Sustainable survival

I know everybody has different reasons for learning survival skills. I want to learn so I'm able to live on my own in the woods. I know if you shut down all the electricity in the Westernized nations forever probably 70% of the population would die. I thought it was rediculus that people don't know how to survive. Confused

Without the modern world people would struggle for a few weeks or months and die. I often wonder how hard it would be to survive the rest of your life like a hermit. Just you and the woods. I want opinions by assuming the skill level is one of anyone on this forum, which is pretty high.

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I love to hike.

I want to know enough to keep me alive long enough to walk out, if I get lost.

In an end-of-the-world type scenario I'm sure I would live longer than most people, but I don't worry about that. I know where I'm going when this body of mine dies.

I carry enough gear for me to spend an emergency night in the woods without too much discomfort. Cool

That's why I learn survival.

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

I saw surviverman and thought "thats sooo cool!." Laughing

I love nature and I just thought it would be neat to know how to survive in the wild.

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quote of the week: "Missed it by that much,"- Get Smart.

I love nature, and being outdoors. My dad is big on computers, so I kinda have grown to be the handy man. I am learning all of this so I can keep myself and my family alive in any situation.

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~~~Watcher Of The Woods~~~
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can"~John Wesley

I am very passionate about nature and want to wander North America, surviving as I go...when it really comes down to the fine points, survival living is much more relaxed and easy than living in our modern world. Its also much less complacent

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We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

I personaly could be that guy that lives in the mountains. To live off the land & survive.
Its hard no doubt, but if you know a bit of everything about taking care of yourself & being mentaly fit you can do it. Alot of people in this world will not make it when " that day comes " cause they dont care about anything else but the moment, they never think, what if ?. I on the other hand am always thinking, what if !? this, what if that !.
Im always keeping my mind ready. And teaching myself skills that i think i need. Cooking, sewing, fire making, shelter making, hunting, knife sharpening, fishing, etc. All skills you must know something about or your time out there will be ever harder. Thats not fun. Knowledge really is power Smile

You can have a Million dollars in the bank and living on easy street, but it dont mean sh*t when " the day comes " to truely look after yourself or a loved one. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to help 4 or 5 people that know nothing about " surviving " and they see you and ask for help & you can say, Ya ! come with me, i got food, shelter, and you can warm yourself by the fire Cool

Haveing camp taskes shared with 4 or 5 people make Surviving Waaaaaay more easy to deal with.
Its all in how you look at the world & yourself. I for one, want to " SURVIVE " !!!!!!! Laughing

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
We are Known By The Tracks we Leave Behind
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Last edited by Drummer Dave on Sun Mar 23, 2008 7:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

Im like wildthing, I watch Survivorman. plus when I was little I was always in the woods but always wondered if I could survive there. and I love the outdoors fresh air and relaxing Very Happy

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I just heard something big crack�.. holy crap!-Les Stroud

In my case, that is how I was raised. We lived way back in the mountains and providing for ourselves from what we could raise, grow or hunt and gather from the wild was just our way of life.

I teach survival skills now to a lot of people from many backgrounds, and their reasons for learnig are as varied as the individuals themselves.

I don't look for the end of civilization, but I do plan for natural disasters.

I can survive in the wild with very little, but I do carry some things that make my stay easier. I am a very committed hunter/trapper/fisherman, and as such I am constantly far beyond the grid at any given time of year. In my travels, at any time I could be injured, trapped by weather, or have a road wash out or a rockslide close the trail. I just plan to make sure that no matter what situation I find myself in, I come out under my own power.

One of my greatest pleasures is when one of my students does get into a situation, and uses what they learned to take care of themselves and come out in good shape.

I believe that survival skills are just another treasure in your pack that helps you to learn to think your way out of any situation, helps to give the self confidence to try new things, while at the same time, it helps you to connect with your ancestors, to understand the self reliance and intelligence to live with practically nothing and still thrive and prosper that they had.

