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
I love meeting new friends at Terwilliger aka Cougar Hot Spring in Oregon. It’s located in the Willamette National Forest, East of Eugene near the McKenzie River. The cost is $6 for one day pass, or $60 annually per person. You’ll take a moderate walk 1/2 a mile in from the parking lot, before getting to the meditative area. Accommodations include a covered changing area, and two outdoor restrooms. Keep in mind this is a day use area only. You could face a fat fine if you’re not in the parking lot when darkness falls.
Along the creek skirting the blue pools, you can pull clay from Earth. People paw the hillside. Digging. Nude (clothing optional). We pass the clay globs around, and apply the potter’s mask to our face and body. Working the raw material into pores, letting it dry on skin. This pulls the toxins out. Wash off in the scorching, lithium-blessed waters. Exfoliated to your essence.
Lovely ladies lounging on warm rocks in the Willamette National Forest of Oregon
I spent the weekend on the Oregon Coast in Seaside, and had spare time to experiment with a new Art project. First, I dug through a recycling bin for cardboard to create a small handmade sign with a permanent pen. Then I rounded up some fun objects I didn’t need anymore, like a Smokey The Bear keychain whistle. These goods would be available to begin the open bartering. I spread out a towel, and placed the trinkets on The Prom’s concrete path.
With little effort, and few resources, a self-serve system was born. A take one, leave one blanket is a place where an item of any kind can freely be exchanged as you see fit. Share this concept with people in your town. You wouldn’t believe the response. Nearly every biker, and pedestrian stopped their forward progress to figure out what was going on. This open trading system seemed to inspire, confuse, and even make some people greedy.
I may have seen people taking without giving, thinking nobody was looking, but I’m not sure. Others had no issue taking nice items, like a Tree of Life necklace pendant, and replacing it with trash. I found the blanket riddled with wrappers, cardboard scraps, and even half of a marijuana cigarette. Take a close look at the pictures, and you’ll see other small stuff, like a paperclip, pocket change, flower, price tag sticker, and a pile of sand from the beach.
I discretely checked back every few hours for a day, and saw some of the action in person. People generously placed beautiful possessions with little hesitation. There were cool things left behind that I didn’t get a picture of, because I didn’t want to interrupt the process. My favorite moment was when a 12-year old girl named Krystin Crawford set down her hand painted sand dollars. She took a braided piece of grasses someone constructed. The girl enjoyed sharing the Art she made, and getting involved. See her craftsmanship below. The found, and re-purposed shells were adorable. Krystin and her mom came back to the free exchange place the following morning with a positive attitude. Everything had changed. This artist endeavour has restored my faith in humanity once and for all, despite some shady, but acceptable transactions by others.
In conclusion, I will try this social experiment again. I was thrilled to see this interactive art piece evolve rapidly. I saw joy on many of the participants faces. This free trading system can be implemented anywhere, at anytime. Let’s spread the concept, and see the random generousity of others displayed in public. And remember, you’ll usually get more than you give. Leave a comment, or question if you like. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros.
Usually I try to keep my pack weight down, though I don’t really consider myself an ultra light hiker. I can live comfortably out of a pack weighing no more than 20 pounds for months at a time. And that is including food and water. My base weight, the weight of my gear not including food and water, usually hovers around the ten pound mark, though I have a tendency to carry multiple paperbacks at a time which can push that weight up a bit.
So what’s in my pack? Let’s start with what I consider the essentials, sleeping gear and clothing. I sleep in a cheap Walmart $30 40 degree sleeping bag made by Ozark Trails. It is one of the smallest sleeping bags around which means it packs up into a very tight space. This is one of those occasions when you don’t need to spend a ton of money on a top of the line sleeping bag. Is it warm enough? Probably not for a lot of winter activities, and even in Florida it can get cold in January. But the sleeping bag is always slipped inside my REI Minimalist Bivy. This adds a few degrees as well as allowing me to easily stealth camp. I also usually sleep in my Under Armour base layer. My base layer is one of my most trusted pieces of survival equipment. I probably wouldn’t have survived the week of 20 degree nights stealth camping in Austin Texas that I went through a few years ago if it wasn’t for them and my winter hat and gloves. Also something which is always in my pack. Other than that, a change of socks and underwear, my Petzl headlamp, a 5×7 tarp, a Thermarest Prolite sleeping pad, a Nike Storm Fit rain jacket, an REI Revelcloud packable jacket, a Sawyer mini water filter and a pair of what I call sleeping socks, socks which only get worn at night when I’m in my sleeping bag rounds out most of the rest of my gear.
