RAT Woodland Ops Photos

Great pics. I haven't done any of that river crossing or rappelling stuff since the 198Os. It was fun. Too old for it now, but those great pics brought back some fun memories. It's good stuff to know. :thumbup:
 
Horn Dog, how much area have you got down there. Would love to run a week-long class on your AO.
 
R.A.T. said:
Horn Dog, how much area have you got down there. Would love to run a week-long class on your AO.
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I personally own only a little over three acres. But if you want a challenge, I know some great areas in the Altamaha WMA, which is plenty big enough to get lost in. It is almost intolerable in the Summer. Winter and Spring are not too bad. Fall will have the deer hunters. Much of it depends on the river. When the river is high, forget it, all the trails are under water. Trek from Scrub Lake to Oyster Shell hill and then to Swan Lake. It can get hairy.
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If we do something on gov land we have to make sure we have the right permits, etc.
 
Horn Dog,

Your second photo of the swamp is my kinda environment! I could live there for a long time and not have to go too far for everything I need.
 
There is a DNR office here in Brunswick. I know that some folks are running canoe and kayak trips with sleepovers on Lewis Island. It's about as wild as anything in the Southeast. You should be able to do it, too.
 
R.A.T. said:
Horn Dog,

Your second photo of the swamp is my kinda environment! I could live there for a long time and not have to go too far for everything I need.
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Oh yeah, fish, turtles, gators, snakes, squirrels, deer, and all manner of things to eat. Even crayfish in places. Palmettos hearts are edible too. Armadillos abound, and there is no season on them. Tastes like lean pork.

In the second photo, my daughter Bonnie is crossing the headwaters of Lewis Creek. They used to log cypress down there and you can find remnants of old tram crossings. I was teaching her a little land navigation there last year. She just joined the AF.
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Jeff I would have to say that was the most fun I have ever had. The class was everything I expected it to be and more. You guys were the greatest and I look forward to attending alot more of your classes in the future. Thanks for everything.
 
Several knives were carried. I carried an RC6, another guy had a RC5. There were a couple of K-Bars. We had an absolute blast.
 
That looks like a great training session! I think it would be fun (and lots of work too I know), have to learn to push myself, although one look at my fat body and you know I should NOT have to eat anything for weeks :)

I would REALLY like to do the Peru survival course. I grew up in Peru but that doesn't mean it would be a piece of cake, we usually camped by canoe and took plenty of "junk" with us. Surviving a few nights, cold and wet with no mosquito netting could be VERY miserable.

Seems like I saw lots of reports of rain in the SouthEast while y'all were in the training, did it rain on you? Made the firebuilding skills more of a challenging test, I guess?
 
Looks Great!!! when with you do one the North east N.H,V.T,ME ? I would join that one for sure! Thanks for the pics. and your time sharing them.
 
Varg Lobos said:
The most important question is, "What kind of knives did those guys bring?":D
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One RC-6 was sacrificed to the river gods on the tyrolean across the river, sheath and all. Of course, RC is sending him a new knife ;)

If you take out fire building, a cheap machete was used more than any other knife. Some of the guys were using them for fire building but most everyone that built a swamp bed, gathered and sharpened their materials with a machete. You just can't beat a machete for sub-tropical to tropical environments - Period! Our knives, nor anyone else's knives out-perform a machete for wilderness survival uses in this environment - PERIOD! In fact, I challenge ANY fixed blade knife company to prove that otherwise. RAT Cutlery fixed blades can't beat a cheap machete and I'll bet anything that no one else can with a standard fixed blade. I think this trip converted several people to the fact that a machete is the ultimate survival edge in this environment.. At least I heard that comment from a few people. ;)

Several varieties were used on the trip: Condor, Gavilan, Cold Steel, etc. We sharpened a couple of them on river rocks. Believe it or not, I FORGOT my orange handle Tramontina and went to the woods without it. Had it in the back of the truck and walked off with it still there. Thought about is a couple of klicks in the bush but knew there were enough being carried by others to not worry about it. The only edge I had on me was a Galyean Pro Series folder that I've been carrying for the last few months. And yes, it did make a few fuzz sticks during our damp conditions fire building exercise and shaved a helluva lot of tinder. I also batoned the folder though some smaller sticks to trim them down, so batoning folder in a survival situation is indeed a legitimate use of a knife, regardless of what some say. As for the fire building exercise, we did not allow the students to use any fatwood (which was abundant) so it was tough but everyone succeeded.
 
Hobo-Jack said:
Jeff I would have to say that was the most fun I have ever had. The class was everything I expected it to be and more. You guys were the greatest and I look forward to attending alot more of your classes in the future. Thanks for everything.
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Hey brother, all you guys are top-notch and we appreciate the comments! Especially appreciated the every day de-briefings we had. There were a lot of good comments and suggestion made by all of you. These will make April's class even better. I was truly amazed at the level of enthusiasm and motivation everyone displayed, and also how quickly everyone picked things up and forged ahead. The team work was great! It made our job so much easier and a helluva lot more fun to have a group that was as gung-ho about learning as you guys were. Some of the team walked in with zero skills but walked out with the skillsets and confidence needed to survive a mishap. We are all VERY proud of this class. I would truly go anywhere with you guys and know we could make it out alive. Your mindset was excellent. When I told yall on the final de-briefing that you guys were the best class I had ever been associated with as a whole, I meant that. Looking forward to seeing you in April!
 
rodloos said:
Seems like I saw lots of reports of rain in the SouthEast while y'all were in the training, did it rain on you? Made the firebuilding skills more of a challenging test, I guess?
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First couple of days we had record flooding but we forged ahead in the rain with the schedule. These guys learned a lot of tracking in the rain, and THAT is difficult in damp conditions. Fire building without fatwood, for some, proved challenging but we made sure everyone succeeded before we let them go to the next exercise. They all know how to build fire now. Hobo Jack knew coming in so he was a regular pyromaniac in the field :D

We also had a "food cache" for everyone on the final night that consisted of three live chickens they had to kill, clean and cook. They were all over that. Loved it. Built a BBQ grill out of some green Sourwood branches and they were roasting chicken that night.

If anything, I would have liked to see it rain every day of the class. makes things much more difficult and when we practice that's what we want.
 
I know it isn't the Amazon, but in years of hiking, camping, and hunting in the Altamaha River swamps, I found a that a machete and one good folder is about all I needed. I collect knives, but most are just for fun. The very heavy "Chopper Bowies" are impressive choppers, but are much too heavy for most clearing and cutting jobs. And they lack reach. They feel like anchors on the belt, too. Machetes are easy to sharpen, cheap, light, and effective. In winter, often a large light bowie will suffice, something like the old Western bowie, which is really just a variation on the old Collins #18 short machete designed for downed pilots back in the 1930s. Machetes rule.
 
I agree 100 percent Horn Dog. It simply amazes me how people will spend a lot of money for a "survival knife" for this type of environment when all they need is a cheap machete. I know I'm cutting our own throat by saying this, but I would MUCH rather see someone buy a machete than any knife we make if their purpose for the edge is wilderness survival in tropical/sub-tropical environments. Sub-Tropical can include parts of Tennessee, North Carolina, parts of Texas and everything south of there. The bottom line is if you get out and practice skills you already know this. ;)
 
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