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Letter Re: My Real, Live-Fire Self-Sufficiency Test
Well, I am back on the Internet for a time at least. Mind you, from the look
of the soap opera world, I didn’t miss much. Grin
A bit of background first for context. I am forecasting grim things for the
fairly near future, particularly in financial terms. In one sense I am a type
of survivalist, in that I want to prepare. Most survivalists tend to plan and
prepare for a type of bunker at a fixed location to survive whatever doomsday
they foresee coming. Such a plan has very distinct, real, and important advantages.
However, the armed forces have a saying, “No battle plan ever survives
first contact with the enemy.” In my case I did not feel I had sufficient
forecasting ability to make a viable plan, nor do I think that most others
have either. So I decided to be as flexible as possible based on a couple of
premises. One; That there were negative changes coming for humanity which would
cause great social disturbance, and when the stuff is about to hit the fan,
it is best not to be standing about with your face hanging out. (Want to be
at least a tank of gas away from a major population center.) Secondly economic
conditions will likely deteriorate dramatically, and with them a good deal
of the scientific infrastructure that makes life so good today. If humanity
is going back to the 1800s, I want to prepare using the advantages our
infrastructure of today provides.
I picked a number of locales at which I felt I could, in extreme circumstances,
be largely self sufficient. All have plusses and minuses. A large degree of
isolation became a central point because of expected social disruption. (Desperate,
starving people.) Part of isolation is to be in a place where no one would
likely go, or at least not roving gangs. And that means having no roads or
trails leading to you. Individuals who are lucky enough, or experienced enough
to find you, may make good additions to the team.
Events of Aug 15, 2007 convinced me that it was time to stop planning and begin
acting. I decided to move to the nearest locale that I felt could be a possible
final location, and which would allow me to be far enough away from a major
population center so as to avoid the worst of the initial social disruption,
yet close enough to rescue the non believers I care about, and also be able
to salvage a good deal of valuable stuff before people recognize its value.
From there I could watch events unfold in relative safety, while still likely
to be able to move on if that became desirable. As practice and to test my
plans, during the last five weeks I began setting up the beginnings of a permanent
residence and clearing enough land for a garden. I don’t expect to use
this location, but in a worst case scenario, or proper circumstances, I can.
This is a report of the surprises I encountered.
Probably the biggest mistake I made was one that I had experience with, and
logically, knew what to expect because I grew up with no electricity or refrigeration.
I had not expected how emotionally dependant I had become on refrigeration
and the offshoots from that. Logically, I had supplied myself with lots of
dried foods, etc. In a “grid down” situation it becomes much worse
than even those who grew up without electricity, and refrigeration will expect.
The most stupid mistake was to think I could use a cell phone as emergency
backup in case of accident in an isolated, unpopulated place. You’re
on your own. No signal.
Some small tools, such as a leaf rake which I never saw the likes of in the
1930s, would be invaluable. I tried to remember exactly what we had
on the farm then and replicate that. A fly swatter or it’s equivalent
is easy to pass over in planning. Pioneers valued their cutting edges above
almost
all else. Axes and saws were gold. I had plenty, depending on how society fell
apart, but I have added more for a worst case scenario. I also found one of
those charities selling used clothes and stuff. They had various sharp “butcher” type
knives on sale for .19 each. I snagged about 40, along with some stainless
steel kitchenware, and other goodies. [I think some things like specialty steels
(razor blades) and aluminum (Energy intensive) will become very scarce.] I
did one really good thing, and that was to obtain a loggers tool I have not
seen in years. I call it a Peavey but it is sometimes known as a cant hook.
Used for wrestling with logs, particularly in water such as a river.
Only once before in my life (over 50 years ago) had I met insects that raised
significant welts on me. (And I have spent years in the bush, mostly in isolation.)
The insects at this location did, enough so that I broke my isolation rule
and visited a doctor. Four pills of Benadryl brought me back from sheer agony
and fear of major change in plans. (I thought part of the problem was allergies
due to advancing age. Maybe, maybe not.) A Calamine lotion with an antihistamine
content helped marginally. Anti-allergenics are a must have in your medical
kit. (Along with an insect mesh jacket and hood I discovered. The brand name
was CAMPAC and within the last couple of days, I am informed that this type
of jacket/hood can be purchased in the order of $11, versus the $36 I paid
when in a rush.) Stocking enough DEET to be effective would fill a warehouse,
although
it works well.
