I have a secret cabin deep in the woods of Mississippi.  When gas hits $8.00 a gallon and food shortages send civilization into a riotous panic this is where I will seek sanctuary.

I’m going to hope my nightmare scenario never happens, but it’s good to have an escape plan. The cabin is far from the main roads, there is no Internet service, and no cell phone coverage.  It’s the perfect place when you really need to get away for awhile. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 29% [?]

I like to take advantage of nature’s bounty if possible when I’m camping.  A fish cooking on the fire, some wild greens, and various nuts & berries would be my ideal “living off the land” camp meal.  This perfect sampling of nature’s treats only exists in my imagination though, and it sure didn’t happen on my last camping trip.

The fish weren’t biting, I can’t tell an edible wild green from poison ivy, and the birds have cleaned out all the berry bushes in the area. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 27% [?]

As part of my commitment to put down the computer keyboard and enjoy the outdoors this summer; I’m also trying to become more self-sufficient.  One of the cornerstones of self-sufficiency is growing your own produce.

I was tired of paying through the nose for fruit and veg at the grocery.  The higher and higher prices for inferior taste, toxic pesticides, and playing Russian Roulette with tainted produce is just ridiculous.

I wanted to break with the conventional wisdom on gardening and focus on low cost, convenience, and staying organic.  After lots of searching I found the revolutionary technique of hay bale gardening. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 30% [?]

There’s quite a commotion going on in the Rookery at the Noxubee Refuge these days. The wading birds are busy nesting.  They are squawking, flapping, and fighting like neighbors in some cramped tenement that just refuse to turn the stereo down.

I decided to pay a close visit to the Rookery in my kayak, and the scene it just crazy.  Flight after flight of birds arrive and depart as they look for food and building materials. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 5% [?]

There’s an old railroad track running through the middle of my town.  The tracks haven’t felt the rumble of passing locomotives and freight cars in years.  This part of the C&G railway line is essentially abandoned.

Some of the more clever town residents have discovered the railroad track is a great way to save time getting around.  You can hike or bike to the grocery, drug store, and local restaurants without having to contend with the traffic, road rage, and cell phone zombies that make pedestrian forms of travel more than just a little dangerous. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 17% [?]

Here’s a clip of Dick Proenneke at age 75 next to his cabin at Twin Lakes in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.  Dick walked into this wilderness and built his cabin with saw and axe back in 1968.  He spent the rest of his days living off the land and adding to the mystique of the self-sufficient survivalist.  Dick Proenneke is my inspiration to pursue a way of life that is quickly fading from existence…self-sufficiency.  This clip comes from “Alaska Silence & Solitude“  produced by Bob Swerer.  For more information on “Alaska Silence & Solitude“  check out www.dickproenneke.com.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

There are a lot of commercial rod holders and storage boxes out there you can purchase for your fishing kayak.  The accessory market for kayaks is huge and growing.

I try not to put money in someone else’s pocket when I can do the work myself though.  This is an easy DIY project that gives you multiple rod holders and an convenient storage tote for all your fishing gear.  Best of all it only costs you a few bucks or a few hours scrounging for materials. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 32% [?]

I had some bad luck when I purchased my Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4.  FedEx dropped it off on Friday afternoon before a weekend camping trip.  There was no time to give it a proper back yard test before heading out on the trail.

The ProLite is so thin and compact when it’s still in the shipping bag I didn’t even take it out.  It went right from the FedEx package into my pack.  This is when I first learned the importance of always checking your gear before a trip. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 8% [?]

Okay, Ray has much more experience with the Swedish Firesteel than I…and it shows.  What takes me about ten strikes he does in one.

He’s using birch bark for tinder instead of dryer lint too.  It would probably be a little hard to find dryer lint if you tipped your canoe in a freezing river somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

This is just a little embarrassing; I’m going to practice my technique right now.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

I took my kayak out on Bluff Lake in the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge yesterday.  It was a beautiful, clear, and windless day.  Temperatures have been down 5 degrees from last weeks highs as well; an all around perfect kayak opportunity.

Just as I was lifting the kayak off the top of the Jeep I noticed a creature I’ve been waiting to see.  With a huge log-like body, long tail, and gapping mouth it was Alligator mississippiensis. The problem was this 8 foot predator was hovering 40 feet off the boat launch. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 8% [?]