A quest for water

Of all the survival skills, those that deal with water are the most important.. It is the no1 most important thing to have in a survival situation. Forget food and shelter and focus on how to get clean drinking water first.

Finding water

If a person is lost in the wild the first thing to do is find water even when one does not feel thirsty (you will be soon). A person can go without water for 3 days, that's a common rule. In hot enviroments however you can die in less then 2 days so finding water is vital. It doesn't realy matter if you find a small pond, a lake or a waterfall aslong as it's not salt water. Once you have found water you need to make a choice.. Do you filter or clean the water or do you drink it straight from the stream. If you are thirsty you can be tempted to drink it immediately without filtering it and there definately is a risk involved here. Water may look clean but there may be a dead animal rotting in that water a short distance away from you. And waters close to cities should be avoided.

Cleaning water

If you think your watersource is not clean then it needs to be filtered. Everyone has their own opinion about what is the best way to do this. If you ask me, If you're in doubt about if it's safe to drink then you need to boil the water. Some say you need to boil for 3 or even 10 minutes.. this is absolute cr*p.. Once the water has reached it's boiling point all the water would be free from unhealthy bacteria.

If the water looks very dirty then just boiling it might not be enough. Camping and other outdoor stores often sell water filters usualy these are pumps, dirty water goes in and clean water gets pumped out. You can also but water purification tablets and they are often put in survival kits.

There is also a real populair design for a do it yourself water filter. You take an empty plastic soda bottle, get rid of the top and cut off the bottom with a knife, clean the inside with a little water. Then you take a piece of cotton cloth (other materials might work?) and you put this on the inside of the bottle at the top. Now it is time to fill it up with multiple layers of sand, gravel, dirt and powdered charcoal. Now you hang it over your canteen, bowl or whatever you're using. Water is poured at the bottom of the bottle, gets filtered and is drinkable once it exits the bottletop.

What if there is no water?

There are always places on earth where there are no lakes, rivers or other source of water and i'm not just talking about the deserts. You can walk for miles and miles and still not see any water. So what are other ways to get water?
Snow seems a good idea and it is, however eating snow can get your body temperature falling rapidly to the point where it gets realy dangerous, and often it can make you feel even more thirsty. So it needs to be melted and warmed up a bit. The problem with snow is that snow is made up of 80% air.. So you'll need large quiantities in order to fill a canteen. Not the best option but it might be the only option available in some areas. In hot areas you may look for dark areas in the soil, when you dig them out there a big chance of finding water. Also look for signs of animal activity, in areas where lots of animals come together there is usualy water nearby. Also remember that rainwater is always fresh and does not need to be filtered.
You can also get water from vegetation. A populair technique is to bind a clear plastic bag over a branch. When the water inside the plant evaporazes it gets traped in the bag. Here is also a good video of a different techniques.

Diary 25 feb

Another lame day.. The kids are at school, milady is off trying to get her drivers license. I hope she'll pass.. no wait.. I don't care really..

Today I will try fire making with the friction methods since I failed at making fire with the flint & steel method. I did got some advice to use an old file instead of a knife.. will give this a try later.
The plan is to head into the garden, into the shed and not come out until I get a good ember.
And while I'm at it I can also test my hobo tin cooking set.

I feel tired, very tired.. I guess this is because my future journey is on my mind every day and the whole day.. I just can't seem to give it a rest every now and then. Do I pack enough food? Where will I go? Could this be edible? Is my backpack sturdy enough? or is it too heavy in the longrun?
The part of my brain that has to make decisions is doing overtime and it must be overheated.
Tiredness, a lack of energy, fear of failure and other negativity is trying to get a hold on me..

Now that my days in society are numbered the idea of heading out into the unknown and being all by myself starts to scare me a little for the first time. The only thing that scares me most is staying.
The idea of being completely alone out there is liberating and scary at the same time. I become more and more aware of the possible dangers. Not just physical dangers but mental aswell.

