Survival's Cool

Give your position away

2013-08-25T19:12:00.000+01:00

If you can determine your position, it's important to ensure that you know how to describe it. This is best illustrated with latitude and longitude, the most internationally recognised coordinate system used on all sea and air charts as well as most GPSes and mobile phones. Many instruments display position in different format and if you say it wrong, it's possible to send the rescuers to the other side of the planet, which isn't going to help. If you follow this rule of the numbers and symbols, it doesn't matter what format the device uses, you'll always be able to convey your correct position so that the search and rescue crew are tasked to the right location.

Let us suppose that we were sailing from Miami to Bermuda, skipping along the edge of the Bermuda Triangle and it all goes wrong. The ropes knot, the sails rip, the engine floods, but there is enough power to get a reading from the GPS and broadcast a Mayday. Unfortunately, you don't have one of those fancy DCS digital type radios which transmit the position with the emergency broadcast, so you have to describe your position. The GPS reads:

27° 10.452' -078° 02.532'

The first component is latitude and the second this longitude. Latitude describes how North or South we are and Longitude tells us how West or East we are. Latitude always comes first, though there is not generally an indication as to which is which other than maybe the number of digits, but now always, see below. In this case, if we switched them around, we'd be telling people we were in the antarctic directly south of Africa. An easy way to remember the order is that they are in alphabetical order.

Everything about the way the coordinates are displayed is important and all of it needs to be conveyed. This is how we would correctly and unambiguously describe our position as displayed above:

"latitude two seven degrees, one zero decimal four five two minutes, longitude negative zero seven eight degrees, zero two decimal five three two minutes"

Let's break it down. First we are saying which component of the position is to follow. By saying 'latitude' and 'longitude' explicitly, we are giving confidence to the recipient that we are giving the position correctly. Next we are breaking down the numbers into individual digits. It would be unfortunate to mix up fifteen and fifty, say, as that would put our position some considerable distance away, over 2000 nautical miles and nearly 4000 kilometers, in fact.

Now, we are separating the degrees from the minutes. First we say the number of degrees, then the words 'degrees' prompted by the symbol, then we say the minutes, in this case unambiguously placing the decimal point and finishing with the word 'minutes' to show we are using that convention. This is prompted by the apostrophe.

There are three ways in which the same number of degrees can be described. Different GPS units or chart plotters may display in different ways, so it's important to know what to say. The first is a pure decimal number of degrees. In the case of this latitude, we would be at 27.17°. This is not 27 degrees and 17 minutes and that is 11 nautical miles (20km) away. This may not see much, but it is at sea, in the dark or fog, I assure you. If your display showed this, you would say "Latitude two seven decimal one seven degrees". It's very simply read left to right with a word for each number or symbol. So long as you say the word 'degrees' where you see the symbol, you're doing the right thing. This system is most commonly used by Google.

As you might expect, there are sixty minutes in each degree. Historically and still used on some devices, each degree is split into seconds. If this were the case, the above position would be written 27° 10' 27", -078° 02' 32" which would be said "two seven degrees, one zero minutes (and) two seven second ...", etc.

The third version is the one most commonly available today which employs a whole number of degrees and a decimal number of minutes. It is important not to forget the information after the decimal point as half a degree represents almost one kilometer. By stating the words 'degrees', 'decimal' and 'minutes' in the correct positions, you will allow the listener to correctly identify this format.

With this particular GPS, positive numbers are interpreted as north and east whilst south and west coordinates are represented by negative numbers. The alternative is to state specifically the north/south and east/west distinction. The above position would be displayed as 27° 10.452' N 078° 02.532' W and spoken "latitude two seven degrees, one zero decimal four five two minutes north, longitude zero seven eight degrees, zero two decimal five three two minutes west". If the position is displayed this way it is critical to state the compass directions or the coordinates will be interpreted as north and east as they will always be positive. In this case, missing those off would place you at the Taj Mahal.

A final point is the importance of stating the leading zeros. As there are only 90 degrees north and south of the equator, there will at most two figures in the whole part of the number of degrees latitude. Longitude has a range of 180 degrees in both directions (meeting at the international date line) and therefore has up to three figures. Minutes and seconds range up to 60 and have two before any decimal place. If you state all of the leading zeros, so 12 becomes "zero one two" and 4 becomes "zero zero four", the receiving party can be assured that no digits have been lost in transmission. Any less and it's possible and you position is not definite without further interpretation. If it were the case that your device, especially a mobile device, were to leave these zeros off, then do add them in. Remember, everything has two figures apart from longitudinal degrees which has three. There would be nothing too bad about adding extras to others, just ensure that you don't leave any out.

So yes, there are a number of confusing formats, but one simple set of rules.

say everything in the order you see it
say 'latitude' and 'longitude' before each coordinate
say 'negative' if there is a '-'
say each number as individual digits
say the leading zeros even if they are not there
say 'decimal' at the decimal point
say 'degrees' where you see °
say 'minutes' where you see '
say 'seconds' where you see "
say 'north', 'south', 'east' or 'west' where you see 'N','S','E' or 'W' respectively if displayed

If you follow these rules the format used by the device will not matter and you will be clear about your actual position without need for additional clarification. Of course, speaking slowly and clearly will give you the best possible chance for being understood first time.

Look out of further articles on navigation and rescue and a special coming in Self Reliance Illustrated.

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What is the Emergency Services Number?

2013-08-12T02:25:00.000+01:00

What is the emergency services number in the UK? The USA? How about Canada? Australia? India? Germany? France? That's a trick question really, as France has three different numbers for their services. Are they all free to call? Can they all be called from mobiles? Can they all be called from foreign mobile? Can you text any of them?

Chances are, you'll know the answer to two or three of those questions, but in a survival situation, should you be presented with the opportunity to phone for help, you must know the answer or you're missing a vital opportunity to get rescued. Read on and easily remember how to contact the emergency services throughout most of the world.

Remember the number 112. Remember, 112. Got it? 112 ... 1+1=2, however you remember it, just remember it. It's a very important phone number. Very important indeed. Have you put it in our phone book yet? No? Sure you're going to remember it?

In 1991, the EU adopted a policy of a single emergency services number which would operate for free on any phone, landline or mobile including foreign mobiles. Though many of the 80 countries including all of the EU and beyond which adopted this number have their own services number or numbers. This single number sits alongside their own and functions either as an alias or to an additional call centre which brokers the call to the appropriate services.

The following shows the coverage of the number 112 throughout the world. In some countries outside the EU, the number only works on GSM mobile phones or only connects to one of the services, but in a survival situation, who gives a damn who you talk to?

The map shows 112, your new favourite emergency number, if available and 999 or 911 otherwise. Of course, some countries support more than one such as the UK supporting 112 and 999 and the US 112 and 911. There are a few oddballs. China has 112 as a recorded message describing local emergency numbers (which we now don't have to remember). In Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, 999 are usable with Hong Kong also supporting 112. Ecuador requires you to dial *112 on a mobile and 112 is only available in Kabul, not all of Afghanistan. It's hardly surprising the central Africa does not support 112 as most of the continent has no GSM network coverage. More and more countries are adopting 112. The International Telecommunications Union suggest that its members adopt 112 or 911 or both as an emergency number. So in an emergency, 112, 999 or 911 should be your first three options.

If the phone account has no credit, it can still make an emergency call. If the phone is blocked it will call. If the phone is locked and the phone recognises the number as an emergency number either dialed or entered as the unlock key then the phone will allow that call to be made. Most GSM phones recognise 112, 999 and 911 as emergency numbers and some accept more such as 119, 118 and 000 and will unlock and call any of them. Phone bought in Singapore are alleged not to support 112 for unlock purposes however.

GSM mobile networks prioritise emergency calls over other traffic. In addition, an emergency call can routed over any network, not just the one on which you are registered. In fact, many countries support an emergency call from a GSM phone without a SIM card. This is not the case in the UK however, where this aspect of the service was removed due to excessive untraceable hoax calls. Well done idiots!

Another feature of the GSM network is the ability for the call centre to get a general location of the phone. This is not as useful as passing a latitude and longitude or grid reference, but will aid search and rescue greatly in narrowing their search area. Given the opportunity, you may wish to ask for your location as this will aid your self rescue should you need it. Connection times may vary. In the UK, it's often second, but in another country it may be up to a minute. Never give up, this may be your best chance of rescue and survival.

An alternative in many countries is texting 112. This has some added advantages. The first is that SMS messages need very little bandwidth and can be sent in a very short window if coverage is patchy. In addition, most mobile phones will queue a text message until it gets signal unlike a voice call which will simply fail. Text messages are also carried over a single control channel rather than a voice channel of which you need two to make a voice call. This makes it easier to get through. Even if it does, it is noted that getting a reply may take up to three minutes and a text confirmation message is not sufficient to prove that an agent has or will see the message. The best strategy to mix calls and texts at appropriate intervals until you get a response.

In the UK at least, this service requires registration. Send the word 'register' to 112 and follow the instructions returned to you. Now you're set. Don't put this off. If you can only get one message through in an emergency, you don't want it to be your registration message which you'll have to follow by confirmation and then the real deal. The composition of an emergency message should contain the service required, your location and the nature of your incident. Keep your message under 140 characters to ensure that even if the phone is set up for some funky alphabet, you only need one SMS to transmit the details.

So there you have it it. 112 is much more useful than any one of the myriad emergency services numbers used throughout the world. If you find yourself in an unknown location, in more cases than not, 112 will work. Of course, if you're travelling to a known location, always look up the local emergency services numbers. You never know when you might need them.

Hopefully you'll never need to make that call.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - Autumn Round up

2013-02-05T23:10:00.000+00:00

Three seasons in and thanks for sticking with it. I hope by now the course has proven itself useful and shown you that by working your way the year in a progressive fashion, you forget less and with a background of the basics of ecology, climate and botanical sciences, it all fixes into place. By now you'll be confidently spotting and hopefully munching wild edibles in a number of habitats. With winter here, you might be going out less, but there is still a lot to learn. You'll have noticed some of your earlier plants coming back, so here's a round up of everything we've learnt in Autumn, together with a look at that which has gone before and how that's faired with passing seasons.

Autumn Trees

Sweet Chestnut, Rowan and Sycamore are all bare having shed their leaves. Now is the time to take note of tree structure and bark in order to hone your skills in identification without leaves, the hardest of all identification methods, but the only one to work all year round. It's not easy and you only really get the answers when the buds and leaves come again in the Spring.

Autumn Plants

Blackthorn is still easily identifiable by its spines, but do look out for twigs which have come down in the wind as they can be rather annoying if they make it into your socks. Bilberry fruits have long gone and with no other edible parts, it's left along until next Autumn. Yarrow is still going strong and still makes a field tea some say is the best of them all.

Autumn Fungi

By winter, Puffballs and Brittle Gills have disappeared, though I was informed by a friend of mine locally that Blewits were still to be found on his patch including a pile of wood chippings on local waste ground. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, they to had passed.

Autumn Extra - Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

Though looking a bit dog eared now and in some places almost indistinct, Silverweed is something to look out for early in the year because its roots are an Autumn and even Winter crop used in times when others have failed. They have been used as a staple in many countries. A hardy annual, it grows in poor conditions and is most likely to be found at the edge of fields and paths, but also close to dunes where the sandy soil makes it easy to harvest. The distinct leaves have a silvery flash on the underside and can be used raw, cooked or in a tea. The roots too can be eaten raw, boiled or roasted and are an excellent source of carbohydrates.

Summer Trees

Elder is bare, but the bark is still distinctive. Dead Elder is now sporting Jew's Ear once more. Common Lime still has remnants of new growth, making is quite visible. Hazel, now leafless is very obviously a shrub with all its many trunks.

Summer Plants

Wild Mint, Wild Strawberry and Meadowsweet are all gone. Blackberry are a constant pain in the arse. All thorns and no fruits. Only the roots are useful edibles now. Boiled or baked they are a good source of carbs. Some use the as a coffee substitute which I've yet to try.

Summer Fungi

Chicken of the Woods pretty much ended in September, Giant Puffball in November and Chanterelle in November.

Spring Trees

Some Beech trees still have leaves, and buds are on their way. Ash has no leaves though plenty of distinctive black buds. Goat Willow has yet to start. Goat Willow (Sallow) and Oak no longer have leaves, but are beginning to think about budding. Oak is very distinct in structure now and you should be able to confidently identify it. Silver Birch has plenty of useful bark still being shed and remains an easy one to identify as its distinctive white bark can be seen from a great distance now its neighbouring trees lack leaves.

Spring Plants

Wood Sorrel and Pennywort are still available. Nettle has plenty of new growth and Jack by The Hedge is back, as is Common Sorrel. Ramsoms (Wild Garlic) and Three Cornered Leek (Wild Onion) are not out yet, but if you can remember where the garlic was, you can still use the bulbs. Gorse is still flowering, but not as tasty as other times in the year. Sweet Violet is another one for the Spring only, but we can look forward to it next time round. Primrose is beginning to show through, but make sure you don't confuse it with Foxglove, as that could have horrid consequences. Dandelions are about, but try to avoid dark green leaves as they will be bitter. Roots are still usable, of course.

Spring Fungi

St George's Mushrooms and Fairy Ring Champignon are no longer with us, but Cramp Balls are still available and easier to spot now there is more light through the empty canopy. Morels have such a short season, they are long gone. Jew's Ear, however, is abundant and going strong.

Winter

Now mid winter, I know I'm behind, but will throw out a winter article this month as soon as I can find a few gems which I'd like to add in.

Happy foraging and look out for further articles.

REMEMBER: Do not pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

BE AWARE: There is an inherent risk in the consumption of all new foods, both wild and cultivated. Ensure they are cooked as prescribed and begin by eating a little of only one new food at a time in case you have an intolerance or adverse reaction. If you are taking any medication or have a current or family history of any allergy or medical issue, seek advice from a medical practitioner before eating any new wild foods.

NOTE: All articles are written from a UK perspective and identification will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advise to confirm positive identification.

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Who is the greatest of them all?

2013-01-22T22:22:00.000+00:00

I had to do it ... I asked that question that keeps getting asked in one form or another; "who is the best survival guy?". It's been asked as Mears vs Grylls, it's been asked as Bushcraft vs Survival and it's been asked generically and with specific context. I tried to make it as contemporary as possible.

The question I posed was "Which of these do you think would, today, survive longest or get out quickest if placed on their own in a random, realistic survival situation with bare bones kit?".

The poll can be found on Facebook and was prepopulated with few choice survival types and voters were allowed to add their own.

Couple of notes on the question. First being that I asked about 'today', meaning nowish, so age had to be taken into consideration and as a consequence, those no longer with us were excluded. An honourable mention therefore has to be given to Teruo Nakamura, a Japanese soldier and most recent World War II holdout to be found in 1974, having spent the years following the war living off the land thinking it was still going on. He dies in 1979.

Secondly, the situation was to be random, albeit in the space of possible situations the individual might find themself. Next I ensured that getting out was an option and lastly that the kit was to be sparse, which implied no preparation. With that, I was pretty sure I had all bases covered, but of course, there were people who picked at it. Oh well.

I tried to spread the question as internationally as possible, but being British, most of my connections were also. Those connection were also mostly bushcraft and survival community type too. Even this blog is mostly read by Brits, so even if you share the question on and we give it another month, the results may still be skewed. Of course, Facebook being the platform may be considered a bit ageist or techist. And yes, the media probably helped a bit, but not as much as you might think.

And so to the results. There were around 100 votes at time of writing, so that's a nice easy conversion to a percentage.

Ray Mears - 31 votes. Known for being a Bushcraft guy, Ray has his own school at Woodlore and though concentrated on survival back in the day, is more of a wild camping, wild food eating, wildlife type on the telly these days. He's well travelled and demonstrates a lot of skill on camera and clearly recognised as an asset in a survival situation.

Dave Canterbury - 21 votes. Dave is best known in the community for his "survival for the common man" videos on YouTube which his publishes under the name of his company, The Pathfinder School. Dave also co-produces Self Reliance Illustrated magazine, which I'm proud to have been invited to submit an article to this Spring. Dave shot into the public eye with the Discovery series Dual Survival also feature Cody Lundin, below.

