Couldn't figure out how I first came to find survival monkey. Then I saw a member that I was following in my profile. His name is (or was) Brad. I joined so I could keep up with his adventure. His only post as far as I know is titled '18 year old moves to alaskan wilderness'. I remember being very concerned about his chances for survival. Last post in his blog mentioned an accident with a chainsaw. As a kid I dreamed of living alone in the wilderness. I understand his mentality on that. But holy cow how kids have no clue on what it takes. I've always wondered if he made it out alive.
It is fun to watch the FlatLander Yahoos that come out here to bush Alaska every Spring, looking to have their Jack London experience... They usually build a Tarpaper Shack, just tight enough to keep the Rain off, and Heat with a few sticks of Downwd Firewood... and do fairly well, if they don’t make any REALLY STUPID Mistakes... A few, get Medivaced, during the summer, but most can stick it out until Halloween... A few make it till Thanksgiving, and every once in a while, one will actually make it thru their first Wintet... Those are the ones with some skills and moxy, the rest are just Yahoos, or just crazy...
You know BT, it ain't just Alaska. When I worked for a radio dealer in Spokane back in the late 70s, I would often go out to service report repeaters in the border county of WASH/ID/CAN.. Scattered in the woods I would see the remains of 'log cabins' - with most "logs" the thickness of your arm, where some back to the land type had tried to live. Now the FS really cracks down on these loons, but it seemed so sad and I often wondered what happened to the person associated with the stick house.....
I think if thrown into the bush I'd use vertical logs. I could probably stand up a much larger log than trying to make horizontal courses of them. Plus shrinkage settling would be less than horizontal walls I believe. But that's just me thinking out loud.
