# Prepping / Emergency Preparedness > General Emergency Preparedness >  Mountain Survival - Living at 10,000 Feet Elevation...

## Watch Ryder

_This is my own work and documents, in a mostly serious way, my adventures and doings in the USA.
This is no tourist trip, it's about getting prepared in a city then heading on into the wilderness to survive and hopefully thrive!

Here's my ongoing report, wish me luck_ 

My contact in this land is Mike, Mountain Mike or even Mountain Man Mike (MMM)

*Excursion to America*

Arriving on my quest to reach Mikes Mountain Hold wasnt easy.
Going through all the Gatekeeper areas of airports on both sides of the Atlantic was a bit of an ordeal.  But nothing to worry anyone who has travelled about a bit and doesnt get intimidated easily.
I had the paperwork for temporarily exporting my trusty Benelli shotgun.
The customs folk at the British Airport were most intrigued! 
I had all the necessary paperwork, yet a few questions were asked.
On arriving at the first airport I had to pass through the auspices of the DHS!
They didnt like my passport as it was quite rough and tumble in appearance.
After asking me a barrage of questions I made my answers back.  Id wrongly assumed that as other countrys were ok with my passports condition that the USA would too.  How wrong I was 
I was sent into secondary inspections with a red flagged folder!  
Was I now in Team Americas bad books?

The secondary inspections area had a sign outside it that assured being treated with respect and courtesy etc.  That looked good, although the somewhat shabby waiting room, manned by another 3 DHS guys, had an edge of oppression, even fear to it.
Sat down were a few roguish characters, Black, Mexican and of course Watch Ryder who now was in their midst
I walked right to the front.
Nobody said anything to me, not even the DHS dudes who were wordlessly tapping away at computer screens.  They were almost in another world the concentration they had.
As I looked around for some ticket machine like some banks have I saw nothing.  
Then a fourth DHS guy came in through a side door and, without a word, snatched the red folder containing my passport and other papers from my hands.  
He walked around the counter, threw it in an in-tray then told me to take a seat.
I asked him was it ok to go get my bags from the carrosel area.
Nope, wait here until youre called forward.  Dont worry about your bags, theyll be kicked off to the side when its done moving.
Rough and tumble indeed!
After watching a Mexican sounding lady get the third degree it was my turn to be assayed before the gatekeepers of the USA.  

He asked me similar questions to what Id been asked earlier.  I answered again, honestly, in my chirpy, happy go lucky manner.  Or at least as best I could given the long flight over the Atlantic!
Ok go get your bags.  He said neutrally after the barrage was over.
I did so, noting the sniffer dogs being brought out nearby.  
The DHS certainly isnt for show thats for sure!
As I walked back in the door with my Bergen on my back and jumbo-bag trundling in the young DHS dudes eyes were astounded at my set-up.
The guy wondered, after marvelling at 120 litre capacity Bergen, short haircut and style if I was going to join a militia!  LOL.
I told him I was ex-military doing some adventure travel around the US, which is the truth of course.  This seemed to set him at ease.  
Is there some kind of a hidden-license having a military background with government / federal types I wonder??
Just prior to starting on my bags I told him the jumbo one had my shotgun inside with all the trimmings, tags etc.
Before he had chance to grill me I showed him my approval paperwork from the ATF gatekeepers.  
<The ATF they did a rapid 1 week processing of this when Id applied for my shotgun to be temporarily exported.  They also do this for free too!>
He looked at it briefly and seemed ok with it but asked some of his companions for a second opinion.
They were talking about getting the ATF to come and look at it, but in the end he did his own check, comparing the serial numbers on the paperwork to that of the Beneli.
One of his companions amusingly said theyd seized 2 firearms yesterday.  
If I hadnt of gotten the approval papers from the ATF Im sure Ryders would of made a third!
After the first few items of specialist equipment  bags being searched I reminded him of my ex-military background, otherwise he really would of reckoned me to be a rebel militia dude.  He chilled out a bit then and one of the DHS was an ex-marine chirped up a few friendly comments (as I was Army not Marines).
After pulling all my stuff from my Bergen and jumbo-bag I had to put it back in.  He did apologise for having to search my stuff and as I put my stuff back in the bags he went back to the computer counter and began tapping away at the keys.

I was told to sit down again, after a few more minutes he called me forward again.
Youre good, have a nice trip. He said, slamming a stamp into my battered passport giving it the mark of approval for a few months, then the Ryder was free to fly again into Mountain Man Mikes (MMM) neck of the woods

Arrival

*Arrival*

I arrived at the city retreat exhausted but happy to of made it.  
I was in Mountain Man Mikes neck of the woods now.
I got to a motel not far from Mikes place having arrived at the infamous Denver Airport.  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRRyBJnRlpQ
Meeting up with MMM was interesting.
Hed earlier told me hed often scare the city twins hed had on his land the previous year by walking up silently behind them, I soon realised that MMMs claim was not unfounded.

As I checked out of the motel (where  Id arranged to meet  MMM) I stood talking to the motel woman behind the counter.  Id envisaged Mike waiting outside in his pick-up.
He wasnt, he was sat about twelve feet behind me in the lobby, Id not even noticed him sat stealthily there!

Compared to the video footage taken of him hes a lot taller than I thought, taller even than me in fact!
We had roughly ten days or even less before we needed to be on the road to the Mountain Hold (MMMs land) so the clock was ticking.  

Before we even went to his city location it was off to the sprawling Wal-Mart behemoth for supplies.
Id taken a fair chunk of change with me and it was a hard temptation to resist buying all the goodies and gigdits they had on offer.
I still needed the essentials though so heres what I got...

Two tents for both the city set-up and the Wilderness.  One small and light, the other large and substantial.   Ill explain more on this later.  
Several Weeks Food supplies (various dried foods etc)
Shotgun shells (Various Types)
Propane Gas and Stove
[I]
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*Procuring a BOV*

Getting a vehicle is undoubtably one of the most troublesome and challenging things for most folks when it comes to transport.
Faced with doing this in a foreign country was even more difficult.  
However I had all my papers and without a decent 4x4 machine we were either walking up to MMMs place or pedalling!

Mike wasnt in a position to get a BOV as hed sold his old truck when times had gotten hard, his resources were tight too.
My last BOV in the USA met a strange demise and it was time for another to replace it.
Id been scanning craigslist for a while and finally found some possible matches.
Mike was adamant we avoid dealers, I on the other hand had no luck getting hold of any of the private sellers on CL.  They either wouldnt return emails or calls would be days in delay.
The dealers on the other hand seemed more promising
I was more keen on just using raw instinct and coursework to get a decent one.  Hoping some of my Ryder luck might carry the day
I settled on two vehicles for inspection.
One was a Ford Explorer, the other a Jeep Grand Cherokee

Id earlier done some checking with the Ford Explorer at Carsurvey.org and the general consensus was they were pretty reliable.  The Jeep on the other hand was more mixed results

The dealer was an interesting arab fellow whod been in the states since 1981!

The Jeep was in ragged condition, as I checked it I found the front bumper was loose while the rear bumper damn near came off in my hand.
The interior was dirty, the fan blower vibrated the whole machine, door trim was loose (you know when the interior door handle is about done).
Nearly all the power windows wouldnt work.  
The engine didnt start first time either.  
It would cost at least $1000 to get it back to BOV standards.  The final straw was it had no roof bars.
They wanted $2500 for that one which was nearly 20 years old!