John 'Lofty' Wiseman - 20 votes. Lofty is best known for being the author of The SAS Survival Handbook which was published back in 1986 and is what got me into this game in the first place. The Gem version of this book was, at last look, Harper Collins best seller of all time. Now the figurehead of Trueways Survival School, though no longer teaching in the field, Lofty's skills are broad and proven through experience but at 72, might have been considered to have been getting on a bit, though I wouldn't mess with him, even though he's always been a jolly decent fellow whenever I've met up with him.

Les Stroud - 6 votes. Bit of a jump down to the Survivorman who uniquely takes all his own footage on his survival escapades. With no hotels and no catering van, Les Stroud gets out there an does it for real. He too has been all over the world and is one of me favourite TV survival types, harmonica notwithstanding.

Bear Grylls - 4 votes. Yes, four votes. Just goes to show, for all the entertaining telly, people did not think he has what it takes, even though he's climbed Everest, was a part timer in the special forces and as an adventurer has been over the world. He's Chief Scout in the UK, but is best known for Born Survivor or Man vs Wild and has eaten some manky foodstuffs, climbed waterfalls, jumped out of helicopters and used a piss filled snake skin as a cooling scarf. Bear Grylls has started his own survival academy, but it's very expensive.

Cody Lundin - 4 votes. Co-star of Dual Survival with Dave Canterbury, Cody runs the Aboriginal Living Skills School in Arizona where he lives 'off the grid'. Better known for his primitive skills, he also teaches contemporary survival and preparedness. I suspect, however, he's even better known for his bare feet and tiny shorts.

Mors Kochanski - 4 votes. Author of the book Northern Bushcraft first published in 1988, and known for the phrase "the more you know, the less you carry", which has stuck with me since I first heard it. Mors has more recently become the adopted grandfather of the British bushcraft community and is highly respected by many still.

"Steve M off of BCUK" - 3 votes. See now you're just being silly, because that's me and although I'm only part way through my book, I've not got a branded knife on the market and I've not usually on the telly for more than 5 minutes at a time. Having said that, it was nice to be thought of, especially since one of the voters works for Ray Mears's school.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes - 2 votes. 'The worlds greatest explorer' according to The Guiness Book of World Records. He climbed Everest at 65 and was the first to visit both poles, amongst other amazing thing. He also cut off his own first bitten fingertips with a fretsaw, which is pretty hard core.

Cookie Monster - 2 votes. At least I got more votes than Cookie Monster.

The last few each got one vote, some of which went back down to zero. I'm frankly amazed some of these didn't get more votes.

Les Hiddins is known as The Bush Tucker Man, and is almost certainly the first TV survival guy with his series of the same name. He's likely to be better known in Australia.

Bruce Parry is a TV adventurer and is best known for his series Tribe. Bruce has arguably eaten worse tasting food than Bear Grylls, and under the pressure of village elders who he did not want to offend by spitting it out or throwing up.

Lars Monsen is a Norwegian adventurer not afraid of harsh environments and is best known for spending over two years alone on a hike across Alaska and Canada.

Ben Fogle is also an adventurer, but is now well know for his wilderness skills. Lovely chap though.

Two interesting additions were Bear Grylls's Cameraman and Ray Mears's Sound Man, both of which were honoured for their continued participation in their more famous counterpart's experiences. I'm sure there have been very many of each, but nice to be recognised I think.

Lastly, "the man with most luck on his side", got a vote and it just goes to show that this very important concept is still recognised, no matter how hard I tried to craft the question to avoid it.

Feel free to comment this this article or the poll, which will be left open. It would be interesting to hear other perspectives and maybe see of the positions change.

Social Madness

2012-12-23T00:40:00.000+00:00

So, there's Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ and now Google+ communities.

In an attempt to get the community programme started on Google+, here's a couple of communities to join.

Survival, Bushcraft and Wild Camping

Wild Food, Foraging and Natural Resources

Please let us know if you find any more.

One man's junk ...

2012-12-17T00:27:00.001+00:00

Just a Bottle?

Everyday objects have a great number of uses beyond those for which they were originally designed. Sometimes, even a basic modification can transform the mundane into a life saving tool. We've covered a nail, a piece of string and now this third article on imagination covers plastic bottles.

Plastic bottles are more likely to be found with you and your situation or washed up the beach than occurring in the woods or desert sands. If, however, you were to find such an item in a remote survival situation, then you ascertain that at some point, human kind were around and this may be a useful datum for signalling or locating civilisation, should you resort to navigating your way out. Though plastic itself has a huge lifespan, labels and colouration can be affected by the sun and the elements, so a tatty old bottle with a faded label might indicate that someone was here, but it was a while ago. As with all packet food, take a quick check for an expiry date. This can be a ballpark indicator of at least the minimum time since the owner was about.

Just to expand on that a mo ... if the use by date was 3 months ago, then chances are the the original owner was around at least three months ago. If the use by date was today, or in the future, then obviously they were here before today, but what determines the rest of the window is the product itself. Something that quickly perishes will be sold with a short use by duration, something preserved or canned will have a much greater one. If you can make a guess as to the length of this period, then you can determine, with at least some degree of accuracy, a time window in which someone was here. Combined with the condition of the item, you might be able to narrow it down further.

And so to the bottles themselves. What possible uses, other than the containment of liquid can we think of? As always, I posed the question on Natural Bushraft on this thread and here are the results:

Store water (clean or contaminated)
Drinking vessel
Storage container for berries and other edibles
Bowl
Scoop
Bailer
Funnel
Funnel Trap, land or sea
Water filter housing
Solar purification device
Water preheater (painted black)
Hobo fishing reel
Fishing float
Raft or Floatation Device unit
Floating message container
Lobster/Crab pot marker
Pot/line/net anchor or weight (when filled)
Sauce holder
Boiling/cooking vessel (article to come)
Trading item
Construction material (if enough available)
Underground refrigerator
Inhaler spacer
Lens (when filled, for fire lighting) (article to follow)
Anchor or weight (when filled with sand, say)
Fermentation vessel
Candle holder
Closh
Snorkel
Sprayer/Fire Extinguisher
Pee bottle
Hot water bottle (not necessarily related to the above)
Eye protectors/Sun glasses
Solar bulb (Google it)
Shower
Improvised shoes
Indicator of human activity

As you can see, the community came up with many possible uses for the simple plastic bottle. It supports the notion that brain storming for ideas leads to more than any one person can come up with and that can be very important when resources are limited.

The last item brings the article full circle with the bottle allowing you to indicate your own presence. Imagine, if you will, you're a search and rescue agent and come across a bottle hanging in a tree. This is a highly irregular occurrence in nature and would certainly be worth further investigation. By putting a note in this waterproof container, you can inform your would be rescuers of your state at a specific time together with your intentions, had you made a move elsewhere.

Look out for resources all around you and never underestimate the value of simple items.

Keep an eye out for follow up articles.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - November

2012-11-25T01:57:00.002+00:00

Autumn is almost over with many trees now bare, though some still retain their glorious colourful leaves. The season for ground fruiting fungi is pretty much over and you might think because all of the nuts and berries have passed that there is very little to eat, but there are plenty plants that work well in the winter, not only because there is little other competition. So without further ado, let's see what's about this month.

Tree - Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)

It's a tree which has been in the corner of your eye all year. It was in the hedgerows, by the lanes, in the park and in the woods. Sycamore copes well with harsh environments, including urban and coastal areas. You probably recognised it by its distinct winged seeds a couple of months ago, but it's one to know all year round as the wood is very useful to the bushcrafter or survivor.

The broad, palmate (hand shaped) leaves are great shade from the sun. The wood burns with moderate heat and is great for cooking and mixes well with slow burners. Without resin, it doesn't spark and has relatively low smoke which isn't particularly scented. The branches are strong, like oak, but can be a bit twisty at times and can be a bit annoying for a building material. For the carver, sycamore was the favoured wood for making Welsh love spoons and we all know how much bushcrafters love making spoons.

Plant - Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Young Yarrow

Just when you thought all of the leaves were on their way out, Yarrow springs up in grassland. It'll eventually grow to about two feet tall. Distinctly pointy (strictly lanceolate) leaves and feathery structure make it quite distinct from the grass which normally surrounds it. The flower structure is left as an exercise for the reader. Watch it grow. All of the parts above ground can be used. The leaves, though a little bitter, can be eaten raw in salads, or made into a tea, some would say being the most superior of all naturals teas. Caution should be taken however, since prolonged or excessive use can cause rashes and irritation in some.

Yarrow has been used medicinally both internally and externally, where it has been used to treat wounds. The tea has been used as a treatment for colds & fevers, to relieve inflammation and to relieve stress, but as there has been little scientific study, it may all be twaddle.

Fungus - Wood Blewit (Clitocybe nuda)

This mushroom has been reclassified a couple of times, but now resides in the Clitocybe genus which contains a number of edible and poisonous mushrooms. Thankfully, Wood Blewits are pretty easy to distinguish within the genus, because of their lilac tinge, especially the gills. This does not mean that all purple mushrooms are Wood Blewits. Oh no, there are several of the Cortinarius genus, know as Web Caps, which look alike, but are rather poisonous. So how do you tell the difference? Well, once you know, you know. This may sound glib, but like many plants, once you have positively identified them a good few times, you'll wonder why you ever got it confused in the first place.

Let's see what we know. Wood Blewits are saprotrophic, which means they grow on decaying leaves, including needles, which is where I've found most. They grow in clusters or rings. I've founding the growing with other Clitocybes, including the Clouded Agaric (Clitocybe nebularis).

They grow to about 15cm tall and wide, though nicer young, with a bulbous stem, as do Web Caps, but the stem lacks the cobweb structure and orange ringed remnant which Web Caps can often retain. In this case, web or ring are a negative identifier, but their lack is still not a positive one, since these features can be lost over time. The cap is generally convex (domed) and becomes more brown with age, as do the gills. It often curls under a little, specially when young (see right).

The gills are sinuate or emarginate, meaning they have either a concave or notched structure before attaching to the stem. Here comes the key difference. Wood blewit spores are pinkish, web caps are rust brown. It's rather easy to take a spore print. Simply cut the cap from the stem, place it on white and either brown or black paper, cover with a glass (or similar) and leave over night. You cover it to keep the spore in place and the two pieces of paper are there to allow you to see both coloured and white spore. Hardcore mycologists use glass, as they are generally going to head straight for the microscope.

So, don't be afraid of these mushrooms, because they are very tasty indeed, though you do have to cook them. Instead, use them as an exercise in building confidence. Start to take notice of the features, habitat and spore print. If you do find a web cap, take note of the differences.

Next month, it'll be the beginning of our final season. During winter, we still have plenty to find, so keep up with the practice and maybe consider some warmer socks.

REMEMBER: Do not pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

BE AWARE: There is an inherent risk in the consumption of all new foods, both wild and cultivated. Ensure they are cooked as prescribed and begin by eating a little of only one new food at a time in case you have an intolerance or adverse reaction. If you are taking any medication or have a current or family history of any allergy or medical issue, seek advice from a medical practitioner before eating any new wild foods.

NOTE: All articles are written from a UK perspective. Common names and identifying features will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advise to confirm positive identification.

DON'T FORGET: You can get updates and share comments on the Survival's Cool Facebook Page.

Lights, Camera, Action ... Heat, Dehydration, Crash

2012-10-19T05:08:00.001+01:00

It was never that bad :)

I found myself on a film set the other day. This might sound glamorous, but it's a lot of waiting around, being told what to do and then doing it over and over again. You can't go very far and you don't really know when it's going to end. When working on a film set, knowledge of the human body and application of survival skills can get you through the day. With lots of down time and unpredictable events in a hot and largely resource free environment, it's easy to to get overheated, fatigued and dehydrated. Using your head and being opportunistic is the only way to ensure you're on form and not exhausted at the end of it all. This article is not about film set survival, more an insight into managing yourself in an situation over which you have little control.

Let's set the scene. This was not, as would far easier I suspect, an interview or consultation for an outdoor show or news programme. Instead, my daughter and I were to participate in the audience of a BBC children's programme; Hoopla, as it happens. So, as you can imagine, the place was packed with kids or many ages together with their largely disinterested parents, a number of crew and a group of producers, running around, feigning enthusiasm and whose job I do not envy one bit.

It was a hot day, but showers were predicted. The info said no lunch would be provided, though facilities would be on sight. The filming was to be just a morning, but these things often go on as as it transpired, this was no exception, turning out to be an 11 hour day. There are no lockers at film sets, except maybe at some studios. Nor, if you're on camera, can you wear or carry coats or bags and you definitely don't want to be wearing more than a shirt under all those light. Preparation was therefore a small bottle of water, a tonne of sarnies, a few snack bars, cash, deodorant and some old waterproofs, which we didn't mind getting lost. For those with kids, you will also understand the need for baby wipes and a complete change of clothes. You just never know. We left as early as we could to be able to park and leave most of this in the car as close as possible to the set.

On arrival, situation and environmental analysis was simple. The space was a warehouse with an open area outside and the car park. It wasn't raining, there were few clouds the there as little wind, indicating fare weather for some time. Facilities included a toilet with drinking water, a burger van, ironically names "Quality Food" that also sold hot & cold drinks, sweets and candy floss. This was a "big top" themed programme with an audience full of kids, so you can't knock their opportunism. From here on in, we were at the mercy of the producers and so with money, water and snacks bars the only possessions we were carrying, the day begun to to unfold.

Hoopla!

Initially, there was ... a wait. Kids were excited, parents needed a cuppa. Nobody knew what was going on and being very British, people started to queue, randomly. Eventually, we were briefed. First, there was to be a wait, then some filming, waiting, filming, waiting, filming, lunch, filming, waiting, filming, waiting, etc. Health and safety was outlined, forms filled and we were set free into what was now starting to feel like a holding area, which of course it was. As kids got bored, so sweets and pop were purchased. This was to be the seed that would grow into a nightmare as the day went on.

The thing about the body, is that is like everything to stay the same (homoeostasis). The thing about blood sugar, primarily glucose, is that it increases when you eat something and it increases hugely when you eat something sugary. The body's reactions to an increase in blood sugar level is, amongst other things, to release the hormone insulin. This puts to body in storage mode, decreasing levels. As the level drops, the insulin has done its work. If the level drops below the desired level, as would be case all the time, increasing with exercise, so glucagon, another hormone, is released. This cues the body to release stored sugars. This system of antagonistic hormones keeps the body on the level.

As with any negative feedback process, smaller changes are easy to manage, but as you can imagine, a large spike, such as would be the case with the intake of easy to process carbohydrates like sweets and pop, illicits a large dose of insulin being released which, combined with exercise enhanced by this new found energy, creates a rapid drop in blood sugar. This then results in another huge dose of hormones being released to increase it, not so much this time, the level goes over the bar and insulin brings it back down. Eventually, everything gets back to normal, but the body has suffered from highs and lows. Nobody gets on with low blood sugar. It makes me ratty. Anyone with kids knows the effects it has one their activity and mood.

The mistake that was made by many of the parents during the initial "big dip", rather than let the body sort itself out, was to supplement their offspring with, you guessed it, more sugary food and drinks. By the time this was digested, glucagon had already been released, increasing blood sugar and so as the digested sugars hit the blood stream, another big spike occurred. This unfortunately started a cycle of highs and lows which the body really didn't have a chance of regulating. As the high came, so the child ran around in the sun, dropping blood sugar even more quickly and then as it fell, so the parent fed the dip, recreating the high.

All of this madness was compounded by Dick & Dom getting all the kids very excited under all the hot lights in the closed warehouse which after no time at all had its own micro climate resembling that of the tropics. With high levels of heat and moisture in the air, there was much sweating and general overheating. This, of course, cost the body water. Already dehydrated due all the running around in the sun, the kids were complaining of thirst. How handy, then it was that the burger van sold water, but what kid do you know that chooses water? No, they wanted pop again, and due to the implied peer pressure of not being the only parent to force their kid to drink water, fizzy, sugary pop was once more the order of the day.

