Skills are Priceless yet cost nothing to acquire, they cannot be seized, taxed or lost. You can share them with everyone and never run out, always with you and not misplaced. Using them everyday only makes them better, and you'll always be glad you have some, but sad that you don't have more. - Mark B. (yes I quite smoking)
He's got Skills, do you?
Below are 5 Basic skills you need to master so you can overcome the things life may through at you. Getting lost is easy to do in areas you are unfamiliar with, deserts, forest even a flat stretch of land, it all looks the same. If becoming a dead dude or dudett is not an option for you, and you want to live...learn on.
Campsite, time to crash out.
Stay high and dry, Avoid valleys and paths where water may flow toward you, dead branches that may crash down in the middle of the night, as well as falling rocks. Ideally near, formations that can shield you from the elements.
- Choose a campsite free from natural dangers like insect nests and widow-makers, dead branches that can fall on you if it gets windy.
- You want to be close to resources like running water, dry wood and rocky walls.
Shelter, gimme shelter.
Not surprisingly, hypothermia is the number one outdoor killer in cold weather. Learn to build 2-3 types shelters.
- Stack 5"-6" of leaves under you and a lot more on top of your body, Down and Dirty.
- Lean to or debris huts work well, think of a small Pup tent, like in Scouts.
- Stack some rocks around you and curl up with a nice warm camp fire.
Fire, look what I have created.
Learn 1 -2 ways to make fire with just sticks or spark toughing rocks, then PRACTICE.
- Friction by Vigorously rubbing 2 sticks together, like in "Castaway" with Tom Hanks.
- Any high carbon steel, your knife should be made of this, will through Sparks when struck with a rock.
- Bird nest, steel-wool, pocket lint all make great tinder bundles, dry, is key here.
Water, the stuff that you're made of.
Finding water There is two kinds of water in the wild, the kind that kills you and the kind that makes you wish you where dead.
- Water moves in 2 directions, Down and outward. Learn to find it and purify it.
- Use your new Fire starting trick and boil the water first, 3 minutes will do.
- Keep on the Look-Out for bottles, their everywhere, use them to boil in, if there yucky, clean them and boil longer.
- Aluminum cans have a bpa coating, so place them in the fire to burn it away and rinse, or avoid altogether.
Food, what's for dinner?
Most plants will kill you, but all meat is eatable. If you won’t kill to survive, then lay down and DIE.
- Hunting with a multi-pronged spear is the simplest way to catch anything from snakes to fish.
- Teach yourself how to make and use snares, this too will come in handy.
- Learn how to make a simple small game trap.
Skills are Priceless yet cost nothing to acquire, they cannot be seized, taxed or lost. You can share them with everyone and never run out, always with you and not misplaced. Using them everyday only makes them better, and you'll always be glad you have some, but sad that you don't have more.
