Our First Summer Trips

Back at school the days passed, turning into weeks.   The weeks turned into months, and still we were not able to make another trip to look for land.  March rolled around, my dad was again working long hours, and the opportunity for us to go back into the wilderness slipped away.

 

As the deadline for filing on the land grew closer I wondered if we would ever be able to realize this dream?   Our friend decided he was going to try another trip. Now that spring was beginning the snow would be hard and fast from thawing in the daytime and freezing at night.  He felt he could make a quick day trip, find and stake the land.

It was arranged that my brother would go this time with our friend on a Sunday and they would search for land

Loading up before dawn and heading out,  they decided on an amount of time to travel before stopping and staking land.

 

Approaching the time deadline, they found themselves on a hill overlooking a valley with streams, low ridges and beaver ponds.  Beyond that, the valley dipped further down into Clear Creek, with the foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains rising up in the background.

Deciding this was the valley, they headed down to stake the land.  This would become the place of so many memories.   The one place on this planet that I have really felt was home.

Spring turned to summer. We had acquired the land.  The dream had really come true!   My dad had made a short weekend trip out to see the land and find a suitable place to build a cabin. I could barely contain my eagerness to see the land.  

 
 My father, being a contractor had to work hard during the busy summer season and had little time off for trips to the wilderness.  As the summer dragged by, I had to busy myself with summer jobs, summer camp, hikes into the mountains and along the rivers near our home in Palmer. 

Towards the later part of the summer my excitement mounted as my dad was able to get some time off.  Enthusiastically we planned a trip out to the land. 

 Again we loaded our supplies and machines.  Being summer, we took our three wheeler, four wheeler and a trailer.  Now the work on our cabin could begin.

 Once again we were off on an adventure into that wild country  I had been dreaming about for months.

This time I would be on my own machine!  My dad would be on the four wheeler hauling a trailer with our supplies and equipment we would need for the trip. I would be riding the three wheeler.

 With great anticipation we loaded the four wheeler and tied down the cargo on the front and back racks, hitched up the trailer and started our machines. 

On our way again!

 

Crossing the railroad bridge, I looked down, once again into that swirling cold river below.  Even in the summer the icy water could send a chill through me just watching it swirl by.

Why Home to the Wild?

 

What would make a person want to leave the comforts and conveniences of modern life to live in a place without what we consider the basic necessities of life?  Who would want to live without conveniences like running water, electricity, grocery stores, TV, a bathroom and a car? 

  How can one explain the deep quiet of the northern forest wrapped in snow?  Or the incredible sharpness of everything as the sun is slanting across that same landscape at 25  degrees below zero. Where every twig and needle is on fire from the light and you hardly want to breathe for the beauty, that almost defies reality.

 Could it be the draw of a life, away from the overwhelming complexity that our modern society heaps on us?  Maybe there is a longing deep inside some of us for a life where things are clearer where life is more stark... more real.

Maybe the virtual reality that we have created for ourselves is not real enough for some of us. Maybe we need to touch the earth, to feel and hear the wood burning that heats our homes, to grow and harvest the food that feeds us. Maybe some of us need to shape the dwelling that protects us.

Maybe it's not enough for some to just park in a building somebody else built, maybe some need to know and to understand, maybe some need to feel the biting cold and the warm rush of air as we come in from that cold.  Maybe the tepidity of our modern, climate controlled, comfort ensured lives is just more mediocrity then some can take! 

 Maybe some need to feel the extremes, to touch the sky, to really live! 

 These are the ideas and thoughts that swirl through my mind as I try and figure out why I have always been drawn to the wilderness. Why it has been such a reoccurring theme throughout my life.   This desire to live in the wilderness, through all the years and miles, has never gone away.  The desire to live away from the modern conveniences surrounded by the ruggedness and hardships of the wilderness have only deepened with time. 

 How is it that one can find peace and security in an environment that most view with at least some level of mistrust and fear?

