Your experiences in hiking/camping/survival

[mindwanderer]

So, I have a thread where I post any pictures from hikes I've gone on recently... but I want to hear about your experiences too! If you have pictures that's even better. So, any funny, sad, exciting, wierd stories from hiking or camping or anything. Actually, it doesn't even have to be interesting either... you can just post a hike you've done or want to do. Also you can ask questions in this thread too.

[Man of Steel]

Hmm, I've got some interesting stories I could tell here. Most involving animals. I'll come back later when I have more time to think. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I've got a question, just out of curiosity, regarding equipment. All of you that spend time in the outdoors, what knife or knives do you carry? And do you commonly carry some method of fire-starting, a water bottle, any other useful accouterments? Personally, I usually carry one of several pocket knives on my person, along with a fixed blade on my belt if I'm going far. Typically a Benchmade Vex or Cold Steel Gunsite II lately—in my pocket—and either a Frost's of Sweden 760 Mora or one of several custom fixed blades on my belt. Additionally, I always have a Mini Bic, a small flashlight (Nitecore D10—awesome little light that takes one AA battery and puts out 130 lumens), chapstick, and a bandanna or two with me, along with a 32oz SwissGear water bottle in a paracord net if I'm going far.

[Dannon Oneironaut]

A couple weeks ago I saw two bears playing. A big one and a medium one. I don't know if it was foreplay or anything. Usually they are solitary animals. I experimented with survival on the lost coast in northern california many years ago. I would like to do that again. I learned how to make fire from scratch. That is something that I think is important. We are humans after all, and humans are supposed to know how to make fire from scratch.

[Never]

I'm always in the woods, and lived in them for half a year (literally). I'm not a very good story teller when it comes to myself however. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I've got a question, just out of curiosity, regarding equipment. All of you that spend time in the outdoors, what knife or knives do you carry? And do you commonly carry some method of fire-starting, a water bottle, any other useful accouterments? You have some good choices. I usually carry a Camillus USMC combat knife, notwithstanding the weight, and I have a swiss army knife and multi-tool. For fire I carry a swedish firesteel, magnesium block, and waterproof/windproof matches. I carry a lot of gear in my extended patrol pack (spin off of CFP-90) including two canteens; one full, one collapsed. I use almost all military stuff as it suits my purposes, is durable, cheap, and very interchangeable. If I am only going for a short hike I need only my molle vest which is completely modular.

[Man of Steel]

I'm always in the woods, and lived in them for half a year (literally). I'm not a very good story teller when it comes to myself however. You have some good choices. I usually carry a Camillus USMC combat knife, notwithstanding the weight, and I have a swiss army knife and multi-tool. For fire I carry a swedish firesteel, magnesium block, and waterproof/windproof matches. I carry a lot of gear in my extended patrol pack (spin off of CFP-90) including two canteens; one full, one collapsed. I use almost all military stuff as it suits my purposes, is durable, cheap, and very interchangeable. If I am only going for a short hike I need only my molle vest which is completely modular. I forgot to add; one of the custom fixed-blades I often carry has a firesteel loop on its sheath, which I keep a Swedish firesteel in. I also usually carry a Wenger Handyman SAK with a hefty paracord lanyard/fob on it. I also have a Swiss (I think) army canteen, with the metal cup over the bottom. I need to pick up another small waist pack; my old one is out of commission. I hear the Maxpedition water bottle covers are pretty sweet. Nice selection of equipment, there! Military surplus is great; if I'm in the woods, I'm usually wearing old BDU pants (and jacket if it's cool).

