IT
IS ALWAYS A GOOD INVESTMENT for an individual to sit, listen, watch and
participate actively in outdoors training. Much more so if it is a survival
class. That individual would know exactly what to do in an ugly situation. With
people around him, his presence would be McGyver-like. Perhaps not. Unlike
others who prioritized equipment and gear over training, knowledge does not get
stolen nor get damaged. Its value does not depreciate because it is priceless.
It becomes part of you.
A
group investing in survival training is much better. Everybody knows what to do
when SHTF comes. We know that no activity is perfect. No trip is seamless even
if it is well planned. A number of trained people caught in dire straits would
weather that out much better than on another group who have none or even with
one. I would cast my fortunes on the former any time, any day and on any place.
With a group, a member would complement another in clockwork precision.
MCAP
and CLIMBER, legitimate outdoor organizations based in Luzon, had previously
harnessed my know-how in preparing their members or participants in survival
education. It improved the participants’ stock knowledge and raised their
confidence and understanding a few notches higher. Same with PECOJON, an NGO
composed of journalists I trained in bushcraft; emergency response units like
the ones maintained by the Archdiocese of Capiz and the Municipality of Liloan,
Cebu; and an Army reserve unit.
Here
in Cebu, BUKAL OUTDOOR CLUB is the first outdoor recreations group to cross
over that line which separates a club that values their members’ well-being and
those that do so only during Christmas Day. It is a collective sacrifice. A
group investment. But it shall reap dividends, not only for themselves, but also
covers to those who are with them. They shall become more responsible campers,
they would have more time to think and would appreciate better the dangers
nature present.
BUKAL
OUTDOOR CLUB have undergone my standard three-day Basic Wilderness Survival
Course on the dates May 13, 14 and 15, 2017. I held it at Camp Xi, another
mythical nook found within the foothills of the Babag Mountain Range, Cebu
City. They brought their usual camping gear and were just by their normal
selves. No fanfare like subjecting them to cosplay and act naked and unafraid.
Nor did I let them crawl on dirt to eat raw bulbs dug from the earth.
The
camp we used was the ones that I used for the Bushmasters’ Camp last April 28
and 29. The campsite is accessible but is not along a route frequently used by
mainstream activities. A path less taken. The campsite is on a high ground,
wide and grassy, below the tree line, near a small stream, a small waterfall, a
small pond and a natural spring. It has bamboos and dry firewood. Perfect requirements
of a bushcraft camp.
There
were fourteen excited participants sitting before me on that first day (May
13). Joining me as my assistants are Dominic Sepe, Leomel Pino, Jonathaniel
Apurado, Denzen Delima and Jenmar de Leon. They are all with the Camp Red
Bushcraft and Survival Guild and have taken the Philippine Independence
Bushcraft Camp on different occasions between 2011 and 2017, except for Denzen
who is a product of the Bonifacio Day Bushcraft Camp of 2015.
As
usual, I always start the day on a light mood with my patented selfie with
participants. In a few minutes, I got serious. Really serious. I explained the
purpose of this basic seminar and how it will change their paradigms. It is
meant to open the eyes of the participants on the real possibilities of these
chain of events that would go beyond anybody’s control since the outdoors, the
mountains, the weather and everything that is in nature, can never be
controlled when things go wrong.
The
first topic is about Introduction to Survival. During times of accidents
and calamities, nobody has that ultimate answer when to survive such. A
prepared mind would, at least, be blessed by chance. Surviving the initial
impact is one half of it while ensuring your survival until help comes in is the
other half of that. In between, the mind controls everything from the way you
think and even to the release of adrenaline. Your brain is a supercomputer but,
unfortunately, it could only process one thought at a time.
When
in a survival situation, your brain works double time and, in the process, use
up huge amounts of body heat, water and oxygen and inadvertently release
adrenaline for no apparent reason just like you would experience when getting
lost or just plain hiking in darkness. It is best that you stop and sit still,
relax and breathe deeply, then gather all your thoughts and rehydrate. You
would need water and it is your first priority to keep your blood flowing so
your brain would work properly.
