Outdoor Survival Skills

273 Pages·1997·21.644 MB·English

by  Larry Dean Olsen, Robert Redford

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SURVIVAL
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SIXTH EDITION
Larry Dean Olsen.
A Special Note from the Author
Interest in primitive skills has generated a sizable group of people who
want to sit around the campfire with each other. Opportunities to gather
are organized regularly in various parts of the world. Those who want to
make contact with me or participate in wilderness expeditions, gather-
ings, and research may reach me by fax, E-mail, or letter.
Sincerely,
Larry D. Olsen
P.O. Box 171
Buhl, ID 83316
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.anasazi.org/ldo
O U T D O OR
SURVIVASL
S K I L LS
SIXTH EDITION
LARRY DEAN OLSEN
CHICAGO
REVIEW
PREK
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Olsen, Larry Dean, 1939-
Outdoor survival skills / by Larry Dean Olsen—6th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55652-323-6
ISBN-10: 1-55652-323-8
I. Wilderness survival. 1. Title
GV200.5.047 1998
613.6'9—dc21 97-20442
CIP
©1997 by Larry Dean Olsen
All rights reserved
Sixth edition
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
First Chicago Review Press edition: 1990
Published 1967> 1969,1970,1973 byBrigham Young University Press, Provo, Utah
ISBN-13: 978-1-55652-323-6
ISBN-10: 1-55652-323-8
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7
To my ancient fathers, who lifted their voices of counsel in the
dust of my walkings and upon the breezes.
To all the Native American people, past and present, whose
history and culture stirred the curiosity of my youth and guided
my footsteps in the path I have walked. My esteem for the in-
digenous people of the Americas developed as I studied,
duplicated, and implemented the tools, skills, and ways of the
Ancient Ones.
Few people revere Mother Earth as do the Native Americans.
They endeavor to live in harmony with nature and the elements
of wind, rain, and fire. Their past sufferings, tears, and dreams
are written on the sandstone walls of time. Their future great-
ness is also written by the Creator on tablets of gold. Mother
Earth loves the Native Americans. She has provided them with
all the necessities of life. This book attests to that reality. It is to
these, the First Americans, that I dedicate, with love and re-
spect, this thirtieth-anniversary edition of Outdoor Survival Skills.
The author and his family, 1967.
Acknowledgments
My wife, Sherrel, has cooked my meals for many moons in caves and
under open skies; raised my children in freedom; and put up with
my wandership. L. Paul Newman, Jim L. Winder, and Robert L.
Burnham camped with me in the early days of my makings. Richard A.
Olsen and the late Albert Taylor taught me as a boy. Ezekiel Sanchez,
my friend and partner, cofounded with me the Anasazi Way, which has
produced a "change of heart" in the lives of thousands of young Walk-
ers. Patricia Slafter, Dave Holliday, David Wescott, Jim Riggs, Bart and
Robin Blankenship, Nikki Purcell, Janet Schurz, Fred Bohman, Suzanne
Herman, and a vast host of Trail Walkers have field-tested skills and
endured many miles of Stone-Age wanderings. The Anasazi Founda-
tion people live today with young people on the trail in the Anasazi
Way. Dan Smith, William Whitiker, Ural Lathan, Evard Gibby, Pauline
Sanchez, and Scott Pentzer have helped with and supplied pictures
and sketches. My many children have lived the primitive lifestyle as a
family and have taught me patience and how to love. To all of these and
to the more than twelve thousand young Walkers who have lived the
skills of this book, thanks.
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Contents
Foreword to the 1997 Edition xi
Foreword to the 1973 Edition xv
Prologue 1
1 The Badgerstone II
2 Shelter 19
3 Fire 49
4 Water 63
5 Plants 75
6 Animals 113
7 Special Skills 147
The Last Great Lesson 211
Colorplates of Useful Plants 213
Index 247
Picture Credits 254