 I will document here our family’s  move from where we are, to a life in the wilderness.  Where, at the age of 14 or 15, I knew I wanted to live.  

 How has it taken 30 years to come to this place? How will we make it happen? 

 I hope this story can help those who want to simplify or to live in the wilderness to begin their own journey.  To give them courage to swim against the current of modern societal norms.  I hope this story will not only provide those who have no desire to live that life an interesting story but, a deeper understanding of those who do want to live in the wilderness.

So how do you go about moving to the wilderness, is it really a place you would want to take your family and what does it take to make the change?

 Stick with me for a while hopefully as this story unfolds we will all learn the answers to these questions! 

 

  

Hours and Hours and Endless Miles of Snow

 

 

The decision was made.  We would continue on foot to the area we had chosen to stake our land.  We were sure it was not far now, and an easy hike would get us there.

 Morning found us up early and ready before first light.  We ate a hurried breakfast of instant oatmeal.  After carefully packing granola bars, our hot peppermint tea and emergency gear. We consulted our maps and compasses. Strapping on our snowshoes and backpacks we eagerly moved off into the deep snow with great anticipation.

 We soon found that it was going to be a long day!  Even with our snowshoes we were nearly waist deep in snow!  With five of us now on the adventure we decided to take turns breaking trail so no one person would get overly tired.

 Hour after hour on we trudged through endless drifts of snow!  As the shadows began to lengthen, the realization dawned that we would not make our goal. Standing there in the fast fading light we concluded that another day of breaking trail was in order. Sadly, we turned back short of our goal and headed for camp. It took us only a couple of hours to make camp on the packed trail.

 We arrived at camp exhausted, starving and soaked through. First thing was to get some hot food and drink and then change to dry cloths.  We slept well that night!

 One more day was all we had. As time was short, we were up early, on the trail long before dawn and moving towards our goal.  Reaching our turn around spot from the day before shortly after sunrise we again pushed on breaking trail through waist deep snow toward the lake.  Who knows how deep it would’ve been without snowshoes, but none of us were ready to find out!

 As the day wore on the truth became blatantly obvious.  We would not make it!  Turning around short of our goal was a brutal blow to our hopes and dreams.  

 

As a last chance we decided to mark the end of our trail.  Tying orange surveyor’s tape in a large triangle from nearby spruce trees, our hope was that one of the group could later spot it from the air and help us locate our lake.

 Once again we began the long trek back to our camp.  This time we would be packing up to leave the forest and return to town and our regular lives.

 Gear packed, we started our machines, beginning the ride back to town. A mixed feeling of emotions overtook me as I watched the trail roll by, this time with ease and speed, now that the trail was packed and hard.  We made excellent time.  I was looking forward to a warm bed and house and dry cloths.

 I felt a sadness and loneliness settle in as I saw the place slip by where we had camped the first night.

 Those last four days had brought accomplishment and frustration, success and failure.   I was already beginning to miss it! A seed was planted in my heart that time and miles has only succeeded in driving deeper, that call to the wilderness.

 

Would we ever find a place and return to this wilderness? 

 

The Tree that Shaped the Future of Canada

 The year was 1535 and it was Jacques Cartier’s second trip to the New World. His crew of 112 sailors had been at sea for months when they finally sighted land, it was land that the Natives called Kanata, meaning “village” or “settlement.” From this time on the French explorer would refer to this territory as Canada. 

Cartier sailed his ships up the St. Lawrence River in search of gold, silver, copper and spices that the Iroquois was said to have assured him lay farther to the west, until winter forced him to anchor his ships and build shelters.

For 5 months his ships lay frozen and immobile in the ice, and over a period of several weeks all of his men but 3 began to come down with a strange and deadly disease, as did their neighbors the local Stadacona tribe.

Those afflicted would have blotches on their skin, swollen and bloody gums, an incredibly weakness and depression and finally paralysis and death. Until one day a he noticed a healthy looking Stadacona native coming to visit their settlement to trade, a man that he happened to remember had been sick with the strange plague just 3 days before. 

