Swamp Survival: Essential Skills to Navigate, Escape, and Stay Alive
When people plan about outdoor adventures, swamp survival usually isn’t at the top of the list. But sometimes the weather turns, the trail floods, and you’ve got two choices—push forward or turn back.. I found myself in exactly this situation at Wood Buffalo National Park. Heavy rain had turned what should have been a normal […]
Dangerous Wildlife: How to Survive an Unexpected Encounter
I’ve spent many years exploring Canada’s wilderness and come face-to-face with animals that can kill you. Polar bears can be found in the Northwest Territories – those are the scary ones. Grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, mountain lions on Vancouver Island. Out there, handling dangerous wildlife encounters isn’t some optional skill […]
Survival Knots 101: Learning Essential Knots for Wilderness Emergencies
My introduction to rope work began at the fire station. Back then, I viewed knot practice as just another drill requirement. The instructor made us repeat the same eight survival knots until our hands moved automatically. I grumbled about the repetition, but those sessions proved invaluable during my first real emergency call. The training proved […]
How Boreal Footwear Saved My Feet in the Extreme Cold
Having spent many years in extreme environments, I’ve learned that footwear is absolutely critical to survival. My evolution began with traditional heavy leather hiking boots—veritable monsters weighing nearly two pounds each—before discovering boreal footwear and transitioning to their much lighter modern options with superior insulation. Their specialized Arctic series revolutionized my approach to extreme environments. […]
10 Wild Medicines: Secrets from Nature’s Pharmacy
Life in the wilderness demonstrates that the natural world can provide various resources when one knows where to look. Through documented experiences and historical knowledge, certain wild medicinal plants for survival have emerged as notable natural remedies. These plants have served as valuable resources for generations of survivalists during critical situations in the outdoors. Many […]
Primitive Survival Skills: Making Tools with What Nature Provides
The foundations of my outdoor knowledge were built in the Scouts, where six of us would share a big canvas tent during annual summer camps. Those early days shaped my understanding of basic outdoor skills – from setting up large tents and mastering essential knots to perfecting campfire cooking. Learning primitive survival skills became the […]