A day in the woods will help you get perspective

If you could step outside of your life for a moment, and look at it objectively, you could create a pie chart of how you spend your time and other resources. You could create another pie chart of what your output is. You would find that almost all of your resources are spent on things that are of very little worth.

Strong statement? Yes. Valid? Probably. Proof? Pack up your family (if you have one) and head to the woods. If you can, go to a place where there isn't an established campsite. Pack only what you can carry. You should be able to learn a lot from just a 24 hour trip.

Here are some things that you might learn:
1. You need water, and water is very hard to come by.
2. You need food, and food is very hard to come by.
3. You need shelter, and shelter is very hard to come by.
4. It takes almost all your time to secure what you need to survive.

REALITY BITES
Technology empowers us to do many things we could otherwise not do. It frees up time and provides many resources. Most of us use this windfall to mask who we really are instead of improve who we really are. In the woods, all the illusions are taken away, and we are left in our base state.

In the wilderness, you are perpetually:

• Hungry.
• Stinky.
• Dirty.
• Tired.
• Cold.
• Hot.
• Sun-baked.
• Sore.
• Wounded.
• Working.

What will this situation expose about your true character as it stands today? Odds are you will be:

• Selfish.
• Angry.
• Irrational.
• Scared.
• Lazy.

Who are you, really? Who you think you are may be very different from who you actually are. Strip away all the illusions made possible by modern technology. Who remains? Who are you in your worst moments? How much do you really care about others? That is the real you. Unless you are exceptional, the real you might be a monster. What are you doing about that?

THE TIME IS COMING
When your trip is over, you will return to your home. You may notice some of the things you previously took for granted.

The time is coming when society may be reduced to the state you voluntarily immersed yourself in for just 24 hours. There is nothing you can do to stop that. But you can prepare now for that day, and in doing so will be better equipped to appreciate it, benefit from it, and help others to do the same.

PREPARING SPIRITUALLY
Can you call down miracles? If you can't, you are very unlikely to survive. Do you know God? Are you reliant on things and people that will not be around when things collapse (church, church leaders, the internet)?

PREPARING EMOTIONALLY
Can you keep yourself together and be happy in a primitive state? Can you keep morale high even when things are tough? What do you do when someone is dying from an infection? Can you hold yourself together when someone you care about has an emergency and needs you to calmly help them?

PREPARING PHYSICALLY
Can you physically labor all day without prescription drugs, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, or any other thing that isn't available in a primitive situation? Can you walk all day with 100lbs on your back through the woods?

PREPARING MENTALLY
Do you have the skills required to survive? Do you know how to start a fire? Do you know how to chop down a tree? Do you know how to find and clean water? Can you build a shelter without modern tools?

PREPARING GEOGRAPHICALLY
You will need to be in a place where you have access to clean water, you are away from other people, have access to food, and can create a physical environment that can sustain life. Almost all Americans live in a place where this is not possible. This doesn't mean you should move right now (though it might), but it does mean that anything you buy to prepare should be limited to what you can carry in a backpack, because you will be walking very far.

PREPARING GEAR AND ADDRESSING FEAR
Vast sums can be spent in trying to maintain the illusions of modern life through a collapse. Don't be suckered by this lie. No amount of money can buy security in that day. A good knife, a fire starter, a cold weather sleeping bag, a sleeping mat, a large pack, a camel back, a four season tent (if you have a family, you can distribute the load among multiple packs), and a water filter are all good things to have whether or not the world ends, but anything you can't carry with you is very unlikely to make a difference in the event you actually need it. The primary reason for this is geographic location: almost everyone in the United States would have to travel by foot to get away from where they presently live in the event of a collapse. If you have surplus money left after obtaining a basic gear load, the best thing to do with it is to transfer it into time. Spend that time learning what you can, developing character traits in yourself and in your family members, and helping other people.

Note: God will direct some people to specific locations and give them specific instructions when it comes to preparing a place of refuge where others will be directed to go. Do not use the above advice to serve as a reason to disregard whatever God tells you to do. Whatever God commands is right.

WHAT THIS MEANS AND WHAT IT DOESN'T MEAN
Nothing I've said here should be interpreted as a call to sell what you have, give to the poor, and go live in the woods. On the one hand, your house doesn't matter, your hobbies don't matter, your job doesn't matter--in and of themselves, anyway. All these things only matter inasmuch as they provide you with time and other resources to learn more from God than you otherwise could, become a better person than you otherwise could, and help others more than you otherwise could. But we don't use our resources this way. Instead, we use them to block out the most important things every day.

