Just Add it to the List

I spent this past weekend at my secondary location (“the camp”). While there, I found a few more things that need to be taken care of. As always, when you knock one thing off the list, two (or ten) more take its place.

There is a “road” that goes from the camp building to the pond that is further back on the property. Every couple of years, I must trim back the limbs that choke the path down from vehicle width to little more than walking width. My little trip out there this weekend reminded me that it is time to trim it back again. A couple of hours with a chainsaw should do the trick. After that, I have another area of brush that needs to be cleared (probably another couple of hours if things go well).

The barn could use some attention as well. Over the past few years, I have had to use it to store some extras that I may someday need. As it turns out, I haven’t needed those things in so long that they have deteriorated to the point of being useless. Some of it is wood that has degraded. The rest of the items have been degraded beyond use. A couple of hours spent in the barn would do wonders. Then, I’ll be able to use the barn for storing vehicles out of the weather when I’m out there, or just about any other need I have. The barn doesn’t look like much, and there is no electricity, but it sure is handy when all the junk is cleaned out. It would be nice to have the barn cleared of everything and only used for short term trips, not long-term storage.

I’d love to get a new freezer for inside the camp. I can’t yet store much frozen food there due to the limited space of a ¾ sized refrigerator. A standing freezer with shelves would be great but that will have to wait until some finances are freed up.

Going through the camping gear is a project that has been resurrected. I haven’t gone camping in quite some time. I’m sure that some things will need some extra attention. Sorting and organizing will reveal anything that needs replacing or fixing. I plan to go camping in the next couple of months so this task will be near the top of my little to-do list.

If I can set aside a couple of days to work at the camp, this will all get done in one trip. If not, I’ll just have to do what I can, when I can. Either way, there is plenty to do and the list keeps growing. All I can do is keeping knocking things off the list one by one.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

Winter Prepping Begins

In my locale, we have about two months until we can expect any real cold weather. I started working on my winter preps this past weekend.

I ran my portable generator until all of the old gas was out. I’m glad I did, too. It took several pulls to get it to crank. While doing so, I could smell the strange, sweet smell of old gas trying to ignite. I would have had a few much larger problems if that gas sat for a few more weeks; clogged carburetor, blocked fuel lines, etc. Getting that gas out allows me to get fresh gas and mix stabilizer before I fill the tank and run the new gas through the lines. I also found that the choke on the engine must be lined up just right (not on the indicated “choke” mark) to get it just right. Once I get ready to run the engine with fresh gas, I’ll mark the true choke position with a permanent marker for future reference. With the winter storms we have had in the past few years, I’m fairly certain that we will be needing it again this year. Being a portable generator, it is not large enough to supply power to more than a couple of appliances (i.e. a refrigerator and freezer) and nothing more. But, when you have deer meat and other items to keep frozen, keeping a refrigerator and freezer powered is a big deal. Or I can run some lights if the need arises.

I have several 5-gallon gas jugs that I need to fill up and add stabilizer. There are 6 jugs and they each hold a bit over 5 gallons. Basically, I need to get the 30+ gallons of fuel to keep over the winter. That’s not a cheap buy so I while likely get one filled every couple of weeks. That stabilized gas can be stored for several months and used in equipment and vehicles if needed.

I checked the vehicle Get Home Bags (GHBs) to make sure they were ready for action. I swapped out a couple of items, but other than that, everything was ready to go. I put one in each vehicle. There is no cold weather gear in these bags, just the bare necessities. The cold-weather gear will go straight into vehicles in their own bags.

We had several trees cut down in the last couple days.  Last year, we had an ice storm that lasted over a week before any real mobility was possible. The trees and limbs that fell during that storm took weeks to get cleaned up. I’m sure that if another similar storm comes this winter, we will have more clean-up to do. There are a few limbs that need some tending to before winter weather hits. If I can get ahead of the mess, it shouldn’t be as bad when it does come. Once I’m done with preemptive work, I’ll need to check the chainsaw chain, oil, and other associated supplies to make sure I have what I need before winter arrives. This will include mixed gas and bar/chain oil.

