NAKED INTO THE WILDERNESS

By Samantha Reagan Selman

Home School, 7th Grade January 27, 2011

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I. Making Fire A. The bow drill method 1. Materials a. a 30 tree limb or piece of brush b. cordage c. a dead and dry piece of wood d. small stick or tree limb e. a small block of wood 2. Preparation a. string the 30 tree limb with the cordage b. make the small stick flat on both ends c. make notch and a depression in the wood d. separate fibers of cedar bark, roll into ball, make indentation in center 3. Using the Bow Drill a. place fibrous bark under notch in fireboard b. wrap the drill in cordage of the bow c. rub the bow back and forth against drill B. The hand drill method 1. Materials a. a 20 stick b. a dead and dry piece of wood c. dry cedar bark 2. Preparation a. cut notches and depressions in the wood b. separate fibers of the cedar bark 3. Using the Hand Drill a. place fibrous cedar bark under notch in fireboard b. place drill in depression of fireboard c. apply pressure and downward twisting motion to drill II. Food A. Making a deadfall 1. Materials A. two sharpened sticks B. large rock C. cordage D. 2foot long tree limb 2. Setting up the trap A. stick the two sticks in the ground B attach the long tree limb to both sticks with cordage, tie other end to a tree C. lean one end of the rock on the longer stick B. Methods of cooking 1. Cooking using stone cookware 2. Cooking with mud III. Shelter A. Location 1. Do not place near any cliffs, trees, or other tall things 2. Place near any source of water, food, or protection

B. Materials 1. Grass/leaves 2. Dirt 3. Bark 4. Stone C. Types of Shelters 1. Thatched wickiup 2. Lean-to IV. Tools A. The history of tools 1. Nomads used tools to a. to build fires b. catch prey c. build shelters 2. People today use tools for more advanced things B. Two important tools 1.The flint 2. The masher V. Containers A. Uses of containers 1. Transporting water 2. Cooking 3. Holding vessels for tools B. Types of Containers 1. bark 2. stone 3. clay VII. Other Primitive Survival Skills A. Working with fur 1. Remove head and legs 2. Skin the deer 3. Clean fur a. wash thoroughly b. remove leftover meat c. wash again B. Making a primitive bow and arrow 1. Prepare bow A. cut wood material down to size B. let dry C. make notches in bow 2. Prepare cordage 3. Prepare arrows A. cut wood material down to size B. straighten when appropriate, cut notches, add point and feathers, seal with glue

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Imagine yourself at a pleasant camping ground, sitting around a fire and perhaps roasting a marshmallow; you may have a tent or a camper and you probably have a good supply of canned or dried foods in your camper or tent. Now, imagine yourself without the canned or dried food, without the tent or the fire. How would you survive? How would you find a way to eat? To shelter yourself from the possibly harsh weather? This is where we must have a sufficient knowledge of wilderness survival skills. Think about the things that you need to survive: food, water, shelter, and fire will probably be the first things that come to mind. In this essay I will explain how to build a fire, how to catch and cook food, how to provide yourself with a sufficient wilderness shelter, and many more basic survival skills. I have also conveniently outlined this essay for the readers comfort. FIRE If you would find yourself in a situation as I mentioned above, it is imperative that you know how to build a fire. Why, you say? You need fire to both cook food and keep warm (especially if you find yourself amongst the wilderness in the bitter wintertime!). However, the process includes more than just rubbing two sticks together; in fact, the process of building a sufficient fire includes a large amount of patience, skill, and hard work. It is important for the beginner to remember that the drill and/or fireboard may break the first few times around; that is why I recommend you make two or three each of these materials. There are two basic ways to make a fire: by use of a bow drill or a hand drill. First, we will take into account the bow drill, which may be the easier way (and much easier on your hands) to make the fire. Before I begin, I will explain the basic parts of the bow drill: First - the bow. You will need a tree limb or a piece of brush that is not too strong but not too flimsy and approximately 30 long. Second - the cordage. You can use anything from grass to human hair (lets hope you have some long hair). Third - the fireboard. Dead and dry wood is recommended, that way you will get a spark more quickly. Fourth- the drill. Now, this will be the most important part of the process. You will need a small stick from the same material as the fireboard. Some people suggest cottonwood, but you can also use yucca and aspen (which not only work well, but they are available widespread). Fifth- the bearing block. This is also very important, but easy to come by. The inner bark of a cedar works really well.

