Wednesday, July 17, 2019

America - SOLD


For over 20 years, the US has been spending over 1 BILLION Dollars more PER DAY on foreign goods than we sell/export, mostly with China and the Middle East.  T Boone Pickens called it the greatest transfer of wealth in human history.  


What do they do with all of these dollars?  They have BOUGHT AMERICA, with foreigners now owning more than 50% of our country’s assets and businesses. They  MUST  protect their investment, with their US owned companies controlling the Main Stream Media and brain washing the ignorant to believe and vote they way they want them to. 

While they don’t say it openly, THEY ARE FOR:

1.       A One World UN Type Government; not a Free America
2.       NO Borders - free flow of immigrants to dilute the vote of Patriotic Americans
3.       Not allowing a Border Wall that 90% of the Border Patrol supports.
4.       Not allowing a Voter ID so non-citizens can vote for things that are not good for America.
5.       Not allowing a Citizenship question on the Census as they don’t want us to know how bad it is and to give more Electoral College and Congressional Representative votes.
6.       Free Trade so they can continue this massive trade deficit, bleeding America further until they own it all.
7.       Allowing Millions to be contributed to our politicians through PACS to buy votes 
8.       They are opposed to media accountability so they can repeatedly lie big and apologize small IF at all, while using “un-named or un-confirmed sources”
9.       They want to change the US Constitution by putting Liberals on the US Courts to block all progress and protect illegal immigrants over the rights of Americans.
10.   Last but not Least; steadily increasing Gun Control, so there will never be a way to take our country back.   Guns protect the Rights and Freedom of the Common people, not the RICH & POWERFUL who fear and want to BAN GUNS. Remember the American Indians, Slaves and German Jews weren’t allowed to own guns. 

The US Constitution gives its citizens the Right to life,  liberty,,,,, and the PURSUIT of happiness.  This means you earn it.  Forcefully taking money from people who work for it to give to others who didn’t is wrong.  If workers give their money to the needy, lazy or immigrants, it should be by choice; not force. 

I believe in:
1.       The US Constitution that has made us the greatest nation in the world. 
2.       The Constitution written with great Wisdom and Foresight by our Founding Fathers.
3.       The Constitution that gives its citizens Rights and limits our government. 
4.       The Right to life,  liberty,,,,, and the Pursuit of happiness,   without regard to race, religion, creed or national origin.  Equal opportunity for ALL. Like a chain, our country is only as strong as its weakest link. 

I believe the primary responsibility of our government is to protect our Rights, our borders; provide infrastructure for interstate commerce; to enforce the law fairly for All Americans, or to change the law so we can enforce it fairly. 

History is repeating its self, and IF we don’t do something NOW, we will become the Unites States of Illegal immigrants.  Get out and vote; Become informed and convince others to vote.  The future of our country depends on us.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Flatbread Recipe

Think about being able to say to your camping counterparts: “Do you want freshly baked bread tonight?”  This will certainly win you points.

Of course, you’re not going to make a yeasty, fluffy loaf – that requires 24 hours to rise – but who cares, anytime someone offers to make freshly baked anything on an outdoor trip it’s impressive.
Flatbread is one of the easiest “gourmet” ideas you can make on a camping trip. The key is to prep batches of dry mix before you go, double bag it (you don’t want flour on the loose in your backpack) and then mix with some water when you’re ready to cook up your meal. Note that the only downfall of cooking flatbread outdoors is that you are often stuck washing slightly floury, sometimes sticky hands, which is more of an endeavor than when you have easy access to running water.

This base recipe allows for a lot of flexibility and variation. You can add spices to it, which I recommend, as the base recipe is really just water and flour and not very high on the taste scale. This summer on a backpacking trip I made a batch with cumin powder and that works great as an accompaniment to a pot of spicy red lentils, It’s essentially the backpacker’s naan, so, for example, if you want a garlic naan, roll the dough in finely chopped garlic before frying.
adventure journal camp notes flatbrad 02 
Don’t carry a measuring cup with you when you’re camping? Don’t worry, I don’t either. The consistency of the dough is more important than the actual measurement of water, and once you have made this recipe a few times, you’ll get the hang of it and you might just be able to add the water without measuring. But if you have a cup or a bowl on hand that will work too; as you can see from the recipe, you want a volume ratio of about 1 part water to 3 parts flour. A Nalgene bottle will work too, allowing you to easily measure out the right amount in ounces or milliliters.

