Finally getting into Hammock Camping and other things

Hey all,

Well last week I received  and early Christmas present from my girlfriend an ENO Double Nest Hammock. I had been pondering and researching the whole hammock thing for about 2 years now; and to finally have a really good hammock in my hands I'm as giddy as a kid with a new toy. It has open up one big can of worms though lol. I still need a good tarp but maybe Santa has one more trick up his sleeve for me :). Can't wait to get it out and try it and have been told by many members of the site hammockforums.net with a few simple modifications I should enjoy it for a long time. Hoping to start doing a bit of bushcrafting and such this coming year and get out and enjoy the woods more then I been.

Speaking of the woods rifle deer season ended just a couple days ago and my season wasn't the greatest saw some sign here and there but alas no backstraps in my freezer this year :( but, there is always next year. The time out in the woods was relaxing and mind clearing as usual. Bad day hunting is always better then a good day at work in my book.

Well Christmas is right around the corner stores are going to be crazy as we head towards the last weekend before Christmas. Most of you know I'm a retail store associate and its been steadily getting crazier with people shopping for those last minute gifts and meal fixings. Just remember because everyone else is rushing around and being crazy you don't have to be. Take your time and enjoy this time a year, the sights and sounds, take time to reflect on the year thats been and think about what the one thats coming and after New Years hit the ground running in 2012. Since Im not sure if I'm going to have time to do it later with the hectic work week I got coming, Merry Christmas to everyone and have a Happy and Safe New Year.

as always Be Smart, Be Safe, and Be Prepared

Winter Storm??

Hey all,
As i type this my happy little part of PA is under a winter storm warning for approx. 4-10 inches of snow and quarter to half inch of ice. I am sure by this point in the day people are flocking to the local Wal-Mart for there ideas of necessary supplies. Like there eggs, bread, milk hopefully some rock salt, perhaps another snow shovel(cause you know it seems as though some people horde them or something) also everyone is probably in this massive hurry that they don't need to be in. Now that being said we all know that weather people lately aren't too accurate with there forecasts but you know what a little information to help input on how you prepare for something is better then nothing. One thing i bet some people haven't thought of is what if the power goes out? After all .25" to a .5" of ice is a lot. Its not to hard to imagine that with that extra load plus the snow that supposed to fall tonight and tommorow night that there will probably be power outages so if your new to all of this type of thought processing heres some ideas what to keep on hand.

Some extra blankets
Way to heat water for warm beverage
Batteries for flashlights
Alternate way to heat the house in case you have electric heat (like i do)

The following sound obvious but being in retail for almost 7 yrs you see this a lot
Rock salt or sand
Shovels
Ice Chopper

If you feel the need to travel during the emergency a simple kit in your vehicle.
Small Shovel
Tire Chains
72 hr kit(if you have one if not you probably should)
Sand or Kitty Litter
Make sure your tank is full of fuel before heading out.
Make sure someone knows your route and where your going so if you fail to arrive they will know something is wrong and get perhaps get help out to you sooner.
Charged Cell Phone or at least keep a car charger handy (common sence goes along way here folks)

Well thats it for now I will post an update to this if we actually do get anything near what was forecast to happen. Be safe out there and be smart. As for the question marks in the title as stated we know how accurate weather people can be LOL.



Be Smart, Be Safe, Be Prepared.

Happy New Year!!!

Hey Everyone, Welcome to the new year hope its off to a great start for everyone out there. With the new year now upon us we all have those pesky things called resolutions to make. Everyone makes about the same ones like lose a few pounds, save money, and the like. Mine I think are a bit different then some perhaps; my biggest goal for this year is to spend more time outdoors. Whether it be a short hike to kill a few hours or maybe camping, the biggest thing I want to start doing is practice my wilderness skills and bush crafting and such. Stated in a previous post known as Project: Pathfinder. By doing this I hope to get out more then I did this year and who knows lose a few pounds too in the process. Also a small goal I would like to accomplish is perhaps control my temper a little better then I do. Those who know me well know that while it does take a lot to set me off once I go off its like a volcano it just keeps going till either something takes my mind off it or I just get cheered up someway or somehow. Lets all hope our year is a fun and successful one as usual thanks for reading hope to have more and better things down the road as the year goes on.




Till next time remember in life you can follow the blazed trail or blaze your own the choice is yours.

