Thursday, June 16, 2016

Alone Season 2: Episode 7 Thoughts and Commentary

This week on ALONE we go from seven participants to five participants by the end of the episode. This year we have had a ton of great projects taking place on the show and two individuals responsible for quite a few of those projects will be leaving the challenge. Lots of good things were going on this week including preparation for a trek up a mountain, canoe building, net making, flooded shelters, game playing (dice football and bowling) and much more.


Review my Alone Posts From Season 1Alone Episode 1 Review & ThoughtsAlone Mid-season Recap;Alone Season 1 Conclusions and Final ThoughtsAlone Season 2- Selection Process, Alone Season 2-Episode 1Alone Season 2- Episode 2; Alone Season 2: Episode 3 Thoughts and Commentary
Alone Season 2: Episode 4 Thoughts and Commentary; Alone Season 2: Episode 5 Thoughts and Commentary; Alone Season 2: Episode 6 Thoughts and Commentary

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David-
Day 19
-He hasn't ate for four days, putting on socks is now taking 20 minutes. I guess there isn't a whole lot of seaweed, limpets or other edibles in his close proximity. 

-He says he is cold, hungry and alone.

-Hasn't been able to fish for over a week because his fishing area on the peninsula is under high tide and the tide has been really beating on his rocky coast line.

-"You might swagger into the bush but you will stagger out" heck of a quote and if you spend enough time in the woods you will see its true more and more.

Day 20-
-Limpets are about the only food he has had for the last week. A little contradiction to the day 19 statement of no food but it is what I expected that he most likely was eating seaweed and limpets.  

-Gill net is looking huge and extremely nice, hopefully it works well for you going forward.

-I was surprised that he put the DIY gill net next to his commercial net and baited them with a bottle of crushed mussels. I thought he might have spread out his nets to give himself a greater chance of catching fish from a variety of locations.
Justin:
Day 19
-Reached a low point when his sleeping bag got soaked and he now has standing water (1"-2") in his shelter. I thought he was utilizing some kind of raised bed within his shelter but I guess it wasn't elevated enough or wooden platform based. 

-He plans to try to dry the bag out in his cooking camp with fire and by laying in it. Body heat will take awhile I might have tried to throw the sleeping bag over a tripod and smoking the bag with minimal fire.

Day 20
-Nice family of okras shown off shore near his location, one of the things I miss seeing in Alaska the most!

-His gill net has only produced one fish so he has decided to re purpose his net as a hammock once again and set it up within his current shelter which still has standing water (3"-4") in it. Might want to make a drainage ditch out of his shelter or something to that effect to help prevent the mold that is sure to occur in the near future.

Day 21
-Goal is to climb mountain tomorrow in honor of the 22 service members who commit suicide each day, epic goal but I'm not sure it will help him stay on the show long-term. 

-Says it takes forever to boil water in his frying pan whereas Nicole said her large pan boils as quick as she sets it on the fire (I believe hers is cast iron). Shows what a difference field testing your gear makes before using it for long-term self reliance. 

-His pan flipped over as he is boiling it and he lost most of his water for the trip. That's what I hate about using frying pans to boil water and prefer a bush pot or simple cup.

Day 22
-He has about 4-6” of water in his shelter and is ready to set out on his journey up the mountain. When he gets back he is really going to need to do something about shelter going forward if he decides to stay post his mountain trek.

Larry
Day 19
-His new shelter/living area is mouse free and is able to wake up whenever he wants, has plenty of resources including a fresh stream. Seems like he found his groove and happy spot on night one at his new location. The area appears to be much more open with the added resource of chanterelle mushrooms

-He is now testing out the waters of the cove where he relocated to for potential fish and all three of his lines were emptied of bait but no fish, hopefully he is able to

-Made a stove/chimney out of an old stump, really hope he doesn't end up regretting that idea like so many other survival shows have, I remember Les Stroud had a large log shelter in Alaska that he caught on fire when he fell asleep. 

-Collected some limpets, mushrooms and other edibles for a nice small dinner. He seems to have a nearly sustainable amount of edibles in his new area even without a sustainable protein source.

