Thanksgiving Survival Lessons from The Pilgrims

Thanksgiving will soon be upon us, fellow preppers. In our politically correct society, this honored tradition of sitting down to a massive family meal and giving thanks for all of our many blessings, will surely bring about controversy again this year.

The liberal talking heads on television will be bickering about Christopher Columbus, the pilgrims, and Native Americans as the aroma of pumpkin pie wafts through living rooms across America.

Instead of wading into that argument, we should be taking a deeper look at the many survival lessons we can learn from what led up to that first Thanksgiving dinner in the land that would become the United States of America.

There is far more to know about the events that paved the way for the breaking of bread between the pilgrims and the Native Americans than the textbook lesson you read in elementary school.

Thoughts to Ponder

Who exactly were the pilgrims? Well, by and large they were city people. OK, they weren’t from cities as we think of them today, but the pilgrims were “townies”.

Darn few of those folks lived off the beaten path. Little to nothing in their lives had prepared them for the world they were about to find themselves in.

By easy comparison, the pilgrims are a superb representation of the unprepared. I may take a lot of heat from this next statement, and that’s alright – it just might provoke some soul-searching and saves lives.

The pilgrims, in my opinion, represent the unprepared less than they do most urban and suburban preppers. I say (arlight, type) this not to disrespect our metropolitan and city outskirts prepping peers, but to urge them draw brutally honest comparisons between themselves and the pilgrims – before it is too late.

The pilgrims were of tough stock. They were able to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an austere ship and survived both disease and crushing winter weather. Well, some of them did. Of the brave souls on the Mayflower, only about half, 102 people, made it through that first wicked winter in the new world.

Those pilgrims, like urban and suburban preppers, had the right mindset, had loaded up with as many supplies as they could, and truly believed they understood what life would be like when living outside of a civilized society.

The rigors they would have to endure and the skills that they would need to draw upon to not just survive but thrive, quite simply were just not there.

If your first experience “roughing it” in the woods where your food, water, shelter, and protection relied solely upon your knowledge and action happens during a real life or death experience there is no way to know what you don’t know… except in theory.

Folks who grow up in a rural area probably have a better survival skillset than 95% of urban and suburban preppers, even though they would never think to put such a label on themselves.

If you grow up learning how to hunt, fish, trap, track, grow your own food, butcher your own food, raise livestock, build things with your own two hands, and know that you will have to be your own first responder in case of a home invasion, fire, or medical emergency.

Because you live so far from professional local heroes – you develop a prepper mindset and skill set out of necessity.

The stockpiling and skill building urban and suburban preppers are engaged in will surely help them during a long-term disaster, and should be applauded.

But, the scant natural resources that will be available in such areas, dangers posed by high population density alone would require them to find their own Squanto to be able to survive long-term.

Please don’t consider “bugging out to the country” as a survival plan. Unless you have a destination to reach that you own or family, friends that are going to welcome you in, you won’t get in.

Country folks, card-carrying preppers or not, will be armed and standing on the county line – banded together, to prevent both strangers and marauding hordes from getting in.

If you choose to remain in an urban area, you will ultimately become as trapped and vulnerable as the Mayflower passengers were once they landed in a desolate area.

Survival Lessons We Can Learn From the Pilgrims

While these lessons should prove most eye-opening for urban and suburban preppers, rural preppers may also have something to learn from the mistakes of those that came before us.

1. Resource Sharing

Unless your prepping tribe is large and includes skilled experts that can supply all the goods and services you will possibly ever need, cultivate relationships with those around you who can.

If you live in a rural area, opportunities should abound. Find out and solidify mutually beneficial relationships just like the surviving pilgrims did with Squanto’s help.

2. Bartering

When stockpiling gear, supplies, and even firewood, keep bartering in mind. Maybe you will not want to barter during the early stages of a SHTF event, but in the case of a long-term disaster, the time may come when you need to.

Even if your budget has allowed you to put back everything you need for an extended amount of time, a societal rebuilding phase, in one shape or form, will ultimately be initiated.

Set yourself up with a post-apocalypse career by stockpiling materials and skills that will prove useful when America starts to come back.

3. Multipurpose Supplies

We are survival homesteaders, that is basically the same thing as a prepper, but our self-reliance efforts are based upon the natural resources on our land. Homesteaders, whether they are focused on survival or not, learn how to repurpose and reuse anything at their disposal to get by.