The other one was the Explorer, something my instincts seemed in-tune with.  
Everything was mostly ok on this, and it even had on-the-fly 4x4 controls!
There were roof bars fitted also.    
For less than 3000 dollars it seemed ok and a good deal.
I was a bit concerned that the ABS light was on and there was the sound of a worn bearing from the front drivers side.  Something I reckoned to be connected.
All in all for the price it was an ok deal.  The book price for it was about $4700.
One test drive later and the Ryder had his BOV again!
The gatekeeper tests aka emissions evaluation it flew through ok too.
Such a vehicle needed a name so I came up with The Wolverine  or the Wolve for short as it had a kinda wolverine vibe about it when you slammed it into low-ratio 4x4!  :Smile: 

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## hunter63

Sound like packing for an Elk hunting trip.....
You will need a LOT of water, as I truely think that you get some of your air from the water you drink.....and it is super dry up that high.

Never leave camp with out your canteen.

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## crashdive123

This wouldn't be in the Medicine Bow National Forest would it?

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## Watch Ryder

It's certainly not far from that location  :Smile: 

------------------------------------------------
Mike’s garden in the city was by no means without nature.  I set my backpacker tent up...

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Big tree’s and squirrels scurried about every morning!

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I’d feed them oats on this stump and they’d soon make short work of it!

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Getting to the Wilderness Area…

*Getting to the Wilderness Area…*

The stove set-up I'd be relying on mostly for food cooking etc.
Mike's place does have a campfire area, but Forestry restrictions mean using it can be dicey with all the fires raging about in Colorado...

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For getting up to the Mountain Hold where Mike had his base there we had some challenges.

The Oregon Kid was coming in by bus on the Friday (following an epic 30 hour trip!) which initially meant we’d be going all in one vehicle.  That would mean not much space for gear.

Our luck turned though as MMM managed to secure the use of an old pickup to go up there with.
It was an old battlebus of a pickup but it just kept on truckin’.

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## Watch Ryder

We’d be going up as a convoy now and we’d be able to take with us everything but the kitchen sink!

*Prepping gear for the trip into the wilderness.*

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Mike's new solar array

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Filled up!

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The waterproof sheeting was pretty easy to secure, bungee's then rope as an added safety factor.

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The last time MMM was in his Mountain Hold not that much was done, this time though hopefully they’ll be lots of projects completed.

We met up with the Oregon Kid (OK) without incident.  Young, from a large city but quite keen to learn the basics of survivalism.  He hadn't made many posts on the S Boards but MMM was throwing him a friendly invitation all the same  :Smile: 

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After a few more days of getting him sorted out with provisions and the like we were nearly ready!

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*Lining up for the departure*

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Into the Mountains!

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## crashdive123

This wouldn't be the MMM of which you speak, would it?

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## Watch Ryder

His name rings a bell  :Smile: 
The resemblance is uncanny  :Wink:

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## hunter63

What are y'all keeping your food in?

The bunch of guys that had our camp up on Grand Mesa used a couple of old chest freezers....not to plug in but to use as food coolers as they were metal, heavy duty, lockable, and free........Loaded up with dry ice lasted for almost two weeks.
We didn't use freeze dried stuff, just groceries....lots of groceries, man, did we eat up there.

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## finallyME

Can't wait to hear about the actual living at 10000 ft thing.  It is different at that altitude, that's for sure.  Great story so far, keep us posted.

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## Seniorman

> Watch Ryder - "... Our luck turned though as MMM managed to secure the use of an old pickup to go up there with.   It was an old battlebus of a pickup but it just kept on truckin’."


That's because it's was a Ford.  Had it been a GM or Dodge truck, you'd have never made it.  :Cool2: 

S.M.

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## hunter63

There is no air outside the truck....or at least didn't look like it.

Our coolers were cheapo plastic and "kinda blew up" expanded from the difference in alt.....till a couple of seams split.

4 wheelers ran rough, air fuel mix was difference
You can see the wind coming by the quak-ies (aspens) moving down the mountain....and takes 15 minutes to get there.

Ya...... different.

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## Watch Ryder

Into the Mountains!

Getting to MMMs Retreat was a bit tricky due to the dreadful forest fire that raged through parts of Colorado in early June.  It was so bad that one of the key highways was closed and MM reckoned wed have to detour via Cheyenne.

The day we were due to travel, the road was re-opened and the way was clear once more.   :Smile: 
It was quite a sight too, once we were about a quarter of the way there we could see ash and smoke in the distance! 

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It was my first time driving at such high-elevations and the Wolverine struggled to climb up some of the mountain highway stretches.  I feared my engine was about to fail. (I later learned this was to do with the 91 octane fuel Id added earlier so no worrys).

We pulled in at some awesome views on the Snowy Range.

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This is one of the viewpoint positions!  It look's like a pocket fort.

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Snowy range intel.

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The convoy briefly rests...

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There was a couple in the area from Indiana who were travelling through, we chatted for a while then, like the olden times when partings must, we headed north and they headed south!

I asked MMM If his old battered machine was suffering from reduced power and he confirmed it, 
When we reached the mile-stone of Encampment the power to my engine was back.

Then while making the final move to the Mountain Retreat the ascent saw my vehicle loosing power again, it coped ok with the roads though.  (It coped even better when I went back to 87-88 octane)

After climbing up into the mountains once more we made a turn and rumbled on down a private dirt road.  The state highway used to be like the dirt road until twenty or so years ago...

Once at the clear dividing line of Mikes Base Spring which is the entrance I put the Wolverine into 4x4 mode and blasted on through.

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## Watch Ryder

*Mikes Bunker  The Overview*
The crowning achievement would have to be the bunker Mikes built.  

I specifically requested MMM not show me where it was on arrival, as I wanted to see how hard it would be for an absolute stranger or group to find his strongpoint.  

Id seen the pictures and video, but they only give the slightest idea of the lay of the land.  After about two minutes of scampering about I still couldnt locate it!
With the shed and store areas to confuse and bewilder I had to ask for an indication, which Mike pointed to and I was very impressed at the camouflage effect he has achieved.  It blends in very well and even the outer entrance is deceptive to the eye. 

Entering it is in fairly tight confines.  Any attacker would have an absolute nightmare trying to ferret out MMM from this fortification.

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On arriving at the Mountain Hold Mikes first move was to check on his bunker.  Great locks and chains prevented all but the most prepared and determined intruder from breaking in in his absence.
The steel door is heavy-duty, industrial rated.  A .338 lapua *might* go through cleanly, but even against that Mike has a secondary armour-belt to deter even that (possibly breaching charges and .50 cal too).

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All sorts of gear was crammed inside.  One of the most critical bits of kit was Mikes Big Berkey Water Filter!  
British-made no less and wed use it for our drinking water.  It was a slow way but wed constantly top it up and have enough water for three easily at any one time.

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As an aside Mikes water supplys were clean, but cows would soon arrive in the coming months in areas above MMM land and their vile waste could potentially taint the water a bit.
Also the system for re-filling the 6 gallon jug was awkward and cumbersome.  I made a Ryder-note to improve that later! 

Now a certain poster on a survivalist forum reckoned that Mikes bunker was a deathtrap, even saying it would collapse due to shoddy construction.
Well I went through the bunker complex quite thoroughly and I can tell you that place is rock-solid.  I walked on the bunker roof (even that is a fortification!), jumped, banged and ran about.  
It was something incredibly substantial, very likely the toughest roof in the county, if not the state (discounting military installations).
The roof-section would require an arsenal of shaped charges to attempt a direct breach.  Even this would be hazardous for Mike has gun loops set into strategic places plus an escape hatch (I could not find this and had to ask Mountain Man to show me).  
_
I will post a picture of the actual concrete construction, right now I'm rushing..._

Some more elaborate gear was on the roof and as Mike has said, he has not even told half of whats really on his land.  
He repeated this to me as I examine it.  This meant, dont mention it online so I cant say what it exactly is ;

Now we do have some project-work to reinforce the escape-hatch and other things too at a later stage.