You'd have thought that was all of the problems, but no, there are more. Due to the general attitude of "I'll drink this and go off to play", the children were either guzzling the drink or wanting to leave it with the parents, which subsequently insisted they drink it. The upshot of this was a quick influx of fluids into the body. The problem here is that a normal human adult can only absorb water at a rate of around one litre per hour. This is the rate at which saline drips flow in hospital. The rate is based on body mass, so you can imagine, it's a lot less for children. In addition, both carbohydrates and caffeine reduce the net absorption rate of fluids. So if the body can't absorb it, where does it go? The loo, that's where. The body can't keep it, so it gets rid of it, no matter how dehydrated it is.

And so to lunch. At least now, everyone would get some complex carbohydrates, fats and protein, all of which would release into the bloodstream much more slowly than simple sugars. Of course, crisps, sweets and our favourite carbonated drinks were on the menu too adding sugar, salt and other food additives to the mix. Some of these salts will have replaced electrolytes lost through sweat, which isn't all bad. I've never really understood how kids can have their fill then get right on with playing again without getting indigestion, but they did.

This lunch break was, of course, succeeded by another briefing, a wait and some more filming, waiting and filming. Now the kids are getting bored. The hosts no longer hold their excitement, it's starting to look like rain and the reaction of pretty much all parents here is to get them a treat. This created great happiness and as the body has already managed the lunch time intake of energy, so came another cycle of energetic blood sugar highs and emotional lows, together with frequent visits to the loo.

By now, the parents were going insane and as the children were getting more bored, so the explored further, experimented with their environments, knocked a few things over, and were ultimately grounded by their parents who by stage were dreaming of putting their feet up and having a proper cup of tea, rather than the tea flavoured drink available on site. This resulted in lines of parents sat by a wall with either kids bouncing beside them or falling asleep on them. Of course, no child actually wanted to go home, they might end up missing an opportunity to be on TV.

As the day wore on, it never did rain, but the clouds came over and with no sun radiating heat upon us, the temperature dropped ... outside. The subtropical climate of the studio was still as hot as it had been all day and so now, the t-shirt clad, sweltering kids came outside, sat with their parents in the cold outdoors and due to being covered in sweat, cooled down rapidly. Shivering begun to ensue, and much hugging and cardigan wrapping occurred. In extremis, this could lead to hypothermia. It was now that hot chocolate was on the menu. The internal warming, combined with the drying and insulating effect of being wrapped up helped matters no end, but they were suffering, children and adults alike.

Eventually it was all over. There had been laughter, tears and everyone was looking forward to seeing the show and trying to spot themselves on TV. Some kids had prizes, some were covered in slime and the burger van had made a fortune. Everyone went home, some carrying their now very fatigued children in their arms to their cars at the far end of the car park, which was the only space they could get when they arrived.

So, what survival skills can we employ in this type of situation?

First, be prepared. You know what you're going in to, so make sure you take the correct equipment with you to cover most inconvenient situations. Don't trust the schedule, don't assume anything about the facilities and don't rely on the weather forecast. Make sure you do things early rather than late. That includes getting there on time as well as wrapping up before you get cold, letting yourself cool down before you get hot, drinking before you get thirsty and eating before you get hungry. Look for and take opportunities as they arise, you don't know if you might have one again soon. Look out for symptoms in others, as they are unlikely to notice them in themselves. Little and often is the key with water and food to ensure your body gets the best out of it and blood sugar is more easily regulated. Ensure that you don't try to manage blood sugar by applying lots of simple carbohydrates, you'll only compound the problem. Instead, mix different types of foods to ensure the body has a progressive release of energy. All of these precautions will help you and yours hydrated, maintain body temperature, maintain energy levels, keep the body working efficiently and ultimately stop you becoming quickly fatigued.

Covert Hydration Unit

We sat in the shade a lot, rather than the sun, though this was easier with an older child who has long since lost the urge to run around screaming. We entertained ourselves with looking for wild plants, made a few things with twigs and played some word games. If I'd have known some of the waiting periods were going to be so long, I'd have brought a pack of cards. Layers of clothes can be easily taken off when hot and more importantly put on when going from a hot to cold environment or after exercise. I carried a small water bottle in my back pocket always which we took from every now and then and refilled in the breaks, even if it wasn't empty. Snack bars and other pocket food could be consumed on set between takes for those "I'm hungry", "you weren't hungry when I asked five minutes ago" moments.

As you can see, the skills and knowledge used to survive this day can be applied in any wilderness, urban or natural disaster situation. Our needs and priorities remain the same what every our circumstances, be it a plane crash in the Arctic, ship wrecked on a desert island, lost in the jungle, civil unrest or attending a children's party (much the same thing). Film sets are just another survival situation, especially with kids. Look after yourself and those around you and it'll all become a lot easier.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - October

2012-10-16T03:49:00.000+01:00

As Autumn marches on the soft fruits come to an end and we gain the firmer ones, together with nuts. Most tree borne seeds have now fallen and nothing more to do this years, the leaves of deciduous trees are changing colour and will eventually fall and rot. Though late this year, the fungi season is now in full swing with many edible and poisonous species alike. There is still plenty for the forager to collect. A great deal of the hardier plants we've learnt this year are still out in force, though flowers have long since passed. In some cases, seeds are now available as well as roots and tubers. Here then are some choice treats for the month of October.

Tree - Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

Rowan - Mountain Ash

Found wild and commonly in parks and streets, the berries of the Rowan are quite distinctive. However, there are berries that look like them, some red, some orange and some yellow. It is important to ensure that you've got the right ones, as many of the other are quite poisonous.

First, we're looking for a tree, rather than a shrub. A tree has a single, principal trunk, rather than many minor ones sprouting from the same root stock. Hazel is a good example of a large shrub.

Another distinguishing feature is the leaves which are pinnate. That is to say that they are compound (formed of many leaflets) with a single vein supporting many opposite pairs. They look very similar to those of an Ash tree, but for the fact that the margins are toothed. Another name for Rowan is Mountain Ash. Though it will become second nature, an aide-mémoire for this is the Mountain Ash leaves are like Ash leaves with little mountains on the edges.

A hard wood with relatively straight and tight grain, Rowan was traditionally used for making tools, wheels and for carving as well as making bows. As the branches have a twist and bend to them, it's not the best construction material, but makes great walking sticks. Like any dense, hard wood, it burns hot and slow. The berries are high in vitamin A and very high in vitamin C but contain parasorbic acid, which will give you a bad stomach ache. Cooking reduces significantly it and freezing completely neutralises it. Most commonly, the berries are used to make a jelly to accompany meat, but also jam and for making wine. As they are quite bitter, they need something two sweeten them or al least dilute the taste.

Plant - Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)

Blackthorn - Sloe

Arguably a tree, Blackthorn only grows up to six or seven metres tall and is more often found much smaller and in hedgerows. The reason I include it now is because of the berries (sloes) which are now ready for picking. Freeze them or pop them with a needle, add them to gin and sugar and leave it there for months. I'm sure you can find a recipe online. Some then take the sloes from the gin and pop them in sherry for another few months or make jam with them. After that, the can be added to scrumpy to make sloe cider, or slider. So much from what is on it's own, one of the most bitter and sour edible berries. Try one some time. Underneath this sharpness is an intense flavour of plum, to which it is related. If not added to alcohol, sloes are best made into some form of preserve. In a survival context, like Rowan berries, they'll need that acidic taste diluting somehow.

Defending these berries is a series of twisted, thorny branches. The twigs are excellent fire starters and the wood is very hard, burns slowly and with very little smoke. In a survival context, it might not be worth the risk, since a prick from one of these can get nasty. Being so hard, they are brittle and the end can break off in a wound leading to infection. If you do find yourself thorned, then it might be in your best interest to get a medical professional to have a look.

Fungus - Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)

Common Puffball

There are many puffballs, many of the are the same size, many are white and have white flesh. Thankfully, one is more common than the rest, the Common Puffball. Found in acidic soil, quite often with pine, it grows prolifically for most of Autumn. But with so many alternatives, how do we tell it from the others? Follow these simple rules and it's a snap.

Found in the woods on the ground.
Up to 7cm tall and 6cm wide.
Ball shaped with a stem attached to the ground.
Mostly white turning brown with age.
Tiny spines which fall off easily.
Brittle shell on the head.
Solid white flesh all the way through, including stem.

Solid White Flesh

If you've matched all of these criteria, then you've got a common puffball. In reality, you've probably got a dozen or so. The last is the most important identification point. There are some nasty fungi which look like puffballs when they are very young, however, if you cut the in half, then you'll find they are not solid. Instead, they have early forming parts of stem and cap. In addition, by slicing in half any puffball, you can tell its age. As they get older and spores form, the flesh turns yellow to brown. They should only be eaten young when the flesh is pure white. Strip off the shell, as it can cause some people gastric problems, and fry in butter. Simple. They have a delicate flavour, which works really well with eggs. They are a great source of protein, as well as carbs and fats as well as iron and manganese. Excellent survival food which can even be eaten raw. They have the texture of marshmallow.

There is still plenty to come in Autumn, so look out for the next instalment.

REMEMBER: Do not pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

BE AWARE: There is an inherent risk in the consumption of all new foods, both wild and cultivated. Ensure they are cooked as prescribed and begin by eating a little of only one new food at a time in case you have an intolerance or adverse reaction. If you are taking any medication or have a current or family history of any allergy or medical issue, seek advice from a medical practitioner before eating any new wild foods.

NOTE: All articles are written from a UK perspective. Common names and identifying features will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advise to confirm positive identification.

DON'T FORGET: You can get updates and share comments on the Survival's Cool Facebook Page.

Water Water Everywhere

2012-10-13T01:13:00.000+01:00

You may have seen the news about the flash flooding in Clovelly, North Devon. Much of the footage was taken by myself and other Clovelly residents. A few houses and businesses suffered badly, but nobody was hurt. So what happened? In this article I'll explain a little about how floods happen, how to get through them as well as some preparations and survival tips taught in Emergency Preparedness courses.

First, let's look at the evidence. This is a short video, some of which was used by the BBC showing the volume of water that came down the street without any warning, other than the fact it had rained for quite a while, which is not unusual round these parts.

The video starts at my front door, past the museum and over to the main street where the brunt of the water was flowing down the street at a great rate.

As you can see, many of the doors to the houses are raised from street level, which is why so many managed to get away without being filled up with water, which is what we'd expect to see in such circumstances.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this would be the normal scene of a river, heavy with rain water along side which people had built houses. In fact, there is a great deal of truth in this. Historically, those Clovelly was build alongside the river that flowed down to the sea, where a productive fishing harbour supported much of the village. The street was raised from a pair of an made gulleys which transported the water and each house had a bridge over it to their door or front garden. This system managed all manner of rain water and the village did not flood. So what changed?

This is a current map showing the river which formally ran through centre of the village. As you can see, it has been diverted from its normal course around the village to the sea. This was done towards the end of the 19th century, championed by Charles Kingsley, who identified the river as a source of Cholera, which in those days was not well understood and caused many deaths.

The project was a great success and river had generally maintained this new course, leaving the village not only free of disease, but of flood water, which the new course could handle adequately. So if the system had worked for over 100 years, what changed?

A number of contributing factors, on top of the rain, caused the flood, but let's first look at how floods occur. Very simply, water falls from the sky, some of it seeps into the land and some flows away, down hill. These efficient water courses start as brooks and develop into wider rivers as smaller waterways join together on their route to the sea. Clearly, the further you are down hill, the more water is coming your way. Like pipes in plumbing, there is a maximum capacity which the river can hold and channel away. The soggy earth acts as a buffer, slowing the initial progress and retaining some water which dissipates gradually after the rain has passed. If the volume of water falling and flowing exceeds this maximum rate of flow of the river, then the banks overflow, or burst, and the water begins to flow over the now saturated land down hill. This would normally be along the same course as the river, but not in the case of Clovelly. Here, the water retook the most direct route down hill, that of the original river through the middle of the village.

So couldn't the drains cope? The original, large capacity gulley system had been filled in and replaced with an underground drainage system that was designed to cope not with the original river volume, but that of heavy rainfall over a much smaller area below and to the side of the new river course, which was to take the water from higher ground. In addition, when the river broke its bank, it flowed over gardens, cutting a swathe through lawns and flower beds bringing with it sods of earth, grass and even bulbs as well as small stones and silt which immediately blocked the drains, rendering them useless. By the time we unblocked the drains, much of the debris had already come though, so they began to reduce the flow over the street without reblocking.

Another factor which affects the amount of water entering the rivers is that of modern drainage in fields. Clearly, by effectively draining rain water from fields, the buffering is lost and the water immediately enters the system, dramatically increasing the amount of water flowing. In addition, redirected rivers suffer from deposits forming at the point of change of direction which reduces the capacity at that point, making is prone to heavy flow.

So some combination of these factors meant that a great deal of water arrived on a street not capable of dealing with it and as the water flowed over the breach point, it cut a new, more direct path ensuring that most of the water would continue to take that route, even after the rain had stopped and the flow reduced.

So what did we do? A number of self organising groups threw on wellies and headed out into the street to see what needed to be done. Initially, concerns were for those whose houses had water flowing through them. It was noted on entering one house that the cooker clock was still on, and as we were standing shin deep in water, the shutting down of the electrics was considered the first priority. With an electrician on hand, this was quickly located and the supply suitably isolated. From our survival priorities, this is our first; concern with further danger, in this case, electrocution. Other concerns might have been structural, but in this case, the houses were as solid as any house that's stood for hundred of years. These dangers have to be addressed before any further action is taken, since there's no point in rescuing the rabbit, if you're going to both get zapped in the process.

Wellington boots were pretty much the uniform. I went for gore-tex socks to keep my feet dry when the water came over the top and thermal socks underneath to keep warm. Others had waders. There was a mix of trousers, shorts, swimming shorts, waterproofs, no waterproofs and a variety of hats. As it wasn't a particularly cold day, it didn't really matter about being soaking wet, but had it been colder, hypothermia could have been a concern, which is no good at all. Always choose appropriate clothing from the onset, because once you're in the thick of it, there's not telling when you'll get a break to get back and change and as you know, once you're cold and wet, it's quite hard to catch up to normal.

With all pets accounted for and that which was savable or looking like it might be taken be the rising water popped on the stairs, thoughts turned to stemming the flow of water into the buildings. In some cases this was impossible as cascades of water were flowing from back door to front. In other cases, judicious placement of planks and coal bags redirected a sufficient amount of water that level dropped below the door step and the house stopped filling.

There's a knack to moving through flowing flood water and it's related to river crossing. With water having a mass of 1 tonne per cubic metre, you cam imagine that the volume alone can be enough to knock you over. In this case, ropes were not deemed necessary, but we did ensure we walked using the railings. When crossing was required, my favoured tool was a broom, which I used inverted as support under the water. In addition, with the water being opaque, this prodder allowed me to locate not only steps and dips, but also open drain covers, which though unusual in Clovelly, is more common when the sewers are flooding.

When sewers flood, there are additional concerns. First, the open man hole covers, which have obvious danger. Second the man hole covers being swept along with the flow. Fast flowing water can carry all sorts of debris, from small items, such as buckets and pebbles to much larger items, such as trees and cars, as was the case with Boscastle. If you can see it coming, that's all well and good, but if not, then all sorts can band into your legs under water. All the more reason for a makeshift walking stick. Stability when crossing water is paramount.

Arguably, the most important concern with sewer breaches is the contamination of the drinking water supply. In an urban context, this is much more likely than here in the country. During a prolonged urban flood, drinking water can become a problem. Very quickly, you can't use anything from the taps, and you certainly can't treat the flood water itself. The precaution of filling every available pot, pan, jug, kettle and definitely the bath with fresh water is a must. People in Tewkesbury were cut off for days before the authorities could get fresh water bowsers to them. Needing at least two litres per person per day, plus cooking and some washing water, it soon adds up for a family. With no fresh water, there's no tea, no dried food, such as rice, can be hydrated and nobody can wash their hands, which is also very important.

Chocolate River?

