There's something satisfying about providing for oneself, being self-reliant and having the ability to survive off one's skills and ability; There's just not much call for it in modern society though - Certainly not in first-world countries where just about anything a person could want is only a few clicks on a smart phone away.
It hasn't always been that way though. People had to have skills, real skills, or they simply wouldn't survive.
I'll not go as far as saying I could survive off the land with nothing but a Buck hunting knife and a piece of string, but I've got skills which I've gained over many years and from various sources. I'm resourceful, skilled in survival techniques, navigation and first aid, hunting and so on. I'm comfortable in the dark and with being alone in the wilderness - It might not seem like a skill, but get dropped many kilometres away from civilisation, alone, and you'll soon realise being isolated can be uncomfortable and confronting...An emotion that needs to be overcome for one to survive. Panic gets in the way of logical thought so being comfortable and confident is essential.
So yes, I have some skills and use them regularly. Here's the thing though, in all the years I've built these skills my wife Faith hasn't been very interested in learning them. Don't get me wrong, she's an accomplished shooter, knows what's up around a campsite and is helpful in the wilderness, but leave her alone out there? Hmm, not so good.
[Image removed]
I took this on an occasion when I was teaching Faith to shoot at long range. She's capable of repeatable accuracy to 1000 metres with my 6.5mm Creedmoor long gun. Here she's holding my .243 culling rifle.
This evening Faith and I were talking about self-reliance and how each may cope in various situations. To my great surprise Faith asked me to teach her some things, outdoorsy things. Again, don't think she's useless out there, she's not, but there's some basic things she can't do like navigate and hunt for instance.
The navigation thing is easy to deal with, although she's terrible at giving directions, gets disoriented easily and doesn't pay enough attention to her surroundings; I suppose because she knows I do it. I can teach her though, and she'll be adept enough in only several lessons; There's some key elements and once one has them learned the rest will fall into place.
Hunting? Well, she's vegetarian and won't kill things so...That's going toe be problematic.
Tonight she asked me to teach her navigation. Basically how to navigate with topographic map and compass and to use my GPS unit effectively. It made me really happy; I love the idea of teaching her how to navigate and the fact she wants to know also. We're starting this weekend when I'll take her to a scrubland area, a National Park, and begin navigation lessons. We'll have a picnic out there too so it'll not be all work.
The hunting...Hmm, I'm not sure how to tackle it. She's never seen me kill anything, never wanted to. I'm not sure what I'll do here...Maybe teach her how to track, what signs to look a d listen for as a start...I don't know. I'll have to contemplate it some more. She has the shooting part sorted but pulling the trigger on a living thing isn't as simple or straight forward as you think; Some simply cannot do it. I figure she'll struggle with that part.
For now I'll work on the navigation element and see how she goes. I'll spring a few pop quizzes on her too, just to keep her on her toes! What is magnetic declination? GO! That sort of thing. 🤣
How about you? Would you say you have particular skills that allow a degree of self-reliance? I don't just mean survival skills...Growing or preserving foods, raising stock, building, mechanics...Even the ability to home-school is a form or self-reliance...What skills do you have and which do you feel you'd like to learn? Comment below and tell me.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
I would like to learn how to read a GPS hahaha.
Yes, I can survive and have similar skills to yours and I can spend months alone in nature.
I can also certainly read a map, building plans, setting out and many other things, but when it comes to technology I am like a lost fart.
My kids of course are all experts and when my youngest daughter picks me up in her latest Range Rover Sport, that thing with the flat sloped roof, there is even a lady on a fancy radio that tells her where to go. I knew a short cut on our way and when the lady on the radio told her to straight to the next intersection, I answered the lady to tell her that she was wrong.
My daughter burst out laughing and said that the lady could not hear me.
What's the use of a voice that tells you where to go if you cannot correct it.
So, no, I will stick to my maps and thankfully I have a compass in my head that uncannily knows where North, South, East and West is.
