The guys find an ammo can full of trinkets, a logbook, and keys to a riddle! They were hiking Saddle Mountain in Oregon, when they took an obscure trail, and uncovered a hidden geocache. Random. Happy hunting. You never know when you will find treasure. And of course we won’t tell you where to find this stash. You got to get into geocaching. There is an app for that.
Produced by Cameron McKirdy
What’s good? Yesterday my peeps and I smashed Saddle Mountain. I’ve hiked the beast before. I’m local. This is what we discovered, including hidden treasure via geocache. Keep reading.
Saddle Mountain photo by Cameron McKirdy
The park was popping. Crawling with life. We took our sweet time getting higher. I tracked our progress with the Nike+ GPS running app on my iPhone. Along the way, we found all sorts of shortcuts, and obscure trails. On one path we paused, only to spot a large ammo can hidden behind stacked rocks, under a rock formation.
Inside the treasure box was tons of toys, a logbook to sign, and even a riddle! We each left something in the box, and took a gift home. I got sticky hands!!! We didn’t even know there was a geocache on Saddle Mountain, but we found it. As for the riddle, we decided to listen to the Audio CD clues together, when we can find treasure again.
Along the way we took a bunch of photos, and video. I will update this blog when the video is online. I recorded us opening the hidden treasure.
It felt great being blasted by the sun. Even though it was pretty windy, it was still warm. In total we hiked 5 miles. That’s from the parking lot, to the summit and back, with minor detours. According to the Nike+ GPS app we did it in 5 hours. I told ya we enjoyed the trip. Tourists would have gone faster, and missed more. More shenanigans soon from Survival Bros. Keep it real today.
– Cameron McKirdy
Survival Bros President
Today is a play day! Survival Bros challenges you to let go. As author Ram Dass says, “be here now.” Enjoy life now. Anything is possible. Be like a dog; always loving, and ready to play. Fill your day with laughter. Maintaining morale is crucial to survival. Accept everything and just BE. You can do it. Peace.
Mocha The Puggle gets ready to fetch
Funny flag from Valhalla Combat in Gearhart, OR
I hit the road for work. A new friend took me in. This is a couch surfing tale.
That was the scene this morning! We got down. My bro cooked potatoes with bacon fat, and served eggs just how I like them. I added sour cream, a cheese blend, and extra smoky chipotle powder. I’m sure he threw in other secret ingredients, but I didn’t dare ask what. At the table, his 3-year-old daughter lectured us on how friends share.
My host family has been very good to me. I had my pick of the couch, recliner, or air mattress. I went La-Z-Boy, and slept like a baby. That was until my alarm rang 3 hours earlier than I like for work. Then I had trouble when I started changing into my nice work clothes. After putting on my black jeans I realized I actually grabbed my Moms. They were restricting. That’s the first time I’ve had on girl clothes. I had to go casual and borrow a jacket. Smooth. Next time I will be more careful after doing laundry at my family’s house.
It’s awesome having friends I can count on when I need a place to crash. They offered. Why not? When couch surfing, it’s always a good idea to bring something to the table. I brought a small gift of thanks. I also meant to bring my hosts edible chanterelle mushrooms, but I left them at a buddy’s house and told him to keep em.
You can learn a lot from new people. Especially when they are transplants. We just have to find common ground. Happy couch surfing!!!
– Cameron McKirdy
UPDATE: I’ve been doing more couch surfing. I recently traveled for a job, and worked as a tour guide for a cruise ship that came into The Port of Astoria. I took a bus load of tourists down the Oregon Coast to Cannon Beach and Seaside. I showed them the best spots for candy, like elephant ears, carmel apples, and salt water taffy. I had to take them to Norma’s in Seaside for their world famous clam chowder. I told them it goes well with beer from Fort George called Vortex IPA. Anyways, that was one of my odd jobs recently.
Tonight I’m filming Mixed Martial Arts fights at the Astoria Fairgrounds. Many of my friends will be battling in the cage. I love filming events like this. It’s going to be nuts. And it’s a full moon, so anything can happen.