Sure there are a few other things, random assorted things clipped inside my pack or stuffed in Ziploc bags near the top where they are easy to get to. The toilet paper and first aid kit, the mini Bic lighter and fire starter cubes. I also have a clip with several safety pins, a GSI plastic spoon, some rubber bands, a small set of nail clippers and a P-51 can opener. You’ll notice that I didn’t mention a knife of any kind. Airlines are pretty picky about letting you bring knives on board and I have found that when you are stealth camping in urban environments it is very likely that you will at some point be stopped by the police. Usually when I’m hiking I’ll carry a small Swiss Army knife. I’ve never needed anything more serious no matter the situation but have recently added a Buck Paklite Caper to my gear. Mostly for batoning wood for fires. But for the Florida Trail I wasn’t able to pack a knife and in the rush before leaving I had failed to mail them ahead to myself. So I was without a knife in the swamps and back country of Florida.
Backpack Gear List
REI Lookout 40 backpack 53 oz With 3 Liter Camelback water bladder and insulated drinking hose Ozark Trail 40 degree synthetic mummy bag 32 oz REI Minamalist Bivy 15 oz Thermarest Prolite Small Sleeping pad 11 oz Blue patched Silnylon 5×7 tarp with ropes 11 oz Nike Storm Fit Rain Jacket 16 oz Winter hat and gloves 3 oz Underarmour bottoms lg 6 oz Underarmour top xl 8 oz REI Revelcloud Jacket md 12.5 oz 2 Extra Pair socks 6 oz Petzl Headlamp w/batteries 3 oz 4 tent stakes w/stuff sack 2 oz Sawyer Mini Water filter 2 oz 32oz Gatorade bottle 1 oz Toiletries, First Aid Kit 8 oz Notebook, Guidebook, Pens 32 oz Swing Trek Umbrella 7 oz Tent – Freestanding cheap Ebay tent 31 oz
259.5 oz or 16.2 Pounds
Much heavier than I’m normally used to and this is mostly because it is a new, heavier pack with the ability to not only carry more food but which also has a larger water carrying capacity. Florida is notorious for having bad tasting water which no amount of filtering or flavoring would cover and I wanted to be able to camel up when I found clear water. Also, the cheap tent was a last minute add on. I wasn’t sure how I felt about sleeping in a bivy on the levees in Florida knowing that alligators were so close. As it was one of the hikers ahead of me woke up to the sound of one snoring next to their tent. So how did the gear hold up? Most of the gear are old standards that I’ve lived with for years so I knew what to expect. But there were a few newer items that hadn’t been extensively tested before.
Sawyer Mini Water Filter
The first was the Sawyer Mini water filter. Coming in at 2 oz I had used this on only one other two month long backpacking trip along the Oregon coast and it had held up well under the minimal water filtering I had done. It comes with a squeeze bag for forcing water through the filter as well as a back flush syringe for cleaning out the filter when it becomes clogged. It has a 0.1-micron filter which means I never really have to worry about Giardia, e. coli or salmonella. And the best feature, at least for me, is the threaded end which can be screwed onto most soda and water bottles. This lets you fill your bottle from any source, screw on the filter and squirt the water directly into your mouth.
The biggest drawback, at least on hiking in the Florida swamps, was that the water often had enough silt suspended in it that I had to back flush the filter on an almost daily basis. I’ve heard this complaint from other hikers as well and they say for the slight difference in weight they carry the full Sawyer water filter which doesn’t seem to clog as easily. This year the swamp was little on the dry side and at least one long stretch had very little in the way of drinkable water. Another hiker had gotten so low that he decided to drink his own urine. He turned around, filled up his Smartwater bottle, screwed on his Sawyer filter and shot a good healthy stream into his mouth. “Hmm, still salty,” was his only response. That’s because the Sawyer filters were not meant to filter the salt out of water. Just an FYI if you are thinking about drinking your own urine anytime soon.
