Food: Arrowhead

Arrowhead
Maranta and Sagittaria species

Description: The arrowhead is an aquatic plant with arrow-shaped leaves and potatolike tubers in the mud.

Habitat and Distribution: Arrowhead is found worldwide in temperate zones and the tropics. It is found in moist to wet habitats.

Edible Parts: The rootstock is a rich source of high quality starch. Boil the rootstock and eat it as a vegetable.


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Arrowroot (Maranta arundinaceae), powder, a/k/a Indian Arrowroot, Maranta Indica, Maranta ramosissima, Maranta Starch, Araruta or Bermuda Arrowroot. Produced from the fecula or starch of the rhizome. Arrowroot is the edible starch of several tropical plant roots. The root is peeled and grated into water, and the fine-textured starch is extracted. It can be useful as a thickener in healthcare diets where blandness and digestibility are of particular importance. It looks and feels like cornstarch and is very white. Arrowroot is used as a thickening agent for sauces, fruit pie fillings and glazes, and puddings and has no flavor. Arrowroot mixtures thicken at a lower temperature than mixtures made with flour or cornstarch. Mix Arrowroot with cool liquids before adding hot liquids, then cook until mixture thickens. Remove immediately to prevent mixture from thinning. Two teaspoons of Arrowroot can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. One teaspoon of Arrowroot can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of flour. Arrowroot makes clear, shimmering fruit gels and prevents ice crystals from forming in homemade ice cream. Arrowroot is used in toiletries primarily for making body powder and baby powder, along with other ingredients.

Food: This root can be eaten either raw or cooked. A tea can be made from the roots. A poultice, made from the leaves, has been helpful in stopping lactation and a poultice made from the roots helps heal wounds.

Aromatherapy & Health Uses: A poultice made from the leaves to stop lactation,and a poultice made from the root to heal wounds.
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Animals: Know What's Out There: The Cougar

The cougar is also known as the mountain lion, puma and panther. It is one of only three wild cats native to Canada. The other two are the bobcat and the Canada lynx. The cougar is larger than the other two and has a much longer tail.

RANGE
- western Canada (sw Alberta, interior BC, BC coast,on Vancouver Island
- endangered in eastern Canada, a few sightings in other provinces.(CWF)
- western US (and Florida), Mexico, Central & South America

HABITAT
- mountains, forests, grasslands, swamps, semi-deserts
- finds shelter in caves, rocks, bushes and thick undergrowth

APPEARANCE
size
- depends on where it lives
- adult males may be more than 2.4 m (8 ft.) from nose to tip of tail
- adult males weigh between 58 and 68 kgs (130 and 150 lbs.)
- weight of males in Alberta and British Columbia : 67 - 100 kg (150 - 220 lbs)
- adult females are smaller, may be up to 2.2 m long (7.2 ft.)
- weight of females 40 - 50kg (90 - 110 lbs)
- cougars in N.America are larger than those of Central and South America

colour:
- coat is plain, no markings
- coat colour depends on where it lives
- from sandy-brown to reddish-brown, or greyish to dark brown in colour
- darker on the back, light beige on the throat, chest, stomach and inner legs
- kittens have spots which disappear before they are a year old

other features:
- small head, dark markings around muzzle (nose)
- short rounded ears, backs of ears are black
- muscular legs, hind legs are longer
- long tail, dark at the tip (used for balance)

HUNTING FOR FOOD
- prefers to hunt in evening and at dawn
- will roam and hunt at any time
- carnivore (meat eater)
- hunts mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose calves
- also eats birds and smaller mammals
(porcupine, beaver, coyote, fox, hare, rabbit, raccoon, ground squirrel)
- known to kill farm animals (poultry, sheep, goats, calves, pigs, horses)
- hunts over a wide area (called territory)
- stalks prey, then leaps and knocks animal to the ground
- bites the animal's throat or neck
- covers up large kills and returns later to finish eating
- runs fast over short distances, but tires quickly

HABITS
- in rare cases, has been known to attack people
- tries to avoid people
- has many sounds, including purrs, screams, hisses, and growls
- alarm or signal is a shrill whistle

