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   Spring is a special time at Kelly Road Camp. The Sound of bird songs and the smell of new growth abound.
     Green is everywhere and then the florescence of a Yellow or Pink Lady Slipper brightens your path.
  J.A.Buckner

The lady slipper is a rare Michigan plant , found at Kelly Road Camp

Animals:
     Animals have never posed a danger to any visitor of Kelly Road Camp. Still large wild animals should be respected.

     Pets such as dogs and cats are in danger from Bears, Wolves, Lions and coyotes so they should be kept in the close management of owners.

     Children should also be kept close to adults.

Survival:
     Many good books can be found on the subject of survival. I suggest everyone who spends time in the wilderness should read at least one of these fine books and then practice the basic skills.

   One should know how to build a simple shelter, start a fire, use a map and compass, able to find or make safe water and have the good sense to keep proper gear and tools at hand.

     I won’t teach survival skills because that is best left to the experts but I will tell a few of the simple things that have helped me along the way.

     I like to keep a decent knife ( a Carbon Steel Knife can be sharpened with a hard rock Stainless Steel can not, a compass, a small first-aid kit and a fire starter with me when I am venturing off into the field.

     I keep some large safety pins with my gear. They are used to pin my socks to my pant leg when hiking to stop falling socks that can cause blisters. In a pinch they could becomes a fish hook but I hope I will never need them for that. I carry some cloth bandages to be placed on possible rub places before a tender spot appears.

     I also keep a spool of upholstery thread and a few needles in my gear. They are used often for repairs and could become fishing gear in a pinch.

     Accident and injury are far more dangerous than bears and wolves. Great care and caution should be employed to avoid falls and cuts. A good rule is to walk with a walking stick and do everything with caution. A walking stick can help one to balance over a stream log bridge and can be used to make one look bigger to a bear or to ward of a curios wolf.

      Note that I am not a doctor and so am not legally authorized to give medical advice so one should seek a doctor's advice and help with medical things.

     First aid is a major concern. Stop the bleeding, clean and cover with a clean (sterile) dressing.
    A strip can be cut from a band-aide 1/6 wide to cross the wound and 1/4 inch wide both ends to become stick-on tabs can be used to pull a cut together. After pulling together a sterile gauze should to cover the wound until it is well healed. In the wilderness strictly as an emergency measure one can use the inside and untouched strip of a white paper towel. For serious injury a trip to the doctor is due at first chance.

   An old home method to stop bleeding is the use of brown paper bags. ( The thick kind) to be used for a compress or wrap. Brown paper bags are made for food and so are not made of recycled products (garbage) that may hold Hazardous things. The glue seems to help stop bleeding faster than a compress alone. The method is to only use only a bag that has never been opened and then to use only the inside against the wound (because the inside has never been touched).   The same goes for any and all wound dressings and bandages, the part that touches the wound should never be touched by anything not even a finger.
    Best to keep a wound clean and covered and dry until the scab falls off because infections can kill people.

     News papers should never ( never ) be used as a compress or a bandage because they can be made of recycled (garbage) paper. If nothing is available then cut up a pillowcase or sheet that is fresh, clean and dry to become a emergency bandage or wrap.

Wilderness good habits:
     Parking is a simple science. That means a little thought is required every time you place a vehicle in a place where it will left for a time without the ability to move.
- Never block a road, gate or block in another vehicle.
- Don’t pull in close to anything in case snow or rain causes the need for a rolling start.
- Park on an up-grade pointing down and out so it will be easier to start off.
- Never park close or directly behind another where your vehicle is likely to be run into.
- Turn around when you pull in so you are pointing to the exit direction.
- In a hunting season parking in a line of fire can be a poor choice.

Know the compass Declination (variation) for your area.
     True north, the one most pronounced on maps is not the same as magnetic north (the one shown by a compass pointer needle). On a tope map true north is marked with a two sided or normal arrow and the leters TN and magnetic north is marked with a one sided arrow and MN. Grid north is marked GN and is most often within 2 degees of True North so generally TN and GN should be thought as the same except for doing survey work.
    West of mid US a compass can easely be off from 2 to 15 degrees and in northwest Canada and Alaska even more. That amount can make one miss the destination to wonder off and become lost. Marking a map with bold red lines to show compass pointer direction is a great help and using clear tape to put a declination note on the back of your compass allows you to not forget. A west declination puts the compass pointer needle to the west or left of the north mark N and a east declination puts the pointer needle to the east or right of the north mark to the number of declination degrees. So in most location with the needle pointing to Magnetic North the N will not be in line and the E W and S will not be in relation with the compass needle.
To find you area's Magnetic Declinatio visit the site http://magnetic-declination.com/