The inner voice is quiet. It doesn't normally intrude upon your attention without your desiring it. The quest of your life is to develop the song that the inner voice is singing, and conform your character to it. It is to bring about a life reconciled to the light God gave you while obtaining the additional light he wills to give you. It is to discover and walk the path God has provided for you to obtain the deepest desires of your heart. Almost all aspects of almost every life are designed to and used to block this purpose rather than catalyze it.

Here are some implications for your life:
How much of your life is spent on things that are of no worth? When the illusion is ripped away, what is left? What is your character like? What is your capacity to bless others when money, technology, and everything you've accumulated is gone? How are you using these things in the meantime?

Primitive Technology: Firesticks

How to Cook Fish Over the Fire (Method 2 with Head-Off) Primitive

TOP 10 BENEFITS TO RAISING MEAT RABBITS

When many people think of raising rabbits, the image of a cute and cuddly pet comes to mind.  If that’s your only frame of reference for raising rabbits than beware as this article discusses a far more important reason for raising rabbits…raising rabbits for meat production.  Raising rabbits is an inexpensive and potentially stealthy way to help your family become more food secure and self-sufficient. Throughout mankind’s history, and in many cultures, domesticated rabbits have been a valuable source of food.  The following is a list of the Top 10 Benefits To Raising Meat Rabbits:

Production Benefits of Raising Meat Rabbits:

1.  Rabbits are one of the most productive and economical livestock available.  One rabbit can produce 6 lbs of meat on the same amount of feed and water that a cow produces only 1 lbs of meat.  Think about that for a minute…600% more efficient than beef!  The only livestock animal that can out produce the rabbit in terms of turning feed into meat is the chicken due to egg production.

2.  Rabbit are prolific breeders.  Because rabbits are prey animals; an animal that provides food for the higher level predators, they are biologically hard wired to be prolific breeders.  Let’s face it, a rabbit’s primary functions in nature are to make babies and get eaten.  Female rabbits are fertile 365 days a year unless environmental stress causes them to temporarily become infertile.  Their gestation period is about 28 days, and a female rabbit can become impregnated again within 24 hours of giving birth.

3.  Rabbits mature quickly.  Again, genetically rabbits are hard wired to grow quickly.  Baby rabbits, known as kits, wean at about 4 weeks. It only takes about 8 weeks for a rabbit to reach butchering weight.  All this means that under an intensive and highly managed breeding program, a buck (the male rabbit) and 2 does (the female rabbit) can produce enough kits to give you almost 300lbs of meat a year.

4.  Rabbits take up a relatively small footprint.  Depending on the size of the breed, adult rabbits only need from 1.5 to 5 sq ft of space, each. Typical meat breeds need from 3-4 sq ft to be productive.  Because of this small foot print, many rabbits can be raised in a given space that larger livestock, like say cows, pigs, or goats.

5.  Rabbits can be raised where other livestock can’t.  Even though there is a nationwide movement in the US, there are many places where raising livestock is prohibited, or highly regulated.  Because of the small foot print and zoning laws in many municipalities, rabbits can be raised where other livestock can’t.  Often rabbits are allowed even in places that ban chickens.  Except if caught by a predator a rabbit is nearly silent…no noises to bother the neighbors into calling the authorities.  If I was unlucky enough to live in a town that didn’t allow me to raise meat rabbits, I might just have to have a few rabbits as ‘pets’ and because they are also relatively clean, so they don’t generally raise any red flags with neighbors or city officials.

6.  Compost.  Rabbit create a prolific amount of poop.  This by product is excellent for composting as it is high in nitrates.  Composted properly you are left with high quality amendment that can be used in your garden, or sold to others.

Production Bonus Benefit:  Raising Rabbits With Children.  Home rabbit production provides an additional benefit to those with young children.  By including your children in the rabbit production process your kids should come away with a greater appreciation of what it takes to put meat on the table and the fact that meat doesn’t really come from a Styrofoam package. 

Heath Benefits of Raising Meat Rabbits:

7.  Rabbit meat is high in protein.  In fact, out of all the readily available protein sources (store bought and farm raised), rabbit meat has the highest percentage of protein.  A 3oz serving of rabbit contains about 24.7 grams of protein.  The proteins in rabbit meat are also easily digestible.

8.  Rabbit Meat is very lean. Rabbits do have fat, but unlike beef and other livestock, the fat is not distributed throughout the muscle but is primarily deposited around it’s internal organs.  In fact, a 3oz serving of rabbit meat contains about 6.8 grams of fat which is about 1/3 of the fat that you’d find in a comparable serving of beef.  Because of this, there is actually a risk of starvation if you eat nothing but rabbit meat but as part of a well rounded diet it’s a very lean, healthy protein.