ADAPTATIONS
- good climber, makes huge leaps
- good swimmer, but swims only when necessary
- excellent sight and hearing
- long, sharp teeth for holding on to prey and cutting meat
- sharp claws for hunting (catching prey), fighting and climbing
YOUNG
- female usually gives birth every second year (late winter to early summer)
- young are called kittens or cubs
- litters average 2 to 4 (may have as many as six)
- born in a cave, den in rocks, hollow log, under an overturned tree, in thick brush.
- weigh about 200 to 450 grams at birth (7 ounces to 1 pound)
- light brown coat with dark brown spots and a ringed tail
- eyes are closed at birth, open in ten days
- blue eyes when born, change to yellow
- begin walking in two weeks
- live on mother's milk for up to three months
- can eat some meat at six weeks of age
- first mother brings them food, then teaches them to hunt
- stay with mother for the first winter, sometimes for two years

ENEMIES
- man hunts cougars with guns, poison, snares, traps, hunting dogs
- farmers and ranchers shoot the cougar to protect livestock

INTERESTING FACTS
- some native peoples in North and South America revere (honour) the cougar
- lifespan in the wild is up to 18 years
- endangered in eastern Canada and eastern US, only a few left in Florida
- hunting is regulated in Canada, western US and Mexico
- numbers in Canada 4,000 ; B.C. 3500 (most are on Vancouver Island)

Bounties (rewards) were offered for killing cougars when the settlers began arriving, because the animals attacked livestock and even people. Cougars disappeared in the east. When bounties were removed, cougars managed to survive in the west.

COUGAR ATTACKS
Cougar attacks are rare. If you encounter a cougar
- remain calm
- do not approach, do not run
- face the animal and back away slowly
- shout loudly or throw something

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Survival: Signalling

Signaling for help

Like all other survival techniques, signaling for help is a skill you should practice before you actually have to use it. If you ever find yourself lost, signaling for rescue is an option you should consider.

If you do not carry a two way communication radio, cellular phone or a whistle, you mainly will have to use visual signals. Depending on your situation and the material you have available, you can use either fire and smoke, a signal mirror, flares and flashlights or strobe lights to create your visual distress signals.

Visual signals

For best results when signaling for help, select a signal site close to your shelter with good visibility such as a clearing, hilltop or a lakeshore. Will there be a search for you? Put yourself in the searchers place. Will they be searching for you from the air or the ground? A search will probably start from your last known location and sweep over your proposed route.

SOS signal

SOS (Save Our Souls) is the best known international distress signal. Everyone should be familiar with SOS. The SOS signal can be transmitted by any method, visual or audio. The code for SOS is 3 short, 3 long and 3 short signals. Pause. Repeat the signal.

SOS signal

The SOS signal can, for instance, be constructed as a ground to air signal with rocks and logs, or whatever material you have available. At night you can use a flashlight or a strobe light to send an SOS to, for instance, an aircraft. During the day, you can use a signal mirror. If it is difficult to produce long and short signals, you should know that almost any signal repeated three times will serve as a distress signal. Use your imagination.

Signaling for help Signal fires

When signaling for help, the most noticeable signal is your fire. It is easily seen at night. During the day, the smoke from your fire can be seen for many miles. Build three fires in a triangle or in a straight line, with about 100 feet (30 m) between the fires. Three fires are an internationally recognized distress signal.

Signal mirror

On a sunny day, a mirror can be a good signaling device. Any shiny object will serve - polish your canteen cup, glasses, your belt buckle or a similar object that will reflect the sun's rays. Check your survival kit, or maybe you have a mirror sighting compass?

A flash can be seen at a great distance. Sweep the horizon during the day. If a plane approaches, don't direct the beam in the aircraft's cockpit for more than a few seconds as it may blind the pilot. Use the code for SOS.

Use your signal mirror properly when signaling for help. Determine where your signal is going, use your free hand as a sight line, in order for it to be effective, readjust it as you or the sun move around the sky.

Learn more wilderness skills

Don't risk your safety or the safety of people you care about. Make sure your wilderness trip is safe and enjoyable.

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WHEN YOU SET A SIGNAL, DO NOT LEAVE THE AREA. THAT IS WHERE SEARCH AND RESCUE WILL COME TO FIND YOU. If you are forced to move on to avoid risk, make sure you point the way of your travel but when you are finally out of the risk area STOP and re-establish your signal.

