How did you learn the trade?

B

beezaur

Joined
Jul 31, 2002
Messages
430
I all,

I am helping a church group learn how to camp. I wrote a little gear list for them with some notes and got to reminiscing about my own "tadpole" days in the outdoors, back in a time and place where "flavored chips" meant BBQ or dip.

As a kid I was really into survival and knives (huh!) then began mountaineering when I could drive. Since then I have settled into a more scientific outlook (geology freak) and don't travel so fast.

I had no one to learn from, so I took in what I could from books and experimented a lot. Probably the most influential resource for me was a copy of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, but Tom Brown's books are not far behind.

I don't consider myself an expert of any sort, but I am curious about how others got started, especially what resources you used.

Scott
 
My family has been camping for as long as I can remember, so I guess I was somewhat 'born' into it, although I was far from being an accomplished outdoorsman.

When I was sixteen I purchased my very own copy of Larry Dean Olsen's "Outdoor Survival Skills." By then we had moved from the city to the country, so I started experimenting with the skills in the book. A friend and I made rustic bows that actually worked fairly well.

At that time I also began collecting Indian artifacts (on a very small scale) as a way to study the ancient technologies and skills. I remember when I was in the 5th or 6th grade we learned that the Indians made arrowheads by breaking rocks, and I never forgot that.

When I was about 18 I started buying books about edible and medicinal plants, which is probably my strongest area in survival skills & knowledge now. I also joined the local rock & gem club and started going on rockhounding trips.

In college I added to all of this with a year of botany and one term of geology.

All of this combines into what I would call a mega-hobby: survival skills. The plants work in as survival food and medicine. The geology helps me identify tool-making materials and also to better read the terrain when choosing a place to camp or hunt. Archaeology has taught me how to apply various skills while in the wilderness. Being from a camping family has made it so that I'm able to be comfortable and at-ease in the wilderness.

I consume all books I can find on botany, geology, archaeology, anthropology, survival skills, natural history, folk medicine, whatever.
 
I grew up hiking and camping in the Cascades and to a lesser extent in the Olympics and on the Olympic Coast. I probably spent my first night without adult supervision in the foothills of the Cascades when I was 8 or 9 (close enough to run home, though ;) ). Me and some friends did a week long trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area with no adults when we were in Junior High School--we just got dropped off and then picked up a week later. Gotta hand it to my folks. I don't know if I could do that (time will tell). I tried mountaineering and I used to fish, but I'm more of a backpacker--I like hiking and camping at high lakes and on the coast. Now that I'm a family man, I do more car camping, but I still get out on several hikes/backpacking trips a year and take the family on at least one or two backpacking trips a year.

Influences (in no particular order):
Backpacking One Step at a Time by Manning
Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills by The Mountaineers
The Complete Walker by Fletcher
The Cascade Alpine Guide by Becky (the man's a god)
Beyond Backpacking by Jardine
www.equipped.com Doug Ritter
Topographical Maps--I can entertain myself way too long with one of these. BTW check out www.topozone.com Their search tool is priceless.
Cub Scouts
US Army (3 years)
My hiking partners
A bunch of other books on survival, woodcraft, etc.
These and other forums

I'm a born analyst. I spend the off season figuring out how I can improve my system to get more performance per pound. It's freaky, I know, but for me it's as much fun as the actual camping.
 
If you're leading the church group out, why don't you just show them that relaxing, and applying common sense plus some creativity and adaptability, will usually do the trick in solving any given problem. Don't try to do too much, and let them see how much time they have to apply themselves to making the camp more comfortable, etc.
 
Brothers & Sisters of "The Trade",

The Lord of the manor was a District Director for the Boy Scouts. How could a squire do less than to learn?

Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi
 
Great-grandpa, Granpa, Dad, Cub Scouts, Webelos, Boy Scouts, Explorer Scouts, summer camp, ...
 
Zactly, Dad, Cub Scouts, Weblos, Boy Scouts, Explorer Scouts, books, books, ask, ask, do, do, make mistakes, learn, make more mistakes, learn more.
 
I would probably bet I have gone from the non-woodsy, what do I do?, don't have a clue person to loving the outdoors, primitive skills, what do mean miserable? type of guy. I grew up in the desert and really liked it but didn't know much, only camped out a few times but didn't really learn any survival skills. Once I joined the Air Force, we were offered the chance to become Survival Instructors and I knew I had found what I wanted to do. Since then I have broadened my experience and skills to include primitive skills. Anyone can go from no knowledge to a lot. I find books help but to really get it you need to find someone who is willing to show you how to do things. Look in Boy Scouts orgs, local botany groups, Campfire groups, outdoor groups, etc. A lot of folks are willing to share, especially "old-timers" who have a wealth of knowledge but have no one to share it with. You would be amazed at what you would learn from people.