I checked my vehicles to get an idea of what needs to be done. My daily driving truck is due for an oil change. That will be happening in the morning. The windshield will also have to be replaced due to a rock hitting it and causing a bad crack. Any accumulation of ice will certainly shatter the glass and allow rain/ice/etc. to fall into the cab. That little project will have to wait about another month or so until a few other things get lined out first. My work truck is a diesel that only needs to be filled up. That also will have to wait a little while to see if diesel prices go down a little. $5.50/per gallon is ridiculously high. Hopefully the prices will drop in the next few weeks. If they don’t, I’ll fill up at whatever the price is when I deem necessary.

The camp (a tiny little secondary location where I used to live) will need some attention. There’s not much to do there to prepare for winter but a little goes a long way. I just need to make a quick check of everything to make sure it is all in working order. I try to stay there once or twice a month, so it gets checked regularly. Blankets are well stocked in case of a power outage. Since I don’t stay there very often, there is not much food on hand. I will need to stock up the freezer for long term food storage. When I do stay out there, I take enough food to get me through the one or two nights I stay. I may also start to take my Buddy space heater each time I go out there, just incase the power is out and I need to warm a room. There are also a few trees and limbs that need to be cleaned up there as well.

I’m sure there are plenty of other things that will need to be addressed along the way. With just this short list, I’ll have plenty to keep me busy. The main concern is getting as far ahead as I can so that anything that pops up won’t have to wait for long.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

Contingency Plans

Most preppers, I would think, are familiar with the “two is one, one is none” principle. If you have two of an item and one breaks, now you only have one. If you only have one and it breaks, well, now you have none. This principle can lead many people to stockpile far more gear than they truly need. But, if kept in check, it works out well.

As a police officer, I carry one main (Primary) flashlight on my duty gear. Now, my backup is not the same model flashlight. That would take up far too much space and add unwanted weight to carry around. Instead, I have a secondary (Alternate) flashlight that slips into my pocket and is roughly the size of a pocketknife. It is rechargeable and puts out enough light that I can see everything I need to see. With those flashlights in mind, you can see the “two is one, one is none” principle at work. (Side note: any time I am off work and out and about, the little pocketknife sized light goes with me. I have had to use it countless times and for all sorts of reasons. For those interested, the light is a Streamlight Wedge.)

Several years ago, I came across the acronym “P.A.C.E.” This stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency. This fits much better into the tiered system that I prefer.

When it comes to prepping, I find that having a several of any given item is better than having just two. That does not mean that I am carrying three or more of an item with me at all times. Instead, I have a tiered system of gear that I keep loaded in bags or vehicles that will provide several options. What I don’t have is a stockpile of one type of gear, stacked in boxes, waiting for a “what if all of my others break” situation. Instead, I have “alternate” items packed in bags or vehicles while I carry my “Primary” items on my person.

For instance, I keep the Streamlight Wedge with me almost all the time. That is my primary light. Then, I keep a flashlight in each pack I have. Those are my alternate lights. I also have flashlights in my vehicles and certain areas of my house. Those would be my contingency lights. The alternate and contingency lights are not the same quality, or price, as the Wedge. They are Coast brand and cost about $10.00 each, basic and inexpensive. After that, there are glow sticks that I can crack and have some sort of functional light.

Yes, I have several flashlights. No, they are not piled in a box on a shelf. They are all being used in some way; maybe packed in a bag, maybe stored in a vehicle. I don’t have tons of extraneous gear that just sits around. I buy what I need to fill a specific role.

This principle can be applied to just about anything. Food: food that is bought/grown and eaten regularly would be primary, frozen/canned foods to be kept for future use could be alternate, and long-term shelf life foods kept as a contingency, and food stored at a secondary location could be emergency.