Cheap Ebay Tent
I liked this tent mostly because it was freestanding and cost about $20 shipped directly from China. The problem was that those also seemed to be the only good things about it. The tent was listed by a few different Chinese Ebayer’s under titles like “Camping Tent Single Layer Waterproof Outdoor Portable UV-resistant Army green” or “Portable Camp Camping Tent Single Layer Waterproof Outdoor UV-resistant 1 Person.” It was a one person tent that weighed just under two pounds and it could easily be stuffed in a side pouch or rolled up and strapped to the bottom of my pack. I wanted to make a few modifications to it to make it more camouflaged and perhaps add a rain flap over the zipper on the door but there wasn’t time before the trip. It help up fine in decent weather and even light rain. That’s when I noticed that the floor wasn’t waterproof. This wasn’t a big deal until some of the heavier thunderstorms rolled in. Even though they lasted less than half an hour the wind would force the rain through the walls of the tent and I would end up sleeping in puddles for a while. Thankfully I had my bivy. The storms also brought out another drawback of this tent. That the poles were weak. In the mornings I would notice that section after section of the poles were splitting and had to be repaired with Gorilla Tape. But I was glad to have even this cheap tent to keep the hoardes of mosquitos at bay. Even then, sometimes just after sunset, the cloud of them would be so thick outside the tent that I thought they might be able to collectively break the flimsy tent and suck me dry. Walmart used to sell a Junior Dome freestanding tent for about the same price that was only slightly heavier. It was meant for kids but I used that thing for years before passing it on to someone else. An act I sometimes regret as Walmart has discontinued their production. Let’s just say that the cheap Chinese tent didn’t make it back from Florida.
No Cook
This hike I decided to go No Cook, meaning that I wouldn’t be packing my pot and stove and that I’d be eating everything cold. For me this works out really well though I can understand how some people would prefer hot meals. It meant that I’d never have to resupply fuel and I would have more room in my pack for food. So what did I eat? Bagels, cream cheese and sliced salami were most of my big meals. Protein shakes and Multi-Grain breakfast bars were usually my breakfasts and Snickers, Chia seeds and Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies were my snacks throughout the day.
Drinks, besides the protein drinks, were powdered Gatorade for the electrolytes and Crystal Light packets to flavor the water. The big comfort food for me was the protein shakes. They have become a standard backpacking food for me. I carry about a pound of vanilla whey protein along with roughly the same amount of either non fat dry milk or Nido which is powdered whole milk. I prefer the Nido not only for the extra calories but because it doesn’t foam up as much when shaking the shake. I make the shakes in my 32 oz Gatorade bottle, great because of its wide mouth. Usually I’ll drink some of the water off the top to make room for the powders. Personally I don’t measure what goes into the bottle. I’ll simply add a roughly equal amount of spoonfuls of powder, mixing it in gently at first to make room for more powder. When I think its ready I’ll just put the cap on and shake violently for a while. The whey protein is great for repairing the damage to my muscles caused by hiking and generally this is just a tasty shake that I never seem to get sick of, which is pretty important in any foods you carry. The only drawback was going through airport security. I was pulled aside for a security check and they emptied the contents of my food bag. When the TSA agent pushed everything aside he picked up the ziplock bags of what looked like kilos of cocaine. Luckily he laughed. That doesn’t mean he didn’t swab down everything I owned looking for traces of drugs though.
All in all the gear held up well. The tent though was left in a dumpster somewhere in Florida. I’ll stick with the Sawyer Mini and I may start going No Cook on more of my travels. The pack was a bit heavy for my tastes. Leaving the southern terminus of the Florida Trail I was carrying four liters of water, roughly 8 ½ pounds, more than I’ve ever carried before, and way too much food. I’ll probably go back to the 30 liter pack I usually use for the next adventure, which will probably be hitchhiking across the US. And next time I go hiking in Florida I’ll probably pack some bug spray.
What’s good? Its been a Heaven of a year! Survival Bros has beefed up the website with frequent posts, vivid photos, and new HD video productions. Visit the ARCHIVES for all of the fun, and emergency preparedness news.
Here’s my favorite YouTube videos from 2014, in case you missed the action and adventure:
My #EDC backpack gear for #Survival
Steel Target Shooting Demonstration with Tactical Gypsy
Cameron McKirdy’s LifeProof smartphone case review as seen on The ABC World News with Diane Sawyer
How to get FREE stuff in life
Video of my #vandwelling setup on the Oregon Coast
Checking out William Henry knives at a jewelry store
The perfect vehicle for The Zombie Apocalypse
Exploring World War II bunkers on Tillamook Head near Seaside, OR
Doing yoga with certified instructor Sarah Whisler at the beach
You can’t define Survival Bros, or Cameron McKirdy. There’s no way of knowing what will come in the year 2015. Stay tuned. Thank you for your support of this project. I’ve produced all this for free. Please continue to like, comment, share, and subscribe to us. Let’s make the Survival Bros community even greater in the days to come.
Mocha The Puggle and I love you! (Hiking Saddle Mountain)
I was gifted tree resin fit for a King today. Pictured is a fat handful of Frankincense and Myrrh gum bled from a plant. My buddy Gypsy Hugh got the aromatic harvest burning on a hot hookah charcoal. Next, we place the purifying fragrance in my 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon. The pleasant odor filled my bus with smoke, and the scent should linger for days. It smells like incense, only more pure, and natural to me. It was a kind gesture to hot box my vehicle like that, and very appropriate on Christmas Day. Enjoy the pictures below. I’d never seen these hardened resins in person, called tears.
