Recently I was looking around at some of the various resources available on primitive shelter building and I was really frustrated by the way that most schools, websites, instructors and books present the topic of shelter. What I observe is that most of these sources (with the notable exception of Thomas J Elpel’s Participating in Nature) give instructions for “how to build a shelter” as if there is one good way to build a shelter. These instructions often depict the shelter of choice st up or laid out on a nice flat piece of ground as if we are practicing survival skills at the state park campground. I believe that this approach is faulty because if doesn’t ask the student to think, adapt, understand and be creative.

To me shelter building is exactly the opposite. Done well, shelter building is the epitome of creativity, resourcefulness and adaptability. All you need is to understand a few basic principles. By utilizing these five concepts in creative ways you can create a shelter to meet your needs in any situation without ever being taught what it is supposed to look like.

1. Location:Locating a site for your shelter is possibly the most important choice you will make in the process. Take your time, it will save you a lot of time later on. What hazards are in the area? Is this a flood zone? If it rains will the ground absorb water or will it pool on the surface? Do I have access to food and water here? Is there something on the landscape that provides a partial shelter on to which I could build? Do I have access to enough materials? That last one is especially critical, It takes a huge amount of materials to build a decent shelter and you don’t want to have to walk a mile to get it.

2. Structure: You are going to need something to hold the rest of your shelter up off the ground. Shelters without structure are possible but they tend to disintegrate quickly and it is really inconvenient to have to burrow into a pile of leaves every night. Make sure your structure is sturdy. I have heard a few stories of injury from shelters that collapsed after becoming rain- or snow-drenched. Don’t let that be you. I like to be sure that I can safely sit on my structure before adding anything over it.

3. Insulation: You will want something to retain heat in your shelter. Anything that will trap pockets of air makes good insulation. Some examples are cattail down, leaves, fir needles, punky wood, fur, polyester fleece, feathers, grass, moss, etc. You will want more insulation than you think. A general rule of thumb for a 40 degree Fahrenheit night without an external heat source is about 2.5 feet of insulation. That is about the length of your fingertips to armpit. For colder weather you will want much more. If you can still see light through your insulation then you are barely getting started.

4. Shingling: This is what keeps the precipitation off you. Shingling could be anything from logs to bark to a tarp or sheet of plastic. I have even used skunk cabbage leaves in the past. Broad-leaved tree debris can function as both insulation and shingling but it is still nice to have that extra layer of bark if you live in a wet climate like I do.

5. Heat Source: If your insulation is going to be useful at all you are going to need heat. The simplest heat source is your own metabolism. If you can it is good to stay hydrated and eat something just before you go to bed. If you have enough insulation and if you have built your shelter small your own body heat should be sufficient to get you through the night. If you have the option it is nice to also use an external heat source. The most obvious one is fire. Radiant heat from a fire is great to have. Just don’t put the fire anywhere near your shelter made of a big, dry pile of grass and leaves. Often a better option is to use the fire to heat a water bottle or several rocks so that you can carry the heat into the shelter without risk of burning it down.

That’s it. As a final note, don’t be fooled into thinking that shelter can only be something that you construct and climb into. You can wear your shelter as well. Think about ways that you can combine your clothing with these principles to make wearable shelter. Now, get out there and experiment!

A couple months ago Matt (my husband) approached me with another one of his ‘wild hairs’ and said “I want to hike 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in July – wanna come?” Now, for Matt this was a very simple, easy hike because in 2005 he was able to hike more 1,700 miles of the PCT! I on the other hand have never hiked more than 10 miles in one day, let alone 100 miles in 8 days.

Needless to say, this got my first aid kit gears turning. Last month I completed a Wilderness First Aid course and was excited to start incorporating my basic first aid knowledge with my herbal knowledge.

The tricky part about putting together a backpacking first aid kit is that it has to be light. Since we were going to be hiking for at least 8 days without resupplying our food – we would have to carry 8 days worth of food. And man do I eat a lot. To my surprise I was able to get my base weight (the weight of my backpack with all of my gear excluding food and water) to 11 pounds.

There was quite a bit of hemming and hawing about what I could reasonably take with me without overburdening myself and what items I just couldn’t live without.

So here is what I brought:

4 Spongebob Square Pants Band aids (I work with kids)
1 Nonstick gauze-like pad
1 ACE Bandage
1 Lavender Sanitizing Towelette
6 Potable Aqua chlorine dioxide tablets
1 Sawed-off toothbrush
2 Diphenhydramine Capsules
Medical Tape
1 Sheet of Mole Skin
.25 fl. oz. Bottle of Lavender Essential Oil
1 oz Glass tincture bottle 1/2 full of Osha Tincture
.5 oz Spray bottle of Herbal Hand Sanitizer
.5 oz Tincture bottle of Burdock, Thyme, and Black Walnut
.75 oz of St. John’s Wort Oil
.5 oz Tin of Plantain Salve
1 oz Tincture bottle of Uva Ursi and Yarrow
1 oz Tincture bottle of Chickweed and Comfrey
2 packages a day of Emergen-C (not in first aid kit)

All of these items fit into one quart size zip lock bag.

