- Joined
- Jun 11, 2008
- Messages
- 1,409
Hey guys, I have a little survival challenge for myself and would like some advice on what you guys would like to see. I'm going on a 5 day solo survival hike, specifically in bad weather to test some skills. Let me start by saying that I do this every year so experience is not an issue. I also teach bushcraft and survival classes to Eagle Scout groups during winter camps and I used to belong to the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills (M.A.P.S.) group but have not participated in a couple years.
Heres how my annual trip got started. After two terms in the Army I got sick. The timing couldn't have been worse. I had been a civilian for all of three months and got hit with the deer tick trifecta from hell, Lyme Disease, Bartonella, and Spotted Fever. I was in the hospital for many more weeks than I care to recall and then was bed ridden for nearly six months. After several years of treatments along with some other lovely things that left me 50 pounds lighter I finally started to be functional again. Now I am back to 90% and spend every day that I can in the woods. I take a week off every year to do a solo hike to test my skills out. I don't take much with me and if I go a little hungry or get a little cold then thats OK. After all, I do this now because I can and after the years that I wasn't able to be out there I am happy for every cold and hungry night that I can choose for myself to be in the bush.
Now, for this years hike. I want to simulate a hunting trip that went wrong and where I became lost, so here's what I plan to do. I have found a location for my trip that allows night hunting and applied for a permit so that I would be allowed to camp there and have a firearm in my possession for the five days I'll be out. I have contacted the Nat Rec Officer that will be in charge of the area and told him what I wanted to do. It turns out that he knew my Father, who was a park ranger in the 70's, and decided to give me a bit more freedom than the regs typically permit. Before anyone asks, Yes I have all hunting/fishing liscences and tags that I might need. I have never been to this forest before so I dont know exactly what kind of terrain to expect. I have not scouted the area but my topo map shows that it is on the west side of a mountain and the boundaries that I need to stay in will allow me to travel roughly twenty seven miles before reaching my destination, where I will be picked up on the morning of the 6th day.
I do have a map of the area and a compass and I am very good at orienteering and have participated in two adventure races when I was an eagle scout in high school. My goal however is to not use the map or compass at all if that is possible.
I take the safety aspect of putting myself in a simulated emergency very seriously. I carry my smart phone, which has digital maps and GPS, as well as an E.P.I.R.B. and a solar charger just in case things get to far out of hand.
Now that thats out of the way, lets get to the fun parts.
My packing list will leave me moderately unprepared for what Im planning but thats not going to be to much of a problem. Remember, this list is based on the pack list for a day trip.
Footwear- I will be wearing a set of Mukluks by Sorel and I will have a set of sandals on my pack for wading streams.
Headwear- I have a Tilley hat for daytime and a wool hat for the cold nights.
Ill have one extra pair of wool socks and a set of wool gloves. I wear the right clothing for adverse conditions and dont need to list it all.
I want to practice both standard survival techniques as well as some primitive skills that might make my time easier to deal with. I will have a full camelback bag of water in my backpack but thats only two liters. When thats done Ill have to find/make/filter/purify my water. I always have a 0.5 liter titanium cup with me and I am pretty sure its gonna come in handy with my water needs.
I have an ultralight tarp with me but my goal is to not use it if I dont have to. I want instead to make an A-frame for the first two days and then an elevated bed and long fire for the next two days. Then Ill use the tarp for nights five and six since Im pretty sure I wont want to build a shelter from scratch after the long traveling of the last two days.
I have a full stock of fire starters in my PSK but I want to use friction fire methods every time I need fire. This will not be a problem. I also have a well stocked emergency medical kit just in case.
For food I am taking two Power bars for the trip. Ill eat a good breakfast but I plan on catching/gathering/trapping/fishing along the way whenever possible. I plan on setting three kinds of small game traps.
Ill set fig 4 and Paiute deadfalls for squirrels and rolling snares if I can find good rabbit trails, again shouldnt be a problem. As a backup, I always pack a rat trap in my bag. For wild edibles I will gather whatever I can as well as make bush tea while Im out.
Since it is hunting season Im gonna bring a .22 rifle. I have decided to take my custom CZ452 bolt gun.
I plan on making hawthorn style fish hooks and simple georges while Im out but I also have an assortment of hooks and in my PSK.
I will try to make a quidlik for light if I can find the materials and find some natural fuel, but I also keep one of these in my PSK. http://www.9voltlight.com/inc/sdetail/5414
Knives- Ill have my Golok for shelter construction and firewood splitting and my Fox River for everything else. Again .based on a day hike that went wrong.
I will photo and film my entire journey and post about my trip when I get back.