Day 20
-The chimney idea almost bit him on the butt, it did cause a problem as I predicted and he could not only lost his tarp of other supplies but could have been burnt while sleeping


Jose
Day 20
-Still working on his canoe to try to find a salmon run, guy has a ton of skill with wood working with extremely limited tools. His steam bending is working amazing. Entire kayak is ribbed, tied and notched and looks great. Hopefully, it will be serviceable and he can find

-He plans to not only find a salmon run for net based fishing but also try his hand at open water fishing in the sound by his camp. Hopefully for his sake there is a salmon run somewhere within the roughly 5 square miles he is allowed to move within for the show.

Mike
Day 21
-Mike is at his old projects again has developed a set of dice to make a diy football dice game

-Made a bird trap and found a black buoy that he is using for a bowling ball.

-He feels he isn't growing or discovering more things about himself and that doesn't sit well with him so he is contemplating going home.

-WOW, didn't really see mike tapping that quick after this started and he started showing his skills. My wife and I did foresee that he he would tap due to missing his family but I expected he would stay at least a month. Everyone know when their time is up and I guess that was his. Good luck mike it was a pleasure watching you on the show.

Randy
Day 21
-Has been wanting to go home the last few days but doesn't want to let anyone down.

-Going to build himself a sweat lodge before he makes the decision to stay or go home, nice idea for relaxing- I've never personally made one but love the idea.

-“Everyday I've been able to walk outside and see something beautiful”

-Built one heck of a large fire to sit by, kinda makes me think he is making one last big fire to use up the remainder of his firewood before he leaves. Defiantly makes me think it's his final day on the island.

-Decided to tap out, says he has plenty of time left in the tank physically but mentally he is unable to stay because he needs human companionship to keep going. Says he underestimated the weight and toll of being away from his loved ones.

Post Show
-Looks like Justin may suffer a mechanical injury on his trek up the mountain

-Jose seems like he will have his maiden voyage for his kayak

-Nicole will have her first problem with the bears crossing the river and possibly messing with her gill net

-David's gill nets look to be destroyed during a storm

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Monday, June 6, 2016

Book Review: Aftermath II- The Struggle for Independence

I was recently sent an early copy of Leann Edmondson's new book "Aftermath: A Struggle for Independence" to review and I was able to get it finished a few days ago. Now that the book is available for sale on Amazon to the masses I thought I would provide my review of the book for your consideration. You can find my review of Leann's first book here: LINK.

Excerpt From The Rear Of The Book:
"We fight for our independence in total. Not just from a government or some other authority. This time, it's for being a free human being."

A world-changing event has taken place and with seventy percent of the world’s population believed to be dead, the first winter after IT happened will prove to be a bigger challenge to survive than the disaster itself. 

Jimmy Walker has banded together with other survivors in what was formerly known as Michigan. After meeting the threats from the local criminal element and avoiding being rounded up by the United Nations, the focus changed to gathering enough resources to survive the coming winter. But the U. N. is not resting. 

Not only will the survivors have to deal with people fleeing the cities, they will have to face all that Mother Nature can throw at them without any modern conveniences. Even if they manage to survive the weather, the lack of things to do leaves a lot of time for getting lost in the magnitude of what has happened to humanity.
Get Your Copy HERE:
   
The story picks up where Aftermath left off. Aftermath II delves into the community banding together in their fight for survival.  The engaging style and fast paced story that I enjoyed in the first book continues to engage the reader.  Although it can be read as a standalone since it does a good job of recapping what has happened, I recommend you read Aftermath first.  If you are looking for a book that will keep you turning the pages, pick up Aftermath II.

