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Survival Skills, Wilderness, and the Tribulation
Keeping things in perspective

Is Dan a "Prepper" or obsessed with the Apocalypse, or something along those lines?

If you have attended one of my presentations you may recall that I do emphasize the importance of the exact opposite. My priorities with survival skills, wilderness and eschatology are all less important than:

  1. Building the kingdom of Yahweh.
  2. Becoming an acceptable and useful member of the Body of Yahshua HaMoshiach.
  3. Worship and observance of the Word of Yahweh.
  4. Fellowship and Edification of my Brothers and Sisters in the Body.
  5. Pursuing the Fruits of the Ruach Ha-Khodesh

Actually now that I think of it, I'm not entirely sure how far down my list of priorities survival skills are, and my eschatological studies would be even farther down the list than that. It is prioritized here mainly because I have acquired a measure of knowledge and skills that others do not have, and have recieved requests to share them.

I'm not expecting the Four Horsemen to appear at any moment. I am an avid hiker and enjoy the beauty of the wilderness, hiking and camping whenever I can. I have also worked as a professional wilderness survival guide. Ninety percent of my skills are appropriate for hiking, camping, and basic preperations that any prudent individual should have, regardless.

I encourage you to prepare yourself for not only what things may occur as prophecy indicates, but also to simply prepare yourself for a day or two in the woods. There are many situations other than the end of the world as we know it, that make my presentation relevant and useful.

All that being said, yes there are some particulars that apply more to tribulation than general wilderness and survival skills. They are included here because some of you want this information also, and it is much more cohesive to include with the main body of skills, than to create a separate section. It is very difficult to strike a balance between being a proficient teacher of a subject and getting carried away with it.

My first point here is that you should be serious about survival skills, but you should not be obsessed about it. You should continually maintain other (higher) priorities. For instance, the list at the top of this section might be a good place to start. Keep things in perspective. In actual practice that means that preparing for whatever should simply be added to your list of interests, and not displacing other equally or more important pursuits.

 
Discussion

You don't know it, until you've done it.

 

It is important to make that distinction because there is a lot of information out there: What you learn here, other books that are out there, the internet, youtube, etc., You can get a lot of information and educate yourself quite easily, but it is critical to remember you don't really know something until you've done it.

For example, when you say you know how to ride a bike, does that mean you know that you are supposed to pedal forwards while balancing on the seat and holding the handlebars? Or does it mean that you've done it?

How about swimming? If you say you know how to swim, does that mean you know all about paddling with your hands, holding your breath, not breathing water, kicking your feet, propelling yourself forward or treading water and the details and mechanics of it, OR does it mean that you've done it? You wouldn't jump off a boat no matter how much material you've read or how many videos you watched about swimming, perhaps even testing your bouyancy in a bathtub, unless you've actually been swimming before, right? The same goes for wilderness, survival and especially primitive skills.

You have to go out and actually do it. Not just at home in your backyard, I mean under actual conditions, in the wilderness where it really needs to work. You can practice wilderness and survival skills at home, but it doesn't count, and you can't rely on it, and you should never think you can do it, until you pack everything into the woods and make it happen where you have only yourself and what you brought, and your situation depends on it. Starting a fire in your driveway on a nice summer afternoon cannot prepare you for doing the same thing in the woods in the snow, contending with darkness, hunger, and trembling fingers, when every stick of wood on the ground is soaking wet or frozen. Additionally, you might not realize that you need your glasses, or medication, or something else you take for granted because you are home, and it's there all the time.

Also, this forces you into another important aspect, and that is testing your gear. Don't take for granted that things work. You may be surprised to find that not all magnesium bars are the same, or that your parachute cord is not the type you thought it was.

Finally, going out and doing things in actual practice greatly improves your attitude and comfort level, which enhances your overall survivability.

Hopefully, with all that in mind, I have provided enough motivation for you to go out and enjoy yourself!
Campsite selection
Before Sunset!

 

  1. Select your campsite while you still have some daylight left
    1. Easier to orient camp geography for South/East exposure
      1. Warmer
      2. Early light
      3. Protection from wind & cold, which is usually coming from West & North
    2. More effective scouting and inspecting water sources
    3. Scout for bear hang area
    4. Scout for dry wood
    5. Check camp area for hazards
      1. Widowmakers.
        1. These are large branches which have fallen and become suspended in the branches overhead
        2. It may be impossible to see widowmakers in the dark. Don't rely on flashlights for this.
      2. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Stinging Nettles, Sumac
      3. Loose rocks & Dangerous Footing
  2. Consider multiple area campsite:
    1. Main "Campfire" Area
      1. This will probably also be your cooking/food area
    2. Bear Hang Area
    3. Sleeping Area
      1. 300 feet upwind from all other areas
      2. clothing & shelter only, nothing that carries an odor
    4. All areas should at least 300 feet apart
    5. Wash area, food cleanup may be yet in a different spot.
  3. Don't make camp in a wash
  4. Don't camp on a hilltop
    1. Subject to stronger winds
    2. Variable wind directions
    3. Usually farther from water sources
    4. Contrary to BLISS+ principles
10 Essentials
Food, Clothing and Shelter are not enough

