (hot cocoa, cider, etc.) that are all good choices. Roasting marshmallows is fun, or heating up that traditional s'more. You don't want a lot of caffiene just before bed, but carbohydrates are sleep inducing. Now that you are toasty warm, sleepy, and ready to head to bed, you make your way to your premade bed in your tent. You step inside your tent, and immediately take off your shoes (no sand in the bed!) Your sweaty socks also come off, along with all of your day garments. To sleep in, you want something loose, and not a million layers--your bed should be what keeps you warm, not 14 layers of clothing. A flannel nightshirt should be sufficient. A beanie or kerchief for your head. If you are prone to aching legs, you MIGHT want to consider leg warmers or a pair of loose fitting sweatpants or flannel sleep pants. Keep some easy to slip on shoes/slippers/moccasins near the bed for that potential midnight stroll. Fall 2008
Its time for our regular fall group camping trip. I have a continual request for peach fritters at some point during the trip. Of course, it seems I have a standing order for peach fritters anytime I can find a can of peaches. I guess they are good!  What is YOUR family's favorite food during a camping trip? email me and tell me! Baby Lauren is supposed to join us on this trip. Its been a day or two since I had taken my kids as infants camping, so it will be a good reminder of do's and don'ts for camping with infants. We are in the southern tier of the United States, so while we are anticipating cool weather, we are not anticipating COLD weather. Still, we do have to be prepared, as we are all camping in tents of various kinds. We'll give some cool weather hints in the upcoming articles as well. The Hippy has also promised us some serious snare demonstrations as well. We will be exploring the woods in late fall, and its going to be a great time. | |