Medical: High Altitude Health Issues

There are various illnesses associated with high altitude exposure. Moving above the 1500m (4950ft) mark and higher can lead to medical issue onset. At these levels, oxygenation of the blood changes and requires acclimatization so that depending upon the rate of speed one moves upwards, predicts the changes in oxygenation and the onset of illness symptoms. Too great a speed may prevent acclimatization and further ascension is impossible without risk to life.

Altitude Illnesses include:

Altitude illness: Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche, is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet).

Extreme Hypoxia: Hypoxia is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole (generalized hypoxia) or a region of the body (tissue hypoxia) is deprived of adequate oxygen supply.

Hypoxemia: An abnormal deficiency in the concentration of oxygen in the blood.

Hypocapnia: Hypocapnia or hypocapnea also known as hypocarbia, sometimes incorrectly called acapnia, is a state of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood. Hypocapnia usually results from deep or rapid breathing, known as hyperventilation.

When climbing it is important to recognize the onset of symptoms that indicate something is wrong. Typical symptoms include: fatigue, dizziness, nausea, atypical sleep patterns, headaches

Other symptoms appear in more severe instances.

Food: Arnica

Arnica
Arnica spp.



Description: Arnicas are perennial herbs growing from a rootstock 2 - 5 cm long. They have erect stems and stand 15 - 60 cm tall. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire or toothed. The composite flower head is yellow and flowering is from July - August.

Distribution & Habitat: It can be found in mountainous regions throughout the Rocky Mountains. There are many species with similar properties.

Preparation & Uses: Arnica is well known as a stimulant. This herb is almost always used in the form of a tincture. It is one of the best painkillers to use for sprains, fractures, and bruising. It is effective as an external liniment and is extremely fast acting.. It should not be used if the skin is broken and the area is bleeding as it is toxic if it enters the bloodstream.

This herb should not be use internally, except under special conditions, because it can cause, among other effects, blistering of the intestinal tract.

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Animals: Animal Sign

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Survival: Camp Layout

How to Set Up Camp

The location and the way you set up your Tent can have a huge impact on your Outdoor Camping experience. It can make the difference between an unpleasant sleep and a comfortable night sleep.

Spotting a Camp Location

Finding a good camp site is essential, especially in difficult conditions. Here are some guidelines in finding a good spot and orienting your Tent:

Find a spot that is safe and protected. Stay away from mountain and hill tops as those are the places that will offer the least protection from hard winds and lightning. At the same time, do not pitch your camp on the lowest ground in the area. In case of rains, the water will flow to the lowest ground.

Find a spot that is surrounded by natural obstacles which will provide shade in hot conditions, wind breakers in windy conditions, and rain stoppers in rainy conditions. Concentrations of trees and rocks are ideal natural barriers.

If possible, camp near a stream, river, or other source of water that you can use for your dishes and cleaning up. However, make sure that you are on higher grounds and that there are no chances of flash floods.

Setting up Camp

Tent Area
In general, you will want to set up your Tent on an even surface of smooth soil or grass that allows you to easily secure your pegs.

You will want to make sure that your Tent is the highest area in its direct vicinity to keep water from entering your Tent area.

Set up your Tent firmly and evenly so that it can withstand possible strong winds that may develop overnight. For more information, read our next section on Pitching Tents.

Cooking Area
Unless conditions force you to cook inside you will want to create a special Cooking Area. It should be at least 30 feet from your Tent(s) and is located in a way that the prevailing winds will blow possible ashes and sparks away from the Tent(s) and not towards it.

As explained in our section on Avoiding Bears, you should keep all your foods in containers and wash all your utensils to prevent attracting bears and other animals. Read our section on Forest Fires for more details on responsible use of fire outdoors.

Washing Area
The washing area is where you will take baths and wash the dishes. Having it near a stream or other water source will save you time and effort. If you are going to use soaps, make sure they are biodegradable and make certain that you wash at least 300 feet away from the nearest water source. Make sure not to leave any trace. Empty soap bottles and other containers are a natural disaster.

Toilet Area
You will want to keep this area at least a few hundred feet away from your Tent and other camping areas and out of sight of your camping mates and other people. Again, make sure you are at least 300 feet away from a possible water source. Find a place with soft soil that allows you to dig a hole at least 10 inches deep where you can bury your 'contributions'. Use fuel to burn any toilet paper that you might be using. Make sure to cover up your toilet area well before breaking up camp and you might want to cover the area with stones or branches to keep other campers from digging your toilet area.

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