Lavender Essential Oil is pretty much essential (ha ha) in every first aid kit because of the variety of it’s uses. For myself Lavender is very calming and I consider it to be one of my protector plants and so she is always with me. I used the essential oil last week for the plethora of bug bites I received. Lavender is actually anti-pruretic which means it stops the itch response and so I dab a little of the oil directly on the bite or sting and within seconds the itch goes away. On the first day I started getting a pounding temple headache (probably from heat and exhaustion) but also from stress and pressure. So I applied a few drops of Lavender on my temples and within a minute the headache had dissipated. Unfortunately I did end up with one fairly nasty burn on my back. As long as you are using Lavendula officinalis it can be ideal to help treat burns by inhibiting blisters forming, stopping the pain, and reducing inflammation. For the blisters on my feet I would daily treat them with the essential oil hoping that the blisters might reduce and harden. A great way to dry up blisters and to get them to callus is to use a blend of Lavender Essential Oil, Baking Soda, and Castor Oil. I didn’t bring the other two ingredients but Matt’s experince in the past with hand-drill blisters has shown that it helps. Another reason I love to have Lavender Essential Oil with me is for it’s help in treating shock in case myself or someone else got injured. You can inhale the essential oil and it can help bring the person back on solid ground. Wow that is just one .25 oz bottle of essential oil! Also I brought the Lavender Sanitizing Towlette which I never used but can be used in very similar ways as the essential oil.

Osha Root Ligusticum porteri is a Parsley Family plant that grows in high altitudes. It wasn’t until just recently that I became aware of this amazingly powerful plant. Now I will not go anywhere without it. I keep Osha Root around specifically for it’s ability to be a histamine receptor blocker. In other words it can reduce and stop allergic reactions – even anaphylaxis – because it is a bronchodilator and vasodilator. For allergic reactions I take 3 drops under my tongue and no more. If in a few minutes I need more then I can take 3 more drops again. Luckily I rarely get allergic reactions and so only have had to use it a couple times but when I have it seemed to have worked almost immediately. Osha root is also anti-viral and anti-bacterial so I could also use it to clean wounds or use it internally in case of infection. Also its diaphoretic action means it could help me with a fever by raising my body temperature to kill off the infection then dropping it back down to normal.

Matt asked me to put together a hand sanitizer and since we didn’t have a full small bottle handy of the store bought stuff I decided to make my own. So, I took a teeny bottle of manufactured sanitizer with a little bit of the original ingredient (benzalkonium chloride) left and added water, Peppermint, and Rosemary Essential Oils. I chose Peppermint and Rosemary for their antimicrobial properties and for their ability to perk you up. Unfortunately on the first night I had forgotten that I had brought Peppermint along and really could have used it because I had made myself sick from over-exertion and heat. I was nauseous and vomiting and would have really enjoyed Peppermint for it’s anti-emetic (prevents/relieves nausea) ability. I also ended up using the spray on my dog’s paw as he ended up with one of his pads cracking. I wanted to clean it a bit and decided to use the hand sanitizer as a wound spray.

We decided to bring along water purification methods however 90% of the time we just drank from the springs. Though this water is most likely pure as can be, I still wanted to be safe because I have a much more delicate digestion than does Matt. So I decided to bring along a tincture I had gotten from Mrs. Thompson’s Herbs when I went to Mexico. It is Burdock, Thyme, and Black Walnut. These plants are very strong anti-microbials and so can kill viruses, bacteria, or fungi that may be in the water. The Burdock can also help restore healthy function of flora in the intestines. I was told that you could use it as a water purification on it’s own by putting drops in the water before you drink. And if you do end up with Montezuma’s Revenge the blend can help relieve the symptoms. Use the blend as prevention, to kill, and to heal! Also, I never think twice about using strong anti-microbials for other possible infections internally or externally. And for the record I have not had any symptoms!

