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I've really been thinking about what is the ideal location/environment to survive a major SHTF (Grid down scenario)
I think the 2 ideal locations I came up with that have the least amount of negative scenarios (let's be real every choice creates different problems)
-a ranch/farm/homestead in the absolute middle of no where with no neighbors for miles, no town in your county and no city for 500 miles. This is the "go it alone" scenario where you just hope you can make it on your own and the world leaves you alone
-a small town in a good location full of good citizens with skills and resources. Think of black mountain NC in the one second after book. That is what I am envisioning here. Even though the majority of the town died, the ones with skills, supplies and luck did ok for the most part. Having a defensible town has advantages over just being a lone house in the country. You have additional resources and attempting to re-establish a functional society.
A more realistic approach.
It's funny, but the show walking dead, although laughable and corny at times does do a somewhat good job of showing rogues, bandits, lone wolves and attempts at community...along with the dangers and benefits of each. One thing it definitely shows is the dangers of wondering around...other people are more dangerous than the zombies.
I'd say the Amish are the best prepared at this point!
A few things to remember if you need to take to the woods. Don't annoy a skunk. Porcupines are not social creatures. Male deer are very short tempered during the mating season. Always step on top of a log; never step across it. There might be a snake on the other side. Snakes do not like to be stepped on.
Learn to identify poison ivy, oak and sumac. These plants can make you miserable.
A few things to remember if you need to take to the woods. Don't annoy a skunk. Porcupines are not social creatures. Male deer are very short tempered during the mating season. Always step on top of a log; never step across it. There might be a snake on the other side. Snakes do not like to be stepped on.
Learn to identify poison ivy, oak and sumac. These plants can make you miserable.
Assume anyone you meet is not friendly.
Good idea Sue, there are more dangers than jus humans in the woods.
Always walk with the wind in your face. You can smell bears, smoke, aftershaves and deodorant before you see the source.
Stay back away from streams or lakes when traveling. Lots of critters hunt the shores for food or come to drink. Don't want to trip over something unpleasant.
Travel off of trails. Animals and people both use trails. Be careful of warm sunny rocks, logs and slopes especially in the morning when snakes are trying to warm up.
If you plan on eating wild plants while traveling, be dang sure you can properly identify the plant, or leave it alone. Aside from poison, some will give you debilitating cramps or diarrhoea that can lead to dehydration.
Carry some unscented insect repellent wipes and use them. Bugs and mosquitoes kill more people every year than lions, tigers and bears combined.
Sleep at least 100 feet from where you cook and eat, at least 100 yards from water to avoid unwanted guests in the night.
A small fire with a reflector behind the fire and another behind the camper will warm better than a large fire in the open. Fire can be smelled a long way, the light can be seen over a mile at night so use sparingly, or do your cooking in daylight to minimize light detection, use very dry wood to minimize smoke or carry a small tablet stove to cook and heat water. You can carry a lot of trioxane fuel that has no real flame or smoke and burns even when wet without adding much weight or bulk.
More to think of in a survival or bug out situations than just a pleasant walk in the woods. Humans are the top hunters in the animal kingdom for a reason, they are very good at it so if you're trying to avoid them, you have to be better,
Thanks for all the replies folks! Sorry for slow response, was processing chickens and putting up a few months of meat in our freezer. Lots of stuff to digest.
I like the idea of a scooter/mountain bike as a backup and am going to look into that
We do visit my parents 1 to 2 times a year and they have all the supplies, 90% of the ammo. We only have enough supplies at our house to reach theirs.
As a farmer I can't just packup and visit every month though as I am tied to my livestock
We'll be debt-free in a few months and then will save up and buy a house near my parents
Bug-in is not practical in this location. I have a 2000 home subdivision behind me, and a 1500 home subdivision in front of me with yuppies, likely with minimal survival skills. I have gangs that shoot each other every day a 5 minute drive away, and that is with Rule of Law in place. We used to be rural, now we're getting closed in as the land is developed. Assume that we're "in" the city/suburbia.
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Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming
Two hundred miles in twenty days is the beyond the abilities of almost everyone.
I agree it would be difficult, but I'm likely amongst the few that it is within the capabilities of. I'm not tooting my own horn, but I've done 25 miles in a single day with a 35lb pack, and my 50-miler was deep in the steep mountains of SW Virginia. I'm an Eagle Scout among other things, so I've spent an outsized portion of my life on the trail, in the woods, etc. The problem would be my wife though in this situation, she has not spent any time in the woods.
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Originally Posted by ComeCloser
Start packing stuff around regularly, like you would on any backpacking trip. The family could do this for fun on weekends...Learn to carry the food you will need to survive until you hit your parents place and not more.
This is great advice. My father, brother, and I currently do backpacking trips as you mentioned where we plan and carry our food and get our water on-the-go.
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Originally Posted by ComeCloser
As for your parents house - you said there is only one way in/out. If you are betting your life on that fact, fine. Make a way out, even if you have to dig it with your bare hands. The one way in/out sounds good - over run and cornered? Not so much.
If we get overrun at my parent's house then I don't think an exit-plan would be needed, we'd be dead. There are several chokepoints on the ridgeline road that are 10-20ft wide with 200-350 ft shear drops on either side. If hostiles make it past the multiple fallback lines then they're likely so powerful we're toast anyway. Sun Tzu said men fight the best when there's no exit, hopefully I don't have to find out.
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Originally Posted by drinkthekoolaid
-a small town in a good location full of good citizens with skills and resources. Think of black mountain NC in the one second after book. That is what I am envisioning here.