Food, Clothing and Shelter is not nearly enough. Reducing the basic elements to these three components does a disservice to practical survival planning, and is in fact counter-productive because it provides a false sense of security, and undermines knowledge and planning. For practical survival, you also need to be warm, dry and comfortable.

You really need the following: Food, Clothing, Shelter, and also Water, Mobility, Organization, and Information which includes a Plan . It is also very important that you are not only surviving, but that you are comfortable while doing so. Being uncomfortable leads to poor decision making, and the perception that your situation is worse than it actually is. That perception leads to even more poor decision making, which does in fact make matters worse. This creates a self-perpetuating dynamic, that if left unchecked, directly undermines your efforts and potentially leads to total failure. The first defense against this is of course Attitude.

Information

  • Information should be printed, not just stored electronically
  • Maps, Thorough knowledge of local geography
  • Plant Guides, Hiking books vs. survival books

Water

  • Filtration, carbon vs. non carbon: Carbon filters make the water taste better at the expense of additional weight. If you have really bad water, a non- carbon filter is going to give you potable, but bad tasting water.
  • Rolling boil. It is unnecessary to boil for 1 minute (or longer).
  • Sterilize with bleach 8-16 drops per gallon. Also does not improve the taste, nor remove debris & dead microorganisms.

Food

  • Don't Get Love Sick (Dairy, Grains, Legumes, Seeds) Combine Dairy & Grains, or Grains & Legumes, or Legumes and Seeds, for complete protein mix.
  • High calorie to weight ratio: PowerBars & Ramen = Good, Watermelon = Bad
  • seasonings for food > comfort
  • Seasonings for food, esp. Parmesan & Hot Pepper.

Fire

  • Preparation is key
  • Lighter & spare lighter wrapped or bagged
  • Magnesium: Doan's or Military issue only.
  • Tinder bundles, fire kit, tinder etc.,

Mobility

  • Lightweight Gear, calories vs energy
  • Find north by shadow
  • Finding north by the ecliptic plane

Clothing

  • Polypro and synthetics in general are the best choice in most cases. They are durable, and usually dry the fastest. Synthetic fleece is very warm, and yet also very lightweight. They are also less prone to rotting and decay like natural fibers. Many are also bacteria or microbe resistant.

  • Wool: Some wool clothing is heavier than synthetic fibers, however wool can keep you warm even when wet. In this case wool is a superior choice, but importantly, it dries much slower.

  • Smart Wool, Merino Wool are very good choices, but expensive.These are anti-microbial, and can be worn for long periods of time without generating a lot of odor. Smart Wool / Merino Wool are probably the best at regulating body temperature.

  • Cotton: Worst choice possible. When wet, it conducts heat away from your body. It dries very, very poorly. Wet clothing is not only a direct disadvantage, but also creates additional weight from being wet.

Comfort

  • Geography, Climate

Attitude

  • Psychological, Emotional, and Spiritual preparedness
  • Experience, skills, expectations

Organization

  • Never underestimate the power of organization
  • Ziploc bags, Press 'n Seal, plastic food containers.
  • laminated pack list,

Shelter

  • Tarp, Tent, Hammock,
  • grass hut, igloo vs. dugout,
  • expedient shelter, lean-to

Additional Contingency supplies

  • field glasses
  • community skills
  • radio, faraday cage, extra watches
  • potassium iodate / potassium iodine
  • printed reference material
  • Personal needs such as eyeglasses, medications/herbal needs, special clothing or nutritional needs
  • Cash
Links
More information

GENERAL

GEAR

Use retail websites for researching gear & prices.
Use retail stores for for fitting packs, trying gear out, etc
walmart/kmart/goodwill etc., are all valid resources
Don't forget second hand sporting goods stores

NUCLEAR

FIRE

NEWS

Dont forget to search YouTube, Google, Barnes & Noble for information. I highly recommend using FireFox with the following addons: NoScript, Web of Trust, AdBlocker Plus

Books
In Print
Packlist
My packlist

This is a copy of the checklist I use when I pack my gear, with links to some of the items.

