What is the best way to melt snow for water?

This article is taken from Tony Nester's popular monthly column with Outside Magazine. To read more from his "Survival Guru" column, visit http://www.outsideonline.com

On overnight winter treks, I always bring a pillowcase that I turn into a snowmelting device later at camp. Simply pack the pillowcase with snow and hang it off a branch near (not over) the campfire. A pot below can catch the dripping water. It normally takes about 30 minutes to fill a quart of water this way so we keep the device going during our evening fire. One woodsman from Michigan I know, prefers using a mosquito headnet instead of a pillowcase as his snowmelting device. Just be cautious not to get the headnet, which is made of nylon, too close to the fire or it will melt.

Other methods that I have used include the “snow marshmallow” where you take a large, soccer-ball sized lump of snow (like the hardpacked kind you make for a snowman), and place it on a stick anchored near the fire. You can also use a few (hopefully clean) socks or a bandanna that are stuffed with snow and hung by the fire.

I have heard of survivors using black trash bags and reflective emergency blankets with snow on top to passively melt snow in the sun.

On short dayhikes, I bring along a Nalgene water bottle that is covered from top to bottom with black duct tape to provide me with a passive solar snow-melting device. I have another (lightweight “whiskey” flask) bottle that has a 3’ loop of webbing taped on so I can wear it around my neck and inside my parka where my bodyheat converts the snow into water while I hike.

If you are going to melt snow in your cooking pot over the fire or campstove, be sure to add a little water first unless you like the taste of burnt snow.

For further info on Tony's survival courses, books, or DVDs, check out http://www.apathways.com

News and Events at Ancient Pathways

It's been quite a while since posting (6 months!) and an extremely busy season teaching throughout the US for government agencies and private groups, editing the Desert Survival DVD (now available), and being immersed in EMT school.

Now that things are winding down for the season, I plan to post more often and will be also adding one of my articles on occasion from my monthly column with Outside Magazine. If you haven't checked it out yet, Survival Guru (their wording) has been one of the most popular monthly columns at Outside since its inception two years ago. There is a backlog of articles archived on their website to review and the column is reader driven so send in your questions- http://www.outsideonline.com

We have also added a partial list of 2011 fieldcourses in Arizona and southeast Utah. Once our schedule with the military is hammered out further, we will add in more courses along with a return of our summer kids outdoor safety classes so stay tuned.

The 2-hour Desert Survival DVD is finally done and available through our site and Amazon.com. Also keep an eye out for it at National Parks throughout the Southwest. The material was filmed in the Four-Corners region last spring and covers material entirely different from our Youtube segments . Nearly half the program covers water location methods and hydration issues along with the most up-to-date information on venomous creatures and flash floods. Rounding out the rest of the program are the skills of firemaking, shade-shelters, signaling devices, and survival kits along with a Special Features section for dayhikers as well as Soldiers Deploying to Desert Regions. For more info- http://www.apathways.com

Well, it's time to go finish tanning a deerhide and get out under open skies. Thanks for catching up.

Enjoy the Wilds!

Tony Nester
Ancient Pathways, LLC
http://www.apathways.com
Flagstaff, AZ

Defiance & a meeting with one of the Bielski sons

Last night I had the rare pleasure of going to a lecture by the son of Zus Bielski (played by Liev Schreiber in the movie Defiance) held in Flagstaff.

Zvi Bielski, the son, recounted many stories of growing up around his legendary uncles and father who had all been responsible for the largest rescue of Jews in WWII and told many behind-the-scenes stories regarding what unfolded in the movie.

Some interesting tidbits and statistics:

-The final scene in the movie where they flee from the Nazis who've surrounded their forest camp and then retreat to the swamps, didn't last one day but saw them waist-deep in the cold mud of the swamps for 2 weeks while being pursued by up to 60,000 German soldiers (according to Zvi). At one point during this trek, one of the partisans removes a weakened mother and infant from the line and tells them they are slowing down the group and must leave. Zus finds out, goes back, shoots the partisan, and retrieves the mother and baby.

-Those living in the forest not only got food from frequent raids on local (Nazi-sympathizetic) villages but from many farms in the area who helped the Bielski partisans along with continually hunting and fishing the forest lands. The forest was immense then- with up to 800 miles of wilderness to the north according to Zvi. I had wondered about their hunting/foraging efforts as little is covered in the books out there and Zvi said they were indeed hunting everything from deer to bear to rabbits. As we all know, a growling stomach will cause anyone to put aside their food biases after a few days!

-When Zus (again played by Liev Schreiber) meets his wife-to-be in a ghetto rescue operation by the Bielskis, she later asks him to go back and rescue her parents who are still there. He makes no promises but goes back a few days later and sneaks them out. Two days after that the Nazis removed the remaining thousands of Jews and killed them. The rescued parents lived until recently in NY and died at the ages of 99 and 98! Think of what they had seen in their lifetimes.

Other than a few minor Hollywood scenes, Zvi said the entire family, most of whom were on set as technical advisors, applauded the director and the way the movie accurately portrayed the events and characters involved. Zvi said that he and the other Bielskis still can't spend time in Belarus because of the very real threat of retribution from those whose families suffered payback from the Bielski brothers who were merciless.

If you haven't seen the movie, check it out- it's a must-see piece of history and of great warriors and a survival story of epic proportions. The book by Peter Duffy, "The Bielski Brothers" was recommended above others by Zvi.


Tony Nester
Ancient Pathways Survival School
http://www.apathways.com