Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter of "Man vs. Wild"

1. For the final quarter I read the remaining pages of the book which were pages 165-256.
2. The final main topics of the book were surviving the ocean and an overview of how to survive in dangerous situations and terrains. Once again like I have stated from all of the previous quarters, I learned a ton of vital, essential, and important information regarding surviving in the wild. I'm going to just talk about surviving the ocean here and finish up with the overview in the last part of the post.
3. In this section Bear talks about how to survive the ocean. Rule 1: Be Prepared: Nothing will improve your chances of surviving at sea more than thorough preparation for the unthinkable. Rehearse your survival drills and make sure all equipment is maintained and is easy and quick to deploy in an emergency. Rule 2: Protect yourself from the elements: The cold and wet will quickly cause hypothermia, and the sun will dehydrate and burn you, unless you are well protected. You can take a dip in the water to cool down but stay tied to your raft and watch for sharks. Rule 3: Preserve Water: Only drink water in large quantities during heavy rainfall. The rest of the time fill every container and never waste a drop. Treat water like gold! Take a seasickness pill (kept on all modern liferafts) at the first hint of queasiness. Nothing will dehydrate and weaken you more than sickness. Rule 4: Don't Drink Seawater: Just one gulp can be the thin end of the wedge. The relief will be extremely short lived and delirium and kidney failure will inevitably follow. Rule 5: Never Give Up: Mental strength is vital at sea as enforced passivity in a floating prison can drain your spirit unless you are prepared for it. Be the strong one. You're a born champion and, if you look for it, you have the heart to survive.
4. I learned a lot of important aspects and steps on how to survive in the ocean and would hopefully be able to implement them if I was ever in that situation. I would continue for people to take away from this post that they do have the inner drive and spirit to survive a tough situation and to keep your composure because once that's lost there's no hope. 

1. I could go on forever about this book but for time's sake and length I'll keep the overview as basic as I can. Rule 1: Decide to Survive: No matter how much you may know or not know about survival techniques, knowledge will always be secondary to spirit. Only you can decide whether to give up or go on. And in that decision is where you distinguish yourself. The pain will never last forever. Rule 2: Water is Life: When pushed, the human body can survive extreme discomfort with little or no food for as long as three weeks. But without water, it will collapse after as little as three days. Always make it a top priority, before you are too thirsty. Rule 3: Home, Sweet Home: Belonging is one of the deepest human instincts. Build yourself as comfortable and harm a shelter as is possible and things will immediately begin to look up. A warm, dry, comfy shelter brings pride and a smile, and suddenly everything will not seem so bad. Rule 4: Fire of the Gods: Nothing will improve your morale more than successfully conjuring a fire out of the resources around you. It will warm you, help feed you, and may ultimately save you. Become a master of fire making: it is one of life's key skills. Rule 5: Keep the Faith: Don't be too proud to have a faith. Have it in yourself, in your God, and in one another. Time and time again, throughout the ages, having a faith has proved to be man's greatest ally and strength.
2. The three biggest things from this book that I learned are the aspects that I have numbered because I already have a firm grasp on needing/finding water, getting to and finding shelter, and building a fire: 1.) Keep your composure, morale, and inner spirit high because once your mind tells you that you can't make it and can't survive it's all over but the crying and you will not make it out alive. 2.) Try to find the high ground or higher ground. By doing this you have a vantage point from which to see and work from and in turn have a better chance of walking out from wherever you are. Lastly, 3.) Find a river source and follow it downstream because more often times than not it will lead you to safety and salvation. 
3. What this book/information means to me is that if I ever get lost again (once was more than enough), I will have the mental capacity and tools to survive until I get rescued and or walk out myself thanks to the information and steps this book provides. It's important especially to me because like I stated above I've been lost once before and I am to this day, constantly going into the vast wilderness whether it's to go deer hunting or making trips into the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area).
4. I definitely would recommend this book to people, especially nature enthusiasts because it offers all kinds of informative material and vital information to survive all kinds of unforgiving terrain or situations; whether it's finding water or food, building an adequate shelter, or making a fire it provides invaluable information. One final note I will definitely be purchasing this book and probably will be using techniques from this book in the future while in the wild. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! 

  

                  

Read 'n' Seed 4: Third Quarter of "Man vs. Wild"

1. For this quarter I read the next 64 pages which were pages 130-164. 
2. The main topics in the third quarter were: Surviving the jungles and deserts.
3. I've yet again learned a ton of vital and essential information on surviving some dangerous terrain; jungles and deserts. 

