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 the power goes out, it’s important to get a light source, and make sure everyone there is OK. Once your secure, with emergency food, water, and shelter, you can do these things to pass time.
1. Talk with those around you or via phone
2. Play games, cards, board games, etc.
3. Take a hot shower in case warm water runs out
4. Cook more food to store energy in your body, and other containers
5. Work on preps, like checking the power of your batteries, or bottling extra water
6. Read a good book or new magazine
7. Play handheld video games, or DVDs on a laptop
8. Go outside, assuming it’s not dangerous
This weekend my buddy Mac and I biked from Astoria to Fort Stevens State Park located along the Oregon Coast. It was dumping rain. Nearly two hours later, we checked into hiker biker camp, and begun another wild Survival Bros adventure.
Luckily, Mac’s wife Shauna was kind enough to drop our gear off at camp. Riding in with a 50 pound backpacking bag would have been brutal, and unsafe since we had to negotiate the narrow shoulder of the Astoria bridge. Semis were seeing how close they could get to clipping us. Setting up the massive 8 person tent was easy. The only break we got in the weather occurred when we made camp. After our gear was setup, lantern hanged, and sleeping bag unrolled, we tightened up our boots and peddled deeper into the state park.
Along the path we stopped to identify many mushrooms. The park was exploding with life. Fungi hunting season is far from over. There were huge patches of fresh Amanitas everywhere. One had a bite taken out of it, as we could see teeth marks. Must have been a deer, or a crazy person.
Over the last few weeks, my pals and I have scoured a good chunk of Fort Stevens. It’s incredible how many types of terrain there are. From Coffenbury Lake, to the dunes near the Pacific Ocean. I finally found King Boletes just south of the jetty, west of the road. I hunted down the biggest King growing under a tree branch, in pine needles. I got video of me cutting it, but the power is out in Astoria now, so I can’t edit the HD footage. Here’s a photo of the big boletes we found. The choice mushroom nuggets are going in an omelette immediately, and spaghetti tonight for dinner.
Due to my phone about to die, and the power being out, I’m uploading this blog now. I will complete the story, and add more pictures and video very soon. Stay safe out there. We are getting blasted with 98 MPH winds right now. Peace.
– Cameron McKirdy
This is a picture of Seaside, OR taken today!
Update: Back to the story. Mac and I spent one night in hiker biker camp. It’s $6 per evening. Fort Stevens actually moved the spot, because where they usually stash the gypsies floods this time of year. When we got into our tent we were soaked. I quickly changed my clothes, then we started making dinner. I busted out a Mountain House lasagna, and boiled the water for it in my Jetboil Zip. After sitting for a good ten minutes in the bag, it was ready to dish out. Mac prepared 8 beef hotdogs on his Coleman stove. The warm grub was much needed. We biked around 15 miles that day.
After mushroom hunting on day one, it poured back at the tent. Luckily the spot we pitched our tent didn’t flood. We didn’t realize how bad of a storm it was until we were in it. Thank God we had shelter. The stoves kept the tent warm for awhile, until we passed out. I was also glad I brought my small windup lantern. It was bright for maybe 25 minutes in between cranks. After that, it cast just enough light to not stumble over our gear and dirty dishes.
On day two in Fort Stevens we ate another Mountain House freeze dried meal for breakfast. I love their blueberry granola with milk. I added freeze dried apples too. We had two more hotdogs each, then set out on our bikes again. This time we went out toward the South Jetty. That’s where we found the King Boletes. I was so amped to find those monster mushrooms. We saw other mushroom pickers out there, and duck hunters too.
We smashed through the brush for a few hours, but the storm kept getting crazier. Mac and I were totally drenched. But the trip was well worth the suffering. We put food on the table, and learned a lot along the way. Foraging is so fun! Supermarkets are for suckers. Our ride swooped us, and we made a clean getaway, and broke camp. You know Survival Bros will be out there again soon. Cheers.
Cameron McKirdy Mushroom Hunting at Fort Stevens State Park
Video of our mushroom foray on the North Oregon Coast
OMG! We created a legendary sauce with bacon ends and bits, Hot Jimmy Dean sausage, ground beef, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, Newman’s Own organic tomato sauce, and an egg. I added red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper. It doesn’t get any better. Unless you pick up a loaf of soft, buttery, garlic bread, which we did. There was no room for a salad on my plate. This was an EXTREME dinner. In fact, we made enough for a few extra meals. Thumb up the HD video montage, and please subscribe to Survival Bros on Youtube. Thanks for watching. You’re awesome!
Dr. Ron Paul has served America well. Please listen to his very important farewell speech. Congressman Paul has continually talked about real issues, and fought for Liberty his entire life. Thank you Doc, and enjoy retirement! Let’s hope he writes more freedom loving books, like End The Fed, and The Revolution.
Survival Bros had another full weekend. Friends and I journeyed to Cannon Beach, and took the snake-like road to Indian Beach to explore.
