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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Harsh Environments



I was reading some posts on one of those survival forums. It doesn't matter which one. The subject came up about how everyone who lived in cold climates would die if the grid went down long enough. Well, that's obviously not true, as the grid has gone down in cold climates numerous times.

That doesn't mean people don't suffer and a few even die. People freeze to death. Winter cold is no joke. That being said, almost all people in cold climates have cold weather clothes. They also usually have some good blankets. Some even have excellent cold weather sleeping bags. Mayy have backup heat like woodstoves or propane heaters.

One commenter said that only people, like Eskimos, could survive without technology. Actually, the people of the frozen north developed a whole tool kit of technologies to survive the cold. Their clothes kept them warm. Igloos provided shelter, and they had a whole range of hunting technologies to harvest the native creatures. They even developed kayaks for transportation, hunting, and fishing.

Ancient peoples all over the world learned to live in harsh environments, everyplace from the frozen north, to the burning desserts, to the deepest darkest jungles. None of those technologies needed electric power, computers, modern materials, or plastics.

There's no reason that modern people cannot learn from their ancestors. We may not be as comfortable. Life might not be as as convenient, but we can survive.

Now I'm a big fan of off grid systems. Having electric power when the grid goes down is very nice indeed. Being able to pump water to the house sure beats carrying water in jugs. More important than electric power is my woodstove. It provides, heat, cooking, and even some light through the glass door on the firebox. If I had to choose between a woodstove and electricity, the woodstove would win every time.

When planing for a survival situation, don't neglect the simple tools and skills that kept our ancestors alive. High tech survival tools are great, but high tech devices need high tech parts and skills to keep going. Don't forget the simple things that have worked for hundreds or even thousands of years.

-Sixbears

14 comments:

  1. In my opinion the grid and technology allows a lot of lazy and ignorant people to survive. People use to have to work hard and have common sense.

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    1. I wonder if forced to adapt how many will be able to. On my good days I think most will find a way, but on my bad days . . .

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    2. Much will depend on what equipment they have on hand. Long term all tools most likely will be powered by hand. Then it will be a matter of too many folks fighting over usable fuel sources. One need have means of transport without gas powered vehicles, wood is heavy.
      For most, winter is not survivable north of the Florida/Georgia border post teotwawki....

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    3. Much will depend on what equipment they have on hand. Long term all tools most likely will be powered by hand. Then it will be a matter of too many folks fighting over usable fuel sources. One need have means of transport without gas powered vehicles, wood is heavy.
      For most, winter is not survivable north of the Florida/Georgia border post teotwawki....

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    4. I can sustainably harvest all the firewood I need, year after year, within walking distance of my house. Even so, it's a heck of a lot of work with hand tools. Actually did it one year.

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    5. For the individual over the short haul yes, but as time goes on is the question. Granted trees can be grown to replace harvested ones. Still involves transportation issues in the long haul.
      However the mass of the population will not overcome these things.

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    6. For the individual over the short haul yes, but as time goes on is the question. Granted trees can be grown to replace harvested ones. Still involves transportation issues in the long haul.
      However the mass of the population will not overcome these things.

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    7. Most people who burn have a year or two piled up -at least in my area. After that, it gets tricky. A cold place might be good if you can survive it, Nobody will be heading to snow country. More moose for me.

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  2. Good post Sixbears, yes, here's to simple living...

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  3. The question, I guess, is how many people will adapt quickly enough to save their lives. Many would perish in time. One thing's for sure, the folks living in mud huts will out-live the ones in inner-city apartment buildings.

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    1. Ah, there's the rub. Who will adapt fast enough? Mud hut folks might not even notice the collapse.

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  4. We have had no rain and SNOWPACK in the pacific northwest, just like in 1978 when we left colorful Colorado and moved out here where I am from my hubs from NYC Brooklyn..We will burn in hell come this spring which it feels like right now..No precipitation is making people crazy as bedbugs on a hot humid night. More arrests, murders and rapes, people out all hours of the night, not quiet or anything, people buying huge boom boxes from God knows where and jacking them up, people having to call the cops to tell them to put it off at 1 am in the morning, I can only imagine the summer and the fall..no thank you, we head to the shore and we are thinking of selling and moving to a place where there is a hospital and medical clinics and nice milder temps and not too hot, dry..but the problem is the cost of the house and water etc. one cannot have heaven on earth..I read an article about how people live longer in frigid climates, the Scandinavian countries have some of the longest living people so I guess one's body temperature adjusts over time..I don't think I could get used to 5 full months of frigid snowing weather though I just have to see the sun sometimes being born in san diego on one of the hottest may days they ever had after world war 11 so I guess my biorhythms are adjusted to heat. I loved colorful Colorado but longed for water and the sea where I worked they all used to laugh at me when I said I wanted to go to the shore they said the Gulf of Mexico I forgot I was living in a landlocked state with no water whatsoever, it is still that way, my hubs of 41 years adored it though and the past 36 plus years have made me re-think except we go to the beach so much now we have the best of both worlds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One cannot have heaven on earth but I think the sea calls to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. We are from the sea and we long to go back to the sea.

      I too try to have the best of both worlds -the mountains of home and the warm water of the Gulf.

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