I had forgotten what percentage of the time one spends in rubber boots, and
how easy it is to poke holes in them. Of course I had a pair, but now I have
four good pairs, and would consider more if rubber boots did not deteriorate
relatively rapidly, unused.
Glass for windows and light will be sorely missed. Thankfully, I am also skilled
in glass making.
After some scouting, the location I picked was on the edge of a swampy area
of about 100 acres. Swampy area produces good soil when drained. (And lots
of bugs until then! It was probably crown land. The problem in converting
the area to farmable land is twofold. One; the trench(s) to drain it, and two
the huge stumps and roots it produces, which must be removed or they simply
sprout again. (One can do controlled burns it three consecutive years in the
spring and it will be largely cleared, except for roots. [Watch for ground
fires,
particularly the third year] I had neither three years nor the inclination
to attract fire
rangers to my spot.) I had decided that fuel for mechanical devices would likely
be difficult to get in isolation or TEOTWAWKI,
so had opted for chain blocks and other hand methods for heavy lifting such
as stump removal. I can say these
methods do work, but they are very slow and hard work. I had
expected to supplant my own muscles with horsepower, but moving animals before
having a fixed location
is a no go. (Plus animals don’t like biting bugs, which are plentiful
around swamps, any more than we do and they move away.) Regarding stumps and
roots- you can expect as much wood below ground as above ground. Lots of digging.
I began thinking about an easier way. Eventually, despite my resources being
finite, I began to consider some form of small engine driven unit such as a
4 wheel ATV,
(Arctic Cat) construction loader (Bobcat) and finally one of the mini-Kubota
diggers. (Available in tracked or wheeled models) A regular
backhoe would be ideal, and efficient, but it uses about 2-1/2 litres of
fuel per hour. (Approximately 4+ litres per US gallon, or 5+ per Imperial gallon)
Cost new; $35,000-40,000) At a maximum I felt I could not store a two year
supply, if
for no other reason than degradation of fuel. (A Kubota is a miniature backhoe,
but one can buy attachments such as a blade or bucket.) The Kubota would be
rather like emptying a swimming pool with a teaspoon, Can be done, but oh so
slowly and ineffectively. (Note: A major problem with any form of backhoe is
the hydraulics and their repair. If the hydraulics break anywhere, they may
be useless.) For trenching, or digging roots the Kubota would be worth its
weight in gold. I do have a chainsaw and spares, with an expected useful life
for any engine of less than two years. (Fuel supply)
Overall, horses would be far more efficient than the mini Kubota, and the other
small engine machines were non starters. (the BobCat less so than the ATV.)
On the other hand, horses require feed. Unless one has a relatively small fenced
area, and can bring the food to them, horses travel great distances to forage.
I have seen them go 10 miles hobbled, and 20+ miles if un-hobbled, in one night.
You can spend all your time chasing horses. (The pioneers often used cattle
to
draw
their wagons as they traveled. Cattle will not wander so much when foraging,
and stay in a herd, whereas horses go off in all directions, but are better
and faster for hauling.) Since I had no feed to bring to horses, I could not
consider other than forage. Until I had enough land cleared for my food
and horses food, (Or fences up, and shelter is a higher priority) I would have
difficulty getting thru the winter. (Plus, particularly now, I didn’t
want visible trails from the road by packing in repeated loads.) Ah, the problems
one faces for having a variable plan.
I can hear the questions/arguments now. I do expect land prices (not
value) to drop dramatically as the world financial system collapses. (And government
and
law as we know it to fall apart completely.) Besides, there are few locations
with developed land that do not have roads. Where I tried my experiment, there
were no roads within five miles, and then only one poor secondary road/fire trail.
So far as I know, there were also no habitations within 20 miles or more or even
ATV trails either. So, while I am rather closer to a major population center
than I would like, I feel that it is unlikely that I will be found easily by
an inexperienced group capable of taking me (and those who accompany me) down.
In the time available I could not make a significant impact on the ecology, since
to build a largish fire to burn downed trees would have the fire rangers investigating
instantly. I do believe I have tested out my general plan, and found some problem
areas that need addressing. And that was the purpose of the exercise.
Warning: Do not try this at home. It requires lots of experience, particularly
in the bush, but in farming as well, and even then success is not guaranteed.
And it is so easy to fatally injure yourself, particularly if you are living
alone.
