Odds ‘n Sods:

KAF sent this: Injuries, arrests after massive 70-person Metro brawl. KAF’s comment: And this was just a mishap of disorder. Imagine what will occur when TSHTF!

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Reader R.F.J. liked this: Build yourself a portable home – a Mongolian yurt. R.F.J.’s comment: Clearly useful in a TEOTWAWKI situation although some of the pictures appear “fudged” (i.e., different build merged together). Would seem a useful review to “size” the job and prevent “buildus interuptus”.

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Camping Survival (one of our loyal advertisers) is presently offering a free bottle of potassium iodate and 5% off, for any order over $100.

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Readers “AmEx” and A.A.H. both flagged this: U.S. electricity blackouts skyrocketing.

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NASA to Visit Asteroid Predicted to Hit Earth?

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 30 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Drive Your Own Sandpoint Well

Have you addressed the issue of water in your long term family preparedness plan, where will you get clean water when everything collapses? Have you considered installing a pitcher pump well at your home or retreat? The supplies and instructions are readily available and fairly inexpensive. It is a great project for your survival group or family. It requires no power to use and costs nothing to operate.
 If you are a regular reader of SurvivalBlog and have a preparedness mind set then I’m sure your guns are well oiled, you have trained to use them effectively and you have plenty of ammo on hand. You and yours have a plan for when WTSHTF. Food supplies are well stocked and you probably have a vast array of hand tools and spare parts for things that may break. The bookshelves are full of military manuals and Jim Rawles’s books. And it’s a safe bet you have a fancy water purification system or two but what about the water? We all know it is the most essential and vital of all necessities for surviving but it continues to be the weak link in most of our plans. It was for me I thought if worst came to worst I could just walk to the small creek about a quarter mile from my home to get water.
 
Then three things happened, one day my daughter and I walked down to the creek to fish and there was a crowd of about five men already there taking advantage of the good fishing and well into their beer. Though they were crude and crass and loud there was no problem and they soon left. That got me thinking that my little secret water hole wasn’t such a secret and could pose many problems and potentially lethal confrontations if everyone in the area was competing for the same vital resource.

Then I read the novel “Patriots” and decided to really shore up my preparedness régime. One night shortly afterward while working on some reloading projects I began to look for a long forgotten reference book and there on one of my selves wrapped in an oiled cloth was the answer; an old fashioned pitcher pump! It was used on my grandfather’s farm and my great grandfathers before him. It was slightly rusty but in sound condition. The only concern was the leathers which were dried and shrunken but not cracked. After a day long soak in some vegetable oil and they were like new!

Next was a trip to the plumbing supply store where I picked up 25 feet of half inch galvanized pipe in five foot sections, a three foot well point, and some heavy duty drive couplings to hold them together. Standard pipe couplings are not strong enough and will spilt when you drive the pipe into the ground so make sure you buy drive couplings no matter what the guy behind the counter says. I also bought some pipe dope to seal the threads and a drive cap so that that threads of the top pipe would not get damaged and prevent the next section of pipe or the pump from being threaded on. I also bought a new set of leathers from Tractor Supply Store incase the old ones did not draw water or ever needed to be replaced. I got all the equipment needed for under $200!

With the equipment bought and the water located the hard labor came next.  The well point and the first section of half inch pipe were threaded together with a drive coupling and a heavy dose of pipe dope on the threads. An important point here to ensure a good seal is to make sure the pipe ends meet in the coupling, end to end as the saying goes. To achieve this you will need two large pipe wrenches and two 3-4 foot breaker bars because there is no way you can turn the pipe end to end with just the power of your arms. A strong partner helps though you could do it your self, team work is always a better idea.  When the pipes have met inside the coupling they will turn no farther, until then just keep turning those wrenches!

Now very tightly thread on the drive cap to the top of the pipe you are about to pound into the ground and check it often, if it comes lose during the driving with a 40 pound pipe driver the threads will become damaged and you will have to pull your well pipe out and begin again with new pipe. If there is anything harder than hand driving a well down to 22 feet it is pulling it back out.  So check the drive cap every dozen or so hits with the pipe driver, which is about how often you’ll want to take a break from pounding anyhow. Keep adding sections of pipe until you reach water, but remember a hand pump well will only draw water to about 30 feet any deeper and you’ll need an electric pump which is contrary to the whole point of this project. 