The folks who live in Washington state or Oregon absolutely have my envy as nearly everyone I talk to grew up fishing, berry picking, learning about the trees, plants etc. When I got to Washington in October of '93, a 10 year old kid knew more about surviving there than I did. I can't wait for my kids to grow up there, you learn so much just through osmosis, its great!

As far as the church goes, make their first camping experience as pleasant as possible. Use tents, stoves, lanterns and whatever else you can for those uninitiated types. Have some extra bug repellent handy, make Smores and do whatever you can so that they have fun. If you plan a hike, keep it short and possibly to a scenic outlook. After talking to Coyotlviejo, I have been slowly working on a Christian Survival program that hopefully I will complete by November. I will pass it along once it is completed.

Take care and God bless,
 
The Boy Scout Handbook
D. Beards Handbook for Boys
My dad's Air Force Survival Manual
Growing up with Hundreds of Undeveloped acres behind my house.

Those things got me started...the quest still continues.
 
For me, it started when I was on a church campout. When one inch of snow on the first night caused everyone to pack their bags and run home, I decided to join the Boy Scouts of America!

Seven years later, here I am. An Eagle Scout, knife-nut, flashaholic, and all around gadget guru! :D
 
Hey Guys....

Outdoors,, hmm where did it start...?

I started camping with my parents when I was in diapers..As I got older my dad was on business trips all over the place..

He'd usually bring me back a gift from his trip..

The gifts were usually books.Outdoors in nature..
Survival, camping, military...

I remember getting a record player and he started bringing me records.. I told him I'd rather have books,,so the books started coming again...

He'd take me to Outddors shows, gun shows,, Surplus stores,, man I loved doing that $hit with him.. Still do, but wish he would come with me sometime....:)

Summers were spent mostly inside of a tent, sleeping with my friends in the woods behind my parents house.. You guys remember those orange tents with the aluminum poles.. Those were Great....

I then joined army cadets,, did quite a bit of camping with them, then the militia (Not the Michigan Militia) :) Essex and Kent Scottish regiment (Infantry). Did some camping with them,,if thats what you want to call it...A hole coveredwith sticks dirt and sod isn't exactly my way of camping... :)
Did a lot of drinking with those boys as well..LOL:)

Quit the militia,, many years later joined the army cadets again as first a CI (Civi Instructer) then as a Zero Cadet (Officer Cadet). Then quit them after a few years,,and now I'm a cub leader with my oldest boy.. Back to some decent camping again... LOL:)

Its a hell of a lot more work though with 20+ cub scouts....
This year,,we are putting their little butts to work...:)

A good majority of my outdoors skill was learned from books.. The fine tuning and Really interesting stuff came from Hoods Woods and right here..

I was always into knives.. A half dozen or so was my collection during these early years.. I somehow don't remember all this neat stuff though..:)

Its for sure the way to grow up...I have friends that have never been camping,,wouldn't know the first thing about it, and all they do is sit around the house all summer and "hang out" in their back yards..

Cripe,,what a boring liife they must lead...

I wouldn't have my "Outdoors life " any other way,, and will make sure my children all enjoy it, so they can pass it along to their children...
Camping in this household is an Absolute!

ttyle

Eric....
 
Scott,
I started camping as a lad, all you can do for entertainment when you live in the arse end of nowhere. Didn't much bother with books to start with, but as I got more interested in bushcraft I bought the SAS Survival Handbook by Lofty Wiseman, also books by Ray Mears are good. The only way to learn though is to get out into the bush and practice your skills.




Rob
 
Family has done it for as long as I can remember. I'm a little more primative then they are but that's okay. Just mangaged to grow up with that since that I wasn't complete unless I was in the bush you know?
 
Camping, hunting with family as a youth, Boy Scouts, U.S Army , reading ,Kephart, Nessmuck,Kochanski, Lofty Wiseman, Jeff Randall's forum, this forum, and Hoodoo's over at KF, and going out and just doing it, then asking questions. And..I,m still learning...
 
Dad, cousins, uncle, friends, Cub Scouts, Webelos, Boy Scouts, books, magazines, & internet forums. :D
 
I was stuck in the Scouting program at an early age. We moved from a farm to the city in 89, and I joined. 8 yrs later, I left Scouts b/c I had joined Air Cadets a year and a half before(joined cadets in 96, left scouts 97).

I was going on 3 days trips with both, but scouts was always tenting it with premade food. Cadets uses tarps and IMPs.

I also read all I could on the outdoors stuff, getting a decent handle on using plants for food and medicine. I now go out for week long trips with my bike. Taking a 30lb pack with jerky, bread, cheddar, and 4L of water for food, a 12x15 tarp and 30' of rope...
 
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