Camping out has changed considerably from the good old days of pine bough beds, bonfires and fresh-cut trail shelters. No longer is it ethical to shape the land to suit our whims. There are just too few wild places and too many of us. It's important to have high tech equipment, but what if you can't afford it? What if you become separated from your stove in a capsize? What if a large tear develops in your tent in canyon country or a remote northern river? Are you prepared? Are your skills honed? Cliff Jacobson, the world's most prolific camping and canoeing writer, has written this book to make the old timers proud. Make fire by flint and steel, and bow-drill. Construct a zippered fabric bag for your cooking utensils and pots. Modify pots and pans for trail use. Dehydrate food. Sharpen and work with edged tools. Mend broken zippers, grommets and straps. Make a stove out of a tin can. Fish to survive. Signal rescue personnel using heliograph, Morse code, and smoke. Forage for edible food.
BIOGRAPHY
CLIFF JACOBSON
Cliff Jacobson is one of North America's most respected outdoor writers and wilderness guides.
Each summer, for more than 30 years, Cliff organized and led canoe trips for the Science Museum of Minnesota into the wilds of northern Canada--paddling many rivers above the Arctic Circle. A retired environmental science teacher (34 years!), Cliff is strongly committed to the ethic of "leave no trace" camping.
Cliff's unique methods are proven by the sweat of pack and paddle and are reminiscent of the days when skills were more important than things. Cliff is a popular speaker; he has presented hundreds of seminars at stores, schools, colleges and Universities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
Cliff is the author of more than a dozen popular books on outdoor skills. His flagship book, Expedition Canoeing, 20th Anniversary Edition, has been called the most authoritative resource available for canoeing the bush rivers of northern Canada. Cliff developed and wrote the Orienteering/Map and Compass, and wilderness ethics materials for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His unique "Wilderness Meal" activity--which simulates a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area--is among the most popular environmental education activities of all time. It's detailed in his book, Boundary Waters Canoe Camping. Cliff was the chief consultant for the canoeing section in the recent edition of the Boy Scout Field Book (Boy Scouts of America). His popular "ninety minute Forgotten Skills" video (DVD) details the most important campcraft procedures.
Cliff Jacobson is a Distinguished Eagle Scout, a recipient of the American Canoe Association's prestigious Legends of Paddling Award and a member of the ACA Hall of Fame. His hobbies include canoeing and camping (of course!), precision rifle shooting (powder-cartridge and air guns) and driving his 14 year old little red roadster on curvy roads with the top down. He and his wife, Sue Harings, were married in 1992 on a canoe trip down the Hood River (Canada) north of the Arctic Circle. The fully story is in his book, Expedition Canoeing.
You can contact Cliff through his web-site, www.cliff-jacobson.com.
