Why SOS?

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SOS was adopted July 1, 1908 as the international distress signal.  Its use was adopted because a telegraph operator could quickly and easily send it using Morse code.  It is recognized as 3 dots, 3 dashes, and 3 dots (… --- …).  Previous to its adoption, the British nautical distress call was “CQD”  (-.-.  --.-  -..) followed by the latitude and longitude of the ship. OK, history lesson over…I am adopting SOS as an abbreviation for “survive on skills”.  In the same manner they made "SOS" simpler for use in an emergency, I want to teach you simple things that can possibly make the difference in life and death.  There are thousands of gadgets and gizmos available to help you out of harm’s way, but if you don’t have it when you need it, it is useless.  That is precisely the reason I want to focus on SKILLS, not stuff.  You always have your skills with you.  They can’t get lost if you fall in a ravine, get swept away in a flash flood, or left behind in an evacuation.  Sure, having some items to survive with is very helpful, but the cavemen weren’t able to go to the big box store to buy a blaze orange weather resistant whatchamacallit to catch and cook dinner.  They survived on skills and ingenuity.  YOU CAN TOO! I have always enjoyed the outdoors and have seen many situations where someone ended up in a precarious situation.  Often, their circumstances could have been vastly different with the application of some of the very skills I teach. The great outdoors is a very beautiful place but it can also be deadly. Mother Nature is very unforgiving.  The urban environment can also wreak havoc and destruction from both man-made and natural causes.  A solid foundation of life sustaining skills can make a difference whether you are alone in the backcountry or huddled with your family at home during an ice storm that has knocked out utilities and communication.