Sometimes I look around me.. I see my girlfriend, her sister, her father, her family, her friends, my neighbours, my daughter's teacher.. I realised I got to know quite a lot of people over the past years. They are all strangers to me, every single one of them. Even people who call me their friend, I have no idea who the hell they are even though they have been visiting us for years. I have nothing in common with these folks. I start to wonder if I will ever find someone that I have at least one thing in common with. All these guys can talk about is their mobile phones, their tablets, their career, their car.. it goes on and on and on.. jesus!

My girlfriend just called.. she passed.. now she is well on her way to get a drivers license and a car.. good for her.

I used to be one of them you know.. I would buy an mp3 player because I thought that would make me happy. After a while the mp3 player was "old" and others convinced me that it was no longer "cool".. The mp3 player did no longer made me happy. Then I bought a new mp3 player thinking "this will make me happy"...
Then I stepped out of this everlasting circle and realised that most people were nothing more but sheep!
Why do I let others tell me what to buy or what is cool? Why do you want to have the same car your neighbour has? Why can't you make up your own mind? You say you are an individual yet you are a sheep! If a 100 guys shout "Go left!" you will go left..    Sheep I tell ya, SHEEP!!! Bèhhhhh...!

Hahaha, I'm just kidding you guys. But there is some truth to this story. We should often ask ourselves why we buy so much stuff. Do you realy need it or did you just buy it to be "hip like others". And who cares what others think. People should like you for who you are not for what you own.. remember.. be yourself, don't follow the herd ;)

That's it for now. Time for the song of the day

Red Hot Chillie Peppers - Under the bridge 

Diary 23 feb

Yesterday I decided it was time to learn how to make fire without matches, a lighter, firesteel etc.
I still have not managed to make a fire with natural materials and knowing how to do this before I leave is vital. I tried the bowdrill and fire plough techniques and I get smoke but not a good amber and it leaves me wondering what I do wrong. Since it is still cold outside I decided to practice making sparks with stones yesterday. About a year ago I found many black, shiny stones during my vacation, I brought many home with me because I naturally assumed that this was flint or Vuursteen (Firestone) as we call them in Holland.

So yesterday I tried the Flint & Steel method again but I do not get sparks! Frustrates the hell out of me.
I do not have a good iron striker but I have several carbon steel knives that should do the trick.. but it doesn't.. I tried it with a piece of flint and my opinel and did not get any sparks. Then I even tried a piece of flint on another piece of flint.. Stupidly enough that did worked.. I got very few sparks but they're useless. One piece of flint even had some iron/rust content. I have seen how it should be done on tutorials. Either there is a secret to this technique I don't know about, Or the pieces of flint are in fact not flint at all and just looks like it.   I better try and find some help online.

While I was add it smashing flint on flint a flake broke of. A realy thin piece of flint. Well if I can't use this crap for making sparks or a fire then why not try to make a arrowhead out of that thin flake. Making a stone arrowhead with my level of experience will take at least a few days so I'll get back on that later.

Today I am going to read the Lord of the Rings one last time since I cannot bring it with me, during my final days here among humanity I will read all my books and watch my favourite movies one last time and then throw them away. Going away and leave nothing behind.

I am not completely sure but there is a chance that before I go I have one final holiday with my gf and the kids. A holiday in a park in a forest. That gives me the chance to practice some skills and sleep a night outside before I actually head out. But since my gf nowadays is trying to get her driving license and now she has joined a gym it is very possible that we won't be able to afford a quick vacation. I hate it when it's all about her.

That's it for now, take care everyone, here is the song of the day.
"Let's hear it for the hottest band in the world..."

 KISS - Shandi

Top 5 of odd religions

This has nothing to do with my journey, with bushcraft or survival. So it will be placed in the "other" category on this blog.

