James,
Going through some old gear last month, I found my foodsupply lists and notes from 1976-79. I thought the old list might be ofinterest and the lessons I learned during the first three years in the remoteAlaska bush may be helpful to a few of your readers. I do not recommend Alaska for a TEOTWAWKIretreat but the lessons I learned the hard way may be helpful to any one in acold climate.
I grew up in Californialisting to stories from my grandfather about Alaskaand the Yukon.When I graduated from high school my grandfather gave me his remote trappingcabin in Alaska.At 18 I had a lot to learn and discovered many things the hard way. I was luckyto survive the first year.
When I got to AlaskaI met my Grandfathers old trapping partner. He told me that the cabin wasfully stocked with everything including food. Enough food and supplies for atleast one winter. When I started asking him questions on how to trap he told mesonny I have not got the time to teach you and since you dont have to buildthe cabin you will have time to figure it out. He added half under his breathproviding you do not fall through the ice or freeze to death. He also saidsomething to the effect that if he had not owed my grandfather a favor he wouldnever give his ½ of the cabin to a long haired hippy kid from California. I had to promise the oldSourdough that I would have all of his traps flown back to town at the end ofthe trapping season or buy the traps from him.
My first winter was a disaster.
Before this the longest I had been in the wilderness was a23 day Outward Bound survival class that I attended the year before and I hadnever spent a winter in a cold environment.
To get to the trapping cabin it was at least a two week walkfrom the end of closest dirt road or a 1:20 hour flight in a bush plane. Thecheapest way to fly to the cabin was in a Piper PA-18 Super Cub on tundratires. The pilot told me he could carry 1 passenger and 200 lbs of supplies ora total of 400 pounds of supplies and no passenger.
When the pilot dropped me off he told me If I am in thearea I will check on you He did not have any charters that way so he did notcheck on me that winter.
I got out of the plane with a full back pack of gear, aduffel bag of supplies and a 30-06 rifle. I had to walk a few miles to thecabin. I left the duffel bag in a tree to retrieve later. With a full back packand my rifle I walked as fast as I could to the cabin. I was excited to see Mycabin at last. What a shock I had when I saw the cabin! The old Trapper hadlived many winters in the cabin and told me it was built strong. What I foundwas a small log shack with a dirt floor and sod roof. In the cabin a woodstove, a hand built bed frame and table. A old bed mattress suspended by wirefrom the rafters. There were traps, snow shoes, ax, bow saw, one man cross cutsaw, files, a lantern and the other basics that are needed to survive the Alaska winter as atrapper. The trapper had not been to the cabin for four years. At least 60% ofthe food supply that I was counting on had been eaten by rodents or hadspoiled.
First lesson learned! If you count on food to be there whenyou need it, You
better have had your food stored in a verysecure way or you may go hungry. Theft is also something to be considered intodays society and in TEOTWAWKI losing your food cache would be disastrous
Most people think it must have been boring spending 4 ½ months alone in acabin. The reality is I was too busy just trying to cut enough wood to staywarm and skin the marten, fox or wolf that I trapped or shot. I was cold,hungry and exhausted most of the time. I never had the time to get board. Beinga green horn at trapping I only averaged 1 animal a week and it was usuallyshot instead of trapped.
The first winter at the cabin.
As soon as I walked into the cabin I I knew I was in trouble. I did not havethe 4-to-5 month supply of food I needed. I had a topo map of the trapping areaonly but did not have the maps to get me back to the road or town, Secondlesson! Make your Egress plans ahead of time and have at least 2 goodcontingency plans.
Thankfully in the cabin there were two steel drums with snap ring lids thatwere full of dry goods and on the shelves were some cans of dried goods thatwere also still good. The following list is what was still edible in the cabinas best as I can remember
* 50 lbs Bisquick
* 50 lbs Beans
* 25 lbs Rice
* 10 Lbs Lentils
* 20 lbs Oatmeal
* 10 lbs Coffee
* 2 lbs black pepper
* 10 lbs Crisco
* 4 lbs Honey
* 25 lbs salt
The supplies along with a young moose I shot did keep me alive but it was nofun. I had youth and enthusiasm on my side and knew the situation wastemporary. I decided to just make it a challenge and kind of live some of mygrandfather's stories first hand for myself. I had in my pack 1 roll of toiletpaper but there was none at the cabin
Third Lesson! Birch bark, snow or small pine cones work but make a very poorsubstitute for toilet paper. I also learned later that winter that at -40 yourbutt will freeze to a wood toilet seat in the outhouse. Make a toilet seat forthe outhouse out of hard blue Styrofoam for winter will make using the outhouseless of a pain in the butt.
As fall quickly turned to winter the lake next to the cabin froze and the tempcontinued to drop. The high quality mountaineering boots I had used in the highSierra mountains of California and Nevada were not anywherenear warm enough and did not have removable liners so the boots were hard todry.
Forth lesson Pac boots with 2 sets of liners or bunny boots are must have itemsfor cold environments.
Many times during the winter I could have shot Grouse or Ptarmigan If I had a22 pistol. That would have added much wanted variety to the menu. The other problemI learned is if you get a wolf or wolverine in one of your traps a 30-06 blowstoo big a hole in the hide and destroys most of the value of the fur.
Fifth Lesson! a .22 rifle or pistol is a musthave item.
After 2 months my clothes were in bad shape.Most Light weight high tech clothing used for backpacking or mountaineering isnot designed for day to day hard use and does not hold up to rigors outdoorwork for the long haul. High quality wool clothing does a lot better over thelong haul and is not susceptible to melting next to a fire like nylon is. Yeswool is heavy and takes longer to dry but in my opinion for working in thewoods wool is the way to go.
Sixth lesson ! clothing made for loggers,Surveyors and commercial fisherman may be heavy but it last a lot better thansporting gear. Filson is the best.
My diet was boring and I was always hungryafter two months. I started getting sick and my teeth seemed to be gettingloose. It finally dawned on me that I had no intake of Vitamin C. I may havehad Scurvy. Remembering something I learned from my grandfather I startedeating rose hips that were dried and still hanging on a few bushes near thecabin. Thankfully we did not have deep snows that year so I could find a fewrose hips. I was lucky! Seventh Lesson! make sure you have a source of VitaminC.