• Jungles: 
• Friend not Foe: Adapting to such an alien environment is a mental battle that must be won. Think of the jungle as your friend, not your enemy. It can provide everything you need to survive.
• Slow Down: Speed is not the way of the jungle. The faster you go, the quicker you'll fall. Move slowly and deliberately around obstacles, checking the undergrowths as you go. 
• Keep covered: The jungle's greatest danger is "death by a thousand cuts." Keep stings, bites, and scratches to a minimum from the outset and ensure your skin is covered.
• Sleep High: The jungle floor is a repository of creepy-crawlies. Always try to sleep on a raised platform or A-frame bed.
• Rivers: The sure way out of any jungle is by its rivers. Look for them, then follow them. They will eventually lead you to safety and civilization.
• Deserts: 
• Think Water: In the desert, dehydration is Public Enemy Number One. Don't waste a drop of water and make it your first priority to find.
• Keep Your Head Covered: In extreme heat, your head and neck will gain heat as fast as they lose it in freezing weather. Always keep them loosely covered.
• Find Shade: Nothing will make you dehydrate faster than direct exposure to the sun. Keep well covered and out of the sun and use the terrain and surrounding foliage to keep in the shade. 
• Don't Waste Energy: Any vigorous activity will make you sweat. In the heat of the day, don't exert yourself unless you are certain there is something to gain.
• Move Early or Late: If you are sure that moving on will help and you are confident of finding water, do so early or late, when the sun is less fierce, or under a full moon.

      4. I would continue for people to take away from this book that they have what it takes to survive in vast, dangerous, and unforgiving terrain. "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude of mind."-William James. By following these tips you do in fact have a chance of surviving any types of wilderness/terrain, especially the jungle or desert. 

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second Quarter of "Man vs. Wild"

1. In the second quarter of the book I read the next 64 pages which was pages 65-129.
2. Some of the main topics in the second quarter were: Surviving The Mountains in the Summer and Surviving Sub-Zero Terrain.
3. Once again I've learned a ton of vital, essential, and interesting information on surviving a variety of vast/unforgiving terrain. "A positive mental attitude is a vital ingredient in any survival situation"-Bear Grylls. Surviving the Mountains:

• Rule 1: Think First-Act later: Preserving your energy in the mountains is half the battle. Consider all your options, then act decisively. If you fail to have a plan, you plan to fail. So make a plan and stick to it. Whatever your situation, finding a drinkable water source and adequate shelter should be very high on your list of priorities. Drinking contaminated water is even worse than drinking no water at all. In general, the farther water is from its source, the more likely it is to be contaminated.
• Rule 2: Shelter from the Storm: Mountain terrain can be very exposed to the elements, but at the same time a good shelter is perhaps easier to build and find than in any other wilderness terrain. Natural caves and crevasse's  provide for good shelter against the elements. Use the abundance of nature around you. She has given you all you need.
• Rule 3: Use Height Effectively: Always use height to survey and orientate yourself to the surrounding terrain before you descend. Make a mental map. It will pay dividends later.
• Rule 4: Watch the Weather: Weather changes quickly and dramatically in the mountains. Always keep an eye on the sky. This following saying is one that I was taught at a young age from my parents. Red sky at night sailors delight and red sky at morn sailors take warn. Use good weather to your advantage, but prepare early if things look likely to change. Tune in your instinct to bad weather; learn from the animals.
• Rule 5: River Lore: Rivers are often a route to salvation, but they can also be very dangerous. Don't get wet and cold unless there is no other option. But learn to use the river and live off it. Follow it downstream-it will eventually take you to safety.
• Surviving Sub-Zero Terrain:
• Rule 1: Stay Warm and Dry: Hypothermia is the number-one killer in sub-zero terrain. It won't be the normal outside temperature that kills you, however, but the amplifying effects of the wind and the wet, so protect yourself from the wind and stay dry. Treat your limbs, head, and extremities like children-watch out and look after them!
• Rule 2: Build a Snow Shelter: Use the environment to shelter yourself. Snow should become your greatest friend, not your worst enemy. The most basic snow shelters are quick and easy to make. Remember, snow is one of nature's best insulators. Bears hibernate in it, so it can't be all bad!
• Rule 3: Make a Snow Stick: Some sort of support, protection, and prodding device is a vital accessory in snowy and icy terrain. It will stop you falling through thin ice, into a crevasse, or down a mountain, and help you move through the mountains with greater speed and ease. Move as early in the day as possible, before the sun warms potential avalanche slopes and crevasse coverings. Ice needs to be at least 2 inches thick before you should even consider walking on it.
• Rule 4: Make some Snowshoes: You must spread your weight when moving over deep snow. Snowshoes can be made from any number of tough, flexible materials and strapped to the bottom of your feet. They are easier to make than you might think
• Rule 5: Never Stop Believing: Cold itself will slow the mental processes required to make effective decisions regarding direction. Survival is about thinking smart not just sweating hard. Keeping warm is a battle of will, a resolution to keep limbs and extremities moving and working, resisting the temptation to give up and allow them to go numb. Frostbite occurs when, in order to protect core heat, the body reduces the supply of blood to the extremities. The temptation to curl up and give up must be resisted at all costs. Surviving in the extreme cold takes constant determination. But, deep down, you have what it takes. Remember that when you were conceived you won a race out of 500 million competitors, fighting a battle uphill and in the dark. You have always been a champion at heart. Believe, and you will survive!

