Practice Makes Perfect...

   Like I've been saying. Nothing makes you feel better than being able to take care of yourself in an emergency. Which is why I am way glad we are finally going to be starting our WKC Basic Survival Skills study, next week. Sure, it's important to know what to do if you get lost, and all that, but -- Hey-- let's get to the big stuff.

   Buddy's Uncle Joe and Aunt Betsy have agreed to supervise all of us kids (even the Warner sisters) on a camping trip next weekend, where we will have to do everything ourselves. Like we were lost in the wilderness. Talk about some serious practice. Which is why I am going to be practicing on my own every day after school this week, so I can be the best at everything. Hey-- I figure if you're Captain, you should be the best at everything.

   I sure hope that cold spell gets here tonight, so Mom will let me light a fire in the fireplace every day. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to think up some serious bedtime snacks I can't live without. Like s'mores. Mom's a softie when it comes to snacks. Heh, heh, heh...

   Keeping it real.
      W.K.

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Only For the Brave...

   This is the one I've been waiting for. No kidding. How many books ever tell it like it is -- I mean, really is -- anymore? This is the real deal. Not to mention everything in it is true. Of course, I'm gonna read the other one, too. On account of I need all the help I can get with that woodcraft stuff.

   I mean, my backpack is bulging right now with important things I like to take on our expeditions. But -- hey -- what good is all that if you're like a person who only has feet (instead of hands) to work with? That's about how I felt when the chips were down on our Ant World Expedition and we had to bust out the first aid kit. The only reason we didn't have enough Band-aids to go around was because I fumbled it getting them out of my pack and dropped most of them in the water.

   So, I can see why Sir Robert talks so much about practicing. It's for those times when you don't have enough time to think. You just automatically do what you practiced most. And guess what you'll do if you never practice anything? Nothing, that's what. Zip. First little sign of trouble, you'll fumble. Maybe even freeze up totally. Ask me how I know. Not that we were in any life-and-death situation out there (who ever died of an ant bite?), but I'm just saying.

   I need to practice some things, that's what I'm saying.

   That's why our whole patrol is gonna meet at the Outpost on Saturday for some drills. Which I -- as Captain -- will be more than ready to head up. On account of I'm gonna read exactly how we're supposed to do it all on Friday night. Heh, heh, heh... So, I am way glad I found that book. Oh, and about that little red warning that says it's for brave hearts only? Well, I'm gonna read it anyway. By myself, of course. Under the covers with a flashlight, in case I can't handle it.

   Hey-- whatever it takes.
          W.K.

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I Decide to Get Serious...

   OK. So, we've all heard it a million times. To get really good at something you gotta  be willing to put some serious time into it. Truthfully? I haven't put serious time into much of anything.  Ever. Except school. Which doesn't count because you don't get a choice with that.

   But I can't get this wilderness thing off my mind. I'm always thinking about it. And now that we have one of the best wilderness experts of all time as a Mystery Guest, I can't wait to try some of that stuff out. Seriously. There might have been a lot of changes in the world since he's been a kid, but you know what? We still have the same wilderness places. Hey-- the wilderness doesn't change. Not like everything else does. It's been the same for thousands of years. So, I figure the secrets to it haven't changed, either.

   That's why, if Sir Robert is still willing to let us in on them, I am way gonna figure out how to master some of that stuff. I have to. On account of-- as Captain -- I have my whole patrol depending on me to know what I'm talking about. OK, so it's only half a patrol. But it's a start. Now, I'm off to show them some woodcraft tricks.

   As soon as I spend some serious time with Sir Robert.

   Seriously.
    W.K.

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I'm Onto It...

   OK. I think I stumbled onto something way important about survival. That is, a lot more depends on who you are than what you do. Because if you don't have what it takes to survive in the first place, the rest doesn't matter. Which I was way bummed about, at first, because-- well, sheesh -- what if I don't have what it takes?

   Then something Sir Robert said today in the second part of our interview over at WKC, made me feel a whole lot better. You can get that way by practicing. No kidding. That's what he said. Course, I don't think Mom would let me do half the stuff he got to do when he was a kid (she's the "that was then, this is now!" kind of person) but he said there's other ways you can do it. Which is great for somebody like me, who gets sort of nervous in those situations. Especially around boats. But only when they rock. Hey-- I'm being honest.

   But maybe you should read it yourself.
         W.K.

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My Famous Interview...

   No kidding -- I could get famous just standing next to this guy! I mean, he's probably one of the best wilderness experts of all time. And get this -- I get to ask him any questions I want. So, you can bet I'm gonna find out everything I can from him.

   Then I'm gonna tell it all back to my patrol, and they're gonna think I am way cool. Heh, heh, heh...  Unless they head over to WKC and listen in. Hey -- no running!

   I'm outta here.
      W.K.

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Fired Up...

   WE WON THE PRIZE! Can you believe it? It was slow-going for a while (some of those clues were hard!) but we put our heads together (more heads are always better than one) and turned in our winning guess just before the deadline. OK, so one of the sisters actually guessed it. But whew! We really needed that FIRE BOOK. I hope some of you other Wilderness Protectors got one, too. If not, it will be available at the end of this week over at WKC.

   Like I say, you can't just take off into the wilderness without knowing some things, and building a decent fire is about the most basic skill there is. Because light, warmth, and cooking pretty much covers everything a person needs out there. Well, almost. Which is why Buddy's Uncle Joe agreed to take our whole patrol over to the fire pits at the picnic area and let us practice, this weekend. Hey -- you can't go lighting a bunch of fires in your piece of the wilderness unless it's in a campground somewhere and it's allowed. Which ours isn't and it's not. But there's lots of places to practice fire-building. Even in your own fireplace or barbecue at home (if your parents will let you).

   Anyway, we've got a lot coming up now that we know who the Mystery Guest is, but you'll have to head on over to WKC to find out. Heh, heh, heh...

I'll race you.
   W.K.

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Fighting the Monster...

   OK. This is how I beat the attack of the fear monster. There we were -- Buddy and me -- sitting up in that tree all by ourselves in the pitch dark, waiting for some animal to come to the drinking spot below. I was not too scared at that point, because we were safe up in the tree. But then we heard a noise. And it sounded big. Way big.

   First, I thought it could maybe be a bear, and that thought made me feel like somebody was trying to choke me all of a sudden. But then I remembered there hasn't been a bear sighting in our city for over a hundred years. Not even in this neighborhood park on the fringes of town. We didn't have any wolves or lions, either. After that, I calmed down a little. Then, I realized the crickets were still making a noise (and even a few frogs), so whatever animal it was, it couldn't be too dangerous.

   Then Buddy whispered, "Turn the light on, Dub!" (He always calls me that. It's short for W.)

    Which I was just about to do when I fumbled getting the clip off my belt and dropped it. KERPLUNK! Right in the water. Then we both went sort of ballistic. How could we get back to the Outpost in the dark? Should we sit up in this tree until Uncle Joe came back? What if something weird bit us? I think maybe we even hollered.

   That's when we noticed there were no more frog sounds. Even the crickets were quiet. We were making so much noise we scared everything off. I mean-- it was just like Uncle Joe said -- even the bugs were afraid of us. And that's when it happened. I lost my fear. I mean, it was gone. Zip. Totally.

   So, we jumped down from the tree and fished out the flashlight. On account of that creek is only two feet at its deepest spot, anyway. And the flashlight was waterproof. Then we climbed back up and finished what we came there to do. And I'm telling you, it felt pretty darn good, too. Oh -- and get this -- I was never afraid of the dark anywhere else anymore, either. Not even open closets. How cool is that?

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to practice some survival stuff!

W.K.

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