9.  Rabbit meat is low in cholesterol. If you suffer from elevated cholesterol, rabbit meat is a good alternative to other protein sources.  3oz of rabbit meat contains about 70mg of cholesterol.  The American Heart Association recommend no more than 300mg a day, and no more that 200 if you already suffer from heart disease.

Culinary Benefits of Raising Meat Rabbits:

10.  Rabbit meat has a very mild flavor.  Unlike beef, rabbit meat does not have a strong flavor.  This means that it makes a very good canvas for other flavors in the dish, much the same way chicken does. This makes rabbit meat a very versatile food to cook with.

Culinary Bonus Benefit:  Rabbits have a high meat to bone ratio.  Meat rabbit breeds have been developed to yield a high meat to bone ratio.  This means that there is more edible meat on the carcass of a butchered meat than can even be achieved with chickens.  A live 5lbs rabbit will dress out at about 3lbs.

Primitive Technology: Bed Shed

How to Survive Getting Lost While Hiking

Spread the love

You’ve likely heard the story of Amanda Eller, the hiker in Maui who went missing and was later rescued after 17 days. Because she had only intended to take a quick walk, she did not bring her cell phone or any other supplies with her.  Sure, she made some mistakes but the story is a remarkable one, as she kept her wits about her during her ordeal.  Her strong will to survive kept her alive in the jungle for 17 days.

On the other hand, we’ve also heard about other hikers who have not been as fortunate. A hiker in the Appalachian Trail, Geraldine Largay, survived for 26 days before she died. Although she did have camping equipment with her, rescuers were unable to find her in time.

There two stories illustrate how things can go wrong even in a simple hike.  No matter how well you may have planned, you can still end up lost. The key is getting as prepared as possible, and knowing what to do in advance, in case you do get lost.

Bring your gear, even if it’s a short hike

Experts recommend bringing a small day pack with gear with you even if you are just going for a quick hike. Such items include:

• fully charged cell phone
• extra water
• water purification tablets/personal water filter
• food bars
• knife
• compass and paper map
• matches/lighter
• flashlight
• first aid kit
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• blanket
• whistle

If you have a GPS device, bring that as well.  Check the weather before you head out, so you know what to expect. If possible go with a companion, but if not, let someone know where you will be hiking and when you will be returning. Wear weather appropriate clothes, and comfortable but sturdy shoes.

While hiking, stop and rest when you feel tired. Don’t push yourself to exhaustion. Drink enough water and watch for signs of heat stroke. If you are hiking during the hottest hours of the day (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) find a shady spot to rest. Do not ignore any symptoms your body may be showing – take care of any issues before they get worse.

What to do if you get lost

In spite of the best laid plans, you may find yourself lost.   The National Forest Service recommends the following acronym:  “S-T-O-P.”

S – Stop. When you realize you are lost, don’t panic. Calm down – sit down and get your bearings. Stay put.

T – Think.  Consider what’s around you and the last time you remembered where you are. Which direction did you come from? Do not move until you have a good reason to do so.

O – Observe. Look at your map or compass and try to figure out where you are on the trail. Look at any signs and landmarks. If you are on a trail, stay on it. What time is it – is it starting to get dark? Assess the weather and possible shelter in the area.

P – Plan. Try and make a plan on how you will survive. If you have no specific route in mind, stay put.  If it is getting dark, can you make a fire and stay warm? If you are feeling exhausted or are injured, stay in place.

If you have your cell phone, try to reach someone for rescue. If you cannot make a call, try to send a text. Get to a clearing that is visible from above, where you can be seen by rescuers. Keep yourself hydrated.

No one ever plans to get lost. But knowing the possibility that it can happen to you can help you mentally prepare yourself.

Things You Shouldn’t Compost

1. Cat and Dog Poop

It can be confusing because horse, cow, chicken, and rabbit manure are all great additions to your compost because they contribute nutrients that will help your soil. Cat and dog poop is not in that category because their waste adds dangerous microorganisms and parasites to the ground. Remember, you’re going to eat the crops from those plants.

You should compost dog and cat poop in a separate compost pile. You can find composters just for pet waste. Then, you can only use this compost on non-food crops.

2. Tea Bags

Tea leaves belong in the compost pile because they contribute nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous, all of which are essential for proper plant growth. However, tea leaves should be added to the compost bagless.

Why? The bags that come with your tea contain synthetic fibers that won’t break down over time. You don’t want that in your soil. You can compost tea bags made of natural materials, such as cotton or hemp, but be sure to double check.

3. Meat Scraps

Don’t add meat or fish scraps to your compost. While they might be organic and could add nutrients to your garden, the smell attracts rats, foxes, raccoons, and other critters to your compost pile. To avoid the stink along with any animals that might cause problems, don’t put any meat scraps in your compost pile.