This bread is best served fresh, but if you have a few rounds of flatbread left over, place them overnight in a container with a lid to keep them from drying out, and slather with peanut butter and honey in the morning. Instant breakfast.

The recipe makes about four flatbread rounds, perfect to go with a dinner for two people. You can easily double, triple, or even quadruple this batch depending on how many flatbreads you are going to want to make on your camping trip. Feel free to experiment with different flour blends as well. For example, I like to use half all-purpose or whole wheat flour and half rye flour, which makes for a flatbread with a bit more flavor to it. Which flour you use will slightly change how much water you need to add when you make the dough, so go slowly. You can always add a little more water as needed.

adventure journal camp notes flatbread 03  
Camp Flatbread
Makes: About 4 flatbread rounds.

1 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat pastry flour also works well)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
About a…“ cup (2.75 ounces, 80 milliliters) water
Oil for frying

Ideas for potential variations:
1 teaspoon cumin powder or
1 teaspoon caraway seeds or
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Preparation:
In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Place in a container that you know is going to stay closed when you pack it (double bagged for example, or in a reusable bottle with a screw on lid).

When ready to bake, add about half of the water to the dry ingredients. Mix together until the dough is crumbly. Add the rest of the water (more or less as needed) until the dough comes together.
Form the dough into four balls, then flatten them into rounds a little less than ¼-inch thick.

Fry in a lightly oiled pan (essentially any flat, hot surface that you can make with your outdoor cooking supplies) for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. You can also cook the flatbread on top of a grill if you’re doing that kind of camping, the end result will have a slightly smoky flavor to it.
Serve immediately.

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Saturday, June 8, 2019

Alone Season 6 Pack List

History Channel's Alone survival show is the best on TV, with the winner getting $500,000 by outlasting the other nine Survivalist.  Each get to carry 10 things in their back pack.  Here are what the Season 6 Contestants selected for their pack in the Arctic circle.  Who will win this year?




All ten (10) selected the Fishing Kit and Sleeping bag while nine (9) selected a Ferrous Rod and a Pot. With extreme cold expected, staying warm will be a key to winning.  Eight (8) selected Para cord, Bow & Arrows, an Axe and a saw.  All ten (10) selected a knife or a multi-tool, or both.  How does this compare to what the winners for the past 5 seasons carried?  See our post on the Winners List for the complete story, but before we talk about what past winners took it is worth noting they did NOT take a Bow & Arrows and they did not take Food Rations.  As a Bow hunter, I believe that would be essential for extended survival, along with a gill net, fishing kit, and snare wire, as we need unattended ways of generating food.

Here are the top 5 things selected by the winner in order of highest use.:
Multi-seasonal sleeping bag that fits within provided backpack
Flint or ferrous rod set
2 quart pot with lid
Ax
Hunting knife
If we were to project a Season 6 Winner based on Gear, we have 4 favorites:  Donny Dust, Jordon Jonas, Ray Livingston, & Niki van Schyndel. 

If were were to pick a winner based on looks, the clear top choice would be tough looking Ray Livingston who looks like he could survive anything.  Behind him would be Donny Dust who is also a top pick based on pack contents compared to past winners.

How about a winner picked on credentials?  Well that becomes much harder, because there are some highly qualified participants this year.  While Donny is again impressive, lets look at the other standout candidates.  Michelle Wohlberg already lives a homestead life in frigid Canada which gives her an advantage.  Nikki Van Schyndel lived on a deserted island for nearly 2 years and has a lot of training.  In past seasons, there has not been a woman win, but this season looks to offer two who are highly qualified to win. Brady Nicholls is an active duty specialist for the Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) squad, and the Air Force has a lot of smart tough guys. 

 The names that come up the most are Donny Dust, Ray Livingston, & Niki van Schyndel but don't count out  Michelle Wohlberg.