Every time I took my rifle inside the warmcabin it would condensate and the rifle would get wet.
Eighth Lesson If you bring a rifle into awarm cabin from a below freezing environment it will condensate, this promotescorrosion in addition the moisture in the bolt may be frozen the next time youare outside in the cold. If you do bring a weapon in from the cold strip itdown, dry it and clean it. I left my rifle outside next to the door for most ofthe winter and only brought it in to clean. This would not work in a TEOTWAWKIso other tactics will have to be developed.
One morning there was a small earth quakethat got me to thinking of my family and the outside world. Started fellingvery alone. Starting thinking what if the Russians had dropped the bomb Iwould not know it.
Lesson #9! Being able to at least hear whatis going on in the outside world helps your mental attitude a lot. A radio tolisten to the news was smoothing I longed for.
Snow shoes are easy to use and most anyonewill figure them out quickly. When you are working on snow shoes you will fallnow and then. Lesson # 10 tape the muzzle of your rifle to keep snow out of thebarrel when you take the invariable header into the snow. I use electrical tapeor put a condom over the muzzle of all my rifles in the field to keepeverything out of the barrel. It will not affect accuracy unless you areshooting over 300 yards.
The winter was full of hardship and big education. I did enjoy it but given achoice I would not want to repeat that Winter. In the spring I sold my furs in Anchorage. The fur buyercould tell I had never trapped before as the way I had prepared the pelts waspoor at best. I got .20 cents on the dollar for my pelts and I think that wasgenerous on the part of the fur buyer. 4-½ months of hard work and after payingthe bush pilot along with the money I still owed the trapper I would have lessthan $100. The trapper met me at the fur buyer after paying him for his trapshe was now very friendly and asked me many questions. He encouraged me to goback for at least one more winter. He told me to go get a bath and haircut andmeet him at the White Spot cafe down the street in downtown Anchorage and he would buy me a good meal.While eating he handed me a the following list
* 90 lbs bisquick
* 50 lbs Beans
* 50 lbs Rice
* 25 lbs Salt
* 25 lbs Lentils
* 20 lbs oatmeal
* 10 lbs Sugar
* 10 lbs lard
* 10 lbs powdered milk
* 10 lbs split peas
* 10 lbs Tang [freeze-dried orange juice powder]
* 10 lbs coffee
* 10 lbs noodles
* 1 case tomato paste
* 5 lbs strawberry Jam
* 4 lbs honey
* 2 lbs pepper
* 5 gal White gasoline
* 4 large boxes wood matches
* 24 large Plumber's Candles
* 8 rolls toilet paper
* 6 lantern mantels
* 7 Lbs Trapping wire
* Gun oil
* Trapping lures and scents
This was the list of supplies that the trapper had the pilot bring to the cabineach spring when the plane came to pick him up. This filled what would haveotherwise been an empty plane. In early April the lake next to the cabin wasstill frozen so the plane would land on skis and taxi next to the cabin. Thepilot and trapper would put the supplies into the cabin then the pilot flew thetrapper back to town.
The Trapper then informed me that he had purchased the supplies for me and washaving them flown to the cabin along with 2 more steel drums to safely storethe supplies in.
The "Rifle and a Backpack" Myth
I often get a chuckle from people that think they can fill a back pack and headinto the woods and survive long term with what is in a back pack. Untilrecently I spent most of my life guiding in Alaskaand in Africa. I spent an average 110 days a yearliving out of a back pack under a tarp or in a pup tent, and another 180 dayseach year living in a remote cabins without electricity or running water.
In an uninhabited game rich environment with a rifle and only a back pack ofgear I could survive for a period of time. How long could I survive? I do notknow as there are too many variables.
What I do know is in the case of TEOTWAWKI where many people would be fleeingthe cities and overcrowding the wild places looking for food I could notsurvive trying to live off the land with only a back pack full of gear. Therewill simply not be the recourses available. If a skilled person had no ethicsthey could take to stealing, looting, probably murder/cannibalism they mightmake it long term starting with only a back pack full of gear. For me and myfamily I believe in preparing now and stocking up while food and supplies areavailable and reasonably priced.
In the early 1980s I bought a lot of my supplies from a sporting goods/gunstore in Anchorage.The store maintained an excellent inventory for hunters, trappers orsurvivalists. The store manager could talk the talk on both survival andhunting. One fall he hired me to take him on a 14-day bow hunting trip into theAlaska bushand film the adventure. He also hired a young guy that had just moved to Alaska from Georgia to help carry camera gear.I was concerned regarding the greenhorn from Georgia and even more concernedwhen I saw his marginal gear. The Georgia greenhorn however did fineand was a huge help on the trip. The trip however was a complete failure. Thestore manager had every neat gadget I had ever seen and many that I had neverheard of. His pack was too full to carry any of the food or camera gear. He wasout of shape and his pack was also too heavy for him to comfortably carry.After the float plane dropped us off on a high mountain lake we planned to walkfor a week to my cabin hunting Dall Sheep on the way. Then at the Cabin weplanned to hunt Moose and Grizzly. During the first 2 days the store managerleft a lot of gadgets and some
much needed gear on the trail to lighten his pack. I was stunned as I thoughtthis guy knew his stuff but he was totally bewildered on how to apply hisknowledge or gear in the field. One of the things I still clearly remember ishe actually dumped all of his extra socks and his rain gear at the first nightscamp. Leaving that gear behind cost him dearly. The Greenhorn from Georgia was a farm kid and was able to adapt tothe Alaska bush even with his marginal gearand lack of knowledge of the Alaskabush. The store manager never made a single stalk on any animal as it became achallenge to just get the store manager to the cabin. By the time we got him tothe cabin his feet were so badly blistered he could hardly walk and could noteven carry his own pack or bow. This rambling story actually has a point. I hadheard the store manager tell many people before our trip that with his properlyequipped backpack he could easily survive in the bush indefinitely. Mygrandfather use to say: "Ignorance is bliss but it will not put food onthe table."