The pilgrims learned this lesson after arriving in the new world. Some historians have written that the brave souls initially planned on sailing two ships to America, but, due to a problem with one of the ships, all of the pilgrims and gear had to be condensed upon a single ship, instead.

This was essentially an act of bugging out with only half of your supplies. When a beam needed repair on the Mayflower, the pilgrims got creative and used a printing press that had been packed, to sturdy the support.

Why the pilgrims chose to allow a printing press to take up space and deemed it an essential item, this once again goes back to the uninformed mindset and lack of situational awareness these towns people had when embarking on their journey.

They did learn as they went along though. Although more thought should have been put into shelter BEFORE boarding the Mayflower, the pilgrims learned to cut wood from nearby trees to make simple homes, and some folks lived about the docked boat to protect themselves from the elements.

4. Food and Foraging

Numerous pilgrims died that first year due to poor nutrition. The types of plants grown in little gardens in town before the pilgrimmage were not enough to fulfill the dietary needs of the Mayflower passengers.

Thanks to the relationships cultivated through Squanto, the pilgrims learned to grow nutrient-rich crops like corn, how to forage for nuts and berries, as well as which wild plants could be safely eaten and used for medicine.

How often do you forage? Being able to tell a safe to eat mushroom from a deadly one in a highly detailed color photo in a book is a far cry from differentiating between the two in the wild.

Be a Wise Pilgrim

Urban and suburban preppers can learn from the mistakes of the pilgrims, and we rural preppers should extend a welcoming and helping hand, just like Squanta and members of his tribe did.

Many times I have heard city and suburban preppers say they have to stay where they are because of work or medical issues. While dealing with a chronic or serious medical issue that requires you to live near a hospital or specialist is a massive and worrisome hurdle to deal with when considering relocating to a rural area, it can be done.

Folks out here develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. and garner expert medical care, we just have to drive further to achieve those same goals.

As for work, that is a shorter hurdle to overcome. I literally live in the middle of the woods and have quality satellite Internet service that allows me to earn a good living without having to leave our survival homestead.

We have city folks purchase property in our region all the time for hunting, vacation, and retirement homes.

There are two things they always say:

  1. I wish I could live here.
  2. Wow, I can’t believe how low the cost of living here is.

Even if you cannot afford to buy land, you could buy or rent a house in one of the villages (that is what small towns are classified as in Ohio), and be far safer and have a greater opportunity to hone those survival skills than you would surrounded by concrete.

Two prominent prepper pals from another state lived in Orlando, Florida, working high powered and lucrative jobs before they dove head first into prepping… for real.

They sold their home and purchased five acres of land outright in Tennessee. They launched new careers from working from home that led to them becoming not only equally successful, but prepared for whatever may come.

This is just one of many similar success stories. Do not let the career choice change be the deciding factor in where you choose to live. Look at a possible career change or adaptation, possibly into small business ownership, as an adventure that will help increase your family’s chances of being survivors and not statistics, during a SHTF event.

The first pilgrims came to America seeking freedom and a new way of life, but they were too woefully undersupplied and skill poor to pull it off alone. Don’t be like those pilgrims.

Position yourself so you can become like the survivors that thrived at Plymouth Rock, and then return the favor those just starting our folks fearful of chucking it all and moving to the country.

As my friend and prepping mentor Survivor Jane says, “We’re all in this together,” that’s one final lesson we can learn from the Thanksgiving story.

thanksgiving survival lessons Pinterest image

50 thoughts on “Thanksgiving Survival Lessons from The Pilgrims”

  1. Great post, Tara. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

    I will reiterate your point on those hoping to ‘bug out’ to the ‘country’….We have lived in our ‘semi rural’ community for about 15 years, and it has taken us a long time to be ‘accepted’. A part of that is that we are renters, one major strike, but since we’ve been in the same place so long, most of the local homeowners have accepted us. A major thing was my taking a job in a local business, and having been there several years. I’ve developed a lot of friendships with the ‘locals’ that way.So, if you think you can just ‘bug out’ and land ‘wherever’, fuggedaboutit….even if you have a BOL, if you have not established relationships with the community, you will still be seen as an ‘outsider’, regardless your level of preparedness or skills. Country folk are good folk, but they are cautious.

    Reply
    • Grammyprepper,

      I will reiterate your point on those hoping to ‘bug out’ to the ‘country’….We have lived in our ‘semi rural’ community for about 15 years, and it has taken us a long time to be ‘accepted’.

