Lifesong Wilderness Adventures BLOG
Welcome to our Wilderness Survival Training Community
You will find articles and videos on wilderness survival training, bushcraft, useful plants, animal tracking, and nature awareness here. Also, find writings on the joys and challenges of living life to the fullest within the embrace of nature. If you feel the wildness within and want to discover more, please read on as we explore life in the wonder and magic of nature.
~Mark Wienert - Lifesong Wilderness Adventures
Predators Fang
Roosevelt Elk in Oregon clear-cut: "As poet Robinson Jeffers has noted, it is the fang that has created the fleet foot of the antelope." Listed below is information about the importance of natural predators for the health of prey animals. Predator's Fang The Benefit of Predators "In general, hunters take animals in the prime of... Continue reading→
Wilderness Teen Camp: A Wonderful Eye Opening Experience
Wilderness Teen Camp A Testimonial ~by Christine Whaley "One summer I had the good fortune to be a guest at Mark Wienert's, Lifesong Wilderness Adventures Teen Camp during the month of July. What a great adventure for all involved! The students were a diverse group. One from Holland, another from Chicago and several from the... Continue reading→
I Slid Off The Road
I've slid off the road. Now what? If you’ve never driven a car in treacherous winter weather, this post is for you! Expect to encounter ice, black ice, frigid air, fierce winds, snow bombs, Arctic blasts, whiteouts, and windchill. In these types of extreme conditions, the most valuable advice I can share with you is... Continue reading→
How to Collect Stinging Nettle Stalks
Let's learn how to collect Stinging Nettle stalks for string making and cordage. The best time of year is when the days get shorter, and the leaves begin to turn autumn colors. This is when the Nettle plants are no longer in flower and the plant's energy retreats back to its roots for a winter's... Continue reading→
The Amazing Blue Elderberry
I am a pushover for the blue elderberry shrub, Sambucus cerulea, and S. racemose. From August to late September, we are out foraging for the ripe, blue, berries of this amazing shrub. We make a tangy syrup from its ripe berries for health benefits and a sweet syrup to pour over pancakes and ice cream.... Continue reading→
Rite of Passage for Teens
"A teens rite of passage. A wilderness journey to adulthood. Last year I ran across some research that discussed the history of rite of passage into manhood for boys. Recalling my experience of growing up in the 70's and 80's, I felt an "aha" while reading about the history of male maturing. Rite of Passage... Continue reading→
Harvesting Ripe Elderberries
In this How to article. You will learn how to harvest ripe elderberries with tips and tricks to make your harvesting elderberry simpler. Continue reading→
The Best Bow Drill Woods
A bow drill made from the best wood will create hot coal faster. Imagine you’re shipwrecked like Tom Hanks in Castaway, lost in central Texas, or stranded on a Pacific island with no matches or a lighter. You can't boil your drinking water or cook the mouse you trapped in your survival stew without fire.... Continue reading→
Cold Water Immersion Therapy
Dang! That water is cold! As a sometimes cold-water immersion therapy enthusiast. I enjoy water immersion to temporarily reduce muscle soreness and joint pain after a long hike or workout. According to studies on the effects of cold-water therapy on humans. Submerging one’s body at temperatures of 59F or colder offer the best results for... Continue reading→
Extreme Survival Camp Reviews
Survival adventure reviews from our EDGE students. I have been running this adventure survival course since 2006. And true to its nature it has been a great program. The term extreme adventure camp refers to what the training prepares you for. It's not about risking your life in fact the camp prepares you for survival... Continue reading→
Accidental Sourdough Starter
I looked skeptically into the jar I was holding. A whiff of fermentation greeted me. Small bubbles gave the surface of the sourdough starter a foamy look. I gave the soured batter another whiff. Yes, without a doubt. I had created an Accidental Sourdough Starter. This accident of good fortune would be my main food... Continue reading→
Visual Man Tracking
Visual Man Tracking in action: A Search and Rescue Tracker, applying ancient tracking skills, scans the area for clues that show "Spoor," or evidence, of a lost person's trail. What is Visual Man Tracking? "Visual Man Tracking" is an ancient hunting technique still in use today for locating and trailing wildlife. But in modern parlance,... Continue reading→
Lemon Balm: herbal tea for stress
Melissa officinalis or Lemon Balm in common speak. Is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). A medicinal, square stemmed herb originating from southern Europe. Lemon Balm is now a naturalized medicinal plant in the US and Canada. Sometimes called Bee Balm as honeybees favor this herbaceous plant. Mildly antiviral, the hairy leaves made into... Continue reading→
We Train Here
"We train here. " is a metaphor for learning to survive in the shadow of a mountain. Where the sky is great and open - like our mind is curious and open. We train here in forest and meadow, where the deer feed and rest, under a star canopy so clear and bright it takes... Continue reading→