Jacques had lost 25 men by now and he was desperate, he asked the man how it was that he could be walking around healthy while none of his own men had shown any signs of recovery, and he was shown a tree called Anneda. There is conflicting ideas of whether this was the Cedar tree or White Pine, but for our purposes you will see it really doesn’t matter. The sailors stripped the tree bare of needles in 6 days as they made a tea that in a very short time had cured all of Cartier’s men and allowed them to leave Canada in May. 

What the men had was Scurvy and their cure was Pine tea, or rather the vitamins that are so abundant in Pine tea. A cup of Pine tea has 4 or 5 times as much vitamin C as a glass of orange juice! It is also packed with vitamin A and other antioxidants. I have heard stories of refugees fleeing through the mountains who survived for 2 months on Pine tea, so it is definitely something to keep in mind as you wander your own wilderness. It also makes a great antiseptic wash and effective decongestant.

All you need to do is break or cut up your needles and steep them in hot water for a few minutes, and it will make a refreshing drink. Most trees in the pine family can be used and are completely safe, including Hemlock (the tree, NOT the plant!) Spruce, and Cedar. Each tea will have its own distinct and different flavor, and everyone is delicious. My personal favorites are the White Pine which is delicate and almost sweet, and the Cedar which smells and tastes much stronger and is amazing! The Cedar seems to me to be especially good as a decongestant.

But as with all things there are a few that you should be aware of, do not use the Ponderosa Pine, the Norfolk Island Pine, or the Yew as they can be poisonous and should not be used for tea. Also pregnant women should not drink Pine tea. Be sure you always do your own study from a trustworthy source as you learn about wild edibles, but being aware doesn’t have to mean avoiding wild foods all together as so many do.

 A good example is that Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pimentos, and paprika are all in the nightshade family.  A group of alkaloids in these foods can impact nerve, muscle and digestive function, and may also destroy joint function. But these alkaloids are mostly concentrated in the plant and not the fruits so they have become among the most common of foods among the different cultures of the world. So learn to be aware of the dangers around you, but to not let that fear keep you from enjoying and finding your own Home in the Wilderness.
  

 

Black Salve a Blessing of Healing

 

What do YOU reach for when YOU have a cut or open wound? 

For the last 15 years our family has been making and reaching for Black Salve. 

For many years we made it just for ourselves and our animals on the farm.  Recently we began to have requests for Black Salve.

We also heard many people complained of not being able to find it anywhere.  So we decided to start making it for sale.

You might ask what is black salve? 

There are many types of black salves with many recipes.  But generally it is made from a mixture of oils, herbs and a hardening wax or lard.  It is designed to draw out infection and promote healing. 

Many black salves are caustic and irritating to the skin.  However, we have found by experience that our formula actually relieves pain as it is healing.  It is gentle and safe for young and old, yet packed with powerful healing herbs and oils

We have formulated our black salve including over 10 healing herbs  like red clover a blood purifying herb, plantain a drawing and healing herb along with many others.

Each herb is chosen for their specific healing, purifying and drawing properties.  The herbs are then gently infused into a mixture of oils that are chosen for their healing nourishing qualities and combined with beeswax for its anti-microbial and healing properties.

I have very personal experience with the healing properties of this salve!  About 12 years ago I slipped with a hatchet and cut the base of my thumb very deeply. I was worried at how I was going to continue shoeing horses and making a living. I packed it with black salve, changing the dressing twice a day.

It was amazingly pain free!  A week into the healing I could not find the black salve so I just wrapped it up and went to work.  After a couple hours my hand was throbbing.  As soon as I arrived home I immediately reapplied the Black Salve. Within a few minutes the pain was gone once again.   I did not neglect the black salve again.

 My wife hurt her toe on a piece of wood playing volleyball barefoot and began the black salve routine.   One night she could not find the Black Salve so decided to try a different salve. 