      While I generally find rural people to be helpful and friendly, they are also generally very cautious.
      I was lucky when moving into this rural community, since my DW was born and raised here and everyone knew her family. In fact, for the first few years of my marriage I was known as Jim’s son in law, a very good thing.

      Reply
  2. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

    I live at the edge of rural and suburbia. It is the best of both worlds, hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies, ect. At the line are farmers, cattle ranchers, farmer markets, that said…..

    The golden horde from the cities have large numbers but are mostly poor and would be ill equipt to take on the suburban preppers, however the suburban preppers being well armed with sufficient numbers could overwhelm the rural communities if it came down to it in wrol. Never assume safety……and always have a plan B….

    “Country folks, card-carrying preppers or not, will be armed and standing on the county line – banded together, to prevent both strangers and marauding hordes from getting in.”

    Just a thought….

    Reply
    • Thor1,

      I live at the edge of rural and suburbia. It is the best of both worlds, hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies, ect. At the line are farmers, cattle ranchers, farmer markets

      While I think of our location as rural, it’s actually more along the lines of your description. We have a good hardware 7 miles east in a village of less than 2000, and a good grocery with a real butcher shop 6 miles to our west in a census designated place of 300, with gasoline available in both places. Medical and other shopping, including big box stores and major grocery chains are 15 miles to our south.
      Like Tara I once had satellite for internet, after giving up the dialup modems; but, we’ve slowly come up in the world and now have a whopping fast (5 Mbps) DSL connection that quite often hits 6.

      “Country folks, card-carrying preppers or not, will be armed and standing on the county line – banded together, to prevent both strangers and marauding hordes from getting in.”

      That’s true to a point; but, something most people don’t realize or often pay attention to, are the little bits of infrastructure, all taken for granted, that could really ruin your day.
      If you think about your daily or weekly travels, most can picture the bridges, roundabouts, or two lane roads with deep ditches on either side; but, we also cross little bridges, covering small creeks or culverts with little notice. Should one of these pinch points” get blocked with a large tree, an overturned wagon full of logs or rocks, or any number of obstacles, that marauding horde just becomes another infantry company with no logistics tail.
      I think they are then called ”Sniper bait”

      Reply
      • Top, there you go making the number one error in any military action. Underestimating the enemy will get you killed quickly. Any infantry operation would also have scouts and sniper/ counter- snipers.

        The other military term you seek is choke points.

        I agree with Z36, a county line would take more manpower to defend than the limited numbers in a rural community and once the line is penetrated…..

        What about night attacks?

        A better idea would be to have a white flag truce and discuss a trade of protection for food deal after all, if you can’t defend it, it’s not yours.

        Reply
        • Thor1,

          Top, there you go making the number one error in any military action. Underestimating the enemy will get you killed quickly. Any infantry operation would also have scouts and sniper/ counter- snipers.

          What infantry operation?
          We’re talking about “Technical’s” (non-standard tactical vehicles) manned by MZB’s from the urban areas, who have been forced out of their vehicles and are now pedestrians, AKA infantry. Without most of the equipment in their vehicles, they lose what logistics tail they might have, and it they take time to remove an obstacle, being sniped from fixed positions, by people who know the area is not at all hard. Perhaps you should reread things and try to follow along.

          The other military term you seek is choke points.

          Choke point, Pinch Point. Same diff.

          I agree with Z36, a county line would take more manpower to defend than the limited numbers in a rural community and once the line is penetrated

          .
          Once again you need to read, since we would not worry about the county line, miles from this location; but, the few pinch points and the roads in and out.
          Also, these are MZB’s coming to the country looking for food, and not trained and drilled military units.

          What about night attacks?

          That’s why they make NVG’s, trip traps, and several varieties of perimeter alarm.

          A better idea would be to have a white flag truce and discuss a trade of protection for food deal after all, if you can’t defend it, it’s not yours.

          That may be your way; but, we can and will defend it.
          Farmers out here have long had the chemistry to eliminate stumps that could also be repurposed for defensive means.
          And then there’s: this easy to make defensive tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edRbcTXAijY

          Reply
          • Top, you totally don’t get it. Maybe you should read FM 31-210. LOL

            If your county line is say 40 miles square, you could be attacked on more than one side by more than one group…..LOL

            I’m talking wrol, so you would choose death over sharing and getting proteçtion. LOL

            REMEMBER THE ALAMO !!!