When you think you have hit water there are several ways to check, lower a washer tied to a piece of string down the pipe and see if it comes up wet, or the simplest method while we still have running water is to fill the pipe up with a hose. When you have hit water the pipe will stay filled. If you are going to use the string and washer method make sure you use a small washer. I was told to use a washer and the directions that came with the well point said to use a small washer, I used a socket. It went down the pipe fine but coming back up it turned side ways and got stuck, I mean really stuck. It would not budge and I had to pull all 18 feet of pipe out of the ground with a tractor and this took about as long as the entire project. Once the pipe was pulled and unscrewed from the coupling in itself a herculean task and the socket removed I thought that driving the well down would be much easier the second time, it was not! Please learn from my mistake one short cut almost ruined this vital project.

One more important thing to consider is whether to install a check valve on your well or use the more traditional priming method. A check valve will close itself when you are done pumping water. It holds enough water to prime the pump on your next use. The draw back to this is that if you live in an area that is prone to cold weather the water in your pump will freeze unless you remove the check valve before the first frost. This may sound easy enough but in a total grid down situation there will be no nightly weather report and one heavy frost can render your well useless. This will split joints, crack the pump or even in a deep freeze split your well pipe. If you are relying on the pump for survival in really tough times this could spell doom for you and yours especially with no way to buy new materials.

The priming method is simple though it does add an extra step. It takes about a half gallon of water poured down the top of the pump into the well pipe to create a draw and pull the water up from the ground. I always keep several gallon jugs full of water in the garage for priming, always refilling them before I finish pumping water. When you are done pumping the water goes back down the pipe below the frost line and totally eliminates the chance of your well freezing. Keeping things as simple as possible helps to ensure that they work when you need them so I opted not to use a check valve, one less thing to keep track of in what will already be a trying and stressful time.          

It took one full day and a few hours of the next to get the well 22 feet into the ground and pumping even with having to pull it out when it was 18 feet deep. Now I have water on the property that can be had any time regardless of the power situation. There are even three spots from inside the house where whoever goes to get water can be covered by rifle fire if things get really bad.

Before I installed the pump on the well pipe I sanded it down and thoroughly cleaned it and put a John Deere green enamel finish on it. The pump that supplied water to drink and for gardens at my grandfather’s house is now happily doing so at mine!  Now I have a water source that will stay clean and cold, at 22 feet deep it will not become easily contaminated with chemicals, trash or decaying flesh. To keep it’s location a secret when the grid goes down I am building a decorative wind mill box that covers the whole thing and has doors front and back to access the pump handle and the water.                                 

Even thought the power is still up and running and water is only a faucet away I have been using the well to water the garden. I dug irrigation trenches along every row of vegetables and drilled a small hole in several empty clean five gallon buckets. I fill the buckets and the water slowly runs out and fills the ditches. I’ve found it much more efficient than using a sprinkler. And as an added bonus carrying around five gallon buckets full of water every night after work has been good exercise.

Letter Re: Solar Storms

James,
The recent solar storm prediction was not a wake-up call for me, but it was certainly an “oh-no” moment. I am not completely prepared, and I already know it.

We are moving to our retreat this weekend. Would we be able to rent a truck if the power went off? Or would I be able to find enough gasoline for multiple trips with my pickup truck? I had also put off some large purchases until after the move. We currently have three months of food on hand. That will increase to one year’s worth after the move. Solar and/or wind electric generation is on the list. More ammo. More water storage. You name it, it’s on hold until after the move.

The emergency cash had been put in the bank while we bought our place, to make the balance larger for acquiring a loan. I made a quick dash to the bank and made a hefty withdrawal. Let this be a lesson for all not to delay your preparations, even for seemingly good reasons.

Thanks again for your great web site, – Stew M.

Two Letters Re: Practice Night Hiking to Get Ready to Bug Out to Your Retreat

Mr. Rawles:
Regarding Fitzy’s letter “Practice Night Hiking to Get Ready to Bug Out to Your Retreat”, he mentioned that he was worried about his dog’s being cut by broken glass on roads and trails. Here is a product that folks might want to keep in hand if they travel with a dog: Musher’s Secret. – Paulette

Sir:
Regarding the letter “Practice Night Hiking to Get Ready to Bug Out to Your Retreat”I would not recommend the use of Vaseline to prevent chafing. However, if you look online or drop in at a bike shop there are products specifically made for this purpose.

One is BodyGlide anti-chafe balm, and another is Chamois Butter.