My Second Winter
I still had a lot to learn but this winterwas a lot better. First thing when I arrived at the cabin was to see that thesupplies were all there and in fine shape. I also had topo maps and now knew 3different routes to get back to civilization. It was at least a 2 week walk butI at least knew the routes to get there.
In a TEOTWAWKI situation if you are at yourretreat in the winter you will probably also get into a routine. That could beboth good and bad. Think security and mix the times up so ambush is harder forthe goons to set up.
Winter set in, an in my second winter in thecabin, it did not take long to get into my routine. Every day starts the same.At approximately 6:00 A.M. The alarm clock goes off. What I mean the stove hasonly a few coals left and the cabin is freezing so I have to get up and stokethe fire. Then step outside into the extreme cold. Cut a log into rounds andthis is done in the dark. Then go down to the lake still in the dark (batteriesfor the flashlight are too precious to waste and so is gas for the lantern)carefully chip the ice around each of five fishing lines with a hatchet. Pullup the hook hoping for a burbut (fresh water ling cod) reset the bait, haulwater back to the cabin. If I had not caught a fish for breakfast then on themeat pole next to the cabin I used the saw and cut off a frozen chunk ofcaribou. Still dark and I am cold, step into the cabin warm up my frozen hands,dry my gloves and cook breakfast on the wood stove. Then put the dutch ovenwith beans, lentils or rice on the wood stove to rehydrate while I am gone forthe day. Pack my lunch: two pancakes with a slab of cooked caribou meat in themiddle, also put one tablespoon of tang into my insulated water bottle thenfill it with hot water from the pot on the stove. Warm tang makes a nice midmorning warm up on the trail and is a source of Vitamin C.
As it is just starting to get light strap onthe snow shoes and head out pulling the sled. If it has not snowed I can walkon top of the packed trail with the snow shoes on the sled.
The day is spent dragging the sled checking and resetting traps while constantlylooking for a wolf, fox or wolverine to shoot. During each day I must also finda dry standing dead spruce tree to cut down and limb with the ax then using thesled haul it back to the cabin. Must always be on my main trail with everythingtied onto the sled before it is completely dark. Days are short: the mid-wintersun is only up for 4 ½ hrs. I used my flashlight is only for emergencies.
Following a packed trail is easy in the dark just remember to get behind thesled on any downhill or the sled will hit you in the back of your legs andcould break a snowshoe or your leg. Usually get back to the cabin long afterdark.
Lesson # 11 Cross country skis are no substitute for snow shoes.
The snow shoes at the cabin were old and on the last legs of useful life.Instead of bringing a new set of snow shoes I had purchased a new set of backcountry cross country skis to the cabin. I thought I would use the snow shoesas a backup. Learned that skis are not as good to work on as snow shoes fordoing chores or trapping. Skis have a place and can save time but are not areplacement for snow shoes. In snow country snow shoes are essential and skisare a nice luxury.
Each night when I finally arrive at the cabin I am tired and hungry. Firstthing is to start the fire then fix dinner. After dinner if I was lucky thatday I can light the lantern and skin whatever I had trapped or shot after ithas thawed. 9:15 PM is the highlight of the day! I get to listen to the AMradio for 45 minutes.
Lesson #8 and had brought a radio this time. Always hoping Caribou Clatters hasa message for me from my family. Allow myself 45 minutes to read by lantern orcandle light. 11:00 PM
re-stoke the fire and collapse on the bed.The radio, dinner and sleep are the reward of a days hard work. Around 2:30 AMthe fire has burned to just a few coals and I get cold, get up put more wood onand go back to sleep. The next thing I know it is 6:00 AM the fire has burnedto just a few coals and it is freezing in the cabin and the day starts all overagain.
Lesson #12 In a cold winter climate Use nooil in the bolt or trigger assembly of your rifle as it may freeze. I tried toshoot at a wolf (a wolf hide was then worth $450) when I pulled the trigger onmy rifle it only went click. The firing pin would not strike the primer withenough force to set off the primer. After the second try and another click thewolf ran off and out of range. That was only an expensive lesson. In aTEOTWAWKI it could have been some one shooting at me and I would have had auseless rifle.
On my daily trips to check the fishing linesand get water I knew the ice was 28 thick and still getting thicker each week.A December day the temp was -27 F and I was crossing the outlet end of a smalllake to check out some tracks. Not worrying as I thought the ice was 28 thickeverywhere I fell through the ice and found myself waist deep in water. Thiswas two miles from my cabin It was all I could do to make it to the cabin.
Lesson #13 any out let or inlet of a frozenlake may have thin ice also a warm spring or other things can cause thin ice.The fire was out in my stove and no coals were left. I had a very hard timegetting a fire started and as a last resort used white gas and almost burneddown the cabin.
Lesson #14 have the kindling and all thefixings of a fire ready any time you leave your cabin. You never know whensomeone may be at the end of their strength and need to get a fire going.
One evening in early January I returned tothe cabin to find a note and care package on the table from the bush pilot. Thepilot had brought me a bag of oranges, a fruit cake and a newspaper. He alsoleft three letters from my family. It was if I had won the lotteryAs the snowgot deeper during the winter I started finding that many animals liked to usemy packed trail. I learned never underestimate the danger of a mooseparticularly in the winter if they are on a packed trail they may charge youinstead of going into deep snow. I had a cow moose chase me up a tree thenstomp my on sled and break one of my snow shoes.
Lesson #15 Moose are dangerous, especiallylate winter
In early February I came across Grizzlytracks in the snow. I was shocked as I thought that bears would be in the denall winter. I followed the tracks and found the bear had made a moose kill.
Lesson # 16 Grizzly bears and black bears donot truly hibernate and may be out of the den during any month of the year.Over the years I learned if a bear is away from his den in the winter it willbe hungry and grumpy.
As a kid I loved watching western movies. Itseemed to me cowboys wore their handgun in a low slung fast draw holster and Ithought that was cool. The western style fast draw holsters I tried in the bushwere useless. I now see that some law enforcement and military teams are usinga thigh mounted holster. I am not disputing the tactical points of that methodbut if you are working in the woods you will occasionally fall into snow ormud. That is when you want your hand gun in a full flap holster or in a normalholster worn under the last layer of clothing. Getting your hand gun into yourhand fast is of no use if it will not fire when you need it.