Please give me your opinions on whether the kinds of thing Ive listed are what you guys want to see, and if you have other things you want demonstrated. This will be my 5th annual solo trek and I think it will be the best one yet.
PS, I love my CZ. Had to add a pic of the gun and the awesome sights.
Heres how my annual trip got started. After two terms in the Army I got sick. The timing couldn't have been worse. I had been a civilian for all of three months and got hit with the deer tick trifecta from hell, Lyme Disease, Bartonella, and Spotted Fever. I was in the hospital for many more weeks than I care to recall and then was bed ridden for nearly six months. After several years of treatments along with some other lovely things that left me 50 pounds lighter I finally started to be functional again. Now I am back to 90% and spend every day that I can in the woods. I take a week off every year to do a solo hike to test my skills out. I don't take much with me and if I go a little hungry or get a little cold then thats OK. After all, I do this now because I can and after the years that I wasn't able to be out there I am happy for every cold and hungry night that I can choose for myself to be in the bush.
Now, for this years hike. I want to simulate a hunting trip that went wrong and where I became lost, so here's what I plan to do. I have found a location for my trip that allows night hunting and applied for a permit so that I would be allowed to camp there and have a firearm in my possession for the five days I'll be out. I have contacted the Nat Rec Officer that will be in charge of the area and told him what I wanted to do. It turns out that he knew my Father, who was a park ranger in the 70's, and decided to give me a bit more freedom than the regs typically permit. Before anyone asks, Yes I have all hunting/fishing liscences and tags that I might need. I have never been to this forest before so I dont know exactly what kind of terrain to expect. I have not scouted the area but my topo map shows that it is on the west side of a mountain and the boundaries that I need to stay in will allow me to travel roughly twenty seven miles before reaching my destination, where I will be picked up on the morning of the 6th day.
I do have a map of the area and a compass and I am very good at orienteering and have participated in two adventure races when I was an eagle scout in high school. My goal however is to not use the map or compass at all if that is possible.
I take the safety aspect of putting myself in a simulated emergency very seriously. I carry my smart phone, which has digital maps and GPS, as well as an E.P.I.R.B. and a solar charger just in case things get to far out of hand.
Now that thats out of the way, lets get to the fun parts.
My packing list will leave me moderately unprepared for what Im planning but thats not going to be to much of a problem. Remember, this list is based on the pack list for a day trip.
Footwear- I will be wearing a set of Mukluks by Sorel and I will have a set of sandals on my pack for wading streams.
Headwear- I have a Tilley hat for daytime and a wool hat for the cold nights.
Ill have one extra pair of wool socks and a set of wool gloves. I wear the right clothing for adverse conditions and dont need to list it all.
I want to practice both standard survival techniques as well as some primitive skills that might make my time easier to deal with. I will have a full camelback bag of water in my backpack but thats only two liters. When thats done Ill have to find/make/filter/purify my water. I always have a 0.5 liter titanium cup with me and I am pretty sure its gonna come in handy with my water needs.
I have an ultralight tarp with me but my goal is to not use it if I dont have to. I want instead to make an A-frame for the first two days and then an elevated bed and long fire for the next two days. Then Ill use the tarp for nights five and six since Im pretty sure I wont want to build a shelter from scratch after the long traveling of the last two days.
I have a full stock of fire starters in my PSK but I want to use friction fire methods every time I need fire. This will not be a problem. I also have a well stocked emergency medical kit just in case.
For food I am taking two Power bars for the trip. Ill eat a good breakfast but I plan on catching/gathering/trapping/fishing along the way whenever possible. I plan on setting three kinds of small game traps.
Ill set fig 4 and Paiute deadfalls for squirrels and rolling snares if I can find good rabbit trails, again shouldnt be a problem. As a backup, I always pack a rat trap in my bag. For wild edibles I will gather whatever I can as well as make bush tea while Im out.
Since it is hunting season Im gonna bring a .22 rifle. I have decided to take my custom CZ452 bolt gun.
I plan on making hawthorn style fish hooks and simple georges while Im out but I also have an assortment of hooks and in my PSK.
I will try to make a quidlik for light if I can find the materials and find some natural fuel, but I also keep one of these in my PSK. http://www.9voltlight.com/inc/sdetail/5414
Knives- Ill have my Golok for shelter construction and firewood splitting and my Fox River for everything else. Again .based on a day hike that went wrong.
I will photo and film my entire journey and post about my trip when I get back.
Please give me your opinions on whether the kinds of thing Ive listed are what you guys want to see, and if you have other things you want demonstrated. This will be my 5th annual solo trek and I think it will be the best one yet.
PS, I love my CZ. Had to add a pic of the gun and the awesome sights.
