Senior Project

Guys, give the kid some credit. He's an Eagle Scout. This won't be his first outing.

Your day pack will probably be OK. In GA you should bring water. Farming runoff is a bitty.
 
mtnfolk mike said:
boomstick has a great point... you could try and focus some of your video, on carrying the basic essentials.. i have a smal amount of gear that stays in my pack at all times... i could easily survive a few nights outside, with the small amount of gear that i carry with me, in my pack.....:thumbup:



i agree with andy as well....:thumbup::thumbup: unless you have many hours of dirttime under your belt, i definately suggest carrying a few more essentials...

i was a certified wilderness EMT for about 10 years and i think that a few basic first aid supplies are a must have in the woods.. no matter how far you're going...

a fun project/hike can turn ugly real fast... you should be prepared for whatever you might encounter....

good luck man...
Click to expand...


Well said Mike!:thumbup:
 
One last thought - might have already been mentioned, but If you are planning for a potential 4 day fast, you might want to do a fast for the equal amount of time some good while before you leave, only reason I mention that is if you have never gone without food for more than a day or so - it can potentially mess with your body a bit on more than just the hunger side of the fence.

I learned that by experience, found out that I am a little hypoglycemic - and never would have known that until I did the fast - would have HATED to have dealt with those symptoms for the first time while in the woods with no grub & no idea what was going on inside my bod.

Please don't take my posts as insulting, or condescending - just want to make sure your AOK :thumbup:

We're all proud of you.

Can't wait to hear about your trip!

sp
 
there's a couple things here-

the idea of the paper sounds good, but skills ARE preparation. So you need to maybe take a look at your essentials and figure out how you can solve the problems. For example, fire. You don't need a carbon blade and flint if you know how to use a bow or hand drill. But thruthfully, a bic lighter is going to work fine for weeks, it's just not "cool'. I practice my bow drill skills once in a while, but really, I have a couple lighters all the time.

the cached goods are a suggestion for emergencies- from a small local onethat doesn't cancel your trip to a larger regional one that cancels the trip, and the trasportation home. In NO WAY is it a slight on your skills. It's just good planning if you know where you are going and can drop off a pack.

if you have a metal water bottle then you are fine if you have a water source and an ignition source and a knife, and know what you are doing, and it sounds like you do, so have fun with it!

Plan on 20 hours of filming for an hour of video
 
I put this on another thread before. this is what is in my day pack. I don't even go on a stroll in the woods without it.
daypack.jpg
 
hey guys thanks for all the help with this dont worry i have many hours of dirt time and the woods know are like a second home i will take my pack and keep a stash of emergencies stuff i have a good idea of what i am geting myself into last but not least i have fasted for 3 days for church thanks again
 
From an old eagle to a young eagle-The suggestions you have been given are great as these folks know what they are talking about-have fun-be careful-be sure to post the results.
 
Where are you located? We can give you advice related to the weather and natural materials and plants in your area.
 
Zach, where in GA are you? Do you guys still use the same military thickness and width canvas belts that I remember like this one?

belt.jpg
 
near augusta yes they still are using those belts but are staring to phase them out with newer nylon pants but i don use them i stick with bdu and wool stuff for winter camping i am going to try this in december but will do smaller videos of setting up traps and fire shelter etc making before then thanks again
 
I guess more of what I'm asking is do you specifically use the canvas belt?
 
Here's something to consider -- injury and panic. If I'm not hurt, I can always walk out. I've done more than one 20 mile hike out of the woods, and my daily run has always hovered between 5-10 miles.

The times in my life that I've gotten "in trouble" have been the result of bad choices compounded by viciously bad luck. Broken ankle one time, dislocated shoulder the other, dysentery with 104 fever, one freak blizzard the weather guys swore couldn't happen dumping thigh-high snow, etc. You find yourself in "survival" situations because Something Went Wrong. Think car trouble/accidents, plane crashes, snake bites, excessive use of alcohol in the wrong place at the wrong time, ledge collapses leading to significant falls, etc.

A 30-mile hike out for a healthy man is one thing. Thirty miles on a smashed ankle is another. Thirty miles with severe diarrhea, vomiting and 104 degree fever is even worse.

