Welcome!
What am I doing here?
Over the last few years, I've developed an interest in learning and practicing survival/preparedness skills, which should develop into me being outdoors a lot more. So this site simply shares what I learn and experience, through that process. Largely because of being a musician, I've been all over the U.S. and Canada, the Caribbean, Aruba, and Saudi Arabia, and I've briefly visited Korea, Thailand, and India. But these were always for brief stays, and with few "rich" cultural experiences. Aside from my childhood camping/hiking/climbing experiences, the sports I've been involved in were flying, skydiving, scuba diving, and karate. So, I have virtually no background that qualifies me as any sort of outdoorsman. And, because the nature of my primary work (3D modeling) relies on "the grid", including the internet, a simple power outage can put me out of business.
So, why would someone like me create this site? Simply to share the fun and excitement of what I'm learning now, albeit at a late age. You might choose to follow along because you're thinking about these things yourself, or you might just find it entertaining to see what happens. Aside from simple information sharing, I have NO agenda here whatsoever. There are links provided to some great expert resources, so please, for your own safety, don't interpret anything here as "instruction". I'm enthusiastic, but not qualified!
"Survival", or Hiking and Camping?
My initial motivation for studying these things was the "survival" issue. I live in Anchorage, Alaska, and if the electricity went off, my life would change immediately. I'm a 3D graphic artist, and live on the internet, so if the water and gas (heat) went off, things would immediately be very serious, especially in winter. There's no obvious impending threat of that, but it's better to learn these things calmly now, rather than while in a panic, later.
I approached it the way most people do today. I watched all the usual videos and TV shows on survival, read a lot of books, did a variety of research on the net, bought some gear, and have been doing more day hiking, even in the winter. There's a fairly standardized curriculum we all start with… How to make a fire, build a shelter, signal for help, gather some food, etc.. All of the resources on my Links page will lead you to that information.
Ray Mears...
But… Ray Mears (VIsit his site, by clicking here.) has changed everything, for me. If the information he shares had been available to me as a young man, I'd be living differently (and better) today. There are a variety of DVD's available on his site, as well as many hours of video available via YouTube. Ray Mears seemingly has all of the outdoor skills known covered, (in a huge variety of cultures) and is presenting the whole skill and knowledge set with great respect, humility, and humor. He's also very specific, which I appreciate. He's an outdoorsman, craftsman, historian, scientist, and story teller I highly respect. To provide you with a few samples, I've prepared a page with some of Ray Mears' videos. They are truly beautiful, in a variety of ways.
The people who got me interested in all of this are generally considered "survivalists", and what they teach represents an important skill set that I hope I never actually need. The goal is to become more comfortable hiking, backpacking, camping, and whatever comes after that, and have fun doing it. I think it's great if you know how to make a shelter from sticks and grass, and in fact I'm studying those things too. But… Given a choice, I'll dress warmly, go with at least one friend, pack a tent, a stove, some good food, and some hot chocolate.
My only purpose here is to share the fun of my experience, as I learn some basic survival skills, and apply them while backpacking and hiking. I am NOT an expert in ANY of those activities, so be sure and do your own research, and consult several sources, for comparison. Every endeavor has some sayings to make this point. In skydiving, we used to joke, "I love you like a brother, but our friendship ends at 2000 feet." I've heard mountain climbers talk about gear, saying, "You tied it… You ride it!" My point is that you're the only one who can take full control of your safety. What I present here is for fun, and for the sharing of information, but should not be taken as any form of "instruction". GET THE BEST INSTRUCTION AND GEAR YOU CAN, AND BE SAFE!
- Mike James