Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered. - Dalai Lama
I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly. It allows me to be creative. - Bill Hicks
The status quo sucks. - George Carlin
“If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise.” – William Blake
When in St. Louis, I made it out to Budweiser Headquarters, and home of the world-famous Clydesdale horses. The giant Bud complex is a national historic landmark. The state-of-the-art bottling plant makes about 6 six-packs per second. And it takes a month to produce a beer. Watch the HD video of my tour, and let me know what you think. I had a blast on the 45 minute tour. The best was scoring pretzels, and two free beers. Urban foraging at it’s finest. Take the tour if you have a chance.
If you follow Survival Bros, then you know I just got back from St. Louis. I had too much fun there. Now, it’s back to the grind, and making videos. The short video above is what it’s like to be inside the beautiful Gateway Arch. The ticket to the observation deck is $7. The pods that took us to the top are tiny. They uncomfortably sit five. It took 4 minutes to float up via elevator. From the peak of the arch I had a spectacular view of all St. Louis. It’s a fascinating, and lively town, especially if you enjoy baseball, beer, and BBQ. But the arch was the highlight of my trip.
About the video: To film this trip I used the Panasonic Lumix TS4. It’s waterproof, and takes quality high definition video. In the past I’ve used GoPro Hero cameras to film sports, but the audio was poor. This Panasonic sounds better, and is rugged. The TS4 is even high visibility, with a safety orange color. I took nearly an hour of footage. This is the best 15 minutes. I still need to get a better wrist strap so my camera floats. I handled it well, but with all the passengers falling into me, it could have slipped into the blue. Speaking of, the water was remarkably blue. I haven’t altered this footage in any way. It’s beautiful country near Tillamook. It’s fun to film out there, and on water.
Yesterday, a group of 30 people including myself, rafted the powerful Wilson River. I took these photos, and lots of HD video.
My Dad and I went on a paddle boat with three others from the Oregon Whitewater Association. I don’t have the gear the other boaters have. I’m more of a mountain man. They had dry suits, but I didn’t even use my wetsuit and booties. I wore hiking boots with waterproof socks, sweatpants with rain gear, and three layers for my upper body, plus a life vest, and a HooRag bandana. Going in, I knew I’d be cold. It’s rafting during the winter in Oregon. In the end, every rafter was freezing, and glad to be off the water. It was a long day. 14 river miles in 6 hours.
Our greatest challenge was getting people through a tiny 4.5 foot gap. My craft got stuck in between the two massive boulders pictured above, so we let air out of the sides and floor. Then we wiggled through. I filmed everyone making it. The group used ropes to pull one man’s cataraft over the rocks here on the upper Wilson. We all worked together, prepared for the worst, and got in position to help if needed. People were climbing mossy river rocks to signal, and help. They were ready. Also, everyone wore a helmet, and gloves, but me. I couldn’t film and wear gloves. The feeling in my toes and fingers did come back. I’m surprised.
It’s a real challenge to raft this time of the year. Everyone had to follow the plan. Safety was the name of the game. We had two people go into the drink. One guy wanted to swim, but our guide, the raft owner, got bumped out as we hit a rock wall. I look back, he’s floating there. Should I film this? Or pull him in before he gets crushed on some rocks? I put down the camera, and yanked him in with two others. We experienced Class 2, and 3 rapids. Whitewater for sure. I was soaked. We also cruised by a guy that snagged a huge steelhead. It must have weighed 9 pounds or more. When we finally got to land, I got a ride to snag our car back up river. Then it got dark. The group and I left my dad behind at the boat ramp. Problem is, I couldn’t find the damn thing. Dad’s soaked, it’s pouring. I was driving around, feeling like I left him for dead. I figured he’d wave me down on his walk back into Tillamook. There was no way to reach him. But suddenly, he text me from inside a fisherman’s truck. He was safe, and not angry that I made him wait. Then we got mexican food. Lots of it. In the end, the trip was hardcore, but worth it, and an amazing workout. It was another learning experience.