Everybody loves a quality photograph. Here’s some of the images I’ve snapped, or uploaded recently, and put on my Instagram account online. Enjoy a sample of the image gallery here on Survival Bros. My favorite new shot is the one of the older vintage Volkswagen bus parked next to mine, or the double rainbow captured on The Prom in Seaside, Oregon.
One of my favorite activities do to for myself is taking a trip to an isolation chamber, or flotation tank in PDX. The two spas Survival Bros have checked out are Float On, and Common Ground. Both are open to the public, just call ahead before you try this form of alternative medicine. There’s many benefits to floating, but in general it’s excellent for meditation, and relaxation. Specifically, I use this type of therapy for an improvement in circulation, and to enhance creativity.
So how does it work? Well, the video interview featuring Joe Rogan is a good place to start your journey. But since I have experience, here’s how it went when I stopped by Common Ground at the Everett House Healing Center and Spa. They are located at 5010 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211. First, I reserved a floating session by phone (503-238-1065), which cost $65 for 90 minutes. If you call them, and ask for a promotion, you may be able to get a better rate. There’s two tanks here. Common Ground is a wellness co-operative, so consider becoming a member for more savings. It’s a wonderful environment, bursting with plant life outside, and welcoming people all around. The reception area is cozy. Shop, explore other services, such as massage, or you can help yourself to a beverage like hot tea. Check in for your float, then grab an over-sized towel and hit the showers and sauna. Beware, locker room may be coed at times, so you may see some boobies.
After loosening up in the sauna, and breaking a sweat, I rinsed off again, and took off my bath towel. I slipped into the dark tank, and got settled in. Using earplugs is recommended, so one more bodily sense is cut off from The World. That’s the idea. You use an isolation chamber to go inside yourself, work through issues, and make discoveries. A floating air pillow supports your head and neck. Then you simply lay there in darkness, mostly submerged in salty water. The Epsom solution is ideally the same temperature as your skin, at 93.5-95 degrees. So as you relax, you begin to lose a sense of where your body ends, and where the The Universe begins. It’s like being thrown back into the womb. Finally, you’re alone with yourself again, and can process life better.
Follow the links provided to find out more benefits of flotation tanks. You’ll begin to discover how it changes your brain. If you try out an isolation tank, you may feel your mind bending. According to Common Ground in Portland, OR this “stimulates left/right brain synchronization; shifts brain waves from Beta to lower frequency Alpha, Theta and even Delta; creates mental clarity, alertness; increases creativity, problem solving; heightens visualization; deepens meditation; expands awareness, intensifies acuteness of all the senses, accelerates learning.” Sign yourself up. If you try this, you won’t be disappointed. It is not a waste of time. It’s something new to most, and good for you on many levels. Leave a comment if you have additional questions, and I will do my best to answer them. I will explore this topic further, and blog more about floating soon. Cheers.
I’m all about my freebies. Maybe you remember all of the product samples I’ve scored, and blogged about in the past. You can get free stuff easily by requesting trials online, and they will be delivered to you by mail. When I’m not filling out forms like that, I’m in shops trying to get hook ups. In Starbucks this week they were sampling out pasteries. They weren’t on display yet. The stash was sitting off into the corner on the counter, with a Manager’s note saying “Sample these.” I politely asked an employee if I could have one of the items. There was all sorts of muffins, bars, and scones to pick from. On day one I took the pink cake filled lolly pops with sprinkles. I didn’t eat them in public.
I went back to the coffee shop for more samples the next day, just in case they were still available. Really, I just needed the WiFi to upload my previous video. I scored the squishy coffee cake that day, but didn’t stop there. I requested 3 honey packets too, since they don’t put those out at all Starbucks locations. I swiped a few raw sugar packets as well. Plus, I saw another sign saying I can request a free sample beverage using their coffee pods if I asked. When I mentioned it, the worker said they haven’t used that set up to brew complimentary cups of fresh java lately, even though the machine, and sample pods where still on the front counter. I didn’t have time for them to pretend to look for an extension cord, so I took samples for later consumption.
I like to visit the health food store weekly, and my last trip was really worth it. They always have free tablets of Vitamin C to help yourself to, but there was more. I found packets of food-grade Diatomaceous Earth, Natural Calm magnesium mixes in three flavors, Barlean’s Greens, one DHA pill, and a bag of tea. These individually wrapped servings are perfect for my backpacking trips, and the small emergency caches I like to build to prepare for tsunamis. If I can swoop up all of these freebies, than so can you. Ask for a nibble when you’re in the food court, or browsing the deli counter at the grocery store. It’s fun to see what you can get for asking. Happy hunting Survival Bros.
