best survival locations?

Originally posted by bismarcksea
Colorado. Nuff said.

I second that... Colorado/Wyoming

EDIT: Weather should be of no concern. I grew up in Wyoming mountains, and have learned survival skills from an early age, as did almost everyone I know. It really never occurred to me that I may have to use them some day until the 'survivalist' threads started appearing.

Honestly, mountains would be your best bet for an all-around survival experience. You have natural caves, access to areas that are inaccessible by vehicle, abundant food supply year round, abundant shelter, you are above sea level in case of tsunami or large CO2 appearance... the only REAL dangers are fires, avalanches, predators, and if the atmosphere burns off you will at least be the first to go, lol. I could go on and on about the advantages. In the mountains, you can still grow some crops, as well. Get together with others you find and use a cave for cold storage. Don't use old mines, though... they can be highly toxic and the walls can be extremely unstable and prone to collapse, even with proper shoring. BTW, in the wintertime, snow should be your best friend... it can provide ample water supply AND very comfortable shelter. In the winter, you hunt animals, which provide food AND clothing. In the spring, summer, and fall you gather berries and start planting small amounts of crops.

I love my mountains!

[edit on 29-6-2008 by Earthscum]

reply to post by Earthscum
Anywhere in the Rockies would be good. But you have to be very careful what you eat in colorado or southern wyoming. There has been Elk found with CWD in those areas.

Idaho's my personal choice.


[edit on 29-6-2008 by Anuubis]

reply to post by Anuubis


Good point, indeed. You definitely have to keep an eye out and not hunt diseased animals. IN THE CASE OF SURVIVAL SITUATION, if you do happen to kill a diseased animal, and don't know it until too late, it's better to leave it for the predator/scavengers (wolves/coyotes) to eat. They can handle it, and if not, they won't eat it. Humans, on the other hand, aren't really meant to digest meat in the traditional sense, so we have to cook it. Juniper berries are a helpful aid in the process, btw. But even cooking diseased meat won't make it any better, though. Just have to know the signs of a healthy animal from a distance, if possible, and know what to look for after the kill.

On a side note, a person definitely has to know which berries are safe and which are poisonous, as well. I always have to double check deer berries... they have a buddy that grows nearby them that looks VERY similar in appearance, and the berries are poisonous. Other things like mountain raspberries and mountain strawberries, on the other hand, don't have any poisonous look-alikes that I'm aware of. Now I'm getting hungry, lol... those are the 3 best natural berries in the world, IMHO! No strawberry I've ever had is as good as the mountain ones we pick. Oh yeah... Mint leaves are nice, too... especially if you need to add a bit of natural flavoring to something bland.

In all honesty, I probably wouldn't be taking down any big game, and wouldn't advise it unless you are with a large enough group to consume it. Besides, deer are alot easier to find and kill, lol. I, personally, would much prefer fish (even catchable in the winter, although much riskier... but always taste better as long as it isn't from a stream down from a mine tailing), squirrels (little bastards always look tasty to me after they run off a deer during hunting season ), porcupine on small occasions, occasional beaver, and other various rodents. Rabbits as well, especially if you find a family of them during the summer... they don't scatter far from their birthing place... and the pelts are SUPER warm and soft.

I was just thinking... almost all my survival skills were learned from American Indian techniques, so basically if you find ANY areas that they survived in before we came in and took their land, you can survive as well. Just learn how to tan hides, cure meat, and make tools.

The ONLY thing I would need if dropped off in the mountains is a knife, and I have ALWAYS carried a good pocket knife with me. It is probably the single most important survival tool in anyone's kit. Sure, you could find some flint or even shale that will get you by, but you have to spend the extra time to get a sharp edge, and sometimes you don't have that luxury. I should post a thread on the importance of that, lol... and how to forge a makeshift knife from a chunk of metal if you are out long enough to ruin the one you have. There are scraps of metal all over the place, and on your way to the mountains (or survival spot) you can pick one up and throw it in your pocket. Just need water, a good hard rock for pounding, and some cold water to harden the finished blade.

EDIT: added bold above... don't poach or waste meat! If you hunt and capture a diseased animal, contact your local game and fish! Don't hunt for another animal and leave the dead one there!

[edit on 29-6-2008 by Earthscum]

reply to post by irongunner


True, it depends on the situation. I am thinking probably more of a complete disaster, where you have to fend for yourself and start over, that is it.

In all actuality, probably staying with the area you know is best, you know the plants(if you get out) and animals and the terrain.

But say your area isn't habitable, then where do you go?

Just a situation I have been pondering.


Thank you everyone for your input!!!

reply to post by Earthscum
There are no poisonous berries that look like blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries. And squirrel tastes really good.
But don't eat to much fish, it contains mercury. Trout has the lowest levels so you can safely eat it 2 or 3 times a week.

[edit on 30-6-2008 by Anuubis]

I have to take a more pragmatic approach to your question. The best place for YOU to survive is someplace that you have developed, stocked and can defend. It's really just that simple. All the things we've all pondered about safety from natural disaster should be included; then factor in the nuclear/terrorist action, which would remove city centers and shipping ports. Conglomerations of people are dangerous. Perhaps the worst danger. If you're really pondering a SitX, I suggest you scout around, find an area, develop it. Keep in mind that the cherry sites in the park are always popular. If you can find a way to scavenge your own water in an otherwise contemptable place, that's probably a good start. If said place also doesn't require you to prevent freezing to death part of the year, that's extra points....... on to the bonus round. Next to a military base? Nyet. Riverbank or lake? Too populated. If you can form a group of folks that think as you do, then your odds are increased.

