Spring on the Oregon coast is a wonderful time of year. But with the warmer weather, unfortunately, come insects that are potentially dangerous to animals and humans. The dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) pictured here wrapped in Scotch tape. Are common ticks of the west coast from March through August. Read on for tips on ticks.

Tips on Ticks

Survival Gear and knowledge about and dealing with ticks.

• Adult ticks wait on the tops of grasses, brush, and the tips of tree limbs ready to drop upon a suitable host that walk by. Like elk, deer, dogs, and humans.
• Use recommended insect repellents.
• Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
• Wear light-colored long sleeve shirts, pants, and hats as a deterrent to tick bites.
• Scotch tape is a useful resource for holding ticks for identification.
• Identify that tick.
• Use fine-tipped tweezers to remove ticks - CDC - Tick Removal.

Ticks are abundant in elk and deer habitat

• Walking through a field where deer and elk inhabit. Will often, find you carrying a number of these nasty hitchhikers on your clothing.
• In addition, if you take your dog along with you on your hikes through the woods, they too will carry many ticks back home. It is important to check for ticks constantly while you are out hiking and when you return home.

Pets and Ticks

Domestic animals are susceptible to ticks

• Domestic herd animals such as cattle and horses are susceptible to tick infestation.
• If you live in North Carolina here is some shocking news on the Asian Longhorn Tick. Aka, Clone tick.

Ticks and house pets

We had a lot of pet's when growing up. Dogs, cats, and horses. We wandered everywhere in field and wood, so ticks have always been present in our lives. I removed ticks from our animals in the spring and fall, anything with warm blood is a potential victim of the tick!

Tips on removing tick's from your dog

Removing ticks from your dog or other domestic animals is simple and straightforward.

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to remove ticks from your dog.
• Grab the tick with tweezers as close to the tick's head as possible.
• Apply steady pressure outward by pulling the tick out.

Dispose of tick in a container with a small amount of alcohol. Or, wrap in tape like the photo above.

The use of Deet to repel ticks

Deet, what is it? According to -

“Science Daily (Aug. 6, 2009) — the active ingredient in many insect repellents, Deet (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), has been found to be toxic to the central nervous system. Researchers say that more investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss any potential neurotoxicity to humans, especially when Deet-based repellents are used in combination with other neurotoxin insecticides.”

Use strong insect repellents to fight ticks

Use a strong mosquito repellent. Or even better use Permethrin (See cautions of use with domestic animals) as a tick repellent. Apply to cuffs and waist and belt line of your pants. Wear light-colored long sleeve shirts, pants, and hats can also be helpful as a deterrent to tick bites.

Lizards slow the spread of Lyme's

Ticks bite Lizards, and amazing things happen. Lizards Slow Lyme’s Disease

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

My brother-in-law had a case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever years ago and became very ill.  I have had several friends, who after repeated attempts to diagnose bizarre symptoms of illness, tested positive for Lyme’s Disease.

Check for ticks

I once removed a tick from the middle of my Mothers back when I was eleven years old. Which is the most helpless place to have a tick if you are by yourself. It would fit nicely in “Dark Stories of Survival," or the scariest!

Lymedisease.org explains how to remove a tick

Lyme Disease Update

Here is a quote and update on Lyme Symptoms and treatment by Dr. Nevena Zubcevik, the attending physician at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Zubcevik research has debunked much of the current information on Lymes disease.

“The conception that the tick has to be attached for 48 hours to inject the bacteria is completely outdated,” she said. There are studies that show that an attachment of 15 minutes can give you anaplasmosis, 10 minutes for the Powassan virus, and for the different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, we have no idea.”  ~Dr. Nevena Zubcevik

Ticks rising in a warming world

"In a warming world, ticks thrive in more places than ever before, making Lyme disease the first epidemic of climate change."

The EPA tracks Lyme disease across the US as an official barometer of climate change

The last word is to be tick aware

In conclusion, during tick season, maximize your tick awareness. Think tick and your mind and body will respond and help remind you to check for ticks. Wear the recommended clothing and tick repellent to prevent tick bites.

What is the Best Survival Knife for the beginning survivalist? Finding the most suitable survival knife that can do it all is a daunting task. There are many choices available. So many in fact, that research can boggle the mind. And, as far as I'm concerned there is not one, perfect, survival knife. The information provided here is to help you make an informed decision regarding the right survival knife. A knife that suits you best!

Best survival knife

Listed here are the qualities I insist on for a survival knife.

1. Durability - unbreakable
2. Thin blade relief
3. Easy to sharpen in the field
4. Comfortable handle
5. Easy to carry
6. Lanyard
7. Gadget-free

Mora carving knives

You do not need to spend a lot of money on a carving knife for practicing survival skills. Down the road, when you have some carving time behind you, you will have a clearer idea of the type of knife that fits you best - as well as the type of work you use it for.

