Rattlesnake Safety – Tips from CDF&W California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers some great tips for surviving in rattlesnake country.  First, know that rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas. They have been found near urban areas, in river or lakeside parks, and at golf courses. Be aware that startled rattlesnakes may not rattle […]

What would you do? Take a look at the photo above.  Now imagine that those five people are nervous grizzly bears (or murderous zombies, if that would put some fear in your heart) and the four black bears are you, a human mother, with three small children.  Now imagine that there are eight more nervous […]

Reports indicate that black bears are coming out of hibernation early this year in the northwestern states and as far east as Yellowstone National Park.  This is probably due to the relatively mild winter and what is shaping up as an early spring.  There even seems to be enough food available in some places that […]

There is no way I can know what was in Kate Matrosova’s mind as she set off to climb The Presidential Traverse that would take her to the peaks of Mounts Madison (5,367 feet), Adams (5,794 feet), Jefferson (5,716 feet) and Washington (6,288 feet) on the Sunday of President’s Day weekend.  The New Hampshire peaks aren’t huge by standards […]

In 1991, when Otze the 5,000 year old iceman was discovered in the melting ice of an Italian glacier he was carrying tinder in the form of tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius). For millennia explorers, hunters and trappers carried tinder with them wherever they went. It insured that they would be able to start a fire […]

While you are enjoying your adventures in the outdoors, you are bound to come across some animals. The kids may want to play with them, but you know they should stay a safe distance away. So, what’s a safe distance? Some of the National Parks recommend that you stay 25 feet away from all animals. […]

A signal mirror is an item the armed forces recommend for a survival kit. Signal mirrors are widely available and often priced in the $10 to $20 range. These mirrors . . .

What survival skills do you consider to be the most critical? Here are ten you might consider.