Back to Clovelly. With nobody in trouble and everyone who can stopping as much as they can from getting in and everything that could be put upstairs, thoughts moved to curing the problem. There were two choices ... decrease the input or increase the drainage. With the source a raging torrent blocked by a pile of garden bits and bobs up against a gate, the plan was to get the drains working again. We didn't have any specialist equipment, so use anything we could, including hands, to get the silt and gravel out of the drains. We did best when we have the covers off, but couldn't leave submerged drains in that state. With the water now beginning to flow underground and with a few well placed empty beer barrels wrapped in a tent, we managed to divert as much water as we could. The area shown pretty much drained to nothing from knee deep with the drains were unblocked.

Communication was relatively simple in such a small place, we just walked to each other or shouted. In a wider area, the mobile phone is a useful tool, but watch the batter life. It's all well and good taking lots of pictures, but if you then need to ring the emergency services or other authorities, it's no good if it's run out of batteries. Modern smart phone don't last long at all, especially with all the wi-fi and Facebook monitoring. You'd think it was best to turn it off, but then nobody will be able to ring you. Better to turn off non-essential services, or have one of those old phone which can last eight days without charge and slap your SIM in there. Chances are, you've got one kicking about. Is it charged?

Another must in a prolonged flood situation is an understanding of what the weather holds. Of course, if the electricity and the land line is still working, then you can either watch the news or look it up on the Internet. If not, then maybe the mobile network. Other than that, you're left with the the radio. I have a wind up radio, which is nice for the beach, but also good emergency preparedness. In addition, during a major incident, the authorities will be broadcasting information on the radio via your local radio station, so you'll want that on all the time. A useful addition to the radio is a sticker with local radio station frequencies.

We are very thankful that that this incident did not occur at night. As our evening progressed, however, the electricity did blip a few times and I took a moment to locate my trusty wind up lantern, candles (with jars) and wind up torch, which also has a mobile phone charging attachment. Of course, your hardcore prepper will have their house wired up with a 12v LED lighting system and generator, but I'm quite happy with a head torch for most things. Some other considerations with electricity going off are that the fridge, freezer and electric cooker will fail. I have a wood burning stove, but also a camping gas stove, which would be handy, if we ended up living upstairs for a while. The best solution, of course, it to have a bit of food that doesn't actually need cooking. Many people store tinned soups and stews, which although nicer warmed, are possible eat cold from the tin, should the worst situation occur. Heat is a factor too. A gas bottle heater is a worthy addition to the prepper's household if no wood burner or open fire exists. Once again, consider the fact that you may end up living upstairs if it gets really bad.

As the water was beginning to ebb, it was clear that the worst had passed, but with speculation about further rainfall, we set to sandbagging the doors of houses, like mine, which only narrowly escaped breach. With this, we turned to the source of the problem. After a tonne or so of sand bags, we came to the rapid conclusion that we were fighting a losing battle. The sheer force of the river reroute had gone beyond our ability to fix without machinery and so with the light going, we decided to get home and prepare for the night. So a few of us went to the pub.

As it turned out, this was the end of our saga. We'd seen the worst and we'd survived. Being on such a steep hill and with the rain stopped some time ago, it was unlikely we were going to see any more problem. If we'd been lower in a larger valley, we'd still be expecting the rain from many hours ago to meet us at some point. If we here in a flatter area of more overt flood plain, then it might have been that the situation would escalate, with water rising and rescue coming by boat or helicopter as was the case with a chap who found himself stranded in his tractor in a flooded field in Holsworthy or with many residents in Boscastle. If you were to find yourself in such a situation, then do ensure that people know you're there. Makeshift flags are a good signalling technique here.

And so to the clean up process. Many people found that their cellar had been flooded and although now dried out, it was covered in mud which had been deposited by the torrent. Although inconvenient and in some cases financially damaging, it was not as bad as urban flood water, which can deposit sewerage and other nasties. On courses, when asked about where people would store their emergency provisions, many answered "in the cellar" or "under the stairs". The best place to put things you want in a flood is in the attic.

We will get back to normal in a short time and the river reroute will be dug out and reinforced. I'm proud to be part of such a tight and genuinely caring community, where disaster brought everyone out to help each other without thought.

Hopefully these tips will give you some insight into how to best survive a flood and although all of this is described in a domestic context, if found in a wilderness survival situation, maybe some extra consideration for camp placement will be given as what looks like a trickle of a stream today might be a raging torrent another.

If you have an interest in Emergency Preparedness, maybe check out some of the products available on Amazon. There are many more, but these are the ones I own or have used. They'll complement your first aid kit and fire extinguisher, which I'm sure you have already :)

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Deadfall Dead Weight

2012-10-08T03:22:00.003+01:00

Don't Believe the Hype

If fire by friction and making spoons rank highly as bushcraft skills, then making traps, especially the figure four deadfall, is on the top of every survival whittler's list. The figure four deadfall trap has long since been near the bottom of my list of skills to teach as food from furry animals is very low priority, let alone the fact that this particular trap is hard to make, hard to set and for the effort, not sufficiently effective in a general survival context. In this article I'll justify my disenchantment with this ridiculous contraption. I am constantly amazed that it is described as "one of the most important skills", to make one. Personally, I think firecraft, construction of weatherproof shelter, signalling, water treatment and plant identification are somewhat higher.

Let's look at the facts. Deadfall traps are for small to medium sized game. That is to say that they are for catching things like mice, rats and squirrels. So, let's take squirrel as an example, since this is the only animal I've seen a video of one catching. Even Surivorman and Dual Survival, didn't show success with deadfalls, but I did manage to find a video with someone with one under a rock.

Your typical adult grey squirrel might weigh around 600g. With a typical meat yield of around a third for most animals, big and small, that's about 200g. At around 125kcal per 100g, that's 250kcal. This is our baseline with which we make the decision about whether or not it's worth the effort to try to catch our furry friend. If it's going to cost more than 250kcal to catch the blighter, then it's just not worth it. For more information on this principle, see All Things Being Inequal.

Though based on weight, terrain and speed, moderate walking for an average male would cost around 150 kcal per hour. I'm sure you can appreciate that traps have to be some distance from camp, so simply walking to the trap will cost some of the benefit. If the trap is empty, then it'll take another walk, reducing the benefit further. This is why, in a survival situation, we merge all of our walking tasks into one trip. Collecting water, food, firewood, checking signals and traps, as well as those personal breaks are all done in one round early and one late, with one in the middle of the day too, if needs be.

Deadfalls, like counterweights, largely consist of small wooden parts and some heavy weight, be it a rock or a log or some such. Figure fours need a large flat rock and either a hard surface or another flat rock underneath to act as an anvil. You need to have a rock which is heavy enough to kill the prey, but not so big as to turn it into mush, but equally, you don't want it so small that it misses. Though no hard and fast rules apply, I read somewhere that you should use a weight no more than four times that of the prey, so you don't turn it into a smoothie. So that's about 2.5kg for Mr Squirrel.

Granite is around 2.5 tonnes per cubic metre, that's 2.5 grams per cubic cm. So, we need 1000 of those. You typical flat rock might be 5cm thick, so that comes 14cm x 14cm which is ... pathetic. In reality, that's simply going to miss or the trap is going to be so small the little chap won't be able to fit underneath. So, we clearly need something bigger. A more realistic size might about about 40cm x 40cm, which at 5cm thick comes out more like 20kg. Scaled up, this would be like one of us being landed on by a cow, albeit from a small height, but you get the picture.

The chances of finding such an item of reasonable size and shape close to where you want to lay up the trap is rather small, so you're going to have move one, but don't go too far, as that sucker is going to cost you calories to carry. 20kg is roughly what your luggage allowance is on a plane, and rocks don't come with wheels and handles. Best to carry it down hill if you can. Rolling it might work, but flat rocks don't roll that well in my experience. Also, avoid dropping it on your foot.

Having sat by your fire and whittled the components, you're ready to set and bait the trap. Yes, there is a bit of an art to it and yes, it never works first time. Making and setting up a figure four is a bit of an art form and takes some practice. I found a video of me setting one up some time ago. Have a look at this article to it in action. It wasn't a demonstration, more of a fun distraction whilst out with the chaps.

There is, of course, an inherent risk of injury whilst setting any trap and a crushing injury to the hand is not the going to enhance your chances of survival, I assure you. Do ensure that your hands and limbs are not under the weight when setting the trap. I know it seems obvious, but I've seen someone get a nasty bang to the wrist setting up a Paiute deadfall which works on similar principles.

Like any trap, it might not be visited, it might not trigger, it might trigger and the animal escape or, as is the case with these hair trigger types, it might simply go off in a stiff breee. There are many ways in which you can fail to catch something. If these deadfalls were fool proof, they'd have replaced snares, but they've not.

"But the Native Americans use them", I hear some of you say, and this is true. However, other than the fact that Native Americans are well trained and practised, the particular groups, including the Paiute, who use deadfalls inhabit high desert, canyons and mountain ranges, which are not only littered with lovely flat rocks and hard surfaces for them to fall on, but have a high population of rodents to squish. So as you can imagine, with a high volume of prey, high volume of materials and a lot of practice, everything becomes a little more worth it.

At this point we can see then that the trap can be considered specialised to a particular habitat and prey, which is the case with all traps. There is no one stop shop, though there are a few principles, but that's another article. Native Americans employed deadfalls, snares and pits. In the jungles of South America, larger wooden deadfalls were used, presumably to get the weight, but more generally. snares were used. The Inuit historically trapped Arctic Fox using a stone enclosure with a door which closed when the bait was disturbed. A similar trap was used in the Middle East to catch leopard, and the Chinese used nets. In Africa, mice and rats were trapped with funnelled baskets, some of which also had snares. In North Africa, a cage was employed to catch birds alive. Trapping is about knowing what you want to catch and using the resources appropriately, not knowing a single trap and employing it willy nilly.

In order to fully understand my dislike for this trap, you should go ahead and make one. There are various designs, including the one above, and feel free to make your own modifications. The general principle is that the bait end of the horizontal bit of the four goes under the weight and it sufficiently teetering such the the nibbling action of your chosen prey is enough to set it off. Have fun with that.

You should, by now, have a pretty good idea why I don't like the notion that this trap is considered an absolute "must know". Yes, it's good when it's good, but it's not a general, any time, anywhere trapping solution. I believe that unless there is an abundance of prey and plenty of heavy materials where you need them, this trap makes no sense, based on calories alone, let alone the danger in setting and general faff in getting it right.

And finally ... I stumbled across this video recently, and I really do hope that it's a spoof because if these guys really think that having three of the these premade, metal figure four contraptions in your survival kit is a good idea, then they really do need to have a good old think about priorities.

The notion of having a number of premade, specialist traps in your kit is frankly ridiculous. Better to have something more difficult to acquire in the wild, like a better knife, a sat phone or even ... some food. You can get compact emergency rations that provide around 500 kcal per 100g, which is the same as two squirrels. There would be less faff, and more time to carve your figure fours from wood, should they deemed an appropriate trap for you environment and chosen prey.

Look out for future articles on priorities, equipment and trapping. Take a look back at Things in Tins for more information on the sort of equipment that belongs in survival kits.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - September

2012-09-28T02:19:00.003+01:00

September heralds the beginning of Autumn. Some would say it starts on the first, while others the 22nd, at the Autumn Equinox when the nights begin to dominate the days. I say that we've had a pretty rubbish summer, and it's felt like autumn for most of August, let alone September. As autumn arrives, so do the fungi, with these few months being rife with many species, edible and deadly. It is now that we have to start paying extra attention to detail, but fear not, I will continue to provide you with many a tasty treat which, if care is taken, can't me mixed up with anything nasty.

I was very happy to be invited to a patch of woodland near Dartmoor to try out some new patter for my wild food foraging courses. A small plot of less than ten acres of mixed birch and pine, with a few sweet chestnut and occasional oak, we were far from the beech and ash dominated woods that I'm used to up on the north coast of Devon. Although the light, moisture and even soil acidity aspects of this woodland habitat were very similar to my own, the change of species combined with inland air had a dramatic effect on the plants and fungi.

John Wright, in his River Cottage Handbook on Mushrooms, wrote that children are the best fungi spotters and I thought he was joking. It turns out, they are incredible. Maybe it's because they are closer to the ground, or maybe more competitive than us, but I hadn't even managed to pluck the first mushroom before they had found another and yet another species. We spent most of the day on catchup as they steamed ahead to find something new. By the end of the walk, they had spotted at least 20 different species of fungi, which isn't bad for such a small area. It's hardly surprising that fungi have such a good relationship with these particular trees, as in ancient times, they would would have dominated the land throughout most of Britain.

Here then, are a set of edibles from the weekend.

Plant - Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)

Why, you may ask, have I suddenly started using the Latin names? Very simply, there are a number of species of plant called Bilberry and number of common and colloquial names for the species that I'm talking about, including wortleberry, winberry and blaeberry, amongst others. By using the Latin name, there can be no doubt at the plant we are talking about, should you wish to find another reference.

The genus Vaccinium contains many other shrubs with berries, such as cranberry and blueberry, all of which grow in largely acidic soils with habitats ranging from woodland to heath and bog in generally colder areas, be they further north or at higher altitude, as is the case with Dartmoor. The family of plants to which this genus belongs (Ericaceae) also contains many heathers, as well as rhododendron, so it's not surprising that are all also found in the same region.

Almost leafless Bilberry bush

The bilberry season is short, lasting only a month or so. Depending on where you are, it can start in late July or run into mid September. With so little sunshine this year, the berries are quite late, so bilberries are still available, albeit not in the quantities required to make a winter's worth of jam.

Bilberries, like many berries, can be munched on the trail, dried, made into jam, pies, cordial, shoved into gin or frozen for another day. With such a short picking season, it's worth getting as many as you can on one go. Like most fruit, they are high in vitamins and sugars. Medicinally, they have been said to be good for the eyes, but claims of improving night vision have not held up in experiments.

Fungus - Common Yellow Brittle Gill (Russula ochroleuca)

A fungus with many names, including Ochre Brittle Gill and more throughout Europe and the Americas. The Russula genus is huge, with many brightly coloured mushrooms which have very brittle, generally white or pale gills which snap easily when bent. The Milk Caps (Lactarius) look similar and also have brittle flesh, but exude a liquid when cut. The chief distinguishing difference is that the milk caps have decurrent gills (running down the stem) like False Chanterelle, unlike the Brittle Gills, which range from free (not touching the stem) through adnexed (only just touching the stem) to adnate (touching the stem, but not running down it). The equally brittle, non fibrous, stems of both are thick and lack a ring or vulva (cup at the bottom) and are generally white or pale. Russula caps are generally smooth, sometimes sticky, but range from convex (normal mushroom looking) to flat or depressed (with dip in the middle) which can make them difficult to identify.

The great thing about both of these genera, which both fall under the family Russulaceae, is none of them are considered toxic except for possibly one found in Taiwan. This does not mean you can simply chow down on all of them, oh no, some are so peppery and hot that they can give you raging stomach ache. This is the slight difference between poisonous and inedible, of which many from this family are. However, a simple taste (not swallow) of a tiny portion will let you know if you've got one of the peppery ones and you can take a mental note and discard it. This is unusual for mushrooms, so do read on.

With all this information, you might still make mistakes. The Funnel and Web caps look similar, rings might have fallen from some nasty Amanita mushroom and by pulling up or cutting the stem, you might miss the vulva. It is essential that you can make a positive identification before proceeding to consume. It is essential that you have picked the mushroom right down to the ground and that you have seen many of the same in the same place to ensure you've not got a special case. Only once you are super confident in identifying the genus can you even consider beginning to experiment within it. So don't, until you are, or there could be deadly consequences.

Back to the Common Yellow Brittle Gill. It has an affinity with Birch, so if it's under an Ash or Beech tree, it's unlikely to be right. It has a dull yellow, ochre cap. It can be confused with the Yellow Swamp Brittle Gill (Russula claroflava), which I would have preferred to have found, because it tastes nicer. The distinguishing features are pale yellow gills and a bright yellow cap. Similarly, the Yellow Brittle Gill (Russula lutea), which is slightly smaller and has very much more yellow gills and will give you a stomach ache. Mental note, avoid darker gills. The Geranium Brittle Gill (Russula fellea) is another, this time with uniform colouration of gills, cap and stem. It smells of geraniums, unlike the Common Yellow, which has no distinct smell and has that bitter taste.

