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
Watch me get as many complementary samples as possible. SPOILER ALERT: I score a free trial of sausage, cheese, lotion, cologne, ice cream, vitamins, purified water, and even ukulele entertainment. I also considered using the mall’s power to charge my cell phone. At a larger shopping center I’m sure you could eat the equivalent of a meal by sampling grub at all the food court’s restaurants. This was simply a fun exercise of frugality. Cheers!
Cam poised to strike the ice cream vendor for freebies
Homeless. That’s what we were. My bro and I stayed on this boat for weeks last summer to avoid paying rent, and getting a regular job. We were free, and so was our lodging. But with that comes less. We had to deal with a lot of crap. It’s noisy in the Skipanon and Warrenton Oregon Marina. Sleeping is challenging. People work on boats at all hours, so there’s usually people clamoring, and trucks hauling.
Skipanon Warrenton Oregon Marina at Night
Once we had to stay on the boat right after our host varnished the interior. We opened the craft up, but the stench was still awful. I got a headache, and while grateful for the place to lay down, I was ready to split and catch the bus into town. In the HD video above we got a solid fire going, but I didn’t film the smoke that filled the cabin, and it was horrible. I got a headache from that too. Again, we lifted the lid on the boat, and opened up the ceiling, but sacrificed warmth. The Survival Bros slept on a wet mattress because the boat had recently sank.
We had a key to the shower and restroom, but that was a hike from the boat. Plus, we didn’t want to get hassled by security, so we kept our creeping to a minimum, and laid low. The smart move was to pee in plastic bottles to avoid detection. However, the other fisherman on the marina were typically very helpful. We had their assistance many times when we had to do work on the boat, or move it to another slip. Speaking of, the rent for a spot there is only $70 per month, and our buddy paid that. You have to pay a little more for electricity, but it’s still the cheapest place to crash in town. In exchange for a bed, Tactical Gypsy worked on the boat, making sure the bilge was pumping out water, or whatever. I kept him company, and learned what I could from the Maritime Scientist. It was an adventure for sure, and I’m happy to share it with you. More homelessness tales soon. Thanks for supporting Survival Bros. Peace and love.
You gotta see Thompson Falls in Seaside, Oregon. This waterfall is gorgeous, but also extremely dangerous to get to. It’s located in the hills North of town. Please be careful if you do hike out there. Survival Bros will continue to bring you epic HD videos, but only if you continue to like, comment, and share these blogs. It’s all for you. Enjoy!
Ready or not, my chubby puggle Mocha was going hiking with me. I took the pug/beagle combo to the top. She made the summit by herself, but it was a struggle. It was a sweltering 80 plus degrees out. My poor dog hasn’t been training hard lately. Her exercise routine consists of going from the couch to food and back. But Mocha and I have hiked, so I knew the 5-year-old mutt still had it. I remember the first time I let her off the leash on a trail. She was running back and forth, up and down it. The puggle was so excited to be out of the apartment. I couldn’t contain her. Once she even fell off a cliff as the bank eroded and I had to quickly swing her up by the leash and collar to save her. Mocha is much fatter now, but we are working on it.
When we got to Saddle Mountain State Natural Area her nose was working overtime. There were lots of people hitting the trail, and camping. I brought water, and gave the puggle breaks. I made her sit, and she would lay in the shade when she could. The hike is 5 miles round trip, but the elevation change is brutal. It’s 1603 feet to be exact, with the top at 3283 feet. Mainly I was concerned about her paws bleeding. There is lots of metal fencing on the ground to contain the loose rocks, and I didn’t know if that would bother her. On the way up I kept Moc on the leash, 1 because there’s cliffs, and 2 because lots of people were coming down the trail with dogs. I wanted to protect her. However, on the way down I decided it would be better to let her follow me off leash. She didn’t want to walk on the trail because the gravel was hurting her. So she waddled along side the main path, and didn’t hurt anything. Plus, it was getting late, and we were basically the last down.
On the way we checked out a geocache hidden on a side trail. I’ve found it before, but I wanted to see all the new stuff inside, and sign the log book again. Not many people locate it each year. I traded in a emergency paracord bracelet for a CD with clues to another cache. I’m getting into geocaching because it’s something fun to do while hiking, or when you’re just out and about. There’s more than 2 million geocaches planted around the world. This hobby also forces me to analyze and use maps too. I filmed Mocha and I checking out what was inside the ammo box this time.
After a few solid hours of hiking, Mocha, my cameraman, and I reached the peak. We all sat down and took in the majestic views of the North Coast. You can see the whole coastline, from Seaside well into Washington State. Poor Mocha was beat. She was gasping for air, and I was a little worried about her. We had just enough water left to quench her thirst, but more would have been nice. Usually there is a spring about halfway up that I feel is safe to drink from. My dog did lap up the puddle there, but I wasn’t getting on all fours. In the end, Mocha killed it. I was so proud of her. I kept her motivated with words of encouragement, smacking her butt, and tossing turkey jerky in her mouth. On the way back I told Moc we were going back to the car and home for ice cubes (her fav). My legs were jello, and Mocha was walking funny, but we accomplished the mission. Next time we will be even stronger, and smarter about it.
Mocha knew we were going to the top. If you want to rock a paracord bracelet for emergency preparedness made by Survival Bros, send $8 to cameronmckirdy@hotmail.com via PayPal. Thanks and best wishes from us both.
When you are in the field, your gear has to work. That’s why I pack the best in my bag. I’ve been testing both the Dukjug, and H2O Lite bottles from GSI Outdoors, featured in the HD video review above. I hiked out to Cape Falcon in Oswald West State Park. This Oregon State Park is wondrous, with vast ocean views, and wide waterfalls. The trail was muddy though, but I live to get dirty. It’s 2.10 miles to Cape Falcon from the parking lot on Highway 101. So it took about 45 minutes to get to where I filmed the product review.
The Dukjug is my favorite bottle. It’s stainless steel, and holds 1 liter. The design is fun, and colorful. It’s covered in peace signs, and funky tye dye, so this container fits my hippie personality. GSI Outdoors makes other designs of this jug too, and even a plastic version, all of which are BPA-free. Their Dukjug is unique, because it stores duct tape under the rubber band on the outside. Of course every prepper should have extra tape on hand just in case. I’d use this bottle for hot liquids, and mixing up drinks, like instant coffee or tea. It has a wide lid, so you can store anything inside, even food. The Dukjug tips the scales at 10.1 oz, and retails for $19.95. That’s a value, because unless you drop it off a cliff, it will last a lifetime.
The H2O Lite is super handy to have around. It’s collapsible, and weighs next to nothing, only 0.9 oz. I can just roll it up, and shove it in my backpack. It takes up virtually no space. I like that you can write on it, and date it. Plus, it has a cool cap so it doesn’t leak. When you want a cold drink, just pop the top, and squirt it in your pie hole. Graduations are marked on the back too, which could help with cooking when you need to use a precise amount of water. GSI Outdoors makes smaller versions as well. I would want to bring one of those on my shorter day trips when I’m going ultralight. If you need quality camping gear, look no further than this American company. They have a huge product line you have to check out. More reviews soon. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog. Peace and love.
I produced this video today because I want you to be safe, and prepared. Survival Bros encourages you to get ready for disasters you can see happening in the future. Build your bug out bag, so you always have what you need. Consider putting together survival caches of different sizes, along your escape route, or near locations you may sleep, like at a relative’s house. Plan ahead today. What’s in your emergency cache?
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.
Cam poised to strike the ice cream vendor for freebies
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 