[Naiya]

I went on my very first camping trip last year, with my friends who supposedly had experience in these things. to make a long story short, it was a horrible, horrible experience. Read on for details. My friend who organized the trip knew of a place to go camping that was in a field by a small lake. He had checked the weather and it was supposed to be fairly warm, perfect since we were going off-season and were sleeping in tents. I had no supplies, so I had to buy a very cheap, tiny tent, about $20. I brought a normal sleeping bag, pillow, toilet paper and hand sanitizer among other things I thought we'd need. My friends picked me up, and we ended up going back to the store because one of them forgot a pillow and some other things. We got to the campsite late afternoon. It was windy. Very. Windy. So windy that my friends with bigger tents were having cave-ins. Fortunately my tent was so small the wind had no effect on it. It was so windy that we couldn't play any of the games we brought. The bathroom was a quarter mile away, which discouraged me from drinking, which would have been the only thing to make it less miserable. My friends made these hot dogs filled with cheese and didn't tell me they were filled with cheese so when I bit into mine, in the dark, it looked like it was oozing mystery substance. Every time anyone got out of their chair, the wind would blow their chair directly into the fire pit, regardless of where they sat. We spent most of the night around the fire because it was incredibly cold and windy. Anywho, the tents were pitched over an area of rock-hard ground. My sleeping bag was well over ten years old and extremely worn out, so with no pad underneath it was pretty much impossible to sleep. I ended up bunching up all my extra clothes under it, including my heavy coat, and that helped. After we put out the fire, we couldn't sit outside because it was too cold and windy. My friends had a rule that no one could go to the bathroom alone (at least not the girls, which was understandable considering that there were a bunch of stoned morons about a quarter mile away who almost set their friend on fire by dumping their alcohol into the fire), so I had to wake people up to go and bring the lantern with us. I slept maybe 2-3 hours in total. I got up around 6am, not long after the sun came up, went over to the next tent and asked "hey are you awake?" "Yup." We got everyone else up, too, and we noticed that it was still insanely windy. Everyone was miserable. We had planned to at least make breakfast there, but we all wanted to just leave as soon as possible. We packed up, drove to Denny's and had breakfast there. By far the best part of the trip. I went home and showered. TL;DR I will never go camping again.

[Never]

I forgot to add; one of the custom fixed-blades I often carry has a firesteel loop on its sheath, which I keep a Swedish firesteel in. I also usually carry a Wenger Handyman SAK with a hefty paracord lanyard/fob on it. I also have a Swiss (I think) army canteen, with the metal cup over the bottom. I need to pick up another small waist pack; my old one is out of commission. I hear the Maxpedition water bottle covers are pretty sweet. Nice selection of equipment, there! Military surplus is great; if I'm in the woods, I'm usually wearing old BDU pants (and jacket if it's cool). The firesteel and canteen cup are pretty great items. I use the cup for virtually everything, and sometimes when I want to go ultra-ultra light I use it for cooking and eating out of, and I whittle some twigs for chopsticks. It can be used for food, tea, shaving, brushing your teeth, etc. Even when I am living in an apartment I use it in place of cups and small pots. I wear BDUs myself. All the time really. Very comfortable and I really like to avoid people out there as I am usually carrying and it freaks them out. Also I'd like to mention the G.I. Poncho; I actually own 4 of them they are so good. Use them for rain protection, concealment, shelters, covers, etc. I love rain gear in general. I have enough now to where I can stay in the rain indefinitely. I went on my very first camping trip last year, with my friends who supposedly had experience in these things. to make a long story short, it was a horrible, horrible experience. Read on for details. My friend who organized the trip knew of a place to go camping that was in a field by a small lake. He had checked the weather and it was supposed to be fairly warm, perfect since we were going off-season and were sleeping in tents. I had no supplies, so I had to buy a very cheap, tiny tent, about $20. I brought a normal sleeping bag, pillow, toilet paper and hand sanitizer among other things I thought we'd need. My friends picked me up, and we ended up going back to the store because one of them forgot a pillow and some other things. We got to the campsite late afternoon. It was windy. Very. Windy. So windy that my friends with bigger tents were having cave-ins. Fortunately my tent was so small the wind had no effect on it. It was so windy that we couldn't play any of the games we brought. The bathroom was a quarter mile away, which discouraged me from drinking, which would have been the only thing to make it less miserable. My friends made these hot dogs filled with cheese and didn't tell me they were filled with cheese so when I bit into mine, in the dark, it looked like it was oozing mystery substance. Every time anyone got out of their chair, the wind would blow their chair directly into the fire pit, regardless of where they sat. We spent most of the night around the fire because it was incredibly cold and windy. Anywho, the tents were pitched over an area of rock-hard ground. My sleeping bag was well over ten years old and extremely worn out, so with no pad underneath it was pretty much impossible to sleep. I ended up bunching up all my extra clothes under it, including my heavy coat, and that helped. After we put out the fire, we couldn't sit outside because it was too cold and windy. My friends had a rule that no one could go to the bathroom alone (at least not the girls, which was understandable considering that there were a bunch of stoned morons about a quarter mile away who almost set their friend on fire by dumping their alcohol into the fire), so I had to wake people up to go and bring the lantern with us. I slept maybe 2-3 hours in total. I got up around 6am, not long after the sun came up, went over to the next tent and asked "hey are you awake?" "Yup." We got everyone else up, too, and we noticed that it was still insanely windy. Everyone was miserable. We had planned to at least make breakfast there, but we all wanted to just leave as soon as possible. We packed up, drove to Denny's and had breakfast there. By far the best part of the trip. I went home and showered. TL;DR I will never go camping again. Don't feel bad; my first experience was worse; though I was kicked out into the street to survive. Some things would make you laugh your ass off. EVERYONE goes through a similar learning curve the first few times out. Murphy always gets you when you forget something.

