Eastern survival

M

Midwest Ninja

Joined
Jun 26, 2007
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When I say "Eastern" i mean the eastern half of the U.S., more specifically the northern half of the Appilachans (sp?)i want to go out and try my hand at minimalist camping, and the area mentioned above is the most convenient to get to. Problem is, a lot of what I read on the general topic, both here on bladeforums and elsewhere, concentrate on resources that are scarce in my area. These include fish (streams tend to be smaller and/or seasonal) and edible plants. I'm i bit of a novice in this area anyway, so if you have any other resources you think would be relevant, don't hesitate to share them. Thanks!
 
Wild Carrots (Queen Annes Lace) should be just about everywhere as well.
 
Head downhill far enough, and you'll find a river with fish in it. Squirrels are everywhere, Rabbits too. Acorns are usually bitter in the East, need to be shelled, boiled and pour off the water. twice is better. If there are acrons on the ground, it means Squirrels aren't far off. there is an old saying, "Leave the acorns, eat the squirrels", or in other words , "Eat the Eaters".

I'm more familiar with the Appalachains in VA, MD, W VA and PA. I don't know how far North you mean, by Northern Appalachains. In the area I am familiar with, the Appalachains have a lot to offer, lots of flora and fauna. Plenty of water, in most places, most seasons, this year we were in a drought in our region, I haven't heard any first hand accounts of wehter or not water sources were in jeopardy, but I'd check on it before heading out.
Head downhill, 99 times out of 100 you will get your feet wet. Once your feet are wet, head downstream and you will eventually run into a river. In fact, by my experience, it would be difficult to avoid water, unless you just ran the ridges at all times.

You will have to research the edible plants. I know of only one real good way to teach/learn edibles, go out with someone who knows them well, and get your hands on them. Peterson's would be the next best bet, as was mentioned, but, it's still nice to have someone verify the plant for you, in the field, unless you absolutley trust yourself.

Shelters should be no problem, water should be no problem. Fire would only be a problem if it's been raining for many days straight, but tinder is pretty much everywhere, during most , if not all seasons.
 
If you get a topographical map of the area you're planning on going to for your outing it will show locations of lakes and ponds and rivers and streams. It still takes a bit of first hand knowledge to know weather a stream marked on the map is seasonal or if it might be dried up due to drought, but lakes and ponds should be pretty permanent unless the drought is really bad. You could practice your orienteering skills and try to find an off-trail pond.
 
Rupestris said:
Wild Carrots (Queen Annes Lace) should be just about everywhere as well.
Click to expand...

Respectfully, as a person not too versed in wild foods, I'd suggest you avoid Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) as it is very similar to a very virulent poisonous plant - Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) and I think there are a couple of others.

Besides, by this time of year, I think Wild Carrot would be way too woody to eat.

And skunk, usually it's more the type of Oak that determines its bitterness and need for leaching. The White Oak group sometimes require no leaching, while the Red Oak group usually do, at least that's the way I understand it.

Doc
 
The collective experience and knowledge of a club is amazing.
Club members may not be your kind of people, but to gain initial
knowledge of the area, at least go on some outings with them.
Also, do not expect members to be into Survival and do
not wear a big knife on the outside. Don't wear cammies either.

Walk on some green belts, or botanic garden paths to learn
plants; they usually have a bigger variety of plants than any
forest or farm area.
Formal plant id hikes, though the local countryside,
are organized by hiking clubs and botanic garden clubs.
Clubs are good for finding out legal access to trails and
possibly of dangerous areas where hikers or motorists are
threatened, fired on, killed, or disappeared. It happens.

Where to leave your car, so it wont be vandalized?
Grocery store parking lot is a good place.
If you are going to cross private land without permission,
your car, parked just off of a country road, can be a dead
give-away, as can any loud firearm shots.

Try to find abandoned farms; sometimes only a foundation
is left. Around farms, you may find a few old fruit and nut
trees. Watch out around old farms for snakes.

In the wetter parts of the Midwest, wild grapes are common.
In the drier parts, choke cherries are common, are OK to eat raw,
but are really good to make a jelly or sweet sauce. Also in dry
areas, wild plum bushes or thickets. Wild plums have super flavor.

Feral pigs are possible, look for sign (rooted ground, or a small
stream turned into a bunch of mud holes).
Deer and geese are way over populated in most of the U.S.
Feral dogs or roaming dogs can be a problem; a strong 5 ft.
walking stick and a 5 to 7 inch fixed blade knife, works for me.

Small islands in shallow rivers are excellent for wild or feral
animals and wild grape.

Also look at hedge rows for interesting plants and
wildlife. Many hedge rows are primarily a tree called "hedge",
which is Osage Orange.
 
Except in a prolonged drought, there are no really dry areas
east of the Mississippi. How's that for a generalization.

The High Plains, in middle of Kansas and westward, for example,
is about 15 inches of precipitation a year. West of the rockies,
are many large desert areas with less than 10 inches a year.
You got it good where you are.

If you ain't see'n water you ain't lookin close.
In a forested area, many valleys will have a stream bed; though
it may be intermittent, blue dotted on a topo map.
If you have open fields, look across the fields for a meandering
line of tall trees (not a hedge row), you almost always will
find a stream or (in dry areas) an irrigation ditch.

Learn to see metal culverts, concrete boxes, and small bridges
as you drive the roads. That is where water runs.
 
Here in the northern Adirondacks, you'll be hard pressed to find an area that does not have ponds, streams, rivers and lakes. Get a fishing license. No drought, temperatures are mild right now. This area is like a rain forest, as are Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Wild apples are abundant right now and most taste pretty good. Morels and puffballs are sometimes found, the only mushrooms I will harvest because nothing else looks like them. Milkweed pods are edible now before they go to seed, but they require several cycles of boiling and pouring off the water. Wild grapes are sometimes found and should be ripe now. We do find patches of wild asparagus now and then, but unless they are picked regularly, they just get tall and branchy and go to seed.

All kinds of wildlife: Deer, bear, even a small population of moose (no hunting season for moose yet); squirrells, rabbits, groundhogs, beaver, muskrat; wild turkeys have been reintroduced very successfully, they are all over the place; also rock doves (pidgeons), mourning doves, grouse or partridge, ducks, geese; all are very edible but can only be taken legally during hunting season.

As others say, learn from locals and/or take a course in wild edible plants, if that's your plan.
 
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