Hint, Hint...

   My Mystery Guest contest clue for today is more of a tip than a clue. But if we're talking about head-starts, this will get you one. It's about googling. Which is mostly how everybody finds things out these days. So, here we go...

   I learned this little trick last year, when I was spending way more time looking at stuff I WASN'T interested in than the things I was. That's because droids (computers) aren't human. THEY DO NOT THINK. They can only give you back information that has been put into them, and the way they organize it is by the most popular. Which is good enough most of the time. But if you're really into research (like I am), you gotta be way more specific about what you're looking for.

   For instance, if you google "survival guy" because you're looking for that guy on TV that gets dropped off in wilderness places, you'll have a whole page of other things pop up (like survival games, or how to survive, or people's blogs about survival) before you ever even see his name. Then you gotta really be on your toes, because if you forgot his name in the first place, you might not even recognize it (by the way, it's Bear Grylls I was thinking about because he's my favorite). That's why you gotta BE SPECIFIC when you're googling for the Mystery Guest. What I mean is, USE THE CLUES.

  And that's all I'm gonna say about it now, because I think I might have just given the whole contest away. Uh-oh. I hope too many people don't read this journal entry today.

   Seriously.

     W.K.

Back to WKC

Surprise, Surprise...

   The new Mystery Guest Contest is on, and wait till you see the prize. And -- don't worry -- I won't be sabotaging any of the clues, or anything, because EVERYBODY WHO GUESSES RIGHT WINS. No kidding. I mean, we're not even gonna draw out of a hat. So, is that a cool contest, or what.

  
   Starting today, the clues will be listed on the Mystery Guest page over at WKC. But -- like I said before -- I like to give my Wilderness Protectors a head-start. So, I'm gonna give a bonus clue right here in my Wilderness Journal every day, too. So, let me see...

   Here's a good one:

   This guy was so smart, that he talked some important scientists into changing the way they think about geology (study of the earth and how it was shaped). Now, we all think that way. So, I guess he was right. Heh, heh, heh...

   Either that, or he was way good at talking people into things.

   Don't anybody forget to vote.

                W.K.

P.S. Oh, yeah. And if you want to know what the prize is, you'll have to look on the Mystery Guest page. Mostly because I need a head-start over to the voting box.

Back to WKC

Just A Hint...

   Tomorrow starts the new Mystery Guest Contest, and -- just like last time, I'm gonna give out the clues here in my Wilderness Journal before they show up on the Mystery Guest Page. Hey -- I like to give all my Wilderness Protectors a head-start on stuff. Heh, heh, heh...

   So, here's the first clue:

   This new Mystery Guest is an American man who spent a lot of years wandering around in the wilderness all alone.

   Sheesh, can you believe that? I can see a couple of weeks, or something, but if I had to spend YEARS all by myself IN WILD PLACES, I'd get way lonely. Not to mention way scared. Seriously. But that's the truth, and that's what this guy really did. Which should narrow it down a little from all the other famous Americans.

   Any ideas? Well, you better get with it, then, because the prize is THE SURVIVAL BOOK (it tells everything about how to survive on your own) and I really need one of those. So, I'm outta here to do a little googling and put in my first vote. But don't worry -- anybody who guesses right, wins.

   Later,

   W.K.

P.S. Oh, yeah -- and don't anybody vote for Sherlock Homes. He's just a logo picture for the Mystery Guest page, on account of he was practically the best mystery solver anyone ever heard of. In books, that is. Because he isn't real. And all our Mystery Guests are real people. Ooops -- I gave away another clue --

Back to WKC

Way Happy Holidays...

   Hey -- if you're like the rest of us around here, you've still got one more week of the holiday season before getting back to school, again. So, take advantage of it! Get outside whenever you can, and if you haven't found a piece of the wilderness to claim, yet -- let me know. I'll give you some tips about how to do that.

   I'll also tell you how we made our Observation Outpost, which gets cooler every time we add more stuff. No kidding. Sometimes I think I could actually live in this place (only my mom would probably miss me). Anyway, it's a great place to spend time and do projects I usually can't do at home. Not to mention getting together with the rest of my patrol.

   I hope you all had a great Christmas because we sure did. But you'll have to wait until next year to see the new things we got, on account of we only let that information out once a year. In the meantime, we're gonna have some way cool wilderness stuff you can make yourself, along with a few wildlife studies with real scientists.

   Seriously.
     W.K.

Back to WKC

P.S. Oh, yeah... and just because the holidays go by, don't forget to keep feeding your birds. On account of the worst of winter hasn't even hit, yet.

Buddy's Version...

     We've been joking a lot around here about "Buddy's Version" because it seems like Buddy has his own version of almost everything we do. Take feeding the birds, for instance. I bring a little something every day from home because I like how the birds seem to recognize me and get all excited when I come.

