Out of the primordial ooze it crawled… …or maybe just out of the pond at The Human Path quarry. Take your pick! In the first of a series of animal tracking classes, Sam Coffman took us through three different aspects of tracking. At the beginning of the day he focused on awareness exercises. We first… Continue reading Hark: what goes there? Or, my first tracking class
If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, what does a spoonful of fire cider do? Fire cider is a concoction of hot peppers, ginger, garlic and apple cider vinegar, and other stuff if you feel so inclined. It is a health tonic that can help boost immunity and improve circulation. As Jack… Continue reading Make your own fire cider
Chris Hyde of Austin demonstrating how to construct a paiute deadfall trap to catch small game. The video is from The Human Path’s third Level 1 Hunter-Gatherer class.
Sucking chest wounds. Blisters. Altitude Mountain Sickness. Spider bites. Evacuation techniques. Sprained ankles. These are just of a long list of ailments and injuries I learned how to treat in my Wilderness First Aid Certification class this past weekend. As any first aid knowledge, the skills I learned will come in handy at any time,… Continue reading Wilderness First Aid Certification class
Thanks to the Urban Farming Guys there’s a great video on how to do this… In my quest to save money and use safer products around my home, I decided to try making my own laundry detergent. The HOW: My ingredients: Washing Soda: $3.69 at Breed & Co. Borax: about $7 at Wheatsville Co-Op, but… Continue reading Make your own laundry soap
Criminalizing gardens. Really, what’s going on? Earlier this year, former Michigan resident Julie Bass faced an attack by officials in her town of Oak Park because she dared to plant vegetable gardens in her front yard. In a broad rant against lawns I told her story and questioned how a garden could be considered a… Continue reading Another garden under attack
For those wanting an update on Bastrop State Park, Todd McClanahan, the Park Superintendent for the Lost Pines Complex (Bastrop & Buescer State Parks) sent out an message today. An update on damages: Thus far, all buildings within Bastrop State Park, including CCC cabins, refectory, bathhouse, swimming pool, pro shop, picnic shelter, warehouse and sign… Continue reading Bastrop State Park update
Heartbreaking… and heartwarming. Bastrop, Texas is struggling with a fire that has been burning for a week, and is still less than half contained. A city with 7,218 residents, it has been devastated by the fire that has burned tens of thousands of acres and over 1400 homes. On my visit today to Bastrop, I wondered… Continue reading A tale of fire and ashes
From a distance, six separate plumes of smoke. State Troopers blocking Highways 71 and 21 heading east, both at 95. Trailers of horses heading west. A tent city of insurance companies set up to assist those who have lost homes or other property. In Bastrop proper, there are no plumes of smoke. Instead, it hovers… Continue reading Bastrop is burning
As anyone in Central Texas can tell you right now, there’s smoke in the air. In fact, Austin is all but surrounded by fires to the north, east, west and south, with a few that have been popping up in the city itself. The biggest fire right now is in Bastrop, not far from where… Continue reading Fire, fire everywhere
Surviving the Modern World 