          • Thor1,

            you totally don’t get it. Maybe you should read FM 31-210. LOL

            I have it in paperback & pdf and read it a long time ago; but, don’t see the point here, except perhaps to booby trap the choke point to inhibit removal or make one by dropping a bridge.

            If your county line is say 40 miles square, you could be attacked on more than one side by more than one group

            My county line is just a line, and there are several of them in all directions from me, most across rough terrain; but, they would have to fight their way through lots of others before getting here. That’s one advantage of being surrounded by other friendly’s who would act as buffers.

            I’m talking wrol, so you would choose death over sharing and getting proteçtion.

            It’s WROL, and you would trust those you let in not to kille you and take your stuff anyway? How naïve!!!
            In our case on this matter, I’ll take the advice of General George Smith Patton Jr. who stated: “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”

          • Top, we could keep this up forever but in the end you still loose.

            “It’s WROL, and you would trust those you let in not to kille you and take your stuff anyway? How naïve!!!”

            Why, when you would do the work growing or raising the food.

            In our case on this matter, I’ll take the advice of General George Smith Patton Jr. who stated: “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”

            Well enjoy the latter…..LOL

          • Thor1,

            Top, we could keep this up forever but in the end you still loose.

            I am rather loose from working out; but, you lost the moment you hit reply, since my air assets and bots have been watching. You cross paths with an engineer and bad things happen you’re not even aware of.
            Ciao

          • Top, your so scary for an old engineer with a pacemaker. I don’t understand how you could get mad at someone who speaks the Truth… But “kille”……LOL

  3. Excellent post! I have found that one of the best ways to integrate into a new community is through a Church and if they have them , ” Small groups”. We have moved from Minnesota back to NC Florida three years ago, and are surrounded by farms and cattle ranches. We love the people, the area, and the weather.

    Reply
  4. If you’re ever in Massachusetts, head over to Plimoth Plantation. It’s in the town of Plymouth just a couple of miles south of the Rock. Lots of lessons from there worth learning. If it weren’t for Squanto, the Pilgrims would’ve been up “ye olde creeke of Shite”.

    My little town is one of those that you’re the new guy even though you’ve been there for twenty years. It’s a small town and a great place to live except… it’s in Massachusetts.

    We’re going to move to Tennessee. I can bring my job with me because I can do it remotely. The plan is to open a gun store. In all my recon trips, I use my people skills and stress the fact that we don’t want to bring Massachusetts there, we are escaping it. I wouldn’t change a thing about Tennessee. We love it as is.

    Reply
    • Overwatch,
      Before I retired, I used Scholastic’s website on Plimouth Plantation. I love the virtual field trip and information that’s available. I hope to go to Plimouth Plantation some day.

      Reply
    • Overwatch,

      The plan is to open a gun store. In all my recon trips, I use my people skills and stress the fact that we don’t want to bring Massachusetts there, we are escaping it. I wouldn’t change a thing about Tennessee. We love it as is.

      With that kind of plan and attitude, I suspect you’ll be more than welcome, and no doubt, happier with the politics. LOL

      Reply
  5. First of all, I hope all had a Happy Thanksgiving.

    I didn’t get an email announcement for this one; but, the post makes some good analogies between modern prepping and the pilgrims.

    Please don’t consider “bugging out to the country” as a survival plan. Unless you have a destination to reach that you own or family, friends that are going to welcome you in, you won’t get in.

    True. A MAG (Mutual Assistance Group) is a team, containing people with various interlocking skills and resources, and unless you belong to one, at least peripherally, you will not generally be welcome.

    Country folks, card-carrying preppers or not, will be armed and standing on the county line – banded together, to prevent both strangers and marauding hordes from getting in.

    Actually, for us, the county line in any direction is quite a distance, so you may just run into a road block on some back road as you try to sneak in. That roadblock may not be manned; but, trying to breach it is probably not a good idea.

    Resource Sharing

    Unless your prepping tribe is large and includes skilled experts that can supply all the goods and services you will possibly ever need, cultivate relationships with those around you who can.

    Of course, keep in mind that these relationships take time, so it’s best done before you need them. Also, resource sharing has to be voluntary, lest you fall into the trap of the Pilgrims, where they essentially force communism on their lot, and found that some refused to work as hard as others, since they would still get the same share. Capitalism of a sort, giving each his own plot, fixed that.