Like all Brittle Gills and Milk Caps, Common Yellows should be cooked. The taste is slightly acrid, but that can be removed with a little parboiling before cooking.

So, make sure you get this one right. It's not that difficult, but you do have to have your head screwed on. Make a concious effort to spot, check, photograph and double check. This is probably your first step into danger, but with a sharp mind, and all of the above information, which will ultimately become second nature, you will gain confidence. Once again, take no risks.

Tree - Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa)

After that barrage of information, this one is going to be a lot easier. You may already know the Sweet Chestnut, which is distinct from the Horse Chestnut (conker tree), as a tree with spiky leaves and spikey nut cases. And basically, that's what it is. The trees are massive and have hollow trunks, which could be used for shelter, if you don't mind sharing with the creepy crawlies.

The nuts are sweet and can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, pounded into flour or any other way you fancy. Like all nuts, they are an important source of fats and vitamins, but lack the protein content of other nuts. The best way to preserve them, like many nuts, is to dry them.

Though the season is not really until October, it's worth getting your eye in now, since like Hazel, the squirrels are gonna race you for them. Chestnut wood burns well with few sparks and a pleasant odour. It's very durable good for tools and construction.

So, that was my trip to a small patch of Dartmoor forest. A complete change from the norm, it has given me the opportunity to present you with a few treats not available to me locally. I feel a trip to Exmoor coming on.

So what can we say about this habitat that we might recognise it again elsewhere and keep our eyes peeled? A mixed woodland of climax trees in well drained (quite a good slope) acidic soil (indicated by pine, birch and rhododendron). Dabbled shade and good covering of leaf litter, ivy and mosses. This type of patch is not going to be uncommon, so should you find yourself in such a place, take a look around and see what you can find and how it differs from other patches.

Happy foraging and look out for further articles.

REMEMBER: Do not pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

BE AWARE: There is an inherent risk in the consumption of all new foods, both wild and cultivated. Ensure they are cooked as prescribed and begin by eating a little of only one new food at a time in case you have an intolerance or adverse reaction. If you are taking any medication or have a current or family history of any allergy or medical issue, seek advice from a medical practitioner before eating any new wild foods.

NOTE: All articles are written from a UK perspective. Common names and identifying features will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advise to confirm positive identification.

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The Sciences of Survival

2012-09-16T13:26:00.000+01:00

Survival Science in Action

There is a game you can play on Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. You start with a random article and click on the first link in the first true paragraph which is not in brackets and is not a footnote. You then repeat this action, counting as you go until you inevitably reach philosophy where you find yourself in a loop between that and reality. The object of the game is to find the article which is furthest from philosophy in terms of clicks or one which does not link to philosophy at all. Here’s an example rooted at my favourite pudding, cheesecake, dessert, food, plant, life, objects, physics, natural science, science, knowledge, facts, experience, concept and finally philosophy. Another with Kevin Bacon, Animal House, comedy film, film, recording, cave painting, painting, paint, liquid, state of matter, phase, physical science, natural science and ultimately philosophy, although by a slightly convoluted route. Let’s have one more starting with Japan, island nation, country, political geography, human geography, geography, science and so forth. Try it some time.

What we see is that all things (bar very few exceptions) do in fact, lead to philosophy by successive wider definition, but that is not the whole story. Apart from a few philosophy related starting points, almost all of the routes travel through science or mathematics, a formal science. At some point or another science gets involved, determining how the universe works, how all the parts interact with each other and how everything progresses through time and space. Without science, we’d have no understanding and with no understanding, we’d have no way to make informed decisions. That’s not to say that we each need a degree in all fields of science in order to get by, but each of us, throughout the day make assessments and decisions based on some level of understanding of science, be it working out change, guessing if it’s going to rain, driving a car, cooking a meal, building a house or performing brain surgery. Just because you’re not thinking about equations, doesn’t mean you’re not using science.

In a survival situation, decisions are crucial and can mean the difference between life and death. Although hands on skills are important for execution of the actions we decide to perform, it’s the knowledge we have that helps up make the right decisions in the first place. It may be that you’re an expert climber, but climbing costs energy and has an associated risk. However, there’s good vantage and potential resources at the top of the cliff, so what do you do? A basic assessment and risk analysis will give you the costs and benefits of making the climb. From there you can make a decision. And how do you make such an assessment? Knowledge. Knowledge about health, energy, physics and bit of mathematics will have the right decision made in no time.

There are many fields of science, each covering its own area. There are many overlaps and specialisations and then whole fields of non-sciencey sounding disciplines like Search and Rescue, which involve a wide variety of science and mathematics. Not all science is physics, chemistry and biology, there is also geography, sociology and psychology, amongst other, and we also have a lot to learn from economics and political science. These help us understand more about where we are, navigation and how people work together.

Science has a lot to teach us about survival, so let me demystify some of the fields and terms.

Formal science or formal systems cover logic, mathematics and statistics including operational research, game theory and decision theory. These might sound a bit scary, but they are simple umbrella terms. The formal sciences are what we’ll be using to make the decisions, based on assessments we make using other sciences. Fields such as probability, geometry and other aspects of mathematics form the building blocks of most natural sciences and engineering.

Natural science is a broad church covering physical, earth and life sciences. They all cross over a little. The physical sciences include physics, of course, which is concerned with matter, materials, motion, forces and energy, including chemical energy, electricity, light and heat, the last of which is very important to us. Chemistry in general is a little low level for our needs, but will help us understand contamination, purification and fire, for instance. Astronomy is a little high level, but can aid navigation and combined with oceanography, tidal prediction.

Earth sciences, including ecology, geology, geography and other environmental sciences develop our understanding of our surroundings and predict how they may change. Climatology too, and in conjunction with meteorology, an insight into the weather. Hydrology will tell us about our water systems, which could be vital to our survival if water is not readily available.

Life sciences, or at least the ones that interest us, are based largely around biology. An insight into anatomy, physiology, health and medicine will tell us about how we and other animals function. This will aid us greatly in assessing our water, energy and food needs. Botany, zoology and food science will give us all we require to choose the right diet and make compromises, when necessary.

Engineering is the application of science and mathematics to design and manufacturing. Civil engineering will help us build structures such shelters, boats and signals. Electrical and mechanical engineering allow us to understand, utilise, build and repair electronic and mechanical devices, such as torches, radios, gears, pumps and tools. Engineering principles, such as leverage and pulley systems allow us to work smart, saving vital energy.

Behavioural science is more concerned with individuals and small groups. Psychology is an obvious addition and in conjunction with anthropology, communication and management skills will help us in survival situations involving groups of people. Ethology, or animal behaviour, will not only help us avoid dangerous game, but place traps and also find water.

Social science, including sociology, economics and politics will teach us about large groups of people. This may seem an unlikely science to study, but will give us clues about where we might find people, who might be our only way of self rescue. Education helped me write this blog and the books. The principles, if you heed them, will allow you to retain information for when you need it. Of course, history teaches us a lot about what has worked or otherwise in the past.

There is a lot to learn about survival from science.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - Summer Round up

2012-09-15T02:39:00.000+01:00

Six months and two seasons through this course and I'm glad you're still with me. I imagine you've had an opportunity to locate and in many cases sample most of what has been covered. I hope too that even though many of the Spring plants have passed, your diligent practice has allowed you to retain the knowledge you gained along the way. I trust you've been reading the supporting articles and are not looking at the world in a different way, constantly seeing clues as to the habitat of a potential feast.

For those who are joining late, and those wanting to verify their continued observations, I'd like to take this opportunity to plot the history of all that has gone so far this Summer and then to discuss the progress of our Spring subject as the next season came.

Summer Trees

By Summer, most trees and shrubs are in full leaf and flowers are abundant. Many leave are not tough an unpalatable, but some offshoots are still producing young, lush leaves. Fruit begins to form and in the case of stone fruits and some berries, ripen early. Some nuts are edible and very tasty in their green state. Towards the end of the season, as seeds, fruit and nuts form, so the leaves have done their job and begin to change colour and die ready to fall with the advent of Autumn.

Elder - An abundance of flowers will have seen Bushcrafters and Hedgerow Cooks out collecting to make cordials, wine and 'champagne'. Now past, they have given way to as yet unripe berries which will ultimately generate a new season of wine making.

Common Lime - A new discovery for most with leaves and flowers both available, again giving rise to fruits which although bitter, can be used in a survival diet or to make a cocoa substitute.

Hazel - Seeming to appear from nowhere with a number of straight offshoots and edible green nuts which are now in the annoying middle state on the road to maturity when a collection race with the squirrels with ensue.

Summer Plants

Edible summer plants are either late developers, have flavoursome hardy leaves or are those which bare soft fruits and berries. With their season governed by the sunshine, everything has come a bit late this summer due to excessive rain and cloud cover. Wind too had blown away some blossom before it's had a chance to do its work.

Wild Mint - Still available now, and for some time providing a trail snack, dish flavouring and excellent tea.

Wild Strawberry - Almost entirely passed now, these beauties hardly ever make it home having been munched on sight.

Blackberry (Bramble) - One would have expected their to be a mass of blackberries by now, but the lack of sun has stretched their season and they are still looking predominantly green. We can only hope that early Autumn will bring enough sun to ripen the full crop rather than see it wither.

Summer Fungi

There are relatively few fungi available in Summer, and the excessive rain has kept many at bay with few showing where other years they might be found in abundance. Thankfully, the true season starts in Autumn.

Chicken of the Woods - So simple to find, there's some in most woodland somewhere. It's one you bump into still, even when walking the dog and not on a definite fungi foray.

Giant Puffball - If you're lucky enough to find one, you're likely to find more. Unless coveted by others, they can be left in situ as they are likely to be around until October. Keep an eye on the colour to ensure you don't leave them too late.

Chanterelle - Now you've got the knack of the habitat, you'll be parking the car mid journey to check that bank just in case. Thankfully, these excellent mushrooms will be be around until around the end of the year.

Summer Extra - Meadowsweet

As a special treat for keeping with the course, I'm adding in an extra little something as a bonus.

Meadowsweet is another plant which has multiple edibles in different seasons, in this case, late Summer and Spring. The reason I'm presenting it this way around it because the flowers are frankly much easier to recognise than the leaves and by seeing them together, you should be in good shape to find the plant once more next Spring.

Oddly, meadowsweet does not grow in meadows, preferring damp areas near streams and rivers, but also in hedgerows associated with ditches. Take note of the distinctive leaf pattern and you'll never mix it up with any of the nasty umbellifers which inhabit similar areas.

The flowers themselves have similar uses to those of Elder, and come conveniently as the Elder flowers pass. Leaves are excellent in Spring and some eat them later. Keep an eye out and take not of the shape.

Spring Round Up II

Much has changed as Spring has long since past. Many of the plants and fungi have been and gone, but the trees have simply gone through their cycle. Some plants, however, have a second season and are coming good again.

Spring Trees

Beech - The lush young leaves have long since past, having matured into tough, dark green counterparts. Beech has a tendency to hang onto its dead branches, but at this time of year, it's very easy to spot them, as they are without leaves and rather sad looking. Beech masts (nuts) are not yet mature, but the closed green prickly cases can be clearly seen.

Ash - From black buds to crazy looking flowers and now in seed, Ash has no edible parts, but I'm sure you're now confident to distinguish it from Elder or Rowan, say.

Goat Willow (Sallow) - Damp loving Willow has thrived. Having gone from catkins to seed in Spring, its leaves and bark have harboured the larvae of many butterflies. The leaves themselves will hang around for while yet.

Silver Birch - The bark has remained largely the same and isn't really going to change much throughout the year. You will hopefully have had the chance to take in the small, double toothed leaves, these can be made into a tea, though I've never tried it myself. Dainty winged seeds came after the catkins, there will be hundreds of thousands of them.

Oak - Many insects and subsequently birds are attracted to Oak. More excitingly, however, is that Oak, as well as Beech, have a relationship with many many fungi, so these will be a good are to scan around come Autumn.

Spring Plants

Nettle - I do hope you remembered to only eat the top few sets of leaves. These have long since gone to seed and the leaves are almost withered. The seeds are still a source of nutrition, however, and they don't sting, which is nice.

Pennywort - Never really went away and is still about now, though they did get a bitter as time went on. Did you see those bizarre seed structures, how mad were they?!

Gorse - The flowers are still hanging around, but not for long.

Ramsoms (Wild Garlic) and Three Cornered Leek (Wild Onion) are both bulb plants and hence came and went quite early on. Hopefully, you've kept a note of their location, because the bulbs are very good. Of course, it's against the law to dig them up willy nilly, so hopefully a badger will have done the work for you.

Jack by The Hedge (Garlic Mustard) - Came and went and will be back. Now you know the leaf structure, you can spot them early next season. The pre-flowering roots (if dug up by something else) can be used like radishes and the seeds like any mustard seeds.

Wood Sorrel - Never seems to disappear, but has good and bad times.

Common Sorrel - Lasted a while before turning to seed in impressive rusty red stems which are unmistakable and can be seen easily when driving. They can be eaten too or ground up and used as a flour. At the moment, we're getting a second crop, which is nice.

Primrose - Didn't last long and the leaves becoming bitter. Thankfully, the foxgloves got very large and mixing them up became almost impossible.

Dandelion - Flowers came and mostly went, but there are still some about. Leaves got bitter and you'd have to cook them now to get anything vaguely tasty.

Sweet Violet - Another for the Spring only, we can look forward to it next year.

Spring Fungi

Cramp Balls - Now you've seen then once, you won't be able to miss them.

St George's Mushrooms - Pretty much gone by June, but remember the location, like most fungi, they'll be back next year.

Fairy Ring Champignon - The will be around until November, so take a mental note of the habitat and if you find yourself in a similar place, take a moment to cast your eyes around to find some more. As the season changes, it's important to ensure you've got the right ones as new season fungi can cause confusion.

Autumn

So what's to come in Autumn? Mostly nuts and berries. At this stage of life, the leaves have lost their usefulness and turn wonderful reds and browns before falling. This will be the time to start taking extra note of the structure and bark of the trees so you can continue to identify them through the winter.

We've also got a lot fungi to come as the damper weather can support less tolerant species. With this, however, will have to come a little more diligence in identification, so make sure you read carefully and only consume when absolutely confident.

Happy foraging and look out for further articles.

REMEMBER: Do not pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

NOTE: All articles are written from a UK perspective and identification will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advise to confirm positive identification.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - July & August

2012-09-02T00:51:00.000+01:00

Rather late on the July and August episodes due to excessive work and a terrifying amount of rain, and yes, I'm quite embarrassed about it. With flowers mostly shrivelled, many leaves past their best, and most fruit and nuts not yet ripened, summer is a surprisingly sparse, transitional time for wild food. The saving grace for the learner at this time is normally new season fungi, but it's been a bit wet here in the UK and they've not been out in quite the same force. However, for the committed forager, there is still plenty to be had, you just have to pick the best and keep your eyes peeled for the covert treats. It's a good time to know those habitats and companion plants, giving you that extra clue.

This post will be a double. We'll take a look at a couple of similar trees, some early fruit and nuts and a couple of fungi, one which is rare and impossible to get wrong and one which has a very similar confusion species, but is incredibly tasty. We'll cover a little more about leaf morphology, fungal features and try to get back on track for the coming autumn treats, of which there will be many. Hopefully, the last couple of months have not been terrible for you, with no new posts, and I trust you've kept up the process of identifying and eating the plants and fungi you know, watching them mature and change throughout the summer whilst keeping an eye out of companion plants.

Tree - Common Lime

The Common Lime is hardy and widespread, often found in parks and streets as well as woodlands throughout the UK. People will have you believe that early Beech and Hawthorn leaves are the tastiest of all the trees, but this denies the succulent young leaves of the Lime. These leaves crop in June and July with some still around in August. They are at low level, shiny and inviting. They taste sweet and have body. They are without doubt the best of all. The fruits are edible, but bitter, tasting quite like cocoa. The flowers can be made into a tea, which is a mild sedative, good for calming all over. The sap is also usable, being sweet and nutritious.