I was raised by my non-religious parents yet I have always felt the need for spirituality in my life and because I was raised an Atheist no religion was forced down my throat and I would have the unique opportunity to find my own path early in life. Finding that path was a huge struggle.. I started studying religions and eventualy learning about the various religions became more of a hobby, from the big, well known religions such as Christianity and Islam until smaller, less known religions such as Rastafari, Shinto and Zoroastrianism.

So here is the top 5 of odd religions, or rather "the top 5 of odd religions that I have encountered and studied" but that becomes such a mouthfull.

5- Gnostic Christianity

This is definately one of the more interesting religions I've ever looked into. Christianity is the biggest religion and as we know there are many different traditions within this path such as Catholic and Protestant. In the past there were also other traditions that went extinct and these traditions often believed in a whole different kind of Christianity. Things and ideas that would now be called herassy where pretty normal back then. Many Gnostic Christians believe that Jesus was a very important spiritual teacher but not "the son of God".. just as human as you and me. Unlike many Christians the Gnostics read more then just the Bible, other texts such as the Dead sea scrolls and Nag hammadi texts are very important to them and they date back during the time of Christ himself.

4- Satanism

Yes I have explored Satanism.. Modern satanism to be more precise, since there are different kinds of paths that are called Satanism.  Modern Satanism has nothing to do with worshipping some kind of devil and the devil is seen more as a symbol. I have read the Satanic Bible and other works of Anton Lavey, the founder of Modern Satanism and there are definately things about Satanism that I agree with but no matter how interesting it was reading about it, it wasn't a path for me. The worst thing about Modern Satanism is, at some degree, it's name.. Satanism.. By naming it as such they got a lot of idiotic 'followers' who just call themselves 'Satanist' in order to be cool or to freak out their parents. The biggest sin according to this religion is Stupidity. Nothing in the world is more stupid then teenie rebels and goths who practice a religion because it seems cool, and they tend to be the majority of it's followers.. Making a fool out of those who do practice it seriously.

3- Jediism

This religion is growing more rapidly then ever and it has more followers then you think. Jedi temples, schools and forums are everywhere and they are very active aswell. Dispite the fact that Jediism gets bad reputation from non-believers I find it hard to discover anything "bad" about this religion. From the outside it all looks a little stupid.. Guys dressed up as jedi's who are roleplaying and living in a fantasy world.. However if you look deep inside this religion you'll see what it's all about. To a jedi the most important things are; Meditation, Following the Jedi code and helping others. This makes it somewhat similar to Buddhism, or thats how I experienced it. Robes and lightsabers are all items that are merely symbolic.  They also believe in the force, seems a little weird but there are other religions believe who believe in something similar, it can be compared with the concept of Chi

2- Religio Romana

Religio Romana is a form of Reconstructionism and reconstructionism means the reconstruction of an ancient religion. Religio Romana, as you can tell by it's name is the ancient religion of the Roman peoples.
There are more types of Reconstructionism such as Celtic reconstructionism, Kemitism (Ancient Egyptian), Slavic Reconstructionism, Hellenismos (Greek). New forms are also on the rise such as Aztec reconstructionism. The populair religion called Asatru is often seen as a Viking/Saxon type of reconstructionism. All these religions are a form of ancient Paganism that believe in multiple dieties.
Religio Romana has quite alot of followers and the religion is pretty complex.

1- Matrixism

Here it is.. If anyone asks you what you're religion is and you are not in the mood for talking, say it's Matrixism, That'll leave them speechless.

Matrixism is on the number one of my list and it is one of those religions you probably never heard about and it only has a handfull of followers, dispite the fact that it is unknown it is a religion with a coolness factor and learning about it was a great experience. Just like Jediism it appears to be based on the philosophy behind a hollywood movie. The followers believe in "the one" which can be seen as believing in the coming of a future massiah, They also believe that the world we see around us is not reality, not the real world like in the movie and they consider psychedelics to be the most important sacrements (blue pil, red pill)..

So I went looking for a religion that fits me and instead I found myself learning about different religions as a hobby. Some other religions i have studied but that are far from odd are Rastafari and Shinto, to name a few.