These cake pops were amazing!
Free coffee cake went well with peanut butter and strawberry jelly
By Cameron McKirdySilver Salmon Being Processed at The East Mooring Basin in Astoria, Oregon
Sushi grade Coho Fillets
My buddies needed a lift, and Designated Driver for a fishing trip in Astoria, OR. I dropped them off at the East Mooring Basin. You’re suppose to pay to park there. They we’re on the water for around four hours before they limited out. The guys ended up with pounds and pounds of fresh fillets. One man kept the salmon eggs for future fishing bait. All of the fishermen had plans to either freeze, and smoke the meat shortly. It was interesting to see the Captain of the boat cut up Coho so efficiently, and discard the waste down properly down a slide. All he needed was a large fillet, and butcher’s knife made by Victorinox of Switzerland. I made sure to ask. He was sharpening the knifes every few fish. Also pictured is the rowdy sea lions that live there on the docks. I saw one beast puke on another, and he didn’t flinch. More blogs coming! Peace.
Get me the 8″ Victorinox Butcher’s Knife for Christmas
An hour East of Eugene, the McKenzie River Recreational Trail waits to be conquered. A 26 mile path skirts the cold, rippling waterway. It’s one of America’s premier destinations for bikers, and hikers. Outdoor enthusiasts can also be spotted during the summer on the water in rafts of all shapes and sizes. Survival Bros floated it. However, here’s what’s its like to attack the upper part of the wilderness trail on my bicycle.
The 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon is locked. Bike is ready. God bless my vintage Univega Alpina Pro mountain bike. It’s a hardtail with tire liners for extra protection, so I shouldn’t have trouble pummeling porous lava rocks. This will be my first ride with it off of pavement, or graveled logging roads. Exciting. Water, check. Mechanix gloves, yes. 3M safety shades, on. Let’s crush this.
And I’m off. Going downhill mostly, to Clearwater Lake from the top of the trail. I will have to fill my stainless steel water bottle at the campground. Problem is, it’s hard to know what’s undrinkable, and what’s potable with all the well pumps around. I may have to take a chance, because I’m not buying water. I’m looking forward to adding 2 packets of Airborne Plus Energy into my drink for flavor, vitamins, and minerals.
The plan is to tackle the challenging section of course around the lake first, then take an easy trail back uphill to my vehicle. OK, get centered. Where are you? In the moment. Faster!!!
Root! Pop the front wheel over, and peddle. Good. Lean into this corner. Branch…We’re bushwacking today. Alright, NOW break. Shift weight back, coming off the seat. Who put this tree down here? Ever heard of a chainsaw? Pick up your bike. Thankfully, it’s lightweight, full chromoly frame. I’m so happy I invested in tuning this vintage ride up. The guys at Canyonview Cyclery took care of me. This is the video I produced at their shop after the Univega was restored to glory.
There’s the edge of the water at Clear Lake. I’ve never seen water so pristine. I bet I could drink straight from the lake. Ducks do it. I almost hit one fowl in my way. Move mallard. Already, I’ve narrowly avoided about 10 chipmunks, and a large rabbit too. I’ve seen squirrels try to take on bikes before. They ended up in the spokes without a head. That would ruin my day. I need a bell on this bike of mine to signal wildlife.
Now comes the hard part. Negotiating lava rock fields on two wheels. But I’ve been here before. Only I came from the opposite direction last time. I’m going to have to push it up this long hill. It feels great to get off my butt, and work other muscle groups. I like my new bicycle handle bar ends. Now I have more hand positions, and can really pull myself up steep inclines.
I’m flying. Let’s not forget our 5 D’s of mountain biking: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge! Corner! Hard left. Leaning into it, and looking where I want to go. Holy guacamole. I almost sailed into the lake. The canoers would have liked to see that. I’d rather not be fishing. This is what I came to do.
Bump. My nuts. Watch the nuts. You’re going to need those. Oh God, I have to split between a root, and a rock going fast. No room for error. Arrghhh. Made it. But that took all of my upper body strength. I haven’t screamed that loud since…oh, let’s keep it PG. I’m dumping sweat. This is my hell workout. Put it all on the line. Gasp. Exhale. Breath. Sigh. Focused. A few more miles of rocky road, and then a less technical section to savor. The McKenzie River Recreational Trail is damn tough. No wonder it’s one of the World’s most celebrated biking areas. I can do this. Finish strong. I’m the man. BEAST MODE!