After suffering all night with a throbbing toe she decided that she would find the black slave and take care of it the right way, the pain disappeared and she was able to get on with life.

I could go on about my tripping and falling into 3 chainsaw chains hanging on a bench and ripping my hand like a cat o’ nine tails, or the horse that had a cut on her hock that healed in a couple of days  but I don’t want to bore you.

The results were all the same.  It has certainly become a standby for our family and farm and I think you would find it something you would not want to be without once you tried it!  Check out our web page where you can get some of your own! Click Here

We are offering for the next week anyone who orders a jar of Black Salve and sends us a testimonial of how it has helped their family we will send you a free bar of our handmade goat milk soap as a thank you gift

Note: none of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA and is not designed to treat, diagnose or heal any disease.  It is only a testimony of our experience.

 

 

“In the Wilderness the Shortest Distance

is not a Straight Line!”

 

 

 

Soon it was time to set up camp. We found an open place, my dad said, “Put on the snowshoes and help me pack down the snow.”  We walked around and around packing down a hard place to set up the tent.

 With the tent standing, we fired up our camp stove and soon had snow melted and soup cooking.   The meal done we sat back to enjoy our hot chocolate and peppermint tea.

 The inevitable call of nature became urgent!  Wanting to take care of these things before dark, I stepped from the trail to relieve myself.   I promptly sank to my armpits in 5 feet of powder snow! With great surprise I kicked my feet around searching in vain for the ground! 

 Realizing that this was not going to work. I rolled and crawled back to the trail and decided that in the wilderness sometimes privacy takes second place to reality and that I would just be peeing in the trail from now on! 

  I was also beginning to learn another very important lesson of the wilderness that the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line……….it's the trail!

 After a comfortable night on our very soft snow mattress we began another arduous day of breaking trail.  We pushed deeper into the wilderness toward that dot on the map and our piece of wilderness.

 With evening falling again, we found ourselves at the base of a small hill in a large clearing.  Too tired to go on we decided this clearing would be big enough for us and our friends who would be joining us at any time.

 Once our tent was up and supper was on, we could finally sit down and rest.  We brought out our topographical map, studying it to figure out where we were and how close we were to our destination. 

 We took stock of the fuel we had used and how much we had left.  There was not enough fuel to continue breaking trail with the machines. We would have to continue on foot!  Continuing to break trail with the machines, we would not make it back to town.

 

As the early darkness settled over the forest we could hear the faint sound of an engine.  Soon the glow of a single headlight flashed from the trees.  Then several more followed as our friends joined us. 

Their tents erected and water heating, we began to discuss our plans for the next day or two.  Would we turn around now or would we continue on foot?

A Story of Coming Home to the Wild

 

 MY FIRST TRIP

As I sit here writing I have decided to chronicle our move to the wilderness.  This is a story that has its beginnings far back in my childhood and adolescence.  A story whose beginnings are hard to find. Yet, I will begin in 1983.

It was my first trip into the great white frozen wilderness of Alaska. It was early winter in 1983.  The State of Alaska had offered an opportunity for Alaskans to obtain land in the wilderness.  My father and a friend of his had sat around our kitchen table discussing and planning just how and when we would go about finding and staking a remote parcel of our own.  My dad bought an old snow machine and we built a sled to carry our gear.  We built the sled in the living area of our small house in Palmer Alaska, we planned and prepared our gear.   I took off several extra days of school.

We began the trek with a 2 hour drive to the small town of Talkeetna where we unloaded our machine and sled and began to load our gear.   Little did I realize the impact that this trip would have on my life.  It would set me in a direction that for over thirty years has kept bringing me back to the wilderness of Alaska.

As we finished packing up, the snow was falling and I was surprised at how much snow there was on the ground. There was nearly 5 feet of snow, a dry cold soft snow that did not pack easily.  This was the snow that I was to become so familiar with and struggle against for many years to come.

