Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i American Outdoor Guide

Lately, I’ve been feeling as if we’re living in a low-budget, old-school superhero movie. It feels sort of like a Guardians of the Galaxy thing ... except without the great soundtrack. Stuff is flying at us from all directions, and villains we thought we’d handled come back with enhanced powers and a renewed desire to take us down. For many months, we’ve all seen great challenges and rolling disasters crawl across our radar and into our daily thoughts and lives. Topics of pressing concern seem to be waiting in line for their turn to burrow into our heads to get their chance at pushing us deeper into the pit of anxiety and distract us from the enjoyable and comfortable life we once had and want to return to. Many people…

“I USED THE DARIEN AS BOTH A CHOPPING TOOL AND FOR CUTTING THE NOTCHES AND TRIMMING THE ENDS THAT WOULD BE HAMMERED INTO THE HARD GROUND. . ” During the weeks of late March and early April 2020, I made a stop in Georgia while on the way to what was supposed to be a bushcraft class at the Randall’s Adventure & Training headquarters in Alabama. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the plan, and I ended up spending two weeks on camp- and skills-building in Georgia with the new offering from ESEE Knives—the Darien Machete. THE DARIEN MACHETE The latest and fourth model in ESEE’s Expat line of knives is the Darien Machete. This piece is made in Central America and is named after its southernmost tip—a no-man’s-land known as the…

Most, if not all, grocery stores were literally on the “front lines” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like healthcare workers and first responders, workers in food stores faced safety concerns every day while interacting with panicked, stressed and short-tempered customers. As a result, safety measures were put into place to protect the cashiers, food preparers, stockers and store management. Face coverings. From cotton masks to bandannas to surgical face coverings, store employees were required to wear nearly anything they had that would cover their faces and help stop the spread of the virus. In addition, customers were asked to adhere to a face mask protocol. To no one’s surprise, most customers participated—with no complaints or resistance. Social-distancing markers. Tape lines were put down on the floor to signify the space for…

Name: Wild Cherries (Prunus spp.) There are about 400 species of Prunus worldwide. Their common names generally include cherry, chokecherry, almond, apricot, plum and other fruits known as “stone fruits” because of their large seeds. Description These can be large bushes or trees. Some are evergreen, and some are deciduous (meaning that their leaves drop in the winter). Wild cherries can be found throughout North America and in diverse environments. One way to identify this plant is to crush the leaves, wait a few seconds and then smell them. They’ll have a distinct aroma of bitter almond extract—your clue that the leaf contains cyanide (hydrocyanic acid). These fruits are very much like cultivated cherries, except the color is darker red—almost maroon—and sometimes even darker. The flesh layer can be very…

To get in the spirit of the ESEE Expat Darien Machete, it’s important to understand the origin of its name. Unknown to most, the Darien Gap is a remote, roadless swath of jungle on the border between Panama and Colombia. Known as a drug-smuggling corridor between the two countries, it’s rarely seen by outsiders. The Darien Gap has an almost mythical quality to it; it’s a mysterious land full of exotic plants, rare wildlife, indigenous people and dangerous paramilitary groups. Largely untouched by the modern world, the Darien Gap is one of the least-visited places on the planet.…

With social distancing now the new normal in today’s pandemic world, along with some people’s fear of being inside a grocery store, many shoppers have chosen to buy from the comfort of their own homes via online ordering and home delivery services. Several similar services, such as Instacart, Fresh-Direct and Amazon Prime, have now been used by millions of people for stay-at-home buying. Grocery chains have also added/expanded home delivery service to meet customer needs. Not unlike services such as Lyft and Uber (many of whose workers have now switched to shopping services due to the drastic decline in vehicle travel), a person can become a shopper whenever they have the time—and an Internet connection. The amount of online and phone app buying skyrocketed during the lockdown. Many “regular” customers…

Training Day Perhaps it was the losing of his sight or maybe wanting to keep his knowledge from being lost, but either way, Peter seemed to enjoy me, his one student, to whom he could pass along all that he knew. There’d been others who had come to train but none lasted more than a few weeks. The harsh conditions were too much for all the others. Nearly exhausted, hands on my knees, I stopped to take in one deep breath, but the stench (from the local pig farm) was overpowering, driving me to my knees … . “Barton, why did you stop,” asked Peter. “Because I’m tired, and my legs ache!” By the two-year mark, I had lost 50 pounds and had been taken to the hospital twice for…

Renogy is a renewable energy company that prides itself on supplying the best solar products on the market today. Renogy offers solar products for homes, businesses, recreational vehicles, boating and virtually any application you can think of. The company began as a small project by students at Louisiana State University. With the help and support of the Louisiana Business and Technology Center, Renogy has grown into a healthy and flourishing company. It’s received numerous awards and recognition, including a spot in Inc. 5000's “top 500 fastest-growing private companies in 2016.” At its inception, Renogy sold a limited range of solar products through Amazon, eBay and a handful of suppliers. It quickly grew its product lines by creating innovative products to solve everyday problems. During the process, it was able to…

Considering all the potential threats to our health and way of life, being prepared for every type of disaster and emergency is virtually impossible. Face it: If there's a sizable meteorite out there with Earth’s name on it, all bets are off. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare yourself and your family for at least the most likely adverse situations you could face. To a great extent, your list will depend on where you live, because most disasters are the result of natural events. True, man-made catastrophes are not uncommon or without dangers, but the vast majority of lost life and property in the United States is caused by extreme weather. While natural threats are related to specific weather or seasons—both of which are predictable to a large degree—we…

“Sitting motionless on the hard-packed dirt, legs crossed, facing East. In those few moments before the sun actually emerges from the ocean he continued his complete breath routine. Inhaling for over a minute, holding for a minute more, followed by a painfully slow squeezing of air out through the mouth ... .” “The small fishing village had been awake for over an hour. Weather-hardened men folding thick black nets into heavy wooden boats before pushing out to sea. The men had long ago come to ignore the sitting figure, his hair grown long down his back and his beard, several years ago. He was a foot taller than many in the village. In his own home they might call him a 'hippie,' but here, they understood the warrior tradition—no metal…

Anthropologist Paul Campbell enjoyed experimenting with various trapping systems, as well as with the methods of eating the birds he’d catch. At one of our “Dirttime” event campouts, he demonstrated a preparation method that was utilized by many of the Southwestern tribes. He took a mockingbird that he’d captured in this trap and killed. He then put the entire bird into the coals of the fire, feathers and all, for as long as it took to singe off all the feathers. Next, Campbell placed the bird on a flat rock and began gently pounding the entire bird with a small hand stone he’d found nearby. He explained that bird bones were very porous and could be eaten and that all the internal organs would add nutrients to the small snack…