Lime wood can be used as a fuel, but burns slowly and not so hot, so not super for high heat or cooking, but adequate for a little sustained light and heat to keep the edge off a cooling summer night. As it's not poisonous, it can be used to make cutlery, as well as other tools. More useful are the straight and supple offshoots which support the most edible leave. Like willow saplings, these are can be woven together into baskets, hurdles or for construction of some of the more elaborate traps. The inner bark is strong and can be woven into cordage as well be being used for strong bindings and even the construction of sandals.

Lime leaves are mostly round, but slightly heart shaped, having a small cleft at the stem and a slight point to the tip. The edges of the leaves have fine saw teeth and the veins spread from the stem, forking as they go. To use strict terminology, that's a cordate leaf with serrulate margins and palmate venation. Even if you don't remember these terms, it's good to take note of these three elements of leaf construction.

Tree - Hazel

Of shrub-like construction, lacking a distinct trunk, hazel trees grow as a series of flexible, straight poles with few branches from each. This makes it an excellent construction material and has been used for hurdles, thatching and other frameworks as well as tools and weapons including spears and bows. It's also a good firewood, though its lack of thick branches make it more suited to cooking than keeping you warm through the night. It can be found throughout the UK, especially in new woodland, though it also survives well under the canopy of other trees. This is why its catkins come very early in the year before its neighbours overshadow it.

Hazel leaves are almost round (orbicular) with doubly serrated margins and venation which branch only once from the central vein (pinnate). They have a very small point a the tip, even small than lime, but lack the cleft at the base. Though quite floppy, they have stiff hairs on the underside giving them a rough feel.

The best part of the hazel tree are the nuts. Tasty and high in protein and essentials fats, they are a worth their weight in gold in a survival situation. The problem with hazelnuts is that squirrels like them too and they are far better at finding them, reaching them and ultimately gathering and hiding them. The point at which hazelnuts are mature and you want to gather is the point at which the squirrels have normally bagged them and you're out of luck. You best change for a good haul is in an area of woodland dominated by hazel trees, but even then you've got to be fast. Thankfully, early in the season, hazelnuts can be eaten green, in the immature state. They may be a little smaller, but they are not so appealing to squirrels as they lack storage ability. At this time they have a sweet, milky taste and make an excellent trail snack. The intermediate stage is no use to either as they are neither sweet or nutty and best avoided.

Plant - Wild Strawberry

These are some of the earliest of fruits of the season and are a pleasure to find and munch on the trail. With few other fruits ripening at this time, you'll be competing with the birds for them and as they are a low lying plant, rodents too. Unlike their cultivated counterparts, they are small and spherical, but share the same colouration and sweet taste. High in vitamin C, they are healthy as well as tasty.

As a veracious ground cover plants, they grow in large patches, so if you see one strawberry, chances are there are a few more about and it's worth stopping and taking a closer look. What it needs is moisture and partial shade, so can also be found in sunny areas of sparse woodland or shaded hedgerows, often near water or in boggy areas. The distinctive triplets of slightly spiny margined leaflets advertise this plant well. The flowers are white, having five petals and a yellow centre and can often be seen on one plant as another is fruiting. These patches are worth revisiting throughout the season until all the flowers and fruit have completely gone.

There is a plant with which this can be confused, the Mock Strawberry. Natural to East Asia, you're unlikely to find it in Britain unless it's escaped from a garden. It has very similar leaves, but a wholly yellow flower and the fruit is much more regular with distinct pimples. It's not poisonous, but lacks the sweet flavour of strawberries.

Plant - Blackberry

You probably know the blackberry and have done since childhood. You can probably recognise it from miles away and know that grows in huge patches at the meeting point of meadows, where the grass wins, and woodlands, where the canopy wins, or at the edge of paths or roadways, where the ground is compacted or dominated by tarmac. You probably know that the berries are edible and ripe when they can be pulled off easily. So let me tell you some things you may not know.

The young leaves can be used to make a tea. Some say munch on them, but I don't go for them at all. The thorny winding stems are the bane of the berry picker, often acting as a defence for the ripest of all the fruits. When dry, they become hollow and although a pain (pun intended) to collect, they make excellent tinder for the early stages of fire lighting. When live they have a wire like strength and can be used for binding, should you have suitable hand protection. Live or dead, when packed, the stems can also be used for an tangling type trap. The your shoots are good boiled. The roots can be boiled or roasted and are an excellent source of carbohydrates, though the alleged "coffee substitute" that can be made from the over roasted roots needs a lot of imagination to stretch the definition.

Fungus - Giant Puffball

There are many puffball fungi, all looking quite similar. Some are edible, some will make you really sick. Thankfully, there is a variety which is impossible to get mixed up and that's the giant puffball, so called because it's huge. Most grow to between 20 and 60cm in diameter, but occasionally, they grow up to 1.5m. Found in fields, meadows and hillsides, they can grow in rings or individually. If you find one, you'll know. They are unmistakable.

Cut it open and if the flesh is still solid white, it's perfect. If yellow or brown, then the spores are forming and you risk a tummy upset. Peel and sauté and they are excellent. They don't dry well, but I am told they can be cooked and then frozen. Higher in protein than must mushrooms, it would be a great boon to a survival diet. Medicinally, it can be used as a styptic, which stops bleeding by contracting tissues around the wound site.

The pain with giant puffballs is that they only come up when they fancy, where they fancy and though likely to grow in the same area each season they come up, finding them in the first place can be a bit of a challenge. I'd like to thank Jeremy Kilar for letting me use one of his photos because this season, I've been out of luck so far.

Fungus - Chanterelle

True Chanterelle - False Gills

If you want to find chanterelles, ask a Frenchman. I did and was informed that in France, people forage for mushrooms with a shotgun. After much enthusiastic discussion and not actually asking him where they can be found (which is internationally considered rude) he divulged a spot where I might look. I took a trip and though unable to find any there, I made a special effort to take in the features of the habitat. Moist banks in partial shade covered in decaying leaves and moss are the place to find these prized beauties. The air smells mushroomy. Best to look on a warm morning after a rainy day. I've had best luck at the edge of beech woods, often intermingled with ivy.

Of course, it's not that easy. The False Chanterelle is very similar indeed to the ones we're looking for but for the following features. True chanterelles smell a little like apricots. False chanterelles have true gills which are fragile, true chanterelles have lumpy gill like structures, which are similar, but look messy. True chanterelles are yellow, false ones more orange with graded colour becoming darker to the centre of the cap which notably curls over the gills at the edges, though this is also a feature of the real deal when young. To be sure, the false chanterelle spore prints white, while the true prints yellow or amber over a period of about six hours.

A more dangerous look-a-like is the Jack O'Lantern, which will give you a really bad stomach. More deeply orange and growing in clumps, these too have true, knife like gills. Find some pictures and you shouldn't have too much of a hard time distinguishing them. Something to always be aware of is that all three of these can grown in the same patch, so don't assume that because the first you picked was a good one that the rest will also be.

Clean them, pat them dry, fry the and pop them on toast or in an omelette; chanterelles are some of the best eating in the world of wild mushrooms, just make sure you're getting the right ones. Like any fungi, chances are if you find one, you'll find more so if you do spot some, make the effort to slow down and check around. Start lifting some leaves or moss and see if more are hiding. You can't collect too many of these because they can be dried and in that state will last for ages. Some people pickle them, but if you ask me ... pickled mushrooms ... eww!

You patience in waiting for this article has been appreciated and they fact that you've got this far means I've done at least a reasonable job making up for the delay. September will bring us more fruits and nuts as well and more fungi, though if the rain keeps up, I'll be appealing for good pictures again.

Happy foraging and look out for supporting articles.

REMEMBER: Do not pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

NOTE: This article was written from a UK perspective and identification will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advise to confirm positive identification.

DON'T FORGET: You can get updates and share comments on the Survival's Cool Facebook Page.

SAR End Point

2012-07-13T03:00:00.003+01:00

When does Search and Rescue (SAR) start looking for for you? Where do they start looking? How long do they look for? These are three important questions and by understanding the answers, you can greatly increase your chances of survival. SAR Starting Point One answered the first of these and SAR Starting Point Two the second. This article takes the more complex final question. By understanding more about the methods of SAR agencies, you will begin to understand why planning, reporting and signalling are essential in maximising your survival chances.

We already know that SAR starts to look when they know you're missing and begin to look where they think you are. Excluding those times when you have a beacon transmitting your exact location over great distances, searches are generally performed over areas. This area will be chosen based on the number of search resources available, the quality of information about your estimated location and time.

It may be that the casualty (it's just a term), is known to be on foot and was known to be at a specific location 12 hours ago. Arguably then, they could have walked 10 miles in that time and be anywhere in a circle with a 10 mile radius. That's over 300 square miles (mi²), which beyond the capabilities of most search and rescue groups, but some cunning will come in which reduces that area down (see previous articles). Conversely, if SAR had your route plan and you checked in a couple of hours ago, then the search area many only be a few square miles. Alternatively, a sinking ship, which can report its position with great accuracy, being affected by wind and tide over time might be deemed to be in an area of 20 square miles over a particular time period. A plane reporting heading and speed having missed a check in might be deemed to be in some narrow rectangle on the map based on the flight plan, last data given, time and weather.

Probability of Area (POA) or Probability of Containment (POC) is the chances that the casualty is in the area described. This can be 100% if the area is large enough, but if resources are limited, then this area must be reduced in order that sensible coverage can be given to areas of where the casualty is most likely to be. There is little point in skimming over a massive area, since the Probability of Detection (POD) is then very small and the Probability of Success (POS), which is simply POA multiplied by POD, is still very small. The first goal in SAR planning is to maximise the POS by finding a relationship between POD and Search Area. This is quite mathematical and computers get involved.

If we imagine a search area described by a circle of diameter 5 miles (about 20mi² ) which has been determined as the bounding area with a POC of 100% of where the casualty could be now and over the two hours of search that will operate before dark. SAR in the dark is a different kettle of fish and requires a completely separate plan altogether. If it is then determined that the speed at which the units would have to be travelling would give a POD of 40% then the POS would be 40%. If, however, it were determined that there was a 50% chance that the casualty was, in fact, in an circle half that diameter (about 5mi²), then a slower, closer and more accurate search could be undertaken with a POD of 90%. This would give a POS of 45%, which is more, but is there a better solution? In this circumstance, a circle of 70% diameter would give POD of around 70% and so a POS of 49%. These numbers are not just picked out of the air, there are some fancy formulae involved, but what it goes to show is that there is an interplay between the quantities and an optimisation process to find the best search area given the resources and time available.

As you can imagine, POD is greatly reduced by fog, darkness, camouflage and affected by the (lack of) size of the search object. If you're going to come down in a plane at all, pray it's a great big orange one that lands gracefully in a lush green meadow, rather than a small white one in the snow.

So how is this answering the question you might ask? Keep with me reader, I'm getting there.

In order to answer the intended question, we have to assume that you (the casualty) was not found. This may be because you were simply not spotted, or because some assumption was made about your position which was wrong. Maybe you deviated from your intended route plan. Equally, if the search area is huge, there is only so much POS that can be achieved, even with helicopters, planes and loads of people. So what happens next?

First, a re-evaluation of the search area is conducted. If you are on the sea, then you have been subjected to more time to drift in the wind and tide. In addition, greater error factors are applied in order to accommodate the failure of the first run. This makes the search area much bigger and so it has to be searched a lot slower. The same process of maximising POS is conducted and everyone sets to work. It may be that if you were overflown but missed on the first day, you might not see anyone else until day three. How annoying would that be of you'd only got one packet of salted nuts between ten of you!

As you can imagine, the more time that passes, and the more search runs that occur, the more time it would take to cover the increasing areas and the lower the POS becomes. Even if you were lost in a Land Rover full of pot noodles and sleeping bags, there becomes a time when POS is so low that reducing it any further by continuing to search is futile.

In addition, there is a consideration that your situation may be so grave that you have expired and that continuing to search is, in fact, putting the search teams at such a risk that the POS is lower the probability of the SAR team becoming a casualty themselves. Clearly, this is influenced by the weather on both sides of the equation. At this point, SAR teams are operating in Recovery mode, rather than Rescue, which is lot slower paced and is fair weather dependent. Of course, there are limits to this mode also.

As we saw in the previous article on the subject, initial search areas are determined by expected position. If this is large due to lack of quality information, then initial POS is low and ultimately, the lower threshold of POS will come quicker, reducing total search time and giving you less opportunity to be rescued. The more you do to reduce that initial search area, the more opportunity you will have to get yourself found. Oh, is that me talking about route plans and regular communication again? I think it is!

It's quite impossible to expect a hapless survivor to accurately calculate the maximum search time themselves, so here are some rules of thumb. If you're in the freezing Arctic or the burning desert and there is a group of you, then chances are SAR will operate for a week to ten days. If you're on your own in a similar environment or wider area, then chances are, less than a week. If you're in a temperate region, then SAR may operate in one mode or another for anything up to 12 weeks, but as you can imagine is highly dependent on environment, weather, SAR resources and initial conditions.

I imagine the exception to all of this is that which happens when Madonna or some other mega star's plane goes down. There would be sufficient cash to hire enough SAR teams to just keep on going until they are found, dead or alive. So remember, always travel on large, highly equipped, orange planes which transport rich and important people and you'll be fine!

Now we know a little more about SAR, we can think about how to best increase our chances of being seen (increasing POD and hence POS) through timing, placement and types of signal. Look out for further articles on the subject.

As always, I hope you never have to use this type of knowledge in a real situation, but should you find yourself up the proverbial creek and this article helps you get out alive, then please do Like it on the Survival's Cook Facebook Page.

As Long as a Piece of String

2012-07-02T01:45:00.000+01:00

After the very popular Hard as Nails article on the numerous uses for a nail in a survival situation, I posed the question, "what could be done with a metre of string or cord?". Here are the more sensible replies which I got back and a look at versatility and imagination.

Paracord

tie something to something else (lashing)
a ridge line for a tarp
tie bags around you to keep dry
snare
trip wire
fishing line
string for fire bow
string for hunting bow
washing line
dental floss
climbing, winching or pulley aid
lasso for things out of reach
safety line for equipment you might drop
make a sling or bolas
leach water from a rock face
use as thick, thin or fine thread
handcuffs
net making
hanging food off of the ground
belt or shoe laces

As you can see, some standard and not so standard uses for cordage. Many of these rely on the string being of the Paracord variety. This appallingly over and misused term should describe cordage that was originally used on parachutes, though it is now manufactured and sold by the roll. It is a multi-core, sheathed cord which has an incredibly high breaking strain. However, there are many in the world who would market their garden twine as paracord since it's an unregulated term being used for anything that comes in green and has a camo label on it. Don't be fooled, the real deal has a breaking strain of 550lb (which is why it's called 550 Paracord) and has seven strands, which are braided and sheathed. The strands themselves are twisted of three cores, see above. Accept no substitute if you're buying paracord. There are other quality cordages available, but in my experience, none match the quality and versatility for the price.

Cordage is one of Dave Canterbury's five/ten Cs of Survivability (see Acronym Insanity) and represents something important in acquisition of resources in a genuine survival situation as well as camping and everyday outdoorsiness. Cordage can be made from natural fibres such as nettles, roots or various barks, but having done so myself, I can tell you, for anything other than lashing a few poles together, it's a time consuming process to make good quality cordage.

Cordage is versatile, but cordage is time consuming to make and a practised skill. If the shit hit the fan, then having no cordage around is going to be a pain. Compared to many other things, cordage is cheap and light weight. With this in mind, it is clear that the return on investment on having such an item is huge, compared to, say, a plastic tent peg, which is comparatively bulky, largely single use and could easily be fashioned from nature. This is why I have spare lines for my tent, but only one spare peg.

Can you imagine one of those catastrophic shoelace breaks on your speed looped boots which just makes it impossible to tie properly once knotted. How much of a ball ache would it be to make new shoe laces out of nettles? On the subject of shoe laces, I recently provided the local game keeper with a length for his boots, since he was unable to locally source laces long enough. Even though you need a slightly more secure knot, because it's slippery in that context, they made a quality substitute. Some replace their laces with paracord as a matter of course.

