!!!LOW GROWLING!!!

Fragments from a Wilderness Survival Guide

A true story of wilderness survival
It fell to the East.  It fell into the water.  It walked backwards and
then crawled like a spider, on it's back.  Death was there, great
wings unfurled and they were dancing.  You put one foot in back of the
other and paint your face with pollen.  Then the rain comes and the
sky splits open.  How fast can they run?  Do they hear the screams of
the flowers they are trampling?

Edible plants: Sweet Clover, Plantain, Lamb's Quarter, Fiddlehead
Fern, Miner's Lettuce, Burdock, Bear Grass, Cattail, Dandelion, Fire
Weed, Stinging Nettle, Swamp Hedge Nettle, Wild Bergamont, Wild
Ginger, Wild Licorice, Wild Mint, Wild Rose

Tools:
A sharp knife is a tool.  A small axe is a tool.  Strong cord is a
tool.  A tarp is a tool.  Flares are a tool.  A compass is a tool.
Matches are a tool.  A flashlight is a tool.  A camping stove is a
tool.  A shovel is a tool.  A sleeping bag is a tool.  A towel is a
tool.  A water purifier is a tool.  A tent is a tool.  A gun is a
tool.

These crude tools we have created are nothing compared to the silent
shadows that creep across our dreams.  Pads fall gently, no snap of
brach, claws and teeth following us at each turn.

If you replace your jawbone with the jawbone of a wolf, you will never
go without meat.  If you replace your arms with legs, you will have
more speed and agility.  If you sprout a mighty rack of antlers from
your forehead, you will always have a defense.  If you replace your
arms and feet with wings and talons, you will ride with Death.

Sharpen your senses, razor sharp.  SMELL, TASTE, HEAR, TOUCH and SEE.
Let the wide, wild world SMELL, TASTE, HEAR, TOUCH and SEE you.

Dance like lightning!

Edible fruits: Common Goosebury, Oregon Grape, Salmonberry,
Thimbleberry, Blackcap, Wild Strawberry, Salal, Oso berry, Crab-apple,
Blue Huckleberry, Red Huckleberry, Rose Hips, Blue Elderberry, Red
Elderberry, Cranberry, Serviceberry

Shelter:
        So, you went for a hike in the back country, got yourself lost and
came unprepared.  (Always be prepared!)  The sky is darkening with
heavy storm clouds, the temperature has dropped suddenly and the smell
on the air is telling your nose snow.  At this point in a wilderness
survival situation, finding shelter should be your first priority.  Do
not panic, with a little bit of know how, you can find yourself a safe
and warm space, to protect you from the elements.
        Gather as much cedar or pine sap as you can carry.  If needed, you
can use your shoes to transport an appropriate amount of sap.  Look up
at the trees, which direction do they blow in the wind?  Walk in the
same direction until you stumble upon an abandoned or lightly occupied
cave or den.
        If you followed the winds instructions correctly, this particular
cave or den should contain a large amount of hair/fur, left behind by
it's previous or current occupants.  Gather a large store of this
hair/fur, remove and discard your clothing and any other artifacts you
may have brought with you from the civilized world.  Cover your body
with the hair/fur, avoiding your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, anus and
genitals.  Now, cover your body with the hair/fur, paying special
attention to the center of your forehead, just above the junction of
your eyebrows.
        Lie down on the floor of the cave or den, finding a very comfortable
position to lie in.  Close your eyes and dream yourself wild, dream of
fire and lust and hunger and blood.  Sleep for 10,000 years and when
you wake, this world will no longer exist and you will be pure
stardust and no longer need to hide yourself from anything.

You will be lightning!

Edible Mushrooms:  Black Morel, Blue Chantrelle, King Bolete, Larch
Bolete, Shaggy Mane, Lion's Mane, Chicken of the Woods, Common
Puffball, Scaly Hedgehog, Yellow-gilled Rusula, Jelly Ear, Ink Cap,
Hexagonal Pored Polypore, Bear's Head Tooth, Golden Chantrelle,
Liberty Cap, Stuntz's Blue Legs

Fire:
Fire is the oldest child of our closest star.  To dream of fire is to
cleanse yourself.  To dream of fire is to hungrily kiss Prometheus on
the mouth, with tongue.  It is to offer your own liver to the eagle,
so that Prometheus may rest.  Make your burden my own.  Fire is made
of friction, impact, combustion, oxygen and light.  Fire leaves behind
ash and cinder, little else.  When you are lost in the deepest,
darkest forest, fire will hold you close.

Building a fire:  For this method, you will need wood (fuel), char
cloth and a piece of flint and a piece of steel.  Flax fiber and cedar
bark are very helpful.  A knife and a small axe are useful.  Always be
prepared.

