Navigation by way of compass may seem daunting at first to a beginner, but this trepidation shouldn’t stand in the way of learning to use one. In fact, once you learn how to read a compass, it will be a valued friend in the back-country — one you can always count on to help guide [...]
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The hazards in nature keep us aware…
How do awareness skills increase my level of outdoor safety?
Imagine having the skills of a native scout. The most heightened of awareness and the most intimate knowledge of the land. This was needed for survival.
Though it’s very difficult for us in this modern world to attain the skills a scout had, we can certainly enrich our lives by learning techniques to help us become more fully present and aware. These skills are vital if one wants to have a deeper connection with nature, and a strong sense of safety outdoors.
In this section we will feature many awareness skills that can leader to great outdoor safety, some of which are covered deeply in the Kamana Naturalist Training Program.
Hazards in nature are important to cover here as well. The hazards in nature keep us aware and on our toes.
For some of you, the hazards to outdoor safety may be bears and cougars, for others it might be poison ivy or Lymes disease. Sensory awareness and knowledge of place go hand and hand. Even in our day and age, they are needed for survival.
Yellow Jacket Stings
Yellow Jacket Stings. These words are enough to make the average American recall memories of checkered tablecloths and picnics, swarmed by black and yellow bodies. Most people view yellowjackets as a pest. While they can be dangerous, they are also incredibly beneficial for your garden, and are a source of food for skunks, bears and [...]
Poisonous Plants Basics
Plants are amazing creatures that produce many great benefits for human consumption. We get most of our medicines from plants, our foods and even our beauty products. Still, there are poisonous plants among the wild edible plants that people need to be aware of when it comes to consuming them. To be responsible foragers we [...]
Hazards – Following Fears & Gaining Awareness
A deep need for humans is outdoor safety, the maintenance of life and limb. This is a powerful connecting force with the rest of life! From the sparrow fleeing the hawk, to the caterpillar hiding from the wasp, all creatures share a desire to avoid dangers or hazards. If you hook up electrodes to measure [...]
Insect Bites Treatment
Summertime means insect bites and stings. Ouch! Take a leaf from Susun S. Weed’s storehouse of natural remedies: Soothe, heal, and prevent bites with safe herbal remedies that grow right where you live, north or south, east or west, city or country. When it comes to insect bites treatment, many of the best natural remedies [...]
Bear Safety – Survive a Bear Attack
A commonly asked question about bear safety is “What do I do if I run into a bear and the bear attacks?” There is no easy answer. Like people, wild bears react differently to each situation, and so bear safety needs to be made a flexible effort, which first should include how to prevent bear [...]
Lost in the Woods
Hi. Elias Kolsun here. I just wanted to take a few minutes to talk about an experience that I had not too long ago when I was lost in the woods. It was a beautiful day; crisp and sunny, warm enough to melt the snow covered ground. I was at peace with myself and the [...]
Alone in the Wilderness – Learning to be Quiet
Stalking Wolf was very old, and he drifted into reveries that made him seem as if he might be senile when I first met him. But I realized later, when I had seen with amazement how keen his senses were, that he had simply gone inside of himself for a moment to check his perceptions [...]
Mosquito Bite Prevention
A couple years ago a reporter from a big city newspaper called me to get some information for an article on mosquito bite prevention. He also interviewed an academic bug expert, whose quote, “I wouldn’t go (Tamarack’s) route,” ended the reporter’s resulting article. Why are there such entrenched camps around how to relate with this [...]
Come To Your Senses
In a circle outdoors, look straight ahead and imagine that your eyeballs cannot move, like the owl’s eyes. Sitting absolutely still in its tree perch, the owl stares and sees 180 degrees in all directions. It puts its mind on “off” and just gazes. This patient expectant open gaze is the way to look at [...]
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