First time that I got into a new lift, a voice said, "you are now at floor 3", so I said, "I know as I can see the lights" the others in the lift burst out laughing.
Such is life!
with computer I can at least do SOMETHING. With phone I am like a caveman. I don't use mobile internet or any apps. My texting speed is like communicating with Earth from mars. So I only use phone for calls( and even that is rare) and taking photos...
Oh my, we are identical twins you and I. Do you also type with only one finger?
Mt wife handles the phone and the only time that I touch it is when there's a call for me. Then all I have to do is to say hello:)
I take photos with my camera.
Cheers and !BEER
yes. I don't understand how others do that with more fingers. seems like some kind of magic.
Hahaha, each and every one of my posts over the years have been typed with my one finger.
Even these replies hahaha.
I can only watch in amazement as my wife's fingers fly like a butterfly in a hurry over the keyboard.
But the tortoise will also always get there.
Cheers and !WINE
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BEER.Lol...Even in our cars women tell us what to do! Typical. Don't worry Zac, I talk to mine too...That hateful woman just keeps repeating herself. *When possible affect a U-turn and head south...Shut up woman, I know a short cut!
So, you talk to lifts and Satnav units? Zac, I think I better come over and give you some real conversation.
I use my handheld GPS unit a bit. More for waypoints when I'm in the wilderness and as a safety net. I'll waypoint the camp, vehicle or certain places. It's a good reference I can use later, on another trip or whatever. Of course, I've made the error of relying on it and not taking note of my surroundings. I did it once. Took me some time to work out my location and hike the 15km back to camp in mountainous terrain. Never done it since. Still, with the map I was able to do so. I refused to use the GPS except for once about half way back, just to make sure I was indeed going the right way. I was.
No batteries mean no GPS...So, maps and nav skills are essential.
!ENGAGE 25
Thank you kindly for the token Galen.
I have thankfully travelled in all of the provinces and a few neighbouring countries here, so I know mt way around. But it's the cities and the towns that get me, as they have all now become foreign to me.
When the new government took over, they started to change the street names, for instance what I know as Macdonald Street has now become Sam Tshimbalal Street.
So ask me where is Mary Ndlovu road and I will have no idea.
My old maps have all become obsolete as some of them even sport the old national flag, which is no longer favored and I had to bin the lot.
The funny thing is that when I tell somebody a story that took place in Swakopmund, Namibia in Kaiser Wilhelm Street they don't know where I am am talking about as the street is now called Sam Nujoma Avenue.
That's why an updated latest map is so important. As far as GPS is concerned, most cars have them nowadays, but I have an old car that doesn't have such things.
On hive I even answer bots 🤣
Yes, you will be sure to double or even triple check your routes as you are a very particuler guy.
Only particular guys can do proper re-loading of ammo and still have all of their fingers hahaha.
The way that Faith cradles the rifle in the photo shows that you had something to do with showing her how to pose with a rifle 😉
Blessings and have a !BEER
The same happens here mate, for example what I knew as Ayres Rock is now something else. I still call it Ayres Rock though.
Faith knows how to handle guns, I've spent time to ensure she's comfortable and knows what to do. She sometimes helps me reload also, but under strict supervision of course. She does the weighs and batch-sorts cases, de-burrs necks and stuff like that. We listen to music and just hang out. This isn't always though.
Oh yeah, you know what I am talking about, but over here it is more profound.
Even the provinces Transvaal is now Gauteng, Pretoria is now Thswane, Eastern Transvaal is now Limpopo and so on and on. We are living in a new country.
Pietersburg where I come from is now Polekwane.
Imagine if the name of Australia is changed to Zikumbool???
Shame, free labour, poor Faith hahaha.
Only kidding as it is great to wotk toger as one. Companionship and love.
Wait for the day that she starts knitting and you have to hold the wool balls when she uses a set of 6 knittintig needles to knit colored patterns.
It will be a funny sight indeed and of course never seen in a post 😉
I have seen the poor guys holding the balls of knitting string for their wives in the old age homes where we work. Not one old man was smiling!