The next part, will be about setting up my tent and about living on MMM land, plus lot's of other stuff...

All for now, another databurst later on today or possibly the next day...

Thanks to all for your support and attention.  :Smile:

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## Watch Ryder

Mountain Wound

On the second day of getting to the land I was reminded of how things can turn if you arent careful.
While I was working on getting some water plumbed in from the nearby spring to my tent Mike took a stumble and sliced his hand open.  
Its easy to do if you lose concentration, part of the reason was he was concerned about the Oregon Kid and trying to keep an eye on him.  This is understandable as if anything happens to him Mike could take heat due to his young age.
Anyway Im just finishing up the hose system while Mike is before me obviously embarrassed his hand is a bloody mess.
I could tell Mike didnt want to make a big deal about it to the Oregon Kid either.
With his hand bleeding from a one inch or so cut I could see it wasnt pumping and seemed to partly gashed in two places.
I grabbed my trusty EDC and pulled out my first aid kit.  Just before I could begin Mike asked if I could film it! My camera was at my side and as WR I obliged (footage showed later).

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The wound looked like a clean cut, no dirt or debris in the wound.

I made up three narrow butterfly stitches using zinc-oxide tape and the tiny scissors from my EDC, prior to putting the B. stitches on I put some antiseptic cream on the cut.
Mike hardly even flinched when I put them on!  
Thats Mountain Man levels of pain threshold!
It should be noted that Butterfly stitches are not *true* sutures or stitches, but are ok for light to medium cuts.  Mikes I would reckon was at least a medium cut possibly more!
I also believe that they leave a cleaner scar than invasive stitches

After Id done that I put a large band-aid over the stitches.

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Despite the clean cut I advised MMM that a clinic or hospital might be a good idea for antibiotics and a second-opinion as to whether needle and thread sutures would be needed.  
I was 50/50 in my heart on whether wounds of beyond 1 inch long and deep looking required more than what Id performed.  
Although Ive been patched up myself a few times and know basic first aid.  Im not a paramedic and would be pissed off if he ended up with a septic wound etc.
MMM said hed see how hed get on as the days progressed and, in the spirit of the libertarian way I wasnt going to object to the Mountain Man trusting his rugged immune system.

2 days after injury

Inspecting the stitches.

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Mike insisted on keeping the stitches in for 4 days or so, stating that constantly changing dressings can make the wound worse.  MMM mentioned the Vietnam War as a reference and I wasnt going to argue in either case.
A part of me did fear the wound might develop an infection after being bound up for that long.
No smell of it going-off over the following days.  
Then it became time 4 days later for MMM to remove my handywork.

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10 days after injury

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Looking good.
MMM did state it felt a bit numb at first, along with it being slightly paler but thats normal when a wound is bound up without getting full blood flow.

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No infection and the cut seems to be mending well!   
He didnt have any pain from it and his healing rate is impressive.

So there you have it folks, MMM take them knocks and keeps on truckin

Here is the video of the beginning to end saga of the hand injury!  Its quite graphic but nothing rough and tumble folks would flinch at.

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## hunter63

Don't take long for things to go south,...... looks like y'all dodged the bullet in this case......
High praise for a good First aid kit.

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## crashdive123

Watch Ryder - Just so that you are not thinking I am psychic or psychotic or something like that.....

Mountain Man Mike is a member here and has shared a lot of his bunker (scouting and building)

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...rvival-Retreat

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-do-when-there

Glad that you got to experience  the area first hand.

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## Watch Ryder

*14 June 2012*
*Out House Overhaul!*
Mike’s field-latrine had seen better days.  Indeed it needed an overhaul.

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Perhaps against my better judgement I pushed Mike into making this a priority on day 2.
We managed to incinerate the human waste after several hours but it was a tricky job and tempers flared late in the day!

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The smell wasn’t as repulsive as I expected but the biggest issue was keeping the adjacent tree’s soaked in water. Just in case they ignited.
Mike was a stalwart, he’d done this before and managed the fire well.
We had to keep a steady stream of water going in buckets from the spring.
As the blaze raged on for a while it kept trying to creep out underneath to another storage catche of materials.  The memory of the horrendous forest fire in Colorado was fresh in our minds and we didn’t want any of Wyoming’s lush forest suffering the same fate.

Nevertheless it did nearly ignite a part of a catche nearby.  
The initial ‘whoomph’ of the fire roaring up in the air gave us a big shock.  Only a half-dozen buckets made it think again. 
The smell of some synthetic materials was atrocious and it gave me a willowy head-ache for a few hours.  
Mike was certain it wouldn’t of started a forest fire due to the surroundings etc.  Plus he’d done it many times before safely.

By the end of the day we’d had enough and doused the fire completely.  

In the following few days we resumed the work…

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We finished off the Outhouse with privacy trappings, replaced the twin-plywood boards and MMM widened the ‘hole’.  

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As a finishing touch Mike added a thick plastic sheet to act as a swinging door for more privacy.  
It’s a squat-type toilet, which may take some getting used to for those who have never used one before.  
It also may not be rated to 200 pound + rated beef-cakes so if you climb atop it make sure you gingerly test your weight first!!




Now it was ready we didn’t need to keep digging holes around the perimeter of MMM’s land every time nature called!   :Smile: 

Although not everyone decided to use to outhouse, which had unforeseen consequences later…  :Wink:

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## Watch Ryder

This video is quite long, it's showing Mike on a gardening spree and his method's for keeping the critters from eating the seeds  :Smile:

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## Watch Ryder

A shorter one showing the near mythical Big Berkey filter we rely on in action.

Assembly and Cleaning of BB

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## Watch Ryder

Only two ceramic filters are in use now and Mike will have to get more if he want's it at quadruple filter capacity  :Smile:

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## Mtnman Mike

I am Mtnman Mike and I approve of this message / thread.   :Nod: 


I almost was  not going to post but I finally remembered my password and thought I have time to post at least once.    This has been a very interesting year but interesting is not always good.      It has been expensive also and I lost my nice brown F-250 truck although it was a 1988, lucky to get 10 mpg and just too expensive to run anymore.

I have also had  at least 2 dozen people email and message me from around the net wanting to come up to camp, work and Live on my mtn place.    I am thinking that this year of 2012 is unusual and people seem sorta afraid of something??   

One other guy was on my land earlier this summer around mid June. 18 year old Jorn, which is his username, well he went back to Portland, Oregon after ten days on my remote mtn retreat. He thought the retreat and mountains were awesome but he just got too tired and had blisters on his feet so he went back early since he planned to stay until June 30th. 
It was nice he at least did experience some of what is up there such as much of the scenery, hiking, seeing the trout in the neighbor's trout pond and even helping in the digging a couple days on the hole which is getting about half done for the new partially underground cabin. 

There is a Great deal that I could tell about that has happened just so far since June 1st but WR is the main one who will be doing the telling and showing with hundreds of pics and even some videos, which I am glad to see he has begun posting some of them.

HOPE that many will continue to look at this thread all summer since Watch Ryder will be posting off and on all summer. Maybe I will post more later,  although it might not be until next winter if / when I get back...   MMM

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## Rick

Glad you stopped in. It looks like things are progressing for you and with the added help at a little faster pace. Keep your head below the fence line.

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## hunter63

MMM, Thanks for the up date, been awhile.
Hope all goes well for y'all.

Will be watching this thread.

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## crashdive123

Glad things are progressing for you.

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## Mtnman Mike

Thanks for the comments guys.

I am going back up to my mtn place now and might not post for quite a while.   At least not til I get back to a town with internet / wifi.