There are others but you get the idea. Could come in handy. Some people use these to prevent or treat foot blisters as well. – Kathryn D.

Economics and Investing:

I’ve recently been asked by several blog readers and consulting clients about my predictions for the economy for the next few years. Here they are, in a nutshell: The US economy will remain weak for for at least five years. Both the commercial and residential real estate markets are unlikely to recover before 2018, especially as interest rates begin to increase. Noticeable inflation should begin around the Spring of 2011 and will become uncomfortably high by 2012. If the announced Federal income tax and capital gains tax increases do indeed go into effect, they will stifle the economy for the foreseeable future. Continued financial instability in the periphery of the EU will continue to keep the Euro weak versus the Dollar, but in the end, both currencies are doomed. Global credit market chaos will probably continue for several more years, as will the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) here in the United States. I’d say that there is a 25% chance of a Dollar Panic and devaluation in the next four years, and a 5% chance of a hyperinflationary Dollar Collapse. But regardless, some inflation is coming. Its severity is difficult to predict. The bull market in precious metals is nowhere near its end. I still predict that spot price of silver will eventually exceed $50 per ounce.

Reader Susan Z. was the first of several readers to mention this: Fed set to downgrade outlook for US.

From The Daily Bell: Desperate to Get US Economy Moving.

Reader American Expatriate (AmEx) sent this: Fighting a Double Dip: What Weapons Does the Fed Have Left?

Odds ‘n Sods:

H.J. wrote to say that he saw this sign at a North Idaho restaurant near the Washington state line: “Show Us Your Wolf Tag, and Your Kids Eat Here Free.”

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D.V.B. in Alabama sent this grim tale: Elderly Couple Dies While Trapped in Home Elevator. D.V.B.’s comments:”What if someone is in an elevator during a power failure or EMP event? Here is a small-scale example of what might happen if you can’t call for help. “

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Several readers sent this for the Doddering, Decrepit, Disjointed and Didactical Dictators Department: Fidel Castro: Obama can avert impending nuclear holocaust.

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R.F.J. sent an article that echoes one that we posted last year: Unusual Abodes: The Grain Bin Home

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Inflation hasn’t ruined everything. A dime can still be used as a screwdriver. ” – Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 30 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Medicinal Herb Gardening by Mrs. Celena J.

Earlier this year, I received a free packet of Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) from wintersown.org (by the way, if you’re into gardening check them out; they’ll send you 10 packets of free seeds for the cost of a SASE).  When I saw the seed packet, I remembered that Echinacea is used to reduce the duration of colds and flu.  I began seriously considering and researching medicinal plant gardening.  Having such a garden would be so useful in surviving numerous catastrophes, not to mention the possible money saver it could be during a recession that’s going to last who-knows-how-long!  Of course, not everything can be easily cured with plants but I do believe one reason God gave us so many varieties was to help us overcome illnesses and other afflictions.  

Below, I’ve compiled a table of some of the medicinal plants that seem the most useful and will grow in the United States.  Since most of these are herbs, unless otherwise mentioned, the plant is an herb.  Most of these plants have been used for thousands of years by civilizations all over the world.  Some of them are even mentioned in the Bible.  Many of them are very beautiful and will make a lovely ornamental garden even if you decide never to to use them medicinally.  At the bottom of this article, I’ve written short descriptions on how to actually use the herbs.  I was clueless when I first began researching and hope that what I’ve discovered can be useful to many of you. May God bless your gardening endeavors, whether medicinal or otherwise!

Common Medicinal Plants and Their Uses

Aloe Vera – Treats dermatitis, dry skin, and burns.  This is a succulent plant which grows well in Arizona and other southwestern states. 

Arnica – Do not eat this!  It’s poisonous but can be used as a cream to treat sprains, bruises, and pulled muscles.  A very beautiful flowering plant that resembles a yellow daisy.

Basil  – Treats diabetes, stress, and asthma.  It is an anti-oxidant and helps your body absorb manganese (which strengthens your bones).

Bay Laurel – Treats migraines, infections, ulcers, and high blood sugar.  Can be rubbed onto sprains and bruises to treat them.  Also keeps garden pests (bugs) away. 

Catnip – Soothes coughs.

Chamomile – Treats stress. A sleep aid.

Chrysanthemum/Feverfew – Treats migraines, fevers, and chills.  Beautiful flowering plant.

Coriander – An anti-oxidant, used as acne skin toner.  A very beautiful plant.