So have I found a religion that I decided to follow and practice? Yes.. Buddhism.

No real surprise really, Buddhism was always something that made sence to me. Also since it has no Gods, No holy but only important texts, No leader and since they do not believe in a future devine apocalypse it feels more like a way of life/philosophy then a religion. In my opinion Buddhism is a path that helps me help myself in order to help others in the future.

If you want more info on the religions mentioned above.....

Gnostic Christianity

Gnosis.org

About gnostic christians

Modern Satanism

Church of Satan

Satanism forum

Jediism

Temple of the Jedi Order

Introduction to Jediism

Religio Romana and other reconstructionist religions

Nova Roma on religion

Intro to Religio Romana

Kemetic/Egyptian recons

Hellenic/Greek forum

Celtic reconstructionism

Aztec reconstructionism

Matrixism

Matrixism main site

Their second site

Diary 21 feb

The letter to my father is also finished and is ready to be posted, but it has to wait a couple of months. I still can't find my mothers adress so I might have to send her an email instead of the traditional letter, which sucks.

The kids are at school and my gf is at the gym.. and I just gotta respect that. She became a member there a few days ago and this is the second time she's going. But personaly it does not change anything between her and me. Looks are good, but it's the personality that you have to live with day by day. If she keeps holding on like this and becomes a size 6 she will still be a rotten egg that looks good on the outside.

In my last post I wrote about how to make incense without the typical asian ingredients.
Today I burned the incense I was making in that specific tutorial and here are the results:
It went sweet!!! I lit the top of the incense cone and it burnt all the way down without a flame as it is supossed to be. A few concerns however.. First, it burned way to fast, it was over in a minute or so, might use less charcoal next time.. Second, I do not to find a better binder, it was way to brittle.. Third, A scent definately came of other then that of burned charcoal but I did'nt like it, that's the least of my problems, just find better ingredients next time.

I have been looking into my food problem lately and I have upgraded the amount of food I will be taking with me. Such as noodles, instant soups and I'm stiil looking into foods that doesn't need to be heated.
I have updated the Items list , the list that shows you all the items I will be taking with me on my journey/trip/queste.. Some items were taken off the list most likely because they were not important enough to take with me. Other items were added to the list, mostly food and water.
And other items were modified.. For example I wanted to bring a book with me purely for entertainment, back then I decided to choose The lord of the rings. Now I changed that to The hobbit.. why?
The Hobbit is about 250 pages, LOTR about 870!! I can easily say that will make my backpack lighter by a kilo, at least.. (aslong as it's tolkien)

When I first made the list (2 years ago) it was huge, I was being unrealistic, Even if I could carry all that stuff on my back it would become sheer hell after carrying it for weeks on my back. But i've learned a lot since then.. I got rid of stuff..
And now I often look at the list and ask myself 2 questions when looking at every individual item; Do I realy need it? and Can it be made in the wilderness instead?

That's it for now hope you enjoyed

Deep Purple - Child in time

The art of making incense

Huh?.. How does making incense help you survive in the wild? Well it doesn't but it does make a fun experiment when you're out in the woods for a while and yes it does have some practical uses.
Other then being an aid during meditation the scent can make you fall asleep easier or it can even be used as a insect repellant (depending on the ingredients). You can find alot of good ingredients at your local supermarket, alot of typical kitchen herbs can be used but many other ingredients can be gathered for free in the outdoors and that's what making it is so much fun.. If you want to mass produce your own incense it's gonna cost ya, If you want to make some incense for personal use it can be done without spending a penny.

So here's what I did.. Remember that this is not a tutorial, this is an experiment.

Incense is made by using a Binding ingredient, a Burning ingredient and finaly the ingredient(s) that cause the Scent. When we think of incense we immediatly think of Asia, that's where most of the incense is made. Therefore when we look for recipies to make incense we see that most of the ingredients are herbs, resins, flowers and woods that grow in Asia only.  For example the sticks in sticks incense are thin slices of bamboo. One of the ingredients you often find in incense is Makko, if i'm correct this is a binding and burning ingredient in one.
Unfortunately I live in Holland so either I have to buy the special ingredients (expensive in the long run, and where's the sport in that) or I have to improvise, and that's just what I did.

