Few things could be more frightening to a parent than to look around and discover their child is missing in the wilderness. This book, “Jace Gets Lost, Jace Gets Found” can help you train your child so this doesn’t happen.

by Leon Pantenburg

Though warmly dressed, this youngster would be hard to find, and is ill-prepared for being in the winter woods.

I lived that “lost child in the wilderness” scenario briefly many years ago when my toddler son wandered off from our backpacking camp. We were in the backcountry of Idaho, it was in the days before cell phones, and the situation was terrifying! (To read the complete story, click here.)

Subsequently, I am always on the lookout for books and publications designed to educate kids and parents on what to do in these situations. Judging from the number of requests  from readers about this subject, I’m not alone.

Recently, I read “Jace Gets Lost, Jace Gets Found” by Gaye Grabill, and I think this book can be a tremendous training tool for parents and children who venture off the pavement and into the wilderness  together.

Grabill is a volunteer with the  North Oregon Search and Rescue, based in Clackamas, OR.  According to Craig McClure, president of the NOSAR, the biggest factor in finding a lost person depends on what they do in those first few hours after they realize they are lost.

Generally, the rule of thumb for a lost person is to stay put, and wait to be rescued. But how can you convey that philosophy to a small child? How do you teach your child how to differentiate between SAR members, and other strangers? Aren’t there some “stranger danger” rules that can be confusing to a lost, frightened child?

Probably the best idea is to work on the child’s training long before you leave the trailhead. The text for “Jace Gets Lost” is written at a kindergarten to second grade level, with simple phrasing and terms that a youngster in that age group can understand.

Expertly photographed by Brenda Somes, the book has page-size photographs on the left-hand side of the book. On the right is the text. Clearly, this book was designed to be read aloud, with the photos displayed at the end of each page, or as questions arise.

The story starts with Jace, age about seven, wandering off from his house. Soon he is lost, but Jace knows what to do. He stays put, builds a nest near the base of a tree and rescue dog Koen finds him. The story has a happy ending, with Jace reunited with his parents.

While kids will be captivated with the narration, they will also learn some important survival techniques. Most importantly, they need to learn and understand why they should stay in one location. Then, they need to know what the SAR people look like, and that a search dog may sound big and have bright eyes that glow in the darkness.

If these simple things can be taught, then a child has a much better chance of  being found quickly.

This would be a great book to sit around the campfire with, reading to a group of small children and showing the pictures. At the end of the book, questions should be a natural.

If you take youngsters into the wilderness, they should be trained on staying put and getting found. This book can be a very useful tool for that.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Whenever I have a land navigation question, I ask expert Blake Miller of OutdoorQuest. A common question when it comes to GPS systems is which is the best choice for the individual and which receiver is the best.

Here is a post from Blake regarding the top 10 choices:

Visit GPStracklog to find out what are the top ten receivers on the market.

“It’s that time again, when we look back at our reader’s favorite reviews for the previous month, which is indicative of what many folks are researching as potential purchases.

And what a month it’s been, as we have two new number ones!

On the auto side, the Nuvi 2595LMT knocked out the 1450LMT, which had held the number one spot since April 2011. In handhelds, the eTrex 20 is the new reigning champ, after an incredible 13 month run for the Oregon 450. All told there are nine models on the charts that weren’t there last month. ”

To read the complete list, click here.
Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

To hear the Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

For more navigation information, click here

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Survival situations can happen when you least expect it, or in places where such a thing doesn’t make sense. Even your regular run or evening walk can turn dangerous, and a simple survival kit can make all the difference.

These items are lightweight, easily-carried and could save your life if you're injured while running. From left: handwarmers, cell phone, flashlight, knife, Boy Scout flint stick, whistle, and firestarter.

by Leon Pantenburg

Maybe you’ve gotten into the habit  of taking a run in the same urban area every evening. Then, one evening, the endorphins kick in, and you decide to double the usual mileage. As darkness approaches, you realize you have to get back to the car before it gets really dark. You slip, twist your ankle and can’t move.