The Keys to winning will be:
Warm shelter and plenty of fire wood in this unusually cold region (-40 F) may be the deciding factor in who wins and could make this the shortest competition yet.  A good shelter will require an Axe or large saw and cordage to build a log cabin with a fireplace.  An alternative may be an igloo, but a contestant may freeze before snowfall without at least a temporary shelter.
Ability to harvest large game or lots of fish. One big kill, dried and secured from predators could enable a person to survive there for a record length of time.  This will require a bow plus fishing gear and being quite (whisper only) so as to not scare off the game.
Mental toughness; never think or talk about quitting.  Instead, focus on food & fire wood.  Do not look at those family pictures; forget about them for now, suck it up & stay focused.  Granted, that is easier said than done, but it must be the mindset to be a winner.  During slow periods, carving or building dead fall trap parts, or other beneficial tools will help keep the mind engaged.
What gear would you take, and what would be your plan?  Here is our Prepper Handbook Plan (<-link also below) and a Wilderness Survival TEST.

Its going to be an exciting season of the best Wilderness Survival show on TV.  After the show is over, we will review the gear and strategy of the winner, so be sure to check back.
  
Week 1 Update

Tim Backus is taping out with an injured (probably broken) leg after 4 days;   Nathan Donnelly caught a huge lake trout in his gill net that will provide about 10 lbs of food that will last a week or more, giving him an advantage.  His gill net may prove to be a game changer. 

A gill net was the top food generator with 10lbs of fish.

9 People Remain with  Tim Backus out.

Week 2 Update:  

Donny Dust has built a small but warm shelter. In extreme cold, this could make the difference. He killed a muskrat (est 4 lbs) with a club for food which gave him stomach cramps and vomiting, leading him to tap out on Day 8.  This raises the question, can the stomach of modern man still tolerate primitive foods?  Jordon Jonas is calling moose and setting wire snares, but his area has been ravished by fire which appears to be a disadvantage.  Niki van Schyndel after sleeping late and wasting critical daylight hours, cut her hand carving a stick on Day 6. Ray Livingston caught his first lake trout (est 10 lbs) with a hook and line. Michelle Wohlberg found a good 55 gallon barrel which could be used to store water, as a fire barrel, or possibly as a fish trap.  Michelle uses it as a float to attach fish hooks to and fish in deeper water.  Donny Dust is having chest pains and taps out with health concerns.

Fishing hook and line was the top food generator this week at 10 lbs.

Fishing has been the top food generator for the past two weeks at 20 lbs.
8 People Remain with Tim Backus and Donny Dust out.

Week 3 Update: 

Starts on Day 9, with Jordan catching 4 large (est 8 lbs) rabbits with his snare traps.  This is a first for such a yield with snare traps.  Woniya Thibeault insulates her a-frame tarp shelter.  Day 10 opens with Nathan Donnelly catching another large (est 10 lbs) lake trout in his gill net while he still has a few pounds left from his previous large fish. This gill net has generated about 20 lbs of fish so far. Feeling light headed and exhausted, he throws up after eating some raw fish eggs. 

Day 11 opens with Barry Karcher catching a nice size fish on a hook and line, only to let it get away.  

Day 12 opens with Brady Nicholls building a shelter, picking berries and finding a musk ox skull while salvaging.  Ray Livingston is fishing unsuccessfully and setting some Mohave scissor snares.  Day 12 sees Nathan Donnelly recovering from his food poisoning; Brady Nicholls making fishing lures and catching a large (est. 10 lbs) lake trout and
Ray Livingston going bow hunting, finding his snare triggered but malfunctioning and harvesting a squirrel (est. 1 lb) with his bow.  Michelle Wohlberg, using her 55 gal barge to fish with hasn't caught anything or had any food, but caught a grouse in a snare trap, but it looks as if her shelter is catching on fire.  Day 13 has Ray Livingston crying. 

Week 3 has been very productive for wire snare traps (est 8 lbs) and a gill net with another 10 lbs and a fishing line with another 10 lbs of fish.  Top food producers so far have been the Gill Net with 20 lbs; fishing line with 20 lbs; Snare Trap with 8 lbs and bow & arrows about 1 lb. Plus 4 lbs with a stick.