We climbed on, fired up the machine, and off we headed down the trail.  Soon we approached the first obstacle, the railroad trestle, with a narrow pedestrian bridge on the side.  Its thin cable side rails were all that separated us from the partially frozen Talkeetna River 30 feet below.  A chill ran through me as I gazed down into the black, swirling, icy water.  I could not imagine how cold it would be to fall into that raging torrent, nor did I care to find out!

As we crossed the river the narrow trail stretched before us fading into the distance as it ran beside the railroad tracks deeper into the wild Alaskan Bush.   I had begun an adventure that would continue for the rest of my life.

Perched there behind my dad on the seat as the snow swirled around us I wondered what lie ahead in that white wilderness. As the machine droned on the snow soon formed a white mantel over machine and riders. 

Five miles down the trail we made a turn up into the hills, leaving the railroad tracks and the forging deeper into the forest.  The snow became even deeper and the trail was no longer easily followed. Soon there was no trail and we were forging on through the white expanse of forest.  The snow was piling up and pouring over the top of the windshield and around the sides.   We had to stop every few minutes and dig the snow out of our laps. 

As the trail disappeared we had to leave our sled behind and break trail, then we would turn around and pull the sled to the end of our broken trail, drop it again and then forge ahead, turn around and repeat this process over and over for hours.

As the day drew on the realization dawned, we were going to have to somehow camp in this sea of white I wondered how we were going to set up the tent!  

 The following is what you might call a two part saga, you will laugh, you will cry, you will face your inner most fears, well... Maybe not, but hopefully you will at least read it :). I have spent the last few hours writing out this story in all its glory, just to come to the conclusion that an abridged version is in order. (You can just send me a blank check and I'll get the full 5 volume set out to you as soon as they are completed :) Now, first I want to ask you a question. Where do you feel safe regardless of circumstances, where can you meet the largest of life's challenges and feel the confidence that you can and will survive them? Well, this dramatic story will take its commencement deep in the Raquette River wilderness of the Adirondacks, and before 48 hours passes, you will find us in another wilderness much more savage, dangerous, and untamed than any other I have had occasion to wander.... The city of Manhattan. We barely escaped neither with our skins nor wallets. So as I forementioned, this story took nearly 48 hours to play out, I herein conspire to do my honest best to take less than that to tell it. We will just have to see how it goes...

    Now, this wasn't the first time that Keith and I had been canoeing together. In fact, I really should have known better. Our first year at Cherokee we took a day off  to paddle all 3 of the Saranac lakes and back. Now this could be a long drawn out story of its own, so I will just hit the highlights. We shove off about 9pm post-camp worship and after about 3 hours of "following stars" in a "straight line" we find ourselves right back just outside Gilplin bay! Actually it was more like this "Hey Keith, I hate to say this but is that big shadow on the island the Eagle island boat house?" from the shore a womans voice echo's over the dark waters, "yup." My dream of trans-Atlantic primitive navigation implodes and we pick an older looking star that seems more reliable and set in its ways, follow it south, sleep on an island covered with delicious blueberries, the next morn we portage about 3000 lbs of food over to Middle Saranac, paddle so hard that wakes are thrown over the sides of passing motorboats, wake up the kid who was supposed to be operating the lock on the beautiful meandering river between Middle and Lower Saranac, wait for him to find enough clothes to leave his cabin, reach the town of Saranac Lake, do a U-turn and do it all over again with no rest - a very strong wind pushing against us - and a strict deadline. Keith as is customary, had to appear in court at 5:00 for a traffic ticket. So we drove the canoe up on shore, "paddled up the hill to the cafeteria," and he is in his rusty ole Ranger at 4:00 speeding away on his way to traffic court. So basically it took us 16 hours plus the 3 hr. late-night scenic route, and minus sleep time. I later had someone who knew nothing of this heroic-tale brag about doing the trip in something like 2 days. I left that one alone, he was happy. :)   OK THEN, so the point being that we should not be allowed to canoe together. Which is a rule of thumb that I have grown comfortable with. I'm sorry folks, so lets make that a 3 part saga...