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Now, let us explore the preparation of these materials. You must first prepare the bow. This is where the cordage comes in; all you have to do is string it with the cordage, tying one end permanently (do not string it too tight! Leave the cordage a little loose). Then, prepare the drill by making it flat on both sides; we do this to ensure that the drill is able to fit in the depressions of the fireboard. Here we need a knife (or see the section named tools to learn how to make a primitive knife - or, as we call it, the flint) to make the depressions in the fireboard. Make a notch in the side of the fireboard in the shape of a V and then make a depression to fit the drill (make sure it is not too deep). Last of all, separate the fibers of the cedar bark (or whatever you are using) until it is soft and fibrous. Roll this into a ball and make a hole in the center with your finger. Now, without further or due, lets make fire! Put some of the fibrous bark we prepared earlier or, if you skipped that step, a piece of cardboard under the notch that we cut in the fireboard. Wrap the drill into the cordage of the bow and place one end of the drill into the depressions of the board. Place the bearing block on top of the drill with your left hand. Now is the fun part! Begin to rub the bow back and forth in a swift and smooth motion against the drill. Begin with only a light amount of pressure on the drill then increase it as time goes on. Within about 30seconds, you will see smoke. Blow on the smoke very lightly while continuing to rub the bow back and forth. Ten seconds more will give way to a spark, and then fire! Voila! You should find a great amount of pride in your first fire. Be sure to find plenty of dry wood to fuel the fire. What about the hand drill? All you need is the drill and fireboard on this one. It is pretty much the same process: make the drill flat on both sides, and then make the notches and depressions in the fireboard. Place some dry material under the notches of the fireboard and begin rubbing your hands down the drill in a twisting motion. Again, begin with a light amount of pressure and work your way up to a good pressure. If you have a friend nearby, have them apply the pressure and you can do the rubbing, or vice versa. In another 30-40seconds, you will have fire. Easier than you thought, eh? SHELTER Now that you know how to build a fire, you may want to consider shelter. There are many things in the wilderness that you will want to protect yourself from: animals, the sun, cold weather, you name it. Some shelters are quite easy to make. In fact, you can

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build a considerably cozy wilderness shelter from things such as grass, dirt, bark, stone, and/or leaves. Interested yet? But before you begin gathering materials, you need to plan a location. You will need to find a place away from cliffs, trees, or any other tall things that could attract lightening or fall on you. However, you will want to be close to any source of water, food, or protection. You will want to build your shelter on high ground so rainwater will not harm you. Once you know where to build your shelter, you need to know how to build your shelter. I already mentioned the types of materials you could use, but you should probably use the most waterproof material available. I would suggest bark from trees such as cedar or elm, or the leaves of available trees. Other materials might be too dangerous (dirt turns into mud; rocks could fall and injure you, etc.). Keeping this in mind, please ensure that you use durable materials and secure these materials to your building. You should work from the foundation up, making sure that the foundation is secure. When creating the foundation you should use rocks or grass, because no one wants to be sitting and/or sleeping on the cold, bare dirt. The walls and roof should be made from water-resistant bark, tree limbs, or grass. If you do not require a roof, as in the wickiup, make sure the walls are tightly attached to one another. The thatched wickiup is the safest type of shelter, and is composed of a round structure and a lightweight but water resistant roof. We begin by gathering a few armfuls of malleable tree limbs. Stick the thicker end of the sticks into the ground in some semblance of a circle and attach the tips of the sticks with thick cordage, making sure they overlap by several feet. You may cover the frame with grass now, but I think it would be better to wrap a few of the sticks around the frame, making the frame much stronger. This shelter will be very helpful in repelling water, and in keeping you warm as well. Another primitive shelter that can be easily built is the lean-to. This shelter is probably not as safe as the thatched wickiup and it is also much less comfortable; therefore, I would not recommend this. However, this shelter will keep you, in the most part, warm and dry. So, I will explain as best as I can how to build this primitive shelter. The lean-to can be built in less than an hour or two and can be made from the simplest materials (e.g. eight or nine durable tree branches, cordage, and some leaves and/or grass for the water-resistant roof). We begin with the front supports. I suggest you have a Y shaped stick for one of the front supports and two sticks attached with cordage to form an X shape for the other. It will make the structure more durable if you drive the bottom of the supports into the ground. Now, into the vertex (the point where the sticks form a point) of both supports we place another stick