For my burning ingredient I needed to make charcoal. I already did a tutorial on how to make charcloth, you can find it here. Making charcoal can be done with the same method.

After leaving it on a fire for 30 minutes there was no more smoke coming out of the small hole. After cooling it down I opened up the tin  and out came some nice chunks of charcoal. Knowing how to make Charcoal is very usefull.. It can be used for Drawing, Heating up a fire, Explosives (that's between you and me haha) and fireworks, Blacksmithing, making Dyes and pigments, Blackpowder and even to tread food poisoning or in this case, to make incense.

I could not find my mortar and pestle so instead I used a pencil and a small glass to crush up the charcoal in a very fine powder. I got another glass and in there went the ingredients that should cause the smell, in this case Basil and the bark of Ficus Ginseng (a bonsai species). I also took a few leaves of a purple flower, dried it, crushed it, no idea what it's called.. I didn't even leave the house. After crushing that up I took my binding ingredient which was.. here it comes.. water! That was easy..

All the ingredients mixed together

So here is the incense I've made. I decided to make those cone shaped incensebecause that seems easier. If I ever get better at this I might try stick incense. The two cones look the same but they're not.
The cone in the front has a water binder, it is very brittle and I guess it can easily fall apart, I made it two days ago and at this moment it has become very dry and I will test it today (for the result look at my next diary entry)

The cone in the back is with a honey binder (I've read somewhere it could be used as a binder). I made it approx 2 weeks ago and it is still sticky and not ready to burn. It is far from brittle but who cares if it doesn't even burn.  Both cones are pitch black from the charcoal, not what you expect incense to look like. Then again.. this is what my ancestors would have come up with if they'd made incense instead of the ancient Chinese... It was a fun experiment and I will try this more often. If you want to make your own incense then give it a try, now you know this can be a hobbie that can be very low costs. experiment with all kinds of herbs, resins and make mixtures of your own.

Diary 19 feb

Realisation starts to kick in and it kicks in hard..
I am actually going to do this! This is really happening!

Just a few more months and then I will leave, It will turn my life upside down. It will be an experience unlike any other. I will do what few people have done before me. I will, one day, have a story to tell, oh boy.
I'm turning my back to all the drama and anger and I will head on towards a simplified, peacefull way of living.

I have started to write letters to my parents. The letter to my mother (and sister) is finished but I can't find her address online.. Ain't that something.. I don't know my mothers address.. Well then again we barely spoke in recent years still I think I owe her a letter, a few final words from her son, rather she cares or not is upto her. The letter to my father is not yet finished but I will finish it tonight, his address was easily found on google.

I will post these letters once i'm out of the door. It is important to me that I send them since they are about why I leave, where I'm going and that they'll be on my mind.

I will also be spending less time online apart from posting on this blog and learning skills I won't be needing a computer. I have changed my name into Ralph Sungila instead of my real last name so I am harder to find for people who actually know me. Sungila means "Fox" or "Red Fox" in the language of the Lakota natives.. the name suits me. I have also changed my google and twitter password so that "Those we do not speak off" cannot change or delete my blog once I'm gone.

I need to spend more time offline to practice the skills I've learned. Now that the weather slowly gets warmer I will go outdoors as much as I can. The most important skill I still need to practice is making a fire from natural materials. I know how it's done but haven't managed to get a fire going.. Become good at the skill of fire making before I leave is a must!!

It's time for the song of the day.. Perhaps you remember the Kelly Family? those long haired children who were all brothers and sisters and formed a family band? well they've came a long way since then and the video proves it ;)
That's it for now boys and girls.. Take care of yourself and eachother ;)

The kelly Family - Break the walls