Sometime, however, you can avoid using cordage and it is certainly the case that if you only had a little, you wouldn't want to waste it on some task that could be achieved with a little engineering, such as propping or with some alternative, like a little a bit of seat belt or ripped rags. Like all difficult to replace or maintain resources, we try to limit their use when possible in order that we have them at their best when there is no alternative.

There are those among us; paracordists they are known as, who are masters of weaving and fashioning paracord into all manner of items and at any moment might be wearing 40m or so in laces, belts, bangles, cup holders and string vests. It's worth a google, I assure you. My friend and trusty assistant Wurz is never without paracord and in a genuine survival situation, his apparel might be considered a resource in itself.

So, don't forget how useful cordage can be, don't forget to pack extra, choose the best, wear some if you like and if you are up the proverbial creak, remember that your shoe laces are cordage, as is your tie, belt and the wool from your jumper, but having said that, not even the best paracordist will be able to fashion you a paddle from it.

Keep an eye out for further versatile object articles and do keep up to date via Facebook on the Survival's Cool Blog Page.

Acronym Insanity

2012-06-24T00:25:00.001+01:00

There is a lot to be said for an aide mémoire in a situation where you might find it hard to remember what you need to do and there is some strict protocol as to how to act, but in the world of survival, understanding and common sense trump survival acronyms every time. In my experience, they are numerous, incomplete contrived and remembering the meaning of the letters is lost over time.

I used to teach PLAN, as Lofty Wiseman prescribes, but being a good scientist, I tested the memory of a number of my students some years later. In almost all cases, they had forgotten the interpretation of the letters or some additional information, here's why:

P is for Protection: That's protection from further danger and protection from the elements using appropriate clothing, shelter and fire. That's two components, one of which is split into three, so really five things to remember from one letter, as well as the word itself, so six.

L is for Location: That's not finding your location, but advertising your location to rescue agencies and passers by using active and passive signals. This is an example of something that might be remembered, but the meaning misremembered.

A is for Acquisition: That's acquisition of water and food, in that order. Again, two components and the letter that is most contrived and that most people forget.

N is for Navigation: More specifically, this is orientation and navigation and is associated with making an informed and effective move from camp. This is a low priority and is not normally required for some weeks.

Can you imagine trying to remember that next month, let alone in a slightly panicked survival situation.

Another example, which Ray Mears favours, is STOP, which has a number of interpretations, though they all come to the same basic conclusion.

Situation/Stop/Sit
Threat/Think
Observe
Plan/Prepare

If you ask me, STOP is just common sense and essentially boils down to "take a minute to have a think about what you're going to do next".

One of the more complete examples is that of the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association:

Know and recognize
Inventory
Shelter
Signals
Water
Eat
Play

That's all pretty sound stuff, but KISSWEP is a bit of a pain to remember and has an unfortunate double letter in it. I think I'd be most likely to get annoying stuck at the first letter too.

Finally, one that really cracks me up is that of the US Military who contrived to use the acronym SURVIVAL with frankly comedic results:

Size up the situation
Undue haste makes waste
Remember where you are
Vanquish fear and panic
Improvise
Value living
Act like the natives
Learn basic skills/Live by your wits

Dave Canterbury of The Pathfinder School took a different approach, using the same letter over again, introducing the Five Cs of Survivability:

Cutting tool
Combustion
Container
Cover
Cordage

Very important stuff, but once more, not too easy to remember. Not satisfied with this level of Confusion (pun intended), this list was upgraded to ten:

Cutting tool
Combustion
Cordage
Container
Cargo
Compass
Cover
Candle (or light)
Combination tool
Cloth

Now, I don't know about you, but remembering ten words, all beginning with the same letter, in order, is frankly a nightmare. They are based on a sound principal of acquisition of equipment that is hard to come by in nature, but it's all a bit much for the old grey matter.

So who have we forgotten? Bear Grylls of course. Known for his mad cap crusades and frankly barmy survival techniques, one would expect him to use the most contrived and insane acronym of all, but no, he simply presents these four basic priorities:

Protection
Rescue
Water
Food

No acronym, no memory, just succinct rule based on the following few basic principals associated with that which is likely to cause you to die quickest or prolong your survival situation:

Extremes of cold or heat can kill you in hours, though more generally the first night
Unless you are in the middle of the ocean you're never more than two days from rescue*
Dehydration can be staved off for around three days if needs be
Malnutrition is a serious consideration, but not nearly as much as the above

* if someone knows you are missing and knows roughly where you are

Yes, there is more to it than that, but those four basic priorities won't take you far wrong. The rest is arguably instinct, common sense, skills and informed decisions, supported by further knowledge, of course.

No two survival situations are the same, however, by understanding the basic needs of the human body, a little about Search and Rescue (see SAR Starting Point series), nature and the limits of natural resources, we can prioritise and improvise without relying on memory and the strict adherence to an incomplete task list.

As I'm teaching in my Wild Food and Natural Resources Course that you don't need to rely on books, so I am teaching in my survival courses and articles that you don't need an aide mémoire to know what to do in a survival situation. Knowledge & understanding once more supports skills; the basic tenet of all of my work.

Forthcoming articles will develop your knowledge and confidence. Keep reading and do look out for updates via Facebook on the Survival's Cool Blog Page.

Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - June - Set One

2012-06-20T01:49:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the first of the Summer instalments of this Free Wild Food and Natural Resources Course. The weather is hot which is great for the coast, which is where I've been, which is why this is late, for which I apologise. The sun is bright, which is great for some of the plants and trees, but shocking for photography, for which I apologise.

For those joining us anew, I'll be going over some old ground and referring back to former articles for more detail. Please do not try to catch up, it's insane. The idea of this course is to be light weight and progressive. To catch up the whole of a season which spanned about twelve articles will only lead to information overload and very little will be retained. As I've said before, it's better to remember a little than it is to forget a lot. Stick with the course and pick up Spring next year and all will be well. In any case, what's the point of learning things that have either passed over or progressed when there is so much to take in that's current.

Plant - Wild Mint(s)

A Wild Mint

There are loads of different mints; about fourteen species in the UK and many many more throughout the world. Here, they are all edible, as far as I know. Many are found on the fringes of hedgerows, with generally purple flowers (in various formations) and generally thick looking, hairy leaves with toothed margins (wonky edges).

The most distinguishing feature is that they smell and taste of mint. If you are unsure about your potential mint, crush a leaf in your fingers and give it a sniff. If it's not minty, it's not a mint. Then give it a little taste. If it's not minty, it's not a mint. If the taste is particularly strong, bitter or something tells you it's not right, then you should either photograph and double check or seek the opinion of an expert.

Mint can be used as a culinary herb, but also works well as a tea. Especially good for calming the stomach.

Tree - Elder

We've already looked at Elder as when dead it's a good indicator for Jew's Ear fungi. So you may recognise it from its branch structure. At this time, however, it's blooming and in full leaf.

The leaves are Pinnate, that is to say the leaf stem has many opposite pairs. This is also the case with Ash and Rowan, but not many other native trees. Ash you should be able to distinguish from previous courses and Rowan leaves have far more serration. The flowers are heavily clustered and quite unmistakeable.

The flowers can be eaten as they are, but their form often supports many insects, so have a check first. They can be frittered, used in a tea, but more traditionally turned into cordial or wine; yes the flowers as well as the berries.

Dead elder not only support fungi, but makes an excellent wood for stating fires. It's light and hollow and takes to flame easily. Not so good for cooking or stating through the night though. The branches can be used to blow into the base of a fire like a straw, invigorating it when it's looking a bit sorry for itself, or if fresh wood has been put on and you want to give it a hand. Top tip ... don't suck. If you throw on the some leaves, they really do niff, which is good if you're in the West of Scotland, where there are tons of midges.

Fungus - Chicken of the Woods

Chicken of the Woods

Here's as easy one to spot and is almost impossible to confuse with others. It grows on both live and dead trees. They can grow singly, in groups and often in lines. I was warned once not to take it if it's growing on Yew (which you can not go and look up, because it's dead easy to identify) which is highly toxic and that seems like sound advice to me.

This fungus is said to taste of chicken, but I don't think it does. It certainly has the texture of chicken though. You should take the tenderest parts for the best eating. Don't rip it from the tree or it won't grow back next year, rather, take a large chunk down to the bark level and leave the internals alone.

Chicken of the Woods needs no special preparation. Simply brush it clean, slice and fry in butter. It works well in risottos, curries and casserole.

Happy foraging and keep an eye out for complementarity articles.

REMEMBER: Do no pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

NOTE: This article was written from a UK perspective and identification will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advice to confirm positive identification.

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Wild Food & Natural Resource Course - Spring Round Up

2012-06-08T22:59:00.000+01:00

This Wild Food and Natural Resources course has been running for the three months of Spring and has had great feedback and support. Initially, it was to cover one tree, one plant and one fungus per month, but by popular demand, generally doubled that and added in a few supporting articles. I thought it worth rounding up what we've learnt and how things have changed.

We have learnt a great deal about habitat and how it affects the things that grow. The major habitats are important, but also the fringes and transitional borders between them. We've learnt about water, altitude, light & shade, leaf morphology, companion & indicator species as well as how things change throughout the season.

I'm hoping you have maintained the regime of not taking notes or books with you on you wanders or tried to take on too many species if you don't get out much. This forces us into a progressive learning pattern with repetition reinforcing what we know. By now you will have proved to yourself that you don't need such trappings and in fact, they can be a hindrance as they compel us to take on more than we should.

Here's a quick test. Find a long pictorial list of wild plants online, such as this one. Read through it, taking in all of the pictures and descriptions. Now stop looking at it and try to recall the contents. Which of the plants you saw were inedible and could you positively identify them? Which of the plants are growing now? Can you recall them all? If not, what is the use? Maybe you would see something outdoors and decide you might have read about before grabbing a guide and checking.

This is the problem with trying to learn too much at once. The human mind can't hold too much new information. Here's another experiment. Spend as long as you like trying to memorise this list letters and numbers.

G 6 J 3 9 K 8 R 3 U 0 E L 2 B 2

Got it? Now go and find a piece of paper and try to write them down from memory. See you in a minute. I mean it, go and write them down on a piece of paper.

How many did you get? Six, seven? Eight, nine or ten with a few mistakes? It's hard work taking in new info. Yes, there are lots of techniques for memorising series, but you get the point.

Now here's the proof that what we've gone through has taught you a great deal and that you've not only retained it, but added to it yourself in such a way that you probably won't remember to specifics of what was written and what you picked up by learning to look at the natural world in a different way.

Each of the links below will take you back to the original article, but you'll probably not need them. Take a look down this of all the covered species. Maybe you didn't read each of the articles, and if that's so, don't beat yourself up about it; be happy with what you've learnt and know there is more for next Spring. For each one, try to recall what they look like, how they've changed throughout the year, where they grow and which grow together. Try to remember all you can, you'll amaze yourself.

Trees - buds, catkins, flowers, branch structure, bark, leaves and leaf development as well as uses for each one.

Ash
Beech
Oak
Silver Birch
Sallow (Pussy Willow or Goat Willow)

Fungi - size, grouping, shape, colour, smell and uses.

Cramp Balls (King Alfred's Cakes)
Fairy Ring Champignon
Jew's Ear or Jelly Ear
Morel
St. George's Mushroom

Plants - flowers, leaves, shoots and taste

Dandelion
Field Sorrel
Gorse
Jack by the Hedge (Garlic Mustard)
Navelwort or Pennywort
Nettle
Primrose
Ramsoms (Wild Garlic)
Three Cornered Leek (Wild Garlic)
Wood Sorrel

Learnt loads, haven't you. Nice work! Take a few minutes to look back over a few to remind yourself of a few details, but also to show how much you've taught yourself on top of the basics.

If you fancy a reread, of all of the Course and Supporting Articles, be careful that you don't overload yourself with information to try to catch up. Remember, it's better to remember few than forget a lot.

For doing so well, here's a special bonus for sticking with it. These sweet violets should still be around and although the leaves are edible, the flowers are where it's at. I'm sure you'll have seen them in the hedgerows and many of you, like me, will have learnt them as a child. They are a tasty trail treat* and when combined with other flowers make a mighty mouthful*.

With Spring over, we have Summer on the way there is still much to learn and enjoy, such as elder, hawthorn, rose, blewits, wild mint and many more. Try to keep a good learning pace and don't forget the trees, plants and fungi you've learnt already. Watch how they change throughout the Summer and which of our new sets overlap and interact with them.

Happy foraging and keep an eye out for complementarity articles.

REMEMBER: Do no pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

NOTE: These articles were written from a UK perspective and identification will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advice to confirm positive identification.

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* I love alliteration :)

SAR Starting Point Two

2012-06-04T03:13:00.000+01:00

Most people think that SAR teams start looking for you where you were last known to be (last know position), but although this is useful, it's not the case. Quite often, the last known position is vague at best and almost always, you're not still there. The truth of the matter is that SAR start looking where they think you are (estimated position) though this is generally an area and though calculated using a simple algorithm, can involve complex maths, psychology and analysis of the environment; all this is taken over time and re-evaluated in the context of any new evidence. By understanding this method in conjunction with good signalling, you can give yourself the best possible chance of being located, should you find yourself in a situation where you want someone to find you, which let's face it, is rather the goal in a survival situation.

First SAR starts with where you were, then where you were going. They consider route, speed, weather, motivation and "other" and now add time as a factor. A simple example might be a plane which checks in a 1200 with position, course and speed. Having not checked in at 1300, we have a rather good idea about the possible places that plane could be based on a maximum of an hour of travel from a known position at a known speed in a known direction. Of course there are some interesting weather consideration and a few unlikely affectors, but to give the greatest chance of rescue, resources are initially deployed into an area where the plane is almost certain to be, with a probability of about 80%.

Let's next take this partial Mayday call:

"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is fishing vessel Polly, Polly, Polly, mayday, BD123 Polly, two miles north of Hartland Point, engine and power fai..." and the radio goes dead.

You may have wondered why the mayday call is in that order; there is a very good reason. From a SAR perspective, the more we know, the better. It would be very nice to know that there were ten people on board, all wearing life jackets and that the there were no medical problems or fires, but if the radio had cut out whilst the casualty (remember, it's just a term) was relaying that, they would have missed the position, which is frankly far more important. That's why it's one of the first things in the call. With only the information above, the coastguard sets to work. An approximate starting position is given. Chances are someone would have mentioned if it was sinking, so it sounds like it's just drifting. The license number will give the coastguard an accurate size and aspect of vessel and with wind and tidal information, a trajectory. If it's going to take 30 minutes to get on scene, then they can have a good idea where Polly will have drifted to. By applying an error factor to all the input variables, a resultant search area can be determined.

Walkers and mountain bikers represent a much more interesting problem when determining a search area, but the same basic principal or position, direction and speed are applied. On Dartmoor, for instance, even the footpaths represent a maze of possibilities for changes in route, let alone areas where going "off piste" is considered the norm. The two principal reasons why recreational walkers don't come back on time is because they are lost, or because there is a medical problem, even if that's simply fatigue. My plan from the first article gives route and approximate timings for the day, and so if I didn't make it back to the camp site, or more likely, if I didn't check in (which is something I do), then sufficient information would have been given to give a minimal search area over Snowdon. Conversely, someone with no route plan could be anywhere in North Wales (well, not really if their car is found), which is a much wider area to search. Let us suppose we check in at the top. That's a nice last known position and time and with a route set, so I've realistically got to be in the second half of the plan. A quick survey of a few walkers coming off the hill on intersecting routes may give extra info about where I'm not, which is arguably just as important in reducing the search are down.

I recently performed a safety check on a coast path route for a sponsored walk. This was not only to determine the quality of the track, but to gauge progress, chances of getting lost and dangers en route. With this, I gave recommendations for check in points, medical stations and watering areas. This was not only to reduce the chances of a situation occurring, but to give the ability for a swift response over a small search area, which is important when the poor chaps from St John's have to carry all the medical gear up and down the steep paths.

Whilst out with Exmoor Search and Rescue, I was enthralled by the level of detail to which they applied age, gender and history as well as the basics when setting up search areas for despondent and mentally ill "wanderers". With extensive training and statistical backup, they are able to make what appear to be staggering assumptions, greatly reducing the search area giving excellent results.

