My first night alone in the wilderness ...
Like so many WSF members, it has been a long-time dream of mine to spend a night "roughing it" alone in some remote place. I am not sure why anyone in their right mind would choose to forsake civilization for a night, but I find the prospect most thrilling.
Last night I made it happen. I didn't go off with "a knife and the clothes on my back" and try to "survive." No, I was a bit more prepared than that, though I purposefully chose to take along a very limited array of items. Besides adequate clothing and a knife, my pack included:
- an 8X10 tarp
a blanket
multi-tool
bic lighter
3 12' lengths of rope
some nylon string
an LED headlamp
a small camp pot
a "hobo tool" (fork/spoon combo, etc.)
a small folding saw
3L water
1 pint jar venison
a small folding trowell
a few other odds and ends (camera, batteries, chapstick, etc.)
On the way in I found some Solomon's Seal growing. The rootstock and young leaves are edible. I collected a handful both to be my supper.
http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1274551905
Solomon's Seal
It took about an hour to get from where I parked to where I camped. Partly clearcut and partly thick underbrush. It took a while to find a decent place. Most of the terrain is very steep. But I found a spot near the river.
Once there, I used the tarp to make a hammock slash shelter.
http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1274552073
http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1274552272
As you can see in the pictures, I tied a sturdy stick into each end of the tarp and tied the tarp to two trees. I tied another rope to serve as a kind of "ridge pole." Then I pulled the sides over the top to make a sort of "tent." It worked very well to keep the rain and wind off of me. (It rained and dripped all night.)
After setting up camp, I made a firepit and gathered wood. Not much dry stuff to be found in the rain. The fire was a challenge all night.
After seeing the fire, I tried my hand at making a "fish basket," i.e., a fish trap. I searched until I found a piece of mountain laurel with a whorl of five prongs. I tried several different materials in an attempt to weave the basket. Nothing worked very well. I ended up using mostly ferns and some tall weeds. It took WAY longer than I expected and far more material than I had guessed. Here is the finished basket (not especially deep):
http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1274552481
I set it up under a fall. I didn't catch anything. Maybe it was bad luck, but I suspect that the flow was just too strong.
http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1274552901
After this I settled in an cooked supper - venison and Solomon's Seal stew. Not bad. Everything went well until time for bed. The woods are ridiculously LOUD at night. Animals moving, wind blowing the leaves, birds chirping, and the incessant random dripping of rainwater off the leaves. It was tough to sleep. I was trying to sleep, but I don't think anything else was sleeping in the woods.
All this time I was never afraid, but I was on edge. You listen to the woods move all night when you have no better weapon than a small knife, nobody is remotely near you, you might be a little paranoid, too. We have bears in the mountains - bears that they capture in urban areas and release on us poor country folks. These bears aren't afraid of people. Still, it was no big deal until about 3am. I am laying in the hammock, about 3/4 asleep, when all of a sudden I hear a big CRACK! and the hammock comes crashing down. Instantly I am awake, convinced that the bear I have been paranoid about was attacking. I flipped out of the hammock, convinced I was fighting for my life. I was kicking, punching, and shouting as hard as I could. And the bear ... there was no bear. The rope holding up one end of the hammock had slipped with big crack and it had fallen. But if it had been a bear, it would have regretted messing with me while I was sleeping! Something tells me I'll be telling the story of the imaginary bear attack to my grandchildren.
I stoked the fire, fixed the hammock, and fell asleep, this time without fear. I think I had a breakthrough moment.
I woke up about 6am. I found a stout birch twig and made a tooth brush - something my Dad taught be many years ago. Checked the fish basket - nothing. Nothing for breakfast ... unless I find some wild edibles. I wish berries were in season, but they weren't. I found several edible greens: trillium, violet, jewelweed, and ostrich fern fiddleheads. Greens for breakfast is not very appealing, especially since most of these need to be cooked. Thankfully I found some indian cucumber to go with it. Still, not much of a breakfast, but you eat what you can find.
After breakfast I packed up and left.
This was a great experience, and quite memorable. I hope I get to try it again soon. I expect I'll have more confidence. Next time I won't take any food with me. Probably less equipment. Please don't take me wrong - I understand the value of good equipment and preparation. I would simply like to see how little I could get by with if it became necessary. Necessity is the mother of invention. Doing without something causes you to become creative. You never know what you may be capable of if you don't test your limits.
A word of caution: If you are young or impressionable, please don't try to do what I did. I have been preparing for this (mentally and physically) for years. I took many precautions. I left precise GPS coordinates for where I would be. I scouted the area the day before. I checked in (by cell) with my family. I did everything I could to minimize the actual risk. It would be foolish to blunder off into the woods to "survive." But with careful planning and preparation, you can have a safe experience in which to test your survival skills, so you will be ready if they are actually needed.
