The leaves fall and the weather turns frightful outside but we still have to head out in it. It might only be for a few minutes at a time but no one likes being cold and wet. A high-quality survival … Continued
The 12 Best Survival Jackets for Bad Weather and Disasters Read More »
On November 21, 1916, Britannic, the sister ship to the Titanic, sinks in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people. In the wake of the Titanic disaster, the White Star line had made significant modifications to the design of the ship, but on its way to pick up wounded soldiers near the Gulf of Athens, it was rocked by an explosion causing even more damage than that which had sunk the Titanic. Many of the dead were from some of the crew who attempted to launch life boats while the Captain tried to run the ship aground. The life boats were …
The post Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 21, 2019 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 21, 2019 Read More »
Security overload leads to apathy. How often do you hear a car alarm go off and roll your eyes hoping the owner would disable the blasted thing before the incoming headache comes a knocking? The primary objection I have to such systems is they work too well. Every week I hear an alarm being triggered […]
This is just the start of the post Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!
Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.
Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy Read More »
Learning how to predict the weather without relying on forecasts is an essential skill that a survivalist or prepper should develop.
You’re reading 10 Tips to Add to your Weather Forecasting Knowledge After SHTF, originally posted at Graywolf Survival – Emergency preparedness from a Counterintelligence Agent by Graywolf.
10 Tips to Add to your Weather Forecasting Knowledge After SHTF Read More »
There are many different ropes, cordage, quick links, and carabiners that you should consider keeping on hand. Over the years Matt and I have found that having the right type of rope or chain can make all the difference on … Continued
Beyond Paracord: Ropes, Chains, Quicklinks, Carabiners, and Ratcheting Straps Read More »
Still, for complete beginners, ready to drill their first hole in the ice, here are a few hints on how to get ready for ice fishing, and be safe and warm.
The first rule for keeping yourself safe from any potential dangers is very simple – never go ice fishing alone! The greatest risk of this activity is hypothermia, which can quickly kill if one falls into cold water.
When planning your first experience, make sure you find a partner. A pair of extra hands can literally make a difference between life and death if any accidents occur. Also, always inform someone about where you’re going, so that they will be expecting you to return and could contact the authorities if you fail to show up.
When it comes to ice safety, again a simple rule follows – ice is never 100% safe. It can be a foot thick in one part of the lake, and just an inch in the other one, so you need to be cautious all the time. To keep yourself alert, forget about booze when you’re on the ice. It won’t take the fun and joy away, and you’ll be safe.
To put a hole in the ice, the solid ice needs to be thicker than 4 inches, and it’s a minimum you should never go below. For a snowmobile or an ATV, it needs to be thicker than 7 inches.
Apart from the fact that the thickness of ice varies in different parts of the lake, there is another one worth knowing – ice flows and tends to break because of the strong winds, sometimes leaving fishermen away from the shore.
You’ll need some tools and items, to have a complete ice-fishing experience. Here are the essentials you should bring:
Apart from this, make sure you’ve dressed appropriately for this occasion, wearing layered clothes. The material closest to your skin needs to keep you dry, so consider pants, pants, socks and mitten liners made out of moisture-wicking material, such as polypropylene. The next layer should keep you warm, so think about wool or fleece, and add windbreaker shell for wind protection. Wear hats with ear flaps and mittens, and make sure your boots have enough layers of insulation and protective rubber layer to keep your feet dry.
With your gear ready and your hole cut, you can now enjoy the thrill of fishing.
Ice fishing most often calls for subtle movements of your bait, or combination of active and subtle bait movements. Try out several rod movements until you find out what fish prefer, and change lures and baits occasionally for the same reason. Given that fish are less active, the greatest odds of catching something will be right after dawn and just before dusk.
Follow these tips and pieces of advice in order to be safe and have a successful and fun ice-fishing adventure.
The Cold Facts: Ice Fishing Fundamentals Read More »
by Todd Walker
Three 21 foot logs, the crowning roof logs, lay on the ground debarked with pine sap oozing like beads of sweat. They would serve as my ridge pole and two top plate logs. Then it happened…
The landowner’s son, my good friend, walked to the cabin site and told me that the family was putting the land up for sale. I was shocked, not so much about the fate of my “practice” log cabin, but because he was raised on this beautiful land his entire life. He apologized about all the work that I had put into the cabin.
“It’s a practice cabin, buddy,” I said.
A year and a half of felling, bucking, skinning, stacking and pinning logs together. My options were limited. Let it sit unfinished and eventually rot to the ground. Or move it. DRG and I moved to the property across the road just a few months ago. Yep, that would be its new location.
Weeks before the news, I had arranged a work day with a group of our friends to finish up the walls. The building party turned into a demolition day. Each log was labeled and numbered to make reassembling the log puzzle less confusing. Stick by stick, the team worked all day to tear down 1.5 years of work, some of which they helped build.
Many thanks to these fine friends on demolition day!
After the dust settled, the job of rebuilding began. I figured reassembly would take less time. I was right.
I decided to go back with dry-stack stone piers for the foundation. This would save money since the land had plenty of stones for stacking. Boulders I couldn’t physically lift, there were several, I used my rope come-a-long to inch them onto a trailer. My friend’s tractor would have made this task a breeze, but it was in the shop for repairs.
One lesson learned from the first stone foundation was I didn’t need to be exact on stacking each pier. I got them close to level using a water level and tweaked them as needed once the sill logs were on top. Dimensional lumber would require each pier to be exactly the same height. If you enjoy putting puzzles together, this job is for you.