1) Lay three large pieces of dry wood down, one next to the other.
Atop of these, build a triangular cradle by laying a long but thin
piece of wood (14" is a good lenght) across the bottom of the three
larger pieces of wood.  Take a similar sized piece of wood and lay it
down so that one of it's ends crossed one end of the first piece,
forming a V.  Take a third piece of similar sized wood and lay it
across the open end of each of the other two pieces of wood, closing
the V and forming a triangle. Continuing stacking pieces of wood in
this pattern, until your triangular cradle is as tall as your upper
shins.  Make sure that the corners of your cradle are tight, fire
loves sharp corners.
2) Gather enough dry material to fill your cradle about 3/4 of the way
full.  You can use any material that sings to you of wanting to be
burned.  Cedar bark, grasses, pine cones, leaves, wood shavings, pine
needles and flax fiber are all good options.
3) Take thin, long strips of cedar bark and loosen their fibers up
with your own two hands.  Do this by bending the bark in every
direction it will bend, being careful not to break it.  This opens the
bark up, making more room for the fire to take hold.  From these
strips of bark, build a bird's nest big enough to house a small bird
and three to four of it's young.  One easy way to start your nest is
to wrap a long strip of the cedar bark around your palm.  Then weave
the end of the bark strip in the wrapping and remove it all from your
palm.
4) Fill the nest with some sort of fluffy, dry material.  The fibers
from dried flax are optimal but you can also use plant fluff
(dandelion or milkweed), fur, hair or fine wood shavings.  It is
important that you make your nest cozy.  This will be the first home
of your flame and you want your flame to feel comfortable.
5) Set your finished nest into your lap and gather your tools about
you; flint, steel, char cloth. Choose a sharp striking edge on your
flint and lay down your char cloth close to this edge but not quite on
it.  Take your flint in your less dominant hand, keeping the char
cloth in place with your thumb.  With your dominant hand, take hold of
your piece of steel and strike it downward across the chosen edge of
your fling.  This should produce a good amount of strong sparks.  Your
goal is to catch one of these sparks on the char cloth.  When you do
catch a spark, begin to give it your breath.  This is the moment of
birth and as with all newly born life, this is when your flam is at
it's most vulnerable.
6) Transfer your burning char clot into it's nest, continuing to give
it your breath.  As the nest begins to smoke, you can wrap it upon
itself, bring it to your face and increase the intensity of your
blowing.  This should give you flame.
7) Lay your flaming nest into it's cradle.  Drop kindling and other
small pieces of fuel in the cradle.  You are feeding your fire for the
first time and may also want to sing it a song of welcoming; your own
true and beautiful song to introduce your fire to the world.  Once
your fire is well fed, you should lay pieces of wood across the top of
your cradle, making sure to leave space for your fire to breathe.
8) As you notice your fire growing hungry, feed it more wood.  Don't
feed it too much, it is important that you keep your fire somewhat
hungry.  If you overfeed it, it will no longer want to eat and it is
it's eating that will save you.  If your fire looks tired, give it
your breath.  You cannot give it too much of your breath.  In return,
let your fire give you warmth and sight.

If you should find yourself unprepared, without tools, pray for a
might storm and follow the lightning.

Wild Game (you should always use every part of each  animal you kill
and never eat the meat of a predator, except in the most dire
wilderness survival situation.):  Insects, Salmon, Halibut, Smelt,
Clams, Oysters, Mussels, Geoducks, Wild Turkey, Duck, Coot, Snipe,
Goose, Dove, Grouse, Quail, Mouse, Squirrel, Opossum, Cottontail Hare,
Snowshoe Hair,  Twister, Raccoon, Black Tailed Deer, Elk, Mountain
Goat, moose, Fox, Coyote, Cougar, Bear (never eat a white bear), Wolf

Make sure to sing to and thank any animal that you kill.  Make good
use of the life that their death has provided you.  Always with
respect.

If you find yourself lost, without food, find a tall old tree.  Place
your hands on the tree, tell the tree your intentions and if it it
approves, seat yourself in the lotus position at the tree's base.
Fold your hands in your lap, close your eyes and breathe.  If you sit
like this long enough, your hair will grow long and you will smell
like the Earth.  Plants, mosses, lichens, mice and insects will make a
home of you.  This will attract deer, squirrels, raccoons, birds and
snakes.  In turn, these will attract other, still larger animals;
birds of prey, cougars, bears, coyotes and wolves.  Finally, you will
find yourself surrounded by those wise scavengers of the forest, crow
and raven.  At any point in this cycle that a plant or animal comes
along that is suitable for your hunger, insert yourself with authority
into the food chain.

Another true story of wilderness survival
The ghosts are following this old, worn path, where heavy feet once
beat holes into the ground.  How long they can sleep!  The moon is
pulling us closer, as if to crush us.  Such want, such need.  It
seemed like forever that they had been sleeping and then they were
not.  Their bedding was rumpled but there was only time enough to
wake.

Herbs (to always carry with you): Mugwort, Betony, Lamb's Cress,
Plantain, Chamomile, Nettle, Crab-apple, Thyme, Fennel....Catnip,
Rhodiola, Verbena, Wormwood, Willow, Mandrake, Jasmin.
(These will help you see into the night.  However, use caution the
night may be look back into you!)

Disclaimer:  If you should find yourself in a wilderness survival
situation, that you will most likely not survive, know that it is
right that you should die.  Birth and Death are natural and
unavoidable.  Without both, life would not carry on.  Your body will
feed more life, which will feed more life.

Die like lightning!