Lesson #18 Select holsters that will allowyou to comfortably carry your hand gun with you at all times and will protectthe weapon from the elements. I have tried over 40 different holsters andmethod of carrying my handgun. I strongly suggest you experiment now on how tocarry your own handgun. Find something that works for you. I presently usethree different holsters:
* A holster that I use to carry concealedwhen I am in a city environment.
* A holster when I am working in the bush.
* A holster when I am flying float planes.
In March, the bush pilot landed on the frozenlake with 400 lbs of supplies. He helped me put the food into the steel drumsfor the next trapping season then flew me back to town.
I had spent 160 days alone in the bushtrapping. I sold my furs to the fur buyer in Anchorage. After paying the bush pilot forthe supplies and flights to the cabin and back I had cleared $2,700.
I learned a lot that winter and over theyears refined the old trappers list to keep me well fed and a lot happier.
A More Complete Supply List
After my experiences the first two winters, Icomposed the following list. This is for one man for five to six months. It wasrefined for my personal taste and needs in the Alaska bush. The old trapper that I got myfirst list from made do with a lot less than what I took. This list is triedand true and not a just theory that someone made up. I had around 200 traps andran the line on snowshoes, foot and skis. Cut my firewood by hand (no chainsaw) and hauled my water from the lake in buckets. It was hard work 12-15 hoursa day 7 days a week and I burned a lot of calories. Using the following list Iate well and always had plenty of supplies left in the spring:
* 50 lbs Flour
* 50 lbs Bisquick
* 25 lbs Pancake mix
* 35 lbs Sugar
* 50 lbs Pinto Beans
* 25 lbs Rice
* 40 lbs Salt pork
* 25 lbs Salt
* 10 lbs Dried prunes
* 10 lbs Raisons
* 10 lbs Dried apricots
* 10 lbs Dried apples
* 10 lbs Dried peaches
* 25 lbs Oatmeal
* 10 lbs Honey
* 2 cases Tomato paste
* 25 lbs powdered milk
* 15 lbs [canned] Butter
* 25 lbs Corn meal
* 25 lbs [canned] Cheese
* 20 lbs Spaghetti Noodles
* 10 lbs Crisco
* 15 lbs Hot cocoa mix
* 10 lbs Dried eggs
* 5 lbs Strawberry Jam
* 3 lbs Apricot Jam
* 2 boxes Pilot bread
* 1 gal Maple Syrup
* 180 Multi vitamins
* 180 Vitamin C
* 1 lb [powdered dry] Yeast
* 180 Tea bags
* 1 lbs Pepper
* 1 lbs
* Baking soda
* 8 lbs
* Dried onions
* 1 lb Baking powder
* 1 lb. Corn starch
* 24 oz Garlic powder
* 12 oz Vanilla
* 2 rolls aluminum foil
* 1/2 gal Dish soap
* 5 bars non-scented soap
* 36 Canning lids (to can meat if we had a winter thaw or for leftover in thespring)
* 8 oz Hydrogen peroxide
* 2 oz Iodine
* 12 rolls Toilet paper
* 2 Small sponges
* 2 Scrub pads
* 1 roll Duct Tape
* 4 boxes of wooden Matches
* 24 Plumber's candles
* 500 rounds .22 long rifle hollow point ammo
* 100 .308 ammo 125 grain hollow point varmint ammo
* 20 rounds .308 ammo 180 grain (for Moose or Caribou )
* Trapping license and regulations
* Hunting license, moose tags and caribou tags
* New snowshoe bindings
* 1 truck inner tube
* 3 New hacksaw blades
* 2 New Ax handles
* 8 Bow saw blades
* 36 oz Lanolin
* 6 Disposable lighters
* 12 gal White gas [aka Coleman Fuel]
* 12 Lantern mantels
* 6 oz. Gun oil
* Trapping Lures, urine and musk
* 10 lbs Trap wax
* 2 rolls Survey ["flagging"] tape
* 1 pair Heavy Neoprene trapping gloves
* 7 lbs Trapping wire( 50% 12 ga and 50% 14 ga)
* 50 ft Trap Chain #2 and #3
* 24 Links
* 24 Swivels
* AM Radio with 8 extra 9 volt batteries
* 8 New stove pipe for cabin stove
* 4 Leather awl needles and 50 waxed thread
* Extra shoulder straps for pack frame
* Extra hip belt for pack
* New lid for fry pan 14
* 100 - 3/8 nylon rope
* 12x18 glass to replace cracked window
* Personal items
* 1 Wool Jacket
* 2 Wool pants
* 2 Work pants
* 1 Pair insulated Carhartt coveralls
* 4 Pair work gloves
* 2 Pair heavy winter over mittens.
* Winter trappers hat
* 1 pair
* Pack boots with 2 sets liners
* 1 pair Bunny Boots
* 1 Wool sweater
* 4 pair long sleeved wool shirts
* 3 pair Wool long john pants
* 3 pair Wool long john shirts
* 8 pair Wool socks
* 8 pair Cotton socks
* 6 pair Underpants
* 1 Bible
* 2 flying ground school books
* 6 Short sleeve Cotton shirts
* Tooth brush
* Tooth powder
* 2 rolls dental floss
* Carried or in an external frame pack:
* 1 .308 rifle
* 1 22 pistol (Colt Woodsman)
* Rain coat
* Rain pants
* Insolite sleeping pad
* Sleeping bag
* 10x12 and 4x8 light nylon tarps
* Flashlight
* Flashlight batteries
* Binoculars, 10x40
* Green River skinning knife, caping knife, boning knife.
* Small stone, small file and small diamond steel
* Compass
* Topo maps 1:250,000 scale
* 2 Candles
* Matches in waterproof container
* Lighter
* Small cook pot with lid
* Water bottle
* 100 Parachute cord
* Small First aid kit with Large suture needles and suture, in sealed pack
* Mini channel locks (Snap-on) used for sutures and other things
* Pack repair kit
* ¾-length Hand ax. (Estwing)
* Small shovel
* Bow saw with extra blade
* 1 pair wool socks
* Wire snares
* Fish hooks and line
* 25 .042 stainless wire
* 1 lb Dried soup mix
http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/09/...arlessons.html
Going through some old gear last month, I found my foodsupply lists and notes from 1976-79. I thought the old list might be ofinterest and the lessons I learned during the first three years in the remoteAlaska bush may be helpful to a few of your readers. I do not recommend Alaska for a TEOTWAWKIretreat but the lessons I learned the hard way may be helpful to any one in acold climate.