A video showing that a strong 17-year-old can survive for four days in Georgia isn't helpful. Georgia is some of the richest land on God's earth with mild and temperate weather to boot. Good grief, if you can't survive in Georgia, forget it. 50 miles outside of Las Cruces or above the tree line in the Rockies on the other hand...

Here's an idea I would find interesting. Just here in Washington State over the past couple of years, we've had some high-profile deaths -- an experienced hiker freezing to death on Mt. Rainier in JUNE, that poor CNET technology editor who ran into car trouble with his family and died when shelter turned out to be about a mile away, etc. I've even heard some accounts that the Donner Party would have been fine if the snow had held off another six hours...

Find some interesting cases where people didn't make it, demonstrate the skills that could have saved them on your video, and then make a case about WHY these poor people didn't/couldn't use that skill to save themselves.

Every time I've been in a bad place/bad way in my life, my first reaction has always been panic. Everyone else with grey hair and scars will tell you the same thing. Give me a cheat sheet of things to remember so that even when I can't make a good decision on my own, I might remember a good decision you've made for me...
 
With all due respect, I fail to see the relevency of your admittedly valid and valuable observations to the original post except to dump cold water on it. It also does not seem to countenance the safety factors he has designed in to his expedition.

And although I am but a damn yankee, even I know Georgia wilderness isn't for lightweights. If the cottonmouths and the crocks don't get you, the skeeters, the pervasive dampness, the chiggers, and the lime disease will.

Welcome to W&SS. :)
 
Let me start off by saying that I'm very pleased to see this sort of initiative in a school-age guy in the present day and age. You seem to have a pretty good grasp of what you're doing here, and having someone camping nearby is certainly a good idea. These guys have all given great advice, better than I would be able to impart.

One thing I would suggest, though, is to have your mentor that is camping nearby, be within easy hearing distance of a good safety whistle. Since you may want to demonstrate the whistle for your video, set up a pre-decided-upon number of blasts that would signal that you need assistance, just in case. This is of course if you don't plan on having a cellphone, or can't get service there (I don't even get cell service at home here).

I definitely second checking out some of Ray Mears' videos online, as well as Les Stroud (Survivorman) even though you are an Eagle Scout. This pond on the property you'll be on, is it stocked with fish? If so, you might have a fairly easy time of it food-wise. Making your own whittled hook or toggle and cordage is a cinch with some practice, and grubs for bait aren't too hard to find. Of course, four days without food isn't going to kill you, as long as you have plenty of water and a way to purify it.

I'm in GA too, about 45 minutes north of Columbus. I live back in the woods, so I have lots of opportunity to practice stuff, though I'm pretty low on experience still. I was actually thinking about a similar trip soon, heading back onto my neighbor's property and roughing it for a few nights with only the bare essentials. Minus the video camera, of course. And LittleHairyApe, the cottonmouths (we call 'em water moccasins for the most part down here) don't bother you unless you bother them, same as most snakes. I sat and watched one for about ten minutes the other day, in fact. He was coiled up on the creek bank enjoying the quiet, same as me. It's the copperheads you have to watch out for. Those rascals are territorial as all get out. There aren't as many of them around, fortunately.

I have to agree about the mosquitoes, though, and the humidity, and the chiggers... They at least aren't too bad in the winter, but in the summer those little nuisances will eat your feet up something fierce.

Anyway, I'm getting off track. Best of luck, Zach, and hope you do well on your senior project! If you ever want to talk woods with a fellow Georgian, shoot me an email sometime.
 
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sound to me like you've got your bases covered Zach. I pray that the trip goes well and that you have a good time along with the filming and learning.
It's great to see a guy with the forsight to poll the masses for advice befor doing somthing like this. Most guys your age would assume that they know it all and just go and get themselves into trouble, and wind up on the news.
God be with you
Nate
 
i don use the belt for much of anything other then hold my pants up but i know there are tons of use if you think about it unweaving it for cord sharping the buckle for a knife just a few hitman thanks for the prayers and kyp thanks for the advice maybe we will run into each other also i plan on doing them like Ray Mears videos except i will have more stuff with me and i will add some stuff
 
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