Zikumbool? Don't bloody jinx it...They might get ideas!
Seriously though, it's going to happen here, already is to be honest. I'm not so much of a fan of it.
Oh, and holding woolen balls? Hmm, maybe I could get Faith to knit me a rope to escape that nursing home! Lol.
Hahaha, I am back and first thing that I see is great humour to improve the day, even if it's almost afternoon here.
The name changes here is an attempt to change history and to remind the vast majority of residents that this is indeed their country. A good thing as they have been repressed for so many years by the founding european peoples.
If only they would put an end to the corruption, as then this could become the same great performer that the country was once.
Now for the first time in history Pakistan beat SA in a cricket test series.
We have been downgraded into junk status and the corrupters are fighting to take power in government so that they can escape jail sentences and continue with their looting.
Nothing is sacred here and even Covid aid help funds and pension funds are stolen.
A mad world here Galen.
Headlines; "Two people trapped outside a window on the third floor of a frail care center"
"She knitted a rope for her man, but didn't tell him that she would be joining him in the daring escape attempt" 🤣😎🤣😎🤣😎🤣😎😮
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BEER.ENGAGEtokens.Lol!
I am only 47, but my relation with technology has been so bumpy I feel I belong to the 19th century.
After I learned about hackers and what programmers can do, I can't trust any machine, let alone a talking one.
Hahaha, add 20 years to your 47 my friend and imagine what a dinosaur I am.
Seen it all from way before TVs and mobile phones and so nothing can surprise me anymore.
As far as trust is concerned, when one has survived so many trust issues as I have, one becomes immune to it 🤣
I am more worried about rust than I am about trust :)
I used to by great in the outdoors and had a great sense of direction. Used to go triking (three wheeled motor cycle, before quads) in the mountains and never lost my way, had a friend who was afraid to loose sight of me as he had no sense of direction. After the move 3500km east I have yet to properly regain my compass sense. Maybe just getting old...😕
They say it's easy, but to be honest skills like this are not so easy and certainly need to be used to keep them sharp. I think maybe what people mean is once acquired they come back fairly quickly after not being used so much. It's like anything really. having spatial awareness, the ability to observe and record details around one, knowing direction of travel, or gaining reference, instinctively by the position of the sun or orientation of a landmark...Those things require practice.
I'm one who has to know compass points at all times which makes it a problem when I travel. I never feel settled until I can determine the points of the compass. It's a weird thing but a fact.
Also, getting old happens, is happening, all the time so we can only do what we can do I suppose. And...Turned a few trikes over in my day...the damned things don't like me. 😂
!ENGAGE 25
Was that off road, I know you used to have a motorcycle (on road)?
Yeah, off road...I'm a bit of a trike numbskull actually. I can ride the hell out of a motorbike on the road, but when it came to those trikes...Yeah, I wasn't so good. It's all about physics and I never finished high school. :)
I do not think school physics had anything to do with it. I modified the foot pegs and rode double a lot. A friend did not have a place to stop his so it lived in the back of my truck with mine, myself and other friends would got out about every other weekend year round. In the winter they opened up different trails and groomed them for snowmobiles, but usually low snowfall meant great triking.
I do. I made it do things that were not physically possible...It never went well.
I had a very strange phenomenon happen to me...
I have a good (instinctive) sense of where I am at all times, and never forget once I've been somewhere... BUT - and this has happened twice - when I crossed over from the northern hemisphere, to the southern one - my sense of direction went completely AWOL!
For someone that always knows where they are it was very disorienting.
The only logical explanation that I can think of, is that it's something to do with the liquid in the inner ear, and it swirling around in the other direction or something (if , indeed, 'inner ear liquid' can swirl differently, I dunno).
As soon as I returned back over the equator, it was all back to normal..
Yeah, I understand this and it happens to me when I travel to the northern hemisphere. I normally plan ahead and look at maps noting landmarks but there I am, at the Eifel Tour in Paris thinking where the hell am I? I know now, but the first time...Was oddly disquieting.
