Basic Skills and Lost-Proofing

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You'll need four types of fuel: [1] light, airy tinder (such as shredded bark, or the down from dried milkweed, cattail, or thistle) . . . [2] kindling (ranging from twig- to pencil-size wood) . . . [3] squaw wood (anything up to wrist width) . . . and [4] large firewood.

Now you can proceed to build your fire. First, lay down a bed of tinder, and then—starting with your smallest kindling and gradually progressing to the larger squaw woodbuild a tipi-shaped structure. Be sure, though, to leave an opening through which you can reach the interior of the pile to light the kindling; make this entrance on the wind ward side, so that the prevailing breeze will fan the flames for you.

You'll find the details for building and using a bow drill—in my opinion, the best overall survival fire starter—in MOTHER N0. 73. (Of course, it's always a good idea to carry a cigarette lighter, or matches in a waterproof container, when you go into the woods.)

Finding Food: Because so many people, when faced with a survival situation, immediately become concerned with locating food, I feel compelled to repeat myself here: Turn your attention to filling your belly only after the more urgent needs of shelter, water, andparticularly in cold weather—fire have been taken care of. If you're in reasonably good health, you can get along for at least a week without really needing nourishment—and for much longer than that before you'll suffer anything more serious than nagging hunger and the attendant stomach cramps.

Once you have procured the more pressing necessities of survival, though, you can proceed to assuage your appetite.

Wild plants are the most abundant and easily obtained survival foods. Unfortunately, I don't have the room here to begin even a cursory discussion of wild-plant identification, but most regular MOTHER readers already have at least some knowledge of the various forageables in nature's pantry. You'll find more details on this subject in an earlier article in this series, "Part V: Edible Plants" (MOTHER N0. 75). Any good field guide can be an invaluable learning aid, and the best way of all to become familiar with forageables in your area is to take a course from a local wild-foods expert.

Animals are the second most abundant food source in nature . . . and in some parts of North America, during the winter months, they may be the most plentiful. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Keep in mind, however, that the taking of animals without complying with your state's hunting and trapping laws is strictly illegal except in true life-or-death situations.] Virtually all mammals are edible, so you needn't be as concerned with proper identification as you should be in the case of plants. On the other hand, be careful never to consume any creatures that show signs of sickness . . . and, if possible, cook all meat before eating it. Remember, too, that insects—grubs, grasshoppers, cicadas, katydids, and crickets, for example—can be excellent sources of protein.

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