This past week, friends and I went up to Monterey County to camp a couple of nights at a place called "The Indians'. It's a remarkable place with some of the most dramatic rock formations I have even seen. Not a far drive from where I live - about two hours - and the road in is mostly paved except for the last couple of miles. We got in and set about making camp and had an early dinner while it was still light out [I hate cooking in darkness!]. I made simple but filling fare - beans & spam:
Next morning we got up and started to explore the rock formations, hoping to find some petroglyphs or artifacts, evidence of the Salinan People who once lived here. Within a short time, my friend found a bedrock mortar with abundant grinding holes peppering it. It sat in the approximate center of what we perceived was probably a village center:
We spent several hours covering about 3.04 miles studying the terrain and the fantastic formations:
That afternoon, we walked down to the Arroyo Seco River and enjoyed the cool shade and icy cold water where I soaked my tired feet, lol;
We had a great dinner that evening and a very warm night - much warmer than the 34F degree previous evening:
The next morning, we headed out and I stopped off to explore a trail I'd seen. If you are interested in this area, message me and I will provide location and campground information:
When I was a teenager in High School, I became a Civil Air Patrol [CAP] Cadet. Basically, CAP is the Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. They work cooperatively with the USAF Rescue Coordination Center to perform Search and Rescue for downed aircraft in the United States. As such, I got to spend a lot of time on USAF bases, attending Cadet Encampments and learning about the Air Force as a possible career. After High School, I tested for the Air Force and sought to enter the Security Air Police field.
Unfortunately, as it turned out, I was partially color blind in some reds and green shades, and this disqualified me for that position. Consequently, I never entered the armed forces and chose college and another career field. But I have always held an interest in all things Air Force, especially survival training. The USAF trains aircrews and pilots on survival skills to sustain them in the event their aircraft crash lands.
On the darker side, they teach them how to cope with torture or prolonged interrogation should they fall into enemy hands and become a POW. The program is called "SERE", an acronym for Survive Evade Resist Escape. It is an arduous training course usually done in extreme environments and tests the limits of human endurance; to complete the training and graduate the program is considered a noteworthy achievement. The motto of the course is, "RETURN WITH HONOR", the point being that were the airmen captured, they resisted the enemy's efforts to elicit information and did not become a collaborator and betray our nation.
I greatly enjoy watching USAF SERE training videos and how the students use the training they received to sustain themselves through the challenges presented to them. By now you are probably asking, "Okay, but how does that title "Heaven. . .Return with honor". Well, several years ago I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I'd been raised in a traditional religion, but I didn't know the living Christ until some very good friends led me to know Him and to develop a personal relationship with Him.
I have since come to understand that as Christian Believers, we are "In, but not of, this world". . . that we ourselves are essentially "behind enemy lines" far from our home is in Heaven where we shall live with Christ for all eternity. But first we have to get there . . and to do this, we have to "run the race with endurance" as the Apostle Paul put it. We are living in an evil, sinful, fallen world where each day, the devil sets traps and snares in an attempt to separate us from Christ, and this means we have to practice the skills that will help us to survive, so that we can ultimately "Return with Honor".
To that end, I would suggest that Father God has given us the outline for survival through His Word, which is found in scripture. So a SERE acronym for the Christian believer might look something like this:
Seek ["Seek ye first the Kingdom of God", Matthew 6:33]
Evangelize ["Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature", Mark 16:15]
Resist ["Resist the devil, and he will flee from you", James 4:7]
Endure ["But he who endures to the end shall be saved", Matt 14:13]
I would also mention that, more and more, we see vicious attacks on the faith, which Jesus foretold ["Andyou will be hated by all for My name’s sake.But he who endures to the end will be saved.", Matt 10:22]. This is complicated by the extreme weather, civil unrest, political division, and wars we currently see happening here at home and around the world, again foretold by Christ in Matt. 24, in the Signs of the Times and the End of the Age. Many Pastors believe we are seeing the end times unfolding before our eyes. Again, as Believers, our job is to remain faithful, endure, and spread the gospel until we are called home.
Maintaining your fitness and skills goes hand-in-hand with survival. The Bible clearly states that a time will come when we have to flee and will have no forewarning and will have to flee with what we have with us ["Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.", Matt 24:20-22]. To this end, it is wise to have a few essentials with you or in your vehicle at all times, just in case we need to evacuate to safety.