So what are a few preparedness takeaways from this book that I believe could help anyone on their preparedness journey when thinking toward a collapse type of event:  
  1. Government and governmental agencies are non-existent and no help: So what does that mean? No first responders, no military, no road maintenance, hospitals, power plants, etc. So if you're not self reliant for those things you better get that way soon. So get security in-line, practice alternative medicine, and be prepared for anything. Get an alternative power supply that is not reliant on fuel such as solar, wind or hydro.
  2. Food production is at a local level, if you are not a farmer, hunter, trapper or have a solid knowledge of wild edibles or medicinal plants there is no time like the present to learn. If you don't have a stash of heirloom seeds you may want to stock up now.
  3. Have a bug-out location and several backups and be able to live out of a backpack long-term if needed while on the move.
  4. Outdoor cooking skills are essential, so if you haven't baked on a fire or cooked a full meal while camping you need to get out there and practice that skill now. 
  5. Clothing choices are key! Don't buy cheap clothes, get items that will last and will be good long-term clothing and remember wool is your friend! Also never skimp on boots, if you can't walk you can't survive. 
  6. Bartering will become an essential part of society. Get onto those Facebook trade group pages, go to swap meets and practice your bartering skills. Get your hands on some extra gear, silver, Alcohol, etc. and be prepared to trade goods or your services for things you need.   
  7. As an add on to the previous point develop skills that are valuable now and post-collapse such as blacksmithing, hunting/fishing/trapping, sewing,cooking/food preservation, farming, fermentation/distilling, etc.
  8. Keep your group small and manageable and be sure you can trust everyone in the group with your life, if you cant then there is a good chance it could cost you big in the future.
Other Preparedness Fiction Related Books:
 

Conclusions:
This book makes you think about self reliance and the skill set needed to survive in both a wilderness environment and also a post-collapse type environment. The book made me think of what my kit would be for a long-term self-reliance on the road and I would normally go with my haversack, but needing to carry clothing and bedding for the winter months. Ideally I would use my largest dry bag as a winter cache and be able to travel light with just my haversack and items on my person if I'm assuming more of a nomadic hunter-gather life style. If I settled in a place life would be a lot different but would still need to have all those essentials in a pack for a rapid escape. At any rate, this book makes you think a great deal like the One Second After book did for me originally. 

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Monday, May 30, 2016

Alone Season 2: Episode 6 Thoughts and Commentary

This week on History's ALONE no one goes home, several contestants catch fish, Larry threatens to go pyro and burn the place to the ground, a contestant moves locations, two boat projects are undertaken and much more! Also don't forget Tomorrow 05/31/2016 at 9pm Eastern time over at Prepper Broadcasting Network (LINK) I will be talking to Randy Champagne about his time on ALONE and what he has been up to since returning home, so be sure to join us in chat or feel free to call 347-202-0228 to listen to the show and press 1 to ask any questions you may have live on the air.

“Voyaging through wilderness is essential to the growth and maturity of the human spirit.” -Steven Callahan


Review my Alone Posts From Season 1Alone Episode 1 Review & ThoughtsAlone Mid-season Recap;Alone Season 1 Conclusions and Final ThoughtsAlone Season 2- Selection Process, Alone Season 2-Episode 1Alone Season 2- Episode 2; Alone Season 2: Episode 3 Thoughts and Commentary
Alone Season 2: Episode 4 Thoughts and Commentary; Alone Season 2: Episode 5 Thoughts and Commentary; Alone Season 2: Episode 6 Thoughts and Commentary;

Want To Build Your ALONE Survival Kit? Start Here:
 

Mike:
Day 15
-Exploring his surroundings today and he finds a moss covered natural toilet made from roots hanging over a bank. Now he just needs to make a pit and he has an outhouse, but that ground looks a little tough to dig into,
-Found a massive plastic container that he plans to make a boat from with a few outriggers
-Maiden voyage of the boat seems to be going well, that boat is really buoyant and it seems like it went together for him extremely quickly!
-Getting his inner pirate on and dancing a jig in the boat, lol!

Larry:
Day 15
-Waiting on the tides keeps getting later and later in the night
-Has a mouse following him around camp and is worried that it may be eating up his camp in the near future
-Caught a pretty decent fish and it almost slipped away but caught him before he did the death flop back into the water. I have had that happen on a few occasions on boats when I wasn't paying full attention and it can be heart breaking!
-Morris code Larry! I really need to learn to speak Morris code to watch this show lol!


Day 16-
-Mouse is destroying his gear and was chewing on his pack during the night...Might be time to trap that sucker buddy, set up a few dead falls and eat him out of spite!
-I'm going to blow this place up if he chews on my sleeping bag
-Stuck in roughly a 100'x100' flat area in a canyon
-Seems to really hate being an electrician and says its time for a change in his life... its life outside of this place that makes me want to cry

Day 17-
-Headed south through very thick forest and hopes he finds a little bit better location than his cove surrounded by rock walls
-My only question is why is everyone not exploring their entire allotted area in the first few days?
-Just walking a little bit and his situation improved 100%
-Was there less than 10 minutes and already found food and cordage and a lot more sunlight
-Has a new mission in life to kill all mice!
-Keeps cutting his poles short, cut them way long and then try to re cut if you have to in camp.

