Hey Friends, I’m back with another blog post from Oregon, USA. Read about my travels to New York City in a fresh news article on SURVIVAL BROS. I competed against famous YouTuber Eric “Badlands Chugs” Booker in a Lemonade Chugoff for Major League Eating and Nathan’s Famous in Brooklyn, NY. Even with a weather delay we pulled off the show. Here’s more about my trip to America’s Playground.
Watch a Survival Bros score a Free Lunch at Costco. I joked with the CDS Demonstrators as I took my portions. It was only a 14-Course meal this time. We missed a few vendors because they ran out of goods, or were cleaning up at the end of the day. Have you taken this many samples in the store? SB didn’t need pizza at The Deli after this challenging record attempt. Which way to the bathroom? Survival Bros got gas in bulk. Filmed the day before the Super Bowl in Warrenton, Oregon. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more crazy videos. Thanks for watching!
Cameron McKirdy of Survival Bros gets naked, and films the Terwilliger Hot Springs near Cougar Reservoir in Oregon by Blue River. Check out the four natural pools, and the wooden structures. The top pool is now under construction. The natural cave, which was a sauna, and the source of the hot springs is being remodeled by experts. They want it to remain as natural looking as possible. Word on the street is that the first pool will reopen as soon as it’s safe, and stable.
Here’s additional web links to explore:
Terwilliger Hot Springs – Willamette National Forest Website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar_Hot_Springs
Cameron McKirdy Nude in a Hot Springs Waterfall
HD video produced by http://www.cameronmckirdy.com
Recently I camped in a Walmart parking lot on West 11th in Eugene, Oregon. In this HD video you’ll get the scoop on what it’s like to do some urban stealth camping in my 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon GL. It was noisy, and the space is well lit, but in general, I got great rest. It feels good to be somewhere, and not have to pay for the experience. This was a fun experiment, and I’d recommend it to any Survival Bros. out there. Staying at Walmart for free beats dropping hundreds for a night in a hotel. Would you try this? Live simple my friends. More videos about my summer road trip coming soon. Thanks for visiting my blog! Peace and love.
Produced By Cameron McKirdy
Jason shows off his big bad three wheeler at The Cove near the beach. This vehicle can carry massive amounts of cargo, and it handles extremely well. I’ve seen him drift it, and ride on two wheels down the prom in Seaside, OR. Like his survival cycle? It’s comfortable, and functional. You’ll see it coming with the contrasting red and flat black paint. Survival Bros loves that it’s high visibility, even though it sits low. The extra lights make it considerably safer on the road less traveled. Thanks for visiting our emergency preparedness blog. Enter your email on the top left of the screen to subscribe! Peace.
The Custom Chopper Trike ready to roll
Cameron McKirdy from Survival Bros shows you how to gather freebies at a motel. Embrace hoarding, and be the real prepper you can be. Not that I’d do it, but I bet you could walk into any hotel and politely ask for another shampoo, soap, and coffee and you’d get hooked up without being questioned about what room you are staying in. Just saying. I’ve already put my freebies in Ziploc bags for storage. Happy prepping. Please SUBSCRIBE to Survival Bros on YouTube! Thank you.
By Cameron Consumption McKirdy
My dad and I have been planning this one for awhile. We hiked half of the Ramona Loop and lots more on Mount Hood in Oregon. It was brutal. The hike was almost 18 grueling miles. We crossed the Sandy River several times, and were on the epic Pacific Crest Trail.
First I will list the gear in my day pack. I rocked a black Kelty day bag with a new U.S.M.C approved 3 liter Camelbak hydration system. I recently got that at a Navy Exchange. Here was my checklist: compass with whistle, emergency poncho, Mylar blanket, Bear Grylls Gerber Ultimate Survival kit, Moleskin plus padding, Coleman biodegradable eipes, caffeine pills, lighter, various fruit and nut bars, GoPro Hero 3 Black on my head, Panasonic TS4 digital camera, Vibrams, Coast LED flashlight with with white and red light, extra socks, Chapstick with SPF, cash, mace pen, Coast Rapid Response 3.0 knife, 12 hour glow stick, Tillamook County turkey jerky, natural bug spray, and hand warmers. My backpack was on the heavy side with all the extra stuff. It weighed maybe 25 pounds.
To begin we hiked from our spot at Lost Creek campground. It was an easy climb along the Sandy river. We crossed it on a temporary wood bridge to get to Ramona Falls. I’d never been there. It was spectacular, and massive.
Along the way I spotted several types of mushrooms popping up. Unfortunately, king boletes are a few months away from harvest. I did find out at the Ranger Station that they only give out 20 mushroom collecting permits per day, and commercial hunting is not permitted. Amanita Muscarias are in season. But of course those are hallucinogenic and poisonous. I found a few russulas too. In addition, I identified and tried huckleberries. They aren’t my fav, but were better than nothing when I ran out of aqua.