Using sunblock or sunscreen has been an increasingly tough issue for myself. More and more I realize that I do not want chemical sunscreens absorbing into my body and many people including doctors believe that sunscreen can actually cause more cancer. So I try to be smart about my sun exposure and use clothing when appropriate. For this particular hike I brought a very nice sun hat called a Tilley (very prestigious sunwear) and several layers to protect my skin. I also brought along St. John’s Wort Flowers infused in Sunflower Oil. Both St. John’s Wort and Sunflower Oil contain natural SPF’s that can help protect your skin from the more harmful UVA rays. Here is where I should have splurged instead of skimped – this mistake caused me to use less of the oil in order save it for the whole trip. I applied the oil on the tops of my shoulders which were the most exposed when I removed my long-sleeved shirt but only applied it once on the first day. By the second day I was getting a bit pink but not bad after only applying it once. However the spot I did not apply it was on my back next to my shoulder blade and I got a very nasty burn there where it peeled under two layers of skin! Goes to show that indeed if the oil is used correctly it does work well. The cool thing is that the St. John’s Wort oil not only works as prevention to burning but also can help heal burns at the same time. The burn on my back healed fairly quickly after lathering good amounts on it daily. St. John’s Wort Oil also works wonderfully on nerve pain for muscle injuries. I ended up using the oil on the tendons in my ankles as they were starting to get strained from walking downhill.

In my previous blog I gave an entire rant on the uses of Plantain, so I will keep this section short. I of course could not leave behind my Plantain Salve especially up in the higher elevations where I did not find any Plantain plants growing. I used the salve on some of my insect bites, blisters, scrapes, and chapped lips. Neither of us got stung luckily but that usually one of the main reason I carry Plantain Salve. I will always opt to use the living plant if I have the option however.

One of my struggles in doing physical activities is my constantly sore and inflexible muscles. I feared this would be most apparent while hauling around a 30 pound pack climbing up and down mountains. So, it was suggested that I try a blend of Chickweed and Comfrey in a tincture form. Chickweed helps ease inflammatory conditions, it is demulcent, vulnerary, and diuretic so it will help increase the elimination of fluid. Another cool action is that it is a refrigerant so it will help keep my body cool in the hot weather. The Comfrey will help heal over-stretched and sore muscles and combined with the Chickweed makes a wonderful combo. Though I was still experiencing soreness I do believe it helped relieve excess pain and heal my muscles faster. Also I never once became over-heated even on the 90 degree days hiking in the hot sun. I ended up using this blend for my dog as well for his poor cracked pad. I put several dropperfuls in a bowl with water and made a fomentation by soaking a handkerchief in the water and tying it around my dog’s foot.

I ended up bringing along a bottle of Uva Ursi and Yarrow because I was worried my body was fighting off a urinary tract infection. I knew it would be bad news to have one of those on a mountain top and so decided to play it safe. I ended up fine and really did not use the tincture much. However it was nice to have some Yarrow around in case of a cut or excess bleeding internally and externally. Fresh Yarrow ended up following us along the entire trail – even up to 7,000 foot level. I was surprised because the majority of the plants that grow that high tend to be native and Yarrow was growing just everywhere! I ended up using the plant fresh as an insect repellent by rubbing the crushed leaves over my body, to help stop a nose bleed, and as a tea because my digestion felt a bit off one night. I love using plants as medicine fresh and ready to go.

Lastly I brought along Emergen-C packets as a daily supplement to help restore electrolyte levels and to give myself some extra vitamins and minerals. When one is packing for a hiking trip generally the rule of thumb is to pack calorie dense, dried food – not fruits and veggies. In the middle of the hot day it was a nice boost to have in my fresh mountain spring water.

In all I was happy with my First Aid Kit. I would only improve it a little bit by adding an herbal insect repellent, a couple more band aids, more St. John’s Wort Oil, and a second sheet of mole skin. What I was most surprised to learn was how easily you can adapt one particular tincture or oil to another health condition all together. I never considered that I would use my Chickweed and Comfrey blend to help heal a cracked paw on a dog. I love the versatility of herbs – it truly is the spice of life!

To view pictures of our trip click here.

Tomorrow is the first class in the 2010 Wilderness Survival Series. We will be working on fire. I expect to cover the basics of collecting materials, constructing fires, and utilizing fires and then we will try to get everyone a successful bowdrill fire. Two hours is really fast to go from beginner to first success in bowdrill but I think that we can pull it off. Each participant will take home a fire kit so they can practice at home.

If you haven’t signed up for this class yet there are still a couple of spaces left. If you missed this one hopefully you can join us for the next one, Water, on July 7th.

I just spoke with a friend of mine who lives in Texas and is the mother of a young boy. She told me that she had just taken her son to the doctor for several very infected spider bites and was prescribed strong antibiotics. I gave her some unsolicited advice that I believe every parent should know. It is a particular remedy for those scary spider bites, itchy mosquito bites, terrible bee stings, infected wounds, painful splinters, and the key to prevent doctor visits for antibiotics for any of the aforementioned. It is simply a weed. A weed that grows underfoot. A weed that invades your lawn. A weed that has been used for thousands of years all over the world. And a weed that was called “mother of herbs” by the Anglo-Saxons.