Ah, good to know that it's not just me then ! lol
I'd say it's a fairly common phenomenon.
You're the first person (that I've mentioned it to) that's had the same thing...
ENGAGEtokens.Charisma and lead by example. Goes hand in hand, they listen when I speak so I walk the walk accordingly. In other words.. share your game with me or I'm done!
Learning to navigate under water brother. That was so difficult and equally serious in scuba training. I can read that compass on a boat, in the car, wherever. It was really tough to learn how to read and trust it under water.
Modern world. Don't tell anyone I told you this but Pura and I never talk about, ever, how we're so accustomed to waking to the corner market and having anything we can imagine at our fingertips. Abroad it's "huh? What do you mean you ran out of garlic stuffed olives?"
Nah. Didn't like this one at all. Can you tell?
I do some of my best work in the dark.
some
It's so easy to go to the shop for something. I mean, I'm literally eating sliced avocado and poached eggs on home made rye bread right now...None of which I made myself. Not that I can't make it myself, it's just easier to have someone else do it...And that's society through and through. I live in a land of abundance where everything comes easy, we just have to pay for it. 120 years ago that wasn't the case...Or maybe it was, just that what people wanted was much less than we do now.
Anyway, garlic stuffed olives...I love those little bastards! Hang on, that's not what I meant to say I meant...
Anyway, I value self-reliance and having skills that allow me to be self-reliant, the attitude to want to be makes me happy and confident. Not arrogant mind, confident. There's a difference.
It's like your navigate underwater thing. Many are like...Want to go diving - Go diving - Rely on someone else for the details. It's the same with anything really...Some just want to do the thing and not understand it, others want to delve a little deeper, gain some skills. Navigate using compass and topo map? Why the fuck would I want to know how to do that? Learn first aid? Why the fuck? We have ambulance officers and first-responders.
Society is it's own worst enemy. The just google is ethos.
Good in the dark huh? Lol.
Good comment Dan.
!ENGAGE 25
Yes'ir. A lotta fools wear them digital compasses down. No thanks!
LoL "see?"
Haha, yeah...Those idiot-watches that tell people when to breathe, what their platelet count is, how acidic their urine is and how much electricity their brain creates...Here's the big tip: Not much if you rely on that watch ya fucking dum dum. Smart watches, essential for all dumb people.
Can you see I'm not a fan. Get ye a Casio Rangeman...You'll thank me people.
Hardly even noticed.
Best to call it how it is I guess.
ENGAGEtokens.I am quite proud of my patience (in some cases), stubbornness and imagination/crazy dreams.
this is probably more about wanting to be different than I am and less about learning. But I would like to be less introverted and sometimes to overthink things less and just do what I want to do. Also at times I wish that I was born not in Lithuania so that english would be my first/ often used language.
But then again if I had those qualities/ skills I would no longer be me. That is high price and I don't think that I would be willing to pay it.
I believe a person can still be them and learn new things, think differently and change. We're human and throughout our lives change is inevitable. Patience is a good virtue, imagination too...Stubbornness/ Well, it depends on the situation at hand I think. For me I like how stubborn I am to give into to failure and bad habits. I see that as a good thing. But been so stubborn that I failed to learn new things, to listen to good advice and take example...Bad stubbornness. It's all about how it's applied.
Your English seems pretty good. I can tell it's not your first language at times but that's because it's not your first language. You do fine.
!ENGAGE 25
My english is weird. When I read posts here on hive, watch anime reactions or let's plays of games I understand everything well enough. When I write I often make mistakes. So I check for them with google translate. I have not spoken english in probably more than 10 years...I think it is funny that despite this I wanted to travel to Bangkok. It would be quite interesting odyssey.😜
Weird English is still a version of English I guess. I know people who have grown up with it as their primary (only) language and speak/write like five year olds, so I think you're going ok.
