Alright i'm actually going to do it

Well a buddy of mine i work with offered to take me out camping and hiking and what not so i suppose that solves my problem, hes kind of an "old hand" Ice climbing, backpacking and all that and he was an Army Ranger too, so it should be fun. When he was my age he and a friend spend 3 weeks in the woods with nothing more than a belt knife and a bic lighter, so i think he'll know a lot of the stuff i'm looking to learn.
Thanks for all the suggestions
-Chris
P.S. And by all means keep the suggestions comming:)
 
The most comprehensive book on backpacking/camping IMHO is Colin Fletcher's The Complete Walker. There are lots of others. Check your local library, bookstore and Amazon. Start assembling and trying out your gear with long day hikes and simple overnights before your big trip.
 
yep. read the manuals. but im not sure you gotta be 'ranger rick' before you go out in the shit. i was always the 'just jump right in' kinda guy. i know thats not the most prudent way to do something but. ive made it this far.. lol

what i would suggest is, my little 3 hints. first off, dont forget your puss pad. (ground mat) sleeping on the ground in all but the dead of summertime, can really sap not only the heat outta your body, (even thru a sleeping bag) but your overall morale. Im used to it, as i had to do it involuntarily. i know what to expect now. but for someone that doesnt sleep on the ground a lot, i dont think its too cool wakin up with sorespots on your hips, shoulders and elbows. (theres a fine line between hardcore and stupid) (plus, your light and weather data investigations may tell you if the ground is going to be muddy in your site)
You arent gettin paid to suffer. So why suffer? :) Secondly, ditch the poncho, for a british basha and some mini bungees. I traded a brit grunt for one in norway, (thinking it was a normal poncho) and when i opened it, i was like WOAH. this thing rocks. ive never not carried it into the shit (when it was nasty out of course) Its bigger, and a touch more durable than the u.s. version. and not only is there no head hole to seal up when using it as shelter, but it has tough nylon handles on the sides to use as an improvised litter as well. its the bomb.
and lastly, when reading up on the wilderness, try to stick to civilian manuals, as they are more specific to what you may be doing. I remember reading army manuals before i joined up, and had ZERO clue as to what 80% of that stuff meant. not only was the lingo absolutely greek to me, but their reasoning was odd to me. being as alot of their reasoning was because of the defense or offensive things they had to consider. things you will never have to worry about. for a civilian going camping, vs. a grunt goin to the field, most military manuals have a lot of crap that will be just 'filler' for you. like the crap that aspirin is made of. only some of that pill is aspirin ya know? same thing. buy a civilian manual. itll be in language everybody can understand, and some of the time, you can buy a manual for your specific neck of the woods, whereas a lot of military manuals try to cover as much as possible in one single manual. screw that. id stick with the civilian stuff.

and, if youre going to venture out pretty deep, bring some signals. like a GLASS signal mirror, some flares, preferably the parachute kind, a whistle, and a good strobe in the minimum. you can either get the older military sdu5/e's on ebay, or the newer fireflies made for civilian boating use.

Also, just like before you go ANYwhere, always do a good map reconnaissance. Settle on where you'd like to go, then look at it on the map, and all surrounding areas too. to see if theres decent areas to camp, and a good stream as well. make sure, by looking at the map, that your site isnt in a huge depression. (youre going to be miserable when it rains if it is) make sure shooting small bore, and starting campfires is allowed. Check the weather reports for the last 5 days right before you step off. See what youre going to have to prepare for. Always check the 'light and weather' data. sunrise, sunset, average temps for the season, rainfall etc etc.
look at the terrain. is it accessible by wheeled vehicle? AND, will it remain accessible in a horrible storm? for instance, if its a class z route. (good for most of the time, but if it gets shitty outside, its pretty much only usable by foot after that)
If you get a good injury, and can communicate, but not move, youre going to need a vehicle to come in and get you. but if its a class z route, youre screwed if its storming. youre going to have to wait for the civilian medevac chopper to come and get you with a jungle penetrator, or the local dnr guys with 4 wheelers. that may take longer to request, and you dont want that. especially if its a femur fracture. that can turn from innocent to deadly.. at a moments notice.

