Hi all,

I was at my parents house in Southern Ontario this past weekend and the visit brought back memories of my childhood.

I got to thinking about the activities I did as a kid and how it has directed my life as an adult. I grew up in a very outdoors oriented family and was frequently exposed to many family adventures.

I was and still am an avid reader of books (including the internet now) and realized that my first survival inspiration came from a favourite book I read when I was 10 years old. It was titled "Lost in the Barrens" (also called "Two Against the North") written by Farley Mowat. This is the story of 2 lost teenagers surviving through the winter in the artic, it was followed by other books in the series and movies (but I think the original book was the best).

My now teenage son also read this book when he was about 10 years old and enjoyed it, a bit surprising in today's fast paced society.

So my question is, "What was your first inspiration to become involved in survival or preparedness"?

MIKE

You know, I just don't remember. Possibly the "Irish Red/Big Red" books by Jim Kjelgaard I read as a kid, or maybe my old Boy Scout Handbook. At any rate, I was intersted in the outdoors, hunting, traping, mountain man, living off of the land thing from a very early age...

Robinson Crusoe, a childrens version. But I also remember reading Two Against The North. A great book!

Hachet by Brian Paulson a boy survives a plane crash in the canadian wilderness on his way to visit his dad and all he has is the clothes on his back and a small hachet given to him by his mom before the trip. There were other books after this one but I didnt learn that till recently so I had to go into barnes and nobles and get them.

My Side of the Mountain was my first inspiration at the tender age of 8. Great book about a boy who decides to live alone in the Catskill Mtns for a year. After that it was my BSA Field Book.

The first were Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson, read in the children's versions before I was 10, and re-read several times since. Then there was Alas, Babylon, which I read as a teenager. They are very different works, but they all helped form the opinion that survival is a matter of individual responsibility and preparation, and that most of the preparation is mental, in the acquisition of knowledge and skills and the judgment to use them appropriately.

About 10 years ago I read a book by Dick Francis called Longshot which got me seriously interested in assembling and organizing the basic tools and supplies to be prepared for various kinds of emergencies. Until then all I had was a toolbox in the garage, miscellaneous camping gear scattered throughout the house, and a drawer with (sometimes) a couple of flashlights and candles.

I was introduced to Louis L'amour when I was about 11. While not about survival perse they were about self sufficiant people. Then my dad gave me a copy of Alas Babylon (I still have it).

Hands down it was my dad. No question. From the time I can remember he took me fishing in the mountains. He made it very clear it only took a second for things to turn on you, and you gotta be able to take care of yourself.

When I was about 8 my neighbor gave me a copy of the Boys Scout handbook. At that age and time, that book was the ultimate.

And then there was My Side of the Mountain. What an awesome book. In fact, I went back and read it less than a year ago because I recently had a daughter of my own. Still a great read.

Wow. The memories this thread brought to the front. Very cool.

m

My first camping trip in 1992.Just me and a friend,in a Pontiac Fiero,two sleeping bags,one tent,one knife,one lantern,a radio a pretty much the clothes on our back. After two days we realized that we were totally unprepared for anything-then it downpoured that night,the whole night.No tarp,no ponchos-we did however have a package of pork roll(no grill)so we cooked on top of the propane lantern-it worked-but we had no bread of any kind.We hiked a lot,managed to make a fire before the rain came and still had fun-so I still go camping today.When you're young
you don't think ahead-my friends and I have learned since then and for me,I just started to apply the lessons(little by little) to daily life.
PS-we did have duck tape-which we used on the tent when it leaked.

When I was a kid in the early-50s (yeah, I'm old) the Nabisco Shredded Wheat "biscuits" were packaged with thin cardboard separators that had camping tips printed on them. Those got me started.

My interest really piqued in the mid-50s when my dad, who was a lifer (said with respect and admiration) Air Force pilot, attended the Air Force Survival School at Stead AFB, Nevada. Coolest thing I'd ever heard of!

Coincidentally, that same year, received Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island as Xmas gift. Five "POWs" during the Civil War escape in a hot air balloon, drift to – and land on – a deserted island. The story details their survival. To this day, that book enjoys a special spot in my bookcase.

Dan

"My Side of the Mountain" and Andre Norton's "Daybreak 2250 A.D."

I read both when I was about 8 and spent the rest of that summer running the fields and woods with a Daisy BB gun, a WWI bayonet (It had to have been 2ft long) and scabbard I commandeered from my uncle's garage, a pocket knife (a genuine "Barlow"), a big blanket-covered round canteen and a pocket full of "farmer" matches.

I read this book in 3rd grade. The question is, did I read the book because I was interested in survival, or am I interested in survival because I read the book? If you can find it, it's a great read for pre-teens (or the pre-teen at heart!).

I can't Precisely Pin mine Right Down! But I would say they include the Following!, -

)All those Many and Great!, Informational and Inspiring Survival Stories!, -in Reader's Digest! Over the years! (And this entails Far More than just their regular Feature "Drama in Real Life"!

A few years ago they've finally come out with a Great Compilation in Book Form! Good and Great! But for every one that they *do* include, -Perhaps 10 to 100 had to be Left Out!

Only Solution is to have Collected them yourself over the years / Access to someone who has / Lucky if a Local Library has them / Go Cull the Flea Markets and Secondhand Stores!

)My Cub and Boy Scouts Experience, -where at least you got to Really Thinking of such Things! Over and Above what you'd normally do otherwise!

TO BE CONTINUED ON A LATER DATE! LIBRARY TIME NOW RUNNING SHORT! MY ONLY NET ACCESS. Briefly they'll involve TV / Radio / News Events / Some Direct Experience of Danger or Shortages / and My Long and Always being a Very Outdoorsy Person myself!

Hi Folks,

The book titles you all have listed bring back fond memories.
I also read Big Red, My Side of the Mountain, Robinson Crusoe and was involved in Scouting for many years as a Scout and Leader, I still occasionally refer back to my old manuals.

Other books I just thought of that I read were "Old Yeller" and "Where the Red Fern Grows" real tear jerks if you are a dog lover.

Interesting thread, funny how many of us lived a similar past.

Mike

Thanks for reminding me about Andre Norton! In my early teens I read everything by her I could find. She often incorporates the theme of the hero or heroine who is in tune with his or her environment opposed to the hi-tech bad guys who are oblivious to the "natural" world around them and are ultimately unable to cope with it when the hi-tech stuff fails. The "Time Trader" series is especially good.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.



Read it in elementary school and I still want to go live in a tree.

Livin' in a tree for awhile would be pretty fun.