Gal-Gone-Camping

Hello Friends!

As I said in my last post, I’ve been on the road a lot lately–which is good cause I have more info to share with y’all, but have gotten a little behind on blogging, so am now playing catch up–and not the kind that goes on fries either! (Yes, I’m here all week folks! LOL).  This post is a follow up to the last one on survival skills.

Winter Adventure Weekend at Carter Caves State Resort Park

I mention on the About page that I grew up in rural eastern KY, so I learned a lot about outdoor safety and survival skills just growing up there.  However, I attended my first survival skills workshop a few years ago and then another one in 2018, both of which were held in my home state of Kentucky at Carter Caves State Resort Park during their Winter Adventure Weekend, an annual event held the last weekend in January. http://www.winteradventureweekend.com

The WAW is a fantastic event that includes so many activities you cannot do them all in one weekend–such as ziplining, rappelling, rock climbing, hiking, campfire cooking, of course the cave tours and so much more–including survival skill workshops like fire building, land navigation, shelter building, etc., all held within this beautiful state park

known for its extensive cave system.  I encourage you to attend the WAW.  There is something for everyone and you will

have a great time!  However, the lodge and cabins stay booked during that time with repeat adventurers, so you can put your name on the waiting list in case there are some cancellations or you can do a little winter time camping in the campground.

I have done both and both were great!

 You Will Learn A Lot of Skills!

I learned about the many different ways to start a fire–from the primitive bow method to flint, to using the sun with reflective glass, and more.  We even learned how to make our own char to use as fire starter material.

Building an emergency shelter in different surroundings with a variety of material was super cool!  It took me back to the things I did as a kid. There’s so many methods for building a shelter, but it really depends on your location, weather, available material and other factors such as wind and sun direction.

Learning how to use items for unintended purposes is very important.  This may take some getting used to for some people, but if you are a creative person it will come more easily.  For example, if you don’t have a knife, you can use a can lid as a cutting device.

 

 

 

 

Make sure you always carry some kind of rope in your pack or even better, wear a paracord bracelet on your wrist.  The parachute cord, used in the military, is a lightweight nylon cord.

Made from several strands with an inner core of smaller, thinner strands, they are woven together into a bracelet, making it easy to carry a significant amount of cordage on your body, thereby freeing up space in your pack.

Use paracord strands for anything that needs to be tied together.  Other uses include tourniquet, fishing line, lowering yourself down a ledge or hill, splint, etc. The list goes on and on.  Besides all that–they look super cool!       

                                                                                                           Water Purification  

Another topic in a survival skills class is water purification.  There are several types on the market, one of which was demonstrated here.  You can always boil water to purify it, but if you don’t have time to build a fire or do not have the means, a purifier comes in handy. You should carry one in your pack.  If water is coming from a higher elevation or streaming over rocks, I go ahead and drink it.  It is more likely to be contaminated if it is in a standing pool.  I’ve never gotten sick from drinking water from a stream, but this is a personal decision.

Reading the Land

Learning to read the land is another good thing to know. Depressions in the ground can indicate natural springs or where a structure once stood (important detail when treasure hunting–but that’s another post!)

Holes, depending on the size, may mean loose and eroding soil which may not be safe to walk around or it could be some critter’s home–where you are not welcome.

Gadget Nearly Gets Me Arrested!

During one of the demonstrations, I received a super cool gadget from one of the instructors–a folding knife that folds to the size of a credit card.  This credit card knife is the perfect size to fit in a wallet, so that’s where I put it and that’s where it remained.  I had forgotten all about it until I was abruptly reminded of it a year later–by a TSA agent at the San Diego International Airport!

As I was going through security, my purse was being checked, and then another agent in a different color shirt with lots of hardware stepped in.  “Is there anything in here that could cut me?” He asked.

Immediately, I remembered the credit card knife! I said “Oh, I forgot, I received a little box cutter tool at a survival workshop last year.  I put it my wallet and completely forgot about it.  I am so sorry!”  The apparent superior agent said “Oh, it’s more than a box cutter.”  I looked at my friend Mary, who had already went through security without incident. Her eyes were big as saucers! I told the agent again that I had attended a survival skills workshop and simply forgot to take the knife out of my wallet. He said “They called me over here because NOTHING gets past me!” I’m thinking Oh ____!  I’ve got Power Trip Pete here, I’m going to jail!

He then asked if I wanted to take it out of the airport or surrender it.  I said “I surrender!”  Words I never thought I’d say.  It killed me to hand my cool little MacGyver gadget over, but there was no one to give it to who could give it to me later and no time to find a post office to mail it back home–which could’ve also been viewed as a felony and gotten me in trouble with the U.S. Postal Service–they seem to be sticklers for this kind of activity too.

                              A Story To Add To My Collection!

So, they let me through security and I finally made it to the other side where Mary was waiting with raised eyebrows. “I’ve been held up before for having the wrong size shampoo, but you have a weapon!” She laughed. I laughed. We then hurried to to our gate as if we were running from the law or escaping prison.  Funny now, but at that moment, not so much.

I would love to show you a picture of the folding knife that nearly got me arrested, but it either ended up in a garbage can in San Diego or the hands of a serious TSA agent in a light blue shirt with lots of silver badges.

You can find those cool little devices on Amazon. They actually are called credit card knives. I definitely recommend you get one, but suggest you remember to leave it at home while flying unless you want to have an uncomfortable conversation with a serious TSA agent with lots of hardware.  I couldn’t help but think of 9-11 and wonder how terrorists got through security.

It’s pretty safe to say that I will NEVER live this one down, but it’s all good. This is just one more notch on my adventure belt!  Anyway–definitely take a survival skills workshop. It’s fun and you will learn a lot!

Until next time, remember…..DON’T WAIT TO LIVE!

See ya down the road!

Catrina