Right now I’m at a friends getting ready to go. He is fueling us up with an epic breakfast spread. Mac is making two types of pancakes! Potato pancakes with green onions to go with chorizo and sour cream, and maple bacon cakes with bits infused into the batter. He also stirred up a maple syrup with butter and peanut butter. I can hear the sizzling now! My belly is so empty. I will post a picture of the complete feast here.
You should see the kitchen. His poor wife.
Cameron McKirdy from Survival Bros fills up his thermos container with amazing spring water. This stop is along Highway 26 in Oregon’s Coast Range Mountains. You’ll find it located off the road just East of the rest areas coming from Seaside. Check it out on your next visit to the beach! It’s one of our favorite healing spots. There’s not many clean drinking water sources around. People come from all over to fill up on the raw good stuff. It’s alive! Beats city water with toxic Fluoride and nasty chlorine added.
Cam Goes to The Source after Hiking
Dear Survival Journal,
What a week! I’ve been everywhere, and I got there by bike or foot. I often laugh at slobs in cars. If only they could remember how to walk. Vehicles are for lazy people. I’m glad I bike. I have two bicycles operational right now. I get them tuned up every once in awhile, but they are still way cheaper to own than a car.
I was taking my friend’s dog for a walk this morning, when he started eating poop! No dog, you are suppose to go #2, not eat it. Puppies. I was trying to get him to stop, and get back in the house when I stepped in dog crap with my Vibram toe shoes on. The mutt missed a pile. I was dreading this day. I knew I’d step in poo, or crush a giant slug on accident one day. I’m rethinking wearing Vibrams outdoors now. Gross times ten! I will spare you further details, but I was not a happy camper. Luckily I had a change of shoes nearby. Now I’m trying to forget that happened.
I ate so good yesterday. I wasn’t feeling myself, so I made sure to take all my vitamins, and refuel with superfoods. I made two power smoothies with raw whey, raw rice protein, maca, raw chocolate, spinach, blueberries, and vanilla hemp milk. I also trekked to the store for spring water, which I promptly pounded. I had a buzz off all the different superfoods, and vitamins. I would have felt even better if I juiced. Maybe today.
I’ve been hustling so hard, they are about to name a street after me. I’m not rich, but I get money. I’m starting to think rich people are the lower class. They look down on the poor, and use them. I’m so happy to be blue collar, and not some spoiled, weakling that has never earned his kill. I’m on the streets, and in the woods, working on my skills, and my body. Rich people don’t work. They shop. Shop for things that make them smell good, or look better, when they are actually scum. My DNA thanks me for not being pampered. Poor people are much stronger than the rich. If I ever made it big, I’d give my wealth away.
It’s getting so cold out at night! I’m still in a tent. I really don’t care where I sleep anymore. The other night I had to wear clothes, and my jacket, while in my sleeping bag, just to make it through the night. However, it’s kind of fun, and challenging to find a new place to crash every night. When I’m couch surfing, I feel like it’s too easy. Like I’m royalty or something. I don’t know when I will get an apartment again. I could survive an Oregon winter in the wilderness. My home is the Wild Wild West.
More soon. Time to make paper, and turn it into food and silver. It’s a great day to get outside, in the wild, where I belong. Forget technology.
By Cameron McKirdy
Entrepreneurs make money. They create $ out of nothing. They add value. They produce. This is the Survival Bros guide to hustling. It’s all about having multiple streams of income. Like a boss.
Even if you have a job, you can create rivers of cash that flow into your arms. You just have to be creative. True players have lots of ways of making money. One trick is making money off your hobbies. For example, if you like dogs, breed them. Put an ad in the paper, and get the word out about what you are offering the world.
When you’re not pimping pups, work on another way to make money easily, such as online. Set up an eBay store, or account on Etsy. Get your credibility up, and people will trust you enough to buy from you. Online is where it’s at. You don’t need a physical store, and you can sell to people across the globe 24 hours a day.
Another way to make money is through investments. Look at buying previous metals like silver, stocks, or something else interesting. Understand trends, research the markets, and soon you will be stacking dough. Start small at first. Buy that one thing that will pay you tomorrow. I learned about trends selling baseball cards as a kid. I invested in athletes that were young, and full of potential. Then I protected their sports cards, and held on long term to make a profit.
There’s infinite ways to make money. Most importantly, build your brand. Don’t waste your life being an employee, when you were meant to be the boss. Trust yourself, and get after it. Get money, and make it work for you. Be a hustler.