This applies to clothing, firearms/self-defense items, tools, or anything else that you need for prepping. A word of advice, once you have the P.A.C.E. system covered for one area of prepping, don’t just keep adding to it. Transition to another area and then to another. It will do you no good to have 50 guns and no food, or to have 10,000 bottles of water and no seasonal clothing. Once you have everything you need to fulfil a P.A.C.E. plan for every category, then go back and add what you want, where you want it. You can even try to keep everyting leveled out by addressing the “P” in each area before you move to the “A”, then the “C”, and finally the “E”. This way, everything gets addressed on somewhat the same scale.

Be smart with your preps. Make a plan. Adjust the plan as necessary.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

SHTF Takes Different Forms

As preppers, we like to envision various big events that we prepare for; earthquake, hurricane, tornado, blizzard, financial collapse, etc. In my personal experience, there are many, many more personal SHTF events that happen throughout a person’s life. For instance, the last four months have been quite the upheaval for yours truly. None of them were planned for, and in some cases, one led to another. I don’t go into detail on personal business but I can share enough to get the point across.

A few months ago, I sustained an injury that could not be ignored. I tore a tendon in my elbow. It wasn’t a horrific tear, but it had to be fixed. So, then comes the surgery. This brought nearly all of my prepping plans to a standstill.

Up until the surgery, I was back to working out regularly. That had to stop because I couldn’t lift weights with only one working arm. The only thing left for me to do was run. While I have started back running, I’ve got some catching up to do to get caught up with where I was a year ago. Being limited to only one working arm, for several weeks, also limited much of the work I typically do on my own time. Yard work, brush clearing, winter preps with generators, it all came to a halt. I’ve only been back to my normal routine for a week or two. Needless to say, I am behind on many things at the moment. It looks like I’m going to be a little busy for the next couple of months while I try to get caught up on the work tasks that fell behind.

Along with the surgery came a considerable impact on finances. A little bit on money had to be paid out for the surgery and the appointments leading up to it. The biggest hit was not being able to do the extra work that supplements my income. Nearly two months of side income was missed. Ouch. And of course, the bills keep coming and the money keeps going. But hey, that’s life, right? The good thing is, all the bills are still paid, there still food in the fridge, and the extra work is back. Now that I’m back in full working capacity, I should be able to bounce back with finances in the next couple of months. That’s not too bad, all things considered.

Add into the mix several other issues that needed attention and life got hectic, fast. It just goes to show that things can snowball from one thing to another, and there’s nothing you can do to control it. Sometimes, all you can do is try to set yourself up to manage.

On top of all of that, the high temperatures have been in excess of 110 degrees for the past two months. That was a huge impact on just how much I was able to do, considering that most of it was outdoor work. With no air conditioning in my shop, working in there was severely limited. I was able to work on a few small tasks but nothing with true impact (basically just cleanup).

With as much as I had going on, I had to decide where to put my attention. I decided to put the blog on hold for a little while (partly because I was not going to type with only one good hand), but, also because I decided to put my attention elsewhere until I was back in a better place to post as regularly as I had been prior to these SHTF events.

Regardless, there were a few personal SHTF events that came up all, all at the same time. What was the biggest lesson learned from all of this? Put as much effort as possible into getting far enough ahead that SHTF events like this in the future don’t have near this impact.

My emergency fund will have to be completely rebuilt. When it is, it will be larger than before. I plan to save up a minimum of $2,000.00 in available cash. This will take quite some time but all I can do is a little at a time. Hopefully, nothing will happen in the meantime to take it back down to zero again.

Even if marginally, the temperature should start to drop soon. This will allow me to spend more time outside working on the seasonal prepping efforts. I’ll need to set aside time to make some big leaps ahead in getting everything taken care of.

The physical health aspect is already underway. I was able to start working out without limitations this week. I’ll have to start back at lower weights and focus more on cardio for a little while. That’s not a problem. I’ve been needing to do that anyway. Fortunately, I didn’t see a big drop in my level of performance. It will take just a little while (2-3 weeks hopefully) to get back where I was.