This  summer will also be difficult since it is hotter and drier than most years.    There are some fires burning around Wyoming even my Medicine Bow national forest although at least the fires are burning 30 to 100 miles away.   The Medicine Bow forest is spread around southern and SE Wyoming  and is not just one continuous forest.   

Here is a link to one of the closest fires >   http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2970/

Glad I have the bunker for I think and hope it would survive any forest fire.     Although I almost certainly would  bug out / evacuate to a safer area...

all for now maybe not til next winter.   But Watch Ryder will likely post quite a bit more since he is telling all about what is happening this summer up there such as the building of my new partially underground cabin with 2 large windows.

MMMike

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## wildWoman

> Glad I have the bunker for I think and hope it would survive any forest fire.


Just wondering - how would that work with the air supply? In order to avoid smoke seeping in, wouldn't you have to seal it off?

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## Rick

Wildwoman - there was a time on the plains that fire bunkers were pretty common. They are simply low profile, partially underground shelters specifically for wild fires. They are sunk a couple of feet below ground, both ends are kept open and about 2 feet of dirt piled on top. As the fire sweeps across the bunker it carries with it a 2 or 3 inch layer of fresh air next to the ground. That feeds the fire so it has to have it. Since it's being sucked under the fire it's much cooler air. That cool clear air enters both ends of the bunker as long as it is below ground level. Since the heat from the fire travels in a straight line you don't have to worry about it entering the bunker. It's pretty simple really. Amazing what we can learn from our fore fathers. Amazing, too, that they aren't used more in the west since they seem to have wildfires all the time.

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## hunter63

I'm guessing that a lot fo people that live out west now, were not born there.....same as down south....and bring their old habits with them.

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## Rick

Probably true. And we've gotten so far away from the old ideas that no one remembers them.

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## wildWoman

> Wildwoman - there was a time on the plains that fire bunkers were pretty common. They are simply low profile, partially underground shelters specifically for wild fires. They are sunk a couple of feet below ground, both ends are kept open and about 2 feet of dirt piled on top. As the fire sweeps across the bunker it carries with it a 2 or 3 inch layer of fresh air next to the ground. That feeds the fire so it has to have it. Since it's being sucked under the fire it's much cooler air. That cool clear air enters both ends of the bunker as long as it is below ground level. Since the heat from the fire travels in a straight line you don't have to worry about it entering the bunker. It's pretty simple really. Amazing what we can learn from our fore fathers. Amazing, too, that they aren't used more in the west since they seem to have wildfires all the time.


Oh that's intereresting! Thanks for that  :Smile:  I wish the fore fathers (and mothers) could all have lived to a healthy oh, 300 years or so. So much more to learn.

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## Watch Ryder

*June 24th*
*
Canopy Kitchen*
For some days now Ive been wanting to deploy a canopy shelter over the cooking area.  
As it is the blazing heat makes meal preparation almost unbearable from mid-day onwards.  Almost like nature is assaulting you.
If you wait until sun-down the forest air-service mosquitos take over with more direct attacks.  
I also suspect rainfall is due and dont want the cooking stuff to get soaked either.  
After some mental storming for a few minutes I put my western mind of gears and wheels spinning until a few lightning erupted!  :Smile: 

Its late afternoon and I dont have time to mess around.
I first try using some camouflage netting but the size is too small.

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Then I spy some brown hessian under some materials nearby.  Its huge but only just big enough for the area!
After untangling it and dragging it over to the cooking area.
Mikes wondering what Im doing now and suggests using the nearby trees to suspend the hessian.  

As my original plan had been to dig down and plant wooden uprights, Mikes suggestion made it miles easier.  Although Id have to make a lot of adjustments with the twine I was using to suspend it with.

Mike made the job easier and improved again by having a middle support cord running under the center of the canopy.  That meant it had a ridge instead of being flat and susceptable to cave-in under heavy rain and snow.

After about an hour of tree-tying and scrambling about the canopy was up.
It didnt look too bad either, Id have to get some better cordage in Colorado as the twine tended to snap under gusts of winds.

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From a distance it looked like and alive brown thing when it inflated.  Mike even joked it was the wind breathing in and out, like a huge lung! LOL.
I was happy though and could finally sit under some shade while cooking and working etc.
Big day tomorrow, were off South to Mikes City Retreat!
Hopefully not for too long though

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## Watch Ryder

*Day of Departure*

Not much to say on this one, except we returned to Colorado via a different route and I shot some video along the Wy – Colorado Border.

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## Watch Ryder

Then we went back into the city via the backroads, passing all the farm and smallsville towns on the way...
Apart from a Sheriff waiting to catch speeding vehicles there were no drama's.

*Sojorn in the City*

After what seemed like a whirlwind of internet posting, shopping and waiting we were away again for another ascent into the Mountain Hold.
This time Britzen and BnB were the newcomers and possibly Biathalon plus Kronen.
On the road north we saw thick haze and smoke, even at the Snowy Range it was noticeable.

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## Rick

You are certainly going to have some memories out of this adventure along with the education.

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## hunter63

As with any trip planned away for the rest of the world, seems like it's a trial and error type of thing.....what works and what doesn't....How long supplies last, what did you run out of etc.

MMM has posted his camp in the past, and has done a lot of work on it, spent time there, alloying him to have a good idea of what goes into it........That has to be an advantage to a new comer, and a real good way to learn what goes into it.

What was the time between first arrival, then departure for resupply.......etc?

The reason I ask, is that with a trial "bug out" actually just the spring opening of "The Place", (our cabin) requiring restocking anything that might freeze, fresh foods, and of course anything that may have happened over a couple of months....But having everything pre-packed, and deciding at the last minute to go....just to see how long it took to pack and hit the road.

We found that one week was easy, two.... stretching it a bit, till a trip to town for restock.

Nothing like doing it to find out..........

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## Mtnman Mike

We  are not really  re-supplying hunter.

WR and I could go all summer without going to town since I have at least a one year supply of food and two springs  we mainly come to town now to post.  And maybe get a snack.   And now this library is closing so all for now.   maybe we will post more in a couple weeks or in August.

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## hunter63

Gotcha,.....I know from your past posts that you have been doing this for a while, and had it together, now you have added some help, so was just curious on how it was going.

Our trips be it out west hunting, canoe pac- ins, heading out to the cabin (lot easier to have staples and supplies cached), and even rendezvous, the "aw carp, I forgot the ....whatever?..."....does seem to happen.
All thel ists and discussion in the world boils down to "just do it"...if you want to know.

No ice machine, general camp ground store, landry, or even a saloon for a steak and a beer.......Our goal is packing for "No re-supply".....for a lot of reasons.
Running out of TP is "a go to town" reason as far as DW is concerned.

Thanks for the up date, sounds like a good time.

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## Watch Ryder

Once at the Mountain Hold it was the feat of unloading gear once again.
The roof bag Id bought was a real boon as the rear cargo area was RAMMED with stuff, much more than last time as Mikes gear was inside too.
It felt a bit weird returning, theres always a funny feeling that maybe someone might have been up on the land while we were away, snooping or even stealing stuff.
A careful check here and there saw all was well.
All our firearms were of course safetly stowed and on us.  Mike checked the hallowed bunker and his locking mechanism was intact!

We had only two days before Britzen and BnB arrived, Mike and I added some more privacy to the Outhouse (a tin sheet so no-one could see from the high-national-forest wilderness).
I set up my backpacker tent again, just in case when they arrived it was dark and too awkward to set their own tent up.

*The Tree and the Survivalists
*On the day of their arrival Mike had, with Survivalist Humour, mentioned a comedy moment in a Robin Williams movie where he pushes a tree down in front of an approaching vehicle to cause it to brake.  
He suggested we do the same to Britzen and BnB as a big prank partly in homage and also partly with Survivalist Humour in mind!  
I readily agreed to the bold move.