In
the Hierarchy of Needs and of Nutrition in a Survival Situation,
water is tops on both. Why? Because we are in the tropics and the body is
surrendering perspiration due to humidity and by your exertions. Along with
that, goes our body heat also which you do not know. To sit still would
minimize losing body fluids and keep it confined by setting up a shelter – if
you still have one, or make one from scratch. This is the second need. The
third would be food then warmth. Last is security which would complement well
with all.
Our
body has four hypothetical tanks that needs to be replenished during survival.
First you have to rehydrate often so you could offset dehydration. Second is
food that would give you nutrients, carbohydrates and proteins. Third is sugar
converted by enzymes for your adrenaline rush. Fourth is fat, hardest to find
in the tropics yet are wrapped as tissues in our body. Then you make sure your
body is supplied with adequate oxygen. Keep those air passages free of
obstacles. Then, by all means, you should practice personal hygiene during
survival. It helps to have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Topic
for the next chapter is about Water Sanitation and Hydration. The first
chapter had mentioned the importance of water during survival. Water could be
sourced from natural springs, water seeps, man-made water holes, flowing
streams, the atmosphere and from plants. It could be sanitized through boiling,
by chemicals, exposure to heat, through filtration and by desalination. It is
wise to cache water in your survival camp or just travel early and take
advantage of shady places and breeze if you happen to have less.
The
last topic for the day is Knife Care and Safety. I would like to change
the perception about the knife and it is important that people relearn why our
ancestors invented it, generally, to aid them in their daily activities and
made their living better. The knife is a tool and should not be used to what it
was not designed for like digging latrine holes and as pry bars. It is a vital
piece of equipment that should be properly handled and cared for because it is
your link to your surviving. In all the training I conducted, knife etiquette
is learned first before people touch a knife.
Besides
my rules, there is a knife law that forbids the display, even of concealed
carrying, in public places unless you are in a lawful activity, which camping
and hiking are. A knife should be in a sturdy sheath when travelling - for
safety - and should be unsheathed when at home to keep it from rust. There are
many kinds of knives and it is important that people know the parts, blade
shapes, grind styles and the tang designs because, from those qualities, you
would know how to achieve maximum work. People must also learn how to field
sharpen a knife.
The
participants troop to their shelters at 17:00 to proceed with their food
preparations and to answer the call of nature. The campsite is located on a
wide meadow and shielded by mango trees. Above us is the ridge and the trail.
Over on the other side is the latrine facing another valley. Walking uphill a
trail would lead you to a small stream where there is a natural spring. Most of
the people visit this other side while I spent my free time, splitting firewood
for tonight’s campfire. After dinner, everyone sit around the fire and the
Campfire Yarns and Storytelling proceed as planned until 24:00.
The
second day (May 14), the participants eat a full breakfast. After this they
fast and are obligated to use all their attention and concentration listening
and understanding the lectures. Denying them a meal for the rest of the day
would, at least, make them feel of what is it like to be in a survival
situation outdoors. They would feel the pangs of hunger but they could
rehydrate as they wished. Humidity, drowsiness and crawling insects would
torment them as they use all their power to remain alert.
First
lecture is Customizing the Survival Kit. It is better that your survival
kit should be made from scratch than bought commercially because a survival
kit’s size and its components depends upon the type of the activity you are in
to and the kind of environment you are going on to. Your personal touch on
certain items are very important to you should it be needed. Redundancy is its
best attribute especially fire-making tools, lighting gadgets, water-purification
methods and cutting tools.
The
components are the medical kit, the replenishment pouch, the repair kit and a
back-up knife. It could all be integrated in one container or it could be
separated from one another in their own containers. As much as possible, avoid
clutter. In a survival situation, you could misp second lace things. Make it
waterproofed, dust-proofed, insect-proofed and keep it away from direct heat.
Next
is Cold Weather Survival. Since the outdoors is about mountains and high
elevations, exposure to the elements are expected. There are five physical
mechanisms that steal away body heat and there are ways to keep us constantly
warm. Then comes Survival Tool Making and, after the lecture, they can
use their knives. Tool making is essential in survival or even when not in that
situation like a missing utensil or tent peg.
