American Survival Guide – October 2019

[ASGMAG.COM] AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE 51

‹GaryGonzales

trainsSchool

ofSelf-Reliance

studentsonhowto

masterthebowand

drillformakingfire.

‹Aboveandleft:

Usingamagnesium

firestarterisnot

difficult,butittakes

alittleexperienceto

becomeproficient

withit.

she found some sheltered spot to spend the

night, such as under a bridge, in a cave, or

under a bluff where there is some natural

protection from the elements.

DON’T JUDGE

I noted that part of the conversation from

my hiking class about this woman and her girls

included criticism that she could be so stupid

and foolish to run out of matches.

My ears really perked up and I stopped the

hike temporarily. I told them not to judge oth-

ers. Then I asked the person who was so harsh

with the Girl Scout leader to show me her fire

starter. She didn’t have one. I asked to see her

knife. OK, she had a little pen knife. I asked to

see her first aid kit. Nothing.

I asked her for her plan for spending the

night in the snow, if she should happen to get

stuck in the snow. She said, “Well, that’s not

fair. I didn’t come here expecting to spend the

night. I came just for the day.”

“Yes,” I told her, “correct. But stuff happens,

and if something happened to you today, you

could be in the same, if not worse, condition

as that woman. Anyway, do you really think

she expected it to snow?”

REPEAT: ALWAYS BE PREPARED

I wasn’t trying to defend the actions of the Girl

Scout leader, who presumably was simply vol-

unteering her time so that the girls would have a

learning experience. Still, the essence of survival

preparedness is that you’re preparing for the un-

expected. And truth be told, that’s an impossible

task, but there are ways to break it down so you

have some hope of coming out alive.

“I SCRAPED SOME

OF THE MAGNESIUM

BLOCK INTO SOME

SCRAP PAPER THAT

WE SHELTERED FROM

THE LIGHT SNOW,

THEN I SCRAPED THE

FERROCERIUM INSERT

SO THAT A SHOWER OF

SPARKS IGNITED THE

MAGNESIUM. PRESTO!

A BRIGHT FIRE.”