So what have we learnt here? Essentially, any SAR agency has limited resources and by application of basic principals, experience and some maths, they will determine a search area where they can apply those resources giving the best probability of detection possible. With position, direction and speed as the main contributing variables, the greater the accuracy of these, the less margin for error has to be applied and importantly. the smaller the time window over which the calculation has to be applied, the smaller search the area will be and the more likely you are to be found quickly.

Here are some thoughts on route plans. Have a good hard think about your route and how you imagine SAR teams might try to find you. That will give you some idea of how accurate your route plan should be in conjunction with how often you should be checking in. The more accurate and detailed your route plan, the more likely the SAR agency will assume that you are following it and so tighten the search area around it. The more you deviate from they think you are going, even if this is to try to take a short cut, the more likely it is that you will find yourself outside of the initial search area and so the more accurate your plan, the more important it is to log ad hoc changes. An alternative (or better, a combination) is to log short cuts and "bug out" routes as part of the original plan. If, however, your route plan is woolly or subject to change then state is as such, but then check in more often as this will mitigate the problems caused by an inaccurate estimated position.

Balance route planning with checking in. Always know even roughly where you are. Think hard about the effect of changing route. Know your capabilities and know the capabilities of the relevant SAR agencies and you'll greatly increase your chances of being located and hence increase your chances of survival.

Once again, if you think that all these routes and check ins lack spontaneity, then be aware that the spare paddle bearer will necessarily take longer to find you up the proverbial creak.

In the next article on this subject, I will discuss what happens if SAR don't find you in that initial search area, how long they keep looking, what happens if they find clues, how you can help them if you have no ability to check in, what to do if you do get lost and how best to manage route changes.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - May - Extras

2012-05-31T23:27:00.000+01:00

May is a fantastic time for food and I thought it a shame not to miss some specific tasty treats so I've decided to do a quick round up of a few of my faves, all of which can be eaten raw on the trail. I'll throw in a few leaf morphology terms, just for good measure.

Jack by the Hedge (Garlic Mustard) is a great addition to a cheese sandwich. Believe it or not, it tastes like a cross between garlic and mustard and can be found by hedges, often at the side of roads. Who'd have known!

Distinct in colour, it can be seen from quite a distance and at speed, which is useful if you're playing Fast Food. The leaves themselves grow between kidney shaped (reinform) and heart shaped (cordate) with a crinkly edges (sinuate margins) with crazy paving looking veins (reticulate).

As always, the younger, smaller, lighter green leaves are significantly less bitter to taste, which is the common objection. Like mustard, I use is sparingly and in combination with another strong flavours.

Wood Sorrel looks a little bit like clover, but has more heart shaped (cordate) leaves which are much lighter in colour and lives in the woods rather than in grass; another victory for habitat.

It tastes like a cross between lemon and apple peel and is a good source of vitamin C. It's great in savoury and sweet salads, stuffed in trout and can be made into a cordial, if you're so inclined. Personally, I just munch it when I find it. As with all wild foods which can be found in abundance, pick the best examples available.

Field, Lamb's, Sheep's or Common Sorrel are all much the same thing, look about the same and taste about the same. They all taste like Wood Sorrel, yet look nothing like it. This is because they are not of the same family at all.

To avoid confusion with the rather poisonous Lords and Ladies (or Cuckoo Pint), with the same fields and hedgerows, take special care in learning the distinct shape at the base of the leaves.

Primrose is subtle tasting flower with edible leaves, albeit quite bitter when mature. You can even eat the roots; boiled or roasted, like many other roots.

There are two general confusion species, the Cow Slip, which is just as edible and the Fox Glove, which is deadly. This is why I tend to wait for them to bloom before embarking on consumption since Fox Gloves do not have these creamy coloured flowers.

Dandelions are another plant we know well. Found in fields and gardens, it can be prolific. All of the plant except the stem is edible.

The flowers can be eaten raw or made into fritters, which are nicer than they sound. The roots can be boiled or roasted and can be ground into a drink that some would say is a coffee substitute, but let's face it, it's just not.

The pinnatisect leaves are sweet when young and are a favourite in salads.

There are many many many plants out and about at the moment, but none so distinct and accessible as these the ones we've covered so far this Spring. Keep with us for Summer as we see distinct changes in the plants we know and watch as the fruits start to form for the Autumn.

Happy foraging and keep an eye out for complementarity articles.

REMEMBER: Do no pick or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe and legal.

NOTE: This article was written from a UK perspective and identification will almost certainly differ in other places around the world. Seek local advice to confirm positive identification.

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Wild Food & Natural Resources Course - May - Set One

2012-05-15T04:32:00.003+01:00

Firstly, apologies for the delay. I hope you find this set another delicious addition to your wild food and natural resources knowledge base. Spring is still upon us with flowers blooming and buds bursting. I hope you are continuing to take note of the progress of all other species we have covered to date. So without delay, here we go.

Plant - Three Cornered Leek (Wild Onion)

Another of the Allium (garlic & onion) family, the Three Cornered Leek has a fantastic flavour with complements Wild Garlic both cooked and raw. At this time, it should be in flower and is hence easily identified from a distance. The white flowers and long stems and leaves make them appear like pale bluebells, with which they can often grow. The leaves, though subtly distinct are similar, but the cross section of the stems is the real give away. Now you can see how it gets its name.

Tree - Oak

I'm quite sure you know the leaf of the oak as well as the distinct acorns, however, there are other aspects of trees which are to be noted at this time, in addition to habitat, these are most notably bark and branch structure which as we discussed, are the purest of forms of identification, since they don't rely on leaf, bud or flower. The problem with learning this method is a requirement to have positive identification in the first place. Often, autumn leaves are left scattered at the base of trees, but with wind can take move them around and in crowded woodland, mistakes can be made.

Here is a clue to positive identification, a cluster of leaves forming from nobbly buds which may still be visible and worth noting for future identification. The leaves are curled and pale, but identifiable as those of an oak at closer inspection.

Once noted, start taking paces back and widening you view to that of the branch and tree structure which you will note as distinct and familiar. The branches are gnarled and twisted. The tree is sometimes wider than it is tall and has an air strength and age about it.

As a climax forest tree, when mature, it often stands in its own ground with little around it. It can also be found alone in field or meadow, being much older than the grassland which surrounds it. You should be able to spot oaks at a distance and also when young, since the leaves at this stage are of a quite distinct colour. Once this identification has been established, start taking note of the bark.

Oak is an excellent firewood, but heavy and the calorie expenditure of carrying over large distances should be take into consideration. Though a strong building material, the branches are seldom straight and if others are available, it's better served as firewood for heating and cooking.

The acorns are nutritious, but riddled with tannins, and are thus inedible unless treated. Boiling with multiple changes of water until it stays clear is one method, and boiling is another. Personally, I think acorns taste a bit rubbish, but make a worthy addition to a stew if crushed or powdered and provide fats and protein.

Fungus - Fairy Ring Champignon

We've previously covered quite distinct fungi, but now that summer is drawing closer, things start to get a bit more interesting, with more and more species available there are more to be confused with and so more care has to be taken. It is now that we have to start learning some of the characteristics of fungi and with the an ability to distinguish between the good guys and the bad which to the untrained eye can look rather similar.

Let us take the delicious Fairy Ring Champignon and rather deadly Fool's Funnel. They are both the same size and grow in the same habitat (grass) at similar times of year. Although champignon tend to grow in rings, this can be invaded by funnels and so one might lead to another. Both have similar (well, not really) caps and both have a rather long, thin, bare stem (or stipe). Both have thin flesh and similar looking gills and both spore white (more on this in another article). So what are the distinguishing characteristics?

The Fool's Funnel is slightly depressed in the centre making it a little funnel shaped (no, really?) as compared to the Champignon which is flat to convex and when mature, has a raised spot (umbo) in the centre. The funnel is a dirty white and and the champignon is more of a tawny cream or ochre. The gills of the champignon are pronouncedly wide and the funnel gills can be slightly decurrent, that is to say that they draw down to stem a little, though the champignon gills do touch the stem.Now here is the challenge. From the above descriptions can you picture the two mushrooms, and importantly, mentally highlight the differences. Read back a couple of times before clicking on the following links to take a look.

Fairy Ring Champignon
Fool's Funnel

How did you do? Do you think you can identify both of these with 100% confidence? If not, then like any other edible, do not eat them and clearly don't eat the inedible ones. It is imperative that you are without doubt before consumption. Take some time to identify, photograph and double check the mushrooms you find and with time you will gain confidence.

One final note on Fairy Ring Champignon; they absolutely MUST BE COOKED as like Morels, they are poisonous otherwise. The stems are tough; to be discarded and the caps can be wind dried if you have an excess.

Happy foraging and keep an eye out for complementarity articles.

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Fast Food

2012-05-07T00:55:00.002+01:00

"Once you learn what wild onions look like, you'll be able to spot them at 120mph", asserted a foraging friend of mine. So, inspired by this statement, I decided to see what could be spotted at speed, albeit somewhat slower and was rather pleased with the results.

Jack by the Hedge - 3 points

So here's a game you can play in the car. It'll test your knowledge and your eye. It's really simple: taking turns (or play solo), spot a wild plant or tree with no repeats. Set up any scoring system you like. I go for ...

3 points for a wild food
2 points for a plant or tree
1 points for just the family - eg. Umbelifers or Cabbage, say

What you may find is that you keep seeing something you don't know, and it'll annoy you. The solution is to stop (safely), get the mobile out and take a piccy, then look it up later. By doing so, you'll build up knowledge of the more prolific and prominent plants, which are exactly the ones you should be learning.

You'll also start to notice those which are most confusing, and so need further study. Play this a few times and you'll get better. Play it through the seasons and it's a fantastic way of seeing things pop in and out.

All in all, this repetitive game is an excellent knowledge reinforcer.

First and foremost, this game has to be played safely, so keeping an eye on the road is paramount. Don't crash your car, just to win.

Have fun!

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Ways of Seeing Two

2012-04-29T05:08:00.000+01:00

Take a look at this photo again, what do you see?

If you are wondering about the "again", then it might be worth reading Ways of Seeing One first.

Hopefully, you've zoned in on the different habitats here; woods, water, waterside, meadow and pathway. In addition, you'll have noted the fringes and transitions which support their own set of species. This is the major zoning method associated with foraging and identifying diversity in a local area, so what's next?

There are many factors which affect biodiversity. From a global perspective, climate is a huge distinguishing factor, so much so that if you were in a food library, climate zones would each have their own sections with almost no crossover, apart from at the transitions, of course. Climate is a sort of super habitat which is itself subdivided into the habitat zones we have learnt previously, albeit with some climate zone specific habitats.

An additional global modifier is altitude. With altitude, comes changes in temperature, moisture and prevailing weather, all of which affect plant growth. Here in lies the beginning of a huge area of study which we will sidestep for two reasons. The first is that in a recreational or survival foraging perspective, you're likely to be stuck in one of these super zones and have no real opportunity to change that, the other is that no matter where you are, the ways of seeing still apply. With that in mind, we'll stay local, but keep hold of altitude, more specifically how local altitude changes.

When we look around, local altitude makes the world stand up in three dimensions. A few specific features of altitude can give us many clues about the plant life and natural resources available. Let's start with Slope. Firstly, the direction of slope will define the direction of water flow. Water flows down hill, be it above or below ground. So if need water, follow the slope down, simple.

Unlike the contours on a map, which define a locus of points of common altitude, we will be taking a slightly different approach to zoning altitude. Let's start with the most simple case. If we keep walking up hill, eventually, we'll come to the top. This might seem like an over clarification, but at the top of a hill, all directions lead down. At this point, we are exposed to the elements from all directions. We are unlikely to find rich vegetation here, and often no trees either. Sometimes we don't even find soil. If anything, other than grass, we're likely to find hardy plants such as heather or gorse. Of course, if we walk up, we might get to the top of a hillock which is not actually that exposed as it has neighbouring higher hills. This is a local maxima, in mathematical terms, and though it has important qualities from a water flow perspective, it may not from a weather viewpoint. From a zoning perspective, you may wish to ignore minor local maxima.

The opposite of a local maxima or a local minima. This point on the landscape is a place where every direction is up hill. Chances are, of you're stood at a local minima, your feet are wet. If you're not stood in a lake or tarn, it's almost certainly going to be boggy and if not, a bit of digging may bring water. Open your eyes a little more and chances are you'll see another general trend down hill, this will lead to another local minima, likely larger and ultimately, if taken to its extreme, the minima which is the sea; global minima. There are regions of land which are below sea level, but these are likely to be marsh, such as the Fens in the UK (4m below) or parts of much wider arid regions which present a much more interesting survival challenge.

Typical Snowdonia

Ridges and Local Minima

Assuming we are not at one of these extremes, there will be a general trend down hill and one of three configurations. If we have slopes up on both sides, then we are in a Valley. A valley represents the most likely route for rivers and even if the valley floor is dry, then digging will generally expose ground water. There is likely to be lush vegetation in valleys.

The deeper and steeper the valley, the more shaded it will be. This will make for cold mornings and evenings. Additionally, valleys afford protection from the elements, unless of course, the wind direction is up or down it, in which case the wind can funnel, dramatically increasing speed, brrr! There are some temperature considerations with valleys, but they get quite nerdy, what with temperature inversions and all and deserves an article of its own.

The opposite of a valley is a Ridge, which is where there is a general trend up or down hill which drops off on both sides. This area of high exposure is normally the easiest route from one local maxima to another. Visibility is good here, but as with maxima, plant life can be limited.

Stick with me reader, this does have a point, I assure you. Our third and final situation is that we are merely mid slope, neither at the top or bottom in any direction. Some might argue that there is "flat", but in reality, that's just a special case of one of the above where the gradient is small. Gradient represent how steep a slope is. Where gradient is very high (steep), even at low altitude, soil doesn't hold and rocks are exposed. This can be seen clearly in the above pictures. Maximum gradient is represented by a cliff, which is essentially vertical. "Flat" zones, be they large or some small localised area, are often moist, since there is little chance for ground water to run off. They universally make poor sites for shelter. Better to find a slight gradient.

I promised a point, and so here it is. We don't need to concern ourself with actual altitude when zoning our vista, rather, we should be looking at whether or not areas are maximally high, like the tops of hills or ridges or low, like valley floors and dips. A ridge presents pretty much the same habitat factors at 100m as it does at 300m. It's not a matter of actual altitude, it's more about shape. Hill tops and ridges are exposed, valleys and dips are wet. In addition, we concern ourselves with gradient as this has an effect on soil. All of these factors have their own effect on vegetation.

Altitude Zones

Habitat and Altitude

We can now return to our original photo. I've zoned this area into high, middle, low, flood plain, waterside and basically, wet. This is because it's clearly visible, but at a distance, we might only see hight to low. We are not worried about the prevailing slope only that we can see the shapes of the area and understand what each feature presents. There are not many large areas of high gradient, but the meadow is really quite "flat".

Our original article allowed us to see the world in basic habitats. Now let's overlay a slightly improved version of that on our altitude zone map and see what we end up with.

Here you can see that altitude defines some habitat and the zones match, but elsewhere, the two form a patchwork across the landscape. Add in to this view the habitat fringes and transitions, together with extremes of steep and shallow gradient and you have a new way of looking at your environment.

In terms of recreational foraging or in a genuine survival situation, being able to make an assessment of the local environment is very important. Not only does it help us define what sort of plants might be available, but also sources of water, sites for shelter and routes to take, should be need to make a move. Basic Habitat and Altitude zones are two simple, visual dimensions which allow us to make assessments like "that meadow is going to be boggy", "there is likely to be a stream there and those trees very close are probably willow", "I bet there is rocks and pennywort over there", or "there's a section of land suitable for shelter building in those woods" all without taking a step.

Take time to notice the changes in trees and plants with respect to altitude shapes and see where water runs and settles. Combine all of this with the trees, plants and fungi we've covered on the course. A useful exercise is to take the knowledge you've learnt on your local patch and try to apply it to a brand new one. If you've made a concious effort to look and learn, your new environment will be much less unfamiliar.