     The Warner Sisters are more into the craft side of things. They make long strings of popcorn, cranberries, and raisins to hang up everywhere. They also make suet balls that look like regular works of art. Something tells me they like the decorating more than actually feeding the birds. But Buddy's method beats all, because he actually came up with his own idea instead of just copying something he heard about.

     His idea is to carry a jar of peanut butter and a bag of birdseed around in his backpack (he has everything you can think of in there -- that thing weighs a ton). Then whenever he finds a pinecone, he slathers it with peanut butter, ties it up in a tree, and then throws birdseed all over it. What falls on the ground always gets eaten up, too, so nothing is wasted. How cool is that?

     Sometimes I think Buddy's a genius.

     Seriously.
       W.K.

Back to WKC

Christmas is For the Birds...

   Hey -- you wouldn't believe how many birds we have around the Outpost, now. No kidding. Mostly because every time the Warner Sisters come, they bring something different to hang up around here. I actually think all these birds must be telling their friends.

   Today, the girls brought suet-balls (yuk, but the birds like them), and they actually didn't look that bad. If you're a bird, I mean. Buddy said he could probably eat one if he was starving. But to tell you the truth, I think Buddy could maybe eat his socks if he was starving. Only that's another subject.

   Anyway, these suet-balls were such a big hit with all our wild birds out here in the Parks Wilderness, the girls decided they would share the recipe with everybody. So, if you want it, it's over on the feature page. But I'll tell you right now, you better make a lot of them. Because it isn't even Christmas, yet, and the birds are already having a party.

   Hey -- I wonder if we could sell these things?

   But I guess we'd have to vote on that.

   Later.
   W.K.

Back to WKC

Deck the Halls With...

    We're decorating the Outpost for Christmas before we open it up for the rest of December. Usually, it's for members only. But since this is the one time of year when we tell where we got all our gear (in case anybody out there wants some of the same stuff we have), we took a vote and decided we should let people look around the Outpost, too.

     I gotta admit, the Parks Wilderness is looking pretty cool right now. I mean, even our club mailbox is decorated. Oh, yeah -- and you can also drop a note in there while your visiting. Like if you want to make any suggestions, or anything, we'd be glad to hear it. I'm not sure which day this week we'll be letting people in, on account of the Warner Sisters are making some special things for you to take home with you when you come.

     Sort of our way of saying Merry Christmas. Heh, heh, heh... Merry Wilderness Christmas, that is. Anyway, I'll try to hurry those girls up and keep you informed. In the meantime, I'm heading out to feed the birds. Hey -- this is winter and they're depending on me.

    Seriously.
      W.K.

Back to WKC

P.S. ... and if you haven't browsed through all our gear over at the Christmas Sale, yet -- head on over.

The Last Backpack...

     OK. So, C. actually did come through and get all her backpack stuff set out over on the feature page, today. But -- man -- it's practically bedtime around here. So, if you've been waiting around as long as me, you can still browse through tomorrow. Or even all the way up until Christmas, for that matter. On account of this is our once a year Christmas Sale.

   Every week until then there will be something to make or do that will help you have a great wilderness Christmas of your own. I might even get my survival newsletter out pretty soon. You have to join WKC to get in on that, though. On account of I'm on a major campaign to get some more help, here. Sheesh. We need way more than one patrol to save the world.

   Besides that, it's fun. Heh, heh, heh...

   Seriously.
     W.K.

   Back to WKC

All Alone (almost)...

       Here's the deal. C. promises she's gonna get her stuff on tomorrow (even though we don't usually put anything up on the weekends) because the Christmas program is tonight. Which Buddy and I are gonna go to, on account of C. and S. are starring in it. Like I say, you always gotta have a "Plan B" when you're a kid. Because everybody else's plans come before yours.

     Not that I mind so much. And not that I ever cared before. It's just that this wilderness thing has become way important to me over the last year. No kidding. I've never been so busy in my life. Never been so excited, either. Because I really think we can make a difference here. Seriously. And if all of us Wilderness Protectors pick out even a little piece of the wilderness to take care of... well, then it's gonna add up to a whole lot. Take my word for it. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if -- while all the adults in the world are busy trying to figure out how to fix everything that's gone wrong in the world lately -- we kids are just gonna go ahead and do it.

      Buddy had to go home early today, too. On account of he has a family Christmas party to go to. Mom and I are gonna pick him up from there to go to C. and S.'s Christmas program. So, I'm sitting here all by myself, whomping out this journal entry, just because I wouldn't be able to sleep all night if I didn't. I guess it's because I feel like all you Wilderness Protectors are part of our patrol, too. And I'm the captain. I gotta think about these things.

       Seriously.

         W.K.

       P.S. Hey -- I'm not alone after all -- my turtle friend just showed up. Don't laugh, but I actually think he's smiling.