There are plenty of trainers and good books with information on skills and tools to have with you, and I will not go into great detail. However, I will suggest a few books I have found useful:
"OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS" by Larry Dean Olsen is a CLASSIC. An instructor at BYU, Olsen is considered the Father of the Primitive Skills movement. His book is the Bible for those wanting to learn ancestral survival skills, those used by our ancestors - we're talking caveman skills. . . stone knives, natural cordage snares, hand crafted bows and arrows. It's an amazing tome! Currently available on AMAZON.
The USAF Survival Manual issued to personnel whose specialty requires survival training [pilots, aircrew, air commando's]. This is a HUGE nearly 600-page beast, chock full of info on skills, how to, gear, weather, building shelters and much more. Currently available on AMAZON.
"THE END TIMES CHRISTIAN" by Dr. Jason Hunt, PhD. Dr. Hunt is a nationally renowned survival instructor and founder of CAMPCRAFT OUTDOORS who is also a Pastor with degrees in Theology and related Biblical subjects. In this book, Dr. Hunt leads the reader to understand God's scriptural plan for survival for Christian Believers found in the Bible. He also describes and trains the reader on the various tools that are essential to survival. I believe this book is out of print, but might be found on the secondary market. As well, Dr. Hunt has a newer publication, THE GOSPEL OF SURVIVAL, and tht book is currently available on AMAZON PRIME.
In conclusion, I wish to state that in spite of the tough times we see around us and the uncertainty looming on the horizon, we are commanded "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” [Deut. 3:16]. We are commanded, "Be not afraid". . .read the Bible, be strong in your faith, support one another, and maintain fitness and skills to the best of your ability. And always remember our Lord's words and promise. . . "And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Stay "SAFE" [Survive - Adapt - Fight - Endure] and God Bless!
Well, I just realized I have not been on this page for quite a while and was shocked to see that it has fully been 2 YEARS since I was here last. So, just going to do a little update. . .
I have been active and busy, albeit, not here though. My main means of communication are FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE, in that order, and I will place links below.
On Facebook I am regularly posting information and photos and I would refer you there first. . .
Now, if you do not use Facebook, you can still access my videos on Youtube. I am not as active there, shooting vids only infrequently [and I do share my Youtube vids on MY Facebook page] and my channel is found here:
A few days ago, I was looking at the ONPOINT TACTICAL Facebook page, and came across an article written by Kevin Reeve on a primitive man-trap called an "Apache Limp Wire Trap". Basically it's a trip wire triggered drop-trap deigned to injure or dissuade a person or person(s) tracking/pursuing you. The Apache people had long experience at this, having been hunted by the Spanish, then Mexican, and finally American armies over the century's.
I myself, have no need to whack anyone on the noggin with a trap, but it did occur to me that this might be a great trap for a camp intruder alarm. I reasoned a tin can full of rocks might make a great noisemaker when it hit the ground, and give some warning or a person or animal entering camp.
I downloaded reeve's article and took it out to the park where I practice skills. I had some paracord and some old carving practice try sticks to use for trap trigger pieces. Reeve had used a piece of branch and staked it into the ground inverted so the croth acted to hold one side of the trap trigger. For mine, I used a "7 Notch", as it's what I had available [I like his better]. Following is a video I shot of the trap in use and function:
I had a "small mishap" while setting the trap. The bean can full of rocks fell, glancing off the right side of my back . I am glad it was not a head strike, as it would have surely rung my bell a good one [or worse], as it sped toward the ground. In case you are interested in trying this trap, here is the link for the article:"Apache Booby Traps"
Tinder tube, sometimes called a Fire Wick, have been used for centuries. They were used in Colonial times, and are a useful tool for getting a fire started. Basically they are a tube, usually copper such as plumbing pipe, maybe 4" in length, with a length of hemp or cotton rope strung through it. One end of the rope is charred and thus will catch a spark and ignite a hot ember or can be blown into flame to help start a camp or cook fire. When done, you pull the cordage back into the tube and it smothers if for the next use.
There are lots of "How-To" videos on making and using these, as well as materials that folks use and recommend. There are also some very nice commercial models, some of which use a ferocerium rod that is incorporates into the tube body's construction.
In this video, I show how I make mine and how I use it.
I have spiked the wick with Mineral [Baby] Oil to produce a hot flame. The tube portion is constructed from harvested Blue Elderberry branch. Unlike metal, the wood does not retain or transfer heat.It;s a fun project I think you will enjoy!
I'm still here! Been working full-time throughout the Pandemic, but mostly been busy over on my YOUTUBE channel and FACEBOOK pages. Thought perhaps I should circle back here and at least add something now and again and keep the blog alive. Of course, this page being dedicated to blades, bushcraft, and woods-running, I am always interested in budget knives.
