In a wilderness survival situation, its important to know what kind of diseases and parasites you could be exposed to.
Some possible parasites and diseases include:
Protozoan
Cryptosporidiosis
Giardiasis
Typhoid
Polio
Hepatitis A
To discuss this article and video, visit this thread in the wilderness survival forum.
First things first – if you do not know what it is, do not eat it. Its that simple, eating plants found in the wilderness is a gamble. Know what the plant is before you eat it, there is no second chance.
The fruit of the various species of plant called huckleberry is generally edible. The berries are small and round, usually less than 1/4 inch in diameter, and contain 10 relatively large seeds. Berries range in color according to species from bright red, through dark purple, and into the blues.
In taste the berries range from tart to sweet, with a flavor similar to that of a blueberry, especially in blue/purple colored varieties. Huckleberries are a favorite of many mammals such as bears and humans. In the Pacific Northwest of North America, the huckleberry plant can be found in mid-alpine regions, often on the lower slopes of mountains.
The large ALICE pack is one of the most popular packs on the market. These packs are big enough to carry several days worth of clothing, food and other gear. Add this to the fact that they are inexpensive, and there is no wonder why they are so popular.
One of the reasons why this pack is over looked some some serious hikers, it is not designed for comfort. Most military surplus equipment is not designed to feel good – its designed to work in the most rugged situations known to man. Even though the Large Alice is a tough pack, sporting an aluminum frame, it is just not very comfortable to carry.
In this video we are going to cover some of the points and other information about the Large Alice pack.
After the hiking or camping trip is over, its then time to clean the gear. One item that is often over looked is the water filter. If the water is left in the filter too long, bacteria will start growing in it. This will render the filter useless on the next hiking trip, because it will be full of bacteria.
Cleaning a filter is pretty much a straight forward operation. Get a large bowl of clean tap water, put some unscented bleach in with the water and wait a few minutes. Then use the water filter to pump the water from the bowl into the sink. Or, pump the water from one bowl to another, and then repeat. This way the bleach water is reused a couple of times.
This video gives examples and a description on stagnated water. Its important to be able to tell the difference between stagnated water and water that is safe to drink. This video was filmed on a 6+ mile hiking trip trip with my son and my nephew.
We had been on the trip for about 4 hours and were walking along a pipeline. My nephew stopped and asked why the water was a funny color.
