Chris and Dave sit down around the campfire during an overnight kayak trip to talk about camping, faith, and real life experiences. They share laughs, answer surprise questions, and reflect on how time outdoors shapes both their thinking and their Faith Walk.
In this special long-form episode of the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Podcast, host Chris Speir is joined by his good friend Dave for an unfiltered, unscripted fireside chat on the banks of Black Creek, Mississippi. Recorded during an overnight kayaking trip while testing out Vibe Kayaks, this episode blends bushcraft knowledge, spiritual reflections, and campfire storytelling in a way that only the outdoors can inspire.
This is more than just a conversation — it’s a slow burn. The fire pops, crickets chirp, and two friends talk about gear, survival, faith, and the outdoors with the kind of honesty that only comes when the cameras are low and the stars are out.
The top 3 items they’d take on a primitive camping trip (spoiler: T-bone steaks make an appearance)
What to do if you lose all your gear halfway down the river
How to use willow bark to make cordage
Scariest outdoor experiences (wild hogs, gators, getting lost as a kid)
Funny camp mishaps and dumb injuries
The worst camp meal (or why Armadillo Stew is better than you'd think)
Reflections on faith, creation, and feeling close to God in the wilderness
One piece of advice they’d leave their grandkids about living outdoors
Why everyone thinks they can start a fire with sticks (but most can't)
The real reason you should always wear a life jacket
Whether a knife and tarp are really enough to survive for a week
The importance of learning how to use a compass and topographic map
What most people get wrong about camping and survival
This episode kicks off the Fireside Talk series — raw, campfire conversations that are part survival, part spiritual, and fully human. Whether you're paddling down a river, hanging a tarp, or sipping coffee by your own fire, this one's for you.
Join the conversation in the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Facebook group. Let us know what your top 3 items would be… or share your own story of faith in the outdoors.
“We don’t go camping to run from life. We come out here to slow down and recharge…
So grab another log, throw it on the fire, and remember this:
In all your ways, acknowledge Him — and He will direct your path.”
Thanks for sitting by the fire with us.
(upbeat music)
Welcome to the
Primitive Camping
at Bushcraft
Podcast.
I'm your host,
Chris Speir.
So here, we're
gonna talk about
gear, grit,
and the kind of
stories you only
get
around a fire.
It's all about
learning,
adapting,
and keeping your
faith strong.
So whether you're
a seasoned
outdoorsman
or just looking
to unplug and
reconnect,
you're in the
right place.
So pull up a
chair by the fire
and let's get
into it.
We just had a
T-bone
steak dinner.
We just had a
whole pound and a
half potato,
some oyster
mushrooms, and
some onions.
And I have with
me, my good
friend, Dave.
We're kayaking.
We're testing out
the vibe kayaks
and we're going
down the river
and we decided to
stop over and
have a
good dinner.
But tonight, what
we're gonna do is
take you a little
bit
different journey
than what we
normally do.
Typically, we
talk about the
bushcraft stuff.
So what I've done
is I've prepared
several
questions.
Dave has not
heard the
questions.
(laughing)
So tell everybody
a little bit
about
yourself, Dave.
So where are you
from and
what do you do?
And how in the
world did you end
up here?
Whoo, boy.
My name's David
Smith and
I'm not sure
which camera I'm
supposed to be
looking at.
Oh, that one?
All right.
(laughing)
Yeah, so I've
lived in pretty
much right here
in South
Mississippi my
whole life.
Most of it,
pastor of a
little church
in a beautiful
town called
McNeil,
Mississippi.
Blink and you'll
miss it.
Met up with
Chris,
good to see.
Getting close to
a year now, huh?
Yeah, I'm
not mother.
Yeah, we hit it
off pretty quick.
Got involved in a
boy's ministry
together
and you enjoy
coming out here
and spending time
on the outdoors.
Yeah, so we've
been coming
camping.
Last year we came
down to
same creek
in the middle of
August of
all time.
I mean, it was
hot, it was
miserable.
It's about as hot
as this fire is
right now.
But whenever-- It's still
fun, yeah.
Yeah, it was fun.
It was good
times, I
enjoyed it.
I really did
enjoy it.
But it was still
miserable.
(laughing)
So what we're
gonna do today is
I'm gonna ask a
couple of
questions.