Sky direction People who venture into the wildeness or even off the roads should know basic direction finding.
In the northern hemispher:
     -The sun comes up in the east and sets in the west.
    - Shadows point north at mid day.
    - Moss is on the north side of a tree only if its opposit side is exposed to the sun.
    - The Big dipper, Small Dipper and Orions Belt should be reconized sky landmarks(skymarks).
    - The front lip of the BIG Dipper's bowl points to the little dipper.
    - The end star of the Little Dipper's handle is the North Star.
    - The top of Orions bow and the line of his back point to the area of the Big and Little Dipper a distance accross the sky.
- The moon and stars travel from east to west.

Mark your map with a few help full notes.
      - Draw measure lines going both North - South and East - West to show distance in in feet and miles or kilometers and meters in a bold and clear fashion.
- Mark the direction of compass north-south and east-west with a red pen drawing long lines so there will be no doubt.
- Mark your map with a few bold lines to TN (True North) they will be an aid to orientate your map to how it and you are really positioned to compass direction and world features.. There are places where the compass is 15 degrees off and that much can get one very lost.

Close it up:
     With bed bugs infesting some hotels and motels and the chance of spiders and snakes in the forest the need to close your suitcase or duffel bag is very important.
   Most zippers and closures are quite sufficient to keep unwanted critters a safe distance from the journey home.
     I like to also keep a fresh bar of soap in my bag because the strong odor is a repellent to some of the undesirable pests.
    Closing the cabin door tight is done for the same reason to keep the critters out.

Help yourself:
     It is common for people to depend on a leader or a parent for the decision making and the bulk of the work. To be safe everyone should be taught and try to learn all the rules and all the jobs so in a difficult time all would not be lost for the sake of one.

Communication:
Avoid the use of pronouns in the wilderness.
“Get my thing, it’s over there” does not equate to “Get my ax it is under the wheelbarrow.”
Every body needs to know exactly what is going on, where thing are and the plan at all times.

Lost but not forgotten:
Lost Keys: Little could be worse that being thirty miles from the nearest phone and finding that your keys are lost or locked in the vehicle. Where I go fishing in Canada that mistake could cost my life. I advise having a vehicle key attached to the outside of the vehicle in a place that is both safe and accessible in an emergency. It could be a magnetic key box, a key taped to the undercarriage or hole drilled larger in the kew and under the screw and under your license plate. Using that key one time in the city would be worth one hundred dollars and in the wilderness it could be priceless.

     Keys are best kept on a key hanger near the entrance door. A holder can simply be a nail on the wall or a very nice decorative key rack. That way you will know exactly where they are and you won’t be searching through pockets and purses. A key hang nail at all places a key is used will avoid setting one down and then it being lost.

   The loss of expensive items such as cameras, binoculars and compass can often be avoided by simply attaching a return note that is secured to the object under a strip of scotch tape. The header can be “Please Return” or “Reward for Return.” I think the likelihood of return is very high and it only takes a few minuets to perform this simple task...

Looking back is a good habit to develop and practice so you may know what landmarks are on the return route. Before driving or walking away from an activity area a simple look around will save countless lost items.

     Garbage bags are the cause of many lost items. It is all too easy to toss all the garbage bags and some important items in the dumpster when one is tired, in a hurry or simply not paying attention. A better choice is to have a few canvas bags that are designated for carrying gear. Colored pillow cases are a great gear or dirty clothes bags as the don't get lost and can go in the washer.

    Camouflage might be necessary at war time but any other time it is the recipe to loosing important things. A spray of hunter orange paint on an ax or shovel handle and choosing easy to find gear can save dollars and perhaps save one’s life.

Lost or in need of help:
     Two arms up is the universal sign for help me. One true story is of a fisherman who hired a bush pilot to take him to his wilderness camp. At the end of season with winter comming the pilot who had not been ask to return went back to be sure the fisherman was OK. The fisherman raised one arm and yelled frantically begging for a ride back.
With only one arm raised the pilot thought the cry was hello. The man died.