My goal is to post at least weekly from this point forward. I’ll keep updating with the progress and hopefully give a “real world” idea of what bouncing back looks like and realistic timelines of how this all goes.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

Vacation Ends

So, I just ended a three-week vacation. Before you get jealous, it was definitely not a “pleasure” vacation. It was a “let’s get caught up on all the things I’m behind on” type of vacation. Turns out, I had a LOT to get caught up on. I have had three solid weeks of work. In a 21 day period, nineteen of it was WORK! I’m not complaining. Rather, it’s quite the opposite. I am thrilled at how much I was able to get done.

A few days were spent out of town working for family that needed fence repairs, etc. Even that was a great time. All day was spent working. Each night consisted of great food and better fellowship with some truly great people. There was great conversation throughout the workdays. They live about four hours away and I am looking forward to getting back over there whenever I can to spend more time with them, for work or play.

The rest of my vacation was spent doing all manner of jobs around the house and my camp (or as one blogger calls it, a “Beta site”). I was behind on several things that needed to be done around the house and I am happy to say that I am all caught up…. For now. I was able to make a good start on things at the camp. There is plenty that still needs to be done, but for now I’m happy with the progress.

I was able to turn to prepping for the last couple of days. I got my shop much better organized. I went through quite a bit of gear and got things squared away there, as well. Although there was a good bit of work involved, it was actually pretty relaxing. When it comes to prepping, the jobs are much more relaxing. In a way, it is therapeutic to get into my gear and make progress. My gear is better organized, I have a better idea of what I need to work on, and I get old or unnecessary stuff out of the way.

All in all, my working vacation was a great success. Now I just have to go back to work like a normal person. At least with this much accomplished, I can knock out littles projects in my spare time and keep making progress.

The moral of the story, take some time for yourself, away from the daily grind and get some stuff done. You’ll be much better off. Even if it is work, it’s worth it.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

Gear Review – Kore Essentials

Nearly a year ago, I was introduced to Kore Essentials. I was looking for a more dress style belt that would also serve as a gun belt. A co-worker suggested Kore. I bought one (for a surprisingly reasonable price) and have been thoroughly impressed. To be clear, I am in no way compensated by Kore Essentials. I paid for everything I have from them so there is no bias.

The Kore belts I have (now three of them) all secure by a “ratchet” style system on the inner side of the belt. There are no holes with limited tightness notches. The belt passes through a buckle that has a spring-loaded clip that grabs onto notches on the inner side of the belt. This allows for a surprisingly adjustable fit. For dress clothes, I ended up getting a brown leather belt (1.5” leather with X-buckle) and a black leather belt (1.5” leather with X-buckle). (https://www.koreessentials.com/products/x-series-buckle-black-leather-gun-belt-1-5-copy) They both work incredibly well, with or without holsters and other gear, and are also stylish.

I was so impressed by them that I then bought one of the 1.75” Molle Battle Belts to use as a range/training system. (https://www.koreessentials.com/products/battle-belt) This system comes as a kit and includes an inner belt. I have found the system to be a fantastic addition to my minimalistic approach to gear. I have plenty of space to attach the items I keep on a belt and have plenty of space available. So far, it has been quite durable.

All three belts come with a wide range of sizing built into each belt. Kore provides a sizing and fitting guide with each belt. Simply follow the instructions and the belt can be trimmed down to fit your particular needs. There is no need to order an exact fit and hope that you got the measurements correct.

They offer other types of gear as well, but I have yet to try their other offerings.

These belts fit perfectly into my prepper system. The battle belt especially would be the one that I chose to gear up and get to work. The other two I would not shy away from using either.