We're gonna talk
about, hash some
stuff out,
talk about what
we're doing, why
we're doing it,
and then move on
to different
questions.
So Dave, if you
could only bring
three things
on a trip like
this, what would
they be?
If you could only
bring three
things, what
would you bring?
A way to
start a fire.
Right.
Sure way to
start a fire.
I probably
wouldn't even go
with the
big liner.
I'd rather go
with a ferro rod
so that I knew I
wouldn't
mess it up.
Right.
A metal container
to bowl water in.
Right.
And a
T-bone state.
A T-bone state.
(laughing)
I guess, does
that include
shelter and
everything?
Everything.
There's three,
everything?
That's what it
is, it's
three things.
Just what I was
wearing.
I guess I would
have to
have a tarp.
Oh, okay.
Now something
makes a little
shelter.
You can wrap up
in a tarp, you
can use a tarp
as your shelter,
you can use it to
keep the
rain off of you.
A tarp is way
more versatile
than people
actually think.
And people
actually, they're
like, oh, it's
just a tarp.
No, it's not,
it's a shelter.
It could be, you
can put that
thing close to
the fire
in such a way to
where if it was
freezing outside,
you'd be sweating
on the inside of
it, you know,
a super shelter.
And even if you
don't have
cordage,
you can still
utilize the tarp.
I mean, we
usually show
videos of hanging
the tarp
and using the
ridge line and
the guy lines
and all that
stuff, but I
mean, if you,
I still prefer to
have a tarp even
if I didn't
have that,
if I had to make
a way to
tie it down
or stake it with
sticks or
whatever, you
know, just.
So, and being in
South
Mississippi,
there are vines
everywhere.
And you can walk
up to these vines
and they have
little runners on
them and you can
use that.
They make great
cordage, but the
theme with that
is they dry out
real quick
and they become
extremely
brittle.
So.
Did I guess the
same three that
you would
have said?
Well.
I've been
listening to you
for a
little while.
I know.
And I was like,
wait a second,
somebody
read my book.
(laughing)
So definitely I'd
have a metal
container.
I definitely have
a ferro rod
and mine would
probably
be a knife,
a knife, a ferro
rod and a metal
container.
Simply because
like I
demonstrated
last year,
last November or
whatever it was,
that you could
build a shelter
out of leaves
and you know,
stuff like that.
But, you know,
tarp's
great to have.
Love having a
tarp, you know,
but I love being
able to cut
something,
sharpen
the stick.
That's a really
tough one for me
in between tarp
and knife.
Yeah.
You know,
cutting tool.
Yeah.
I look at
it this way.
What is going to
help you make
more stuff
in the field?
And to me, that's
going to
be a knife.
A knife is going
to help me make
more items.
And so, I mean,
that's just
me though.
You know,
everybody's
different.
Ideally, unless I
was just doing it
just for the sake
of doing it,
I would never go
out into
the field
with only
three things.
Right.
You know
what I mean?
That's why they
do TV shows,
where they go out
with 10 things,
you know?
Yeah, they don't
even get
restricted
to three.
Yeah, with
three things,
I guess you could
look at it this
way too.
What would be
your top three
things you
would bring?
You know, that
would be
the top three.
Yeah.
As long as you
got a metal
container,
you can boil
your water.
You can have
something
to drink.
You won't have
dehydration.
You can cook your
food, you know?
You can use a
metal container
to make
charcoal off
to start more
fires and all
that kind
of stuff.
And also, hear me
out on this.
That metal
container can
boil the bark of
a willow tree
and then you can
make strong,
strong rope out
of that.
And so in order
to make rope out
of bark from a
willow tree,
you strip it down
and one inch
strips about,
yeah, a couple,
three feet long,
something
like that.
Boil it with
ashes from a fire
and then let it
dry out.
And then once it
dries out,
then you just
start working it
till it turns
into little
fibers and
twisting it,
you know
what I'm saying?
One more thing
you need to know.
Which one's the
willow tree?
Oh, don't worry.
We got a lot of
work here.
(laughing)
There's very
different
variations.
So my next
question is,
what is the
biggest mistake
you've ever made
on a river trip
like this?
Or, you know, any
kind of trip
going down
the river.
Camping trip,
hiking trip,
anything
like that.
Wow.
Hmm.
I don't have a
vast knowledge to
draw on.
I get, okay.
I'm not gonna say
that this has
ever bit me.