Although at the back of my mind I knew a smashed in vehicle, injured occupants and murderous intentions toward us could be on the cards, should it go terribly wrong!!
As added spice Mike suggested I hide in the trees, ready to spring out and surprise the started pair in full camo and armed with an AR-clone rifle!
My mind worked through the feasibility of doing it, together with filming it at the same time!
The hour approached and we set up the gambit!

Mike had the dead, upright tree set up on the old logging road that runs above and to the left of the main approach road.  When it fell, it would not quite fall onto the road, but would tumble and possibly slide down.  It was a tall tree too, at least 30 feet high and just big enough for Mike to manhandle.  I at first suggested he move it right to the edge and free of the upper branches of the tree it was leaning against. 
Then seeing how awkward and cumbersome it was to get near the edge without dropping it prematurely I changed my mind, saying his way was best (which even afterwards I think was).

After changing positions twice in order to get the best angle of both the vehicle approaching and the falling tree I waited on the lower approach road
I wasnt going to step out until the tree fell, out of the risk of being run over.
I was also well aware of the fact that either Britzen or BnB could well be armed so would of course play it only casually serious for prankster value.  Id not aim the rifle I had slung at them, but would instead pretend to be doing a vehicle checkpoint and demand papers or something to that effect etc.
The AR I had was unloaded and if either of the startled survivalists drew shooting irons Id dive deep back into the foliage Id appear from.  :Smile: 

Happy with my plan I waited in the leafy shadows of approaching evening.

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## Watch Ryder

Well before long Mike called down that he could see their vehicle approaching and I started rolling the camera.  Surely this would cause a cool buzz on fickle youtube??

Mike pushed and twisted the tree.

Nothing.
He pushed and heaved and PUSHED again yet it would not fall!
The damned thing was tangled up against the tree it was leaning on.  
By now the window of opportunity had passed and and SUV rumbled past unawares of the fuss that was going on.
Mike you blew it!  I called out in despair.  

A mountain bellow from him rang back and I was glad to be out of tree range as make emphasised how stuck it was.
By now the SUV had gone slightly past the fyord and I waved my arms and attracted their attention.
I still found it funny though, although the prank had failed, there was still a comedy of errors factor to the whole thing.
I shook hands first with BnB and told him of what hed missed and he laughed, saying (joking I hope) maybe it was for the best as his Glock 31 was in the glovebox!!

BnBs A tall bearish kinda guy with a friendly demeanour but with a way that told you hed only be pushed so far!
Then out came Britzen. 
Finnish, formidable and finally at the Mountain Hold!
Dressed in shorts (good god the mosquitos will have a field day!) she certain dressed casual for the mountain realms yet seemed to be less bothered than most when it came to the mosquito onslaught

Mike had had dozens of people who said they would come to his realm, yet I was the third and now numbers five and six were here!
A seventh was their friendly black dog Absinthe who was surely a pooch none could fault.

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They brought all sorts of stuff with them, cooking pots called dutch ovens (there are two types), a solar oven, fresh vegetables from their own land and other rustic foods. 
Theres no doubt in my mind that these two are the masters of food supply!  They must surely have settlement levels of food at their fingertips over in Idaho!

This is the Britzen and her cooking panoply in 'action'...




The next day Mike suggested a trip to the nearby landmark of the CDT and some other camping grounds.  There was a grave at one and it was of a person whod died young in 1929.
Two beings of the forest service drove to the camping ground while we where there in a pale green pickup.
We were all palavering at the back of the SUV and noticed them.
They drove in through the entrance then slowed down, looking at us, while we looked back.
I was in my trusty camo-smock and MMM was in his trademark combat jacket.
Perhaps we cut a survivalist note to the arrival of authority.
Yet the passenger of the pick-up, a swarthy faced fellow nodded at me in a sort of friendly way as the driver swung the vehicle around and they went away as theyd arrived.  Perhaps I should of waved or made a friendly gesture back instead of being impassive?

On that day BnB, a fire and rescue operative of some note, viewed the rock of the ages with a discerning eye.
Where I like to instinctually gauge and weigh up things by gut feeling BnB uses the power of logic and calculation!
Both methods are winners of course but he made a better estimate of the rocks mass than I did.
I reckoned just over 2000 pounds.
BnB, using the estimation of one cubic foot of the stone as 166 pounds came to the figure of 1992 pounds.
As this strange meeting of minds went forth BnB reminded me, in no uncertain terms, that hed over 28 years experience in fire and rescue!
With my six years or so I could not argue, especially when he mentioned the arcane ways of Cribbing something unknown to me until that day.

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## Watch Ryder

We set up the job some thick rope Id bought from a hardware store anchored to a big tree nearby.  With a re-woven figure of 8 knot anchored to it I made a figure of 9 knot to anchor the come-along in place.
Then I got some chain to make up the distance and ran out the come-along and rigged it all up.
BnB was a great help, while I am knowledgeable of lifting stops, lifting machines and the like, come-alongs of the type Id bought were not the same as the British ones Id used at work.
Additionally Id never worked with heavy chain before, BnB gave me some helpful pointers here too.

After some digging about the rock I made some overtures to make a test-pull on the top-most part.
After a few minutes of putting the wire, rope and chains through their paces we gave up on turning it.  At least until it was dug out a bit more!
My knees ached from all the chains Id hauled up the hill and the heat was heavy so we all called it a day and settled down.

Britzen cooked up a rustic, hearty meal in a dutch oven of bacon, peppers, millet, some lettuce-type vegetables and another white edible thing chopped up.  Around it, wrapped in foil, were multiple beets that slowly cooked amid the hot charcoals. 
After we'd eaten BnB showed us some of the 'new' digital camo in service.  Both he, I and MMM were not impressed:




After we'd looked that over, in the spirit of the 4th of the July that some gunplay was in order.
I asked Mike if it was ok.
In his enigmatic way he whispered away into the wilderness, then came back bringing a swing target Id set up earlier.  Hed mentioned that the old position it was in was in anothers land and would be better up the mountain way, shooting onto national forest.
Getting into the spirit of things BnB got out the glock 31, while I brought out the faithful Benelli M1.
Then it was time for some rip-roaring, boomsticking, gun play.
I even tried out one of the slugs Id bought.

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## Watch Ryder

The target was small, but I managed to clout it through the outer ring at about 25 yards.  
With a bead sight and stood up that’s not too bad.
I finished off with three blasts of No 4 birdshot and all three clouted home, the third one sending the entire target spinning up in the air  :Big Grin: 

Then it was BnB’s turn.

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## Watch Ryder

He too hit home.  His third shot missed, just going high, but with the ways of experience he explained that the third was a headshot.

Then, about an hour later two of the Cabineer’s showed up on ATV’s.  One of them ‘Randy’ had a real power-house of a machine.  It had heated grips, power-steering and even a front-mounted winch.  
He generously let both BnB and myself have a ride on it.  
I took the machine up to about 30 mph before backing it down and turning around.  No need to Ozzy Osbourne the thing and end up in a heap.
One of them was the one who’d given the Oregon Kid a lift to the bus-station and we asked him about it briefly.  
Either he wasn’t in a talking mood, or maybe he wanted to stay out of any other reason’s of the Kid’s sudden departure as he was very evasive and totally stand-offish.

After some friendly talk about this and that, including how Randy had gone ATVing at 0130 hrs to the top of a mountain (possibly with some ‘heavy fuel’ powering him!) and ended up duelling dogs and sheep, they roared away to their cabin’s.