Back to WKC

I'm Dreaming of a...

   Am I surprised S. got her stuff set up for the Christmas Sale before the end of the week? Man-- I was just hoping for before Christmas. But she came through with flying colors, even though she had another practice for the Christmas program today, too. So, head on over and take a look. And if C. get's her things together by tomorrow, we'll still be on schedule around here (I have to think of that stuff, I'm the captain).

   I don't mind saying I had to add a couple of things to my own Christmas list after seeing everything. I hope Mom has enough extra chores for me to do this year to earn them. Heh, heh, heh...

   Which reminds me. I gotta get home early today to do some of those. On account of I want anything she orders to get here in time for Christmas. OK, so this happens to me every year. I get so excited about Christmas, I can hardly wait for it.

   I wonder what Grandpa's gonna get me?

   W.K.

Back to WKC

Surprise, Surprise...

   OK. So, the girls are late, again, but there's not a whole lot I can do about that. The trouble with having so many people on your patrol is you have to fit in with everybody's schedules. Which isn't the same as getting along, because we all get along great. But the Warner Sisters had to practice for a Christmas program today, and that was that.

   Whatever. Anyway, at least Buddy and I got our backpack stuff set out this week (and if you haven't looked at it all, yet, head on over to the feature page and wander through). I spent a lot of time dreaming about stuff like that last year, and I guess that's half the fun. Like I say, though, we make a lot of things ourselves, and we're gonna get into that in a big way in January. Along with another Mystery Guest Contest, for all of you Wilderness Protectors out there who like to guess who it is.

   Well -- like Buddy said, yesterday -- S. is up next. But your guess is good as mine if she makes it on time. Might as well check in, though, just to make sure. And I don't know what C. has in mind for her turn, but she's been working hard on something. All I know is, everybody's sure full of surprises around here. But that makes life interesting, right? I'll say.

   So, see you tomorrow.
           W.K.

Back to WKC

Ready or Not...

   We're all over at the Outpost helping Buddy get his stuff together for the Christmas Sale. Anyway, that's what Buddy and I are doing. The Warner Sisters are out decorating all the trees around here, and feeding the birds. But we won't be as late as last night, though. Mostly on account of Mom said I better be home by five tonight, or else.

   So, I better get with it. Like we want to get this stuff set out before Christmas. Ready or not. I been working so hard on this whole project, I am way late on my other things. Like my newsletter for Wilderness Protectors. It's for members only, but if you want to get in on that, all you have to do is sign up. I'll get to it, sooner or later. Because winter is one of the coolest times for practicing certain kinds of survival stuff. I also have a lot of mail to catch up on.

   Like who keeps voting in the Mystery Contest when we're already done with that? Don't worry, though, we're gonna have another one in January. And for all you Wilderness Protectors who voted for Sherlock Homes... well, you're sorta right. On account of it's his silhouette we use as the logo for the Mystery Contest. But -- hey -- if you want to vote in a contest, head on over and do the Winter Bird Feeding one. The prize is an official WKC Bird Feeder. You better hurry up, though. It's only on until December 15, and I think the Warner Sisters have been voting every single day. I guess they really want that bird feeder.

   Gotta run. I think Buddy just busted one of his specimen jars. Sheesh -- I hope there was nothing that bites in there. Now that we have all this stuff spread all over the place, there's a bajillion places for something like that to hide. Uh-oh, there goes another one. This could be bad.

   Seriously.

     W.K.

P.S. Hey -- and if you haven't looked at all my stuff, yet, you can do that while you're waiting for Buddy's.

Back to WKC

Hold Everything...

   Hey -- I'm not lost and nothing bad has happened. It's just that these Warner Sisters thought we ought to clean up around here before we opened up for the Christmas Sale. Sheesh. So, we're gonna be working way late tonight before we get this thing going...

   Personally, I thought it looked OK before we cleaned up. But that's me. Buddy didn't seem to mind too much, either, only I think that's because he wants to break for dinner and come back later.

   So, back later.
      W.K.

Back to WKC

Gearing Up...

   We are having an argument today about whether the stuff you have attached to you counts for backpack gear. Take me for instance. I wouldn't go many places without my fishing vest that Grandpa got me for Christmas, last year.

   Not that I do that much fishing. It's just that thing has tons of pockets to put stuff in. It even has a big one across the back that will hold a map. I have practically all my ten essentials stashed somewhere in it. Which is great, because I don't always take my backpack everywhere unless we're headed out on patrol.

   Then, I have my compass clipped to one of my belt loops. Of course, I carry my camping pocket-knife in my pocket. I even have a mini-flashlight on my key-chain. The way I see it, all that stuff is gear, no matter how you carry it around. I was pretty glad to have a couple extra granola bars and packets of hot chocolate stashed in there, last week, when we were stranded out on Sweeny Lake, let me tell you.

