Some time ago I was telling my wife that 550 cord (paracord) is as amazing as duct tape, and there is no end to its uses. Not being familiar with the stuff at the time she quite naturally asked me “like what?”. A fair question, but I was dumbfounded; all the military guys I associate […]
Find an Azimuth
Some time ago I shared an experience of a man I work with getting lost and using a compass to find his way out when the nature of the terrain and a severe blizzard rendered his GPS inoperable. In this article we’ll talk about finding an azimuth. For those unfamiliar with the term azimuth; simply […]
Xylem Filter
Xylem Filter I cut the bottom off an old water bottle for the dirty water reservoir, and then hung it on a nail to slowly do its thing when I got tired of holding it. The rubber tubing is pushed through a hole in the water bottles lid. I had thought the thick rubber tubing […]
Burdock
Burdock (Arctium lappa) The paragraphs below are taken straight from several locations, references below for additional reading. Who would have thought this rotten weed would be edible? Jon Medium to large-sized plant with big leaves and purplish thistle-like flower heads. The plant is native to the temperate areas of the Eastern Hemisphere; however, it has […]
Clover
While surprising, those luck clovers are actually edible; and the best part is they’re found just about everywhere there’s an open grassy area. And while there are few pastures in the Arctic, clover grows from the top of the earth to the bottom and all around, nearly every location on the rotation. You can spot […]
LuminAID
My wife shared this with me and I was quite impressed; partially because it’s a clever simple idea, but also because I have a soft spot in my heart for these already struggling people that get pounded again and again in these off the beaten path locations. I spent several years in the Philippines so […]
Nuts for Coconuts
Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a “functional food” because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine among […]
Primitive Shelter
This really is the easiest shelter you can build. The idea is to literally pile as much stuff on as possible to help weatherproof and insulate the shelter. It is intentionally left small so you can maximize the effects of body heat by not heating a large area. If you have a little bit of […]
French Fried Frog Legs
I spent a couple of years living in the Philippines on Samar and Leyte. The Jungles were some of the most beautiful lush I’ve ever seen and the environment exposed me to a whole new range of exotic cuisine. While food can seem odd and non-appetizing in some regions of the world, this is hardly […]
Find North
What’s the most dangerous thing in the military? A Lieutenant with a compass. Anyway, bad joke aside, let’s take a quick look at finding your navigational direction; assuming you do not have a compass but know roughly in which way civilization lies. If you’re not sure which way to go, typically downhill is your best […]