8 People Remain with Tim Backus out a broken leg and and Donny Dust concerned about a second heart attack after chest pains.

Week 4 Update:  

Day 14, Michelle Wohlberg suffered a fire to her lodging as some of the moss between the logs burned, but not a complete loss and she plans on using clay next time. Jordon heard a moose during the night and is hunting it.  

Day 15, Niki van Schyndel, checking her dead fall traps got a mouse and bagged a squirrel (1 lb) with her bow, but stabbed her leg with an arrow walking back to camp; a second self inflicted injury for the accident prone Nikki. 

Day 16, Ray Livingston's bow hunting has been unsuccessful so he worked on insulating his shelter. Jordon, on his peninsula, is calling moose.  His trip wire alerts him to the presence of a near by moose.  Taking a long shot at the moose with his bow, the arrow dropped between his feet.  

Day 17, Woniya Thibeault is hungry and bow hunting only to find a hand full of berries. During her hunting trip, she whispers to avoid scaring any animals, which is very smart.  Returning to camp, she put an arrow through a grouse which flew off. After a short search, she found it, which will yield about 2 lbs of food. Ray Livingston falls in the lake while fishing.  In 16 days he has eaten 1 fish, 1 squirrel and lots of berries.  He is questioning the point at which he should give up, suggesting he is about to tap out.  Woniya Thibeault is cooking and eating her grouse and rushing out to hunt for more.  

Day 19, Ray Livingston is giving up on fishing and going hunting, but tires, talks quitting again before tapping out nearly in tears, making him the first one out by choice as opposed to health issues.

Week 4 has been virtually unproductive for traps with only one mouse in a dead fall, and a grouse and squirrel with bow & arrows about 3 lbs. 

Top food producers so far have been the Gill Net with 20 lbs; fishing line with 20 lbs; Snare Trap with 8 lbs and bow & arrows about 5 lb. 

7 People Remain with Tim Backus and Donny Dust out with a broken leg & chest pains, respectively, Then Ray Livingston has tapped out after 19 days. He could never pass the 21 day Naked & Afraid Test.

Week 5 Update:  

Day 20, 7 People Remain.  Jordon, hunting with his bow hit a moose, and tracks the bubbling blood trail to its resting place.  This could be a game changer.  Barry is picking berries.  Brady, is hiking to look for food, but didn't bring a bow and is satisfied with that decision as big kills have not occurred on previous seasons. Jordon, patiently watches his moose bleed out and collapse.  With over 500 lbs of meat, skinning, preserving and protecting it from predators will be the key.  Working into the night, he gets it skinned and carried back to camp. 

Day 21, Barry wakes up suffering from leg cramps, possibly from dehydration or over working.  His goal for today is to rest and re hydrate. 
Jordon, recognizes the risk from predators and has hung his meat to protect if from other wild life and is beginning to smoke it. 

Day 22, Nathan found wolverene tracks and is hunting him, but they can range 15 miles per day, making it a challenge as the snow falls covering his tracks and making navigation difficult. Giving up tracking the wolverene, he returns to his cabin exhausted.
Brady, is fishing with a hand line and can literally see the fish.  He catches a huge fish, probably 10 pounds.  He figures it is enough for 6 days of food

Day 23, Niki  is playing with fire, buring moss for birthday candles. While potentially foolish, sainity is a fragile thing in situations like this and having some fun can be helpful. Checking her snare traps, she has caught a rabbit (2 lbs) that is still alive and has to kill it, which makes her cry.  Returning to camp, she finds large tracks, which looks 
like a bears. 
Woniya is checking her snare traps on a clear 24 degree day, and finds a nice size rabbit, probably 2 pounds.  She cuts the hide off in a spiral and twists the green hide to make a rope. 
Jordon, enjoys his first moose which contains 100 grams of protien per pound. With 500 pounds of meat, he is the odds on favorite to either win the $500k, or get eaten by a bear defending his food.
Niki  is cooking her rabbit with some berries  

Day 25, Niki awakens to growling sounds outside her shelter and bravely looks out to investigate.  Early morning he is off with her bow to hunt following large tracks.

Week 5 has seen record productivity with hundreds of pounds of moose meat harvested with a bow. Snare traps also caught two rabbits and fishing with a hand line caught about 10 pounds of fish. 