    2. Bartering

    When stockpiling gear, supplies, and even firewood, keep bartering in mind. Maybe you will not want to barter during the early stages of a SHTF event, but in the case of a long-term disaster, the time may come when you need to.

    Another thing that may be bartered is skills & knowledge, so being able to teach skills to others can be useful. In my case, I have resources some of my MAG do not have; but, they have skills and in some cases youth and strength I do not have. A perfect match.

    Even if your budget has allowed you to put back everything you need for an extended amount of time, a societal rebuilding phase, in one shape or form, will ultimately be initiated.

    Yes, and if history is a guide, the trading post was often the central meeting place, where goods were available for sale or trade; however, people would also rendezvous with each other for barter amongst themselves, and often small towns would grow up around these places and events.

    3. Multipurpose Supplies

    Why the pilgrims chose to allow a printing press to take up space and deemed it an essential item, this once again goes back to the uninformed mindset and lack of situational awareness these towns people had when embarking on their journey.

    As it turned out, that press was useful; but, a stack of wooden planks would have been a better resource, with a plethora of other uses beyond fixing the ship. We could learn a lot from this; however, should something of possible use be available free and you have room to stockpile it, it should be considered.
    I have metal bits, EMT conduit, wiring, and various bits of lumber in one of my barns, all out of the way; but, useable for project or barter.

    4. Food and Foraging
    I have done this and still can; but, it’s a skill that I seriously need to practice, especially on my property and surrounding land, at least to make note of whats there.

    Urban and suburban preppers can learn from the mistakes of the pilgrims, and we rural preppers should extend a welcoming and helping hand, just like Squanta (Squanto) and members of his tribe did.

    I think Ronald Regan nailed this one when dealing with Mikhail Gorbachev with his: ”Doveryai, no proveryai”, a Russian proverb translated as ”Trust but verify.
    The custom of shaking hands came from the act of showing one was not carrying a weapon, and this is still a good attitude, even when offering a welcoming and helping hand

    Folks out here develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. and garner expert medical care, we just have to drive further to achieve those same goals.

    We’re 15 miles to a decent hospital and only about 50 for treatments and specialists they cannot handle, so with a little work, you can live most anywhere.

    As for work, that is a shorter hurdle to overcome. I literally live in the middle of the woods and have quality satellite Internet service that allows me to earn a good living without having to leave our survival homestead.

    I once had that same service; but, now have DSL for less money with no weather blackouts and not nearly the amount of latency, which for my work, was a problem.

    There are two things they always say:
    I wish I could live here.
    Wow, I can’t believe how low the cost of living here is.

    The one downside of living where we live was a long drive to work, anywhere from 25 to 40 miles each way; but, with a flexible schedule and compensation that made the trip well worth it. If you want to live rural, there may be some inconveniences; but, you may find that the lifestyle more than makes up for them, so those excuses are just that, excuses, because you can live here with its low cost of living and freedom like you’ve never before experienced.

    Reply
    • TOP,

      You wrote: “Actually, for us, the county line in any direction is quite a distance, so you may just run into a road block on some back road as you try to sneak in. That roadblock may not be manned; but, trying to breach it is probably not a good idea.”

      There is an old military maxim that plays here: “Any obstacle not kept under observation, is not an obstacle.”

      Reply
      • Zulu 3-6,

        There is an old military maxim that plays here: “Any obstacle not kept under observation, is not an obstacle.”

        I understand, and that was the point of ”I think they are then called ”Sniper bait” It only takes one person with a rifle in an LP/OP, tucked away, warm, hidden, and with comms should help be required.
        In any case, removing an obstacle takes time and turns the cavalry into much more vulnerable infantry.

        Reply
        • TOP,

          We could argue the tactics of a good obstacle until the cows come home. But the reason for an observed obstacle is to prevent the enemy from having the time to remove it. Sure, one guy with a rifle can keep an untrained rabble pretty well pinned down. But a group with skills and a leader to match, should not be overly delayed by one rifleman.

          Granted, the military likes to keep their terrain blocking obstacles not only under human observation and small arms interdiction, but also indirect fires as well. Nothing like a good old TOT of 155mm shells to ruin a working party’s day. Of course, preppers don’t have an artillery battery on call (probably not anyway). But a trained unit will start looking for a way around and to get at the people shooting rifles at them. One guy won’t be enough to hold a group off like that. Also, the military rarely only puts one guy on an LP/OP, especially one observing an obstacle that can only be interdicted by small arms fire.