ENGAGEtokens.It's good to know that behind that intimidating warrior in the picture there is a vegetarian. I just hope she feels equal sympathy for humans (I know that most animal lovers become animal lovers precisely because they end up hating humans, and I can't blame them).
My survival skills are limited. I never learned any particularly useful trick to survive under extreme circumstances. I always had a hard time to find my way home whenever I ventured into the haciendas (cocoa plantations) around my home.
But, growing up in a small rural town one has to become independent from early age. No parent took us to school or picked us up, not even in kindergarten. Forget about parents or relatives waitign for you outside school. So self-reliance started right there. We had to run errands for parents, relatives and/or neighbors and that required physical strength and memory. Any kid in that kind of environment develops an early sense of independence. That's one of the things I lament about modern life, especially in big cities.
I guess that mentality accounts for whatever good thing we can do in these times of crisis. Our ability to adapt and persevere, our ingenuity to find alternative solutions to our problems when the fast or more practical one is not available.
Hmm, she's a bit like me in that regard...People confound her; Their greed, insensitivity and selfishness. She hates what social media has done to people, and hates people for allowing it. (She has zero social media). So, I can't say she hates people generally because she does not...She just limits contact with them. And I don't blame her.
Those things you describe are important in an urban environment. They teach persistence and drive and that independence you mention. You also mention ingenuity and I'd say that's a skill that transfers to any environment and many survival situations. The ability to think logically, to compartmentalise, to retain information...To determine a plan and act on it...These are survival skills and ones that many simply don't have.
That's a great thing, the fact that she does not get involved in social media. That's wise. I want to think this will be some sort of "phase" people will outgrow and something better will come that will allow people to make better use of their time
Hmm, Henrry I'm not sure if it's a phase but I agree, it would be nice if it was like that rash that appeared in a place a person would rather it didn't. Here today, gone tomorrow...After the application of some cream. It's a plague on society mate, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like. Still, what do I know, I'm not 20 years old. Lol.
Even though I have not done it in a long time basic map navigation is not something you forget easily. I have never used a GPS to help me get from point A to point B. But finding things to triangulate your location on a map with only a compass was not really to hard to learn.
Fire starting is also a very important skill, so that would be a good skill for anyone to learn. Those bic lighters are going to run out of fuel at some point.
I've had some training in navigation and am reasonable at it. I actually enjoy it. A while back I did some rogaining which is a navigation sport where waypoints are placed in a huge area, usually forested, and one has a map and compass and has to gain points for tagging the waypoints with the greatest points being the furthest and hardest to navigate to. (No GPS permitted) It's hectic as time is also a factor. That's when one comes to understand how good one is at nav. I did it for fun. One one occasion my team, two mates and myself, ran/hiked/walked just over 35km in the day. I was younger of course. Lol. We averaged 5.5kph over the day in rough terrain. Not super-fast but considering we were navigating off a topo map we did ok. Didn't win though.
I Have a Garmin GPS handheld and use it a lot, but when I'm remote I always carry topo maps and the wherewithal to use them. Relying on GPS alone is for schmucks and city folk. Lol.
I'm with you on the fire creation thing. I have three methods of lighting fires with me at all times when I head into the wilderness, none of them is a lighter.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.I'm going shooting tomorrow 🙈
Sounds good. Looking forward to it? Hunting?
Camera shooting job at a shooting range. I said I'll take the job if I can shoot a gun too, they say I can try anything I want :D Nervous and excited!
You'll be fine. Just point it down range and squeeze the trigger. I've never met anyone that didn't enjoy it. Have fun. 😊
😂 Magnetic declination? Is that even a thing? Be gentle and I'm sure your wife will catch up fast.
Can cooking be called a skill? I'm good at that and wish I could learn some. It's best one learn these skills at a young age. Learning is usually heard when one is all grown up! I hope you have a great time.