I grew up in Californialisting to stories from my grandfather about Alaskaand the Yukon.When I graduated from high school my grandfather gave me his remote trappingcabin in Alaska.At 18 I had a lot to learn and discovered many things the hard way. I was luckyto survive the first year.
When I got to AlaskaI met my Grandfathers old trapping partner. He told me that the cabin wasfully stocked with everything including food. Enough food and supplies for atleast one winter. When I started asking him questions on how to trap he told mesonny I have not got the time to teach you and since you dont have to buildthe cabin you will have time to figure it out. He added half under his breathproviding you do not fall through the ice or freeze to death. He also saidsomething to the effect that if he had not owed my grandfather a favor he wouldnever give his ½ of the cabin to a long haired hippy kid from California. I had to promise the oldSourdough that I would have all of his traps flown back to town at the end ofthe trapping season or buy the traps from him.
My first winter was a disaster.
Before this the longest I had been in the wilderness was a23 day Outward Bound survival class that I attended the year before and I hadnever spent a winter in a cold environment.
To get to the trapping cabin it was at least a two week walkfrom the end of closest dirt road or a 1:20 hour flight in a bush plane. Thecheapest way to fly to the cabin was in a Piper PA-18 Super Cub on tundratires. The pilot told me he could carry 1 passenger and 200 lbs of supplies ora total of 400 pounds of supplies and no passenger.
When the pilot dropped me off he told me If I am in thearea I will check on you He did not have any charters that way so he did notcheck on me that winter.
I got out of the plane with a full back pack of gear, aduffel bag of supplies and a 30-06 rifle. I had to walk a few miles to thecabin. I left the duffel bag in a tree to retrieve later. With a full back packand my rifle I walked as fast as I could to the cabin. I was excited to see Mycabin at last. What a shock I had when I saw the cabin! The old Trapper hadlived many winters in the cabin and told me it was built strong. What I foundwas a small log shack with a dirt floor and sod roof. In the cabin a woodstove, a hand built bed frame and table. A old bed mattress suspended by wirefrom the rafters. There were traps, snow shoes, ax, bow saw, one man cross cutsaw, files, a lantern and the other basics that are needed to survive the Alaska winter as atrapper. The trapper had not been to the cabin for four years. At least 60% ofthe food supply that I was counting on had been eaten by rodents or hadspoiled.
First lesson learned! If you count on food to be there whenyou need it, You
better have had your food stored in a verysecure way or you may go hungry. Theft is also something to be considered intodays society and in TEOTWAWKI losing your food cache would be disastrous
Most people think it must have been boring spending 4 ½ months alone in acabin. The reality is I was too busy just trying to cut enough wood to staywarm and skin the marten, fox or wolf that I trapped or shot. I was cold,hungry and exhausted most of the time. I never had the time to get board. Beinga green horn at trapping I only averaged 1 animal a week and it was usuallyshot instead of trapped.
The first winter at the cabin.
As soon as I walked into the cabin I I knew I was in trouble. I did not havethe 4-to-5 month supply of food I needed. I had a topo map of the trapping areaonly but did not have the maps to get me back to the road or town, Secondlesson! Make your Egress plans ahead of time and have at least 2 goodcontingency plans.
Thankfully in the cabin there were two steel drums with snap ring lids thatwere full of dry goods and on the shelves were some cans of dried goods thatwere also still good. The following list is what was still edible in the cabinas best as I can remember
* 50 lbs Bisquick
* 50 lbs Beans
* 25 lbs Rice
* 10 Lbs Lentils
* 20 lbs Oatmeal
* 10 lbs Coffee
* 2 lbs black pepper
* 10 lbs Crisco
* 4 lbs Honey
* 25 lbs salt
The supplies along with a young moose I shot did keep me alive but it was nofun. I had youth and enthusiasm on my side and knew the situation wastemporary. I decided to just make it a challenge and kind of live some of mygrandfather's stories first hand for myself. I had in my pack 1 roll of toiletpaper but there was none at the cabin
Third Lesson! Birch bark, snow or small pine cones work but make a very poorsubstitute for toilet paper. I also learned later that winter that at -40 yourbutt will freeze to a wood toilet seat in the outhouse. Make a toilet seat forthe outhouse out of hard blue Styrofoam for winter will make using the outhouseless of a pain in the butt.
As fall quickly turned to winter the lake next to the cabin froze and the tempcontinued to drop. The high quality mountaineering boots I had used in the highSierra mountains of California and Nevada were not anywherenear warm enough and did not have removable liners so the boots were hard todry.
Forth lesson Pac boots with 2 sets of liners or bunny boots are must have itemsfor cold environments.
Many times during the winter I could have shot Grouse or Ptarmigan If I had a22 pistol. That would have added much wanted variety to the menu. The other problemI learned is if you get a wolf or wolverine in one of your traps a 30-06 blowstoo big a hole in the hide and destroys most of the value of the fur.
Fifth Lesson! a .22 rifle or pistol is a musthave item.
After 2 months my clothes were in bad shape.Most Light weight high tech clothing used for backpacking or mountaineering isnot designed for day to day hard use and does not hold up to rigors outdoorwork for the long haul. High quality wool clothing does a lot better over thelong haul and is not susceptible to melting next to a fire like nylon is. Yeswool is heavy and takes longer to dry but in my opinion for working in thewoods wool is the way to go.
Sixth lesson ! clothing made for loggers,Surveyors and commercial fisherman may be heavy but it last a lot better thansporting gear. Filson is the best.
My diet was boring and I was always hungryafter two months. I started getting sick and my teeth seemed to be gettingloose. It finally dawned on me that I had no intake of Vitamin C. I may havehad Scurvy. Remembering something I learned from my grandfather I startedeating rose hips that were dried and still hanging on a few bushes near thecabin. Thankfully we did not have deep snows that year so I could find a fewrose hips. I was lucky! Seventh Lesson! make sure you have a source of VitaminC.