[Jorge]

I don't have a "living in the forest" experience, but I did go camping a few times. Brought plenty of stuff, so I wasn't really living "in the wild" but I always wanted to. Like hunt, make a fire, and just experience life the way it used to be. Sounds like a fun challenge, and a great learning experience to appreciate what we take for granted daily.

[mindwanderer]

I should make it clear though... Lots of people think "oh cool, living in the wild. Eating fish, berries, plants, making fires and building shelters. I could probably do it." Well regardless of whether you have the actual technical ability to make those things isn't the question... it's in your head. Believe it or not... keeping yourself hydrated, fed, and warm isn't all that difficult with a little training. But humans are social creatures, and we literally go insane without interaction (generally). Les Stroud has done plenty of survival trips, and has done quite well... but they're only seven days. Ed Wardle, a strong man experienced man who's climbed everest and conquered other things, decided to try 3 months in the wild... and he went nuts. Look him up and watch the docu if you can.

[Dannon Oneironaut]

I've spent four months alone before. I am trying to save up right now to spend three years, three months and three days alone. But I don't want it to be a survival thing. I want to have everything I need and people leave groceries for me in a box where I won't see them. But I don't want to have a telephone or internet or mail or radio or tv or cds or books. Anybody want to sponsor me?

[Spartiate]

I've spent four months alone before. I am trying to save up right now to spend three years, three months and three days alone. But I don't want it to be a survival thing. I want to have everything I need and people leave groceries for me in a box where I won't see them. But I don't want to have a telephone or internet or mail or radio or tv or cds or books. Anybody want to sponsor me? Why dude, you're in the prime of your life.

[Dannon Oneironaut]

How do you know? Do you know that I am in my prime? Do you know how old I am? Do you know how boring people are after a while? And that is the point. That I am in my prime. I've had plenty of experiences in this world and it gets very redundant. There are only so many festivals you can go to, so many times to fall in love, before it all gets redundant and pointless. It doesn't matter what condition I am in or how old I am. That is why I am into lucid dreaming. It is something that I can do alone. There are other experiences I am interested in that you just can't get when people are around. Also, it is only temporary. When it is done I'll be back, the world isn't going anywhere I hope. And I never know when I will die so it is best to do it now rather than put it off until later. Later never comes. People can be a distraction. I have hermit tendencies. People are boring. I enjoy my own company. Any sponsors?