It’s my pleasure to bring to you, my hike on Saddle Mountain in the snow, at night, solo. I love doing extreme stuff in the outdoors. It’s a rush, and you’ll get one watching this HD movie. This is the longest video I’ve produced to date, but it’s packed with action, and epic views. I will update this post with the details of my journey, and my full review of the LED Lenser products I tested. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros!
The short version of my hike!
Produced By Cameron McKirdy – Survival Bros Founder
Times are tough, for many people this isn’t the first time they’ve struggled to make ends meet. I’d like to humbly share a time in my life my frugality took a dark but interesting turn. It was 2008 and I was a student at the University of Oregon. My major was international studies and so, in a way I was honing my skills for a life of financial hardship. I was “in between jobs” as they say, and while I had saved enough money to still afford rent, my savings were diminishing fast. Food was expensive. I had contributed to society, paid my taxes for long enough for me to feel less guilty about what I was scheming. I looked to the homeless for inspiration and I found none. “They are doing it all wrong” I said to myself.
I had long been a fan of free food so I started brainstorming of all the past places food was a plenty. Buffets. Breakfast buffets. Continental breakfasts. The Holiday Inn Express was closest to my house, so that’s where I first walked in as confidently as possible, to a hotel I’ve never been in before. Oatmeal. Apples. Oranges. Muffins. It was a beautiful display of food not meant for me, which made it even more exciting. I had my backpack on me because my Spanish class was in a half an hour. I ate what I could, and opened my bag to shove a bundle of bananas in. I took an extra muffin for my friend because he was broke like me, and as it turns out I’m very generous with other people’s food. This went on for a while. So long that I started to rank the hotels. Phoenix Inn had apple juice and hot chocolate so I gave it a B+. But breakfast was only one meal out of the suggested 3 a day. I had started noticing official University of Oregon food golf carts zipping around campus. I was lucky enough to have experienced this before at catered public events and so I knew they had the goods. One day in between classes I saw a green cart zip right in front of me and if it were possible I would have jumped right on the back and followed it to wherever it was going, but I had to be more inconspicuous. So, I ran. Calmly. Like I was late for a class across campus. Finally the cart stopped in front of the law building. Taking from future lawyers was alright by me. I wasn’t stealing. I was taking something being offered just not to me. Oh was it delicious. The pasta was seasoned and covered in feta cheese and oil. I was in heaven. The breakfasts and occasional catered meal kept me for only so long. I did some grocery shopping rather often to buy my bulk items of hummus, rice, beans and oats. Cheap nutritious foods. I was at Whole Foods when I noticed a bread man checking the dates of each loaf and then collecting the ones that were about to expire. I striked up a conversation and he told me that he could give me some just not in the store. He told me to meet him out back. A couple of minutes later he was noticeably more casual with me. He didn’t care about the bread. So I took all that I could. Six loaves of organic whole wheat bread. It only lasted me a few days.
Turns out he gave the rest to the Eugene food pantry, but they always had plenty of bread from other donations besides his company. I looked into the pantry and I qualified. I rode my bike to the pantry, and again only had my backpack. They told me to go outside and they would bring me my food allowance. They rolled out a two level push cart full of canned foods, cold milk and other dairy products including a very cheap pint of chocolate ice cream. I could only carry about a quarter of what I was alloted. I wouldn’t have eaten most of the other stuff any way because it was full of MSG, salt and I knew it would taste awful.
Eventually I was able to get a job and save up some money so I didn’t have to go to all the trouble, but I had a good run. Without all the ways I found to get free food I am sure I would have started charging groceries on a credit card. I hope I don’t have to do it again, but it is nice to know that sometimes beggars can be choosers if you’re smart enough. I am very thankful for each and every free bite to this day.
Cameron whipped up a video of his favorite moments from 2012. It’s been a crazy, and productive year. Best wishes to you and your friends. Thanks so much for supporting this blog. We have big things planned for the new year. Peace.