Dandelion – Aids digestion.  Can be ground into coffee.  Has numerous vitamins and minerals: A, C, K, Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Potassium.

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) – Treats cold and flu; boosts immune system.  This is a beautiful plant.

Garlic – Antibiotic.  Increases heart health.  Garlic is a bulb and is very easy to grow.  It repels rabbits and moles.

Goldenseal – Treats eyes, boosts immune system.  This is a beautiful flowering plant that resembles a buttercup.

Horehound – Expectorant, treats colds.  This is a mint and can also be used to make candy.

Meadowsweet – Shrub used to treat fevers, inflammation, pain, ulcers, etc.  The name “aspirin” comes from this plants scientific name (Spiraea ulmaria).

Oregano – Used as a topical antiseptic and a sedative.  Treats colds, flu, mild fevers, infections, stomachaches, indigestion, and other aches and pains. It also treats MRSA (different studies have actually shown that Oregano treats MRSA better than most drugs prescribed for the infection).  A very beautiful plant. 

Parsley – Treats high blood pressure. 

Passion-flower – Treats insomnia and epilepsy.  There are numerous varieties of Passion-flower and some are poisonous so if you’re going to plant them, research them thoroughly! 

Rosemary – Decreases risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

Smearwort – Used as an ointment (hence the name) to heal chronic sores.

Spearmint – Anti-oxidant.  Treats fungal infections.  Can be used to make candy.

Thyme – Treats sore throat (by gargling).  Treats wounds, skin and mouth infections.  Used as mouthwash (main ingredient in Listerine). 

Yarrow – Counteracts poisoning. 

How to Prepare Herbal Remedies

Tea Infusion: To begin, throw in a cupped handful of the herb/leaves.   Pour 2 cups of boiling water on top.  Brew leaves and flowers for about 10 minutes; seeds and roots for about 20. Typically, you don’t  need to strain herbal teas because the leaves go to the bottom.  You can also often reuse the leftovers (don’t throw them away!)  

Boiling:  Begin with cold water instead of already-boiling water.  Again, a cupped handful of plant to 2 cups of water.  This works especially well for roots, which need to be steeped for 20 minutes.  You can also use an overnight method by keeping the herb in cold water all night and then boiling in the morning for about 30 minutes. 

Cough Syrup: Make a concentrated tea infusion with 12 ounces of plant to 1 cup of water.  Infuse for 15 minutes.  Strain it and then add the liquid back to the pot.  Add 1 cup of honey and warm it just until it stirs well. 

Salve or Ointment: For this, you also need olive oil and beeswax.  First, put a handful of fresh or dried plant into a pot and cover it with water.  After it begins to boil, bring it down to a simmer for about half an hour.  Strain it and put the liquid back in the pot, adding it to an equal amount of olive oil.  Boil until the water is gone.  Add beeswax until it’s the right consistency.

Steam: This works especially well with mints when you’re congested.  Throw a handful of fresh mint into a bowl of hot water.  Make a tent over your head with a towel and breathe the steam for few minutes.

Compress:  When using plants to treat muscle pain or injuries, first make a concentrated infusion, dip a towel in, ring it out, and apply it to the painful area.

JWR Adds: I recommend the following books on herbal medicine:

Letter Re: Practice Night Hiking to Get Ready to Bug Out to Your Retreat

The following describes my recent “dry run” at bugging out on foot.

I’ve been thinking that someday soon I will be in need of backpacking over to my group’s retreat. So I created a plan to make a dry run. I grabbed my basic day pack (a Camelbak hydration pack with the minimum goodies in it.) My load included, three liters of water, simple folding knife, space blanket, fire starter, single pen of bug stuff, a few Cliff bars, and speed loaders for my Ruger .357 Magnum. I also had spare batteries for my head lamp, and a bottle of polar pure water treatment –that I’ve just purchased. I also had my cell phone and a 120 pound Labrador Retriever keeping me company for this trip. I did this at night for two reasons, one because it’s been hot here in the day –northeastern United States in summer, and two because I’ve been switched to night shift at work and needed to get used to being awake later.

I decided that this was a test to see that I make the night hike, to a trail head six miles away, then from there I would work out getting on the main road and hike the road back down to my town six miles away.

I left at 9 p.m. at night. I gave my friends my itinerary for my trip. I leashed up the dog and away I went. I didn’t print or bring a map with me because I had done a 10 mile hike on these trails in the light of day last fall and had a pretty good idea as to about where I was going. (that being said everything does look different at night!)