          Reply
          • Zulu 3-6,

            We could argue the tactics of a good obstacle until the cows come home. But the reason for an observed obstacle is to prevent the enemy from having the time to remove it.

            Understood; but, I’ve seen enough obstacles (generally by accident) on rural roads and highways to get a good idea what works well and is hard to remove without a lot of logistical support. A semi trailer loaded with heavy anything, flat on its side and all bent and twisted is not something you just easily push or pull out of the way.

            Sure, one guy with a rifle can keep an untrained rabble pretty well pinned down. But a group with skills and a leader to match, should not be overly delayed by one rifleman.

            I agree; but, when did this group of untrained urban rabble develop skills and gain a good leader. I think we’re mixing our metaphors here.
            We also have more than one rifleman, in my MAG alone.

            Nothing like a good old TOT of 155mm shells to ruin a working party’s day. Of course, preppers don’t have an artillery battery on call (probably not anyway).

            Not here either, with the largest being .50 cal; but, even small arms volley fire can be a hindrance, especially if special targets have been left near the obstacle that can be made to self destruct. Once again, we’ve gone from unorganized urban rabble to elite fighters again, and I just don’t see it that way.

            But a trained unit will start looking for a way around and to get at the people shooting rifles at them.

            I understand your perspective; but, this urban rabble has now become trained units, ready to fan out 360° to find their nemesis, a situation I find highly unlikely.

            One guy won’t be enough to hold a group off like that. Also, the military rarely only puts one guy on an LP/OP, especially one observing an obstacle that can only be interdicted by small arms fire.

            We could easily do the same and it’s amazing how hard it is to find a well placed hunting blind.
            I find it interesting how some urban MZB rabble is now being considered trained tacticians. I guess it could happen; but, that’s another reason to live in the boonies, to make it harder for them to get here.

          • Thor1,
            not really when looking at the population of my county at over 750,000.
            There’s the big difference, with our county population of only 52,000 covering an area of about 440 mi², we’re really rural with lots of rough terrain.

        • Top, the number one rule of a sniper is never take a second shot or they will be able to pinpoint your location. Now the counter-sniper is aware and if your entire unit of say 100 and you are outnumbered 100 to 1 what is the odds of your community’s survival?

          Reply
          • Thor1,

            Now the counter-sniper is aware and if your entire unit of say 100 and you are outnumbered 100 to 1 what is the odds of your community’s survival?

            Considering by your numbers that the OPFOR has 10,000 members, we are likely toast; but, that number is a bit ridiculous for urban MZB’s coming in my direction, since there are so many other softer targets with better pickings.
            And it would be more properly ”what are the odds”

  6. I see thinking from some that have never seen the tiger , let alone the elephant,,,,,,,,,,,

    In UDT where was a saying ,,, a properly placed charge of HE will cure most social problems,

    Without proper recon a road block is a trap for everyone,

    Learn from the kids coming back from the sand box ,

    A crate of HE is worth a thousand rifles,, If you know how to use it ,,,
    But food is the best weapon ,watch out for the cool aid ,

    Pardon my indict at saying what I’m trying to say

    This topic comes up in atlas shrugged,a good read for a preper

    Reply
    • 0ldhomesteader,

      Without proper recon a road block is a trap for everyone,

      We’re not talking about a manned checkpoint, just a one lane bridge that no longer crosses that little creek or culvert. I see this happen locally all of the time; usually from a vehicle that zigged when it should have zagged.

      A crate of HE is worth a thousand rifles,, If you know how to use it ,,,

      Agree and we had people here who used the stuff regularly and legally, and then came 9/11/01 when the world changed. There are however, reasonable substitutes.

      This topic comes up in atlas shrugged, a good read for a preper

      A good read for anyone who has any ambition, as are all of Ayn Rands works.

      Reply
      • 0ldhomesteaderk

        TOP ,,,,another thought on the check point

        Everyone wants to turn this into a ”Check Point” and that was not my initial intent on the matter. I was talking about a ”Pinch Point” or ”Choke Point” with the purpose of stopping vehicles from entering an area, and turning the occupants into pedestrians, and thus the mention of infantry without a logistics tail.