4. Bakery Products

Cakes and pastries might be delicious, but they’ll attract all kinds of pests, insects, and animals. You can compost a slice of bread and dried pasta. However, you need to make sure you bury it in the compost well to stop the friendly visits from your neighborhood raccoon.

5. Glossy or Coated Paper

Many paper products can be added to your compost with no worries, such as soy-ink newspaper and old paper towels. Shredded cardboard works as well because all of these paper products come from trees.Paper that has a plastic-like coating to make it bright or colorful won’t decompose and contains toxins. It’s not a good idea to put that paper in your compost. Examples are magazines and wrapping paper.

6. Coal Fire Ash

While you can add ash from a wood fire, don’t add ash from coal fires or charcoal-briquet fires because it contains too much sulfur. Coal fire ash will make your soil way too acidic, which can be harmful to your plants. Also, many charcoal brands treat their charcoal with chemicals that won’t be good in your garden.

7. Non-Biodegradable Materials

Don’t add materials that don’t biodegrade, such as:

• Plastic
• Glass
• Aluminum Foil
• Metal

Tossing these items into a compost pile is a bad idea because they’ll never break down. You won’t be able to use your compost with these items in of it.

8. Large Branches

Broken up, small twigs can be added to your compost with other additions. Large branches take too long to break down and will make it a lot longer before you can use the compost.

Instead, try cutting down or chipping the wood for your compost pile. The smaller the pieces, the faster it’ll break down.

9. Sawdust from Treated Wood

Sawdust from untreated, natural wood is an excellent addition to compost, but wood that is treated, varnished, stained, or painted should never be added to your compost. Adding this wood to your compost pile will add toxic compounds that don’t break down during the composting process.

10. Cooking Oil

Even though cooking oil might be organic, adding it to your compost pile is a bad idea. It will slow down the composting process, making it even longer before you can use the compost in your garden.

Don’t forget the smell that will come from your compost if you use cooking oil. Cooking oils will change the moisture level in your compost pile, making it stink even more.

11. Personal Hygiene Products

Don’t put any personal hygiene products in your compost, especially if they have human blood or other bodily fluids on them. It poses a significant health risk and can cause the spread of bacteria in your compost pile.

Products to avoid adding include:

• Tampons
• Sanitary Napkins
• Diapers
• Tissue Papers

12. Diseased Plants

This one seems quite obvious, but never use your compost as a way to dispose of diseased plants. Bacteria and diseases can live in a warm environment created by a compost. The interior of compost is warm!

Later, when you spread the compost over your garden beds, you’ll reinfect your plants with your compost — not a good idea. Always burn diseased plants.

13. Plants Sprayed with Pesticides

Plants with pesticides or herbicides sprayed on them aren’t a good idea either. Those sprays are full of toxic chemicals that will spread throughout your compost. Then, you’ll layer it into your garden, and it’ll be absorbed into the soil.

14. Dairy Products

Just like meat products, avoid composting any dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter. They’ll attract pests and rodents as well as make your compost pile stink. A properly balanced compost pile doesn’t stink.

A Few Other Things to Avoid

This list is far from exhaustive. One thing to note is that you need to limit the number of citrus peels and onions that you put into your compost. Citrus peels are high in acid, and it can throw off the balance of your compost, plus they decompose rather slowly. Worms do NOT like citrus or onion peels.

Composting is a Balance

Composting requires a balance between green and brown materials. Green materials are items that are living and brown materials used to be living. Brown materials are carbon-rich, and green materials have plenty of nitrogen. If you don’t have the proper balance, you’ll encounter problems.

• An excess of green materials can lead to a stinky compost or one that is too wet.
• Too much brown materials cause the decomposition to slow to a screeching halt.

There are a lot of theories behind the proper ratio of green and brown materials. In general, you want two or three parts green to one part brown. A “part” is subjective. For example, one part might be a 5-gallon bucket. So, you might add two or three 5-gallon buckets of green materials and one 5-gallon bucket of brown materials.

So, what can you add to your compost? Here are a few of the hundreds of compostable items.

Brown Materials	Green Materials
Fall Leaves Pine Needles Twigs Chipped Bark Straw Sawdust Corn Stalks Newspaper Coffee Filters Dryer Lint Cotton Fabric Corrugated Cardboard Peat Moss Nut Shells	Coffee Grounds Tea Leaves Grass Clippings Vegetable and Fruit Scraps Trimmings from Plants Seaweed Annual Weeds Eggshells Animal Manures Humus (soil) Flowers

Make Sure You Compost Correctly

Composting isn’t rocket science, but it does require a bit of forethought and planning. You want to make sure you’re putting the right items into the compost in correct portions. Also, remember not to put any of these 14 items into a compost. They’ll cause problems and potentially ruin your compost.