The park was nearly empty. I’m use to it being packed with surfers and hikers in the summer. We huffed the path down to the sand, and walked south. The rock formations at Indian Beach are incredible. The tide pools are bursting with life. We found creatures small and large such as barnacles, mussels, starfish, sea anemones, and a dungenous and hermit crab.
Plus, higher on the beach Mac and I identified a patch of medicinal Turkey Tail mushrooms growing on driftwood. He bagged them. Later the shrooms will be ground up, and put in vegetable capsules for preservation. Gotta love free meds. In Chinese medicine they are recognized as yun zhi (云芝). They are known to boost the immune system. We scored two sand dollars as well.
After wandering around Indian, we cruised to Haystack Rock. The tide pool there is famous. I remember visiting in grade school on field trips. We found more of the same sea life here. No sign of One-Eyed Willie, or the Goonies! Beach combing was a blast. The Oregon Coast is legendary.
Survival Bros has been doing some hardcore juicing. I recently fired up the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer, and extracted raw, fresh juice from the fruit and vegetables pictured below. My new favorite drink is carrot juice, mixed with frozen mangos, and orange juice (top right). I whipped that up in my Ninja blender. I drank so much. I’m making raw juice popsicles soon. I will post a picture. Peace.
– Cameron McKirdy
Watch Survival Bros cook up and epic feast! We added only the finest ingredients, including: steak, bison, bacon, beans, corn, tomatoes, three types of peppers (jalapenos, serranos, habanero), onions, brown sugar, and more. Just check out the HD video montage, and try not to drool on my website. This is a survivalist meal all the way. We prepared enough for several suppers, and froze some for later. I hope you guys and gals are eating good. Best wishes.
We’ve compiled an extreme reading list that is sure to make you more self-sufficient. These are our favorite books. Please comment if you have other suggestions. Turn the page.
The Ultimate Suburban Survivalist Guide – The Smartest Money Moves to Prepare For Any Crisis by Sean Brodrick
How To Survive The End Of The World As We Know It – Tactics, Techniques, And Technologies For Uncertain Times by James Wesley Rawles
Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles
Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook – Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis by Peggy Layton
Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy
A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine by Eric A. Weiss
The Revolution – A Manifesto by Ron Paul
How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere by Bradford Angier
Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora
Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
When Technology Fails (Revised & Expanded): A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency by Matthew Stein
Crash Proof 2.0: How to Profit From the Economic Collapse
The following was submitted by Kelvin. This is what he never leaves home without, and why.
Love your site. I check it often, wanted to show you my EDC, or Every Day Carry.
Droid 3, rooted and running custom rom, allows me better 1080p video, better HDR photos, and instant flashlight access using my power button. The BodyGlove case is a must in my life, the tight fit keeps it from eating all the space in my pocket, but the synthetic leather feel matches perfect with my black leather car. Pro tip: Keep $20 between the phone and the case. This is an excellent cash stash in a pinch.
Off Brand Knife, it has been my EDC for over 2 years now, and I still can’t kill it. Spring assisted so it flicks open FAST! The emergency glass smasher and the seatbelt cutter keep me safe in an emergency, as well as a tactical defense device. For only $10 I plan on buying another one as soon I can I find one.
Nebo CSI LUMA, using a single AA battery it can outlast itself before the battery dies. Seriously, it’s as reliable as gravity and just as cheap to use. I picked this up because its roll resistant, sturdy as all hell, has a glow in the dark bottom click button, and I liked the font teeth on the lens. Perfect for opening beer bottles, lighting your way, or smashing someone’s face with it.
Bic Lighter, I prefer the brown ones as they are less common, and there for harder to get stolen. IE, Bic’ed by someone who has the same color as you. You have to remove the child proof lock on it or else it doesn’t belong in your pocket. Fire, bottle opener, floatation device for a fishing lure… the list goes on. Carry a bic people. Anything less is useless.
Chapstick, beeswax is better than paraffin and usually lasts longer on your lips. In a pinch you can burn it, or use it to dress a small abrasion, or scrape. Nothing involving blood though as it’s not a clotting agent.
Wallet, I didn’t break it down to much, because that’s almost a thing in itself as far as how much cash and coin to carry, so I’ll keep it to a simple break down. It’s a Fossil leather wrapped canvas bi-fold that has seen much abuse and only gets better with time.
Rubber Band, I get money, and I like to keep it banded together. Could be used for any number of other uses.
Bobby pin, Used again to separate money for whatever reason, used to stir the tobacco in my pipe, and in a pinch the spring steel can be used to jimmy open a lock.
Multi-function Credit Card Survival Tool, is a plate of high grade stainless steel in a case that should only be used in EMERGENCYS. It has a knife edge, a can opener, a small saw, a flathead/Philips screw driver, a nail file, a ruler going to 3”, a bottle opener, has a hole for it to be used as a signaling mirror, a staggering sized multi wrench, has a V grooved rope cutter, plus a North delineation on it to be used in conjunction with its straight edge to aide in map reading, I’m sure I could list more, but I won’t. Spending less than $3 on this was worth it!
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 