Cookimg is a skill, and as it turns out, one that is fast being lost. When I was a kid every meal was cooked at home by mum...These days most are bought, pre-made with heating up about all that is required. I mean here, not in some other countries. People are forgetting how to cook for themselves due to food delivery and pre-made packaged meals. So, cooking is a skill.
I'm sure my navigation lessons will be deployed in an appropriate manner and yes, magnetic declination is definitely a thing.
Your post is reblogged and upvoted by me. It is a good post. Thank you @galenkp
Thank you I appreciate that.
Hmmm surving alone in the wilderness... Killing would be an issue for me too. I would stick with shrubs and seeds lol.
You should teach survival skills, you would be very good at it. Or make an e-book. You have a lot of knowledge about this.
!ENGAGE 20
You're vegetarian?
I tried to be! 😂😂 It was exhausting because I always had to find new stuff to eat. I am a fishtarian, I love fish! Maybe catching fish would not be horrible if I were in a survive or die situation. I felt good when being a vegetarian but... I was always hungry😂😂
Faith is actually pescatarian, eats seafood, it's just easier to say vegetarian. For her it's the smell and texture of meat that turns her off and of course, she's not into the killing. How that works in respect of fish I do not know. I know enough not to question it too much. Better for my health that way. 🙄
I was raised vegetarian until I meat Faith actually, my mum was and so we all were. That's 17.5 years. I never went hungry though, and wasn't the skinny, pale sickly looking chap people think vegetarians are. I don't eat much meat these days either to be honest...It's too complicated making two different meals mostly...Although it happens.
Cooking 2 different things all the time would be exhausting so I get you.
There is a lot of diversity for vegetarians if one is trully commited for it. It is just more time consuming than putting a steak on the grill.
ENGAGEtokens.The killing things (for a vegetarian especially, I would have thought) is a tricky one.
Is there anything 'ugly' that you could hunt together ? (maybe even a snake - your fave!)
It's the psychological barrier of killing - so something 'ugly' might make the crossing of that particular bridge, a little easier on Faith?
Hmm, I don't think that will help to be honest. I don't mind though, I'm not one who pushes this stuff on people...If she doesn't want to then ok, I'll do it and I'll teach you some other skills. Killing isn't always the easiest thing to do but there's other stuff she can learn.
Can you teach her to find edible plants?
Which reminds me I still have to take my kids orienteering. Which is probably more possible at this age range (and once this bloody virus buggers right off) as I'm much less likely to randomly lose youngest to some random interesting looking thing that just so happens to be one bushland over XD
J does all the homesteady stuff around here. We have chookies (only for eggies now, we have previously bred and eaten them), four aquaponics tanks with grow beds on top (he's waiting for the right season to call his fish guy again), one big vege patch and I think he's got more planned, a lot of fruit trees and a grape vine. Oh and bees. I just lend a hand when he needs something held or watched or done while he's doing something else and occasionally prune things and move plants around (aka weeding).
J has been looking at preserving and we've made jams and tomato sauces and things. Then we got lazy and now that he's been working from home he's been getting back into things with a vengeance.
I have a decent sense of direction and I think I navigate by landmark (I'm not sure what I navigate by but I get to where I want to go eventually). Will use maps if I have to. I don't know left and right though which frustrates J no end if I have to give directions XD
I doubt I'd survive in the wilderness though :)
There's certainly other aspect to survival that she could learn and deploy without shooting things. Water collection and purification for one, fire-starting, shelter-building. I'm a Neanderthal type, but a gentleman too though, so I feel obligated to do most of the work while my cavegirl makes pancakes on the open fire and brews up a coffee. 😂
You're right though, there's other things she could do and the flora aspect would suit her nature.
It's cool that you have some sustainable aspects in the back yard, the cluckers and plants. Preserving is something we're looking at too although we have to get the garden set up first, which is what Faith is working on at the moment. The planning aspect.