But looking back
on trips after
I've got home,
I've thought, you
know what?
I would have
liked to have
known the
area better,
scouted the maps,
known what's
north,
south, east,
and west in case
something happens
and you gotta
hike out
from the river.
Right now, if I
didn't
have my phone,
I wouldn't know
which way to go.
I don't know
which, I know
that's west
because the sun
set over there
earlier.
But other than
that, I don't
know which way
the closest road
is from where I'm
at right now.
So yeah, that's a
mistake.
That is a--
Not being
prepared.
Yeah, that's a
lack of
preparedness.
If something went
dreadfully wrong,
then the
situation is
compounded
because I didn't
know my stuff
before
getting there.
Yeah.
So my biggest
mistake was being
on a river
in a small boat
with a bunch of
big boats
and I got flung
out of the boat.
So did the gas
tank, so did
everything,
except for my
young son
at the time.
And thank God I
made him always
wear the
life jacket.
And he had to
bring the boat
over there
to get me.
And here I am.
I didn't have my
life jacket on.
And then from
that day forward,
if you notice,
even if I'm in
shallow water, I
gotta life
jacket on
because ever
since I got
thrown out
of the boat,
that's my biggest
mistake of
ever boating
or coming down
the river.
Yeah, those
things are
important.
Now moving in our
summer trip, if
you remember,
we didn't wear
our life jackets.
But 99% of where
we were at on
this very creek
was six to eight
inches deep.
Yes.
That's a
different.
Today, the river
is up a good
bit higher.
We keep saying
river is
technically
creek,
but it's a pretty
good size creek.
Yeah.
Well, it flows
into the
Pascagoula River.
So it kind of
feeds that.
But yeah, I mean,
still though, I
always have a
life jacket
because you never
know what's
gonna happen.
And after that
day, I will
always wear a
life jacket on
anytime I
get in a boat.
Yeah.
And I don't care.
I did not do it
in my pond
at my house
whenever I did
the video
on the kayak.
Yeah.
Because I'm
at my house.
Yeah.
And you're within
easy swimming
distance
and you know
there's no snags
you're gonna get
smoked on.
But if I go to
the river,
the creeks,
or anything like
that, I always,
always have a
life
jacket on me.
And that's, you
know, that leads
up to
what's next.
If you lost all
your gear halfway
down this trip,
what would be the
first thing that
you made
or found?
What would be the
first thing you'd
look for
or the first
thing you
would make?
The boat.
A boat?
The boat.
The boat.
(laughing)
I wanna find the boat.
Yeah.
All right, let's
say you go down
through here,
hit some
rapids, go out.
The boat's gone.
And you hit your
head and the
boat's gone.
Yeah.
What
would be the--
You lost
everything.
Lost everything.
Yeah.
What would be the
first thing
that you do?
What would be the
first thing that
you either make
or the first
thing that you
either look for?
And being here in
South
Mississippi,
I have a couple
ideas and I wanna
bounce them off
of yours
and see how yours
is gonna go.
All right, well
the first thing
that I would do,
and I think this
is the most
important,
is stop.
Don't panic,
don't run off
willy-nilly.
Stop and get in a
safe place and
assess the
situation.
From there, it
depends on is it
cold, is it hot?
How wet did you
get when the boat
crashed in
the rapids?
Your soaked.
Yeah,
your soaked.
Is it cold,
is it warm?
I mean, it's
South
Mississippi,
it's hot.
Okay.
It ain't even
warm, it's hot.
That's fine.
Yeah, well the
first thing I'm
gonna do then
is find a safe
place to stay
because I know
that somebody
knows
where I'm at
and eventually
when I don't show
up there,
they're gonna
come looking.
So I'd probably
try to get a
sandbar somewhere
that I could be
seen and just--
It doesn't matter
where you go on
any rivers
nowadays,
somebody is
coming down
that river.
Yeah, sooner or later. Somebody's
gonna go fishing
sooner or later.
So, I mean, you
might stay a day,
you might stay
two days or
something
like that,
but eventually
you're
gonna get found.
And here,
especially in
this time
of year,
if it's not
really cold, it's
not the end of
the world
if you had to sit
on the sandbar
all night long.
You're not gonna
freeze to death
this time
of year.
So if I had
absolutely
nothing else to
do with anything,
I would just find
a safe sandbar
and just stay
right there.