Kore Essentials gets a stamp of approval from me (for what it’s worth :)). If you’re looking for a new gun belt, I don’t think you can go wrong with Kore Essentials. Give them a look and see what you think.

https://www.koreessentials.com

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

Change of Plans

A few years ago, I bought a motorcycle. It was intended to be an economical means of commuting to work. I got a Kawasaki KLR 650 dual sprot motorcycle. Not long after, I was allowed a take-home vehicle from work. I decided to keep the motorcycle for recreational purposes. I had all sorts of ideas of minimalist camping and the like. I got some hard plastic “saddle bags” for it and set up a few vehicle preps that would fit for a motorcycle. I also had the idea to keep it for a survival vehicle. You know, the I need to get going in a hurry with just the items I can carry on my back type of thing. Then there’s the whole issue of “how do I take MY FAMILY with me on a motorcycle?” I could go down the rabbit hole of keeping it for those solo-mission scenarios that preppers come up with when they war-game the end of the world scenarios. But I’m going to want to be with my family and travel as a unit. The motorcycle just doesn’t fit that bill.

As it turns out, I have not ridden the bike in OVER A YEAR. I’ve cranked it a few times to let it run, kept the battery charged with a trickle charger, and done minor maintenance type things, but that’s it. I just don’t use the thing. Every time I need to go somewhere, I either have someone with me, need to take too much stuff, or have weather concerns. There just haven’t been enough opportunities to just get out and ride.

So, I’ve decided I’m going to sell it. It has about 1,500 miles on it and is in phenomenal condition. It’s always been kept in a garage and just needs the dust cleaned off. With the money that I get for it, I could really shore up some other areas of my prepping. It’s not a high dollar motorcycle but just the few thousand dollars I could get for it would go a LONG way.

What I’m really getting at is that prepping isn’t always about obtaining gear, vehicles, etc. Sometimes it’s about getting rid of things that no longer fit into your plans. The motorcycle no longer fits. It was fun when I got to use it. But it’s not worth the loss of value and limited utility to have it just sit there for some unknown day when a couple of hours of enjoyment may come.

I’m selling it. I’m putting that money toward whatever areas of life it needs to go toward. I’m getting some of my general life preps in better order (emergency fund, finishing up the smaller projects that are near completion and just need that little remaining money spent, etc.). I feel good about my decision. It’s one less vehicle to maintenance and care for. It’s one less item to put money toward. It’s that little bit of free space that could be better used for something else, or nothing at all. It’s getting something out of the way, in many regards.

Get rid of things that don’t fit your plans. Free that money up to save or fund another project. Take one more thing off your list of duties. Gain a little peace from having one less thing to have to worry about.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

NO FOOD?! OH NO!

I had a new experience recently. I did something that I’ve never done before, and it ended up being quite enlightening. Before I dive into that, nothing in this post is medical advice. If you decide to try something like this, talk to your medical provider first. This is only to share my experience.

So, here it goes.

Last week I did my first 72 hour fast. 72 hours (three full days) without food. No calories, no sugar, no carbs. For 72 hours I drank water, black coffee, and zero sugar, zero calorie electrolyte mixes. I wasn’t required to do this fast. I decided to do it on my own and for a few different reasons, none of which matter to this post. The reason I’m sharing the experience is to give some insight for a potential survival scenario.

One quick point to make, a 72 hour fast does not start upon finishing a meal. It actually begins after you have finished digesting the last meal you ate. That could be about four hours. So in reality, a 72 hour fast is a 76 hour process.

During the whole process, I couldn’t help but think of one thing, over and over. “This is a great experience for a potential survival situation.” I came up with all sorts of scenarios where I may have to go without food for an extended period of time. Many people are not aware that the food that is seemingly always available, is in short supply. Grocery stores, convenience stores, etc. don’t have large stockrooms in the back that are full of food. What is on the shelves, is what is in the store. Stores receive deliveries on a near daily basis to keep supply available. While it is many people’s plan to run to the store and grab last minute items in an emergency, within about three days, those items are gone. There may be a few things left here and there but for the most part everything will be gone in less than a week if the supply line breaks down. Remember toilet paper back during the times of Covid? With that in mind, think of what you have in your house and what few items you could grab in that last-ditch effort to restock in an emergency. You may have several days, or even a couple of weeks of food. You may not be out of food immediately. But, what about after that food is gone? You might get hungry while searching for more. Whether natural disaster, EMP, or whatever form the SHTF scenario comes, this is a very real possibility. At some point the food will be gone. How would you fell going without food for 72 hours? I can tell you.