Top food generating tools are: Bow - 505 + lbs; Hand fishing line 30 lbs; Gill Net 20 lbs; Snare Trap with 12 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs.

7 People Remain with Tim Backus and Donny Dust out with a broken leg & chest pains, respectively, Then Ray Livingston tapped out after 19 days.

Week 6 Update: 

Day 26, 7 people remain; its 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Niki is treating an injured thumb and eating squirrel, mushrooms crowberries and blueberries when her shelter catches on fire. Michelle is baby talking to her self before checking her fishing line only to find them empty. Moving on to check her traps, she experiences some light headedness and begins to cry.

Day 27 and Niki is dealing with her burnt shelter.

Day 28, Brady, is eating a large breakfast, talking about home and missing his daughters birthday. Barry, is checking his trap line after being unsuccessful fishing. He is feeling lethargic as he hunts, finding a snow hare (2 lbs) in his snare traps. He suspects a bear is visiting his camp during the night.

Day 29 , Barry is burying his rabbit remains and burying it under a distant rock so any predators will make noise. Nathan is working on his shelter and checking his gill net to find another fish, but with snow everywhere, slipping and falling in the water is a hazard. This time his catch is 19 to 20 inch lake white fish, probably weighing about 4 lbs of meat which he dries in his shelter as he contemplates what it will be like to win the $500k prize. Michelle is walking out on the partially frozen ice to get a drink before checking her snare traps. As she finds a rabbit (2 lbs) in her trap, she begins to cry.
Woniya is observing the frozen shore line and working on her shelter.

Day 30, Woniya has double walled one side of her cabin for insulation against the cold. Barry awakens from his nap to find is noise alarm scattered everywhere with what looks like fox tracks. He was hoping to attract a bear to shoot it for food. Michelle is determined after eating her rabbit (hare). She has made a puppet from the rabbit skin and is giving us a puppet show, demonstrating how fragile the mind becomes when lonely for extended periods.

Day 31, Brady, is looking at his family picture and talking about missing them. As the family starts to dominate the mind, it is usually the beginning of the end for that contestant. Brady says he has six fish fillets in his food storage, and can get more, but boredom and missing his family is what he is struggling with. What the heck am I doing out here? Once again, we see the mind beginning to crack. He needs to be insulating his shelter that is only a tarp wall in most places; he need to be building up more food stores.

Day 32, Brady, cracks (Taps Out) from missing his family while he is warm, dry and comfortable with a weeks worth of food stored up. Its sad to see how weak the mind becomes. 6 People Remain with Tim Backus and Donny Dust are out with a broken leg & chest pains, respectively, Then Ray Livingston tapped out after 19 days. Brady Nicholls taps out with a weeks worth of food stored, nice warm shelter, but missing his family.

Only 8 pounds of meat this week, 4 pounds with snare traps and 4 with a gill net. 

Total top food generating tools are: Bow - 505 + lbs; Hand fishing line 30 lbs; Gill Net 24 lbs; Snare Trap with 16 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs.

6 People Remain with Tim Backus and Donny Dust out with a broken leg & chest pains, respectively, Then Ray Livingston tapped out after 19 days.
Brady Nicholls taps out with a weeks worth of food stored, nice warm shelter, but missing his family.

  
Week 7 Update:  6 People Remain

Day 36 opens with Woniya finishing up double insulating one of her shelter walls, before checking her snare trap line after relocating them. Apparently she caught something, but a fox stole it.
Jordon is feasting on moose meat and acting giddy before scouting the area to check on animal activity that could be a threat to his meat store.  
Michelle is missing tooth paste on a 35F morning and checking her trap line, finding clear signs that a fox stole her catch.  Checking trap lines more frequently might help.  Jordon, is dealing with a wolverine stalking his camp. 

Day 37, Jordon, is checking his gallon moose fat sore, but a wolverine has stolen it. This gallon of fat contained about 35,000 calories.  Setting some snare traps with loud cans attached  will help him detect another intruder as he stays up all night listening. Hearing his cans rattle around 11 PM, he goes out and shoots the wolverine with his bow, pinning him to the ground, and quickly finishing him with a hatchet. This provides roughly another 30 pounds of meat, making Jordon, the clear leader in producing food, exceeding all the other participants combined, potentially from all Alone shows.  His second kill, the wolverine is more meat than any other participant. 

