I was on this walk and you’ll never guess what happened, I fell completely off the face of the planet. It was a weird and amazing experience – you should have been there! Well now I’m back to “reality.” I know I’m supposed plug back into the matrix. Get up, go to work, come home, watch TV and go to bed so I can do it all over again, everyday, for the rest of my life.

Or…

I’m taking Plight to Freedom in the direction it should have gone from the very beginning, which is teaching equipment knowledge, wilderness living and self sufficiency skills. I know survival blogs, videos and websites are a dime a dozen. There’s so much information it’s unbelievable, some good and some horrible. I have spent over a decade working in the camping and hunting industry and have had a lot of “wow” moments; some self realized and still many more through observations of others. Several things I’ve learned over the years: There is more than one way to skin a cat; equipment will eventually fail (usually at the worst possible moment); you get what you pay for; and knowledge and experience will always triumph.

The wilderness is in my blood, it’s my sanctuary. It’s where my wife drops me off, with a pack, when I’m wound tighter then a drum. Once there, I’m like a child all over again, free to explore and experience new adventures. I have to know what everything is and what it can be used for. Whenever I’m in the bush, it’s like I’m on a safari, but instead of a rifle, I carry a camera and I get to hunt all year. It’s also like walking through a book. Every plant, stone and animal has a story; it’s up to me to read them. Now I get to teach others what I have learned and what I will continue to learn.

I want to build Plight to Freedom into an encyclopedia of self sufficient skills; from basic plant and animal identification to alternative power and home building. I believe the idea of “survival” has been beaten to death by television and the alternative media. Real survival is overcoming a life or death situation where the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you. You don’t have to survive every time you walk in the woods if you know what you’re walking through and how to walk. Water, food, medicine, shelter and raw materials are all around you just waiting to be used. The problem is we have lost the knowledge on how to find and use them; I want to bring that knowledge back.

Starting with plant identification I will be releasing different series’ pertaining to nature identification and wilderness living skills. If you want to survive anything then begin by knowing what you’re looking at and how to use it to your advantage. Next, I am going to teach the fundamentals such as knot tying, fire making and gear basics. My theory is if I start out teaching the more simple things, I can then have reference points later when I get into more complicated subjects such as bushcraft, hunting, tracking, trapping, cooking, tool making, shelter building and herbal remedies. I am going to incorporate history and science into this project so you can see how and why things worked initially.

There is a lot I can say to hype it up, but I prefer being a man of action so I will let my work speak for itself. I hope the information I’m providing will encourage you to step out, thrive and enjoy the great outdoors rather than merely “surviving” the next disastrous car camping excursion. It’s rough in the beginning, but worth it in the end.

Keep your powder dry and I’ll see you on the trail,

P.S. Expect postings every Friday. Whenever you see something new I’m always ten steps ahead.