Staying Alive in the Wild
Staying alive in the wild you must learn emergency shelter building. The Debris Hut is an example of a survival shelter that can be built without saw or ax. All that is needed is an abundance of debris at your shelter location. Make sure the spot you choose for your debris hut is plentiful in... Continue reading→
Mountain Lion Facts for Search and Rescue
The mountain lion, Felis concolor, or cat of one color, is also known as cougar, panther, ghost cat, catamount, and puma. The mountain lion is the largest feline carnivore in North America. Adults are tawny to chocolate-brown with black tips on their ears and their long tails. Mountain Lion Facts On average, females measure 7... Continue reading→
Chickweed Power
Chickweed is a common wild edible plant that is packed with vitamins and minerals. It grows in shady, damp, habitats. What does a hardcore macho, worm eating, outdoor, fungi, survival teaching professional eat for breakfast? Chickweed of course. Stellaria media, with its juicy, tender, slightly sweet leaves, and stalks. For a quick go to food... Continue reading→
Make Drinking Water Safe
Learn how to make water safe to drink during an emergency. Water must be potable, drinkable, filtered, or boiled, to be safe to drink. Otherwise, you could become debilitated with Giardia or other waterborne disease. Water, you need it to survive. If you are in an emergency right now. You will need safe drinking water... Continue reading→
What should I take for a Wilderness Survival Weekend
This is the recommended gear list for our overnight Survival Skills Weekend and First Circle Survival Camp. All items on the checklist below are important for an enjoyable and comfortable wilderness survival weekend experience. Gear List Tent, ground tarp, and sleeping pad. Rent a tent/pad, and a carving knife for camp Sleeping bag, pillow Cook... Continue reading→
Sign language – reading natures clues with Mark Wienert
Sign language - reading natures clues with expert tracker Mark Wienert BY GARRET JAROS For The Register-Guard Appeared in print: Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, page D2 Tracking as a doorway to nature “Tracking is a doorway to nature,” he says, studying an array of tracks that merge and overlap with the bear tracks. “It’s a... Continue reading→
Cobra Lily
One fascinating plant species, Darlingtonia californica, or Cobra Lily. Grows in boggy habitats in the western US. This includes southern Oregon and northern California. The Cobra Lily is carnivorous. It lures its prey with a foul-smelling stench, traps it. Then digests insect prey for food. Cobra Lily Although the distribution of the Cobra Lily aka Darlingtonia, is... Continue reading→
Wing of bat, eye of newt….
Wing of bat eye of newt so the incantation may go. What is safe to eat and what is not. A good thing to know in any situation, and vital when you are trying to survive. The Oregon Coast has much to offer on both counts. Take the Rough Skinned Newt for instance. I have... Continue reading→
Giardia one “Gnarly Dude”
Just when you thought drinking water was safe, think again. Giardia One, "Gnarly Dude," is a disease of the intestine caused by drinking infected water. Giardia is also found in soil, infected animals' feces, and even on contaminated surfaces. Learn more about the myths surrounding Giardia. Giardia one "Gnarly Dude" Misconceptions about Giardia First misconception... Continue reading→
Wild Plants Coastal Oregon
A large leaf plant called Skunk Cabbage blooms on the Oregon coast. Western Skunk Cabbage is an ancient prehistoric plant with giant green leaves when mature, and one of many large plants that grow along the Oregon Coast by indigenous people who utilized many coastal plants for food, medicine, and material purposes for many centuries.... Continue reading→
Best Survival Knife
Another technique I use with this knife for is splitting wood and making spindle blanks for the bow drill. I take a wooden mallet (usually a heavy piece of wood, throwing stick, or whatever I can find) to pound on top of the blade to control my splitting. The technique works very well with this blade, as long as I'm careful and stay away from large knots. Continue reading→
Sharpening the Tracker Knife
Sharpening the Tracker Knife looks complicated, and it is at first sight. But read on for some simple tips on knife sharpening. The UKW Survivor pictured here is not the Tracker Knife. But the similarities are virtually the same when it comes to sharpening either. I'm using Russon's version, as I don't have Top Knives version. Continue reading→
Debris Hut Survival
A debris hut is a survival shelter that houses one or two people. This is a survival shelter that can be built with no tools except your hands. The debris hut when built effectively uses the body's radiant heat to maintain its internal core temperature between 96F (37°C) and 100°F (37.8°C). It does so by... Continue reading→
Summertime Berries
Summertime Berries mean fruit picking time in the Pacific Northwest. Fresh juicy ripe edible berries are Yum, yum, yum! We recently enjoyed a big pan of blackberry cobbler from the ripe berries we picked. And you can too. Foraging for wild edible berries is great fun and a rewarding outdoor activity for friends and family.... Continue reading→