 Day 38 Woniya is drying her hair, before checking and reworking her snare traps, and then thinking about winning this competition. 
Michelle is struggling for food and thinking about how much potential winnings the fox cost her.  As she checks her trap lines, she sees the fox ahead of her checking them too. 
Day 39, Jordon,has skinned the wolverine and is building a platform to protect his large store of food. 
Day 40, has Barry breaking the ice on his pot for a drink before going fishing with a home made fishing lure he made from a can.  He quickly hooks a big fish and is patient pulling him in trying to tire him out, but loses him at the last minute.  
Day 41 opens with with Nikki boiling a rabbit head & spinal cord to make soup before going hunting with her bow.  She has rebuilt her shelter after it catching fire. She wounds a squirrel but gets bit trying to dispatch him. A stupid mistake indeed, but the lack of food clouds the mind and causes this. Barry makes a fish dip net so he doesn't loose any more.  He soon catches a trout (10 lbs) and dips him up with his net. 

There was about 40 pounds of meat harvested this week, 30 with a bow and arrow, then 10 within a fishing line and home made fish dip net.   


Total top food generating tools are: Bow - 535 + lbs; Hand fishing line 40 lbs; Gill Net 24 lbs; Snare Trap with 16 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs.

Week 8 Update: 6 People Remain

Day 43, 6 people remain, and Barry expecting a med check tomorrow means he has won. Checking his trap lines, he seeds a squirrel, but misses him with his bow twice.  But that is okay he thinks, because he is the winner.
Day 44, the boat shows up for a health check, and then leaves, to his emotional disappointment.  Nikki is sharpening her knife in her shelter and spit on the rock which quickly freezes  in the 27 degree weather.  Checking her snare traps, she finds a hare (4 lbs), which is a emotional event.  Needing fiber, she is considering eating the contents of the hares stomach, which turns out to make a good soup for those brave enough to try it.  Woniya med check indicates only a little weight check since the last one.  Checking her trap line, a fox has stolen her catch.
Day 45, Woniya is checking her traps again, finding her first squirrel (1 pound).  Jordon has lost 30 pounds on his med check despite having a lean moose to eat, so he is going fishing for something with more fat.  He gets a large lake trout out of water, but loses and his lure indicating line break or knot problem.
Day 46,  Nathan is cutting his hair before going to check his gill net, which was empty, but he saw two large lake trout, but didn't bring a fishing line.  Watching the fish, he passes out and falls to the ground.  Woniya is out dancing in 30 degree F weather.  No rabbits in her traps, but she is making a rabbit scarf from all the rabbit hides.  She also made a knife holster and a harvest basket, demonstrating her craft skills.
 Day 47, Michelle is sleeping or passing out from exhaustion around noon, before going to check her traps.  Disoriented, her vision is blurry and she seems lost which can be caused by low or no B12 from malnutrition.  Lost, she is having chills, is nauseous and fell to the ground.  She hasn't had a bowel movement in 14 days.  Struggling, she begins to rationalize quitting for health reasons, and in her feverish case, quitting may be justified.  Nathan is cooking soup, and has food for 2 more meals left from his gill net.  Checking his net, he has a fish securely tangled, but is concerned about his dizziness.  He caught a Northern Pike weighing probably 10 pounds in his gill net.  Sobbing,
Michelle is reluctantly tapping out, but I admire her toughness. 

This week the top food producers were a gill net with
10 pounds and snare traps with 5 pounds. 

Total top food generating tools so far are: Bow - 535 + lbs; Hand fishing line 40 lbs; Gill Net 34 lbs; Snare Trap with 21 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs.

