Duplicate Post....................My Rant about forum members.

[Sourdough]

This is a duplicate post, and a copy of my rant.......I may be rude, and inconsiderate of my fellow forum members, but you know what....I just don't care anymore.
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This Forum is largely comprised of members "Reading" about it. and NOT living it. It is the single greatest thing that Pizzes me off about the Wilderness Survival Forum Members. Reading about it "AIN'T" doing it, anymore than watching wilderness survival crap on TV. In my book the "ONLY" thing that matters is DOING.

Think about it, one would expect on visiting this forum for the first time to encounter many daily accounts of REAL in the field experiences from the forum members, what they get is recycled advise from book readers. I could be wrong, but I feel like I am the last or nearly last of the forum members who is committed to living it. Gone is Kevin Kidder, WildWoman, WarEagle, and about 6 others.

I don't know what is so d@mn hard about throwing a 35# pack on your back and walking (Daily), even if it is in the New York City. Why are people on this forum so D@mn lazy......................It is "ALL" Talk around here. Get your @sses out in the field and write your own book.

Am I Pizzed............Yes, and profoundly disappointed in the forum membership.

I feel better now. Note: Sometimes I am shy about expressing my feelings.......so, if any of the about is unclear.
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...026#post405026

[MamaBear]

Sourdough, I do understand your frustration. Speaking for myself, I DO want to get out there and practice the skills I need to know, but in order to be able to do so, I need to know what to do. I was born and raised in the city. I have nobody in my life who can teach me the skills I need to know, therefore I seek out knowledge through reading etc. Once I feel I have a rough grasp on a concept - such as starting a fire, foraging, building a basic shelter, etc - I practice it. I foraged just last weekend and brushed up on some mushroom identification. However with both my husband and I working full-time plus OT, 2 young kids, and with both of us finishing college, it is hard to find time to practice what we need to learn. It's not that I don't want to be out on the land, living the TRUE life, but right now we're stuck. We have no family, no land to go to. So we do what we can, even if it's just a little bit.

[Rick]

SD - You could easily help out by posting on wild edibles you use, how to cut up a bear, how you navigate, what you use to start a fire, what kind of shelters you use when you are out or any of a hundred other topics. Pictures are always good too.

[BENESSE]

I wish you wouldn't hold back so much, SD, and tell us how you really feel.
It's been at least a year and I was afraid you've gotten too tolerant in your old age.

[welderguy]

Since were expressing feelings, YOU whine too damn much, Not all of us are retired and able to Play everyday or once a week or even once a month. When was the last time you posted a How to, or a what would you do , or posted any pictures of what your doing to your homestead? Why post pictures of me out in the woods, It all looks the same, I don't need to hear how nice the country I hike or camp in is, I don't need anyone approval on how I shelter or what my camp looks like.
And to be totally honest, I very seldom sleep in a tent that's why I bought a camper trailer, I enjoy primitive camping once and a while but If it is a week long deer camp, camp out well I'm not ruffing it. Just because everyone here hasn't chosen to live in Alaska and have no power no running water or plumbing, dose not mean there not surviving every single day.
Survival isn't always about the wilderness, here is a little history on me for you, Try truly being homeless, I was. it wasn't for a very long time, only a year, But I was, I had no money, one pair of shoes, a pair of jeans, and one shirt to my name. I knew no one at that time to ask for help. SO yeah that's about as BOOTS IN THE FRIGGING FIELD a person can get.

[nell67]

Well SD,you are right,for the last 2 years,I have NOT been throwing my pack on my back and getting out there and living it,getting out for day hikes have all that I have been able to do since I had surgery, sorry that you are so disappointed, but I do what I can when I can.

[Cast-Iron]

Pretty harsh there SD. Have you gotta burr under your saddle blanket? I would think many people are drawn to this site for a multitude of reasons. Personally I enjoy sharing ideas with many here even if I tend to disagree with some folks from time to time. I also enjoy what time I get in the outdoors, but I enjoy my creature comforts as well. It doesn't mean I'm inept. I also think it's possible to learn from others successes and their mistakes without having to personally endure the learning curve.

I fail to see the logic in spending all my time mothballing those little luxuries I've worked long and hard to acquire. I still build fires fairly often to burn brush or grill my dinner. Does it make a difference if I do so in my back yard, at the ranch, or at some campsite in the rain and lightning? Does that skill have to be honed 40 miles from pavement to qualify? I am an avid hunter come fall deer and turkey seasons. Pretty much one shot, one kill. I attempt to drop 'em in their tracks quick and painless. But I don't need to carry my rifle 24/7 to maintain that proficiency. I've never felt survival or disaster preparedness was a one size fits all proposition. What works for me is based on my unique situation, resources, and capabilities. If I shared your zip code, my priorities might be a whole lot more aligned with yours. But I don't have bear, wolf, or moose issues at 30 degrees northern latitude. Your growing season is measured in weeks, where mine is nearly year round (easily year round with a greenhouse). Heat is more of an issue than prolonged cold. Drought is a bigger problem than mosquitoes.