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## Watch Ryder

*5 July*
Today was the day of the rock!  Mike started on digging around it at about 0600hrs, while I was in the land of fey dreams I awoke to noises of shovel on dirt and activity.
I joined him an hour or so later and I resumed the ordeal of come-along work.  I had no luck and the morning ended with Mountain Mike losing his cool, in spectacular fashion, partly due to my ryder ideas clashing with his own mountain ones it must be said.
I heard a few seconds of distant clashing of metal on metal as MMM worked out his mountain rage.  Better out than in I say.




This was did not set a bad vibe, as its a tough project, even with BnBs assistance.  If we are to build Mikes Gulch there would be conflabs like this from time to time.

The heat of the day crept in and Mike tackled the rock alone, like a determined automaton relentless in his mission.
In times like that I could tell it was time to let MMM attack the rock single-handed and he did.  

He joined a second come-along onto the first and managed to move the entire rock over twelve inches.
Then, like an exhausted Trojan he retired to his tent to regenerate for more work with the coming dawn.

I too was busy on another project, inside the cabin-tent I had my ad-hoc gunsmithing table set up. 

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I decided to tear down and rebuilding the Mossberg .22 repeater.  As it was fresh out of the factory it had thick a grease-like substance resembling Vaseline on the bolt carrier assembly areas which needed removing and replacing with gun oil.  Otherwise it would be prone to jamming.

It took me over 2 hours and nearly had me at the doorway to insanity.  Many screws to contend with, plus two nightmare pins to remove with only my multi-tool to do it.  Thankfully I had some allen key attachments which also were required.
The trigger mechanism removal to access the Bolt carrier assembly was such a fiddly and peculiar design I was almost resigned to calling out to BnB for help. 
On re-assembly the trigger mech once again confounded me as I accidently bent the firing pin spring slightly which had me near incandesant with mountain rage.
I was tempted to hurl the entire weapon, spring and all to the four winds outside.  
I managed to gather my way and, after another hour, had the entire weapon assembled and ready for test-firing later

Later that afternoon we all tackled the rock once more!

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.This time we dug out a deep depression in front of the rock, that way it wouldnt dig in.
After a few hours it was nearly ready for a log rolling frame to be put underneath

Then I put the Mossberg through its paces on the range.  

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## Watch Ryder

It didn’t jam once!  Something I’d feared it may do due to the spring incident.
Mountain Mike had a go blasted off some rapid fire shooting, as did BnB.




Britzen cooked up a dish of delight for dinner just afterwards.  This was a tasty thing, shepard’s pie with freshly baked bread from her solar oven no less.
Just as she was dishing up though, the heaven’s opened and the entire Mountain Hold soon got a thorough soaking!

Most of my gear was under shelter but some towels and gloves got wet.  Worryingly the cabin-tent has a leak in the worst possible spot, above my air-mattress bed!
Thankfully the drip leak only shows when the rain get’s heavy.  In fact it maybe sealed itself or something as in the later weeks it never leaked again in that area!

Before nightfall I decided to do some more project-work, this time by adding a precision ocular scope to the Mossberg .22
I had to remove the existing dove-tail mounts, then add weaver / picatinny one’s, otherwise the scope wouldn’t fit.

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After 30 minutes I had it on there and took in the difference.
It added a bit of weight to the rifle but the design of the weapon allows both it or the iron sights to be used, as well as allow carriage by the carrying handle.

Then it was to bed, where, as I type, another drip had just dinked onto the laptop!  :Frown:

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## Watch Ryder

*6th July*

It rained through the night and the following morning the mountain was a different place in some ways.
The mosquitos were subdued and docile along with the heat being way down.
Plenty of clouds and a few patches of sunlight here and there.  
BnB, MMM and I tackled the rock once again in the morning.
After a few hours of that we separated onto separate projects.

An area of MMMs collapsed shed complex was still intact and it looked a feasible area to repair and clear out for storage of gear.

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After getting the nod from Mountain Mike I set about building a ramp assembly of logs and pallets to ascend up to the area.

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It would need a door eventually but at least when the springs flowed in that area it would be above the waterline.

*The Y2K Catche!*
An old stash of Mikes had been in storage for over a decade and it had some pinto beans MMM wished to gift to BnB and Britzen.
Getting it out of the shed complex was a nightmare, at one point I nearly slide off the roof!  With Ryder luck and scrambling I managed to get into a good position to film the antics of MMM accessing the 55 gallon steel drum.
It fell down next to my tent, fortunately it landed on its head and didnt roll, otherwise my sleeping quarters would have been battered to oblivion!

Opening it up was a revelation, it had been sealed up in 1999 and for nearly 13 years had been in storage.  Even the collapse of the roof had not affected it.

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Every item inside was in immaculate condition and I made sure to film the moment

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## Watch Ryder

Later on Randy showed up and invited us all to his place.
His cabin has a shower and plumbed in toilet!  He kept offering the use of it and I took him up on that offer.
Liberal Mark showed up making teenage noises and being bothersome in general.
I made moves to a distant valley cliff and took in the scenery.  Even from there I could here LMs voice criticising Idaho for an unknown reason which echoed over to me.
Understandably Britzen and BnB did not take to LM much.
Randys relatives arrived and it was time to go soon after. 
Once back at the Mountain Hold Britzen weaved her cookery wand and rustled up another dish of delight.  

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After an hour of sitting around the campfire chatting Britzen made a faux pas by criticising Mikes food procurement plans in such a way to grind his gears.
Without going in to the machinery of it this is what I summarize it as:
MMMs long-term survival plan in the event of a TEOTWAWKI seemed perfectly feasible to me, especially with the minimal people living in the area and the hostile wilderness conditions Britzen reckoned the homesteading farm was key post collapse.
Formidible Britzen was respectful of course, if a little brusque, unswerving and untactful.
I wish Id recorded Mikes lyrical and impassioned response as it was pure gold.  It went up and down, left and right with striding moves and flourishes, plus a glare or too in her direction.
Mike even remarked, as an aside in a joking manner that, with all my camera doings, inquisitive ways and unknown elements I could be a CIA / MI6 operative!

I never laughed as hard in weeks at that one, I made a mental note to needle him about that in the coming days.

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## Watch Ryder

*July 7th*

Today Britzen and BnB left the Mountain Hold.
BnB had been having issue’s dealing with the high elevation also Britzen had pressing work engagements elsewhere in the US.
Before they departed though BnB lent a hand on the rock in the morning.




We’d managed to move the rock several more feet using a car-jack, come-alongs and shovelling.  Only a few feet more and it would almost be in position.

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They left some food supplies and even a solar cooker.  In exchange Mike bartered some pinto beans from the big storage drum.
After wishing-well and farewells they were away on their long journey across the stateline…

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## Watch Ryder

Then I returned to the Shed complex for more tidying and preparing the area for storage.
While I was reinforcing the pallet’s with more wood and nails I struck my thumb nail with a clout from the ‘lump’ hammer.
I was using the wrong tool for the job, a lighter hammer would have been far more efficient.
I also wasn’t wearing my yellow ‘waldo’ gloves but the thinner ones I’d normally have for delicate work.
As I jumped about in agony I clouted a few dead trees and mother earth with the lumping thing.
After about two hours I realised the swelling from my thumb would be an issue, especially when it’s a nail injury.  I’ve had these before on the oil platforms, if you don’t ‘trefine’ or relieve the pressure, the thumbnail can drop off.




