My markers are so small and unobtrusive that they are not offensive to the view of hikers, and my subliminal trail is fairly permanent because winter snow and winds do not disturb the rocks. I marked some of those areas through timber and criss-crossing elk trails more than thirty years ago. Each summer, I guide groups through these same courses to come out at an exact location two or three miles away. The hikers often wonder how I manage to come out precisely on course, but those small rock markers still catch my trained eye. I immediately detect that small, out-of-place stone that is missed by everyone else.
I have witnessed bow hunters and others going into remote timbered areas marking their trail with bright, orange-colored plastic ribbon tied to trees or bushes every few yards. But they do not retrieve those ribbons as they return. I have seen others, one a nationally-known person, use a spraycan of bright paint to mark a trail to follow back. Those ribbons and paint are still there years later, an eyesore for anyone who might venture that way or be taking photos. If you insist on using ribbons to mark a temporary trail, and circumstances are such that you might not return by that route (if you are on a search and rescue mission, for example), use bright-colored crepe paper. It is biodegradable and soon dissipates in the sun, rain and snow.
Other methods of trail marking can also be used on the spur of the moment that leave no aesthetic imposition. Let’s assume it is hunting season and you have killed a deer or elk on a timbered mountain. The sun is down by the time you get it dressed out and propped open to cool. You have no way to get it packed out so late in the day, and it looks like a snowstorm is moving in. You quickly move down the mountain in an effort to get close to camp before dark.
If it snows a foot during the night it will cover all tracks and the area will look completely different the next day. I have known hunters to take an animal under these same circumstances, then spend several days in an unsuccessful search for their kill beneath the snow. But such a loss can be prevented by using a simple marking system.
As you walk along, snap off some evergreen boughs or other brushy limbs and hang them upside-down on protruding limbs or snags in a sight line. Because upside-down branches are not natural, your eye automatically focuses on them, allowing you to follow your route back to the dressed carcass the next day. Even if the snow is exceptionally heavy, it usually falls off the outer branches after an hour or two and the next morning your markers will be visible. There is no end to the kinds of markers you can devise, since they can vary a great deal from terrain to terrain.
Speaking of being lost, I would like to suggest a few things that might be of help if you find yourself in that situation.
To begin with, if the sun is going down, a storm moving in or any other circumstances arise that prevent you from getting back to camp—admit you are lost. Then, look around to see what is available for emergency shelter. By staying occupied with a project, you can prevent a panic attack and stay in control. It has been estimated that a person uses seven times more energy when excited than when calm.
When you are preparing your emergency shelter, pace yourself so as not to perspire. If your underclothes become damp from perspiration your body will cool down considerably, and may not be able to regenerate the lost heat, causing hyperthermia. One of the basic survival rules is: “to stay dry is to stay warm.”
Another warning—don’t continue to travel (unless, of course, to stay where you are puts you in additional danger). Stay put and if you left word with a responsible person as to where you were going, when you would return and your route, they will know approximately where to begin searching when you don’t show up.
If you must move your location, you can mark your trail with some of the above methods to make it easier for anyone attempting to rescue you by tracking. Teach youngsters to occasionally scratch their initials and direction of travel in the dirt on open spots along the route, or to leave rows of pebbles and other signs if they become lost. Children should also learn to construct simple emergency shelters and be taught to find shelter. That way, if they become lost they will devote some of their time and energy to building a shelter. Once built, they will be more inclined to feel some attachment to their shelter and new surroundings, and stay put instead of wandering. Also teach children to stay in one place if they are disoriented. On more than one occasion our rescue teams would find the spot where a child spent the night then left at daylight, so our search would start all over again.
But enough about survival techniques.
You can gain a lot of personal satisfaction and confidence from being able to read wildlife tracks like a book, or better yet, if you have occasion to use your tracking skills to save a life. Practice sessions will sharpen your awareness to the enjoyment of the outdoors, as well as obtaining some fresh air and exercise. As you learn to read the animal tracks, you also learn more about the life and habits of your wild neighbors. Give it a try and have fun!
Richard Jamison
The Primal Gourmet
I have cooked everything from small ground squirrels to a hind quarter of beef in a pit with good success. And there is nothing quite like coming back to camp, exhausted after a day-long hike, uncovering the pit and enjoying a tender, succulent hot meal without having to go through all the preliminary hassles. Multiply your delight ten-fold if a rain shower has dampened your spirits and your firewood.
I don’t mean to brag, but I am a better outdoor cook than Linda is. Not that she objects to this encroachment on her territory—it’s a nice trade off, actually. She gathers the firewood and has more time to explore while I cook. But it surprises me a little since I had no maternal training in the kitchen. Maybe it came about because of the trips I conducted where food was scarce and it was important to make the best of each precious mouthful. Maybe it is a matter of routine, learning to regulate heat and experiment with various techniques of cooking the same food over and over. Or, perhaps, it’s simply because I have a personal relationship with fire through countless years of making it a valuable tool and companion.
In ancient times, though, the women probably cooked while the men hunted. This was a boon to the females—what woman in her right mind would prefer to face a prehistoric bison with only a sharpened stick? Hmmm, was this a conspiracy?
No one really knows how or when early humans started cooking their food. Maybe scavenged animals killed in sweeping fires tasted better, and was more tender “scorched” than raw. Or a piece of meat may have accidentally fallen into the fire as early people gathered around the hearth for warmth.
Regardless of how or when it was discovered, cooking caught on and spread to include a number of ingenious methods of preparing food—all without the pots, pans and utensils that were developed later. A few cooking methods that were undoubtedly used by our early ancestors include skewering; spit cooking; grilling; cooking in coals and ashes; stone ovens; clay containers; and steam pits. It is interesting to note, as with many early living skills, these time-tested methods are still practical today.
Cooking fires
Of course, the first step in any outdoor cooking is to locate your fire-building materials.
For a fast start up, you can use the various softwoods like pine, spruce, or fir; especially when split, they produce a quick blaze because they are resinous. But a fire built entirely of softwoods burns out fast and needs frequent attention, so once your initial fire is started, add some hardwoods. Hardwood coals last longer and they don’t make your food taste like turpentine, as resinous woods often do. Oak, when you can find it, produces steady, glowing coals and hickory, ash or one of the sweet black-smoking birches are also great for cooking. I don’t recommend spruce and juniper because they contain moisture pockets that explode when trapped gasses and water vapor build up, and cause considerable popping.