[Spartiate]

I thought you had a kid .

[Never]

I should make it clear though... Lots of people think "oh cool, living in the wild. Eating fish, berries, plants, making fires and building shelters. I could probably do it." Well regardless of whether you have the actual technical ability to make those things isn't the question... it's in your head. Believe it or not... keeping yourself hydrated, fed, and warm isn't all that difficult with a little training. But humans are social creatures, and we literally go insane without interaction (generally). Les Stroud has done plenty of survival trips, and has done quite well... but they're only seven days. Ed Wardle, a strong man experienced man who's climbed everest and conquered other things, decided to try 3 months in the wild... and he went nuts. Look him up and watch the docu if you can. Too true. I have spent my entire life alone pretty much, and I would be lying to say it's enjoyable. It will be my end for sure some day. People do not really understand what it is like being alone in the woods in complete silence with no distractions. I would never really recommend going into the woods alone if you have someone whom you can share the experience with; that is, after all, what life is all about.

[Spartiate]

I spend quite a bit of time in the woods. Usually when I'm hunting or fishing I stay in a log cabin, a little rustic but not uncomfortable at all. Probably the coolest camping trip I've been on was in the Canadian Rockies. Our camp was just below the treeline at a lake with some good fishing. There was another lake above the treeline and the view was awesome from there. I came face to face with a grizzly bear there that had just destroyed a tent at the camp (some couple had left dishrags to dry on their tent); broke my thumb as I took a steeper, rocky way down to stay out of its way. The northern lights were nuts from that place, wish I lived there! Animals I still eagerly await to see in the wild: Lynx, cougar.

[Amoeba]

I want to learn the skills for if I need them. Not just outdoor survival, but general self-sustenance. But I don't even know where to begin. Went on a survival course once but I was booted off before the first night set in... *sigh* for getting too nervous. I mean, after a while I was fine but I still wasn't allowed to stay. We were promised day-vouchers as compensation but it was an empty promise. My confidence was completely crushed since then. I used to love the outdoors but that experience just made me hate it. Because it reminds me of that night every time. It wasn't the outdoors either that got to me, because I loved it and it was beautiful - it was one of the instructors telling me I should never have signed up and stuff and guilt-tripping me saying I should have known I would get nervous and he didn't believe that this had never happened to me before. Really shitty attitude. The other instructor, however, kind of backed me up but couldn't really do anything since he wasn't in charge. So, there's my story of outdoor camping/survival. Pretty pathetic, eh?

[Zhaylin]

When I was about 14 years old or so I ran away from home for the first time. I've already written that story a couple times in DV lol so I'll spare everyone a third time. I loved it. I was gone for 10 days. I didn't see a single soul while I was in the small patch of woods, but I did hear almost constant traffic. I would have resorted to dumpster diving if I had stayed away much longer, but I didn't miss people one bit. My undoing was my guilty conscious. Because of the way I maneuvered running away, I dreaded what my parents must have been going through. The second time I ran away, I was 17 and in between 2 boyfriends (boyfriend A said "Let's see other people [but keep seeing each other too!]" so after a few months I met someone else). Boyfriend B showed me some tunnels under the street (water run-off) and I stayed there for a week. Boyfriend B saw me every now and then. He wasn't really my boyfriend at the time, but that trip was what brought us together and lead to our eventual marriage . I didn't miss people then either. People complicate things. I didn't know what to do about the guys I loved and I hated my parents. They tricked me into coming home (I called boyfriend A to let him know I was okay and they told him I could move in with him, they just wanted me safe). When life gets rough now-a-days, I yearn to runaway. To live in the FOREST nearby. That would be a lot different than a patch of woods and some tunnels, but I actually crave that freedom sometimes. But I have 4 kids,so it's not something I can actually do long term.