May you find yourselves surrounded by familiar faces, with your feet warm and a table filled with your favorite foods.
Lately the world has been filled with angst, anger and unrest and unfortunately most of it is understandable. So I ask everyone to set aside these feelings for one day and embrace those you love, fill their hearts with song and laughter, bring joy to all you touch today.
Most of all spend this day with love and grace in your heart and spread it around.
Staying warm in the wild isn’t as difficult as most believe. That’s not to say that it is easy
Winter wonderland
and should be done without some thought and planning. It is just a matter of understanding the forces at work and how to use them to your benefit.
There are 4 primary ways your body loses heat; Evaporation, Radiation, Convection, Conduction. Let’s examine each of these.
Evaporation of water from your skin if it is wet (sweating). If your clothing is wet, you will also lose some body heat through evaporation, and through respiration (breathing) when the body temperature is higher than 99°F (37°C). During intense exercise, the body loses 85% of its heat through sweating.
Radiation (similar to heat leaving a light bulb). This normal process of heat moving away from the body usually occurs in air temperatures lower than 68°F (20°C). The body loses 65% of its heat through radiation.
Convection (this is how a fan cools you, by pulling the heat from you with the air, like wind). The body loses 10% to 15% of its heat through convection.
Conduction (such as heat loss from sleeping on the cold ground). Heat is lost in air temperatures lower than 68°F (20°C). The body loses about 2% of its heat through air conduction. However, water causes more heat loss from the body than air does, so heat will be lost from the body very quickly when it is in cold water.
The air is sooo cold
Now that we have identified the four primary causes of heat loss from our bodies, we can prepare ourselves to control each one. This is where the practice of dressing in layers comes from. We choose the material and fit of each layer to provide protection from each of the four enemies to our body heat.
Base layer (the one right next to your skin), this layer should be a snug fit, not tight just snug. Moisture management is the job of this layer, it needs to be made of a nonabsorbent wicking material, that moves the moisture away from your skin. Like, polyesters such as Power Dry or Capilene or merino wool, NEVER cotton.
Middle layer, this is your insulation layer, I like to have it loose fitting, not baggy, just nonrestrictive. Wool and goose down are fantastic natural insulators. Wool keeps you warm no matter what, while goose down is the most efficient insulator, it is worthless if it gets wet. My Middle layer of choice is a dark-colored, mid-weight, wind-proof fleece, it dries faster than wool and works when wet. It also keeps the biting wind at bay when you take your shell off.
Shell layer, this is your protection from the wind, rain and snow. Your shell is your first line of defense, it needs to be waterproof and windproof yet breathable to allow perspiration to escape, you don’t want to freeze in your own sweat. Make sure it is big enough to accommodate your base and middle layers worn together. I prefer one without insulation, with a hood, it is just more versatile out in the wild. Don’t skimp on this one, it is not fun being wet out in the woods, even if you are warm.
You need to do this for both top and bottom, your lower half represents 30-33% of your body mass.
Up on the ridge
Now we just need to apply the layers judiciously. You will always have your base layer on. If
you are involved in strenuous activity, you will want to remove your middle layer, maybe even your shell top. Just be sure to put them back on when you stop, you want to keep most of the heat you just generated.
When I am out in the winter wonderland I spend most of the time at camp with all three layers on the bottom (I spend a lot of time sitting in the snow) and my base and middle layers on top. this usually keeps me warm enough. You will find your own comfort zone.
Last but not least, we need to take care of out extremities. Head, hands and feet.
Head, I spend a lot of time without head-gear, I just run hot. But, I always carry these two things. A Ear-band (a headband designed to cover your ears) and a fleece hat. Combined with the hood on my shell, they have my covered.
Hands, I recommend all three layers for these guys. Get yourself a good pair of silk glove liners, worth their weight in gold, not only do they keep your digits toasty, they are fire-proof. A good pair of fleece mittens with matching shells. When you keep all your digits together they are warmer. But, gloves are good too.
Feet, These are your most valuable assets, they got you here and they’ll get you out, if you take care of them. Silk sock liners are my personal favorite, but merino wool and polyester work too. Just make sure they fit well, you don’t want these bunching up. Nice mid-weight over the calf boot socks, these work great to join your sock liners with your lower base layer, cozy. A good pair of boots will be your best friend, no one is happier than the person with toasty toes.
I’m home – NW Survival founder
Well, there is my seven cents, based on my own personal experience. I have not yet spent a cold miserable night in the wilderness while following these principles. Your greatest tool is your mind. Study these concepts and prepare yourself for the journey, gear doesn’t save your life if you don’t know how to use it. Your body generates all the heat it will ever need. All you need to do, is manage how you lose it, and keep it to a minimum.
I once put a water bottle in my sleeping bag with me, so I would have water in the morning for drinking and coffee, It froze solid overnight. The lesson here, I generate my own heat, so I was never cold. The water bottle however does not, so it froze solid.
Now that we are officially well into the camping season here in the northwest. I thought we should share some of our favorite camping tips.
One thing all of us will face when camping is laundry, even if you don’t have to wash your clothes you will inevitably need to hang something up to dry. We usually will just drape it over one of the many rope strung around camp or the back of a chair,this is not very efficient. Next time try using the little plastic clip from a bread bag, they work great as clothespins and are easy the pack.
Tired of all your cooler stuff getting soaked after a couple of days in the melting ice. Try filling old drink bottle 80% with water and freezing them before you go out next time. You won’t have the usual cooler swamp and you also end up with a bunch of fresh drinking water when they melt.
