Tracking is one of humanity’s oldest survival skills, honed by necessity and refined by generations. Yet, in our modern age of convenience, the primal art of tracking often feels like a relic of the past. That was the premise of “Grayside Hunter,” a two-day urban tracking course taught by Freddy Osuna, founder of Greenside Training. As the only Native American-owned and operated tracking school, Greenside Training offers a perspective deeply rooted in tradition while addressing contemporary challenges. Here are some of the key lessons I took away from this transformative experience. A Modern Skill with Ancient Roots Day one began in a classroom setting, where Osuna laid the groundwork for understanding tracking. He reminded us that the ability to track is hardwired into human nature — our brains evolved to…
For most Americans, the security of the southern border is a subject to debate from afar. While the ripple effects of drug smuggling and human trafficking reach throughout our nation, reading news articles and studying statistics doesn’t yield the same perspective as witnessing the problem firsthand. Since his election in 2017, Sheriff Mark Lamb has been serving at the forefront of this complex situation. His jurisdiction — Pinal County, Arizona, which covers a large area between Tucson and Phoenix — is smack dab in the middle of one of America’s most active trafficking corridors, and the problem is only getting worse. In February of 2023, Lamb testified at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that human trafficking incidents in Pinal County had quadrupled during the previous two years, and that…
Turn on your go-to news source, talk to your neighbor, or simply look outside, and you’ll discover that the weather is always an important variable to prepare for. Extreme weather has seemingly become more common in recent years, and storms have become more intense. Over the past few years, the United States has experienced numerous powerful winter storms — for example, the February 2021 Texas freeze that left nearly 10 million people without power, and the December 2022 so-called “bomb cyclone” that affected about 60 percent of the U.S. population with heavy snow and unexpectedly cold temperatures. Places that typically don’t deal with frozen precipitation have found their inhabitants shoveling white powder off of sidewalks and out of driveways. As a result of these weather patterns, many Americans have realized…
“The final weapon is the brain, all else is supplemental.”– John Steinbeck President Biden famously said, “You don’t need an AR-15. It’s harder to aim. It’s harder to use. And, in fact, you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun.” He continued, “If there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here … put that double-barreled shotgun, just walk out on the balcony and fire two blasts outside the house.” Politics aside, we shouldn’t need to tell you this is bad advice — in any defensive shooting situation, you’ll need to account for every round you fire, so blindly slinging buckshot off the porch is a terrible idea. Furthermore, I’d argue that a 30-round capacity, semi-automatic, low-recoil carbine is in fact an excellent choice for…
Being a search-and-rescue volunteer can be as demanding (physically and mentally) as it is rewarding, but having quality equipment designed to help you out in that role can certainly make it easier. In the wilderness, it’s imperative that you have easy access to your most important tools and equipment across preparedness domains to reduce the chances that you become a casualty yourself while you’re helping others. A good chest rig excels in keeping your most critical gear in your workspace while keeping your hands free as needed. One very fine option, and my personal favorite is the Hill People Gear SAR Kit Bag, specifically the full-size version 2. The Bag The bag itself is constructed from 500d Cordura nylon, with an internal volume of 215.63 cubic inches. It is largely…
Anyone who has ever studied for a difficult test understands that memory devices such as sayings, rhymes, and abbreviations can be extremely helpful for remembering key information. Similar memory devices can help us be more prepared to recall important survival skills. S.T.O.P. (Stay Put, Think, Observe, and Plan) and the O.O.D.A. (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) loop are two very popular ways of framing your mindset in an emergency situation. The rule of 3s (3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food) is a popular way of recalling survival priorities. Other catchy number and letter memory devices have been introduced over the years to organize processes and groups of ideas with different levels of success. With fire starting, we know there’s a…
Take a moment to consider a few hypothetical survival scenarios: Scenario 1: It’s 6:10 a.m. The city you live in, which happens to be below sea level, is assailed by torrential rain and sustained winds of up to 140 mph. Sea surge of nearly 30 feet quickly overwhelms the levies, and entire neighborhoods are swallowed by water. Whether you moved to safety beforehand or decided to stay, it’ll take at least two more weeks before utilities are fully restored. Scenario 2: It’s 1:25 a.m. Awoken by the sudden absence of the electric hum that pervades everyday life, you look around the darkness confused. Temperatures have dropped over 40 degrees below normal for this time of year, and an overtaxed energy grid has forced rolling brownouts. Unpredictable winter weather is on…
GRAYL 24OZ GEOPRESS TI PURIFIER Weight: 20.1 ounces Cartridge Lifespan: 350 cycles (65 gallons / 250 liters) MSRP: $220 URL:grayl.com Dehydration kills. In 2004, a study of the National Hospital Discharge Survey discovered that, in the U.S. over 500,000 hospitalizations were a direct result of dehydration. Sadly, about 10,000 of those resulted in death. In third world countries, this statistic is far greater, with millions of people dying each year. Dig into these numbers a little bit, and you’ll find that often times, these injuries and deaths are not due to water being completely inaccessible. They’re correlated with waterborne diseases and other contaminants from lack of access to clean water. Even if you don’t live in sub-Saharan Africa, clean drinking water may not always be readily available, especially if you…
“The final weapon is the brain, all else is supplemental.”– John Steinbeck We recently had the opportunity to attend a unique training event put on by a new start-up in the training space. It’s called The Solution, and it comes to us from BRVO Tactical (pronounced “Bravo Tactical”). The founder is an activeduty Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, a job that the Army codes in its database as “18B” or “18 Bravo” hence the name. He’s passionate about making Americans better prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios, saying: “I’ve spent my whole career in Special Forces going over-seas and training foreign militaries so they can be better. I want to do the same for our own men and women here at home.” We believe that’s an admirable goal. First, let’s talk…
“All television is educational television. The question is, what is it teaching?”— Nicholas Johnson, former Commissioner of the FCC As America entered the 1960s and televisions became a common staple in most homes, the derisive term “idiot box” became a popular nickname for the household appliance. This term was a result of the perception that, rather than making us smarter and more informed, the TV was actually making us dumber. Is it true? Similar accusations have been levied against other forms of technology over the years, including the internet, radio, and even the printing press. In the end, we’d argue that the value of any one of these tools is simply a matter of how you use it. Instead of aimlessly channel-surfing or turning your brain into mush watching The…