I suspect that a lot of folks who aren't interested in high-end knives or simply don't care tend toward these values-priced offerings. Or, they may simply need *something* to accomplish a task and choose the first thing they see at their favorite discount store. Either way, I find it enjoyable and interesting to push these knives and see how they perform against the higher priced cousins.
A few days ago I was perusing the knife counter at BIG 5 [my favorite discount store] and spied this ELK RIDGE ER-510, which they bill as a "Combat Tactical" knife.
I cannot make my mind up - is the pattern a Bolo or a Kukri? My vote goes to a Bolo. . . although I have seen it referred to as a Kukri, so we'll go with that, lol!
The ER-510 was tagged as regularly priced $32.99, but I picked it up with a BIG 5 coupon for just $9.99 + tax. . .a HUGE savings. And frankly, a much more realistic price for the money. Of course, I won't buy a knife I won't use, so I decided to get outside and put it through some carving tasks. But first, let's look at the knife's nomenclature in this video I shot.
So, I wandered off the home range and slipped into my favorite woods hidey-hole to test out this Bolo. . .er. . .Kukri. Using the ER-510, I harvested some Arroyo Willow to use for a Try Stick. It chopped with an astoundingly clean cut for a factory edge and completely surprised me. I can say with confidence, the ER-510 is an incredible chopping too. In this next video, I display some carving it performed.
I am quite sure this is the largest knife I have ever used to do fine carving tasks, and it was an interesting process. I had considered Alan Kay's use of a Kukri in the first season of the History channel series, "A L O N E", and how he had expertly used that big CONDOR Kukri to do all of his camp tasks. After an hour I found it had made my hands very tired and achy, but it was great fun to work with.
The ER-510 blade has many surfaces to use: A fine point for drilling and detail work, a broad belly for troughing, a narrow waist for spoke-shave type cuts or choking up to perform push cuts. As well the blade can be turned sideways to hammer something, such as a tent stake into the ground. As seen in the video, I managed to carve a nice Try Stick. I had a feeling Mors Kochanski might be looking down, grinning and shaking his head with amusement.
In conclusion, here are some thoughts and opinions I reached about the ER-510:
The ER-510 large Kukri knife would not be my personal first choice for a general-use bushcraft knife. It is however, an excellent chopping tool for felling saplings or harvesting other material for camp projects. I do think it would be an acceptable substitute to an axe in environments other than hardwoods, and could be carried on a pack.
The Patron Saint of bushcrafters, Nessmuk, had suggested over a century ago that the proper woods trio was an axe, a sheath knife, and a pocket folder. I believe the Kukri could fill in the axe portion of that trio, and back up a good MORA Companion and perhaps a good pocket folder for the even smaller tasks.
So in the stepped woods tool arrangement, ER-510 Kukri would do the heavy lifting. I will also say I do think it good to practice and develop skills with all sizes and patterns of knives should need arise, such as losing your primary bushcraft knife and having no option but to use the kukri for smaller jobs.
BTW - if you are interested in reading Nessmuk's woods tips and advice, you can find it for free on the Project Gutenberg at Woodcraft & Camping by Nessmuk.
Anyhow, that's enough for today. Thanks for stopping by stay happy & healthy, and get outdoors!
Just a quick review of the RANDALLS ADVENTURE/ESEE KNIVES "Zancudo" pocket knife.
This is a very light pocket knife [about 3.3 oz] with 3" Drop-point blade, 4" closed, and O/A length of 7". They are available in both AUS-8 and D2 steel and a variety of handle scale color options.is a manually-opened [thumb stud] liner lock knife. The pocket clip can be reversed for tip-up or tip-down carry, but is only set up for right hand carry. The pocket clip side is bare steel, opposite side has a colored G-10 scale:
The spine measures 3/32" thick, and the edge is very fine. It is razor sharp and only the second knife I have that came "hair popping sharp [COLD STEEL Voyager being the other]. I personally regard this as a cutting tool only and I would be very concerned about chipping the edge were I to try to say, pry or pop chips from a Try Stick or similar wood carving project. I think it would be fine in camp for cutting-only tasks.
Better still, I see this as an excellent choice for an urban EDC carry pocket folder. The 3" blade [2.75" actual cutting edge] makes it lawful for carry in many jurisdictions, 3" seeming to be a standard for maximum permitted blade length [of course check your own state/local ordinances before carry].