   Buddy said a cookbook should be part of our gear, too. On account of  he's been in a constant state of starvation most of his life until he found out how many things he could cook all by himself over a campfire. S. wouldn't go anywhere without her camera. Because you never can tell when you'll run into wildlife, and she wouldn't want to miss the shot.

   C. won't go anywhere without her phone. Not that she spends a whole lot of time texting when she's out here. It's just that thing has a camera for snapping instant wildlife pictures, and she can get onto the Internet with it, instantly. In case she has to look up some important piece of information in a pinch.

   So, it comes down to this. We figure everything we use out here is gear. So we're expanding the Christmas Sale next week to include everything. No kidding. And I mean everything.

   So, get ready.

         W.K.

Back to WKC

Get Ready for a Wilderness Christmas...

   OK. So, we're back on schedule with the Christmas Sale. Starting next week, all of us are going to have everything in our backpacks on display, with information on where you can get the same stuff. And -- let me say this right up front -- none of us were born rich. So whatever we have we worked hard for. Even if we did talk our parents into getting us some of the things for birthdays or Christmas, last year.

   We also each have different opinions about what's most important. But that's what makes things interesting over at the Outpost. We're all good at something different, and together we make a pretty strong team. Now that I've got a patrol to work with, I can't imagine doing things just on my own anymore. I'll admit we all have our favorite places out here in the Parks Wilderness (our piece of the wilderness) where we like to kick back for some alone time once in a while.

   And I still really like my turtles. Which is why I'd choose a field guide on reptiles over a campfire cookbook any day. But then that's me. Buddy would probably pick the cookbook since he can hardly go a whole hour without eating something. S. likes adventure stories, and C. is always reading about somebody famous. So, we're each gonna be sharing our own different collections on the bookshelf.

   We're even gonna give away recipes for suet balls (yuk -- that's the Warner sisters idea) so you can make your own wilderness Christmas wherever you live, too. Not to mention we're gonna decorate a tree. OK, I admit it, I love Christmas.

   But who doesn't?

        W.K.

Back to WKC

The Bear Story...

   OK. So, here's how it happened. Grandpa and I were both getting pretty tired of being stranded on Mr. Johnson's fishing boat when we were supposed to be home having a nice Thanksgiving dinner. But there we were. A conked out motor on the back side of Sweeny Lake, and the first snow storm in years to block all the roads.

   Not that we were in a desperate situation or anything, because the boat has a nice cabin on it and even some food and stuff. So, while Grandpa and Mr. Johnson worked on the engine, I had a lot of free time on my hands. Which is probably why Grandpa said we should row over to the nearest shore in the dinghy, while Mr. Johnson was putting the last part of the engine together and cleaning up after they fixed it. All right by me, on account of I was going batty by then, That boat's nice and everything, but it's still only about twenty feet long.

   Anyway, I did all the rowing to get there. Totally wild on that far side of the lake -- no picnic tables, camp spots, or anything. You can only get there by boat. But we had a great hike. The snow made everything look like a Christmas card. We hiked through the woods, hearing our boots crunch in the snow, and ended up on a hill where we could look down at the lake and mountains all around it. It was a totally awesome sight.

   We were just thinking how great it would be to have a campfire up there and drink some hot chocolate before we left, when the little knob of ground Grandpa was standing on started to shake. He was lower down than me, on account of there was sort of an overhang where he could keep out of the falling snow. Me, I was on the very top of the hill above him, catching snowflakes on my tongue.

   But when Grandpa hollered and I looked down there, I saw he was standing on the back of a bear that had been buried in the snow. Maybe he was hibernating under that overhang, or something. All I know is, Grandpa must have woke him up standing on top of him like that. The next few minutes were sort of a panic.

   While the bear was growling and getting up on his feet -- sort of groggy, I guess, because he was planning to sleep till next spring, I reached down and helped Grandpa climb right up over the top of that overhang to get out of his way. Not trying to be brave, or anything, that's just the first thing I thought of. I guess it must have worked though, because that bear was confused. One minute Grandpa was there, and the next minute he wasn't.

   But we sure didn't wait around to see what he would do. We just high-tailed it back down the trail (you're not supposed to run from bears -- I don't know what got into us) and jumped in the boat. By the time I started rowing for my life we realized the bear hadn't even followed us. Sheesh.

   I learned two things from that experience. Number one: bears don't want to be around us any more than we want to be around them. And number two: my grandpa has way more energy than I figured a guy his age could have. We laughed ourselves silly about how fast we got back to the boat, again.

   So, being stranded wasn't as bad as it sounds. Mom and Grandma had plenty enough leftovers for us when we did get home, and Grandpa and I found out how much we could count on each other in a pinch.

   You can't buy that.

   Seriously,

    W.K.

Back to WKC