PB Cloud Test

Bio: About the Author The back country can be an extremely intimidating place even in the best conditions and in the best case scenario. In my 30 plus years as a NOLS student, and while tagging along with Outward Bound educators, (not to mention I'm a 25 year veteran as a Red Cross Instructor) I have learned what I can expect from Mother Nature. I make wilderness survival one of my favorite pastimes; and throughout my Lifetime I have had the delights, (as well as scares) of not only tromping around in my backyard in the Adirondack Mountains of New York; I also got to test my woods skills and gumption in the remote landscape of northern Idaho, and in the majestic Cascades of Washington state. I have had the pleasure of leisure backpacking weekends, fantastic backcountry skiing adventures, long distance canoe paddles, and strenuous climbing hikes. I've also gotten turned around hunting, and have taken off unprepared in grizzly country. (My faithful pooch happily followed along; blissfully unaware that the jingle bell I attached to her neck to ward off bears was affectionately known as a "dinner bell" to the locals who were educated on all things grizzly!) What I have come away with is a hands on education as a naturalist and a survivalist. I came to realize we are natural creatures that can happily survive in a feral setting by remembering these simple rules: if you show the wilderness some respect and reverence she will provide for you what you need to live and get back to domesticated civilian living. Undoubtedly, you must keep your wits about you and have the mindset you can not only survive, but thrive. There is also that good old saying the boy scouts made famous which is paramount to deciding if your wilderness outing-turned-worst-case scenario unfolds in a happy or not so lovely way...Be prepared!