Every time I took my rifle inside the warmcabin it would condensate and the rifle would get wet.
Eighth Lesson If you bring a rifle into awarm cabin from a below freezing environment it will condensate, this promotescorrosion in addition the moisture in the bolt may be frozen the next time youare outside in the cold. If you do bring a weapon in from the cold strip itdown, dry it and clean it. I left my rifle outside next to the door for most ofthe winter and only brought it in to clean. This would not work in a TEOTWAWKIso other tactics will have to be developed.
One morning there was a small earth quakethat got me to thinking of my family and the outside world. Started fellingvery alone. Starting thinking what if the Russians had dropped the bomb Iwould not know it.
Lesson #9! Being able to at least hear whatis going on in the outside world helps your mental attitude a lot. A radio tolisten to the news was smoothing I longed for.
Snow shoes are easy to use and most anyonewill figure them out quickly. When you are working on snow shoes you will fallnow and then. Lesson # 10 tape the muzzle of your rifle to keep snow out of thebarrel when you take the invariable header into the snow. I use electrical tapeor put a condom over the muzzle of all my rifles in the field to keepeverything out of the barrel. It will not affect accuracy unless you areshooting over 300 yards.
The winter was full of hardship and big education. I did enjoy it but given achoice I would not want to repeat that Winter. In the spring I sold my furs in Anchorage. The fur buyercould tell I had never trapped before as the way I had prepared the pelts waspoor at best. I got .20 cents on the dollar for my pelts and I think that wasgenerous on the part of the fur buyer. 4-½ months of hard work and after payingthe bush pilot along with the money I still owed the trapper I would have lessthan $100. The trapper met me at the fur buyer after paying him for his trapshe was now very friendly and asked me many questions. He encouraged me to goback for at least one more winter. He told me to go get a bath and haircut andmeet him at the White Spot cafe down the street in downtown Anchorage and he would buy me a good meal.While eating he handed me a the following list
* 90 lbs bisquick
* 50 lbs Beans
* 50 lbs Rice
* 25 lbs Salt
* 25 lbs Lentils
* 20 lbs oatmeal
* 10 lbs Sugar
* 10 lbs lard
* 10 lbs powdered milk
* 10 lbs split peas
* 10 lbs Tang [freeze-dried orange juice powder]
* 10 lbs coffee
* 10 lbs noodles
* 1 case tomato paste
* 5 lbs strawberry Jam
* 4 lbs honey
* 2 lbs pepper
* 5 gal White gasoline
* 4 large boxes wood matches
* 24 large Plumber's Candles
* 8 rolls toilet paper
* 6 lantern mantels
* 7 Lbs Trapping wire
* Gun oil
* Trapping lures and scents
This was the list of supplies that the trapper had the pilot bring to the cabineach spring when the plane came to pick him up. This filled what would haveotherwise been an empty plane. In early April the lake next to the cabin wasstill frozen so the plane would land on skis and taxi next to the cabin. Thepilot and trapper would put the supplies into the cabin then the pilot flew thetrapper back to town.
The Trapper then informed me that he had purchased the supplies for me and washaving them flown to the cabin along with 2 more steel drums to safely storethe supplies in.
The "Rifle and a Backpack" Myth
I often get a chuckle from people that think they can fill a back pack and headinto the woods and survive long term with what is in a back pack. Untilrecently I spent most of my life guiding in Alaskaand in Africa. I spent an average 110 days a yearliving out of a back pack under a tarp or in a pup tent, and another 180 dayseach year living in a remote cabins without electricity or running water.
In an uninhabited game rich environment with a rifle and only a back pack ofgear I could survive for a period of time. How long could I survive? I do notknow as there are too many variables.
What I do know is in the case of TEOTWAWKI where many people would be fleeingthe cities and overcrowding the wild places looking for food I could notsurvive trying to live off the land with only a back pack full of gear. Therewill simply not be the recourses available. If a skilled person had no ethicsthey could take to stealing, looting, probably murder/cannibalism they mightmake it long term starting with only a back pack full of gear. For me and myfamily I believe in preparing now and stocking up while food and supplies areavailable and reasonably priced.
In the early 1980s I bought a lot of my supplies from a sporting goods/gunstore in Anchorage.The store maintained an excellent inventory for hunters, trappers orsurvivalists. The store manager could talk the talk on both survival andhunting. One fall he hired me to take him on a 14-day bow hunting trip into theAlaska bushand film the adventure. He also hired a young guy that had just moved to Alaska from Georgia to help carry camera gear.I was concerned regarding the greenhorn from Georgia and even more concernedwhen I saw his marginal gear. The Georgia greenhorn however did fineand was a huge help on the trip. The trip however was a complete failure. Thestore manager had every neat gadget I had ever seen and many that I had neverheard of. His pack was too full to carry any of the food or camera gear. He wasout of shape and his pack was also too heavy for him to comfortably carry.After the float plane dropped us off on a high mountain lake we planned to walkfor a week to my cabin hunting Dall Sheep on the way. Then at the Cabin weplanned to hunt Moose and Grizzly. During the first 2 days the store managerleft a lot of gadgets and some
much needed gear on the trail to lighten his pack. I was stunned as I thoughtthis guy knew his stuff but he was totally bewildered on how to apply hisknowledge or gear in the field. One of the things I still clearly remember ishe actually dumped all of his extra socks and his rain gear at the first nightscamp. Leaving that gear behind cost him dearly. The Greenhorn from Georgia was a farm kid and was able to adapt tothe Alaska bush even with his marginal gearand lack of knowledge of the Alaskabush. The store manager never made a single stalk on any animal as it became achallenge to just get the store manager to the cabin. By the time we got him tothe cabin his feet were so badly blistered he could hardly walk and could noteven carry his own pack or bow. This rambling story actually has a point. I hadheard the store manager tell many people before our trip that with his properlyequipped backpack he could easily survive in the bush indefinitely. Mygrandfather use to say: "Ignorance is bliss but it will not put food onthe table."