   Neither Keith nor I worked at Camp this particular year of 07, so Keith called me up one day and told me that I WAS going with him to Camp meeting, Camp Cherokee, Canoeing the Raquette river and then we would jump in a train and go visit NY City for an afternoon. The first two sounded doable, the third kinda iffy-ish with our combined backgrounds, and the last one kinda made my skin crawl, but somehow along the way I found myself reserving a train ticket from Albany to NYC and driving a huge white "boat" of a car out to Union Springs to meet Mr. Textor.  So, after this and that happened, we eventually found ourselves pushing one of the Camp's aluminum canoes out into the clear water of Long Lake, and heading north. All was peaceful until CA-BLEWWWWY! thunder and lighning. "So um Keith, I was thinking... Um, we are in this aluminum canoe and all, and I think I remember learning something in school about water and metals and such, and Um..." "NO!" he yells above the sounds of pouring rain and the ominous booms, "We have 10 miles until the north shore of the lake, we need to make good time tonight!" "Ok." I whimper. ;) Well, I suppose I'll admit I'm doing my best to incriminate him in your minds, but that was the jist of the conversation anyways ;) lol.  We actually did survive that part of the journey as you might of guessed, and we arrived at the north shore by the outlet into Raquette river just as it began to darken. The banks were a mix match of swamp and boulders, certainly nothing you could land your canoe on or sleep on. So we located a small island covered in waist high grass' and a few shrubby looking trees and unloaded our gear. By now we are in complete darkness with no flashlight, and no shelter. I being barefoot, started slowly shuffling around the island and picking up any sticks that I could feel with my toes.  We soon had a pile of sticks, dug my flint and steel set out of my bag and to both of our amazement's managed to spark a fire very quickly and easily despite the pouring rain and having to do everything completely by feel. (we don't ever seem to remember flashlights.) So now with a roaring fire we started to once again entertain the thought of actually living through the cold night. I had a 8'x8' piece of Oilcloth, basically an old style waterproof tarp used by French Canadian Voyagers to wrap up their tradegoods and supplies as they paddled from village to village, we dumped out its contents and made a simple leanto between two bushes beside the fire. Now we were warm and sorta dry, if you don't count the wet ground :).  More firewood was felt for, and we climbed into our blankets to spend actually a quite comfortable night all in all. Although, at one point in the night I did get up and get a log to lay between Keith and I. He was just getting a little too close for comfort, lol. My cousin Chad and I have come close to freezing to death more times than I care to recall, but we both agreed during these times "my body heat is MY body heat!" Not real logical, and going against everything you will ever read in the Boy Scout Manuel, but there are some things more uncomfortable than being cold ;)
.
    The sky began to brighten, the mosquito's woke up and started looking to see what was for breakfast. Seeing Keith was still asleep and unaware of my plotting, I reached over and stole his grandma's crocheted blanket to improvise over my face as a mosquito net. He surely wouldn't miss it! ;) After that early morning "just lay there and think about getting up stage" passed, I sat up and looked outside our leanto just in time to see a big mature bald eagle fly over us no more than 30 ft up. That got the day started off right! I woke up Keith just in time to not see it, and we packed up thankful for the good change in the weather.

And that completes Day 1 of the Exciting Adventures of Keith and Teddy, tune in again next time to find out will they survive the Raquette river? Will they learn to love the softer side of NYC? And more! ( cut to music...)
 

The Dandelion

 How many wild edibles to you know? What if you decided you wanted to head off into the wilderness on the opposite side of the country, or maybe even the world? Well, Ive heard it said that the average American can only identify about five plants. But chances are that one of them is every suburban homeowners worst enemy... the Dandelion.

Did you know that it was common up until the 1800's to pull the grass from your yard to make room for more useful plants like the Dandelions and other herbs and edibles? They were native to Europe and Asia, but when the first colonists came to these shores they brought the pharmacy of all plants, the Dandelion with them.  Soon its fluffy little seeds took off upon the winds maybe fifty to 200 seeds from each plant. Sometimes they would float for up to five miles and eventually they covered a continent.