Yes, you’ll be hungry. But you won’t be starving. The first 24 hours of the fast I got hungry. It wasn’t excruciating. It was just hunger. I read, and was told, that the 25 to 48 hours mark is where it would be the worst. It honestly wasn’t that bad. I was just hungry. It was no worse than the first 24 hours, just more constant. Whenever I got hungry, I would drink a bottle of water, maybe have an electrolyte drink and I was good for a couple of hours. I drank coffee throughout the day, and the flavor helped to “trick” my mind for a little while. The last 24 hours (49 to 72 hours period) was the easiest. From my understanding, this is the period where your body transitions from feeding off stored carbs and sugar and switches over to stored fat. The biggest “feeling” I noticed was the anticipation, and yes excitement, of getting to eat soon. It became a countdown to the big moment of getting to eat. Those were the hours that seemed to pass the slowest. All in all, it was not some terrible, excruciating experience.

I enjoyed the experience from an “academic” mindset. I was able to experience what three days of not eating would feel like in a controlled setting that allowed me to focus on what I felt and how my body responded. I went for brisk walks that were no more than 10-15 minutes for the first two days that allowed me to see how I felt with some exertion and no food. The most important prepping lesson that I learned during the process was this, going without food for three days did not hinder my ability to perform any of the tasks required. I went to work, I got some exercise, and I was not hindered. I did NOT experience any form of debilitation. I only experienced a little hunger. I learned quite a bit about myself and just about any scenario where I may have to go without food. Something else I know about myself, when I am busy I don’t get hungry nearly as soon and I don’t realize my hunger until I stop whatever I’m doing.

My assumption would be that in a survival scenario, with as much as I would need to tend to, I would be able to go three days without food with ease, probably much longer, and still be able to operate. My educated assumption would be that I could go for several days without ANY food before the effects would need to be addressed. This is great to know. I regret to say, in my current “situation” I do not have the stored food in place that I believe every prepper should have. I am working toward remedying that, but as it stands, it’s not there. There are several things I would need to get, fairly soon, in an emergency situation to have any sort of balanced diet. However, knowing that I can go days without food helps me know that I can go every day with a greatly reduced caloric intake and still function quite well. Any food stores that I have can be stretched to last for a longer period. So, while I need to bolster my supplies, I can also make those supplies last longer than originally expected. I can also educate my family on what to expect with any change to food on-hand.

Call me crazy, but I like to experience something (almost anything I can foresee happening) before I am forced into the experience. Whether academic or practical, knowledge is power. Personally, I intend to experience any part of prepping/survivalism possible while I choose to do so. Whether it be going camping (which I have done plenty), learning navigation, fasting, hunting, gardening, etc., these are all things that may be needed in a survival situation. Why not do it in a controlled environment where I can slow down and learn as much as possible during the process to make things easier if I have to do so long term?

What areas of prepping/surviving can you try, or even incorporate into daily life, now before it becomes a necessity?

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

Getting Home

A lot of attention is put toward Get Hom Bags, gear, vehicle preps, etc. How much effort do you actually put toward how you will actually get home, the route you will take. Most people use the same routes day after day. Going to and from work is routine. The same is true for the daily tasks of taking kids to school, to practices, going to church, or visiting friends. We tend to stick to the easiest and fastest routes to where we need to go.

During the ice storm several weeks ago, I found the need to take alternate routes to just about everywhere. Numerous vehicle crashes I have come upon in the last few months have also forced me to either wait for the road to clear or find another way. Fortunately, I know my area well enough to make quick route adjustments. I may not know each street by name, but I do know which turns will get me to my destination.

What if I was trying to get home in a true emergency? Whether it be a personal emergency or a true SHTF situation, getting home with these route interruptions would cost valuable time. Knowing multiple alternate routes gives options. I vary my routes often, if only to simply familiarize myself with my options. I use three or four different routes to and from work. Most of my route selection depends on the time of day and the traffic conditions during those times. Sometimes, my route selection is for ease, while other times I choose a route for time saving.