Dang, am I taking this too seriously or what? Old habits

Best survival locations?

depends upon whose survival you are after. if you are after yours, then i have no advice as i don't think there will be any place to hide (hide, why? why? why? quit letting fear run you all off!)

if you are after the survival of mankind in general and all that is right and good........ best survival location? on your feet

Originally posted by argentus
If you can form a group of folks that think as you do, then your odds are increased.

Dang, am I taking this too seriously or what? Old habits

Don't try starting a thread about groups. No one will post replies and everyone is worried about the gov. arresting them. I tried to get that subject going about people finding others in there areas they could trust and planning sh*t out to increase their survivability. It's labeled "surviving the chaos" if you want to give your input.

reply to post by Anuubis


Ya know, I don't think I've ever seen a blackberry in the wild, lol.

Oh, about the fish... basically most mercury is found in ocean fish. High mountain stream fish are safest, for sure... and brookies (Brook Trout) are some of the tastiest fish, IMHO. One of those and a handful of berries will keep you good for about 2 days if things are tight. Also, forgot about this, wild rose hips can be made into a tea as well for a good source of Vitamin C.

That actually sounds like a good tea... couple crushed rose hips, some pine needles, a dandelion root, and a couple dandelion tops made into a tea. I would put that into a canteen and drink it over the course of a couple days (if I could keep from drinking it all, lol).

I was just thinking... I noticed whenever we go camping and I eat fresh caught fish, I don't eat NEARLY as much as I normally do. One brookie (generally only about 9" long with head and tail) makes a perfectly good lunch, and is quite satisfying. But, then again, they are pure fish and not GMO crap. Also, filtered mountain water is always more refreshing than anything else. Like I said, stay above mines. A lot of dangerous chemicals can be present down river from previous mining operations. Unfortunately alot of the snow that melts and makes the water also has chemicals in it from jets, dirt, and other things that the water in the clouds combined with. I suppose the 'villain' (gov, nwo, etc) could just do a flyby and poison anyone in the mountains in this way. I guess no place is truely safe if you are hiding from other humans.

Perhaps the President will let you camp out on his place.

fromtheleft.wordpress.com...

Or maybe Lubbock, Texas Nothing is ever allowed to change there.

[edit on 30-6-2008 by whaaa]

We need to break this down state by state, each part of this country needs to have a safe-haven...


I will be scouting some in California this week

reply to post by Earthscum
Blackberries are all over the place here in north idaho. You should always boil or filter water no matter where you are or where it came from. Our drinking water was contaminated with salmonella for two weeks because of a lot of snow and rapid melting and flooding where i live. About 15,000 people had to boil it or buy bottled.

reply to post by Anuubis


I agree... funny, neighbor over here in the good ole' gem state.


To The OP
The pacific northwest is best, methinks.. there is alot of no-mans land out here in these parts. Plenty of mountain ranges to flee to if needed, but if I had my choice though, I would choose to go closer to the an area that dosen't have such drastic temperature changes between night/day and summer/winter. Somewheres with precipitation and some green vegetation would be nice, but thats just me... not everyone's cup of tea.

I really don't like sagebrush that much,

T-

In the uk there is a national park called the peak district...lots of caves ,fresh water and sheep.

A small thin population, but still enough infrastructure to forage and steal from when everybody else is dead.

reply to post by telemetry
If it gets to cold here for people, they should stick to the mountains, but go further south. The foothills of Colorado offer great protection. Or go further down south.

During the Cold War the best place was Oregon, because there were no good nuclear bomb worthy targets and it isn't close downwind for fallout. Also I think being downwind of Yellowstone when it blows isn't a good idea.

I'm in New Zealand,
and this place is to small to hide anywhere, i think we are screwed.
unless i can find a boat, any ideas anyone.

reply to post by trekker
Move somewhere bigger. I don't know what the population is there, but when the oceans rise, it's going to be a lot smaller.

I just have to add another point. I agree that the most important tool is a good hunting knife. However, to keep body heat warm we need fire. And fire is highly visible. Are there any ways to keep fire invisible and to cover up the smoke?

The only thing I can think of is tins or metal barrels. You make a fire, invert a barrel over it and then cut holes in the side to allow air to enter. The smoke can then be channelled to another inverted barrel for storage. You can then use the top of the hot barrel to cook on and get heat from.

[edit on 4/7/2008 by Heronumber0]

reply to post by bismarcksea


Yes, I definitely agree with that. Colorado, especially if you have to make it out in wild would be an excellent place to be. Plenty of timber to create your own shelter, lots of caves that can be used for the same purpose. High in the mountains there is plenty of fresh drinking water. There are also plenty of wild fruits, such as strawberries, and wild vegetables, such as onions. If you know your way around wild mushrooms, there are plenty of them available as well. Not to mention plenty of fish and wild game. There are more large predators then some other parts of the country but in the end Colorado really is the best bet IMO, besides I love it out there. The only time of year I would find it difficult to survive would be winter. Keep a fire going, make clothes out of skins, and hunt rabbits, it would be all good. Just some food for thought. Peace out.