Surviving a catastrophe...in the wilderness

Curious if anybody has a plan in place to survive in the wilderness somewhere in the event of a major catastrophe or event. Some of my friends and family think I am crazy or paranoid because of the plan that I have in place. I have developed skills over the years that I will utilize with the location I have chosen and supplies I have stored that will help me survive indefinitely if necessary.

A little detail....

I began studying topographical maps of an area that I deemed suitable for living. The area I chose is in an area of the Rocky Mountain range and it is at an elevation of about 9600ft. The area is heavily wooded, several miles from both a stream and a natural spring (the stream has run dry several dry summers), soil quality suitable for growing, fields containing sandstone and granite, and abundance of large wildlife (elk, deer, bear, etc..)

This is where it may start getting nutty for some people. My idea is that I would have to utilize this plan in an event of an emergency, and I would not have time to prepare, nor have the ability to transport some of the necessities that may be vital for survival.

I have buried several caches of tools, survival gear, and clothing. They are vaccum sealing in poly bags and stored in watertight containers which are buried in known locations. Tools I have included are axes, saws, knives, shovel blades, screws, nails, hammers, various hand tools, rope, wire, electrical wire, duct tape, adhesives, two rolls of poly, several dozen compact LED lanterns (paid $3 each wholesale), batteries, 4 compact solar panels, assortment of medicines and medical supplies, crossbow and arrows, collapsable water bladders, water purification filters and iodine, and an am/fm/shortwave radio. Clothing I have wool socks and undergarments, various types of performance undergarments, footwear, and performance outerwear. While I am familiar with survival techniques, I also have various information on building shelters, trapping, growing techniqes for seeds I have stored, and medical information. Again, all of these items are vaccum sealed and stored in watertight totes with desecant, and buried underground. Initially it was enough to almost fill the back of a pickup truck. Think I'm crazy yet?

I believe that in the event of a major breakdown of government services, NBC terrorist attack, disease outbreak, total financial breakdown, martial law, rioting, legal problems, etc.. or any other reason I may need to escape society, I have the instruments and plan in place to live indefinitely, and probably quite comfortably, in the wilderness. There are plenty of resources to build a suitable shelter, abundance of wildlife to sustain a food supply, and several sources of clean drinking water. This area that I have chosen is about 8 miles from the closest service/logging road. I usually vacation here for 2-3 weeks every year, sometimes just camping, sometimes camping and hunting. It is also a little more comforting knowing that I have access to these supplies during these excursions. I doubt I will ever have to use these items, but I sure won't feel silly if that day does come.

 

Not quite sure how long you're expecting to need to be out there but if it's long term as in 'May as well plan on being there for good-ish" a few things I'd add to the tools would be an Adze, A couple Pick Axes, A 36" Crowbar and a larger wrecking bar, An assortment of chisels if you think you'll be there a good while, you can do alot with sandstone and granite that way (Dont forget a few splitting wedges) . A mattock, a Drawknife, Replace those battery powered LED lanterns with the crank type. Add a few 1000' spools of Jute or twine for lashing thatched roofing (Nylon is good too, just dont leave it behind if you do leave), makng small game snares etc. A 500' length of strong rope and a few heavy duty 1/2" thick eye screws with a 2" shank will help a great deal with handling large log's for firewood or building materials. Sharpening stones & honing oil. Oil for the various blades to prevent rust. An old brace and an expansion bit wouldnt hurt any. And of course a darn good first aid kit or field surgeons pack. (Should be able to compile the hand tools listed for under $200 at flea markets, provided you get a good drawknife, all you need are the tool heads and then just make your own handles with local wood, should drop the $200 to $100)

And thou you mention that the area is abundant in wildlife and such for your food, what about the staples of diet like veggies and starch sources? I've yet to test it myself in a long term trial, but I've read where the viabiilty of seeds can be extended indefinatly by storing them in sealed glass ampules, easily done with a propane torch, sealing off the end of a 1/2" glass tube, cooling, filling with seed or grain, then sealing the open end with the torch. I havent seen it specificly stated but I'd have to guess that plugging the tube with a bit of cotton or whatnot will help in the process before the final closing as when it burns in the ampule, it will eat up any of the remaining oxygen and help protect the seeds from oxidation.

And on the topic of seeds, make sure they're heirloom seeds, not GMO trash.

And what's your plans for "Wild toiletpaper"? I hear Great Mullein works well, if you can find just one or two flowering plants gone to seed you'll have enough seeds for an acre of the stuff, but get them established in the area now. Another useful plant to have around would be Adams Needle, the cordage from it's leaves has been said to be some of the strongest in N. America.