There is one (actually three) thing(s) that could absolutely stop my progress in getting home on any given day, a bridge (or three). Most of my travels require that I cross one of three bridges to get from home to work, shopping, etc. During the ice storm, two of these bridges were barely passable. The third, an interstate bridge, would have been highly unadvisable to even attempt crossing, except in the most extreme of emergency. Of course, there were people using this bridge. In my personal opinion, those people were taking much too risk when there were other options available. The two bridges I used were covered in ice and even in four wheel drive (4WD) and driving slowly, my truck slid a bit on the ice.

I use the ice storm only as an example. Replace that with any form of obstacle (traffic jam, crashes, EMP that kills vehicles where they sit) and you’re stuck on one side of the river or the other, at least with a vehicle. That adds a few more decisions to be made. Do I walk? Can I, or whoever is with me, carry everything in my vehicle? What do I take with me? What do I leave behind? Do I have the clothing with me that I need to wear when exposed to the elements instead of being in an airconditioned or heated vehicle? One big question to consider: Is the best route by vehicle, the best route by foot? Taking the same route by foot as I would take in a vehicle could make me walk miles out of the way. On foot, I can cut through parking lots, empty lots, etc. and shorten that route by quite a bit. Maybe walking along a railroad or body of water would be the faster than walking along the same roads I would have driven. However, there are neighborhoods that I would never walk through but would drive through without a second thought.

All this factors into having multiple ways to get from where you are to where you need to be. I would suggest having multiple routes for vehicle travel, as well as travelling by foot. Take the time to get off your “normal” route and find alternatives that fit just about any situation you can think of. Google maps can be a great resource to pick routes to try. I would try those routes while there is no emergency and see which ones seem the best. Keep in mind, if your phone battery dies, you may need to know these routes by memory. If you’re of the mind to actually get some exercise in the process, you could try walking some routes to see how you fair.

Determine the routes. Determine potential obstacles. Determine what it will take to get from where you are to where you need to be. Having all the gear but not being able to get home is a problem. My home is my castle. It is where I will be with family. It is where I have far more supplies than what I can carry on my back. It is where I have the absolute best chance of survival. Getting home is the first, and most important step. If I must leave there later that’s fine. But I must get there first.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.

AI Searching

I have just gotten into using AI search engines, like ChatGPT, in the past couple of months. I have to say, I’m quite surprised. Actually, I’m impressed. I first used ChatGPT to put together a weightlifting routine. I put in the parameters I wanted covered and to my utter surprise, it produced the EXACT workout that I put together for myself several years ago. Keep in mind, that workout was done on a completely different computer and was never loaded onto this one, or a flash drive. ChatGPT produced it on its own. The big lesson, for me personally, from that is that I need to update my work out if it’s that ordinary and outdated. I then began to test ChatGPT on several different subjects. I’m still impressed. This AI stuff is scarily good.

The subjects I’ve covered include dry fire training for shooting, prepper topics (water/hydration, pack contents, etc.), meal prep ideas, etc. For good measure, I have researched the topics myself to see what I came up with on my own. In each case so far, ChatGPT has been on point. I have not yet found any discrepancy with what it produced versus what I have verified. While I will likely never fully trust an AI search engine, I can definitely vouch for using it as a starting point.

For anyone that doesn’t know where to begin (with any topic), throw it in ChatGPT and see what it comes up with. From there, just look into the various aspects to validate the information. You may be surprised at how much you learn without first having to get frustrated at the start. You may also be surprised at how much you overlook that AI includes. Another great aspect is that it takes seconds, literally seconds, for ChatGPT to produce its findings.

As a security measure, I strongly suggest that you don’t put any sensitive information into any search engine, AI or not. If you don’t know where it’s going, don’t do it.

Give those AI search engines a test run and see how they perform for you. I’ve found them to be great little assistants.

Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.