Considering it's darned cold outside, I have been sorting through some of my clutter.
Back when I was younger and more able, I wandered the back country quite a bit. I would disappear for anywhere from two days, to two weeks at a time on solo trips. I've always preferred being alone in the mountains, although it is a dumb thing to do. I never told anyone where I was going, as I didn't really know where I was going, myself. I was learning my "back yard".
I travelled minimal, depending on what I could forage. I did find myself in cold, wet, miserable starving times once or twice. The worst of those times was one February in the Mission Mountain Wilderness. You sure learn how to build a fire. That was the last mid-winter trek I did, could have died darned easy.
There was very little water in some areas I would go, and more than once I was eating what mushrooms I could find, and
drank from elk and moose tracks more times than I can remember. Where ever I could get water or moisture, I took advantage of it. The mushrooms have good water content, especially the shaggy manes, but around zero percent actual nourishment. More filler, than substance.
I ate more pine squirrels than I care to think about, as they are aptly named, and taste like pine cones. Chipmunks, grouse, fish, crawdads, porcupine, gophers, anything I could catch or snare, was food. Cattails were easily foraged, along with berries and other plants. I snacked on various grubs at times. I'd find enough food to keep me going, but I usually lost some pounds by the time I would come back out of the mountains.
I found this item I had put together probably 35-40 years ago, when I spent more time wandering the mountains. It consists of a piece of copper tubing, with wood plugs in the ends. Around it is wrapped a thin buckskin thong, for spring pole snaring small animals up to rabbit size, and fish line. I found this fine for catching brook trout and other small fish, but wouldn't do so well on larger fish. If you weren't using a very springy sapling for a pole, they would break it every time. Even with a springy pole, you would find yourself chasing them up the creek to get them out of the water. Brookies were just so much easier to catch. The smaller hook was much more useful, although I would like to put a larger gore hook on modern equipment for pike sometime.
Inside, is sinew for repairs, a glover's needle, two bone gore hooks for fishing, and a bone needle awl. The needle awl is found on a deer front leg. It is located on the rear of the leg, just above the lower joint. Most people don't know this little bone exists, as the lower leg is very seldom skinned out. It's just something a casual butcher job would never show you when you are cutting up a deer. I found them by accident while getting sinew to back a bow with. All it needs is the eye put in, and you are ready to sew with thong.
Back when I was younger and more able, I wandered the back country quite a bit. I would disappear for anywhere from two days, to two weeks at a time on solo trips. I've always preferred being alone in the mountains, although it is a dumb thing to do. I never told anyone where I was going, as I didn't really know where I was going, myself. I was learning my "back yard".
I travelled minimal, depending on what I could forage. I did find myself in cold, wet, miserable starving times once or twice. The worst of those times was one February in the Mission Mountain Wilderness. You sure learn how to build a fire. That was the last mid-winter trek I did, could have died darned easy.
There was very little water in some areas I would go, and more than once I was eating what mushrooms I could find, and
drank from elk and moose tracks more times than I can remember. Where ever I could get water or moisture, I took advantage of it. The mushrooms have good water content, especially the shaggy manes, but around zero percent actual nourishment. More filler, than substance.
I ate more pine squirrels than I care to think about, as they are aptly named, and taste like pine cones. Chipmunks, grouse, fish, crawdads, porcupine, gophers, anything I could catch or snare, was food. Cattails were easily foraged, along with berries and other plants. I snacked on various grubs at times. I'd find enough food to keep me going, but I usually lost some pounds by the time I would come back out of the mountains.
I found this item I had put together probably 35-40 years ago, when I spent more time wandering the mountains. It consists of a piece of copper tubing, with wood plugs in the ends. Around it is wrapped a thin buckskin thong, for spring pole snaring small animals up to rabbit size, and fish line. I found this fine for catching brook trout and other small fish, but wouldn't do so well on larger fish. If you weren't using a very springy sapling for a pole, they would break it every time. Even with a springy pole, you would find yourself chasing them up the creek to get them out of the water. Brookies were just so much easier to catch. The smaller hook was much more useful, although I would like to put a larger gore hook on modern equipment for pike sometime.
Inside, is sinew for repairs, a glover's needle, two bone gore hooks for fishing, and a bone needle awl. The needle awl is found on a deer front leg. It is located on the rear of the leg, just above the lower joint. Most people don't know this little bone exists, as the lower leg is very seldom skinned out. It's just something a casual butcher job would never show you when you are cutting up a deer. I found them by accident while getting sinew to back a bow with. All it needs is the eye put in, and you are ready to sew with thong.