So the first
thing that I
would do was find
my boat.
Because it ain't
gonna go too far
in this creek.
But there's
situations
like if you,
let's say you
were in Alaska
doing the
whitewater,
and some of that
stuff up there,
or some of the
other rapids in
other places,
Colorado or
wherever, you
would, if you
fell out,
your stuff's
gone, your
boat's gone.
It's just you and
then there is
totally
different.
In the
summertime, it's
still
gonna be cold.
You still catch
hyperthermia,
but I'm thinking
that the first
thing that I
would do
is find something
to shelter,
something to keep
me safe from the
elements,
depending on
what it is.
Here, it's gonna
be just get out
underneath
an oak tree
or whatever to
keep the sun from
beating
down on you.
But if it was the
wintertime,
then you're gonna
try to keep the
wind from
blowing on you
to keep you from
getting the
hyperthermia
and try to find a
way to
start a fire.
But one thing
that I can tell
you here in South
Mississippi
is that, and this
is a shame
to an extent,
but you will
always be able to
find cordage and
fish hooks
in South
Mississippi on a
creek, on
a river.
You will always do that.
We passed a trout
line coming
down today.
Trout lines,
people don't take
their trout lines
with them.
They don't bring
their, they don't
pick
their hooks up
or anything like
that, so you
would
always have a way
to procure
some food.
If you're in South
Mississippi.
Technically in
South
Mississippi,
you're not going
to get lost.
You're not gonna
stay lost for a
long time.
Yeah, not long
enough to start
it down here.
If you stay put.
The sun right
next gonna
come along.
He's looking for
his catfish or
crawfish
or alligator or
whatever.
And so he's gonna
come along and
get you,
you know?
So what is the
scariest moment
you've ever had outdoors?
You've ever had
outdoors.
Scariest moment
outdoors.
The scariest
outdoor moment.
So I'll go first
on this one.
Yeah, yeah, give
me a minute.
So I was actually
deer hunting
in Central
Mississippi in
the Delta.
And me and my
friend Scooter,
the guy that we
talked about,
he's the one, my
inspiration for
camp, what
the heck.
And a great,
great dude.
I wish he was
still here.
He would
love this.
He would eat this
up, man.
He made his
own kayak.
I mean, it was
amazing.
But yeah, we get
out there
and we were deer
hunting and it's
bow only.
I didn't
have a pistol.
And you know how
notorious I am
for not having a
flashlight
with me
whenever we're
going
through the woods.
So I always
forget my
flashlights.
And so I get out
there and it's
getting
close to dark.
And I hear this
(growling)
for like 10
seconds.
And I'm like, oh,
heck no.
I was like, I was
fixing to get out
and all I
got is a bow.
And I was like,
dude, that's the
biggest hog I
ever heard.
And you know,
just the week
before I was
hunting up there
and I got chased
by a group
of 20 hogs.
I mean, they
charged me.
So I'm like, no,
I ain't getting
down right now.
And so I sat
there and waited.
And then I
realized I didn't
have my
flashlight.
And I'm like, son
of a God,
I gotta go.
It's time to go.
It's
getting real dark.
And so I go to
climb out and
whenever I
did again,
I hear
(growling)
and it would last
for like 30
seconds.
(laughing)
Every hair on the
back of my neck
stood up.
And so as soon as
it quit,
I realized
what it was.
I was hunting in
a duck, dried
over a duck
impoundment
right off
of a canal.
And there was
this
massive covert.
Well, inside that
covert was a
young male
alligator.
And he was doing
his mating call
and it amplified
through
the woods.
He sounded three
times bigger
than he was.
I'm telling you
right now,
it sounded like
it was Godzilla
walking through
the woods.
And you talk
about the hair on
the back
of your neck
standing up.
Not many things,
stuff
startles me,
but not many
things scare me.
I'm scared of my
wife whenever I
do
something wrong.
But when I get in
the outdoors, not
many
things scare me.
I'll get startled
for a second.
Like one time I
was taking
pictures of an
alligator.
I walked up on
the
alligator nest
and there was all
kinds of shells
laying there.
And I was like,
dude,
there's a tail.
And this tail was
bigger around
than my thigh.
And then all of a
sudden it
flipped around
and I fell down
and I was like,
oh dear Jesus,
I'm coming
to see you.
It's over with.
