At Home In the Wilderness

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THE LEAF HUT

There are many types of man-made emergency shelters, but I believe that the leaf (or debris) but offers the longest-lasting and best-insulated protection of any, and is certainly one of the easiest survival homes to construct. I first learned about leaf shelters just after my eleventh birthday, when Stalking Wolf — my grandfather and Indian mentor took me out in the forest for my initial survival experience.

I was young and slightly anxious as to how we were going to weather the cold night ahead, so after a long day in the woods, I finally inquired, "Grandfather, where are we going to sleep?" He replied, "Go and ask the squirrels." And ask I did. I watched the small animals stuff their homes with grass and other debris until they'd created bulky, well-insulated nests.

After an hour of intent observation, I went to work myself. I made a huge pile of material that included pine needles, grasses, dried ferns, tree bark, and soft brush. Finishing just after nightfall, I crawled into the heap and slept warm and snug ...despite the night's drizzle and barely—above-freezing temperature. My brush pile did have some disadvantages, though. I couldn't move around very much without destroying part of the shelter, and the nest had no dry work area. So, after watching my wild teachers again, absorbing more lessons from my grandfather, and experimenting with various shelter designs, I created a simple leaf but that eliminated both of my first effort's shortcomings.

Basically, the debris structure is nothing more than a huge domed pile of leaves, with the foliage supported by a frame that completely surrounds the work and sleeping area. In a way, the leaf but functions like a sleeping bag, but the shelter is stuffed with leaves instead of down or synthetic fibers. What's more, unlike a bedroll, the but is waterproof and will keep a survivalist dry in almost any downpour: The dome shape forces the rain to run off the structure's sides, and the leaf walls actually wick ground moisture up and away from the nest's interior.

HOW TO DO IT

To build a leaf hut, first select a proper site and find some object—such as a stump, rising ground, the fork of a tree, a log, or a large rock—that can support a sturdy ridgepole. (If necessary, you can build a wooden tripod as a prop.) Then place one end of the ridgepole on the support and rest the other end on the ground. Next, gather sticks and lay them against the sides of this triangle ...so that the branches lean, at a 45° angle, against the ridgepole. Leave a gap in the eastern side of the framework—toward the hut's high end—for your doorway.

Now, collect brush and add that to the structure's skeleton until the entire frame is covered by a huge wooden web thick enough to prevent leaves and other debris from falling through. At this point, your domicile should look like a small, half-erect pup tent.

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