But no, no "official" plans made here. (Being in B.F.E. my Backyard is far enough. )

On a similar note, heres a couple sites you might find useful.

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/directory

http://www.nativetech.org/

P.S. A bit offtopic but next time you're out there, bring a 2.5 lb. machinists hammer and a 4" masons chisel (A Shingling hatchet works darn good for this as well + with a handle, alot safer for the hand holding the cutting tool.) , you'll be amazed by how easy it is to get a nice slab of sandstone to split off a larger piece provided you're working with the layers of sediment. Great stuff to build shelters with. Just roll the larger stones so the grain is up & down not left & right, and use a few nail punches, smaller chisels, butterknives etc. as assistant wedges. A few good taps to mark off the straight line along the grain with a series of single semi-forcefull blows along that line should give you two rocks, or at least get the split going. Not sure about the sandstone you've got, but the stuff here splits best at a 4" slab or greater, much less and it tends to break up easily. Takes a little practice but nothing that one cant learn the basics of on their own.

 

is your vehicle diesel? Personally, I would start there.

I am a bit envious of you, gotta say. I haven't even gotten to the planning stage, and the scout motto I learned as a kid is starting to nag me.

 

yeah we have plans,i prefer not to go into details though. loose lips sink ships.

one thing i didnt notice anyone mentioning is a cache of heirloom seeds,even in thick or rugged terrain guerrilla gardening should be taken into account when picking a bug out location.

in the event of a situation where long term survival in your BOL becomes necessary,you are guaranteed you wont be the only one in the wilderness and wild game and forigable edibles will quickly be depleated..

just somethin to think about..

 

vvv

 

thats something that i always get a chuckle out of. everyone is always convinced there BOL is in someplace that no one else knows about or would ever find..
the reality is if youve found it there are a lot of other folks that know its there as well..

ive always wondered what folks will do when they bug out,get to where they have all there shit stashed and find that someone else has already set up camp there..
lol
now that will throw a monkey wrench into your plans...

 

vvv

 

**Wonders if HHB has me on iggy??** j/k, I'm on my first cup o' java too.

I hotlinked Baker Creek seeds about mid-post (1200+ heirloom varieties) right after the thought on long term storage of seed, just in the unlikely event that they end up sitting for 5 to 8 years.

http://rareseeds.com/?gclid=CKvd9JOY65QCFRKhxgodZXqA_A

Theres plenty more Heirloom suppliers out there to be sure, these are just the one's I'm familiar with. Also has a nice Gardening forum, lot's of good tip's and such with a trading section for rar-er seeds. Darn good people runnin' that place.

 

oh,,my bad,, i musta browsed right over it.. thats what i get for wakin anna bakin..
i stand corrected..

 

That's what the .45 and the shovel is for.

 

I do have some chisels and two drawknives, but I do need to increase leverage capabilities.

The LED lanterns I have are strictly for supplement or emergency use. They are very slick however. About 4" diameter containing 8 LED's. Surprisingly bright and very energy efficient (run off lithium batteries that can be recharged with the solar panels). I do have hanks of 550 milspec paracord and braided wire for snares, diamond stones for blade sharpening, IFAK's (military first aid). Some other cool souvenirs courtesy of the US military.

This is one area I do need to expand my knowledge. Training has provided education on short term survival, not long term living. I do believe corn could be grown in this area, or at least nearby where there is adeqate sunlight.

No solid plans here. I know that holding it will be out of the question.

I have been researching the use of stone for building, tools, etc... There is clay in the area and have been reading about different mortars. In this area there are several fields that have large deposits of sandstone. I have actually constructed stone and mortar firerings in other areas of the country while camping that confirms the usefulness of this material. I have also studied practices of Native American dwellings such as built by the Anasazi. Cliff dwellings, pithouses, etc.. I first visited Mesa Verde National Park in 1986 and have been taking mental notes ever since (have been there are about 9 or 10 times over the years). I do need to add wedges and other tools to assist in the work with stone.

I appreciate your comments, as well as others here. I take them all into consideration in my crazy plan. I was surprised to see everybody take this serious, as people that I sometimes talk about this to think I am going batshit. Funny thing is that part of me wants to just leave it all behind and go "Jerimiah Johnson" for a couple of years. Not quite sure I have it all figured out yet.