      "Two arms up for “I need help.”   But never play a prank because a false help is liken to a false police report and in some places will get you a fine and few days in jail.
    The most accepted solution for being lost is: Stay in place if someone knows where you are. If you choose to move go in a straight line following compass, sun, landmarks or if nothing else the wind to a stream then follow the flow with you direction well marked with strip of clothing at the start and markers along the way.
      If you are lost a tough decision is to stay in place or go to seek a safer place. If you have left your route or destination with a friend or some one who may come looking you might decide to stay put. If you decide to move it is best to leave a note as to what you intend to do.
     “I am lost and going north. I have a compass.” That message will help searchers to begin a search in the right direction.
      If you have nothing for a note then leave a unneeded piece if clothing in a place easily seen and then mark your direction by breaking over saplings to point the way or by drawing an arrow with rocks. A search dog can sniff that scrap of cloth and then follow your trail.

   Children should be advised that if they are ever lost people will be calling their name and they should answer the call. It has happened that for the fear of talking to strangers children have remained lost for additional days.

   If you should volunteer to help in a search remember to look and listen most of the time. I have watched some searchers who spend much if not most time chating with each other when should be searching. A frightened and weak person or child may not have the strength to yell or to wave an arm.
    A note pad should be used by searchers to note anything and everything not completly normal with a location so notes can be aprased by search leaders to determine importance. Perhaps a pathway the does not have animal tracks leading away from the search route...Some rocks that seem to be at balance...A pocket item... some broken branches...

     Again one should read a survival book to find solutions to a problem situation.

For the children:
   Any organization that is responsible for children must constantly scrutinize rules and personnel. Children often govern their choices from the acts of super heroes in the movies and are subject to attempt acts that are extremely dangerous without one second thought.
   The question “How could you ever think that would be safe” is of little use after a child is injured. Better to always remember when they are doing something new or when they are trying to show off they often do not think.
   Personnel should not wish to or be allowed to be alone with children. Children’s safety is paramount and no chances should ever be taken with their safety.

   Children love to have a duty or task to perform. It makes them feel important and valuable. The task should be well within their capabilities and small errors are best not mentioned. Often the child will see the small errors and so can be proud of correcting it the second time the task is performed.

     In Europe a loved sport is Orienteering. This challenge is a race to find waypoints and then to return to the start position using map and compass. Children have a time to study the map and then they start off together or off a clock time if the size or ages of contestants makes that better. It is a run at top speed when the route seems sure and a stop to study when doubts arise or a waypoint seems missed.
     The more experienced will count measured steeps and veer off the straight to follow a road, a fence or the edge of a wood to quicken the way.
     Way point monitors can be stationed along the way to see that contestants do make all the marks.
     The monitors try to stay out of view as to not aid the quest.
     No, this sport is not just for children as adults love it too.
     For the best information on Orienteering the book Map and Compass by BJORN KJELLSTROM (I know all caps that is the way they write it in the book) first written in 1955 and sill available in a latest edition that includes GPS. This is a must read for anyone who would wish to master the wilderness. I have the 1955 edition and still use it often for reference. Care be taken to not let small children out of the protection of adults if hazards or dangerous animals are in the area of the game.

      A treasure hunt game is always loved by children. What better way to teach compass skills. A simple map can be drawn of a park grounds, a woodlot or even ones own yard.
     Treasures can be candies or numbers to be copied or words to make a sentence in order to win a prize. Small inexpensive compasses can be bought at.

     Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seeking children and adults Hide & Seek a Cache; Find a Benchmark; Trackables; Membership; Resources and more at geocaching.com.

     The Find Me Game is best first done in the winter with the ground covered with snow and with only two or three involved. The first ventures just out of sight and then tries to hide much like hide and seek.
     With tracks in the snow one must back step, walk along a log, climb a tree or do many new things to insure that they might disguise the trail.
   *In areas where dangerous animals or human predetors may lurk children should never be allowed to venture out of sight.

     Let's Draw.
     Children love to draw and in the woods and trails things to draw never ends.
     Keep paper and writing supplies and bring it out for an assignment like "Lets all try to draw that tree" or "lets draw a map of here" are fun and useful activities.

     Warning: Children often are not good with hot drinks. Scalding hot is not so bad for seasoned coffee drinkers but for children warm is hot enough.

Last update April 2013