By Cameron McKirdy
My buddy stopped by today with pockets full of raw mushrooms from the forest in our backyard. He shared his amazing, fresh chanterelles, and chicken of the woods mushrooms. You gotta try these flavorful fungi.
First we cleaned the chanterelles, then dried them. After dicing them up, they went into a pan on low heat. We sautéed them in butter, and a little organic sunflower oil. Next we added minced, fresh garlic. The shrooms were amazing like that.
This was my first taste of chantrelle mushrooms. I was surprised by the rich, spicy flavor. It lingered on the tounge. Very yummy. They are orangish, funnel-shaped, with wavy caps. Chanterelles are known for being rich in vitamin C, D, and potassium too.
Chanterelles are hard to find in the Pacific Northwest. My hommie found a pound of them on his elk bow hunting trip. I’m hooked now. I’m going to find some, and dry them for future meals. I could even sell them to local restaurants. These edible mushrooms are truly a delicacy.
After we lightly cooked the chantrelles we mixed them in turkey chili, with black pepper. It was so good. I savored every bite. It was a five star feast. Thankfully I have friends that share. %^].
I finally painted my Mongoose mountain bike flat black. This blog covers how I painted it, and other preparations I’ve done to my End of the World transportation.
First I stripped my bike bare. I took off the back fender/rack, and the seat. I had to remove a LED light attached to my seat post. I also removed a bunch of stickers, and residue. Most came off after using Goof Off, lacquer thinner, and a flat razor blade. Once the surface was clean, I blasted it flat black with Rust-olium Universal all-surface spray paint. It’s an awesome product. You can shoot at any angle. It sticks to metal, plastic, wood, whatever, but costs almost $10 a can.
Next I rattle canned the frame. I did one side, then the other, and finally the bottom. I did two coats, so it took a few hours to paint it all and allow for drying. I painted the wheels and tires quickly also. Then I put it all back together.
To get an even coat I removed the cables, but had a problem getting them back on tight. The guys at Prom Bike Shop in Seaside OR helped adjust them. They know me so it was a free fix. I buy stuff there all the time, and trust them with all my repairs. This is the third time I’ve resurrected this bike, but she is looking good now. Good luck seeing me on this stealth flat black beast.
Painting my bike was easy. The hard part was not painting myself or the driveway. Now I can put some smaller packs on this bike, but I have another bicycle that can haul more. Hopefully I can get a trailer before the Apocalypse happens. This bike needs a light, plastic front fender soon. It will have a first aid kit, and emergency food onboard. There’s a bright light and black bell on the front as well for safety.
I also plan to make a motorized bicycle in the near future. I enjoy designing rat bikes that look like something out of the Mad Max movie. You gotta go flat black. It looks sick.
– Cameron McKirdy
by Cameron McKirdy
Today was glorious. I hosted the 3rd annual Seaside Oregon Eating Championship at Broadway Park for charity. We had both an adult, and kid eating contest featuring Subway footlong sandwiches. History was made.
Broadway park is awesome. It’s changed a lot since I’ve lived in Seaside. We got a new baseball and football field, and a jungle gym for kids to exercise on. Plus, we have a dope skate park. There’s even a basketball court, bathrooms, and an under cover picnic area near the river. It’s the heart of this coastal community.
I love hosting the eating contest each year. I’m a pro eater, so it’s great to watch the local talent develop, and appreciate the sport. It’s a pleasure to host it for charity, and support the Sunset Empire Parks and Recreation Department. This year the kids winner was the first to eat a footlong. One kid was cheating and fake puking his sub in the trash. He ended up with a generous 2nd place title. The adults had to mow 2 footlongs! Hardcore. A local ringer won again this year. Next year I’m putting down the mic and taking the championship.
Eating healthy is essential. Chewing is good too. Even though I host eating contests, proper nutrition is always on my mind. Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated is key. Please don’t try competitive eating at home. You’ll end up bitting a finger off, or using pets for training food. The lesson here is to have fun, stay active, and eat all the good stuff you can. And support your local parks too! Peace.
Here’s my video footage of the contest! Funny stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-_aTVaOLiQ
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 