Or you might decide to go for a walk and just take off without thinking to tell someone where you went. You’re strolling along, relaxing and enjoying the iPod, and letting the stress from the office dissipate. Then, as it starts to get dark, you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn and are lost. And pretty soon, it will be pitch dark, and you can’t see the path.

Maybe you have your routine down, and are so set in the pattern that you don’t consider the potential danger. After all, you don’t  go that far from your home, and this isn’t some wilderness area…

A similar situation happened to Bend, Oregon resident Karen Johnson. (Click on highlighted word to read Johnson’s complete story.)  She nearly died of hypothermia after slipping on the ice and  breaking her leg. The area she was running in was a popular, well-used trail. But when Johnson was injured, there was no one around. Only prior preparations, her survival equipment, and being very, very lucky saved her.

Here’s a few tips on what survival equipment to take, and the links to find them,  on a run or an evening walk. These items are lightweight, take up little space and can easily be fitted into a fanny pack or jacket pocket.

• Leave a note or verbal message about where you’re going and when you’ll be back: Even if you’re only expecting to be gone for a little while, nobody will know where to look for you. They might think you went to a movie, the library or some place where you had to shut off your cell phone.
• STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. This survival mindset exercise applies to every survival situation. Know how to use it.
• Cell phone: You can call for help if you need to. Even if you can’t get coverage, leave your phone on. The pings to your phone from the nearest cell tower can be traced.
• Small flashlight: If you end up out after dark, the flashlight can help you get safety out of the dark places. Not to mention, the psychological boost it can provide if you have to stay in one place and wait for help.
• Whistle:A whistle carries further than your voice, and won’t give out. You
  

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  can signal for help more effectively, and sometimes a whistle works to scare off potential bad guys.

• Flint stick or lighter and firestarter: If you’re injured, you may be able to build a fire for warmth, signaling and as a morale boost. It will help you stay in one place so you can be rescued. Strike It, Matchless Firestarter
• Small knife: I carry a Swiss Army knife Classic everywhere. The blade can be used to strike sparks of a flint stick, whittle kindling,  or cut string. The tweezers, scissors, toothpick and file also have multiple uses. Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife
• Lanyard: Combine everything together on a lanyard so you can wear it around your neck or tie it to your clothing. If the gear is tied to you, it won’t be lost.
• Handwarmers: Even if the weather is warm, a runner will cool rapidly if he can’t move. The handwarmers can be placed on the chest or torso to keep the vital areas warm. HeatMax Hot Hands 2 Handwarmer (40 pairs)
• Water: Hydration is always a good idea. If the water gets too heavy, you can always drink it, or pour it out. Platypus Sport Bottle

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

I have helped build snow caves as emergency shelters in the past, and didn’t think they were particularly effective. But that was before I read “Snow Caves For Fun and Survival” and tried out the book’s techniques.

by Leon Pantenburg

A group of Boy Scouts and volunteers were on our annual winter survival skills training day in the foothills of the Cascades in Central Oregon. When it comes to snow caves, the conventional wisdom from most survival manuals, is that the builder tunnels sideways and up into a snow bank, shoveling the snow out through the entrance hole.

Naturally skeptical (because of my newspaper training) I asked my 17-year-old son, Dan, to construct one such shelter by himself, using  a small shovel and trowel. More than two hours later, his cave was finished, but Dan was wet, tired and cold. Despite working hard, his cave was not a particularly effective survival shelter. Dan would have had a rough night ahead of him if he had to stay in that cave.

Taking a break from making a snow cave. I had to try out Wilkinson's techniques!

Based on that and other experiences, my opinion of snow caves as emergency shelters was lukewarm at best. Then a friend recommended “Snow Caves For Fun and Survival” by Ernest Wilkinson, and I’ve changed my mind. (Read my story on building a snow cave using Wilkinson’s techniques by clicking here.)