I
showed them the most basic of tools like the digging stick, cordage from bamboo
skin and coconut midribs, traps and snares from bamboo, and the batoning stick,
which they would need when cutting up bamboos for their cooking pots and for
their spoons and drinking jugs. I assign 4-5 participants each to three groups
for this knife-dexterity exercise for better supervision.
This
activity would run through the early afternoon, crossing over a one-hour siesta
break, where another topic, Traditional Navigation, begins. This
technique was perfected by our ancestors and uses the natural terrain, shadows
and the sky fixtures for travel; avoiding obstacles and highly-exposed areas
that cause possible hypothermia; and knowing signs on trails made by animals
and by humans. This chapter also talks about how to effectively use visual and
audio signals.
Last
for the day is Foraging and Plant Identification. During survival, you
would need to gather food and non-food items. Food could be meat and proteins
which would only be sourced from animals and insects. Catching animals would be
very tricky and you would have to make use of traps and snares. Food can also
be sourced from edible plants. It is fundamental that you know these because it
is everywhere. It is also important that you know the harmful ones. Showed them
photos of stingy, thorny and poisonous plants.
The
participants, exhausted by hunger and by the long and warm day, are released
from sitting for long hours and proceed to the business of cooking rice in the
improvised bamboo pots they made during the tool making session which employ
the Trailhawk System of cooking. Their dinner would materialize after the
fruits of their Nocturnal Hunting which would be done on the small stream I
mentioned ago.
All
the participants and camp staff, including me, use this moment to tidy up at
the small stream where there is a small waterfall and a pond upstream after two
days without bath. They were able to forage fresh-water crabs and a few tree
snails and it becomes their dinner. They also cook food from their supply and
add it to the late feast. The campfire becomes alive again and another session
of Campfire Yarns and Storytelling which goes past midnight.
The
last day (May 15) start early. The discussion also start ahead of time and it
is about Firecraft. This is the most expected part. You cannot make a
fire if one or all elements are not present, namely: fuel, heat and air.
Lately, they added a fourth element – chemical reaction. Fire-making is 80%
common sense, 10% skill and 10% perspiration. We are talking about the friction
methods. Your fire, done with any method, can start if you can acquire and
identify the right tinder, if you are in a dry place, and if you have the
patience.
Aside
from friction, there is the conventional or modern method which are
matchsticks, lighters, ferro rods and the flint and steel. Then there is solar
magnification which can be done with any magnifying lens, reading glasses,
water and even ice. Then you have pressurized air, exemplified by the fire
piston. I proceed in demonstrating the flint and steel, which I paired with
charclothe, and the ferro rod, which the participants tried and successfully
produced ember and flame.
I
showed them how to make charclothe and how to make a tinder bundle, popularly
known as the “bird’s nest”. Then I demoed how the bow drill method is made and
spun. Unfortunately, I could only make
thick smoke as sawdust embers refused to light up my tinder. I let others try
the bowdrill. I showed them another friction method using bamboos. Just like my bowdrill, only burnt smoke
emitted. The humid conditions might have something to do with that. Staff and
participants tried their hands on these primitive gadgets but all to no avail
but they now gained an idea how it is made and worked.
The
last discussion topic is Outdoors Common Sense. This is the latest topic that I added and it
is but excerpts from my yet unpublished book, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. It
covers trail ethics, travel and campsite, using the time-tested principles of
Blend, Adapt and Improvise. It also talks about wildlife and farm animal
encounters and how to react in such situations. That sums up this three-day
outdoors course which I first introduced in Luzon last 2013 and is now one of
the cornerstones of my training programs.
Giving
of certificates follow and the imparting of giveaway items courtesy of
Seseblades and Jhurds Neo of Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild. Brunch gets
served at 10:00 and after breaking up of shelters, it is time to leave the
campsite. We will take another route, crossing Sarapia Creek and following a
less-trodden trail to Mapawon Peak and Katugasan Peak and going down to a road
where a signboard says we are now in Kalunasan. A wait of an hour for
motorcycles brought us all to Guadalupe.
Done in
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