The location you choose to build a campsite is very important, regardless of your reason for being there. Whether you are camping out for fun, or you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, you want to pick a safe campsite that offers natural advantages against the weather and has ample resources nearby.

I always encourage everyone to look up, look around and look down when surveying a potential site. We look above us for things that could fall down and cause harm. We look around for hazards and protection from the elements. We look down for pests, drainage issues and other problems. The following simple guidelines can help you determine a good place to build a camp. But remember that there is no “perfect” campsite, so don’t spend precious hours wandering around. Pick a fairly decent spot and start building. [ Read Full Post ]

Out of bread? No oven to cook in? The coals of your camp fire can bake up some tasty bread—if you have the secret ingredient to make your dough.

I’ve been whipping up ash cakes for years, and serving them to pleasantly surprised survival students for a while now. Although, it wasn’t always easy. [ Read Full Post ]

As the poles were closing on Super Tuesday, the biggest solar flare in five years erupted on the surface of the sun, and "It's [going to hit] us right in the nose," said Joe Kunches, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Kunches remarked that this flare was the sun's version of "Super Tuesday." Well, whether the sun was vomiting in joy, or out of anger at the election results, we may never know. But this much has been determined: the Earth is lined up perfectly for the flare to hit us. What’s the damage predicted to be? [ Read Full Post ]