Most people with some basic tools, and using the techniques Wilkinson writes about, could successfully make a snow cave survival shelter.

Author Wilkinson is a former Search and Rescue member, and an  experienced Colorado mountain guide, specializing in snowshoe treks and winter camping, according to the book liner notes. This backcountry experience lead Wilkinson to develop his own shelter-making techniques that save time and energy and increase comfort and safety.

Wilkinson’s snow cave technique is simple: cut out blocks from the front of the drift to the width of the cave. Excavate.  Dig a cold well, and carve out benches on the sides for sleeping. When all this work is done, use the removed snow blocks to create a front wall.

There is plenty of room for two people to work simultaneously, and you don’t need to get wet during construction. Best of all, the cave is quick to make, which places it in the effective survival shelter category.

This simple technique is just one of the practical winter camping/survival tips you’ll get from reading “Snow Caves.” Igloo and lean-to construction are also discussed, as well as avalanche danger and how to avoid it.

While the book’s main focus is shelters, there is a wealth of information on all aspects of  winter camping in deep snow. Other sections deal with the proper clothing to wear, what kind of insulation a winter sleeping bag should have; firestarting tips; and equipment to take along for added comfort.

If you recreate in areas that have deep snow, or are looking for a winter camping reference book,  “Snow Caves” would be a top choice. If you don’t know anything about deep snow survival techniques, reading this book would be a great place to start. Then, check out your local community college, or parks and recreation district, and see if someone offers classes in winter survival.

Ready, study, and then, practice what you’ve learned.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Whether you hunt small game, or raise rabbits for food, knowing how to cook the meat of these animals could be  a very important survival skill.

by Leon Pantenburg

The U.S. Department of Agriculture circular #549 calls rabbit: “The most nutritious meat available.” Rabbit has 795 calories per pound, according to the USDA, compared to chicken with 810; veal, 840; turkey, 1,190; lamb, 1,420; beef, 1,440 and pork 2,050. Also, rabbit is lower in the percentage of fat per pound than any of these meats.

Wild or domestic rabbits can be a great source of protein.

If you are looking for efficient food production, consider this: rabbits will produce six pounds of meat on the same amount of food and water as it takes one cow to produce one pound. Rabbits can be raised in small areas, with a minimum of effort, and produce top quality protein. Unlike chickens, they’re quiet and produce very little odor.

And rabbits are notoriously prolific. A doe rabbit that weighs 10 pounds can have eight litters of eight rabbits each, and produce 320 pounds of meat in a year.  In 1859, a single pair of rabbits was released in Victoria, Australia, and in 30 years gave rise to an estimated 20 million rabbits.

When it comes to wild game hunting, rabbits are at the top when it comes to numbers of animals harvested each year by hunters. They are easy to hunt and field dress, and the taste can’t be beaten.

This recipe, from “Linda Stephenson’s Wild Game Dutch Oven Cooking: From the Hunt to Your Table” combines off grid cooking techniques with fine eating!

Rabbit N’ Gravy

2 rabbits, cut into serving pieces

1 large onion, sliced

1 Tbs dry mustard

1-1/2 c cider vinegar

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Learn how to cook wild game outside with this book!

1/2 c flour

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp sugar

4 Tbs bacon drippings

2 c milk

In a large glass bowl, combine onion, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Add rabbit pieces to liquid mixture; cover completely. Let stand for one hour, turning rabbit occasionally.

Pre-heat Dutch oven and add bacon drippings.

In a paper bag, mix flour, nutmeg and sugar. Remove rabbit from liquid mixture: Dredge rabbit in flour mixture and then add to9 hot drippings in Dutch oven. Brown rabbit pieces on all sides.

Remove meat from pot and keep warm.

Stir in flour and cook until it starts to brown.