My Second Winter
I still had a lot to learn but this winterwas a lot better. First thing when I arrived at the cabin was to see that thesupplies were all there and in fine shape. I also had topo maps and now knew 3different routes to get back to civilization. It was at least a 2 week walk butI at least knew the routes to get there.
In a TEOTWAWKI situation if you are at yourretreat in the winter you will probably also get into a routine. That could beboth good and bad. Think security and mix the times up so ambush is harder forthe goons to set up.
Winter set in, an in my second winter in thecabin, it did not take long to get into my routine. Every day starts the same.At approximately 6:00 A.M. The alarm clock goes off. What I mean the stove hasonly a few coals left and the cabin is freezing so I have to get up and stokethe fire. Then step outside into the extreme cold. Cut a log into rounds andthis is done in the dark. Then go down to the lake still in the dark (batteriesfor the flashlight are too precious to waste and so is gas for the lantern)carefully chip the ice around each of five fishing lines with a hatchet. Pullup the hook hoping for a burbut (fresh water ling cod) reset the bait, haulwater back to the cabin. If I had not caught a fish for breakfast then on themeat pole next to the cabin I used the saw and cut off a frozen chunk ofcaribou. Still dark and I am cold, step into the cabin warm up my frozen hands,dry my gloves and cook breakfast on the wood stove. Then put the dutch ovenwith beans, lentils or rice on the wood stove to rehydrate while I am gone forthe day. Pack my lunch: two pancakes with a slab of cooked caribou meat in themiddle, also put one tablespoon of tang into my insulated water bottle thenfill it with hot water from the pot on the stove. Warm tang makes a nice midmorning warm up on the trail and is a source of Vitamin C.
As it is just starting to get light strap onthe snow shoes and head out pulling the sled. If it has not snowed I can walkon top of the packed trail with the snow shoes on the sled.
The day is spent dragging the sled checking and resetting traps while constantlylooking for a wolf, fox or wolverine to shoot. During each day I must also finda dry standing dead spruce tree to cut down and limb with the ax then using thesled haul it back to the cabin. Must always be on my main trail with everythingtied onto the sled before it is completely dark. Days are short: the mid-wintersun is only up for 4 ½ hrs. I used my flashlight is only for emergencies.
Following a packed trail is easy in the dark just remember to get behind thesled on any downhill or the sled will hit you in the back of your legs andcould break a snowshoe or your leg. Usually get back to the cabin long afterdark.
Lesson # 11 Cross country skis are no substitute for snow shoes.
The snow shoes at the cabin were old and on the last legs of useful life.Instead of bringing a new set of snow shoes I had purchased a new set of backcountry cross country skis to the cabin. I thought I would use the snow shoesas a backup. Learned that skis are not as good to work on as snow shoes fordoing chores or trapping. Skis have a place and can save time but are not areplacement for snow shoes. In snow country snow shoes are essential and skisare a nice luxury.
Each night when I finally arrive at the cabin I am tired and hungry. Firstthing is to start the fire then fix dinner. After dinner if I was lucky thatday I can light the lantern and skin whatever I had trapped or shot after ithas thawed. 9:15 PM is the highlight of the day! I get to listen to the AMradio for 45 minutes.
Lesson #8 and had brought a radio this time. Always hoping Caribou Clatters hasa message for me from my family. Allow myself 45 minutes to read by lantern orcandle light. 11:00 PM
re-stoke the fire and collapse on the bed.The radio, dinner and sleep are the reward of a days hard work. Around 2:30 AMthe fire has burned to just a few coals and I get cold, get up put more wood onand go back to sleep. The next thing I know it is 6:00 AM the fire has burnedto just a few coals and it is freezing in the cabin and the day starts all overagain.
Lesson #12 In a cold winter climate Use nooil in the bolt or trigger assembly of your rifle as it may freeze. I tried toshoot at a wolf (a wolf hide was then worth $450) when I pulled the trigger onmy rifle it only went click. The firing pin would not strike the primer withenough force to set off the primer. After the second try and another click thewolf ran off and out of range. That was only an expensive lesson. In aTEOTWAWKI it could have been some one shooting at me and I would have had auseless rifle.
On my daily trips to check the fishing linesand get water I knew the ice was 28 thick and still getting thicker each week.A December day the temp was -27 F and I was crossing the outlet end of a smalllake to check out some tracks. Not worrying as I thought the ice was 28 thickeverywhere I fell through the ice and found myself waist deep in water. Thiswas two miles from my cabin It was all I could do to make it to the cabin.
Lesson #13 any out let or inlet of a frozenlake may have thin ice also a warm spring or other things can cause thin ice.The fire was out in my stove and no coals were left. I had a very hard timegetting a fire started and as a last resort used white gas and almost burneddown the cabin.
Lesson #14 have the kindling and all thefixings of a fire ready any time you leave your cabin. You never know whensomeone may be at the end of their strength and need to get a fire going.
One evening in early January I returned tothe cabin to find a note and care package on the table from the bush pilot. Thepilot had brought me a bag of oranges, a fruit cake and a newspaper. He alsoleft three letters from my family. It was if I had won the lotteryAs the snowgot deeper during the winter I started finding that many animals liked to usemy packed trail. I learned never underestimate the danger of a mooseparticularly in the winter if they are on a packed trail they may charge youinstead of going into deep snow. I had a cow moose chase me up a tree thenstomp my on sled and break one of my snow shoes.
Lesson #15 Moose are dangerous, especiallylate winter
In early February I came across Grizzlytracks in the snow. I was shocked as I thought that bears would be in the denall winter. I followed the tracks and found the bear had made a moose kill.
Lesson # 16 Grizzly bears and black bears donot truly hibernate and may be out of the den during any month of the year.Over the years I learned if a bear is away from his den in the winter it willbe hungry and grumpy.
As a kid I loved watching western movies. Itseemed to me cowboys wore their handgun in a low slung fast draw holster and Ithought that was cool. The western style fast draw holsters I tried in the bushwere useless. I now see that some law enforcement and military teams are usinga thigh mounted holster. I am not disputing the tactical points of that methodbut if you are working in the woods you will occasionally fall into snow ormud. That is when you want your hand gun in a full flap holster or in a normalholster worn under the last layer of clothing. Getting your hand gun into yourhand fast is of no use if it will not fire when you need it.