Bingo! I've driven through Black Mountain dozens of time and that is the exact kind of town my parents live "near", but smaller (Pop. 150). Everyone grows their own gardens in Fall/Spring/Summer, many do canning, and most have livestock. The Churches in the area sometimes have Church-wide livestock processing days (chickens, hogs, etc) as a Church activity.
One other technique you may want to consider for your scenario depending on how well you know the areas along the way - would be to place caches of small vital supplies along the way slightly off the main routes in areas of cover. The Lewis And Clark Explorer method to travel lighter.
In regards to the nuclear issue, the southern hemisphere is safer simply based upon where most of the nuclear power plants are located and the predominant wind patterns. Of those listed below only 7 of the 450 are in Southern Hemisphere.
Nuclear is really scary. Other than developing some sort of deep-underground biosphere so mankind could attempt to wait out however long it might take (Chernobyl happened in 1986 and the area, although reclaimed by nature, is still not safely habitable by man) before it is 'safe' to emerge on the surface again - if ever.
I once worked in Radiology. I was told that it is true that we know how much radiation is harmful. It is not true that we know how little.
I happened to be on a journey when this thread ran, but I will add my two cents.
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Originally Posted by Backwoods Baptist
Thanks for all the replies folks! Sorry for slow response, was processing chickens and putting up a few months of meat in our freezer. Lots of stuff to digest.
Some of what is presented in this thread is useful, some is rather humorous.
Some is just mean spirited trashing of our forum.
I suspect you can tell the difference
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I like the idea of a scooter/mountain bike as a backup and am going to look into that
We do visit my parents 1 to 2 times a year and they have all the supplies, 90% of the ammo. We only have enough supplies at our house to reach theirs.
As a farmer I can't just packup and visit every month though as I am tied to my livestock
We'll be debt-free in a few months and then will save up and buy a house near my parents
Bug-in is not practical in this location. I have a 2000 home subdivision behind me, and a 1500 home subdivision in front of me with yuppies, likely with minimal survival skills. I have gangs that shoot each other every day a 5 minute drive away, and that is with Rule of Law in place. We used to be rural, now we're getting closed in as the land is developed. Assume that we're "in" the city/suburbia.
You seem to see things clearly.
My current analysis says that we will have at least a year, but that is just my analysis.
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I agree it would be difficult, but I'm likely amongst the few that it is within the capabilities of. I'm not tooting my own horn, but I've done 25 miles in a single day with a 35lb pack, and my 50-miler was deep in the steep mountains of SW Virginia. I'm an Eagle Scout among other things, so I've spent an outsized portion of my life on the trail, in the woods, etc. The problem would be my wife though in this situation, she has not spent any time in the woods.
A squad can only move as fast as its weakest member. You probably already know this, but watch her like a hawk. The tendency to "push on until injured" isn't just a male thing.
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This is great advice. My father, brother, and I currently do backpacking trips as you mentioned where we plan and carry our food and get our water on-the-go.
Someone suggested doing the route on foot, for practice. That might be overkill, but doing it on mountain bike would be a good idea. I used to do scouting on bicycle, and you can do a lot of route intel at 9 to 11 mph, which makes for an easy 4 day, three night, run. (As an Eagle Scout, you should know to set up camp two hours before dark) Of course, your specific situation makes such a dry run both, near impossible, and not very profitable.
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If we get overrun at my parent's house then I don't think an exit-plan would be needed, we'd be dead. There are several chokepoints on the ridgeline road that are 10-20ft wide with 200-350 ft shear drops on either side. If hostiles make it past the multiple fallback lines then they're likely so powerful we're toast anyway. Sun Tzu said men fight the best when there's no exit, hopefully I don't have to find out.
I wouldn't worry about it. That is a bridge to cross when you get there. (To the location.)
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Bingo! I've driven through Black Mountain dozens of time and that is the exact kind of town my parents live "near", but smaller (Pop. 150). Everyone grows their own gardens in Fall/Spring/Summer, many do canning, and most have livestock. The Churches in the area sometimes have Church-wide livestock processing days (chickens, hogs, etc) as a Church activity.
The author chose the location because that is where he grew up, so he could describe the area and people with a maximum of detail. "One Second After" was written as an attention getting exercise.
Get a couple of mountain bikes. Riding them can cut the time down substantially and you can ride one over about any trail you can walk at a much faster rate than walking.
Keep the objective in mind. If you must get to your parent's place as fast as possible because it is the safest place, find ways to get there as fast as possible. Get horses if you don't want bikes. Or get an ATV. Whatever you can get that will get you there faster than your feet. Get night vision to help ride at the darkest hours of the night.
No matter what you choose, the longer you're on the road the more vulnerable you will be. It's as simple as that.
This is nonsense. I'm tired of the debate over this. A 9mm in the hands of someone not afraid to shoot it, will always be better than the .45 that sits in the safe because it's too big for them.
You can come over to our place, sit downrange, we we will happily shoot you with your choice of 9mm or .45. I wouldn't want to get hit with either one. Just sayin'.
The debate of caliber of guns is as old as guns themselves. You say what you trust and I say what I trust.
What we don't say is why.
I've had real life experience with both and I trust my life ,and my family, with my Colt .45 1911.
I KNOW that a .45 will put an enemy down first shot from my time in S.E.Asia many years ago. When I shoot I shoot to kill......not wound.
The 9mm is only better than not having a gun.
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