Plan the objective, then plan the primary route in. then, plan for an alternate route in. plan your actions on the objective, (how long you want to stay there for, and everything you want to accomplish while youre there, like for instance, how to catch a fish, or to see if you can successfully snare an animal, or to shoot a small animal, prep em, and eat em, to build a good emergency shelter out of minimal stuff, and to build a fire with minimal stuff)
Then plan your primary and secondary routes out. and lastly, give a 5 point contingency plan to several places. your next of kin, wife/girlfriend, maybe even your job. 1. where youre going. 2. whos going with you. 3. how long you plan on being gone. 4. what to do, if you dont return. And well, the last one dont apply to you lol. but you get the idea. BUT, on the 4th point, MAKE SURE, (sooo many people dont do this, including military guys too) you run over your signals, with everyone that you gave your 5 point to. Let them know in detail, what your whistle sounds like, what your flares look like, and what color they are, and if you carry multiple colors out, what each color signifies (like green, im lost, and come and get me, here i am. and red = im hurt, here i am, come and get me, for instance) Show em what your signal mirror looks like when shining them, and what your strobe looks like. the frequency of the flashing, will be imprinted in their minds. this will make it a little easier for them to recognize this out in a dense forest at night. This is very important. Unless you want to involuntarily get some good, hands on survival training first hand.

I say get out there, and show em what youre made of. I think youll have a blast actually. how many people you bring is on you, but i'd go it alone. my heads clearer, and theres noone there to distract me, or help me. I like that. When im layin by the campfire all alone, its like bein in heaven. totally quiet. Make sure you take a ton of water, in case you fail at purifying yours lol. maybe take a small mp3 player (definitely take a small am/fm radio to monitor the weather though) take a few of your woodsman manuals with you, so you can learn some cool stuff. take as many of your knives, hatchets, and machetes out there, to give em a good testing. beat the HELL out of them. see if they will hold up, so that you KNOW you can depend on them, in a real camping trip. (like with several more buddies, going further out in the weeds, for a longer period of time)
If they break then, oh well, at least you now know, you woulda been screwed for the real deal. thats how i do it. I try to break em in my backyard, to get that out of the way. so when i take em to the field, they wont leave me hanging. try all sorts of stuff. skinnin a squirrel. snaring smallgame. finding edible and non edible plants. make a cool shelter and see if you can make it waterproof. try out the two different types of fires (square for heating several people, and a teepee style for cooking a large pot)
building a slit trench 50 metres away from your encampment. tricks for hanging your food in the trees. sharpening a knife with a rock. making a hot stone bed. cooking some meat and potatoes by wrapping them in tin foil and put them over hot coals in a hole about 6 inches deep. if you fail, oh well. at least you have that experience in your mind, when someone tells you the right way. itll make more sense to you, cuz you have the attempt in your head. ya know?
Though one thing i would NOT skimp on, or try to 'rough it' with, is a first aid kit. id take the most comprehensive kit I could put together. straight up.
and lastly, defense. if theres decent sized game where youre going, you want to have some sort of decent calibre pistol with you. since i doubt youll have 360 degree, 50% security up at all times, (50% of the personnel in the group are up at all times for security purposes) and firewatch, you never know what could come trottin thru your perimeter. most animals dont make any noise either. theyre like ninjas. and they may just decide they want whats in your hooch, or ruck, more than you do. most are not willing to throw down for it. But you dont want to take a chance. Those little fu**ers are stronger than they look lol. Its better to have some sort of pistol than none at all. Get a little nylon inside the waistband holster w/ retention strap, and throw a heater in your waistband when you get to the site. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. The only time youre going to know if you need it, is right at the moment of truth, when youre staring down some stupid animal. lol. Nope. thats not me. im shootin em. then, i may even try to eat em. why not? ill try anything once.