Grimly taking my storm lighter and safety pin I heated it up and carefully pierced a hole in the nail, just underneath the red area.
Compared to the specialist tool a surgeon uses (a thick, broad, blunted heat wire with wards to prevent it going too deep) I had to be careful.
If I applied too much pressure the needle would go halfway through my thumb, too little and it would go nowhere.
After about 3 minutes I’d gotten through the nail and pricked flesh.  
That was the ‘pilot’ hole complete, I then widened it with a thicker safety pin.
Not a pleasant experience, but the swelling eased off greatly and the healing benefits outweighed the small pain.
A tiny speck of discolouration showed at the nail-bed and that was the end of the first-aid drama  :Smile:

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## Watch Ryder

*8th July*

MMM got his ATV out of storage today and its battery still had some charge.
We got the tires pumped up on it and the scrambler bike. 

I cleared an area for a 100 yard firing range, paced out the distance, set up the swing target and looked for a decent firing position.  
A lot of survivalists and preppers make noises about guns and so on, but dont even zero them in or become proficient with them.  I intended to zero in the Mossberg in the coming days.
A pallet and a log at first will do for a makeshift bench-rest.




It rained on and off for part of the day.
Saw a pine-marten mooching about near Mikes bunker.  I caught the tail movement disappearing around a corner.  Then about a minute later I noticed its inquisitive face peering out from the shadows underneath the shed-complex.  It had a nice grey and tan coat with a somewhat bush tail.  Kind of like a cross between a weasel and a fox I guess.  Although its somewhat longer than a fox. 
It was a curious little thing and came within about six feet of me, before moving away again.
I had my camera, but I felt it would of scurried away at any sudden movements like that.  Maybe another day Ill get it filmed
Tomorrow is internet update day, along with binning some trash from the Mountain Hold.  I wonder how all the videos Ive uploaded are doing?

*10th July* 

We didnt get back to the mountain hold until just before 2300 hrs.
The next morning I was making breakfast at Kitchen Canopy when I heard a strange accented voice calling up from the road.
I looked down and saw a man and a small boy standing there.
At first I thought it was Biathalon and his son but MMM said it was not him, but Alfred, the eccentric Dutch-American whod finally returned to his mountain cabin.
Hed found it in good condition save for the chimney pipe being damaged and requiring attention.  Hence his visit to the Mountain Hold.

I shook hands with him, noting his grip was not that of a weak and frail geriatric.
He was in his late 70s, his eyes were as blue as mine and they certainly gleamed with a friendly nature.
His grandson was as all-american as they get, blonde hair and like a child from the 1950s, all innocent yet happy-go-lucky with the life he had.  Definitely not a big-city-kid and MMM told me that he wanted for nothing, although Alfred did not let him couch potato it while staying at his cabin.

On the way to his Cabin we spoke of some our experiences with Israel, mine while working and adventuring in Asia and he from his friendship with a young lady from there who studied in the USA.
There was something of the adventurer about this man, he had an ocean-going boat moored off a port in either Oregon or Washington.  MMM told me that Alf could out-hike even him until recent years. 
It took for quite a while but wed made it to his cabin.  

A nice cabin it was too.  Even nice than Randys, for it had a 1000 gallon water tank with an auto-replenishment system from the spring.
Plumbing for a toilet, hot-water shower and even a basement level for a workshop and storage!
Including the basement it had three floors.
We didnt have too much time to look it over as Alf went over his issue with the Chimney Stove.
During the winter the top had blown off and certain parts were missing.  Not only was the rain and snow going to get in, but Alfred had a deceased visitor greet him on opening his stove up!

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That cap needed fixing but he was no roofer and asked if MMM and I could go up and fix it instead!

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MMM wasnt too keen on climbing the roof also, so WR had to step up to the plate as it were.
Fortunately I have worked on sloping roofs before in the UK with my Uncle Garth so I was fairly confident.  
Even so MMM asked me if I had insurance, to which I told him of course that I hadnt any as it was against my self-reliant beliefs.  :Wink:   With that we got started.

We took out a step-ladder and cat ladder first of all.
Putting the step ladder on the balcony under the roof Alf did a good job tying it off to his inside balcony.
It would be used to clamber up to the Cat-ladder wed have going up the sloping roof.
When it was secure I took some rope, anchored it to the end of the cat-ladder and threw it over the roof to the other side of the house.
I made sure I wrapped it in gloves as the caribineer on the end might of ended up smashing a window or worse.
Getting the cat ladder up was ok once wed extended it a bit.  MMM was on the other side and he helped haul it up
Then I clambered on up.  

Alf insisted I use a rope to tie myself onto something in case I fall.  So I tied a rolling clove-hitch  onto ridge-end of ladder rung and left enough slack to get out to the work area.
(I must say that although at first I reckoned Alfs safety-first mindset reminded me of work back in Europe it did pay off I think as my way would have been more dangerous.)

Getting to the end-unit of the chimney was easy.  Removing it from its tight grip with the lower end was not the cinch I thought it would be.
When these things are installed they are a very flush fit indeed.
I at first figured it was a screw-in, screw-out job.  It was not.
It was instead a ridge-lock fit; About six or seven ridges ringed the circumference and I had to wiggle them all out.
With the summer heat blasting down on me Alf shouted up words of friendly encouragement.
Take your time, No rush now. Do you need any tools?  And other such words creep up from below.

I thought I might need a hammer but tried a long successive amount of jerks and pulls.
Finally with a shout and a bing of metal on metal I had it off, nearly losing my balance a bit and wavering backwards.  
I recovered though and Alf said to cast down the object, which resembled a strange flying saucer.
I did this and then took in the view of the mountains before clambering on down.

Alf made both MMM and I a tasty lunch then made arrangements to pick up the replacement part the following day.

I didnt bring my camera for the removal part, but will do so for the installation.  :Smile:

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## Watch Ryder

This is the cap that went back on...

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Once back at the Mountain Hold Mike and I remarked on the days doings.Then I got back to some projects.
One of which is setting up a firing position on the range and zeroing the .22 carbine.

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## Watch Ryder

*Rangework*

I gathered an old pallet, two thick logs, some mesh sacking bundled together, some padded material and hessian to waterproof it in.
That was my bench rest set-up.  It’s only good for prone position firing but I don’t mind prone-firing.




I set the range target at roughly 90-100 yards using the pacing method.
Then I tried zeroing it with some Remington CeeBee subsonic ammo.  The first two shots I took were duds, the primers failed to fire the main charge.
The remaining three rounds failed to cycle the working parts.  The sound report was fairly muted though.
Making a mental note to return the ammo at a later resupply date I switched to the more reliable Winchester high-velocity rounds.
It took me a few go’s but after some adjustments I had the swing target registering constant hits.

Then it was time to finish as the raindrops began and soon turned into some heavy showers…

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## hunter63

Hey, thanks for the up-date........very cool......sounds like things are going well.....

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## Rick

I enjoy reading about your day to day activities. You've got a lot going on.

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## Mtnman Mike

Not sure why Watch Ryder has not posted updates in this thread.   He is writing a book or two though among some other things.   

I am not on the net much either but I try to post when necessary.

I see that WR has posted quite a few videos which I still have to download some more of those and watch them.

Hope none are embarrassing especially to me.   

Such as this one which looks like a pic of a skinny guy at a Siberian forced labor camp  :EEK!: >   

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## Mtnman Mike

Maybe I will create a new thread about the bunker shootout video but not sure how it would go over even in this good forum.

It has been seen by quite a few in other places and liked by many but hated by too many also.   