Reduce heat to a simmer and gradually add milk, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Add rabbit pieces into the gravy, cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

Linda Stephenson at a Dutch oven cookoff.

Linda Stephenson is a past president of the Central Oregon Dutch Oven Society, one of the largest IDOS clubs in the nation; a former IDOS regional director and she has sponsored several Dutch Oven cookoffs. Linda is also active as a Dutch oven teacher and judge, and is the author of several other gardening and cooking books.

Linda grew up in Central Oregon, hunting with her dad in the high desert. At age 12, Linda began preparing the evening meals at hunting camp, often using the wild game they had brought home. While camping the woods, Linda perfected her cooking skills over a campfire. Linda’s favorite recipes, and family favorites, are the basis for her dutch oven wild game cookbook.

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http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

The ability to start a fire under survival conditions can save your life. The inability can cost your life.

by Leon Pantenburg

There is an interesting firemaking paradox where I live in Central Oregon. In the summer, it can be very hard to keep from making a fire in the woods. During the winter, it is probably going to be very hard to get a fire going.

Can you find dry firemaking materials during inclimate weather?

But Murphy’s Law states that the more desperately you need a fire, the harder it will be to get one started. If you get wet during a sleet storm, fall in a stream or need a fire to fight off hypothermia, you need a fire ASAP, and you need to know where to find dry tinder and small sticks.

Assuming you have a trustworthy fire ignition system, and some reliable firestarter, you are ready to get started. But the missing component may be the small DRY tinder, twigs and bark to take your survival fire from the ignition stage to where the flame is big enough to start burning intermediate sticks.

Here is how to find and where to look for those materials during a snow/sleet storm.

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Survival/prepper websites are a dime a dozen. To set up a survival website, all you have to do  is buy a domain name and start posting. That’s what I did. But how do you, the reader, tell if a survival site is providing valid information? Can you trust what you read or view?

by Leon Pantenburg

Can anyone verify the authenticity of  a website? What about websites that rate other websites? How important are Google rating? How can you tell if a website is providing practical information or  just plain BS?

I'm the author of SurvivalCommonSense.com. and responsible for the content published on it. My credentials are at the bottom of the story.

You gotta wonder…so it was with great interest that I sat in recently on a journalism research class at Central Oregon Community College, in Bend, OR. The instructor was COCC Emerging Technologies Librarian Michele DeSilva, and the topic was how to verify web source information.

The problem, DeSilva said, is people assume that since something is on an internet website, that information has validity. But popularity does not mean quality, she commented, and publication is no guarantee of truth.

“A high Google rating does not mean a site provides good information,” she said. “It just means it’s popular and gets a lot of hits. ”

Some of the most popular Google-rated sites, she added, don’t have anything to do with truth, accuracy or verifiable knowledge.

Wikipedia is another source that should be avoided, she said, because there is no consistent overview or editing of the materials for sourcing or accuracy.

YouTube posts should be suspect, too, IMHO, because shooting angles, staging and carefully-timed camera angle cuts can cover up a multitude of inadequacies and lack of skill.

DeSilva recommends applying the following criteria to ANY website or source of  information before you decide to trust it:

• Who is responsible for the website? What are the author or organization’s credentials? (Hint: if you have trouble determining who is responsible for the website, it’s probably not that credible!)
• Don’t rely on a site’s domain alone for determining a website’s credibility! Anyone can register an .org site, for any reason. .Edu sites can have student projects or really out-of-­date pages. Many .com sites are excellent sources of information.
• One exception: .gov sites are reserved solely for U.S. government sites and are generally pretty credible (unless they are out of date, so be sure you know when the site was created and updated.)
• Look for an “about” page (or a “mission” or “purpose” page). What’s the purpose for this website? Is there a particular point of view that informs the Website?
•  Is the website’s content up to date? When was content last posted? Where is content coming from? Is the author creating it or collecting content from other sites/sources? If the content is coming from other places, what, if any, value is added by the website you’re looking at?
• Some sites exist just to generate advertising revenue! They copy content from Wikipedia or other free, online sources just to drive traffic to their sites.
• Does the author cite his or her sources? Is his or her information verifiable?
• If the author is presenting something as his or her original research, what gives the author credentials, or expertise, in this area?
• Are there lots of spelling and grammatical errors on the website? Any obvious factual inaccuracies?
• How many ads are on the page? Are there lots of links to commercial sites that have little or no relation to the topic the website is about?
• A good site can have ads, of course; but, again, watch out for those sites that exist just for commercial purposes.

