Having read a myriad of survival books I have seen a number of corded binding techniques for improvised snowshoes that looped over the fore foot portion of a shoe and then looped behind the heel. This keeps the foot attached to the snowshoe but allows the heal to rise and fall with each step. This enables the snowshoe to stay relatively level with the surface of the snow being traversed. I used some paracord for my bindings but other cordage could be used as well.

I live in the foothills near the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. This year has been particularly cold but our area has had no snow so I went up to higher elevation in the mountains. The snow was not deep but it did allow me to get a feel of these improvised snowshoes. I found that the cordage loosened up a bit as I trekked and required some tightening. I know that there are different types of snow in various parts of the country and of course much deeper, but I have to think that these improvised snowshoes could make a difference in those conditions.

What are the chances and in what environment would finding skateboards occur? An urban environment would probably yield this type of resource. Most likely they would be used where cars can’t go or where there is no transportation. Who knows. I guess the point comes back to “what can you do with what you have in an emergency”. This was certainly a fun experiment with the materials that I had found.

My friend also share that her husband used to work in the forest service and had to use duct tape all the time to fix shoes or broken gear. He didn’t want to pack any extra weight so he put it on his water bottle. The most interesting time when the duct tape was needed was when he almost chopped his foot off with an axe. He had to walk 12 miles back to civilization to go to the hospital. He said he cut a long strip off his shirt and wrapped it around the cut in a pseudo tourniquet. Then he duct-taped around it to hold it on and offer a little more protection. That worked pretty well but he said he still bled through his bandage, sock, and shoe and left bloody footprints on the trail. She said “I’m sure God had his hand in that one so he is still here with us today.” “We would never go backpacking without it.”

I guess the important point is that they had duct tape WITH THEM on the trail. In a previous blog “Repackaging Duct Tape” I show ways to carry duct tape in a compact way. Their method of wrapping it around their water bottle keeps it ready at hand. Be prepared and find a method that works for you.

On previous exercises it was not uncommon to find literally a couple of hundred ticks and chigger bites on each soldiers body, mostly from the waist down. So, my friend and the members of his squad decided to follow the Gunnery Sergent’s advice and bought panty hose in a color they would affectionately call “desert brown”. Competing squads scoffed at them as they set out on maneuvers, knowing that his squad was wearing hosiery under their fatigues.

Miraculously, at the end of each day as they inspected their bodies for these prevalent pests, NONE were found from the waist down! This fine-mesh undergarment had blocked all ticks and chiggers! Not only did the hosiery prevent bites, it also reduced “hot spots” and blisters on their feet.

Many folks may chuckle at the thought of Marines out in the field wearing hosiery , but if you consider the motto “adapt and overcome”, this great “out of the box” thinking achieved superior results. So, you’ve got to ask yourself, on your next foray into tick and chigger infested country, are you man enough to wear panty hose?

– As a support: It stabilizes you as you ascend or descend. It also provides relief from weight on an injured foot or leg as you walk.

– As an extension: You can reach high for fruit or nuts in a tree or extend it out as an assist when helping someone up a hillside or river bank.

– As a weapon: A deterrent to both man and beast. It can be used either to poke or strike and in the cases of snakes, to pin down or re-direct if needed.

– As a compass: It can be used in the “shadow stick” method. On a sunny day post the stick upright in the ground and place a stone at the tip of the stick’s shadow every 15 minutes. The stones will line up in an West-to-East line.

– As an estimating tool: Used to reference the distance or height and transfer it to the adjoining ground so that it can be measured. See the article “Stick Method for Width and Height Estimation”

– As a scepter: for those who are endowed with a robust self image.

You may have seen these sticks on the trail or at events adorned with stickers, buttons, ribbons, carvings, wrist straps, compasses or whistles. There’s no limit on ways to customize them, but woe to the person who forgets it behind on the trail. As for me, a simple stick will do.