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that adds extra durability to the structure. Across these sticks we place three more branches horizontally, using cordage where needed. Now place yet another three tree limbs vertically across these. The roof of the structure (if you have built it correctly) will look something like a tic-tac-toe board and will have a slant to it. Unless you used larger supports, the front of the structure will rise up around 4 feet. Finally, cover the roof with as much grass or leaves it takes to cover the whole roof. You may not be able to stand up in this structure, which is one of the downfalls, but as long as it is waterresistant and it keeps you warm, it should suffice for a few nights. TOOLS Tools have been around been around since prehistoric times. The nomads (more commonly called cavemen) used tools to build fires, catch prey, and build shelter; Monkeys use tools to break open fruit and catch insects, and humans today use tools for more advanced things, such as building complex structures or making furniture. The only difference between tools of modern times and tools of prehistoric times is the materials they are made of. When you think of modern tools, the first thing that probably pops into your head is a hammer, screwdriver, or wrench made of steel or some other durable material. But what about primitive tools? These are of a much simpler type. They are made from sticks, rocks, or large leaves and they have very simplistic names (for example, the hammers of nomadic times were simply called mashers). There is no doubt that the cavemen would stare in awe at the shiny tools of today, but before we get ahead of ourselves, we should explain how we make these tools. You may have noticed the tool I named earlier, the masher. I mentioned it was a simpler version of the hammer, and it has the same function.well, mashing things. It is composed of a heavy, round stone, some durable strips of rawhide, and a hefty piece of tree limb. The rawhide (you can use any hefty type of cordage in the place of this) is simply wrapped around the handle and the stone and tied tightly. The length of the handle may vary based on what you need it for. Some common uses of the masher are breaking rocks apart, breaking open fruits (such as coconut), or mashing up vegetables or fruit. Another basic type of tool is the flint, which is also known as the spear. You can make the flint from any type of hard, rough material; some of the common materials are other antlers, stones, or seashells. The flint is used in skinning, or even killing, deer or sources of meat. They can also be used in cutting cordage, chopping wood (if you use the right material), or making bowls or pottery.

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CATCHING AND COOKING MEAT You already know that we all need food to survive; but how would you feed yourself if you were lost in the wilderness? There is an abundance of food to eat in the wilderness: plants, animals (birds, deer, and rodents). I will now explain the process of trapping, catching, and cooking meat. Please note, though, that some plants and animals are not edible; therefore, I should first list some dangerous foods that you should not eat. First of all, many plants are poisonous and possibly fatal. You should stay away from any plants with black or white spotted leaves or berries. Poison Ivy, as well, is quite deadly. Second, you should be weary of eating any rodents such as small mice or rats. Some rodents carry the Hantavirus, which is caused by breathing in or digesting their fecal matter. Moreover, thoroughly cook all meat and be sure that you remove the kidneys and bowels of all animals to avoid possibly fatal diseases. We will first cover how to make a deadfall. If you know how to make a dead-fall correctly, it can be a very effective means of capturing and/or killing small animals such as packrats. Please note that it might take several days for your prey to find its way to the deadfall. To speed up the process, try placing some bait (if it is available, tuna works great in attracting some animals; for others you might try small shreds of lettuce or carrots) on the small stick. You will first need two sharpened sticks: one that is approximately 3-4inches long and one that is 9-12inches long. Attach a 2foot long tree limb (make sure it is especially flimsy) to the small stick with cordage. Also, if the bait I mention above is available, tie it to the small stick. Note that the slightest busying of the small stick will cause the deadfall to collapse on top of your prey. Now, tie a piece of cordage to the flimsy stick and tie it around the longer stick (which will be holding the rock). Tie the other end of the stick to a tree or stump. Now gently lean one end of the rock on top of the long stick. If your trap is set correctly, the rock will be overshadowing the small stick (which holds the bait) and will be leaning on the long stick. I suggest the rock only weighs 10 pounds, so that your prey does not end up a puddle of muck. I will explain now how the trap will go off. Lets say a little packrat smells the bait. He follows the smell over to your trap and begins to tug on the bait. The tugging will loosen the small stick from the ground, causing the flimsy stick to jerk the weight holding stick out from under the rock. The little packrat doesnt know what hit him when the rock comes tumbling down.