I don't know what lies ahead for us as a nation. I can imagine a wide range of possibilities, but I don't see or know the future. I admire your commitment and your level of self sufficiency, but that's not as high on my list of priorities right now. Perhaps that's a mistake, but it's my choice to make. An informed choice at that. I still learn something new everyday. Most days I am just a bumbling student. Some days I get to stand at the head of the class and share the perspective I've developed through my experiences.

It was one of your posts, Sourdough, that actually led me to this site in the first place. I usually look forward to your comments along with a few of the other "old timers" here. You oftentimes make some good observations and I appreciate your perspective. Just keep in mind we're all wired a little different and our situations may dictate a different path than the one you choose to follow. Take it easy my northern friend and keep the faith!

[Ken]

LOL, Sourdough. Where do I begin.....

I have professional and family obligations that have changed over the years. I now have a grandson that I love to get in trouble with, and I try to spend time with my elderly mom most days. And honestly, I'm older, get tired sooner, and don't have the time or energy that I once had. I had a long trial this past January, and I was actually tired after only three days without sleep.

I bought a Marin hybrid bicycle a few years ago. I hadn't been on a bike in over a decade, but the first time I got on my new bike I rode it for 20 miles and didn't fall off once.

I've taken about 5 short hikes, about 5 miles each, this year. Certainly nothing to write about here, but I survived them. Had a slight bit of pain in my left hip - it's a comical reminder of July 3rd., 2011, when I ended up under under my flipped-over quad on a mountain trail in Berlin, New Hampshire. We rolled my quad back over, I took some pain meds (yes, I had my pack with me) and I climbed back on and rode the trails for another 6 hours. The 4 ribs I cracked that day didn't bother me a bit this year. I went on a 15 mile hike in the Quabbin and a 10 mile hike in the Blue Hills last year. My hip bothered me a lot more on those hikes.

I'm going fishing with my youngest son at 4:00 tomorrow morning. I'm still not sure if we're going freshwater fishing or salt water fishing off the coast of Westport, Mass. It's his choice this time, and he's calling me in a few hours. If we opt for Westport, we'll probably include an hour or so of snorkeling and spear fishing in our adventure. If it's freshwater, we'll enjoy the sunrise with a cup of coffee while we wait for a couple of six-pounders to bite.

Like many of us here, I'm not in the shape I was 30 years ago, but my pack is pretty close to the 35 lbs. you mentioned, and I can still move okay when it's strapped to my back.

I haven't climbed the White Mountains during the Winter in several years, but my sons are doing that now with the skills and knowledge (and gear) that Dad passed on to them. I've tested my skills in the wilderness, and I'm confident that, barring a serious accident, I'll walk out of the woods and see my truck in the same spot I left it parked in.

I've delivered two babies in the field, one time was in the back seat of a police cruiser in the Blizzard of '78. I could do that again, today, if need be.

I'm not a tack-driver, but I can hold my own with pretty much any firearm we talk about here - on the range or in the field. I've killed, dressed, and preserved my own game, and I know how to do it. And contrary to popular belief around here, I make a kick-azz squirrel stew.

I constantly add to my preps at home. 'Nuff said.

I trained police, SWAT teams, firefighters, EMTs, and Paramedics for years, and helped set up and train a number of search and rescue teams for both land and water rescue and recovery. I've been to several training academies, and trained with the Coast Guard on Governor's Island and at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. I took survival courses in New Hampshire and Maine, and returned to New Hampshire to train others. Many of my certifications were above instructor level - I was an instructor-trainer in many programs. I developed, and was granted approval from the Mass Department of Public Health, to teach a number of training modules, from NBC incident rescue to ice rescue to shipboard rescue to high-elevation rescue to hypothermia care. I allowed most of my certifications to expire years ago, because my obligations and interests simply changed. I still feel perfectly comfortable in a wilderness area and in places in Boston that most people try to avoid. I feel equally comfortable in a five-star restaurant, in a courtroom, delivering a speech before a gathering of hundreds of people, or in my backyard picking up dog sh!t.

I can still rappel (last time I rappelled was around '05) down the face of a cliff or a high-rise building with you hooked onto my belt, and buddy-breath with you if your regulator craps out at 80' below the surface. I've plotted hundreds of courses on maps and charts, and my compass has never failed to get me precisely where I wanted to go. I've built and spent the night in snow shelters and debris huts. These days, I prefer my comfortable California King-sized bed.