 

Almost forgot about the best choice for this outdoor grow. Afghani? Don't have much personal experience in growing, just consuming. :sifone:

 

Dont be Bro, Folks who are gonna' think you're nuts are the same ones lining up around the TV set like Sheep at a feeding trough. The same one's who think "Rockin' the Vote" is anything more than a Dupe, another in their arsenal of Opiates for the masses, content to be led by that same Carrot like an Ass pulling a cart up a hill. Not too many folks in here seem to be the type who have their heads wedged up safely in the shade that God gave em'. Most of us seem to see this bailout bullsheet for what it is, another line of dope from the Powers that be to keep us hoping, keep our heads down and towing our line as we await their solutions to the very problems they created.

They take an average of 44% of our earnings thru various forms of taxation and still these greedy shits have the gaul to tell us they're running on a defecit?!
They say that this current fiscal crisis is due to Bad debt, they say that consumer spending is waaay down cuz' people cant get loans so they can spend more money they cant afford to pay back any more than they could 8 months ago. But as if by magic they claim that by printing more money (wich is just another way of stealing it back out of our pockets via. a further deflated dollar b.t.w.) and handing it off to the banks so they can simply continue to loan it out, sales will rise yet again and fix things?? Well W.T.F. happens when the same folks who defaulted on their old loans cant or wont pay off these new ones the banks are supposed to be so desperate to give out but cant afford to.?! Right back to the same ole' Pig pen.

Feck that Shellgame with a pointed and burning stick. They can go play 3 card Monty with someone else.

So even if this isn't the final wind a brewing which will lay waste to their house of cards, even if this is just another in a neverending 4 to 8 year cycle of chaos, be glad you're doing this now as it will at least give you some solid firsthand experience at the skills you need for longterm survival outside their little box, away from the National teet of their Poisoned milk.

Sorry if I ranted a bit there, it's just so hard not to these day's.

But I will say, if anything gives me concern would be that if you are in the hills, just what will Homeland Security wonder about that loner on the Hill, removed from society. I would not be a bit suprised if you get unwanted Visitors, and I dont mean a troop of Boy Scouts. If you build a Sandstone shelter, build another wall of granite around it. And dont forget to bring some ultrasonic perimiter sensors for while you're sleeping.
And above all remember, Crossbow's are much more silent than firearms.

But yea', hit that baker creek site up and stop by the gardening forum. A good chunk of the folks there are old school gardeners and farmers who still remember tilling over their first Victory Garden with their Parents during WW2 and have a ton of good tips and open minds about how fubar things are these days (Thou theres alot of Bible shaking folks as well, but even they're pretty cool). And I know you can find some Mullein seeds in the Trading forum, mabey some Adams Needle Yucca for cordage too.

 

why a shovel your gonna need meat

 

with anyone that had any sort of a plan you would never get close enough to use a handgun.. and if your BOL is a place where you could without being seen its probably not a real good BOL..

 

Is this still a hippy forum? Or did you guys redirect me to guns and ammo.

 

Well I did just spend my day cleaning a flat surface on a deadwood log with 2 shingling hatchets, a machinists hammer, a Masons wedge and a couple pry bars to be used as a workbench in my Bow making experiments.

I tried for a solid plank but got too agressive with the maul & wedge so now I'm guessing I'll have a bundle of 2"x2"x3' staves making up the bow on my crossbow, the first one at least. Should help with bolt & arrow making too,

Also have access to a nice 12' section from an old persimmon tree that got ripped up in a storm last month, have yet to see how the Heartwood looks, but it's a cousin to the Ebony producing wood from Egypt or Africa, it just doesn't make it here cuz' the climate isnt supportive of that part of it's aging process. Hoping to make a Longbow and some Pistol grips.

But for right now, I think it's time to get my mellow on now that all the sharp stuff has been put away.

:cheers2:

 

Good times,,,

 

Thats funny, i've always considered going out to either the Rocky Mountains or up the BC Central Coast in case of some sort of apocolypse/nuclear holocaust.
The thing with rocky mountain survival- Food will be pretty scarce except for the late summer-fall.
You better be good at hunting.

 

I like the idea of deep south more myself, possibly a different continent altogether,,, but eh', I'm here for now.

I mean "Hey, let's break away from society and do our own thing", "Yea cool Man, love it", "Oooh better still, we can make it twice as hard by doing it in an inhospitibal climate ontop of it!"

Sure, I suppose Hurricanes are a concern, but I never heard of someone freezing solid in a Hurricane. Scrambling to higher ground will not save your ass from frostbite.