     4. What I would continue for people to take away from this reading is that they do have the capabilities, heart, and determination to survive any unfortunate situation in the wilderness. It's not out of the question or impossible to survive various and vast terrains and by following some of these important tips I hope people don't get discouraged if they do in fact become lost in the wilderness. Everyone has the ability to survive in any situation it just depends if they have the heart and right frame of mind to do so. If you say and tell yourself that I can then you can but if you say I can't do this than the battle is lost.

Read 'n' Seed 2: First Quarter of "Man vs. Wild"

1. In the first quarter of the book I read the first 64 pages. 
2. Some of the main topics in the first quarter were:

• The Priorities of Survival: Protection, Rescue, Water, and Food
• The Psychology of Survival
• Fire: Gift of the Gods
• The Preparation of Food
• Navigation and Weather
• Knots, Snares, and Tools
• Survival Medicine

     3.  I learned a lot of significant things from this book thus far and could write a novel discussing everything that I read so I'll keep it to a few things. The difference between life and death often boils down to a matter of choice. The "reality" of your situation will be what you believe it to be. If you decide that the odds are so heavily stacked against you that you have no chance of survival, the battle is already as good as lost. If, on the other hand, you choose to be inspired by the stories of those who have survived with no wilderness skills to fall back on, you will know that the seemingly impossible is indeed possible. No one is more likely to survive than those who can convince themselves they can. The following are the four priorities of survival:

• Protection: Priority number one in a survival situation is the protection of yourself-whether from extreme conditions, dangerous animals, or an airplane about to explode. You must protect yourself first-there is no point getting water but becoming hypothermic in the process!
• Rescue: The next priority is to set yourself up to be rescued-lay out objects, stones, or whatever material is at hand, in a large SOS near your shelter. Rescue services will start their search as soon as they know you are in trouble, so don't miss those early opportunities to be saved; be prepared. As long as it is safe to do so, you should wait where you are. Stay put. If you are in a vehicle, don't stray from it. Stay nearby. Be smart; make yourself safe, make yourself visible, and then wait to be rescued.
• Water: Once you are protected from the elements, and prepared for rescue, you must stay alive long enough for rescue to come! Water now becomes your top priority. Think in 3s: you can live three hours without decent protection from extreme heat or cold; three days without water; but you can survive for three weeks without food. Get your priorities straight. You must find water!
• Food: Energy is needed even more so if your plan involves self-rescue. But remember, you can survive much longer without food than than without water, and your body has plenty of reserves of both muscle and fat to work through. If water is in short supply, restrict your eating, especially of too much protein, which requires more water to digest. Learn to scavenge as early man did. Find berries, maggots, or grubs before you chase the big game! This is how you really stay alive. The acronym for these priorities is: Please Remember What's First!

          Fire is another important aspect to keep in mind when battling the elements and is best known as the gift of the God's. Location is vital, choose the site for your fire carefully. Wind and its relative proximity to your shelter are probably the most important aspect to consider. There are three distinct ingredients that your fire will need if it is not to die before it has even started. These are tinder (cotton material or dry grass, dry moss, or pine needles), kindling (softwoods such as pine cut into small pieces), and fuel (softwoods such as cedar, spruce, and pine and hardwoods such as hickory, beech , and oak). It's important that when gathering fuel, look for sources above the ground. When looking for food it's better to hunt smaller game, like rabbits, snakes, lizards, and birds. Whenever possible, make sure you keep all your food out of smelling distance of insects and predatory animals. Soft fruit and berries will be best preserved wrapped in leaves or moss and if you're on the coast, keep seafood moist by wrapping it in seaweed. Also, NEVER store food in your shelter or your camp area as it will attract unwanted guests who may not distinguish between you and the food they're after.