Mora sells affordable knives for day-to-day carving. I recommend these knives especially if you haven't carved for a while. A note on Mora's companion series of knives: many of Mora's knives do not have a full tang. But they are excellent lightweight carvers. These knives are recommended for most of our camps.

If you want to learn more about the knife steel Mora uses for their knives. Read their article "The Steel That Makes the Knife."

Mora's Companion Series

Mora knives, including their Bushcraft series, are lightweight so be careful how you treat your Mora blade. The edge will chip if used on dense, dry wood. Also do not pry with these lightweight knives. These are great knives for carving but not for rough treatment.

We have been issuing these Mora's for our Teen camp since about 2006. The edges of the blades have chipped but with a bit of sharpening the edges come back quickly.

Knives and manufacturers

All major knife manufacturers make knives for survival and bushcraft. So, take a look at the manufacturers I have listed here. I also recommend visiting several knife stores in your area and checking the knives they carry. Listen to what the dealers have to say, but at all costs, stay away from hollow-handled knives.

Many of these long-winded knives have a survival kit stashed in the handle. Some even come with a compass at the end. This is a worthwhile idea but unless the quality is high stay away.

Kill me a Bar

A couple of students showed up with knives that looked like Rambo's at camp. They looked like they were ready to take on a Grizz instead of carving wood. They soon learned about these types of knives.
After one minute of carving with these monsters, their hands were sore. Not far behind, blisters were on the horizon. These knives are weak and cheesy. If that's all you got. More power to you.

Utah Knife Works  - Mark Russon the owner and knife maker of Utah Knife Works, sent me his UKW Survivor Knife.
The UKW survival knife is indestructible! Which is what you want in a survival knife. However, my main issue with Russon's UKW is the aggressive saw teeth on the top side of the blade. These teeth are sharp! And will easily pierce your skin if you handle this knife without leather gloves. Otherwise, the UKW is surprisingly functional in the field.

Knife companies

Bench Made - crafted in Oregon City, Oregon. My son-in-law raves about their pocket knives. They make a high end knife-the Bush Crafter Family. Worth checking out.

Buck Knives-  for you old timers. Buck has made knives over the years in a variety of price ranges. Most are solid knives though the blades from my experience are dull out of the box and need some relief grinding to get a professional edge.

Cold Steel-  Check out the wide variety of knives these folks carry. One of our staff uses the Cold Steel Bowie and has carried it with him for many years. It's a keeper.

ESEE Randall's Knives -  these are some great knives! The Laser Strike fits our recommendation for everyday field carry. Definitely check out their knives.

KA-BAR - with a long history of use, KA-BARS carbon blades sharpen easily, and they are inexpensive. They were originally made for heavy utility use, digging foxholes and such, as I said, they are tough!

Ontario Knife - Almost twenty years ago, I bought a Spec-Plus Bolo knife from Ontario Knife. I like the look and feel of this large blade, a machete-style knife developed in the jungles of the Philippines.

I have used this knife for clearing shrubbery and small branches along walking trails. But it can be used for any traditional work in the bush.

So-called "jungle bolos", intended for combat rather than agricultural work, tend to be longer and less wide at the tip.^[4][12] Bolos for gardening usually have rounded tips.^[13]

Swiss Army Knives - I have had several of these very handy and useful pocket knives over the years. Traveling on skis while snow camping, the knife has essential gear for the backcountry: scissors, toothpick, and screwdriver.

TOP Knives - They make a variety of tactical knives that are in the high dollar range. TOP makes the Tom Brown Jr. Tracker Knife. If you have never seen it, go to their website. It’s a multi-application knife, very beefy and well-made.

I tried the earlier version made by Beck. It's quite heavy and expensive, but it’s a work of art. Tom also developed a companion knife to accompany the larger Tracker knife

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

1. First misconception about Giardia: it is not a virus or bacteria. It is one nasty bug! It is a tiny, microscopic protozoan that defies most water treatments, including chlorine and filtering.

2. Second misconception about Giardia: you only get it from drinking water.

"The parasite is found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with feces (poop) from infected humans or animals. People can become infected after accidentally swallowing the Giardia parasite."

- From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

What other types of malevolent creatures or diseases await us in water?

• Protozoan infections

• Parasitic infections

• Bacterial infections

• Viral infections

"Enough!" you say, agreed; however, that doesn't cover the chemical contaminants found in our creeks, rivers, lakes, and oceans today.

Animals and Giardia

Your dog or cat can contract Giardia and give it to you. Remember where that tongue has been the next time you receive a friendly slurp on the cheek.

Giardia what to do - treatment

1. Filter

 **LIFESAVER bottle is the world's first all-in-one ultra-filtration water bottle. It removes bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens without using chemicals like iodine or chlorine.

