GRIT Country Skills Series

Like any good project, installing a deer feeder requires adequate preparation and safety. Mother Earth News Editor-in-Chief Hank Will discusses the finer points like clearing surrounding brush, trimming tree branches with a pole saw, and placing the

Survival training involves far more than just learning basic survival skills necessary to endure hardship. The mechanics of constructing a shelter, finding food and water, and building a fire are crucial, but they’re only part of the whole. The art o

The struggle for survival is a fascinating and inspiring subject, forming the basis for many of the most memorable books and movies. Psychologist Al Siebert’s personal fascination with survivors began when he received his military training from a gro

Shelters are particularly important in cold or rough weather or when you must remain in an area for a prolonged period of time. Good shelter should: • Protect you from the wind and the elements. • Be easily built to conserve energy. • Be easily and a

On our first hitchhiking trip together, my partner Al and I carried low-cost fiberfill-insulated sleeping bags. (We simply couldn’t afford goose-down bags and knew that the feathery stuffing loses its warmth-giving properties when it gets wet, anyway

When you’re out collecting firewood, foraging for wild edibles, or plowing your fields, you can never be sure that you won’t suddenly be faced with a situation in which your survival depends upon your ability to make a shelter, find food and water, a

Many early native American people believed that water was the Earth Mother’s blood. And the purpose of the sacred substance — in the minds of such individuals — was to give life to all the world’s beings. Therefore, men and women were expected to be

When humans first learned to create fire, that moment forever changed us: We rose above mere survival. We kept cold weather and predators at bay, cooked diverse and tasty foods, shaped tools and weapons, and thus we progressed. Our very lives have be

It’s very difficult to write a survival article on wild foods that will be relevant to readers in a broad range of areas and terrains. Therefore, I’ve tried to include a variety of widely distributed plants that can be easily identified and are — for

Cattail is one of my favorite survival foods. It has been a staple of both Native American and rural European diets since prehistoric times. It’s a favorite of mine for survival because it is found literally all over the world, virtually every part o

After supplying him- or herself with shelter, water, and warmth, the survivalist must give attention to the search for nourishment. However, even after locating food, folks who find themselves unexpectedly stranded in the wilderness aren’t likely to

Where I live there are definitely edible insects, but not in the same variation and abundance as other bioregions. I’ve read accounts of Paiute food gatherers burning a field of grass to expose (and roast) large quantities of grasshoppers, and indige

Most people, when trying to imagine how they might react if faced with a survival situation, immediately focus their attention on the problem of obtaining food. However, filling one’s belly rates pretty low in the list of wilderness survival prioriti

If our modern conveniences were suddenly stripped away, would we survive? I think that, as man has grown increasingly detached from nature, this question has become subconsciously present in the minds of more and more people — as is evident from both

Cordage — that is, thread, string, or rope — is all but indispensable in a survival situation. It can be used for (among other things) bowstrings, fishing lines, trap triggers, snares, and lashings. Most people would likely despair if forced to make

Before the bandages, before the dressing, before the splints and sutures, wilderness first aid must address certain basic problems, regardless of the injury or illness, that conventional first-aid courses often omit. When you are miles from help with

Heading back to the land (or making a move toward greater self-sufficiency) will, sooner or later, mean a return to the use of ropes. Without simple hitches (single ropes tied to objects) and bends (ropes joined together), loads fall off trucks, a co

If it hadn’t been for the help we got from the native old-timers, my friend, Dennis, and I would have starved or just plain quit the winter we settled into that abandoned miner’s cabin in Alaska. The sourdoughs came to our rescue, though, and soon ta

Some 10 years back, I left the city and set out to build a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. It was late September before I could actually begin construction of the dwelling, and the rivers were already freezing, so I had to work hard and quick! Yet —

Hiking in the mountains means cold nights and changeable days. A wide-brimmed wool hat, Alaskan wool shirt, climbing knickers, over-the-knee wool socks, and a down parka (kept ready at the top of the pack) should prepare you for any mercury plunging

Whatever you did, you didn’t want to touch those walls in a rainstorm. And it was heavier than all get-out. When I was a young boy, and even today, the family camping tent was and remains an important tool and a special space. I remember laying down

I thought I’d never figure it out. I mean, you can go backpacking with one small child or even canoe camping with two. But three? How do you get away from civilization (including crowded campgrounds) if you have a trio of kids to cart along? That was

In today’s world of blackouts, big storms, terror alerts, and global warming, many of us will experience significant disruptions in the flow of electricity or goods at some point in our lives. Having an emergency survival kit can be a big comfort and

In mid-December of 1992, unusually dry conditions had people cancelling their reservations for Christmas in Tahoe, but then the weather changed. A couple days before Christmas, it started snowing, and for the next three months it seemed to never stop