My advice to my friend was to use Plantain. She then asked “Well how do I use it and how can I get it?” Wonderful question! This is how:

First and foremost before we use any plant for any reason is to safely and correctly identify it. Plantain is not the tropical fruit but rather a perennial weed that is found throughout the world with more than 200 species in the Plantago genus. One species you may know well is Psyllium Seed Husks for troubles with digestion. Same genus!

The species I am most interested in are Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata simply because those are the two species that grow in my lawn. Plantago major or Common Plantain have oval shaped leaves while Plantago lanceolata has spear shaped leaves. Both species grow in a basal rosette and have veins that run parallel or like train tracks from leaf stem to leaf edge. As mentioned before Plantain loves to take over lawns, and you will most likely find them in disturbed fields, along road sides, along the sidewalk as you walk to work, and where soil has been disturbed or packed. Here is a picture of a huge Common Plantain found at Armitage Park last month.

Now, once correctly identified, how do you use it? Plantain is well known for it’s drawing capabilities. Once I had a splinter deep in my finger and I worked on that sucker for a good 10 minutes to no avail. I came across some Plantain and picked a nice, clean, healthy leaf, stuck it in my mouth and chewed it to a pulp. I spit it out onto my finger and held it there for 3 minutes. After I removed the pulp I squeezed my finger and out popped the splinter!

It’s no magic trick (though sometimes it is nice to give a little mystery to kids) it’s chemistry. Plantain is very astringent and this quality makes for good pulling (things out including infection), stopping (such as bleeding), and closing (tissue together from a wound).

No matter what kind of camp or program I am teaching Plantain always finds a way to teach a lesson to kids. This summer we are teaching an array of summer camps for kids and one topic that always comes up are bee stings. Plantain can pull out the venom from a bee sting, reduce the swelling, kill any bad bacteria that may have been present, and can reduce the risk of major allergic reaction. Yes please!

The best way to apply Plantain is the method I described above for my splinter. Chewing it like gum can get the medicine working internally as well as externally. Now if you are a bit squeamish about chewing up a plant you can always squish it between your fingers really well or between rocks. This method is called a poultice. Depending upon the severity of the wound you may need only one application or ten.

A story I will leave you with is one I enjoy telling when I am introducing Plantain. One day I was working with a bunch of adults making bow drill kits for friction fire. Before I sat down in the gravel I decided to walk by a patch of grass and took notice of a couple Plantain plants. Then I started my grueling task of making a bowdrill kit from scratch. After a couple of hours in the sun I was getting hot, tired, and cranky. My knife slipped and I saw a rather deep cut slice just above my knuckle on my left pointer finger. Without hesitation I got up walked to the patch of grass, found a Plantain leaf, chewed her up and slapped her on. I applied pressure and held up my hand for three to four minutes. When I felt that the blood had clotted I removed the pulp and found the cleanest cut I had ever seen. The Plantain had completely stopped the bleeding and cleaned up the blood and I could already tell that the tissue was trying to stitch itself back together. It barely scarred, just enough to be able to show it off.

When in need Plantain will magically appear. Please be sensible about harvesting plants for first aid. Know your plants well before applications and be aware of your limitations. Once you build a relationship with Plantain she will be one of your most important allies!

Recommended Resources:

Tom Brown’s Field Guide Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants Tom Brown Jr.
Botany in a Day Thomas J. Elpel
Just Weeds Pamela Jones
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast Pojar and Mackinnon
http://www.HerbMentor.com
http://www.celticherbs.com
http://www.pfaf.org
http://www.botanicalstudies.net/

Our survival classes have a new format. To make it more convenient for students we have broken up our survival classes in Eugene in to a series of focused topics. Take one class that you are interested in or take the whole series. Plus this series features a survival overnight to test the skills you have learned. Take a look by clicking here

Our last couple of clinics at REI in Eugene were a great success, thanks to everyone who attended. We have just scheduled another free clinic at REI on June 23rd at 7 pm. The subject is survival. You can register directly through REI by visiting www.rei.com/stores/43 or by calling 541-465-1800. Hopefully I will see you there.

Our half-day class on Nettles for Food and Medicine is May 8th. Check it out.

Thanks to MyEugene for featuring our article on Nettle Beer. I just put my most recent batch in the fridge this morning. Should be tasty. Here is the link to the article: http://www.myeugene.org/2010/04/16/time-to-brew-nettle-beer/

Reduced price for the Nettles for Food and Medicine class – check it out!

Take a look here to see our three awesome classes we are offering next month. Including
Urban Foraging 101 with Portland-based Becky “Wild Girl” Lerner,
Make Your Own Leather Shoes with Leighton Blackwell,
and Nettles for Food and Medicine with Matt and Anna Bradley.
Come and join the fun!