My journalism career has been based on accurate information. In the news world, information that can’t be verified can lead to a lawsuit. Publishing  inaccurate info or passing off opinion as fact destroys your reputation and creditability, and can get you sued.

But in the survival/preparedness world, bad websites can be dangerous,and potentially life-threatening. What happens if you get some bad advice about a survival technique, for example, or buy equipment you can’t personally use, based on some charlatan’s recommendations?

You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to know better. Apply the above test to any website before you trust your safety and welfare to the information that may come from it.

And since you should be wondering, here are my credentials for writing this blog.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

The storm blows through, trees are downed, the power goes off.  No big deal, right?  Wrong.  Most people are not prepared for the power to fail, and some even panic when the lights go out.  How would your family deal with this emergency situation?  Here are some helpful tips that will guide you toward preparing your home for the inevitable inconvenience of a power failure.  Don’t wait until that situation arrives – get prepared today.

Lighting:

• Flashlights- Place reliable flashlights with working batteries in strategic locations – the kitchen cabinet above the
  

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  phone; the hallway closet with the coats; bedside drawers, the kids’ rooms (drill the kids on this fact); garage shelf by the door; utility room.  Think: “How can I easily find this in the dark?”

• Lamps – Provide longer term ambient lighting to cozy up the home and make the kids feel comfortable by investing in some affordable wick-style lamps.  They are the old-fashioned sort that may remind you of train engineers or an antique store.  Look for a round metal base with a hook for your finger and a hurricane glass.  Or, a hanging style “train” lamp that might be red or black.  You can also find glass bottomed home-style lamps that rise tall and give off a nice glow.  The unscented lamp oil is about $6.00 for 32 ozs at WalMart and will last quite a while.  Make sure you have a couple lamps for the big room in which the family will gather.  Maybe one for each bedroom.  Never leave these unattended as they have a live flame.  And, keep the wick low enough that it doesn’t give off any flicker or soot.
• Emergency Flame Pots – you can also find little lamp pots that will work just fine.  They have a simple flame, not as much room light or near as much fun, but practical for the short run. Look for “liquid candle”.
• Heat – If you have a wood or gas fireplace, then the issue of heating is not too difficult.  Grab the family sleeping bags, make some fun pallets around the fire, bring in the pillows and extra blankets and enjoy the time together.  However, without the fireplace, the issue gets a bit more inconvenient.  It’s possible for your insulated home to get down to 40 – 50 degrees depending on where you live and the weather conditions outside.  The harder the wind blows, the colder the house will get.
• Clothing – It’s time to layer up.  Put on your polypropylene undergarments, fleece or wool pullovers, thin insulated gloves, a wool beanie and extra fuzzy socks and slippers.
• Sleeping Bags – Even if you’re not a camper, this is the reason you should keep a zero-degree sleeping bag around the house.  Pull the family together in the warmest room of the house and bundle up.  Make a big cozy pallet with the bags, blankets and pillows and stay warm.  Don’t have the bags?  Then, grab all the comforters and blankets you have and build your nest.  For night time, circle the chairs and create a tent with blankets.  All the body heat will encourage everyone to sleep in.
• Cooking - A full tank of propane is a must at all times for the prepared household.  A heavy cast iron dutch oven and
  

  This Camp Chef double propane burner stove will work well, as soon as the snow is brushed off.

  a propane cooker out-of-doors is really all you need to keep the family fed during or after the storm.  Of course, it’s inconvenient to get out in the wind, rain or snow and stir the stew, but at least you have a hot meal to feed the kids.   If you have a one or two-burner camp kitchen, make sure you use it outside.  Cook under the eaves or on the covered patio but NEVER leave it unattended.