I hope this helps you, and be safe. your best weapon out there, is situational awareness. straight up.
 
Wish I could come along for the experiance. Have a great time, play it safe, take pictures and let us know how it goes.

PS make sure somebody knows where you will be and will come with help if you do not come back on time.
 
I havent decided exactly when yet, i'm thinking i'll probably go scout around next weekend or maybe early march. I'll be heading out either into the cascades or over to the east side of them. Like i said my buddy from work knows the area pretty well and he offered to either take me along with him sometime, or sit down with me and a map to show me some good places to check out. I'll get back to ya'll when i have some more places in mind.
Thanks
-Chris
 
I think i'm going to look into hiking the wonderland trail around Mount Rainer. Its 93 miles. And i think i can hike it in 12 days or so...
But of course i'll need to go check out the area some. I wont be able to go next weekend, but the weekend after that i'll be out there. Now its time to gear up
 
Did latex or nitrile gloves make the list anywhere?

Living in big cities for most of my life I fond I got very conditioned to it. The first time I got out into the wilderness (I mean really out - hunting / camping in an area of woods in northern Canada for several weeks.) I found myself completely dependent on my guide - who fortunately for me used to be a co-worker of mine and was able to tolerate me for a decent length of time. After a while though I started to recognize trees and rocks just like street signs. This was a truely amazing moment and I felt more at home and at peace in the woods than I ever have in a city. I slept deeper, and I worked harder during the day. My senses also felt very alive. Everyone should do a trip like this at least once. I still get together with this guy and several other of my city dwelling friends have joined our group. Once a year we travel up north and try to camp and hunt for moose and or bear living mostly on a diet of partridge, fish and protein bars (Strangely much more small game than large game is usually consumed - suggesting perhaps that we are lousy hunters, but we have fun.) Watching someone else start to get their bearings for the first time is also a nice experience.

Best of luck to you, you'll have a blast.
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
I think i'm going to look into hiking the wonderland trail around Mount Rainer. Its 93 miles. And i think i can hike it in 12 days or so...
But of course i'll need to go check out the area some. I wont be able to go next weekend, but the weekend after that i'll be out there. Now its time to gear up
Click to expand...

The Wonderland Trail and the park in general is a mess from the floods this winter. You concept is perfect though. People who follow long trails are called through hikers and that would be a good way to polish your skills before trying a true survival hike. There are the three main north-south trails in the US: Appalachian Trail (AT), Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and Pacific Crest Trail (yes, PCT). There are others. You can start by hiking sections. Some people do a section a year until they have done the whole trail. Others have done a whole trail at once, and there are a few who have done all three in succession. The great part about doing this is there is endless documentation of the routes and how to resupply yourself along the way.

With Mt. Rainier Park in doubtful service this summer, you might consider some paths through the Olympics or sections of the PCT if you live in the Northwest anyway.

Other good books to read:

Beyond Backpacking, by Ray Jardine
Jardine is the Godfather of ultralight hiking. Some of his ideas strike me as crackpot (food and nutrition), but his equipement concepts and Spartan philosophy will take you all the way.

LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING AND CAMPING: A Field Guide to Wilderness Hiking Equipment, Technique, and Style , edited by Ryan Jodan

Read all you can on mountaineering medicine, first aid, water treatment, and the local geology, flora and fauna you will be hiking through. It not only makes it safer, but a lot more fun and interesting.

Training: first aid, navigation, basic mountaineering and climbing techniques.

The local ranger station can be a huge help. By and large, they like to have informed travelers and like teaching a lot more than playing cop.

Be smart!
 
I agree Wildewinds, never go out alone. That said, finding out what you left behind and having to adapt is half the fun! You will see, next time out you will take half the stuff!

Just get out there and ENJOY the experience and the wilds my friend!
 
I have done what you are thinking of doing. I went 200 miles from home then had a guide service dump me off in the wilderness another 100 miles form my car then spent 10 days getting back to it. I was by myself. I was 48 at the time and just wanted to prove to myself that I hadn't gotten old and soft. This was one of the best things I have ever done. Life changing really.

