Survival Kits

Fire starters or my life depends on them!

First off savaget I am origanally from Jamesville, lived in Seneca Knolls, Syracuse, and taught in Watertown for nine years. Good to hear from someone back in the stomping grounds.

There is nothing dry to start a fire with in Prince Willaim Sound. We had 15+ inches of rain in Oct. alone!

I have used:

Newspapers cut into strips, rolled and tired together with string. Then dipped into hot wax until it is good and soaked.

Cardboard strips dipped into hot wax until it is good and soaked.

Table saw, sawdust,mixed in wax and formed in tinfoil packages.

On the boat I carry a quart of #2 fuel oil.

Duct tape works even if wet.

Fire starter paste.

If you carry a shotgun: Use an old shell casing and fill that with either the cardboard strips or paper strips and then pour hot way into them and seal. Film containers work also, you can leave a wick.

I am sure that there are more.

Warning: Do not carry fireproof matches made by Coleman or Coghlans. I had them on a recent trip out on the Sound and both of the products failed. Strike-any-where matches dipped in wax or nail polish are more reliable. When it is raining down ( up and sideways) and you are up all night bringing the boat back on anchor, the wind is holling and you need to light a fire it had better start.

The calling!

When in high school I hated reading what the English teacher wanted me to read. So finally in frustration she let me read anything! So I learned English reading about Fred Bear, Jack, and the other great hunters of the time. When under the care of Uncle Sam, he flew me over AK six times back and forth to south east Asia. I went back to college at 38, graduated, sold everything hoping to move then. My son whom I was raising, with the truck full, said; "Dad I don't want to go. I will miss mom and gram." So I stayed and taught in Watertown nine years. He went to college and moved on. I walked into school one day and resigned. They asked if I had another job and I said no, I am going to AK to teach. Flew up, got three offers and took a job teaching as an itenerate in Eskimo villages on the Bering coast. Sold everything that would not fit into the pickup, loaded the dog and the stuff in as soon as school let out and drove up.

This is my forth year and I know I sound like I have been here forever. I have taught in Elim, Shaktoolik, Aniak, Nulato, Valdez; been to Kotzebue, Nome, Golovin, Koyuk, Unakaleet, Kaltag, most otheres on the Bering coast, all the villages on the Yukon from Nenana down to Nulato, driven the haul road and all the other roads escept one. Lived in the truck prospectiing the Keani, below Denali and others. Ihave lived in seven places in my first three years up here. each has its own great stories. Like in Shaktoolik, one day it was -50 and the wind was blowing 50 mph, It was so cold that the dog would not even go out to pee for two days!

Had so great times, some times I almost quit teaching, but love Valdez excep the lack of hunting. I am working on that one though!

These two pages have some very interesting ideas on a great many subjects, some have to do with survival tips and equipment.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tips/index.htm

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/index.htm

One thing I carry in my car and in my hunting pack is a carbide light. You drip water on 1 teaspoon of calcium carbide and you will generate acetelyne gas to light your trail for over an hour, boil a small cup of water, completely dry yourself and your damp clothes (with the aid of a large trash bag), burn green wood, write with the soot of the flame messages on rock faces, or simply warm your hands until they are nimble enough for other tasks. These lights work on a chemical reaction with water, so they are perfect in wet conditions. The little lights themselves can be as small as 2 1/2" x 2" X 4". One full charge in the lamp will usually run it for about 4 hours. A slighty larger, but thoroughly modern version called the MIKE LITE, is available at THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE:

http://www.caves.org/imo/frames1.htm

Also at the bottom of the preceding page is a cross section image of a traditional brass lamp as well as a little tutorial on carbide lamps for those who may be interested. Calcium carbide fuel can also be found at the bottom of the same page. The MIKE LITES look very nice, but I have not brought myself to pay $100 for one yet. You can usually find plenty of the used brass miners carbide lamps on ebay in good working order for around $20 - $40 depending on condition. I would suggest the Justrite Streamline model with a 2 1/2" reflector as the most compact, reliable, and durable. These were still manufactured until the mid 1970's, so they are pretty easy to find in good shape if you just look a little on EBAY under a search for - justrite carbide (NOT in quotes).

works for me.