• Refrigeration – When the power goes out, the food goes bad.  Grab your ice chests and throw in your thawed meat, and cover with ice from your freezer.  Make sure you have extra ice bags or frozen water jugs (think big juice and milk jugs) for this reason.  Have one cooler for the meat and one for any other spoilable items.  After your family is nested and ready to ride it out, start cooking the meat so it can be stored outside at below 40 degrees, or put the meat back in the ice chest after it’s cooked, cooled down and contained.  Leave all the frozen foods in place and stay out of the freezer!  After a day, when you start to see signs of thawing in the freezer, start cooking.  You may have to spend your multi-day power outage cooking, eating and feeding the neighbors.  At least it gives you something fun to do.  Imagine a set of ovens cooking up stews, gumbos, soups and chowders for a big crew.  Get everyone to throw in their own meats. You and the neighbors will talk about it for years.  Relax on the situation and try to enjoy the challenge.
• Foods – Longer term survival situations (weeks following a hurricane or earthquake) require a good stash of canned and dried foods. Check out this article for tips on cooking with storage foods.  It can be important  to have a variety of dried beans, rice, pastas and powdered options on hand. Check out my other story on this subject:
• Water – Some well-publicized warnings about impending storms will encourage residents to fill up a clean bathtub with tap water. But, if you are caught without warning, you’ll want some back up solutions with stored water.  Count on two gallons per person per day for drinking, cooking and sanitation.  Some folks have bigger 20-gallons or more containers.  But, you can also store water in recycled gallon juice jugs.  Look for the numbers #2, #4 and #5 on the bottom of your juice jugs for the ones recommended to use for a short amount of time.  If in doubt about a jug, don’t use it.  Keep the water clean by using 1 teaspoon of food grade chlorine to 10 gallons of water.  And, you can always boil your water. Once the water reaches the boiling temperature of 212 degrees, that has killed everything that boiling will take care of.
• Filters – A water filter is a very effective addition to your preparedness efforts. Make sure it has the capacity to purify large amounts of water. The most effective water purification method may be boiling, so make sure you have a reliable heat source available. Read my other story on this subject:

Bottom line is to expect a power outage and take some steps to prepare your family for the inconvenience.  It’s a lot less troublesome to head into this emergency fully prepared to ride it out.  Your family will appreciate you for it and you might even make a few new friends in the neighborhood!

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Just about every survival manual has some sort of diagram on how to build a snow cave as a shelter. But the reality is that most people don’t have the skill, tools or time to effectively use this technique. This book, “Snow Caves For Fun and Survival,” by Ernest Wilkinson, may help.

by Leon Pantenburg

One of my favorite Boy Scout outings is Winter Skills Day, when we go out in the gorgeous Oregon backcountry to practice building emergency and survival shelters in deep snow. One of the more interesting lessons has come from building igloos and snow caves.

I was able to quickly excavate this snow cave, using a piece of plexiglass and a small shovel. There was plenty of room for another person to work at the same time.

Igloos, IMO, require skill, a lot of time, building technique and the correct snow conditions. Most people in a survival situation will have none of these things. This rules out igloos as a practical survival shelter for the average person.

Same thing with snow caves – we see a drawing in the book, and there is little discussion about the realities of burrowing into a snow drift to make a shelter. The general idea, according to most authors, is to dig sideways into a drift, and then up. A minimum of  two to three cubic yards of snow must be dug out and removed out the small entrance hole.