I spent most of the winter researching the gear and putting it together. Think light weight, you will need a tent, and a sleeping bag. Take dehydrated food, Mountain Home is a good brand. For a 10 day outing your gear, food and water will weight close to 60 pounds. Lighter if you are near a water source and don't have to carry a daily supply with you at all times like I had to.

The book you need is The Complete Walker IV by Colin Fletcher & Chip Rawlins. I say do it after you prepare.

June is a better time to go after the spring weather streightens out a little. The game laws and regulation in the National Forests will keep you from living off the land so to speak. Thats the reason for the dehydrated food. Berries will not be available until late summer and its hard to find enough edible plants other wise. Rabbits snares could get you a meal but they are so low in fat content that you will starve eating them if they are your only protein source.

Don't be fooled. A lot of what you read about living off the land is a romantic notion of the past. We have changed the environment. A weekend car camping and playing mountain man is different for jumping into the wild and coming back to tell about it. You only get to die once.

Another book that would give good advice is the Thousand Mile Summer By Colin Fletcher.

Some gear that works well:
MSR Mini Water Works ES water filter ( a must have piece of equipment)
Nalgene wide mouth water bottle ( fits on the MSR water filter )
MSR titanium cook wear & spork
MSR makes good tents ( get one, use a 2 man so you have room to be comfortable)
MSR makes good cook stoves you can count on. ( I would use butane)
Rain gear, pants and jacket
One set of nylon clothing to change into if you get wet
You will need 100 feet of nylon rope 1/4 or 3/8 to hang food bag ( if there are bears where you are going)
A good head lamp will free you hands up when working in the dark or reading
Compass ( a must even if you have GPS )
Bear barrels work well in bear country

Read the books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Yep, i'm reading up on people expierences hiking the Wonderland trail, what the packed, how long it took them etc.
Dale, you really dont think that the wonderland trail will be open this summer?
 
ac1d0v3r1d3, all these guys have great info for you. But your plan to take an experienced friend along with is the best idea of all. Especially a trained person like a Ranger, ask him to teach you the ins and outs of compass reading and all that stuff. Two heads will think of things one might overlook, you'll have a backup of pretty much anything, and most of all, if you fall off a cliff or something, you have either someone to help you, or someone to go get help. Plus all the cool stuff you see in the boondocks is more fun when you have someone to talk with about it.

P.S. a few weeks ago, someone posted a link with lots and lots of military manuals, if I find it I'll link to it here. It's true that you don't neccesarily need to know how to field-strip a howitzer or lead a company into battle, but the Army survival manual and first aid manuals will definitely help. Personally, my current favorite manual is chapters 11 & 12 (evasion/survival, and first aid) carefully removed from the Ranger manual, rebound with duct tape and wrapped in a Ziplock. Total size, about 4"x5"x1/4", it stays on my person in the woods.

"Camping and Wilderness Survival" by Paul Tawrell is pretty good, for the civilain manuals. The descriptions are a bit brief, but it's really well-illustrated, addresses just about all you can think of in North America, and includes 250 pages of plant and animal ID with tons of photos.
 
Well boys, bad news for me. I sprained my ankel at work today. So i dont think that i'm going to beable to do any hiking soon :( Hope its not as bad as it feels.
 
Practice Practice Practice is good advice indeed. The most dangerous part of your trip is depending on that "Three miles from my truck".
" Dang, he would have been able to get home if he didn't bleed out 250 yards back while dealing with hypthermia and dehydration. Too bad his huntin' knife cut through his hip when he tripped on a log after livin' out in the woods for that week. Crawled all that way, too."
 
thats why ya use a stiff sheath, have usable communications with you at all times, a good set of signals, a good first aid kit and some training, and a good contingency plan in place.

when you get to any campsite, you call in your grid back to higher. for your situation, the lat/long coordinates from your small gps. that way, when that time you gave to your friends/families has elapsed, thelly know where to come lookin for ya at :)
 
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