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The next step is skinning the fur off the animal. You will first remove the head of the animal (I will avoid going into some of the gruesome details) and then start removing the fur, working from the neck down. Be careful not to slice into the carcass too much; remember we are just removing the fur, not the meat. After the fur is completely removed, pull out the kidneys and bowel. By doing this, we are eliminating the chances of getting certain fatal diseases. Wash the carcass and progress to cooking the meat. We will start a fire by using either of the processes I explained earlier in this essay. Pierce the meat with a sharp, clean stick and roast the meat until you are completely sure it is thoroughly cooked. Make sure it is golden brown, with no pink in the middle. Of course, this is not a gourmet meal, but it will help you survive through the night. There are several other ways to cook meat. One other way is to use stone pots or plates (which I will talk about later). Or, you can use mud. I know what you are saying right about now: Mud? How could you possibly use mud to cook food? Of course, you cannot use this method on everything. However, when cooking things like fish or birds you must avoid over-cooking the meat. It is also a surprisingly good way to keep the juices in. You cannot use any type of mud, though; for example, red and crumbly mud will just fall apart on you. Instead, you should use a very sticky and dark type of mud that you can easily wrap around your food. When cooking with mud, do not skin or pluck the meat. The mud will peel the skin or feathers off for you! Yet another advantage of cooking with mud is that the mud will distribute the heat evenly, making for a well-cooked and delicious meal. Place the mudwrapped meat directly in the coals. Flip every 5-8minutes until thoroughly cooked. After cooked, peel off the mud and rinse the meat to insure that it is sanitary. Bon Apetit! CONTAINERS Before I go on, I must mention yet another primitive tool - the container. There are several types of primitive containers: those made from clay, wood or stone and those made from animal parts, cordage or bark. As I mentioned earlier, some of the more durable containers could be used in cooking or transporting water. The not so durable containers could be used for tableware (plates, bowls, etc.), dcor, or holding vessels for tools. In any case, it is best to know how to make a basic primitive container.

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I will begin with a very simple bark container. These bark containers have many uses and, in most cases, do not require a second of carpentry work. However, these containers have a limited size, as they break very easily. I suggest using cedar, juniper, or birch because they last a long time and, if they are used for transporting water, they dry quickly and do not tend to fall apart. The bark container can be made from two pieces of bark, cut from the tree using a flint or knife, and attach together using strong cordage. Drill three or four holes in the bottom of the two pieces and string the cordage through. Pull the cordage until the two bottoms meet and finish the container off by knotting the cordage and adding a handle at the top. A stone container takes a little more work. Here we will find a use for our masher that we made earlier on. Find a sharp material (antler, bone, etc.) and a small rock to work with. Do not use soapstone! Soapstone contains traces asbestos which, when inhaled, can cause severe damage to your lungs and throat. We now begin chipping away at our rock, with the sharp material hard against the rock and the hammer tapping gently on the material. You can make the depression as deep as you want. After a while of chipping away at the rock, you should end up with a small bowl that can be used for carrying water or for use as cooking ware. Once you have practiced this you can work on larger stone containers, which can hold arrows, tools, or food. I will end with the clay bowl. Clay can be found close to water - ponds, streams, and swamps are good places to find clay. You can recognize clay by its hard texture and bright red color. You should first grind up the clay with a stone or masher, then mix it with water, adding a little at a time until all the particles are dissolved and the mixture is thin. Wait 30-40seconds so any unneeded materials can settle at the bottom. Scoop out the hard material at the bottom with your hand and pour the water at the top into another container. The leftover clay should be slightly sticky. Let this set for an hour or two or until it is dark brown and manageable. To test the clay, roll it into a pencil-thin snake and tie it into a knot. If the clay does not crack or break, it is a good material to work with. If it does, the clay will not work. When the clay is in the process of drying, it has a tendency to shrink; this may be a problem for some. However, there is a solution. Temper is a dry, gritty material that can be mixed with clay to prevent shrinking. There are many things that can be used as temper: sand, crushed shell, grass, dried cow dung are some examples. Well, you might not want to use the cow dung if you are planning to make a tableware containerit might be a real appetite killer. Anyway, you may add the temper to the clay before firing to prevent shrinking.