I'm thoroughly proficient using every piece of gear that I own, and I have, and usually carry, backups for my backups. I believe that I could stock a small sporting goods store.

Now that I've been thinking about it, I'd like to do some mountain zip-lining or rappelling this summer. Care to head east and join me?

I may be a bit rusty with skills I haven't used in a while, I may do things a bit slower, and I know that my endurance isn't what it once was, but when you've done things over and over and over again, and trained hundreds of other people to do those same things, you don't forget how to do them. It's like riding a bike.

Me BEFORE I rolled my quad over:

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Me AFTER I rolled my quad over:

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[hunter63]

I really don't care what anyone thinks, about what I do or don't do.

I find the idea of a complete camp(w/options) to be able to withstand most anything that the world in general can come up with....and work on my "Place" along those lines.
Don't really care to get into that too much...That's my business.

SD, I do enjoy your posts as being valuable, interesting, and make good points.......although I don't agree with all of your ideas....I would miss your input.

[LowKey]

SD, you just gotta stop reading those silly ROTW posts.

What has happened lately on the forum here is that so much of what we love has come under fire from the Government that I think the forum has gotten slightly sidetracked. We have to stay informed, and the conversations have been for the most part civil on some of the more hot-button items, but some of the Skills side has fallen off. All it requires is for someone to start a topic...

My interest here is more homesteading than roughing it in the wild.
I think I pretty much "survived" the Back to the Earth movement of the 70s.
We smoked meats, preserved food, chopped wood for the burner, and lived quite frugally.
Learned a lot from my Dad (he was a Marine) about camping, gardening, keeping, killing and eating the small livestock you can get away with keeping in what was once a sleeper suburb of Boston (I wouldn't even think about trying to afford to live in that gawd-awful yuppified place now.)

I'm working my *** off right now, while the money is still good. Weekends are overtime. Sundays, double. Still hoping to save enough to get a homestead of my own to retire onto. I've got about 10 years to go, if I can afford to retire at 62 (be my luck the retirement age will adjust up every year from now on).
Sucks to get old, too. My back and knees are not young any more, no matter what I try to tell them. Rough terrain and bicycling is becoming a problem.
But I would try zip-lining. That has always looked like a good time.

[Desert Rat!]

I'll try to do better, BTW a 35# pack how come so light!

[Desert Rat!]

Ken you must give me your squirrel stew recipe, you think I could substitute jack rabbit for squirrel?

[intothenew]

....................This Forum is largely comprised of members "Reading" about it..............

That depends on the metric you use. If you use the post count metric, I think this forum is largely comprised of "saint" members posting political, social, and economic jibberish.

........................Survival isn't always about the wilderness.........

But this site is, or should be.

...................I would think many people are drawn to this site for a multitude of reasons......................

And I doubt the latest conspiracy theory is in the top ten.

.............................the Government....................

This is an International board, one of the many things that keeps me here. Your government has nothing to do with the physics of wilderness survival world wide.


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That is not being prepared, you should dress for the crash, not the ride. You need some training.




Get a grip folks. The "saints" need to show it over, and over, and over. The grasshoppers need to practice/show it over, and over, and over. How many have participated in the Skills/Preparedness Challenges?

[Ken]

That is not being prepared, you should dress for the crash, not the ride. You need some training.

The temperatures were in the mid 90's. I'd rather go down with the crash than with heat stroke.

[Ken]

Your government has nothing to do with the physics of wilderness survival world wide.

But for the word "physics," I'm would be in complete disagreement with your statement.

[MilesO'Thunderhooey]

My goodness! Here's a truth:
There exists a category of people with a firm knowledge of how one is supposed to live. To them, it’s absolutely necessary that everyone around them live life by their pattern.
Alexander Odintsov

[intothenew]

The temperatures were in the mid 90's. I'd rather go down with the crash than with heat stroke.

There is nice vented gear, I have two seasons of riding gear.

[intothenew]

But for the word "physics," I'm would be in complete disagreement with your statement.

I should have included "chemistry" also. I travel the world, regularly. I would like to here from every corner on those two subjects.

[welderguy]

My goodness! Here's a truth:
There exists a category of people with a firm knowledge of how one is supposed to live. To them, it’s absolutely necessary that everyone around them live life by their pattern.
Alexander Odintsov

Very appropriate, very true Indeed!!

[tjwilhelm]

Sounds to me like the O.P. is full of assumptions and judgments based on little to nothing in the way of actual knowledge of other members here. I go back to what my dear old Dad (God rest his soul) used to say about "assumptions":

Assumptions -- they are exactly like @$$holes...everybody has one, and they think theirs is the only one that doesn't stink!