Ever trip over the guy lines of your tent when climbing out for your nightly relief, I have, they are hard to see when you are mostly asleep. Try this, take short little mostly useless pieces of tin foil and make little flags on your guy lines. The moon reflects nicely off these, not to mention your flashlight.
Always put a rock with a nice big flat top, level in the fire ring, it is so nice to have a place to keep your food and drinks warm by the fire.
Last but not least, we deal with the most dreaded camping nuisance of all, mosquitoes! You just can’t seem to avoid them, so here is a couple of useful tips. Firstly, bring some sage sprigs with you, when the mosquitoes are thick, through some on the fire, they hate it. Secondly, after you get bit, and you most certainly will, use a little dab of toothpaste, not gel, directly on the bite, it knocks down the itch and helps it heal faster.
When the weather gets nice, it’s time for the hikers, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts to come out of hiding… which happens to correlate with an uptick in snake activity (including venomous ones).
First things first, I’ll say that I’m not one of those people who believes all snakes should be killed on sight. If a snake is non-venomous, I’ll let it slither on it’s way every time. If it’s venomous, and too close to my house or yard, that’s when a decision has to be made.
In order to make that decision, I first need to identify the species of snake and determine whether or not it’s a venomous snake.
Despite the fact that we only have 4 major species of poisonous snakes to deal with in North America, it can be surprisingly difficult to calmly ID these snakes in the heat of the moment. In fact, that’s why I’m writing this article, to make it easier for the non-snake experts among us to avoid a nasty and potentially fatal bite.
The 4 Big Ones
These are the 4 groups of poisonous snakes that you may run across in the US:
Rattlesnakes
Cottonmouths
Copperheads
Coral Snakes
When I say that there are 4 major species of venomous snakes, that’s a bit of an oversimplification, BUT that actually makes the identification process easier.
You see, it doesn’t matter much if you’ve spotted a Texas Coral Snake or an Arizona Coral Snake, both are deadly poisonous. So stay away.
As always,
Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared
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Welcome to NW Survival.
We are a community dedicated to providing education and training needed for survival in the Pacific Northwest. We share our insights, opinions, and offer gear reviews as opportunities present themselves. We also offer firearms safety training for individuals and groups.
Sadly it has been awhile since you have heard from me, but that doesn’t mean I have been stagnant, I bring word from the batcave.
I have been busy in the field, we have completed a couple of gun safety classes. I really enjoy these classes because I feel very strongly about how important they are. If you feel that you need to own and/or carry a firearm, I believe it is your responsibility to become highly proficient with its use and safe handling. I believe you should have to show competence, not just a written exam. Just like an automobile, show me you can parallel park.
My steadfast partner in crime has been insistent that we start offering pre built Bug out Bags. So we have been doing a lot of research so we can be sure to offer what we feel are the best solutions for the different type of bags we all should have. In the not too distant future you should see a selection of prebuilt solutions being offered. We believe everyone should be prepared for the unforeseen, and look forward to offering the best bags you can get. Stay tuned.
Most people know big leaf maples best for their helicopter seeds and large leaves but they also have beautiful off-white edible flowers that are a delicious addition to your spring diet.
The flowers are best harvested when the trees leaves are just beginning to open up. The longer you wait to harvest the flowers the less tender and more fibrous the flowers become.
To harvest them you want to break them off at the base of the green stem. And to eat them you can simply just take a bite – stem and all. They are also great mixed into a salad or frythem up for a delicious treat.
Even though maple syrup comes from maple trees, big leaf maples are not commonly used for this. It’s taste is more earthy than traditional maple syrup. The maple syrup you put on your pancakes, assuming it is real, is most likely from sugar maples.
Wild Foods & Medicine has a great article on identification, preparing the flowers, and tapping the trees for syrup.
So, take some time and add these great little flowers to your salad or make it fun and fry them up with the kids for a delicious afternoon treat!
Dandelion comes from the french words – dents de lion – which means teeth of lion. It gets its name from the jagged edges of its leaves and the beautiful yellow flowers that some may say resemble a mane. They are a great wild edible because you can eat every part of the plant – from root to flower. The best part is that they are probably growing in your backyard right now.
A great time to harvest these weeds are when they are in their flowering stage and growing rapidly. That is when you know the plant is fresh and ready to be harvested.
After you harvest the plant, you can throw the leaves and flowers into a salad. This will add a nice bit of bitter and color. The root of the plant can be eaten raw and is also delicious when roasted.
Roasted dandelion root tea is one of my favorite types of tea and is a great detoxifier. Check outthis article about the potential benefits of dandelion root tea.
It is always a good idea to harvest where no pesticides have been sprayed. Wash your greens before eating them and most importantly, enjoy! Don’t be afraid to try something new because you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
An official welcome into the month of March – the days are becoming longer, the leaves are sprouting, and the flowers are blooming!
This is the first post in the series about food in the backcountry. You’ll learn how to pack lightweight nutritious meals, how to forage safely, how to trap, and much more.
Just a reminder:
There is a free talk this Wednesday hosted by Trackers Earth. John Kallas will be teaching us about foraging wild edible plants in the Pacific Northwest. I’d love to see you there!
Lately the world has been filled with angst, anger and unrest and unfortunately most of it is understandable. So I ask everyone to set aside these feelings for one day and embrace those you love, fill their hearts with song and laughter, bring joy to all you touch today.
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