Jose:
Day 16-
-Wants a boat to be able to catch some salmon on a decent sized stream
-Made saw horses to build his boat, the guy seems like a wood working guru
-Abandoning wilderness survival and moving to wilderness living
-Looks like he is building a kayak
-Seems like he has an excellent skill set when it comes to wood working, it looked like he was going to build a high end wooden boat instead of just an old school Huck Finn style raft.

Nicole:
Day 17-
-Thinks she has figured out the black bears daily habits and feels at home now.
-She caught another large salmon in her gill net
-Looks like she has a steel or plastic piece of siding as her fire backstop, looks like it would work well!
-Her son died outside San Francisco while swimming two years ago when she was graduating with her doctorate

Randy:
Day 17-
-Two fixed lines and two fish and it seems like his attitude has done a 180 with the extra protein
-”Its really hard being alone, I've never been alone this long before”
-The side walls on that cabin look really good, wondering why he didn't make a roof for it aside from the tarp
-I would probably put triple the amount of ferns in that debris bed as I like a much thicker bed I prefer at least 1-2” of compressed bedding material
-Every fiber of his being is saying it wants to go home

Day 18-
-I just want to leave on a high note and leave still loving this

Post Show:
-Looks like Randy may be leaving the show next week as he ended this show saying that he wants to leave on a high point
-Joe seems like he was sleeping on the ground still and the ground water is seeping up into his sleeping bag... looks like its time for a raised bed that I've been advocating for since the beginning!
-Seems like Larry lost his prime fishing grounds and is more expose to the storm fronts

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Monday, May 23, 2016

Alone Season 2: Episode 5 Thoughts and Commentary


This week on History's ALONE no one goes home, several contestants get much needed protein, we get a few looks more significant shelters, encounters with predators, rope swings, woods gym Inc., mouse for dinner, a massive storm, in-shelter sewage system and much more! Also don't forget Tomorrow 05/24/2016 at 9pm Eastern time over at Prepper Broadcasting Network (LINK) I will be talking to Dave McIntyre about his time on ALONE and what he has been up to since returning home, so be sure to join us in chat or feel free to call 347-202-0228 to listen to the show and press 1 to ask any questions you may have live on the air.

Review my Alone Posts From Season 1Alone Episode 1 Review & ThoughtsAlone Mid-season Recap;Alone Season 1 Conclusions and Final ThoughtsAlone Season 2- Selection Process, Alone Season 2-Episode 1Alone Season 2- Episode 2; Alone Season 2: Episode 3 Thoughts and Commentary
Alone Season 2: Episode 4 Thoughts and Commentary;

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 Justin:
Day 10:
-Why in the world are you swinging from a rope alone in the middle of nowhere? That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw him swinging on that thing and I was just waiting for the mechanical injury to occur. But I guess if he is careful it could be a lot of fun and relaxing. I think I would have made a swing with a seat just because I'm a little more conservative and would try to avoid mechanical injuries a bit more.

Day 12:
-Built a gym much like Mick Dodges (guy is crazy but knows how to work out in the woods)- pull up bar, chain weights, rock weights, log dumbbell. I agree it will keep your spirits up and and much more but that's a lot of calories you need to replace quickly, hopefully he is able to keep those calories up so he can keep going to the gym.
-Survival workout program, great idea teach people how to workout in the woods while doing a survival class. I see a partnership with a gym in your future!

DAY 13:
-The little bit I can see of your shelter looks good, wish they would give us a good look at your shelter, appears to be a decent A frame type of shelter with some fairly large logs in place. I can't tell much about insulation but it looks like it could hold off a bear for a little bit!
-Kelp urinal, wow he has indoor plumbing! I don't know if its something I would try because of the potential smell but it is pretty nice not to have to get your rain gear on every time you need to pee in the middle of the night!