2. Boil water to make drinking water safe!

Boil - The correct amount of time to boil water is "0" minutes, no spoofing, zero minutes.

160° F/70° C kills all pathogens within 30 min.
185° F/85° C and above within a few minutes
212° F/100° C This temperature will kill pathogens even at high altitude. - Wilderness Medical Society

3. To kill water-borne pathogens, simply bring water to a boil.

Botulism

**Botulism is the exception, requiring a temperature of 244°F/118°C in order to destroy, which requires the use of a pressure cooker.

Purification Tablets

Purification Tablets contains a combination of flocculation and coagulation agents which promote rapid formation of sediment in treated water (sediment is easily removed by straining the water through a cloth).

After clarification of the water the chlorine released by the active ingredients is then free to kill Giardia, bacteria, viruses, and other harmful micro-organisms which are not removed with the sediment.

Recap

Giardia is "One Gnarly Dude" and that's no joke. Treat suspect water by bringing it to a boil. Use commercial or backpacking certified water filter systems that filter out water-borne pathogens such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

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 source for the rest of summer.

Accidental Sourdough

Sourdough Starter is easy to make. It's so easy in fact that when I was stricken with wanderlust in the 1960's while exploring the wild west. I made a simple sourdough starter quite by accident.

This is a great food to make from scratch. And a simple food to begin the more complicated journey of cooking in the bush.

This happy discovery of fermented soured dough. Replaced my bland batter with a tasty, zingy, cheap, survival food.

So, if your down to your last bag of flour. Or want to broaden your food choices for your next survival camp. And eat like cowpokes and bold pioneers. Then give this no-frills beginners sourdough starter a try.

Accidental Starter Recipe

This is my original accidental sourdough starter recipe. And once I understood the flour, water, and natural yeast all worked together. I found using this recipe, easy, painless, a sourdough starter recipe you will find.

A kitchen list to replicate accidental sourdough starter

• 1-16 0z glass mason jar (Any wide mouth glass, ceramic jar, food grade Nalgene water bottle will work.)
• handkerchief. (Or a thin small cotton towel to act as a breathable lid)
• 1- heavy rubber band or cord. To hold or tie the handkerchief over the jar mouth as a breathable lid
• A long handled wooden spoon. 12" long, is a good length. (Or a clean carved sturdy twig to stir the flour and water into a batter.)
• 1 - heavy dish towel. This should be large enough to wrap the bottom and side of the glass jar to protect it from breakage. The dish towel provides insulation for the liquid ingredients.

Accidental Sourdough Starter Ingredients

• Flour - add 1/2 of the jar volume of unbleached flour (Any flour will do)
• Water - add 1/2 of the jar volume with good drinking water

Use Equal Amounts of Ingredients

Flour and water are the two ingredients needed to start. It helps to measure ingredients in equal amounts. An example is 1-cup of water to 1-cup of flour. After you begin drawing starter for everyday cooking. Replenish ingredients in equal parts

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water

Because starter batter rises during fermentation. As your starter grows keep it at or under 2/3rd's volume of the jar. After a few mishaps this amount of liquid ingredients in the jar worked well for me. And reduced spillage in my pack.

Mix the Flour & Water Well

After you have added the water and flour together in the jar. Mix well into a thick batter consistency. Don't make the batter too thin, just thick enough so the batter will not easily slide off a spoon or stir stick.

A few clumps of flour in the batter are fine. As the starter begins to work it will sort out the clumps of flour on its own. Here is a photo of the starter after 4-days at room temperature.

Starter and Air Temperature

As I prepare the starter the daytime outside temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees. Any temperature above 70- degrees and the action of the yeast is more rapid.

The higher the temperature the more quickly the yeast will consume the food, flour. Give or take a few degrees. 70- degrees is a good room temperature to get the natural yeast to begin.

Cooler Temperatures Slow Fermentation

The cooler the outside temperature the slower the yeast feeds on the flour. So, if you're living off your sourdough during cooler weather it will take longer for the fermentation process to complete.

But don't worry. Sourdough starter is tough. It continues to work even in cold temperatures and does not die easily.

However, since we are a traveling sourdough starter. The air temperature will vary as the outside weather determines. Keeping the jar wrapped with a heavy cloth will help keep the starter insulated and the temperature more consistent.

The Ferment

Once you have mixed the starter ingredients together. Place the breathable cloth lid over the mouth of the jar. Secure with the rubber band or cord. If you're trying this out at home, then place the jar in a dark place free of drafts. Cupboards are good places for this.

Otherwise, place the jar in the home you made for it in your pack.

Now you wait. Check your starter the next morning and see how it's doing. You may see a few bubbles on top of the batter.

After the third day you should start seeing a lot more activity. And by the fourth day your starter may begin to show a frothy consistency on the surface. This is a good sign.

