Sabrina'a Primitive Survival Trip Reflection

 

As a culmination of all that we learned over the first week, our group went on an overnight in Sam Houston National Forest. Our overall goal was to implement what we had learned and to pursue our interests within this knowledge. I had three main goals for this trip: 

1. Make a livable shelter

2. Make a basket from scratch

3. Make a bow an arrow

I wanted to make a shelter because it was important to me that I be able to create a livable shelter and that I sleep in the woods at least one of the nights. To me, this meant I would be fully taking advantage of our time at SHNF. I began my shelter on day 1, working with Rachel, to create what I have hence dubbed “The Shack''. Our first course of action was to find a fairly clear and sheltered place to make our shack. Rachel discovered a rather large fallen pine tree that ended up serving as a sort of highway for our group. Just off this highway, we found a small clear area surrounded by trees that we decided would serve us well. To begin the building, Rachel built some scaffolding out of paracord so that she could tie our first tarp up high and to serve as our ceiling. Then, we created a post out of a fallen branch to tie rope to to serve as a wall support. At this point Rachel ventured off to make fire! I continued building the shack by staking down the tarp that would cover the ground. This was important because it insulated the shelter and kept out mud and moisture. Once this was done, I began to build the first wall. I zigzagged paracord across two trees and created a thatched wall by weaving sticks and palm fronds into it. When I had finished this I found that the roof needed to be higher as it was slightly concave, so I pulled the corners out tighter which fixed the problem. After all of this it was dinner time! We ate and I spent the night in the tent as my shelter wasn’t done. The next day, I began by starting and completing the second wall in the same fashion and then I layered branches and palm through the trees at the back of the shelter for the fourth wall.  I finished off the shelter with a tarp curtain to serve as a door and a bed of pine needles for insulation and comfort. Overall, this was a super fun project! I slept in it at night too and it was warmer and more comfortable than the tent, plus I could see the tree tops and hear the wildlife around me. I would have liked to get a quicker start to building but I couldn’t resist exploring beforehand. It also would have altered how the roof tarp was hung to make the construction less complicated. The shack was a success! And I thoroughly enjoyed my slumber in it. Here is a picture of the final product:

 

For my second project, I made a basket! I began with gathering bendable canes from some dried vines. Rose then showed me how to configure the canes and tie them together, weaving bark rope to make a central knot. I then continued weaving the bottom, eventually snapping one of the sticks to ensure even weaving. I discovered that it was easier to weave the sides when I tied together the top ends of the canes to form a birdcage shape. I continued weaving the sides and when done I decided to twist the remaining cane and tie them into a handle to make a traditional basket shape. I then wrapped where the handle was joined in more bark rope for comfort and longevity. I really enjoyed this experience! Making things with my hands like this is very therapeutic and although it took me a long time it was rather rewarding. I ended up using my basket to gather the pine needles for my shelter! Here is a picture of it:

 

Making this basket and my shelter, taught me how to improvise and use my creativity in a naturalist/survivalist setting. The basket, although something I’ve never done before, felt very intuitive and I learned how to utilize the materials I have to my advantage. As for my shelter, I ran into some issues with the fastening of the tarps, but these struggles taught me how to adjust my plans to fit my current situation. The shelter also took longer to make than originally planned, but I learned how to stick it out and enjoy the cozy results! Unfortunately, I only accomplished two of my goals. I was really hoping to make a Penobscot style bow as we learned about it in class. Having Penobscot heritage, this was a really exciting goal but I did run out of time for it. I aim to make one, utilizing the resources on my family’s ranch. Thus, while I didn’t complete it on our trip it is still a goal of mine for the summer!

 

This trip was very rewarding to me! I was able to achieve 2 of my goals and thoroughly enjoyed the smaller parts of camp life. One of my favorite activities was chopping wood as it led to campfires and was a great work out. I found the action very therapeutic as well. It showed me how much work camp life can be as it left me rather sore. Similarly, I enjoyed collecting water as it led to many fun discoveries! Finding water allowed me to survey the area and even led to me seeing a snake! (Another goal of mine). Overall, I would definitely do this course again as I learned so much and was given the opportunity to engage in activities I really enjoy but don’t get to partake in often. I feel like I have more of an environmental awareness and preparedness. The way the course was designed allowed for students to explore interests and test multiple methods for tasks which proved helpful in the field as well. I think our group could have benefited from a longer trip as I feel like we only scratched the surface. I also think everyone should sleep in the woods at least once because it was one of my favorite parts!! Overall, I really enjoyed this M-Term and 100% would recommend it!