       4. What I would like people to take away from this initial quarter of reading is that we as a society take technology for granted whether we admit it or not. What happens when technology is suddenly and unexpectedly stripped away? When suddenly we have no means to communicate. When we find ourselves alone in a strange new world. Our growing dependence on technologies of all forms is a double-edged sword. The fact that our modern world has, at least on the face of it, become increasingly reliable and plain clever has, paradoxically, made us more and more vulnerable. People are no longer able to cope for more than a very short time when these "systems" fail and when technology does fail, at even the most basic level, we often feel peculiarly helpless. This book is a "how-to" book on how to survive when the lights go out......and stay out. I want to show people by the information in this book that it's not impossible to survive in this world when put in an extreme situation or without technology for that matter.

Read 'n' Seed 1: Man vs. Wild: Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth

1. Hello everyone the title of the book that I chose for the Read 'n' Seed is called Man vs. Wild: Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth.
2. In this book Bear Grylls demonstrates all manner of survival techniques when faced with nature's extremes. From crossing piranha infested rivers to fighting off grizzly bears. He shows us how, armed with the correct know-how and a determination to stay alive, all of us have the potential to beat the elements in even the bleakest of situations. In this book Bear shows his fans worldwide how to do what he does in an utterly entertaining crash course in surviving every kind of hard ecosystem; mountain, sub-zero terrain, jungle, desert, and the sea. I want to throw this quote by Bear Grylls in here because I think it's an awesome statement. "When disaster strikes and we find ourselves alone in an unknown and hostile environment, why do some people survive and others perish? Almost all of the most extraordinary tales of survival seem to involve an indefinable Ingredient X, which can only be understood as having its source in that mysterious entity, the human spirit." 
3. I chose this book because I've had the once in a lifetime experience of being lost in the wilderness in the friendly confines of the B.W.C.A. (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) for three days without adequate clothing, food, or water. I could go on for days about this story but long story short; my older brother, cousin, nephew, and I were on a fishing trip for a day and we got blown off the lake due to a severe thunderstorm that swept through the area. My brother thought he knew an alternate route out of the woods from where we were at, but apparently he didn't because we ended up getting lost for three days in September of 1995. I wanted to give a brief overview of this story because we used some interesting survival techniques while we were lost. My brother used our flashlight that we had as a water canteen and he boiled rocks in the fire and put them into the flashlight which contained the water to kill off any bacteria that may have been in the water. We also slept on pine bows which are pine branches off of trees so that we were up off the ground while we slept at night. So as you can see I can relate and have a passion for the contents and survival techniques that are offered in this book. I also chose this book because I really enjoy the outdoors and have hunted and fished in the wilderness since as long as I can remember. This book provides a lot of interesting information regarding nature and not to take mother nature for granted.
4. The following links are places where you can get some information on Bear Grylls and his literature: http://www.amazon.com/Man-vs-Wild-Techniques-Dangerous/dp/140132293X/ref=sr_1_2?s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1285778143&sr=1-2, http://www.beargrylls.com, and http://beargrylls.blogspot.com/
5. There are 6 Chapters in this book and 256 pages total. I plan to read 64 pages in this book per quarter. 

Welcome to Matt's Smoke Free Zone

 Hello everyone my name is Matt Koski and I'm a senior here at UMD. My major is health education w/ a community concentration and a psychology minor. I also plan on obtaining a license here at UMD to teach special education. I've been in college for quite some time now and want to be finished!; although I did take about 2 and a half years off from college to work full time. My interests include: hunting, fishing, sports (I played football, basketball, and baseball all through high school and played football and baseball in Junior College), fantasy football, walking, the outdoors, playing video games, going to movies, and just relaxing at home. My family has a lake cabin on Lake Vermillion and a hunting shack up by Canada which I really enjoy being at. I grew up in a very small town in which my graduating class was about 40 people. I also grew up in the country so that's probably a contributing factor as to why I love being outdoors. My blog is going to be about the outdoors/wilderness and why we should preserve/enjoy them more than we do as a society. I would also like to add things on the benefits of not smoking and the harms that second hand smoke causes.

Do NOT include text in ALL CAPS or text in between the () symbols.)

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
5. Read 'n' Seed
6. Share and Voice

The members of my group are:

1. Brenda@Barefoot in the Backyard with Brenda
2. Dane@Dane's Trail of Health
3. JD@Earth and Me with JD
4. Sam@Sustainability with Sam
5. Alicia@Out and About with Alicia
6. Molly@Molly's Rico Eco

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile." 

Well that about wraps it up for the introductory portion of the class. I hope my first blogging experiences are good ones and I hope to hear from all my fellow group members very soon. Talk to ya soon.