Lesson #18 Select holsters that will allowyou to comfortably carry your hand gun with you at all times and will protectthe weapon from the elements. I have tried over 40 different holsters andmethod of carrying my handgun. I strongly suggest you experiment now on how tocarry your own handgun. Find something that works for you. I presently usethree different holsters:
* A holster that I use to carry concealedwhen I am in a city environment.
* A holster when I am working in the bush.
* A holster when I am flying float planes.
In March, the bush pilot landed on the frozenlake with 400 lbs of supplies. He helped me put the food into the steel drumsfor the next trapping season then flew me back to town.
I had spent 160 days alone in the bushtrapping. I sold my furs to the fur buyer in Anchorage. After paying the bush pilot forthe supplies and flights to the cabin and back I had cleared $2,700.
I learned a lot that winter and over theyears refined the old trappers list to keep me well fed and a lot happier.
A More Complete Supply List
After my experiences the first two winters, Icomposed the following list. This is for one man for five to six months. It wasrefined for my personal taste and needs in the Alaska bush. The old trapper that I got myfirst list from made do with a lot less than what I took. This list is triedand true and not a just theory that someone made up. I had around 200 traps andran the line on snowshoes, foot and skis. Cut my firewood by hand (no chainsaw) and hauled my water from the lake in buckets. It was hard work 12-15 hoursa day 7 days a week and I burned a lot of calories. Using the following list Iate well and always had plenty of supplies left in the spring:
* 50 lbs Flour
* 50 lbs Bisquick
* 25 lbs Pancake mix
* 35 lbs Sugar
* 50 lbs Pinto Beans
* 25 lbs Rice
* 40 lbs Salt pork
* 25 lbs Salt
* 10 lbs Dried prunes
* 10 lbs Raisons
* 10 lbs Dried apricots
* 10 lbs Dried apples
* 10 lbs Dried peaches
* 25 lbs Oatmeal
* 10 lbs Honey
* 2 cases Tomato paste
* 25 lbs powdered milk
* 15 lbs [canned] Butter
* 25 lbs Corn meal
* 25 lbs [canned] Cheese
* 20 lbs Spaghetti Noodles
* 10 lbs Crisco
* 15 lbs Hot cocoa mix
* 10 lbs Dried eggs
* 5 lbs Strawberry Jam
* 3 lbs Apricot Jam
* 2 boxes Pilot bread
* 1 gal Maple Syrup
* 180 Multi vitamins
* 180 Vitamin C
* 1 lb [powdered dry] Yeast
* 180 Tea bags
* 1 lbs Pepper
* 1 lbs
* Baking soda
* 8 lbs
* Dried onions
* 1 lb Baking powder
* 1 lb. Corn starch
* 24 oz Garlic powder
* 12 oz Vanilla
* 2 rolls aluminum foil
* 1/2 gal Dish soap
* 5 bars non-scented soap
* 36 Canning lids (to can meat if we had a winter thaw or for leftover in thespring)
* 8 oz Hydrogen peroxide
* 2 oz Iodine
* 12 rolls Toilet paper
* 2 Small sponges
* 2 Scrub pads
* 1 roll Duct Tape
* 4 boxes of wooden Matches
* 24 Plumber's candles
* 500 rounds .22 long rifle hollow point ammo
* 100 .308 ammo 125 grain hollow point varmint ammo
* 20 rounds .308 ammo 180 grain (for Moose or Caribou )
* Trapping license and regulations
* Hunting license, moose tags and caribou tags
* New snowshoe bindings
* 1 truck inner tube
* 3 New hacksaw blades
* 2 New Ax handles
* 8 Bow saw blades
* 36 oz Lanolin
* 6 Disposable lighters
* 12 gal White gas [aka Coleman Fuel]
* 12 Lantern mantels
* 6 oz. Gun oil
* Trapping Lures, urine and musk
* 10 lbs Trap wax
* 2 rolls Survey ["flagging"] tape
* 1 pair Heavy Neoprene trapping gloves
* 7 lbs Trapping wire( 50% 12 ga and 50% 14 ga)
* 50 ft Trap Chain #2 and #3
* 24 Links
* 24 Swivels
* AM Radio with 8 extra 9 volt batteries
* 8 New stove pipe for cabin stove
* 4 Leather awl needles and 50 waxed thread
* Extra shoulder straps for pack frame
* Extra hip belt for pack
* New lid for fry pan 14
* 100 - 3/8 nylon rope
* 12x18 glass to replace cracked window
* Personal items
* 1 Wool Jacket
* 2 Wool pants
* 2 Work pants
* 1 Pair insulated Carhartt coveralls
* 4 Pair work gloves
* 2 Pair heavy winter over mittens.
* Winter trappers hat
* 1 pair
* Pack boots with 2 sets liners
* 1 pair Bunny Boots
* 1 Wool sweater
* 4 pair long sleeved wool shirts
* 3 pair Wool long john pants
* 3 pair Wool long john shirts
* 8 pair Wool socks
* 8 pair Cotton socks
* 6 pair Underpants
* 1 Bible
* 2 flying ground school books
* 6 Short sleeve Cotton shirts
* Tooth brush
* Tooth powder
* 2 rolls dental floss
* Carried or in an external frame pack:
* 1 .308 rifle
* 1 22 pistol (Colt Woodsman)
* Rain coat
* Rain pants
* Insolite sleeping pad
* Sleeping bag
* 10x12 and 4x8 light nylon tarps
* Flashlight
* Flashlight batteries
* Binoculars, 10x40
* Green River skinning knife, caping knife, boning knife.
* Small stone, small file and small diamond steel
* Compass
* Topo maps 1:250,000 scale
* 2 Candles
* Matches in waterproof container
* Lighter
* Small cook pot with lid
* Water bottle
* 100 Parachute cord
* Small First aid kit with Large suture needles and suture, in sealed pack
* Mini channel locks (Snap-on) used for sutures and other things
* Pack repair kit
* ¾-length Hand ax. (Estwing)
* Small shovel
* Bow saw with extra blade
* 1 pair wool socks
* Wire snares
* Fish hooks and line
* 25 .042 stainless wire
* 1 lb Dried soup mix
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