Several problems crop up immediately when using this model:

• The small entrance severely limits the digger’s ability to remove snow.
• Only one person can effectively work at a time.
• The cramped quarters limit what tools can be used, and the efficient use of them.
• The snow in a drift is usually hard packed and difficult to remove.
• You will probably get really wet wallowing around in the hole while attempting  to shovel out the loose snow.

To further test conventional snow cave techniques, I asked my 17-year-old son, Dan, to make a snow cave by himself on an outing.  A skilled outdoorsman, Dan has helped build many igloos and emergency shelters in deep snow, and knows exactly what to do. But even with the proper tools, and youthful enthusiasm and endurance, it still took over two hours to make a single-sized snow cave.

When the cave was completed, Dan was tired, wet and cold. Spending the night in that shelter, in his condition, would have been a rough experience.

 ”Snow Caves” can help you learn how to build and use these shelters. Author Wilkinson is a former Search and Rescue member, and an  experienced Colorado mountain guide, specializing in snowshoe treks and winter camping. (This post started out as a book review, but I wanted to test some of his techniques first!) According to the book liner notes, this backcountry experience lead Wilkinson to develop his own shelter-making techniques that save time and energy and increase comfort and safety.

Wilkinson’s technique is simple: cut out blocks from the front of the drift to the width of the cave. Excavate. Then, use the removed snow blocks to create a front wall.

The cave had plenty of room inside, and these scouts could have easily made the cave bigger.

I tried this technique on Jan. 21 at the Boy Scouts annual Winter Skills Day. Taking only some minimal tools, (a piece of Plexiglas, machete and small shovel) I started digging into the wall of snow next to the parking lot. Using the Plexiglas, I quickly outlined the width and height of the cave.

Within 15 minutes I was about three feet into the bank. (Another person working would have speeded things up – I could handed the snow blocks out more easily.)

Once the desired depth and width was achieved, it would have been simple to dig out a trench in the middle for a cold well, thereby creating two benches for sleeping.

But within half an hour, working alone, the cave was big enough for two people to take shelter from a storm. Blocking in the front was quick and easy. Maybe most importantly, I didn’t get wet or expend a tremendous amount of time and energy in the process.

Covering the front with a tarp was also an option. With my space blanket and tarp from my Ten Essentials kit, and a candle to heat the interior, it would have been possible to survive a night out in the deep snow. It could even be reasonably comfortable!

Like any survival technique, this should be tried and practiced before you consider a snow cave a viable survival shelter for you.

Check out “Snow Caves For Fun and Survival”  here.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

I’m watching the rain and snow beat on my window pane during the first storm of  2012 in Central Oregon. But the rest of the country has already had  major winter storms and power blackouts. Millions were left without power, and some areas suffered greatly.

A survival situation can develop in your home when the power goes out. The backup plan must include emergency lighting.

If you lived in those affected areas, let’s hope you were prepared for power outages. Here are some tips to keep you from sitting in the dark.

by Leon Pantenburg

This brings an important topic to the forefront : What happens when high winds, heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures combine to knock out the electricity in your home?

Emergency preparedness means you should have backup systems or plans for heat, lighting and water. If you’re lucky, the power won’t be off long, but batteries are gone after a few days, unless you have a way to recharge them. A generator will only work until it runs out of fuel.

One of the more important aspects of urban survival during winter storms is lighting. Without a lighting plan, you could end up in the dark from when the sun sets at around 5:30 p.m. until dawn. The right lighting supplies can make this situation more bearable.

This scenario is familiar to Tom Dumalt, manager of Globe Lighting in Bend, OR.

Dumalt lived in the Milwaukee, OR., area from 1978 through 1981, he said, when days-long power outages were common. While various battery-operated light sources work well, Dumalt also recommends stocking up with plenty of candles and matches because emergency power only lasts so long.

For the long term, candles may be one of the best choices, he said, because they’re cheap, easily available
and easy to use safely.