Rifle Season 2010 :D

Well its less then a week away here in PA I'm more excited then ever. I am hoping for a good season and hopefully end up with some back straps in the freezer, when all is said and done. Spending the week getting my gear together and in order. Checking that my trusty rifle is in good working condition and ready to rock and roll. To all the blood brothers (as Uncle Ted would say) best of luck if your hitting the woods this coming Monday. Also have a happy and safe Thanksgiving enjoy the day with your family as for me I have to work :( so my day is going to suck. But, thats a discussion for another day and another time.




Till next time remember in life you can follow the blazed trail or blaze your own the choice is yours.

Project Pathfiner

For those who read here regularly will notice I am an avid fan of Dave Canterbury and his Pathfinder School. I been doing some thinking about it, I am going to start putting the skills I been learning to use cause applying them makes you learn them more. The big problem I have to over come is finding a personal space where I can go practice and maybe to test shelters by staying a night or two and it not be a problem. Currently working on that and seeing what I can work out. Maybe after a few months of getting into this I may sign up for one of the Pathfinder Home courses. I'm hoping to make the best of this see what I learn and get from it, and maybe in the end it will also make me a better more confident teacher when I teach my Troop Wilderness Survival. The best way to test what you have learned is to teach it to someone else. Any and all progress of course will find a home here on my blog and who knows maybe even You Tube one day time will tell. Well wish me luck and see how this goes.



Until next time remember in life you can follow the blazed trail or blaze your own the choice is yours.

Veterans Day

Just a short quick post, Please take time out of your day today and give a thought and a prayer to all the men and women who serve this great country. Put all the political crap aside and drama that goes on everyday, these men and women are willing to lay down there lives and pay the ultimate sacrifice for you to enjoy this great country we live in. Amen and god speed to all of you serving currently in Turkmenistan and Iraq.



Remember in life don't just follow the trail in front of you but do not be afraid to blaze your own.

Survival Skills and Youth

Well its a been a while but here we go, A few weeks ago my troop went on a wilderness survival weekend where I taught them the wilderness survival merit badge. The kids built a neat little lean too with some logs and tarps and some para cord. The requirement states that they have to stay in it one night but they enjoyed it so much the next morning they worked on it some more and stayed in it another night. Witch I thought was pretty cool we all figured after one night they would want to go back to there tent cause they would feel safer and more comfortable in there. Spent that day going over and practicing various skills and hypothetical situations that could arise. I hope everyone took away something from that weekend and retains it cause whether they realize it or not they can and probably will use those skills some point in life again.

Now I tell everyone that cause I think in the age of the video game ( and no im not poking fun cause heck i play the occasional video game myself lol) but kids today I think would benefit a lot from being taught some wilderness skills and how to sustain oneself in a wilderness situation. It gives them huge boosts in confidence to see what they can do when they open up their minds and just think about things other then how to get to level 7 on some game. When you build your own shelter build a fire after cutting and gathering your own wood all that work to make yourself comfortable. You end up appreciating things you have more, cause you realize how hard life can be. In our culture we see guys like Les Stroud, Dave Canturbury, and Cody Lundin and call them survival experts, but they would be the first to tell you they are not experts they are students but not experts. When they film a show in a certain remote area they spend a few days with the natives and learn what they do everyday. For the natives its not survival its just living cause fro them there isn't a Wal-Mart down the street. Even its for a weekend or a week or so seeing how a primitive person lives without modern convinces is never a bad thing you will end up coming away appreciating what you have more then you did before.

As usual thanks for reading, and whatever you do make sure in life you blaze your own path and never follow someone elses path only you need to know where your trial is going to head.

Hey all sorry for the long absence

Hey,
To any of my regular readers out there I know I haven't posted in awhile, life got a bit hectic for awhile. In late April I had a small car accident heading home for an emergency nothing to bad walked away with no injuries but managed to total my truck and take out 12 feet of guard rail. That being said I am now a proud owner and the newest member of the Jeep community =). I been out playing with that and trying to get back to normal yet. I took a few short hikes this summer nothing too drastic just some short ones to get my better half used to hiking and introduce her to the sport. Other then that its been to dang hot to do anything outside right now but atleast in the last few days we got some needed rain.

In the scouting front the boys have been working on Wilderness Survival skills the last few months and this weekend we will see how well they learned and what they remembered. If it goes well they should all end up earning the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. Hope it ends up being a nice weekend seems like it supposed to be but we all know how well the weather men are these days they call for rain you get a sunny day and vice versa. Well I'll be sure to hopefully post an update sooner then later thanks again for reading and as always.


In a world that keeps on changing, Its nice to know some never have to.