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Right! I love camping. I've camped as a reenactor with my clothes, knapsack, haversack, rifle, knife and bedroll. Sleeping on the cold cold ground, so to speak. And up to tent camping in canvas or modern stuff. She didn't pick me, and I didn't pick her because of camping. But I did ask, and she said, if the Russian wife likes to cook and clean, she's welcome to join the team. LOL Can't get anything past this woman.

It's still early Spring and not unusual for temperatures to plummet at night. As we head out to the woods, unexpected circumstances-- break an ankle or leg--can cause us to have to survive the night in perilous conditions. For little weight, and a little space needed in a pack, you can create a shelter that will get you through the night. Dave Canterbury, of Dual Survival, runs a wilderness survival school called Pathfinders. Great videos of all types of skills. One involves making a shelter using a painters plastic tarp. It's not difficult to make once you know how to do it and will help make it to the morning, maybe even comfortably. It's based on a shelter by Mors Kochanski. You'll probably never have to use this but knowing how to do it and having the items in your backpack can make all the difference. I always have it with me in shoulder seasons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv1Px1JTQZ0 - Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq5L-yAwn-E - Part 2

My book about Port Chatham will be released this month. I'm having an online release party if any of you are interested. We will be giving away copies of the book and other fun stuff. Here is a link for the Facebook release party: https://fb.me/e/13zr5kVTq It will also be live on Youtube and hopefully, Instagram. March 20th 2021 at 3pm AKDT.

Have to say I don't get it, as much as I admire Canterbury's skills. Why would you carry around a flat painter's drop cloth when you can fashion it into a tube tent? Same weight and better function. This was the basic, cheap, lightweight shelter design when I was a kid...weathered sub-freezing temps in a Northern Mid-Atlantic Winter in one. The idea is just take a warm iron, put newsprint over the edges and heat-weld the long dimension together. You want a bed of leaves? Great, no problem. Put those under the tube tent and you don't have to have to curl up on a stinking garbage bag if the leaves are wet. Ventilation and condensation management is also a notch up from his rig. The ends can be closed off with just some sharpened sticks pinned through them.

Who doesn't love lamprey for dinner?

well, I was planning on not attending, but my plans may have just changed. Harriet wants Barry from Rez Squatching to be at the conference for Igor, who wants to return to the Omaha Rez afterward. I will probably come along if Barry goes. (undecided as of last night) Last night we set up audio recorders again on the Reservation, and will keep 3 at a time going full time until we get to go out with Igor again.

I highly suggest you leave the computer on www.russianwives.com until she comes around on the camping thing....... 😉

How can you ever bet against a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon? Is there any better commercially-made vehicle for off road use?

I suggest trying it on the Tar Pit's Huntster. If it can track that large, hirsute BFF member, then bigfoot will be a cinch!

Been a long time since having BF contact but that changed yesterday. Was having a bit of PTSD yesterday when I got home. Let me do a preliminary report then write it up after I am able to review the digital audio tapes. 1. Happened on the back side of a named mountain in the Gifford Pinchot. Remote area I had not gotten way back in before. Got interested, did some prep work with Goggle Earth and a USGS map and figured out a way to get in. When I got there, and hiked in on a old ditched off logging road that had not been used in decades that took me towards the back side of the mountain. Initially impressed with the area. Running water, lots of recent elk and deer tracks, a very fresh bear track. The game trails look like freeways there compared with most areas. 2. When I got near the mountain, I heard some thumping, indicating something heavy moving in the trees towards the mountain. Stood there watching and listening and then got a blast of infrasound. Was not very close so I just stood there waiting for something else to happen. It started raining, did not want to get my electronic gear wet so I decided to back out and got zapped again from another that was between me and the way out. I had to move towards it because the logging road made an L. It could not have been the first one because of the short time between the first and second zap. It must have come from someplace else and got in behind me. I felt trapped and really wanted to get out. Nothing happened on the way back to the truck, but it was raining so put my pack with the running digital recorder in the truck and was standing around with both truck doors open, hoping to get more audio when all hell broke loose near my truck. Best described as an ape aggressive display tantrum. (Norseman, I don't know how intelligent they are but they are more ape than man). 3. I have never experienced this kind of aggressive behavior before without apparent reason. I was alone and they wanted me the hell off their mountain. I don't plan to ever go back alone and when I do, I am going to carry a bigger side arm. The zapping made my abdomen hurt badly all night so I could not sleep. 4. I have not been through the recording yet, but if the recorder captured what happened near the truck, I think it will be a significant audio. There is also a chance that I might have gotten something in a photograph but that is not likely. I will let you know what I have on audio. More later.