Survival Chronicles of Jim – Chapter 9

I completed buying the medical items from my list I made during Neomi’s visit and completed emplacing the Survival Caches at my Safe Location. On my way up to the Family Cabin, I reviewed the primary route, with the exception of the detour to my Son’s college, and looked at several key points I was concerned about on the Alternate and Contingency route. My Emergency route, completing my PACE plan for my Urban Survival Bug Out Plan, as you will remember is moving over land on foot, navigating to the Safe Location and my Survival Caches.

On my way up the thought that I did not have a shovel hit me, so I deviated to a Wal-Mart and bought a D handled shovel and walking through the sporting goods area, I also picked up a pack of fish hooks and some mono-filament fishing line to drop into my Survival Caches near the Cabin. Reason being is that there is a stream running close to my family’s run down cabin which I do not know or not if there are fish in it, but, there is a small lake about 6 miles form the cabin – so better to be safe than sorry.

The land navigation practice went okay. I was able to plot a compass heading on a map and I walked about 1,600 meters (about a mile) to the little draw I plotted on my USGS map. I did not use the GPS, but I did see the need for a way to tell distance. I talked to the Survival Cadre about that and they said I could use a “pace count”, where I measured how many steps it took me to walk a measured 100 yards or 100 meters then use that count in the woods to keep track of distance.

On my way back I took stock of my Urban Survival Preparations and Skills to date:

Bought two guns, a shotgun and a pistol;

Prepared a Survival Bug Out Bag;

Prepared my Toyota RAV 3 with a second full up spare tire and camouflage system;

Bought two gas containers so when events and circumstances dictated, I would keep them filled up in my garage to ensure I had fuel for “Getting Out of Dodge”
Selected a Safe Location that is fairly remote and has access to water;

Emplaced a small Survival Cache near the Safe Location;

Became familiar with my firearms;

Learned alittle about Map Reading and Land Navigation;

Started looking at how I would defend my home in the early days of a collapse before I executed my Survival Bug Out Plan;

Brought a Friend (Neomi) into my Survival Planning and she is prepared with a Bug Out Bag, Survival firearms, a vehicle and a foot route to link up with me at my home if a collapsed came on sudden;

My next Survival Preparation Plans are:

Continue buying ammunition, albeit small amounts, each month;

Purchase a couple of cases of Mountain House Food from EarthWaveLiving and some #10 cans of dehydrated bulk food from Honeyville Grain;

Ensure I continue buying a little extra each grocery store run keeping bottled water in one gallon jugs, large bags of dog food and canned/dehydrated meals in my pantry;

Make plans and prepare more Survival Caches for emplacement at my Safe Location – I’m not doing to put a whole lot of stuff up there at first. I think I’ll concentrate on maybe 3 months worth then later a six month minimal supply for three adults,…that would be Me, Neomi and my Son. Be Safe, Stay Ready!