My bunker is mainly for secure storage and a good tornado / storm shelter but the following video shows what could happen If raiders were to attack !  This video was also made by Watch Ryder and I just for fun last August 2012 but also to show the bunker in action >

Trailer - Plz watch this first!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az3B6tAB1tQ

Raiders of the Mountain Hold and the bunker in action! >

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQXkNEE_lns



And This post will hopefully explain what is shown in the bunker shooting video. Some people might only have dial up, like I have had most of my internet life but they likely can view pics.   They are just snapshots from the vid so won't be high quality.  Wish the video could have been high definition even in full screen but take it for what it is worth  >

This pic shows the beginning of the driveway into Mike's Gulch and shows some grouse walking along the road.   They seem tame but really are wild birds > 

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This pic shows me hitting WR on the back to wake him up while he is supposed to be watching the road. >

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Watch Ryder whom I will refer to as WR watching the road near the bunker.  I like the small screen showing the bike rider >   

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One of several places to shoot out from and near the bunker.  This is just right outside the front door which I later quickly entered after running out of ammo in that gun >

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Using the periscope to look out the main porthole out of the bunker which looks down on the private dirt road, before I put my head there to look and shoot out >  

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Looking out of the main porthole out of the bunker >

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Ammo cans which may or may not be full of all kinds of ammo.   Some do only have papers in them.   Plus an army backpack etc. >

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3 of the guns used in this video. ID them if you wish >

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WR shooting out of the bunker.   This pic is when he shoots himself - the guy trying  to blow up the bunker.   Took lots of time to create this video which I take little credit in making it.    I just furnished most of the props, land, bunker etc. am in a few scenes. >

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The explosion outside the bunker after the guy tried to blow it up.  This explosion was made from quite a few firecrackers bunched together.   Wyoming does sell many  kinds of firecrackers unlike  most states including Colorado. >   Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

The top  of the periscope after it was put up out of the bunker to look out >

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Right after the periscope was shot up.  I purposefully did not make the periscope too well, just with clear tape holding it together.  But it did work with the two mirrors.  And those plants are Not marijuana, just stinging nettles which are good to have by the back trap door >

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Me looking at the shot up periscope.  I did wear a green metal helmet but someday will paint it Olive drab - I only had that green paint last summer. And notice the concrete wall which is the only concrete wall in the bunker, most of it is made of logs >    

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Me shooting out of the bunker out of the main porthole and notice the inset pic of the outside >   

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MM Mike shooting wearing the red ear muff hearing protection.  Needed it shooting in that enclosed area, although I always wear hearing protection in noisy areas >

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This is a pic of one of the attackers although it is actually me wearing the black helmet with a molotov cocktail about ready to hit the front steel door.  I was Not going to risk burning down this bunker which took me 10 summers to build.  I wet down the area and had 10 gallons of water on hand.   Not too easy handling that fiery bottle but no danger.   The things I do for the internet >  

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The fiery explosion when the fiery cocktail hit the black front steel door.  And it might seem like the end but just wanted an exciting ending.   The fire and explosion did no damage except a little burned paint.   >

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And as I have said I had little to do with creating this video.  I did not make up the story, the scenes, plot or the way it ended etc.   But I do like it overall and really I have no criticisms of this video.

IF any out there must criticize this bunker shooting video please say why you don't like it.   And what could be done to make it better.    Thanks.   

My bunker ( which I suppose I should just call an underground cabin ) is mainly for secure storage and a good storm shelter but the following video shows what could happen If raiders were to attack !  This video was also made just for fun but also to show the bunker in action.  This is the 8 minute long version which tells more of this fictional story >

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## hunter63

MM thanks for posting, that's a lot of work.....Well done.
Been awhile, glad you checked in.

Y'all have a back door?

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## Mtnman Mike

> MM thanks for posting, that's a lot of work.....Well done.
> Been awhile, glad you checked in.
> 
> Y'all have a back door?


Thanks for the response hunter.    I guess I will post the bunker shootout video in its own thread and see if many will respond or even like it.

And I do have a back door about 20 feet from the front black steel door.  

Back trap door showing 3 foot thick rock and concrete roof.  Took 250 eighty pound bags of concrete mix to make the concrete roof. I try to improve the bunker / underground shelter every summer.  I did remove the stuff in the small hole next to the back door and I use that small hole for a wood stovepipe  or even to raise the periscope.  I must make a new periscope since the one shown in the video got shot up   >

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## Sarge47

Didn't Colorado just pass an "Assault Rifle ban?"......... :Cowboy:

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## Mtnman Mike

> Didn't Colorado just pass an "Assault Rifle ban?".........


Good question and maybe someone else knows for sure since I am not following the latest news too close.   

And one more reason I am glad I bought my mtn place Not in Colorado but in southern Wyoming, in 1987.   The bunker and bunker shootout video was created on my remote mountain retreat last August.   
I also helped make that bunker shootout video to show that it is still possible to own a bunker and even shoot high capacity "assault" weapons.   Even use a molotov cocktail on my front steel bunker door although it was not a true molotov cocktail since it was only gasoline in the bottle.   And took a couple tries to get that "explosion" at the end of the video.

I am in Greeley, Colorado right now until June but I camp, work and Live on my mtn place from June to Nov.  every year since 1999.   Soon hope to move to Wyoming permanently and let CO and the rest of the world go nanny socialist - whatever.     I think WY is one of the last old fashioned free states and hope it does not go the way of most of the rest of the world.    But it is good to have a remote mtn retreat where likely even the government won't bother with such small "pickins"

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## Sarge47

> Good question and maybe someone else knows for sure since I am not following the latest news too close.   
> 
> And one more reason I am glad I bought my mtn place Not in Colorado but in southern Wyoming, in 1987.   The bunker and bunker shootout video was created on my remote mountain retreat last August.   
> I also helped make that bunker shootout video to show that it is still possible to own a bunker and even shoot high capacity "assault" weapons.   Even use a molotov cocktail on my front steel bunker door although it was not a true molotov cocktail since it was only gasoline in the bottle.   And took a couple tries to get that "explosion" at the end of the video.
> 
> I am in Greeley, Colorado right now until June but I camp, work and Live on my mtn place from June to Nov.  every year since 1999.   Soon hope to move to Wyoming permanently and let CO and the rest of the world go nanny socialist - whatever.     I think WY is one of the last old fashioned free states and hope it does not go the way of most of the rest of the world.    But it is good to have a remote mtn retreat where likely even the government won't bother with such small "pickins"


I agree, WY is a very good state!  And yes, Colorado DID indeed pass that stupid bill.  I'm glad I left!    ...... :Creepy:

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## Watch Ryder

Just buzzed back in!

Well the latest news is kinda ok.  About to go on a little mini-adventure somewhere in Euroland but my main goal of the USA eludes me.

It seems that since 1965 it has been made just about impossible to legally get work in the USA.  I've legally worked in the USA before but only on a temporary basis.

I've got a good contact in the USA who is bending over backwards with lawyers and allsorts to try and get me legally buzzed across but so far the signs are not good.
IF and it's a big IF I can get the hallowed visa / permission from the big state apparatus of the USA then you'll be seeing many more buzzball threads like this one!

So it's fingers crossed time now folks.

One door has closed, and will the other open?

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## Mtnman Mike

> Just buzzed back in!
> 
> Well the latest news is kinda ok.  About to go on a little mini-adventure somewhere in Euroland but my main goal of the USA eludes me.
> 
> It seems that since 1965 it has been made just about impossible to legally get work in the USA.  I've legally worked in the USA before but only on a temporary basis.
> 
> I've got a good contact in the USA who is bending over backwards with lawyers and allsorts to try and get me legally buzzed across but so far the signs are not good.
> IF and it's a big IF I can get the hallowed visa / permission from the big state apparatus of the USA then you'll be seeing many more buzzball threads like this one!
> 
> ...


Hope it all works out WR.

And hope by June first you know for sure if you are coming to the USA.   Especially if you will be camping some or all summer on my mtn place, which you call the mountain Hold.

I know of no better place to make the kinds of videos you made last summer which many are shown in this thread. 

Hope to hear from you soon.

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