Dry-stack piers
I needed to start stacking logs. The challenge was to transport the two 1,000 pound, 18 foot sill logs from the previous site to their new home. My log hauling operation consisted of Donkey Kong (4-wheeler) and Junior (LogRite Arch). This duo had successfully hauled all the other cabin logs across the creek, up a 75 yard incline which makes young men huff and puff, and across the road to my place.
I crossed my fingers and headed toward the creek with a sill log in-tow. Donkey Kong crossed the creek and stalled with its front tires off the ground. The opposite end of the long log was stuck on the other side of the creek. I knew then that I was in for a long afternoon of winching up a steep hill. After five winching episodes, we made it to the top! And in 90+ degree Georgia heat with high humidity. I was soaked.
I rebuilt my lifting tripod at the new site, hung the chain fall, and started setting sill logs. The first row is important and takes the longest to get set. To square the corners, the Pythagorean Theorem was used to form a 3-4-5 triangle at each corner.
From the first build: The corner nail is near the head of the hammer where the two chalk lines intersect. The tape measure forms the hypotenuse of the right triangle.
Five sill logs set and squared at the new site.
Before disassembling the cabin, each log was labeled to make putting it back together a no-brainer. It’s like paint by numbers.
Logs staged in order for assembly.
A fine sight!
Four rows complete!
Every log you see was felled and bucked with an ax, with a few back cuts using a one-man hand saw. Logs were debarked with a barking sud or draw knife. Most of the assembly on the original site was done with a brace and bit and sledge hammer. I chose this pioneer method the first time around. On the rebuild, I’m running power tools with a generator. The use of modern tools has sped up the process considerably. I even have a shop fan to move hot air around the new site.
Those who have followed this log cabin build may remember the hand-hewn log floor joists on the first build. I made the decision to abandon this floor system. Why? Two reasons…
Pressure treated lumber was used as joists. It was cheaper on some boards than non-treated. Plus, I’m not sure how long it’ll take to get a roof over the cabin. The old plywood subfloor was salvaged and tacked on the new joists as temporary flooring.
Shimmed and screwed rim joists.
Installing flat boards on round logs had a few challenges. There are gaps between the two, some almost 1.5 inches. I used shims to keep the 2×8’s rim joists plumb. Six inch screws secured the joists where large gaps appeared. Joist hangers were set on 16 inch centers for the 10 foot run on the floor.
Temporary flooring with lifting tripod .
The front porch joists are 2×6’s to cover a span of less than 6 feet.
We’ll keep practicing until we finish this log cabin. We’ve been here before.
Keep Doing the Stuff of Self-Reliance,
~ Todd
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Deja vu: Building an Off-Grid Log Cabin… Again Read More »
Looking for something to do in Minneapolis, MN this coming weekend? The 2019 Fall Outdoor Adventure Expo is going on at Midwest Mountaineering. There are dozens of interesting 1-hour presentations about everything from Alaska to Africa and Kayaking to Climbing. You pick and choose what you want to attend, and it’s all free!
Kelly and I would love to have you visit with us on Sunday at our two presentations of treks we did this year. See Info about our talks, but here’s what’s what:
Climbing Kili: Sunday, Nov. 24, 10:30am in UofM Hanson Hall room 104
Find out what happens when 21 flatlanders from Minnesota (plus 1 from Australia) climb the highest mountain in Africa.
Paul and Kelly share how they prepared for, summited, and thoroughly enjoyed Mt. Kilimanjaro using the Lemosho Route, and offer up tips and advice on how to maximize your chances to do the same.
Free Tip: ‘Porter Dodging’ is a mandatory skill!
Cloud Peak Wilderness: Sunday, Nov. 24, 1:00pm in UofM Hanson Hall room 104
Looking to get away from trail crowds and above the trees? Wyoming wilderness has beautiful trails and BIG mountains only a day’s drive from MN. Whether you want to summit a 13K+ peak, catch a hundred trout, or whirl around in an alpine meadow like Julie Andrews, the Cloud Peak Wilderness is perfect!
Kelly and Paul share highlights of their 6-day backpacking adventure and how to plan your own trek.
You should also check out All the Midwest Mountaineering Expo presentations to find others you’d like to attend.
Hike On!
Outdoor Expo Talks Read More »
I was now on the Saar-Rhein-Weg, another completely unknown German hiking trail. Although the area and the route was quite nice, I was unfortunately passing through on a week-end – and parallel to the trail was a little stream and a narrow winding road where dozens of loud motorbikes were cruising along … When I approached a village I heard hunting horns and stumbled upon a village fair. The local horn group was playing, I rewarded myself with Blackforest cake and even chatted with some other tourists who admitted of having heard from me on TV …
But this was going to be a long day … When I came closer to my planned camping area I passed this lovely village pond. It was already so late that no other swimmers were around. Despite the road right next to the beach I stripped down and skinny dipped. Some locals watched me from afar but I was just happy to be clean again which cannot be said about the beach which was full of goose shit … The closer I came to my camping forest the louder I heard music in the distance. I already started panicking because it would be hard to fall asleep with an open air concert nearby. But the music source turned out to be tractor and a trailer full of kids who were celebrating God knows what. And they were moving – slowly but steadily away from me and the nice flat spot in the forest where I finally settled down.
The Pfälzer Wald was a nice area but alas without any cell phone reception at all. I decided to make a short detour into France again and went shopping in Wissembourg. Next I had to overcome a big obstacle: the river Rhine which was problematic, because there are not too many bridges crossing it. I followed the Rhine bike trail to the Rhine ferry where I was passed by hundreds of cyclists who shot me pitiful looks. I hiked more than 40 km that day because walking on flat bike paths was dead easy and the ferry ride did take less than 10 minutes! I could already see the Black forest looming on the horizon once I had crossed the river!
Europe Diagonal: Rheinland-Pfalz Read More »
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