Feed your Starter

By the third or fourth day of fermentation your starter may be ready to be fed.

There are a couple of ways to do this. As your batter begins to thin and loose that thick consistency. Add equal amounts of flour and water to the jar and mix well. Put the cloth lid back on and set the starter aside until the next day. Where, depending on how fast it's working it may need to be fed again

Accidental Sourdough Bread Recipe for the Campfire

First become an expert in fire making before you cook over that campfire.

• pour off a 1/3 or more of your starter into your eating bowl
• mix in equal amount of flour and a bit more
• stir the starter and flour until it forms a ball
• Keep adding extra flour as needed to prevent sticking to bowl and hands. (Rub flour between hands will keep the dough from sticking to them.)
• let the dough rest for a few minutes
• pinch off a small piece of dough and pat it out to a rough circle shape
• the thinner the dough the better for fast cooking
• lay the patted-out dough on hot coals of your fire to bake. Or on a hot rock by the fire. (Or cook in a fry pan over the campfire). Flip it over
• When it's done baking brush the ashes off the bread. Then eat.

Replace Flour and Water

Always replace the starter you removed with equal amounts of flour and water. Mix well, and Bob's your Uncle. Cover the jar with the cloth lid. Stash it away. You'll have a fresh batch of starter for breakfast the next day.

By day 6 or 7 of feeding your starter. You will have your own honest to goodness accidental sourdough starter. One you will be proud of.

 Leavening and Rising of the Dough

There is quite a bit of chemistry involved in Leavening. But with the accidental sourdough you don't have to be overly concerned. The starter itself is a leavening agent. As your starter becomes more vibrant and active the more your bread and pancakes will rise while cooking and baking.

Hooch and Fermentation

As the yeasts feed on the flour, it creates a liquid by-product called hooch. Hooch is a dark liquid that rises to the top of the starter after it has consumed the flour. Hooch is alcohol created from the fermentation process of yeast and flour. With an alcohol content of .5 to .2.

This fermented liquid is very sour to the taste. I pour off the hooch from the jar and dispose of it not mixing it back into the starter. It won't hurt you to mix it back in.

And the more hooch in your starter the sourer your starter will be. But there is a point where I find it too sour and not appealing to my taste.

Secure the lid

Cover your jar mouth with the cloth lid. Securing the cloth lid with a rubber band or cord.

Protect the Jar from Breakage

Before I placed the jar into my backpack, I wrapped the thick dish towel under and around the jar. The towel helped protect the glass jar from breaking in my pack.

I found a home for the mason jar inside my main pack where it was surrounded by soft gear. This added extra security from breakage.

Broken glass is the last thing you want in your backpack.

Instead use a food grade 1-liter Nalgene water bottle with a wide mouth.  A much better alternative to wandering the wilds with glass in your backpack.

Backpacking Starter

Your all set. You've mixed your ingredients in just the right volume to keep the starter from spilling. You have covered the mouth of the jar with the cloth lid and rubber band or cord. And wrapped the whole jar in a thick towel to protect it. And you have stashed it safely in your pack.

Now what?

Traveling Food

Pancakes are immensely popular with our family. Both my folks were excellent cooks and served us homemade pancakes for both breakfast and dinner. So, I had watched and learned from them.

Years later I learned to make a delicious wild elderberry syrup to go along with our camp cakes!

When it was time for me to pack my camping gear and hit the trail once again. I wanted to bring a food that I knew how to cook. Enjoyed to eat and was inexpensive to keep in stock.

Sourdough Pancakes Recipe for the Trail

• preheat your skillet over the hot coals of your campfire
• when the skillet is hot enough add a couple of teaspoons or more of cooking oil or butter to the pan
• give the starter in the jar a good stir. It should have a consistency of a thin to medium batter
• pour the sourdough batter directly from the jar onto the hot skillet
• cook, flip, eat. Repeat.

How does Accidental Sourdough Work?

Flour contains its own natural yeast and there is wild yeast floating about in the air. These yeasts left on their own and mixed with flour and water made my accidental sourdough starter. This happened through a process known as fermentation.

The process of bacteria, flour, and fermentation date back to the early beginnings of Mankind's food culture. I believe our early ancestors across the world used the same or similar process for a variety of applications. From yogurt, to Kimchee, to beer. And yes, even Sourdough.

In Closing

I traveled with this accidental starter as I hitchhiked from California to British Columbia and beyond during my teenage years. At each meal I replaced the flour and water I drew from the batter. This insured the fermentation of the flour and water to produce enough Starter for my next meal.

This is my simple recipe. There are hundreds of ways to work with sourdough. But I think you will find this recipe an easy one to start with.

Let me know how you do. And please ask any questions on this topic. I have lots to share and would like to hear about your adventures with accidental sourdough.