5 People Remain after Michelle reluctantly taps out

Week 9 Update:  5 People Remain

Day 48, 5 people remain and Jordon is modeling his rabbit skin vest. Out of moose fat after a wolverine stole his supply, he is skinning the moose head for the fat content.  He is able to render  about 3 lbs of fat and crackalings.
Nikki is harvesting dried Sedge grass which is a good insulation and tender for fire.  She is using it to make a stuffed teddy bear.  One contestant is harvesting fat and stuffing a teddy bear.
Day 49, and Woniya has made a bed frame & is showing it to us before checking her trap lines. In the process she see a white rabbit, but misses it with her bow.  But she caught a large rabbit (4 lbs) in her lifting snare and a second rabbit (3 lbs) in a regular snare trap.  Jordon  is singing before checking his meat to find another wolverene has stolen is fat supplies again.
Day 50, 
Nikki is harvesting a tamarack jack mushroom before smoking herself. Her unusual activities, while not providing food, seem to be keeping her spirits high, and the mental challenge is a big factor.  Already people with days of food supply have quit.
 Day 51, Barry is figuring out what license plate he will get on his car when he wins.  Not food today, but he is harvesting reign deer moss, which must be cooked several times to avoid digestive issues. Jordon is wishing his daughter a happy 3rd birthday before making a deck of 52 cards, and talking about his family, demonstrating the mental challenge that all these contestants must face.
Day 52, Nikki is playing with her stuffed bear, reminding me of "Wilson" on Castaway. Medics say she must tap out, but she refuses, not wanting to leave.  Here toughness and positive spirit are admirable.  With her BMI too low, she is at risk of organ failure and leaves the competition.  Woniya is eating one of her rabbits for Halloween.
Day 53, is cold after his fire went out during the night despite banking his fire each night. Working on his bow drill, he talks about about attitude... a lot. Current temperature is 17 degrees F.  Wood with wide space between rings is best for a bow drill, but all he can find are tight, closely spaced rings.  Finding a cedar board, his is able to get his fire started after working all day. Nathan
Day 54, 20 degrees F and is talking about the cold and finds his entire bay is frozen over, and his berry field is covered with snow. Barry
Day 55, 14 degrees F and Barry, unable to break through the ice for water resorts to melting ice.

4 People Remain after Nikki is reluctantly forced to tap out by the Medical Team.

Total top food generating tools so far are: Bow - 535 + lbs; Hand fishing line 40 lbs; Gill Net 34 lbs; Snare Trap with 28 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs.

Week 10 Update: 4 People Remain
Day 58, 10 degrees F and Woniya watches the sun set at 3 PM.   Nathan is heating some rocks to provide warmth under his sleeping bag.
Day 59, 7 degrees F has Jordon gathering fire wood.
Day 60 opens with Barry is exercising to stay warm.   Woniya is chipping ice to get water in 4 degree F weather.
Day 61  opens with Nathan showing his gill net out of commission, which has provided all of his food.
Day 62 ends with 6 degrees F and Barry sees ice inside his shelter, despite burning a fire.
Day 63 has Jordon with ice on his mustache and beard in 10 degree F weather as he is making a weaving tool from wood and then starts making a net from para cord to catch fish for the fat.
Day 64 and Woniya hears rabbits during the night near her shelter.  As the sun rises, she checks her traps, finding one tripped for a second time but empty.  She sees fox tracks and where they have been digging to get rabbits. Its nearly dark at 2:43 PM. She hasn't had food for several days, so she makes a rabbit intestine soup from her fish bait.
Day 65, 9 degrees F and Barry is struggling, telling us how hard this is, but saying that tapping out is not an option.  He starts setting some snare traps for rabbits using a counter weight for tension as trees may freeze in position after a few days. It's surprising he has not set snares previously. At the same time, Jordon is finished with his fish net and has made some nice snow shoes that he is using to set his net out on the ice.  Chopping two holes in the net, at a distance equal to his net length, he feeds his net under the ice, and then seals his hole with snow.  His ingenuity is very good and with his moose meat, his energy level is better than the others.