David:
Day 10:
-Had a stake come out of his gill net, yielded 0 fish in a week of deployment. That's crappy luck man, you have a cove but it doesn't look like you have a fresh water stream like several others to give you a prime spot to place your gill net.
-Thus far he has only ate limpets and seaweed, the lack of protein has got to be wearing on your energy levels by now.
-I like your log lounger, looks comfy there in that Lester River Borel Coat
-$500k is a lot of money but couldn't be your whole motivation for being there. I know it would drive me to stay, but at some point if it isn't about proving something to yourself and just about the money it won't be enough to keep going.
-Great quote: "Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God!"

Day 12:
-Got to love old school cane pole fishing, used to make rods a good bit as a kid. Glad you had luck with the process! Maybe this will inspire a few kids to get out there and try fishing with limited resources or what they find along the banks!
-A rock fish can live 200 years, wow.
-I like your table, good stuff man!
-Nice fast split wood fire! Check out one of my favorite split wood fires to make in the video below!

Day 13:
-About to loose your kitchen/fish processing log.... why not just pull it further onto shore?

Nicole:
Day 10:
-Shelter is looking really insulated these days, great work!
-Still digging the positive attitude with bears, ability to sleep post bear encounter, etc.You're becoming the person I'm rooting for and I try to remain neutral. Your attitude, skill set, camp setup and the fact you're an underdog (all of the medical issues you had to fight through and the longest lasting female contestant) make you easy to root for sticking around for a very long time.

Day 11:
-Holy crap she caught one heck of a fish! Going to have to smoke the heck out of that fish
-Wow cutting that fish head off while in the water it's going to drawl bears quick! She needs to get out of there asap!
-I think I would try to process my fish a little away from that area just because of the bear presence and the fact it would compromise my future fishing with the bear being really close to that gill net. It is essentially pulling their attention to the net where it might not have in the past ventured there due to her presence and scent.
-Might want to do a cooking camp as well, I noticed no one is doing that this year and I have no idea why? Maybe I'm just a little cautious, but without my trusty 44 Magnum strapped to my chest I don't want to fight a 600lb bear from a dead sleep and that says something because I'm a pretty big guy and will generally not back down from much.
-That's a ton of salmon to eat in one setting! I would probably smoke the crap out of salmon and eat a little each day with whatever I could gather thinking more long-term for those days when the massive storms hit.

Day 12:
-WOW, look at that shelter! That is by far the best shelter I've seen on a survival show bar none. That salmon gave her a ton of energy. She also insulated the shelter further with ferns. Heck of a job Nicole, you are putting the boys to shame on long-term shelter construction (at least what we have seen), granted Mike's projects are great and Justin looks like he has a mini cabin but one has perks and the other we haven't seen as much of. I really wish they would show more shelters and the resources in their immediate area.

Day 13:
-Take a look at her spare wood pile, good amount of wood stored in preparation of the storm. Really like Mike's setup better but hers looks like it will serve her well.
-Great work on that lean-to/Yurt, 0 leaks amazing!
-Gill net looks to be 40' from shore where as it is normally just a creek. Storm surge is crazy, good example for people to remember when camping near water!


Randy:
Day 12:
-Working on a permanent structure
-That log cabin is looking good for such a short time, why not try to make more of a permanent roof instead of solely relying on the tarp for insulation
-Has a trout line and small game traps out

Day 14:
-Desperate man eating slugs... don't think i could do it
-Mouse its whats for dinner. singed it, gut it and pull hair off cook a little more
-That was his first meet in 14 days... nuts!


Jose:
Day 13:
-His gill net is out in high tide and is at risk of loosing the net
-I think I would have got naked or down to boxers and a t-shirt before I got into the water, just to keep my clothes dry in such a wet environment.
-Wow that was good luck catching a salmon while cleaning your gill net!
-Chop stick seems like they are working great, now for the millions of Americians who have no idea how to use the chop sticks that come with their Chinese food you need to do a tutorial for eating with them and making them!
-Shelter is still just a tarp shelter it appears, that was a big surprise for me. Being that he teaches a good bit with Nicole (or so I've been told) I just thought their shelters would be a good bit alike and their approach would mirror each other, but sometime opposing theories are brought together to put on an epic class!
-The amount we are seeing of Jose really leads me to believe he is going to be one of the finalist for sure, two weeks and they have only given him 5 minutes of screen time. 

Show Credits:
-Looks like randy will make a boat next episode and Larry is going to war with a mouse

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