        This does not preclude interacting with them or accepting some into your fold; but, as pedestrians carrying all of their supplies and weapons, makes them a more manageable bunch. For those who have read ”One Second After”, a book with serious technical flaws, the one thing they did that Forstchen got right, was how they managed the influx of people into the area, interviewing them and inviting those with proper skills into their fold.
        A bevy of vehicles rushing you with guns blazing doesn’t do anyone well; but, once forced on foot, the advantage is a more even playing field that gives you time for interacting to gather that intelligence.
        Another problem, as Forstchen points out will be the class reallocation of those people. The high paid marketing executive will not offer the group as much as the student half way through diesel mechanics school or a nurse, electrician or plumber, so turning away otherwise good people may become the tough reality.

        think of it like being in a lifeboat,the ship has sunk ,heads bobing in the water ,who do you pick up ?how many will the life boat hold?

        Agreed and once again the reason to make those hordes less able to be a threat to give you time to work things out. People who bring resources or applicable skills might be good candidates for inclusion; but, eventually the lifeboat gets full and you have no other options.
        This whole thread started out with the Pilgrims, whose only logistics tail came from Squanto and his people, so in the scenario we’ve now created it would depend in large part on the event that started this influx of refugees to your location. A simple event like Katrina, Harvey, or Irma, where the rest of the country is intact to provide mutual aid, is far different than a HEMP that brought down the national grid, with the former being shorter term and much more manageable than the later, that could last years without hope of any outside help. Each of these requires a different plan and very different responses.

        In the later scenario, smart, ”Out of the box thinkers” such as engineers, technicians and tinkerers with the DIY perspective along with some young strong people will be needed to start rebuilding locally. Like the frontier towns of old, some will harvest materials for construction and maintenance, some will work on food sources, and others on fuel. There may be specialists; but, those specialties will be what we would now call old technology, such as charcoal manufacture along with its wood gas by product, smelting & casting, and perhaps just salvaging good stuff for reuse from the ruins.
        While there are a plethora of subjects on which to collect books, one I would recommend for this phase are those from the late David J. Gingery (http://gingerybooks.com) now run by his son. He starts out showing you how to smelt scrap aluminum and sand cast it into pieces that are cleaned up by hand and assembled into machines that are then used to make other machines to put together an entire shop. You basically bootstrap an entire machine shop with scrap aluminum, charcoal, a file and some common hand tools.
        I’ve not built that shop; but, have smelted and cast aluminum with his techniques, and since refined aluminum is plentiful, the ”AlSmith” could be as common in that future world as the Blacksmith was in the past.

        Most every thing in atlas shrugged has happened except the ending,So who is John Galt? read the book and find out what comes next

        I think John Galt is many of us, and we will hold the line as long as we can; but, we may pity the next generation

        Tea and chocolate while we reflect on what’s next, I’m ready ,, are you

        I am; but, for me it’s more like Tea & Honey that will be easier to come by.

        Reply
        • Homer, those poor city folks that lead the charge through the roadblock for food that were captured in my neighborhood. Going across the bridge with antiquated empty disabled rifles…… LOL

          Reply
  7. Week of high winds. Trees down, fences down with trees on them, cows loose, lost, found, trailered home. Still have more fences to repair.
    For sure, firewood for next season is down. Nine trees down just passed old pond. Trees sheared off about 8′ off the ground. Winds topped trees too.
    So my prepping has and will be fence repairs for a few more days.
    Storms spooked cows and they left. Of course the bull got scared and ran to me and the barn. He was the only bovine with good sense. The cows had a 29 hour adventure, till I found them. Brought them home in neighbors horse trailer. Two loads. Poor bull was so happy to see his women!
    So the storm that hit 5 days ago took up my whole week, one way or another.
    Prepping, not so much, more like survival mode for a while.

    Hope everyone else had a blessed holiday.
    I thank God for His mercy.

    Reply
    • WOW Sage, Glad everything is getting back to order. I hope you have/had help.

      What part of the country did all this happen in?

      Reply
  8. Almost There,
    Yes, my neighbor lady spotted them for me at 10 pm and called me. I put them in her backyard for the nite. Got a neighbor with trailer. That helped. So, one spotter and one trailer came to my aid, he charged me ($70) to use it.
    The lady did not charge me anything. I will get her a gift certificate to thank her for using her back yard for the nite.

    It is starting to rain and blow again.

    Reply
  9. One correction the Pilgrim’s didn’t bring a printing press, they however did bring what was termed a “big screw” which was used to support a broken support beam in the belly of the ship. Pilgrim researchers have identified the “big screw” as a screw jack like a scissor jack.

    Reply

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