And if you’re a scrounger/recycler/prepper, candles are something that is always on the “To-Buy” list. And they have a place in any urban survival kit.

When buying candles for a potential power outage, all you’re really

A single candle may provide enough lighting in some power outage situations.

concerned about is quantity.  The aesthetics and mood of a romantic candle-lit dinner will soon wear off, and everyone will soon be more concerned about seeing what is for dinner.

Great places to find really cheap candles are garage and rummage sales and thrift stores. It doesn’t matter if the candles are outdated Christmas or novelty candles, odds-and-ends from a dinner party, or clunky art projects – all they have to do is provide light. Buy all you can find and stockpile them.

Another good lighting choice is the old-fashioned kerosene lamps our grandparents used. My urban survival kit includes several such lanterns and lamps, plus a supply of kerosene to fuel them. A standard Deitz lantern, according to the manufacturer, will burn up to eight hours on one tankfull of fuel. 21st Century Inc 210-32060 Hurricane Lantern No. 30

Other garage sale treasures can include old Coleman gas lanterns. These run on Coleman camp fuel or (in
some cases) unleaded gasoline, and they can be dirt cheap. I was given several once after an estate sale, when nobody would buy them. Repairing them was not difficult, and if I can fix one, so can you.

Generally, the reason gas lanterns don’t work is because of a worn-out pump or from being clogged from dirty fuel. Sometimes a good cleaning is all they need. Repair parts are dirt cheap too, so there is no reason you can’t have several. Coleman Two-Mantle Dual Fuel Lantern with Hard Case

Before you lay in a stock of lighting sources that require combustion, consider how safe they are, and if they
will work for your intended purpose.

Probably the first consideration is if your lighting source emits carbon monoxide. This odorless gas is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Carbon monoxide results from the incomplete combustion of fuels such as wood, kerosene, gasoline, charcoal, propane, natural gas and oil.

This means a gas, kerosene or propane-powered lantern has the potential to be life-threatening in a closed, well-sealed space, says Gary Marshall, deputy chief with the Bend Fire Department.

The red kerosene and Coleman gasoline lanterns can provide a source of efficient lighting, but be aware of potential carbon monoxide problems.

All of these light sources must be used in a well-ventilated area only, Marshall said. Remember, if the electricity is off, so is the fan motor in your furnace, and there may not be a way to circulate air.

Both the American Red Cross and the Bend Fire Department recommend an emergency illumination source that is battery-powered.

In any emergency lighting situation, you should be prepared with battery-operated lamps or flashlights, Marshall said. Be very careful with candles or any open flame.

An important part of any emergency preparations is The Plan. Come up with a plausible lighting scenario for your area, then decide how you will handle it.

Think about your lighting needs when there is no electricity, Dumalt advises. When the sun comes up, will you need a light source to work? If so, can you move the work area to take advantage of sunlight?

Look at window placement as it relates to lighting, he added. Would the best idea be to shut down other areas of the house, and move into a central area that is more easily lighted and heated?

Another consideration is what the lighting needs are when the sun goes down. Decide what area you’ll be in when it becomes dark, Dumalt said, then think about the most effective way to light it for different activities. A single candle might be enough to light one area for certain activities, while more light might be needed later for cooking, bathing or washing clothes.

In some cases, such as two people reading together, a single candle will be enough, Dumalt said. In situations where it can be done safely, you can use a candle or lamp to save batteries.

While you’re picking up candles, stock up on extra batteries, too, and be sure to check your flashlights or electric lanterns to determine which batteries they require.

Here are some emergency power outage tips from the American Red Cross:

• Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer.
• Do not run a generator inside a home or garage.
• If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to a home’s electrical system.
• Listen to local radio and television for updated information.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances, equipment (like air conditioners) or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, it may come back with momentary surges or spikes that can damage equipment such as computers and motors in appliances like the air conditioner, refrigerator, washer or furnace.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when your power returns.
  
  

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