The first thing I noticed is it was a full moon, I didn’t really need my head lamp on unless I was in dark tree cover. Aside from the head lamp I carried a small $3 laser/light from Wal-Mart. So if I really needed to see rocks I just pressed a button for a few seconds.

I made no attempt to be covert or do anything tactical. I was just thinking of speed, and safety. Moving at a good pace was easy on the old railroad to trail conversion. The dog didn’t mind at all as I stopped and gave him a water stream from my hydra pack at intervals when he seemed to be panting more than normal. It started out as a hot July evening, so both of us were warm at the start.

I made the first six miles of trail with few issues, Most of the hard part going on this trail was rough going in to dark tree cover hidden from the moon light. I used my head lamp when I needed to do things like water the dog but for the most part I kept the head lamp off conserving batteries. I heard a few coyotes on this part of the woodsy trail. The only animal I was worried about was skunks. I could handle most things but getting sprayed was not one of them. This is the main reason I would at intervals light up my area looking for eyes and trashing my own night vision. At times I couldn’t see the trail it was under shadows from the trees. In the heavy areas of wash out and larger rocks I used my head lamp, figuring I’d rather see the rocks then break an ankle. It was safer than moving like a guerrilla and having the scars to later prove it.

The trail crossed a back road and continued on, I decided to try and move to my left and locate my main road south –I had been traveling north and kept on the trail (and confirmed north movement with my compass on my watch when I thought things like forks in the trail might take me the wrong direction).

My first mistake was turning left to link up to a highway that I was unsure about. I walked about a mile down a development road, and then hit about four cul-de-sacs before hearing a car in the distance and going past the trail and back to the right, then on to the main road. I saw a road sign that said six miles south to home. The turkey hill was still open, and I was starving, but I decided eat what I was carrying. I slowly ate down a cliff bar. Hiking just six miles was enough to make me really hungry.

Now it was after midnight and the area was more urban so the dog and I walked the sidewalks on our southbound trip towards home.

I had worn a button up shirt over my tee shirt and since we both started out hot I was surprised at how much the night wind cooled things down. I rolled down my sleeves and buttoned up I was sweating at first and this cold with caused me to chill a little.

It was about this point in time I started really to pay attention to the cars, and noises around me. If for no other reason that I was in a more urban area, carrying a small pack, my Ruger GP100 in a Kydex holster on my side. The shirt tail hid the Ruger from view, and the dog walking on my left kept my right hand free just in case. At 12:30 at night in this sleepy town on a Tuesday night. I didn’t see anyone out – and I was ok with that. Here is also where I started noticing that age old question boxers or briefs? And having chosen badly my legs were starting to chafe badly. On another positive note the way back was almost all downhill so both the dog and I walked along the highway without much trouble. I did use the little laser/led light as a flasher each time I heard a car. I didn’t want to be run down by any of the drunks out there being as we were walking along the guard rail on the road side.

At about the two miles from home mark, I stopped at a closed gas station/Laundromat and sat for a while on a bench. I rubbed my legs, and the dogs- gave him more water at this point and he wanted very much to lay down and sleep on the ground. I think at this point he probably hated my guts for making this trip! I ate my last cliff bar and shared it with the pooch. I was raw, my legs hurt a little bit, low on water but not out.

I pressed on – it was now about 2:00 a.m. and the local bars in town had closed, so I was extra alert when a van riding on the double yellow lines almost wiped out a phone pole. It was a close call for DUI in progress but the dog and I were defensive and keeping out of the way of all cars and trucks we were safely away from this crazy drunk person.

Back home and time to feed the dog and take a shower- about five hours of walking to do almost 13 miles, due to being turned around in the suburbs up north…

Items that I would have loved to have and will likely take next time:

1. Hiking poles- some places on the trail were rocky and in the dark had I lost footing and got hurt I’d have been in trouble, poles would have helped on the rough patches.

2. Baby wipes – I didn’t bring enough toilet paper. That is a big fail in my book.

3. I’d have got more, high calorie food bars, some trail mix or other high cal food- it’s amazing how hungry you get moving fast and are even a little chilled from the cold night air.

4. Foot powder/extra socks. I didn’t stop and wait for swelling, but I also didn’t have blisters at all either.

5. Vaseline – my legs rubbing my inner thighs really hurt at about 10 miles. I used bag balm on the brush burn part when I got home, and it was only sore a day- this is something that should be mentioned to everyone who thinks they are in good shape as I’d been doing 4+ miles a day for a long time and never had issues like this –this was a complete surprise and the level of pain at the end made hiking almost unbearable .