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After the clay is manageable and has a nice texture, you will want to form it into a bowl or plate. When you have the right shape and size, place the container face down near a fire (this helps speed up the drying process). You will want to rotate it every hour or so, or until the side facing the fire is brightly colored. Once both the inside and outside of the bowl is dry, place it in a spot to cool for 24hours. In the morning, you will have a beautiful and well-made container to use as tableware or dcor. WORKING WITH FUR Clothes are also a very important part of wilderness survival. You may have noticed the title of this essayyou didnt think you actually had to go naked into the wilderness did you? In this section, I will explain how to skin a deer, prepare the coat, and explain some of the many uses of fur. We will start with, of course, one deer. We will (again, to refrain from some of the gruesome details) remove the head and legs of the deer. With flint in hand, begin cutting into the deers coat, from the neck to the anus. Gently remove the coat, being careful not to tear it or rip it. We will not waste any part of the deer, so the meat will be cut into smaller pieces, cleaned, and cooked for future meals (as I explained earlier). Now that the coat is removed, we will clean it. Wash the coat in a cold river or stream. The water must be cool because warm water might assist in rotting the coat. Remove any remaining meat with a flint. The meat will tend to come off easier after soaking. Soak the fur once again, and then throw the fur on the ground or over a tree limb to dry. After you have a clean and soft fur, it can be used as a blanket as is or turned into clothes. Did I mention that the fur could be cut into strips and used as very durable and strong cordage? MAKING A PRIMITIVE BOW AND ARROW To all the Robin Hoods of the world, string your bows! The bow and arrow is a very useful tool, and one that I wanted to save for the end of this essay. It is a little difficult to make and even more difficult to use, but it can save your life in the wilderness. First, you will want to decide upon the material you will be using to make the bow. Cedar, as always, works really well for these types of projects. The bow should be 3-4feet tall depending on your heighth and preference. So, chop down your preferred tree, cut it down to proper size and split it into two equal pieces using a sharp material and a masher. Scrape off any bark and split off any excess if necessary.

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We will first sand it and carve it into the desired shape, and then we will let it harden up until it is nice and solid. The wood should be thin - not thin enough for it to break under pressure, but thin enough so it will bow a little when we string it. Make a few notches on the top and bottom of the bow. Prepare the cordage, which should be about the same length as the bow. String the cordage tightly through the notches in the bow. Now for the arrow. You can use the same material that you made the bow from, or you can use something a little more flimsy. Cut the material down to proper length and size - about 3/8inch thick, 12-15inches long, and 1/4inch wide. You should make a group of about 15 and allow them to dry for a few days. After drying you must then sand the arrows, cut the notches, straighten, cut the lightning grooves, attach a point (you can use wood, bone, antler, rock, or any other sharp material), straighten again, add feathers, and finally seal (if possible) with glue. To add a personal touch, you may paint your initials on the arrows, but that is just for fun. Finally, I will end with a personal note. I have always wondered what it would be like to camp out under the stars, hunt for my own food, and build a shelter from nothing but sticks and grass. I have spent many nights sitting around a campfire, exchanging stories with my family. I have made tipis (most of which came tumbling down after about ten minutes) from my mothers cane sticks. However, over the past few months, I have studied many wilderness survival books and have truly discovered how difficult it would be to survive in the cold, cold wilderness. I have always used matches to make my fires; I have never once hunted or fished for my food. I have never slept in a shelter made of sticks and I have never had to eat from a container I made with my own two hands. In short, I feel that I have never been one with the earth. We take many things for granted: our food, our houses, and our clothes. Most of us cringe at the thought of being without our furniture, warm beds, and fur coats - not to mention how bored we would be without modern day electronics. For most of us, the closest we will ever be to nature is sitting in patio chairs in our own backyards. So, all I ask of those who read this essay is to try one of the projects in this essay. Go fishing with a friend, build a fire with one of the methods I described, make a basket from the bark of a cedar. Only then will you know how fruitful the earth truly is. FOR FUTHER STUDY For further research on the topics I described in this essay, please read the following books from which I obtained this information. Naked into the Wilderness - Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills by John and Geri McPherson Stalking the Faraway Places and Some Thoughts on the Best Way to Live by Euell Gibbons 9