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All gave some, Some gave all.

To be honest, most people would need a Significant Other to survive long term. I don't really believe in the single person survival long term routine. I started in camping by doing lone camps, simply because you couldn't find anyone else interested in it. This was back in the mid '70's. I say that to show that I have had experience in the wild alone. A week or two weeks is about all I would ever want to spend alone in the wilderness. I could go much longer on the chance of meeting someone, but if something catastrophic happened, it's impossible to say what the odds of that would be.

So, that is the first step in surviving long term. You have to have a close buddy that is interested in this type of survival. I think some pets might pinch hit, in that it would give you someone to talk to, but I'm not sure if that would be enough.

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Chacun a son gout.

I guess for me it's not the fact that I'm preparing for the end of the world type situation, or expect it. It's just the reality that without technology modern man can't survive. I doesn't make sense to me that we can't survive by ourselves. I guess that's the whole purpose of society, help others survive, and break down labor. It's kind of the thing like, "hey our ancestors could do it, why can't we?" Now the ancient skills are put in museums instead of being used. Man seeks easier ways to do things. I guess to the point where you can do something unrelated to survival, and stay alive.

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I started my training quite young , spending days along the banks of the Mississippi in northern Mn fishing , gathering, surviving. By the age of 13 I was out on my own coming from a broken home I worked and provided for myself. To stay at home when I was young , meant cleaning ,cooking and caring for 4 brothers and the house,mom and stepdad both worked so I spent as much time on the road as possible. By the age of 16 I had graduated to spending the entire 3 month long Mn bow season in northern Mn . We stayed in a small trailor mostly with no water , electric, nor plumbing and no heat. Now I say mostly as we preffered not to stay in that mouse infested firetrap we much preffered a makeshift tent or lean to lol. We had little or no money and other then my friend Jim's dad stopping in occassionaly an droopping off a bag of rice mashed potatoes or some canned goods an to check on our well being. And of course to try an coax us back to civilization we fended for our selves. By the time I had reached 18 I had been as far south as New Mexico, had been to Wi , Mich , N Dakota , S Dakota , Montanna , Colorado , Missouri, Texas , Canada , Oklahoma , And in the last 5 years have lived in Mn , Wis , In , Il , and Tn so there you have it lol . Just thought You all might like to know little bit about me and my background .

I learn survival stuff because I deer hunt... and if you are out tracking a deer and get lost or night creeps up on you... well lets just say its nice to know what to do.

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Limitations are created only in the mind.
Only by ignoring them can one truly be great.

Like BCX I initially started the survival thing because I hunt in the backcountry. We are very isolated with no way of contacting anyone and we are atleast 100 kms from the nearest sign of civilization. Now that it getting harder to access the backcountry with an ATV I am getting into backcountry hiking and survival. It is one thing to be in the backwoods with an atv but quite another to be isolated knowing that the only way out is on foot. Takes on a whole new element of planning and mental preparation.

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Everything within your environment is a potential survival tool.

The first year of my existence my parents made their first trip to Ontario's Bruce (Saugeen) Peninsula. It turned into a very regular thing, with rental cottages giving way to 3 of my uncles having their own cottages built. All the men fished, and I did until I got bored with it and wondered what was up the shore or in the woods. Although it can be called "cottage country", there was - and still is - tracts of wilderness that are surprisingly large considering how small the peninsula looks on a map. So I got into hiking, and started learning survival techniques because in addition to being interesting, they could keep me from becoming crow chow. This interest has spilled over into my urban existance, too. I figure I'm ready if there is a major winter power failure. No community centre shelters for me.
As for living off the land, I could do it if I applied myself and learned more. But as appealing as that sounds, I also enjoy much of what the city has to offer. The ideal situation for me would be living in nature with trips to the big smoke when I want.

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"The monkeys are throwing stuff at me again."
-Survivorman in Costa Rica