We met lots of people on the trail. Most were on day hikes like us. The route from Timberline Lodge to Ramona Falls was popular. I wish we did that, because our hike sucked. We were mobbing hardcore for 10 hours straight. We only had a few brief breaks, just long enough to catch our breath, check the map, and grab a snack.
I wore new waterproof Columbia boots. They held up, and had lots of cushioning. My tall Nike Dri-Fit training socks helped too. They were dry at the end of the day, and shielded my legs as we bushwhacked the unpopular, overgrown trail. We almost didn’t make it back before nightfall! It was getting dark quickly in the forest. So we had to book it all day. I was dumping buckets of sweat. I went through my entire 3L hydration pack, plus 1.5 coconut waters.
The pain of hiking that much basically nonstop was draining. My feet hurt, knees ached, and balls were sore. Women complain about childbirth, but try hiking with a big pair. I stretched along the way, but my hamstrings were tight. If you plan on doing a trek like this, bring pain killers just in case. I will be sore tomorrow, but didn’t cramp up or anything. I managed.
It will be a day or so before I get back to civilization, and can upload pictures and HD video. I got great shots of the canyon, mountain, and river. The highlight of the day was when pops and I used sticks and hiking poles to cross the rapid Sandy river. It had a path of loose rocks and wet logs. We made it across fine, but my dad realized he left his boots across the river. I got a good laugh in and filmed him tip toeing to safety. So he had to cross 3 times then. He changed into sandals, and me the Vibrams, so we didn’t get our boots wet. More soon. Thanks for visiting the Survival Bros blog.
Dad crossing the Sandy River for the 4th time. He won’t leave his boots behind in the future.
Produced by Cameron McKirdy
My dad and I just got back to the Oregon Coast, after a 4 day trip playing on the McKenzie River and the trail. First we geared up, and hit the rapids with the Oregon Whitewater Association. A group of 70 extreme outdoor enthusiasts floated 14 miles down the river. The water was brutally cold, at only 47 degrees. I fell off our cataraft for the first time after we smashed into a log along the bank. I didn’t have time to be fearful. I was just trying to catch my breath from the shock of the water, and keep my legs up as I floated down. Of course, I had a class 3 life jacket on. I swam to the back of the boat, but didn’t like being where I couldn’t see the rocks ahead of me. Plus, I didn’t want to get trapped under the massive military grade raft. So I separated from the craft, and tried to swim to shore, but the water was moving too fast, and nobody there could help me. I swam to the side of the raft, and was barely able to climb back on. I had to quickly jump off the river bottom to boost myself up. I was fatigued, and just wanted to sit down and assess my injuries. I hit my knee on a rock, and bloodied by shin up. I was only in the river for a few minutes, but it wouldn’t have been long before my body started shutting down, and hypothermia set in. It was intense.
I had my iPhone 4S in my pocket with a LifeProof case on when I went overboard. It worked. No water got in thankfully. In my other pocket I was carrying the new Coast DX335 rescue knife. It stayed clipped on, but luckily I didn’t have to use it. You’d be surprised how many people die on the river getting tangled in ropes. Below is a funny clip I took with the LifeProof case on my cell. It took great video, and you can hear my dad yelling at me to put it away. He thought it was going to get splashed, or fall in as we hit the drop in the rapids. Also below is an HD video review of the Coast Products knife. I will update this blog as I get media online. I used my GoPro Hero 3 Black camera to record my treacherous mountain bike ride down the McKenzie River Trail. That will be up soon. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros. Follow us on Twitter, Youtube, and join the community on Facebook. 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.
By Cameron McKirdy
What’s good? The Survival Bros Community is growing! People are sharing on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SurvivalBros and subscribing to Survival Bros on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/survivalbros My friends and I have big plans for the website.
Survival Bros is pleased to announce a new geocaching service on the site. We are currently preparing caches to hide all over the world! There will be special treasure for the first time finder. We won’t make the clues, or locations easy. You may need hiking boots. It’s going to be great. More soon.
If you live on the Oregon Coast, there will be a mushroom hunting foray at Fort Stevens in Warrenton OR this Sunday. Here’s what their website says: Fort Stevens Mysterious Mushrooms
Oct 20, 2012 at Fort Stevens State Park. 1 p.m. Meet at Picnic Shelter A at Coffenbury Lake for a program on wild mushrooms followed by a hike to hunt for fungi.
The weather outside is nasty. It’s time to mix up training routines. Personally, I’ve been doing less biking and hiking, and more indoor activities. I will be doing more body weight exercises, swimming, and lifting weights at the gym. It’s time to run too. Good luck challenging your body.
To be honest, now feels like the time to bulk up for colder months. I’ve been consuming every calorie possible. My peeps and I don’t mess around when it comes to food. After all, I am a pro eater. Look at this collection of dank eats I devoured.
Finally, here’s a preppers quote to consider, “two is one, one is none.” That means, your tools will get lost, or fail. It’s best to have two of what you need. Look around your house and see what you really use. Get that pantry tight with essentials. That’s all for now. Best wishes. – Cam
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 