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ALL-WAYS PREPARED |
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Welcome to Our Quarterly Newsletter We had a couple of goals in mind when we first came up with the idea of having this newsletter: The first is to provide you with information to not only keep you up to date with what we've been up to, but to also inform you of upcoming events. We host two rendezvous every year: WAR (Wilderness Adventurers Rendezvous) in the fall, and PEACE (People Enjoying Another "Campraderie" Experience) in the spring. Just scroll down to find all the details of both events. The second is to provide many helpful tips about a variety of outdoor-related topics. There will be an occasional field note which will highlight a particular plant or animal of interest; and we'll even toss in a recipe every now and then if we think it might be something you'd enjoy making for your next outdoor adventure! We hope you enjoy it!
A RECAP OF 2007 We headed out to Michigan in June to assist our friend, and special instructor here at the WLC, George Hedgepedge, with his first Basic Wilderness Survival Course at his newly opened outdoor school, Briarpatch Outdoors. We had a lot of fun and we wish George the best with his new endeavor. This was the second year we offered our hugely popular Wild Plant Intensive course. It doesn't surprise us though to know that so many people out there have such a deep interest in the many varied uses of plants. We even had a student return from last year! This course is definitely a keeper! Our reunion trip was loads of fun as usual. Several former students joined us on a week-long canoe/camping trip in the heart of the Adirondacks. And, as with all of our courses, we met many interesting people from all over the country who all share a common interest: to learn skills that will enable them to be better prepared when they venture outdoors. We even did a Basic Wilderness Survival course on an Indian reservation located just 30 miles from us. Aggie got an unexpected vacation from cooking for that one, as the landowner's daughter operates a restaurant and catered all the meals! And when we weren't busy with the school we found some time to get in some late fall canoeing and camping in the Adirondacks which is right in our backyard.
WINTER 2008 Thanks to some early snowstorms in December we received a fairly heavy blanket of snow. There are many outdoor activities you can partake in during this time of year. One of our favorites is to strap on the snowshoes and head for the woods. It's also a perfect opportunity to learn to identify animal tracks. Just grab a field guide (there are plenty of them ) and get out there. It takes a little bit of practice, especially if you find an old track that's been somewhat distorted. But it's a most enjoyable pastime; plus you get the added benefits of being outdoors and exercising as you trod through the deep snow.. You'd probably be surprised to know what critters have been passing through your backyard! We also love to go winter camping and are planning a couple of trips in the not so far future. This brings something to mind that many of us don't even think of planning for. Picture this scenario: you and your wife (or husband) are traveling out of state to meet some friends for a winter camping trip. Somewhere along the way you run into a major blizzard and your car goes off the road, down an embankment, and into a field. Neither of you are injured, but you don't dare leave the vehicle because of the blizzard conditions outside. You don't know how long the storm's going to last. What if you're trapped there for a day, or two, or more? Have you prepared a VEHICLE SURVIVAL KIT to help you get through a winter emergency such as this? Well, if you haven't then here's a list of the bare minimum items you should keep in your vehicle at all times when you travel during the winter. A lot more can be added as you see fit but please don't leave home without them. Windshield scraper & snow brush - Snow shovel - Booster Cables - Matches or Bic lighter - Flashlight with extra batteries - Tire Chains - Wool Blankets (2) Winter Coat - Mittens - Over Boots - Candles (6) & empty coffee can - Chocolate bars (4 lg) - First Aid kit - Chemical hand warmers (12) Another thing you may not think of when you camp during the cold weather is your caloric intake. When you're camping in the winter and you're busy setting up your tent and gear, and gathering and cutting firewood, you may not realize that your body expends a lot more calories then if you were performing these activities during the summer because your body also has to produce a lot of heat.. It's therefore very important that you eat foods that are more calorie dense then what you would eat in warmer weather. With that said, here's a recipe we recently found online. Aggie tweaked it a bit (and you can too) to suit our tastes. It's a perfect snack for winter camping because it's very high in calories. Because it's made with Nutella with the consistency of fudge, we call it Nudge. Just remember it is very addictive. To a jar and a half of Nutella (approximately 19 1/2 oz) add the following, stirring well after each addition (even though it will be pretty hard to stir by the time the last ingredients are added). 16 oz jar of raspberry jam 6 oz dried cherries 1-1/2 cups chopped cashews 12 oz bag of chocolate chips 1 cup quick cooking oats 2 cups flour (we combined spelt, oat, and pastry flours just to use them up) The flour is added last and you must add enough so you're able to eat it with your hands without it being too sticky. When everything is mixed well you can divide the nudge into 2 quart-sized Ziploc bags. Once in the bags you can flatten them out; then cut off pieces to eat while you're out on your cold weather camping trip. Following the above recipe exactly will give you a total of approximately 8,000 calories; so as you can see it'll pack a wallop of energy for you when you're engaged in a cold weather activity. It's a very flexible recipe too, which is something we love. You can substitute the cashews for another nut that you prefer. You can add butterscotch chips if you don't like chocolate chips. You can try out different flours. And if you substitute most of the flour for oats you may even end up having something similar to a no-bake cookie. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients as well.
************************************************************** P E A C eMay 24-26, 2008 We go to WAR every fall (Labor Day Weekend) so we 're having PEACE (People enjoying another campraderie experience) in the spring. (Memorial Day weekend). PEACE, like WAR is a free event, open to all. It’s about camping, survival, knives, the outdoors and meeting like minded folks for a really good time. This is a family friendly event, children and friendly dogs are welcome but you are responsible for their behavior. You are also responsible for your meals, water and garbage. What you bring in you bring out. Light drinking is permitted. We have 4 nice clean outhouses for your convenience but no showers. During the weekend we will have a variety of seminars on survival and the outdoors. An air rifle shoot, sling shot and primitive fire making competition is also planned. Saturday afternoon we will have a (trade blanket) swap meet. Bring anything you want to sell or trade that is outdoors related. Also new members will be inducted into our wilderness society. A potluck supper is planned for Sunday evening. Anyone desiring to arrive a day earlier is welcome but we might put you to work.We have plenty of space for tent or RV camping on the grounds but no RV hookups. Don’t forget your folding camp chairs. We also have 4 different fire pits for primitive cooking if you so desire. Each night we will have a huge campfire to end each evening. Somehow the campfire seems to be the most entertaining part of the event. WAR August 30 - 1 September, 2008 WAR 2007 was a huge success so we started planning for 2008. In case any of you haven't heard, WAR stands for Wilderness Adventurers Rendezvous. This will be our 3rd WAR. It is a time when good folks get together, learning new skills, brushing up on other skills, meeting new friends, camping, enjoying excellent food, relaxing, great bonfires at night and much more. And if this isn't enough, it's free plus at WAR we have free giveaways. Last year at WAR we gave away over $2000.00 dollars worth of prizes that were donated by some great folks. As always, anyone wishing to arrive a day early is welcome. Any questions, please feel free to call or e-mail us. Phone 518-497-3179 e-mail wlcwe@localnet.com Directions to camp grounds from Chateaugay, N.Y.
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