1- I carry an Emery Board in my shaving kit when I go camping. These can take care of cracked toe or fingernails, calluses, and can even be a backup match striker.
2- Many companies have intern programs. Some pay, some do not. Some schools give class credit for internships. (I just found out that NASA has internships.)
3- Duct tape is wonderful stuff. Get the very best when you buy a roll. One of the smartest storage applications that I have seen is to store your duct tape around your water bottle. Another smart tip is for a patrol to share a whole (small) roll. Remember to keep it cool when not on a camping trip. That will keep the glue from becoming gooey.
4- Extra rope is smart to carry. I like to carry a handful or two of 550 / parachute cord in a ziplock baggie. A fellow scout buddy of mine keeps several sandwich baggies with different lengths of 550 cord. He keeps the cord segregated by length. I just cut my to size as needed. Choose what works best for you.
5- Learn how to harden a stick point in the fire without burning it. Keep trying till you find out what works best for you.
6- Practice weaving 3 (or more) vines together to make a stronger “rope.” The more tools you can make in the woods, the less you have to carry. And then all you need is your brain to make the tools. Make a fish trap or a basket using the same talent.
7- Making a knife-edge from a rock is another neat trick. Technically it is called “bipolar Percussion.” It takes 3 rocks. The largest one is your anvil. The next size down is your hammer. And the last one is your blade in the making. Stand your blade on end against the anvil rock. Chip away with your hammer till your knife edge appears. Watch out for flying chips. Protect your eyes and everything/everyone else. Making a blade this way and you will need an axe yard that has cordon off the area that you are working in. If chips fly outside of your perimeter; then enlarge the axe yard. BE SAFE!
8- You need GOOD EMT scissors for this to work. Look up “Sam Splint” and add one to your first aid kit. You do not need the combo pack. Get the biggest one you can find. The cost is from about 16$ each and down on Amazon. The Sam Splint is closed cell foam surrounding a thin sheet of aluminum. You can cut Sam Splint with EMT scissors. And from there you can make any size & shape splint you need. NOTE: When you cut a Sam Splint – the edge of the aluminum will be sharp. Protect everyone by wrapping tape around the sharp edges. And do not forget the triangular bandages for your kit.
In case you are interested, Dr. Sam Scheinberg invented the Sam Splint while he was a trauma surgeon in the Vietnam War. Rumor has it that he was playing around with a chewing gum wrapper and came up with the idea. BUT when the Sam Splint is on the International Space Station, it is called S.A.M. Splint. S.A.M then stands for “Space Aviation Medicine.”
U- Where can you go that is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop?
V- A bowling alley.
Semper Paratus,
Gaither
W- What do you call a person that was born in China? Grew up in Russia. Traveled to Canada.
And she died in Florida?
X- Dead.