6. Fleece jacket or wind breaker. Okay, it’s summer time, but what if the cold night air dropped below 50? I did get sweaty. I got soaked and then in the cold night air froze. Hypothermia is a killer even if it’s in the 70-80s out – a little rain and then cold could have been really bad.

7. Wool watch cap – I could have used one.

Things that really worked for me- and that I would bring again for the next adventure trip/ self readiness test.

Good cross training shoes/boots- broken in. I should have changed socks, but even skipping it- my wool socks in cross trainers didn’t cause me to blister up. No matter how hard it is to find good wool socks – it is better than cotton and worth every penny.

The carry more than one light and a few spare batteries – cheap piece of mind carrying a $3 junk LED light on a snap link on the belt loop.

Head lamp-

The items in my pack that I didn’t use like a knife, fire starter- would have been used if I stopped, but also had limited room and no canteen cup or similar items to cook in. – but again this was a pack out test basically to see if I could physically cover the distance of going from my place to a retreat (nine miles away)- and I did over that compensating for not carrying a heavy backpack with more gear, a [more capable] weapon and I did it alone (if you don’t count the dog.). I made no plans on camping, looking for wild plants in the dark, or really cooking on the trail. I figure if I’m bugging out in real life it’s probably not going to be too safe to stop and eat or relax on the trail.

Something else to think about is my buddy Arf. I kept him leashed the whole trip. or his safety, he’s had run ins with skunks and porcupines. I wish I had carried more food for him, and I was constantly keeping an eye out on the main road and in the urban areas for glass on the sidewalks. You’d be amazed at how much glass is around in the urban areas from broken beer bottles. It is everywhere and the last thing I wanted to do was carry the dog the rest of the way home. I couldn’t imagine fleeing after a major disaster without getting him some type of dog booties or paw protection. I really wonder how the MPs, SERE, and K9 units deal with a dog’s paw issues after a disaster. I wouldn’t consider him lucky as I am very alert about what my friend is walking on and keeping him leashed helped me control his stepping on very unhealthy pieces of broken bottles.

Anyhow it was a good learning experience, one that if you have never hiked any long distance and you need to consider foot travel to get to your retreat. You’d better get out and attempt it before you need to do it in real life because until you do it you will be left with the question of can you do it?

Can you make the trip if it is 8, 10. or 25 miles?

(Any 11B will be able to answer this question but that’s not why I’m saying to do it here.) I am saying to do it here to prove to yourself that you can and will accomplish your goal before you are forced t o try in real life when the stakes are higher than giving up and going home. – Fitzy in NEPA

Economics and Investing:

G.G. sent this: Economy Heading for a Systemic Collapse into Hyperinflationary Great Depression.

Jonas mentioned a fascinating news segment filmed by a Dutch journalist, in Indonesia: Gold Dinar, Silver Dirham.

AmEx sent this: Food Prices up as Consumers Feel Economic Pinch

Another from G.G.: Chicago Bank Fails, 2010 Tally Hits 109

Job Figures Just Part of a Grim Economic Picture. (Thanks to AmEx for the link.)

B.B. forwarded a link to a New York Times article: Jobless and Staying That Way

RBS flagged this: One-fourth of Idaho work force’s paychecks cut

Odds ‘n Sods:

Dept. of Homeland Security points out the fragility of the infrastructure. (Thanks to S. S. for the link.)

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Dave X. sent us this: Senate dumps strategy to prevent EMP damage

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A Volkswagen powered by human waste. (A hat tip to KAF for the link.)

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Reader Michael H. mentioned that audio from the talks from “The Next Hope” hacker conference held last month are now available for free download. Michael’s comments: “While anyone is sure to find many things of interest in what hackers talk about, of particular interest to SurvivalBlog readers will likely be “Hackers without Borders: Disaster Relief and Technology,” “Injecting Electromagnetic Pulses into Digital Devices,” “Lock Bypass without Lockpicks,” “Privacy is Dead — Get Over It,” “Risk Analysis for Dummies,” “Tor and Internet Censorship,” and the always entertaining (and frightening) “Social Engineering”.”

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F.J. sent us this over at The Humble Libertarian blog: One million pounds of California ground beef recalled after E. Coli outbreak