Day 66 has Nathan adding debris to his shelter to add insulation. Now he is looking at putting his fish net back out to catch fishBarry has nothing in his snare trap and is considering going to an unfrozen lake to get water and begins to make snow shoes that are functional, but unimpressive. Reaching the unfrozen lake, he drinks his fill after being without water for over 24 hours. At the water's edge he begins to break down and cry.  At this point he looks like he will be the next one to tap out. 
Day 67 opens with Nathan saying he has smoke steaming from the hot rocks under his bed.  He uses this smoke source, smoldering under his bed to restart his fire.  Then he walks out on the ice to set his gill net once again.  He doesn't wear any snow shoes, which is risky. He feeds is net through a small net and secures it with a fragile stick across the hole.  He is in good spirits and looking like he will last much longer.
Day 68, opens with Jordon checking his fish net to find that he has caught a Lake Trout (10 lbs) that is already frozen. Gutting it, he begins to eat the fat raw.  This time he walked out on the ice without his snow shoes, which is risky, but having been out there, apparently he had confidence he didn't need them.  Once again however, he is generating more food than the others.
Day 69, as the days continue to add up, Woniya is in good spirits and taking her laundry line to use for snare traps.  She is losing a pound and a half per day but catches three squirrels (6 lbs) in her snare traps she set near her house.  Barry continues to struggle, and today is his scheduled medical check. His face is drawn, and his body is skinny.  The medics are taking quietly together before advising that they must pull him for medical reasons.  He has lost so much weight his body is consuming his muscle including his heart muscle.  

Reluctantly and regretfully Barry leaves as  he is forced to tap out for medical reasons.

3 People Remain

Total top food generating tools so far are: Bow - 535 + lbs; Hand fishing line 40 lbs; Gill Net 44 lbs; Snare Trap with 34 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs.
 
Week 11 Update:  3 People Remain

Medical reasons are quickly becoming the top reason for participants being eliminated.
Day 70 opens at ZERO degrees F with Jordon watching an ermine, a martin type carnivore steal a rabbit hide.  He goes to get some moose meat and find that he left the ladder up where his meat is stored, to find another wolverine has gnawed the fat off his meat.   Nathan is tightening his belt to keep his pants up.  It is six or seven holes tighter than it was originally.  He checks his gill net with the temperature at -6 degrees F with a strong wind blowing over the ice.  His net is stuck and in trying to free it, may have ruined it. Woniya is thinking about eating biscuits and butter and getting excited.  After 3 squirrels yesterday, she is trying ice fishing today. The blade she is trying to chop through the ice with is not working well.  She needs an axe.  Note:  Bring an axe if ice fishing is expected. Temperature is -10 F when she realizes she is wasting her time. Building a large fire might be an option.
Day 71, -1 F and Nathan is working on ice fishing and set 6 lines with 2 hooks each bated with fish intestines.  He has some soup left and one last piece of smoked fish to eat. As he starts to eat his fish, his shelter catches fire and burns all around him as he fights to put it out and has to flee, leaving everything behind.  Without shelter or any supplies, he taps out.  Prior to this, he looked to have a good chance to win this.   He has a 7 hour wait in 2 degree weather and only his shelter fire to keep him warm.  He smartly begins to put together a small lean to shelter.  Note:  Fire Security is important in your shelter.
Day 72, two remain and Jordon is planning what he will do when he gets home, but not counting his winnings yet.  Then he is shining his flashlight on his bate while ice fishing to attract fish, but no success.   Woniya is eating a soup of mixed animal parts and bones before checking her traps, which have served her well, but not today.  Discussing the rational of staying vs quitting, she appears near the breaking point.  She has been very tough, but is competing against a contestant who got 500 lbs of moose meat.
Day 73 Jordon didn't sleep well thinking of his mistakes letting his meat fat get stolen.  He contemplates tapping out, as we see the helicopter coming and landing.  Next we see the crew approaching Woniya who is tapping out on her birthday.  We have a winner: Jordon but he doesn't know yet.
Day 77  Jordon, consistent with past performance, is pulling in a HUGE Pike (on his fishing line) weighing probably 20 pounds and then enjoying a nice fish stew, believing he has a medical check today.  As he hears the chopper, he eats more. They ask how he is feeling and he is trying to impress them that he feels well as his wife approaches him from behind.

Jordon is clearly the most successful competitor from all the events in generating food.

Total top food generating tools for this competition were: Bow - 535 + lbs; Hand fishing line 60 lbs; Gill Net 44 lbs; Snare Trap with 34 lbs; a thrown stick 3 lbs. 


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