This was a wild trip. My Dad and I had been scouting the river, and planning the ride down the Nehalem river for months. He read all he could find on the dangers, and decided to try floating from a higher point at Spruce Run. After pumping the 14 foot cataraft up, we got it loaded on the trailer, and headed south past Cannon Beach on Highway 101. Our friend Steve tagged along. He knows the Nehalem well, and has been fishing for Steelhead on it for years. We used his rig to shuttle us back to the trailer, and drag the raft up a steep bank at Beaver Slide after traveling 13.3 miles.
This journey didn’t go exactly as planned. We unhooked the raft too soon, and it fell off the trailer when we were backing it up to the water. After that mishap, we picked it up by hand, and got her wet. It was a smooth ride at first, but early into the excursion we lost an oar lock. Thankfully, Pops was wise enough to have an extra on hand. Without the oar lock, we would have lost an oar and been screwed. I had a great time chatting with the boys, and relaxing. We were also trying to locate a lost dog, that had a $2500 reward for information resulting in his rescue. No luck on that. We did however see a coyote, fish, and a bald eagle.
Hauling the massive raft on the custom trailer
The Nehalem got rougher, and more dangerous as we got lower on the river. The water was freezing, and we were wet. I had a wetsuit, booties, and gloves to stay warm. On a quick stop I used the spring water I collected to make Mountain House spaghetti with my Jetboil Zip camping stove. Steve and I warmed our hands on the hot bag as the food cooked. Near the end of our unexpected journey we ran into more trouble. We got hung up on a boulder, and spun around. Then at Salmonberry Drop we got blasted by a 7 foot wave, and my camera went out. You gotta watch the video in 720p HD. It was a hell of an adventure. We got out alive, but not without a little suffering. We won’t be rafting the Nehalem again soon.
Here’s a fun video I made of the first time my Dad and I rafted the lower part of the Nehalem River.
Season’s greetings! On Christmas Eve my Dad and I hiked from Indian Beach in Ecola State Park to the Hiker’s Camp on Tillamook Head. We checked out the abandoned World War 2 bunkers, and the viewpoints too. Pops split, leaving me to spend the night by myself. In this HD video I show you the trail, my gear, and my fire. I also cooked up some Goulash thanks to my new flameless cookwear system by Trekmates. Enjoy the video. After a two hour nap, I decided to back to Seaside in the dark night. It was crazy. I used a glow stick, and my Coast HP14 flashlight to luminate the path. A recent storm kicked tons of massive trees down. I had to climb over many, with my 40 pound pack on. I booked it from the cabins, and got back to Seaside in just over 2 hours, covering 4 gnarly miles of ground. It was an intense op. I lost the trail briefly once, slightly rolled an ankle, and nearly slipped down a steep bank. It was one of the most rewarding, and challenging adventures of my life. Next, I plan to raft the Nehalem river this weekend. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros. I’d appreciate your comments, and likes. %^).
Hey friends. I had to show you my Swiss Army multitool. This is a super rare traveler’s set. I couldn’t even find a picture of it on the internet. I bought this 10 years ago while traveling through Europe. I saved around 50% by purchasing it in Switzerland, compared to the states. The set cost me 127 Francs. Which today converts to $138.99 US. It’s one of the nicest knives Victorinox makes, and came with a compass, Maglite Solitare keychain flashlight, and leather carrying case. The best part is, I got the side of the knife engraved with my name for free. It’s mint, but I’m going to start using it as part of my EDC, or every day carry.
Unfortunately, I left the batteries in the flashlight, and now I can’t get the end cap off to fix it. So I’m sending it to Maglite for a free repair or replacement. I just have to pay for shipping. That’s the second flashlight I’ve found this week that had the batteries leak. Not cool. Lesson learned. Take the batteries out, or keep them fresh. You can find just the knife for sale online for about $75. It got a 5 star rating on Amazon. It’s no wonder, because they’ve been in business since 1884.
Yesterday I saw this amazing buck in Astoria OR. I grabbed the camera, and got right up to him. He walked my way. I thought it was about to go down! I would have won. Still, what a beautiful beast.
– Cameron McKirdy
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 