Click HERE

Acronyms

Terms you may find in your internet research

Acronyms

  1. ALICE - All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment
  2. BLISS - Blend In, Low Profile, Irregular Shape, Small, Secluded
  3. BOB - Bug Out Bag
  4. EMP - ElectroMagnetic Pulse
  5. GOOD - Get Out Of Dodge
  6. INCH - I'm Never Coming Home
  7. LNT - Leave No Trace
  8. NBC - Nuclear, Biological, Chemical
  9. TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It
Five Criteria
How to select gear, etc.

Criteria to consider for acquiring gear, and planning in general


What is most likely to happen

Important primarily for providing a sense of timing for execution of plans. As you can see, most eventualities are already in process, and show little sign of doing anything else except accelerate.
  • Things that are happening already
  • escalating food costs
  • deteriorating economic situation
  • Food scarcity
  • degradation of societal order
  • loss of modern conveniences

What preparations cover many or most contingencies.

  • Food acquisition and storage
  • Proper outdoors clothing and gear
  • Physical Fitness

What is inexpensive, free, or has a very high usefulness-to-cost ratio.

  • Fitness
  • Wilderness skills
  • Printed Information
  • Edible/Medicinal Plants, Maps, Gardening
  • Dryer lint, Plastic bags, Tupperware type food containers, aluminum foil
  • hacksaw blade knife, steel wool
  • condiment packs


Invaluable resources that will likely become unavailable in the event of disaster

  • Firearms, Ammunition and Weapons in general
  • Seeds
  • Information Acquisition
  • Potassium Iodine/Iodate
  • NBC Shelter and gas mask
  • 1000x microscope


What things do I have use for now, that will be useful/valuable later

  • Hiking gear
  • Fishing gear
  • Outdoors clothing
Potential Disasters
Contingencies, etc.

Considering what are the potential eventualities we may face is generally irrelevant. This is because in almost all cases, the consequences are the same, and therefore the preparations are the same. Except for one, and that is Nuclear Warfare. For example, preparing for computer failure, it is not a consideration whether the motherboard may burn up, the hard drive crashes, or a virus destroys everything. You should have a backup of your data. It will not matter what happened in particular, because having all your data means you can recover from it in all cases, except for one, fire.

Therefore, an effective plan will focus on outcomes, rather than causes. Obviously food shortages and economic hardships are going to follow essentially any disaster, and providing for the essentials in my list covers probably 90% of eventualities, so I am not particularly concerned with how things come about. Especially since I believe the tribulation is already beginning, and is only going to continue in a slow, deliberate, potentially accelerating train wreck sort of way. If and when there are catastrophic events, I think by the time they happen the point will be moot, and we should already be well into our plan before such time arrives. This means: Yes, now.

Nevertheless, it can be entertaining and perhaps does aid somewhat in mental preparedness. And I will not argue the point that it does appear that some events will transpire. Some are specific, however much is not mentioned, leaving open a wide range of possibities over an ambiguous time frame. So, with that in mind, here is my incomplete list of potential disasters that could happen. Some are very possible, and some are quite unlikely. Decide for yourself.

Natural Disasters

  1. Earthquake
    1. Super Quake
    2. Pacific Northwest Mega-thrust Earthquake
    3. Midwest Earthquake
  2. Weather
    1. New York Hurricane
    2. Los Angeles Tsunami
    3. East Coast Tsunami / Cumbre Vieja
    4. Heat Waves
    5. Abrupt Climate Change
    6. Gulf Coast Tsunami
    7. Ozone Depletion
  3. Other
    1. Super Volcano
      1. Yellowstone
      2. Anak Krakatau
      3. Re-emergence of Siberian Traps
    2. Pandemic
    3. Crop Failure / Famine
    4. Sudden Pole Shift
  4. Space
    1. Asteroid/Comet Impact
    2. Gamma Ray Burst
    3. Alien Invasion War
    4. Alien Invasion Microbial
    5. Total Destruction of Earth
      1. Near passing black hole
      2. Catastrophic Solar fluctuation
    6. Solar Flare / CME
    7. Planet X, Nbiru, etc.

Man made Disasters

  1. War
    1. Civil War
    2. Martial Law / Police State
    3. Global Thermonuclear Conflict - WW3
    4. Terrorist/Asymmetrical attack leading to breakdown
    5. EMP Attack
    6. Biological Weapons release, weaponized smallpox
  2. Financial
    1. Domestic Financial Catastrophe
    2. Global Financial Catastrophe
    3. General Societal Breakdown
  3. Technological
    1. Technological Disaster/Law of Unintended Consequences
    2. Engineering Disaster/Law of Unintended Consequences
    3. Artificial Intelligence Takeover
    4. Von Neuman Machine Takeover
    5. Loss or destruction of fundamental component of ecosphere
    6. House of Cards effect
    7. Unintended Disaster, general

 

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