OK, we all miss OBG, may he rest in peace. But this thread is actually about people who are still among us and keep this forum alive, but may have taken a few days off to deal with life demands.

The thread is for forum members who contributed some fine thoughts and info, and who have not been seen around for a while.

I'll start

backpackjack.... we miss reading your posts

Your thoughtful contributions are always appreciated and we wish to see more of them very soon.

Ah! Thanks Chisel. I'm still here, just wrestling with life a little bit. I miss y'all too!!

If anyone has heard from Benjammin please tell him to come home!
-Blast

A poster I miss is TG Ayers.....

+1

I don't think I've seen Wildman800 in a while.

Polak187 always had good insights and stories. Maybe he moved permanently to Nepal?

[quote=ArneyI don't think I've seen Wildman800 in a while.

[/quote]
Wildman800 is doing well. He and I talk, text, and PM each other several times a week. I didn't realize he hasn't posted here much lately.
-Blast

Who was that Canadian about 2 years ago that came on, then deployed, and never came back? he had some really good insight in those few months ...

I emailed Benjammin, but it bounced back.

Maybe he decided to go with my suggestion on the pirate-baiting cruises!

Stu from upstate NY hasn't been around in a long time, but he does have his own site now.

Sue

It's hunting season,presently, so I would make the proper guess that Benjammin is Guide/outfitter/hunting/smoking meat/Eating real good,etc. I hope!How about Art in FL?

Also someone from the Great white north,Scafool,hasn't left any tracks in the snow recently!

+1

There was a guy called (Raspy).
He wrote a number of great essays about homelessness .. etc.

I hope he is OK and can continue writing.

Benjamin, SgtMike and Schwert.

I seem to recall the Canadian that you are referring to went by the name "Taurus". I've wondered about him too.

LW

I haven't seen Sybert on in awhile.

Last time I talked with him he had just rotated back to the sandbox. He had been a regular commentor on my blog then...nothing.
-Blast

I am still around but lurking more because I'm on a run that turns around in 4 hours time instead of 1-10 days. Slack time has been in short supply for a long time now. Even getting resupplied regularly is a problem with this run. We ran out of potable water yesterday morning but resupplied late last night.

I did post an AAR from my last backpacking/camping (7 miles in) trip and will be doing a 3 day 20 mile backpacking/camping trip in February. The last trip had a felloe who wanted to go and then he backed out when he found out a retarded, I mean, RETIRED Military Type was coming. I'll see if he backs out of this next trip also.

During my time off in March, I and my wife will be heading to Missouri to visit an old shipmate and have one last 3 day drunken visit together, if his health is still up to 1 last blow out, before he will be crossing over the bar, probably later this year.

I am still keeping track of all things that I can and trying to spot trends, which haven't been very positive looking.

It's getting time to have another "meeting of the minds" soon Blast and ClarkTx!!!

Big Ben has relocated and has been running hard mixed in with some comms problems as well associated with his new location. Stu has been on the road making some visits, keeping promises. He's not been entirely well as of late either, but he's hanging in there!!!

Thanks for the update, wildman. Wow, that's a drastic speeding up of operations. Sound very busy these days. Stay safe!

Probably running silent and deep ... for very excellent reasons.

It is good to hear from you.

Be Safe-

Pete

Susan has been missing also. Enjoyed her posts.

Hopefully if he's silent and deep he IS running, and not, well, you know, stationary

Good memory on the name.

A quick look at the user lists states Art in FL logged in only a few days ago yet this last post was months ago apparently.

+1

the guy who does the Zippy comic has one on now about how the web and it's gizmos,tweets and such,has resulted in a big loss of "face time".i do see here and other sites more concern over missing friends,as in posters who you have never had any face time with,than many people have in "real life"..

I agree. Please notice that "e-people" are ones we have chosen to spend time with because of similar interests ..etc. In my area, there are NO preppers, backpackers or any of the types I like to spend a few minutes with.

In my area, there are folks who would spend endless times about latest i-something ( as in iPad, iPhone .. etc.) in which I have very little interest. So, the rest is to be expected. Search for like-minded people on-line. And therefore, it is to be expected that we miss these more than "real-life" folks who happen to be geographically so near, yet mentally so far from us.

Chisel,The Bedouins or relatives of them,are the people in your area that have these interests,or even lifestyle!The problem is they probably don't have too many computers available,therefore communication with them is probably nill,unless you make contact with them,while you are out camping or 4-wheeling the dunes.It couldn't hurt to open up a little,while you are out & about,possibly try talking with the people with the 4-wheelers/Rock-crawlers/Dune buggies,etc.

Art_in_FL was just logged in here about an hour ago,for about a 1/2 hr or so!I've seen his handle quite a few times lately.I'm thinking he's on a Sabbatical or layed up with health issues or maybe one of his relatives got access to his stuff?

Well, it is not like that

First , I am not a "bedouin" myself (my ancestors are farmers and villagers). We mix with decendants of desert folks but have a different culture. For example, they love to camp in the desert , we love to camp in green areas or beach areas.

The bedouins have seen lifestyle transforamtion that lost most of their identity IMHO. I doubt that the "bedouin" company president who drives a 4x4 Lexus or Escalade can tell the difference between edible and non-edible plant in the desert. Incidents of death or being lost in the desert are proof that many of them today are only "bedouin" by ancestry, not by practice.

In addition, I have only a little interest in desert survival, just in case a car breakdown while travelling on the highway. That scenario won't make me eat lizards or drink camel urine. LOL. A few gallons of water and a blanket is almost all I need.

Also, while camping and backpacking are very good supporting hobbies to the prepper community in your area of the world, backpacking is almost unheard of around me (well, almost unheard of), and camping here means you take with you the satellite dish and the kitchen sink. So, campers hardly have anything to offer to the prepper community.

Although I live in a city by necessity (work, family) but I love simpler village-like life, I will be buying a few books like (Back to Basics) and other such books which seem to have great reviews. These books and a bit of practice ought to provide me the right set of skills I need.

I am already doing what Cody Lundin is doing to his legs , but on the hotter side. Have been sleeping in non-air conditioned room of my house and been loving it.

Wow guys....Really didn't think anyone paid that much attention to my lunacy to remember me.

I stopped posting but have always remained an avid reader on this forum. always. Had to really dig to even remember my old login. I have been lurking in the background enjoying the place silently. I have felt the sadness of OBG's passing, laughed at Susan's sarcasm and found myself saying "holy S*** Blast is a mod on here now" the same as most of you.

Not sure why I stopped posting. A combo of work keeping me away from home constantly and a feeling that it's sometimes better to listen than speak so to say. I have meant to post from time to time but figured the forum was moving along fine without my 2 cents. Really just figured I had nothing inportant to add.

Just so you know Blast, I still read your blog here and there when I can. My wife and I actually talked about retiring in Texas someday. (tired of @#$!*&# snow) If so I will be the first in line to take the wild edibles training if you still teach it. Believe it or not I have been back to the sandbox yet again since last we spoke and just returned home in December. (Task force 1-11) I am really getting to old for this.

It was a really odd feeling to read this thread today. With as many people who have come and gone I didn't expect anyone to wonder about what happened to this cat.

This forum truly is a different place. You guys are an awesome crew.