The wilderness is something else again and those that go there need to be prepared. Of course, it's a little easier these days as one just needs an EPIRB and you're good to go. (Emergency beacon). Having said that, setting one off and having $150,000 worth of emergency services turn up only to find you 1000m from the ranger station isn't a good look. 🙂 #ithappens
Speaking from experience? :D
I suppose it might be slightly embarrassing if you were just lost, but they'd probably rather show up than not according to what emergency services at the hospital used to keep telling me XD and I don't think anyone would hold it against you if you were hurt :)
Lol, nah I'd never tell anyone I was that stupid. Besides, I know better because I'm prepared.
I had a mate who was an hour drive from anywhere (the minute town of Blinman actually) deep in the Flinders Ranges. He was clearing noxious pest-weeds as a volunteer, alone. He had a heart attack and somehow made it the 200m to his 4x4, up a hill from the ravine he was in, and hit the EPIRB. Within an hour we was in a chopper on the way to hospital. It saved his life.
Legit use of an EPIRB.
People who have an EPIRB in their vehicle, or boat are people who would probably know when not to use it I guess. I think everyone should have one, especially if travelling across this big old land of ours.
A PLB (personal locator beacon) is the minimum but I prefer the larger EPIRB versions which have better features. They are more designed for boat use and are a little bigger but they have a 48 minimum beacon duration as opposed to 25 on the PLB. Anyway, it's unlikely you'll need one but considering how cheap they are...Makes no sense not to. $300 (PLB) is a small price to pay for the lives of a family.
Jeez that is absolutely legit use of epirb D: And that was some will to live right there.
When I went home just recently, a police officer came out and informed everyone waiting for luggage that "internet and mobile work differently here" and told everyone to drop by the copshop whenever to borrow a PLB if they wanted to go exploring.
On the one hand it sounds like tourism is picking up which is great but on the other I'm wondering how many people have been getting lost in the jungle for them to start making announcements each flight XD (or at least I assume it was each flight, it was a first for us).
It's something I'd probably be making use of next trip as I'm planning on hitting up some places I've never been before (I would have done it the last trip if I'd thought of it before leaving or in the early days we were there instead of most of the way through, but I think we all just really needed to chill and not do much at the time).
I think if we did more road trips we would definitely invest in one (or I'm pretty sure we would definitely anyway given the other interesting items we have in the cars XD). At this stage we're only doing a 4hr drive (one way) to one destination once or twice a year so we just ring the outlaws and let them know when we're leaving x_x
Hmm, that's interesting about the announcement...Like you say, people are probably making their way into the jungle and getting lost. #cityfolk Lol.
This country is so big and when one travels across it there's little in between the towns and cities. Breaking down a few hours from somewhere in extreme heat can become problematic if the road is a less-used one and people are unprepared. (Water etc.) I'd not want to be that guy who hits that EPIRB or PLB but in the right circumstances it's smart to do so.
Get ye into that jungle the next time you go home...One never knows what excitement and adventure awaits!
OK, I love the idea of navigation lessons and want to also do it now. My big survival dream is to master bow hunting. Good job!
Bow hunting. Not something I've done a lot of, but I think I could make it work if I had to. I played around with making bows a couple years back but never succeeded in making one that was lethal enough to hunt with. I let it go for a while but it's something I'd pick up again. Stalking is the key. No point being a good shot if you can't get close enough. I'm good at stalking so I think I'd get the job done with a bow if I had to.
Being able to navigate properly is a good skill, one I'm glad to have.
I will send you link of a survivalist show called "Alone" I have been watching. Very interesting!
Wow you crafted some bows, that's super impressive! A jack of all trade I see.
Crafted is a word that conjures something beautiful, well-made and superbly functional. None of my creations were worthy of those words. Lol.
I was experimenting with woods, lamination and creating the right flex whilst retaining structural integrity. It was a massive fail. But that's besides the point. There are bows one can make with modern materials that have a reasonable effectiveness but I wanted to do it the right way. I actually have a document that shows/tells how to make it in minute detail including the arrows as well.
It was a hobby for a while and I'll get back to it someday. I just need the right wood.