 Dandelions are perennials that bloom early in the spring and continue to bloom well into the fall. They probably have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant on Earth. The first half of our winter this year was very mild and I saw dandelion flowers well into December.

All parts of the dandelion are edible. It is best to harvest fresh young leaves as they are less bitter, and may be eaten uncooked in salads, or just pick a handful while you are out wandering. Mature leaves can be lightly boiled in a change of water  to reduce bitterness, it is really an acquired taste that is best cultivated before you are relying on it as a major food source.

Roasted Dandelion roots makes a healthy coffee substitute.  Its best to harvested in the fall as they have stored all their nutrition in the root to prepare for winter. The strong root tends to break off and leave part in the soil, which is great because this will  produce another tender plant in the spring. Then just wash and chop them and slowly roast them in your oven on a cookie sheet.

My cousin and I used to drink herb teas in the evenings after spending the day in the woods. We would sometimes make different tea mixes just to try something new. So one night we mixed dandelion root, mullein and peppermint tea and found that the three together has a distinctive chocolate taste, similar to hot chocolate.  It became a favorite, So there is something for you to try.

Dandelion blossoms can be dipped in batter and fried as fritters, they are surprisingly sweet. So if the greens are too bitter for your taste buds at first, there is still other options  as you learn about dandelions.

The dandelion has been used by Chinese herbalists for thousands of years, to treat stomach problems, and appendicitis. In Europe it was used in remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, and diabetes. It’s been found in 1000 year old documents written in Arabia, and by the Welch during the 1300’s.

After European contact the Native Americans quickly added Dandelion to their medicinal knowledge.  A tea was made from the plant that they took to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and upset stomach.

Dandelion is about the most nutritious food you could ask for. A cup of dandelion greens contains as much calcium as half a glass of milk and It contains more Vitamin A than spinach with even more Vitamin C than tomatoes. Additionally it is rich in Vitamins D, E, and several B vitamins. Potassium, lecithin , iron, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus ,  silicon, boron ,thiamine, riboflavin, copper, selenium, folate zinc and proteins.  The leaf also includes Omega 3 as well as 6 fatty-acids. 

It is maybe best known as a treatment for liver disease, It cleanses the bloodstream and increases bile production,  Recent studies have shown it may lower elevated blood pressure and provide relief for arthritis and joint disease.

Dandelion is a safe and nutritious herb used worldwide.  But be aware that Dandelion stems contain a liquid latex substance that may be irritating to those with latex allergies.

I was actually surprised to find out that Dandelions  tell you there is some type of imbalance in your top soil. They are not an invasive weed that takes over as often supposed, but instead an attempt to help replenish the soil with what it is missing. They are a scab plant that sprouts into an injured piece of ground and improves and restores it back to a well balanced soil. Their wide root system works to loosen hard-packed soils, aerating and helping to reduce erosion. As the tap root reaches down deep into ground to bring the lacking nutrients to the topsoil. The sun and rain to which the soil is exposed to by tilling or over growing has removed these minerals such as calcium. So the tap root of the dandelion brings them from deep in the soil and makes them available to other plants, thereby restoring the balance. 

So what is "Home to the Woods" all about anyway?

What makes “Home to the Woods “different from the other wilderness survival sites?

Our focus is to get you into the woods to stay, not out of the woods back into the city! My hope and dream is not only to bring myself and family to the wilderness but to help all those many people who long for a simpler fuller life find their own wilderness and to help them build the skills necessary to live that life in a comfortable productive way. I want to help you build or acquire the tools you will need to provide for yourself and family in the wilderness, and last but certainly not least I want to provide the encouragement that has been so missing in my quest for a life in the wilderness. I want to encourage you that YES you can do it, NO you are not crazy and it IS worth the effort and the wait. Take the time build the skills and then go find YOUR place!