You know, I
thought the momma
gator had me.
She was coming to
get me, dude.
And she turned
around and went
right back down
into the water.
And I looked down
there and they
must've been,
I don't know, 80
to a hundred
little baby
alligators,
about six to
eight
inches long.
And I got a
picture of it.
I put it on
Facebook on
spare images.
And I'm telling
you right now,
that scared me.
I was scared.
Well, I haven't
been in, at least
in adult life.
I can't think of
an occasion
where I've been
really scared
outdoors,
but twice as a
kid, I found
myself lost.
Oh wow.
And that is
pretty scary.
One was when I
was way younger,
and it's a
humorous
story now.
Goodness, I had
to have been
probably eight.
And was at my
cousin's house up
in Sandy Hook,
Mississippi.
And we had gone,
me and my cousin
down
towards the field
and had some cow
fields way back
in the back
through some
woods for now,
bear in
mind, I'm eight.
I'm not familiar
with the
area at all.
I don't even
remember.
My cousin's from
being eight.
Yeah, we get
down there,
the cows are in
the wrong place
or something.
So my
cousin says,
"I gotta get
these cows run
back to the
other field."
You run back to
the house, tell
daddy to
come and help.
Well, I was like,
I don't know
which way
I'm going.
So he gave the
best outdoor
directions
ever given.
He said, "You see
those trees?
Just follow
those trees."
He'll never
follow trees.
Trees don't go
anywhere.
I took off
running
back towards
where I thought I
was
following the trees.
And it
wasn't too long.
I had no idea
where I was at.
I had no idea how
far I was from
anything
from eight
years old.
Of course, I
started probably
balling
and crying
and
hollering for help.
And eventually,
apparently I
wasn't too far
from much
because I come
around the corner
and there was my
cousin coming
back out
from the
cow field.
And he found me.
I told you.
(both laughing)
I don't remember
how all that
played out,
but I remember it
was terrifying as
a little kid
to suddenly, I
don't have a clue
which way to go.
And I know that
my uncle's house
is here
somewhere.
And I don't know
the rest of its
wilderness,
far as I know.
That was scary.
Another time I
was
probably 11 or 12
and me and two of
my buddies,
Russell
and Boogie.
But it was
really, as far as
I know to
this day,
that was Boogie's
name was Boogie.
So we hung out on
the creek
all the time,
about a quarter
of a mile down in
the woods
from my house.
Went down there
one day, we're
just
goofing around.
The trail was
flooded, so we
had to go around
the swamp.
Coming back out,
we lost it.
Somehow we're
just wandering
around in
the woods.
And so we're
lost again.
I wasn't as
scared that time.
Was that a couple
of guys with me?
Right.
But it was still
kind of scary
and it got really
dark on us.
My dad's running
through
the woods.
He went the other
way
looking for us.
He took a guess
and went the
wrong way.
And eventually we
just
wandered around.
Actually, I'll
tell you, just
straight up,
the reason I
think I found my
way out of there,
there was a point
where clarity
came to me
for some reason,
even as a
little kid.
And I realized,
hey, the
creek's here.
I know there's a
road that
parallels
it here.
There's probably
half a mile in
between the two
of them,
but we're in the
middle somewhere.
If we just go
away from
the creek,
we'll eventually
get to the road.
And that's
what we did.
We went that way
and I'm
leading the way
because they're
both a little bit
younger than me
and we found our
way out
to the road
and then walked
all the way
around the road.
Well, I found out
later on
that my dad was
running through
the woods.
My family wasn't
in church
at the time.
My dad was
running through
the woods the
other way.
And he stopped.
He said he
stopped at a
certain point
and he got down
on his
knees and said,
God, please get
my son
out of this.
If you get my son
out of this,
we will be in
church tomorrow.
It was Saturdays
and we'll be in
church tomorrow
morning.
And I have no way
to prove it,
but to me, I
think
that's the moment
that the
direction came
into my mind
was when my
dad prayed.
And we were in
church the next
morning.
Wow. Yep.
So I got a couple
of little
questions
like that
I'm gonna read
here in a minute.
That if you had
to survive
for a week
with just a knife
and a tarp, could
you do it?
Now guys, if
you're listening
to this,
log into the
Facebook page,
Prandtl Camp in
the Bushcraft
and answer some
of these
questions.
If you're
listening to it,
log in, type in
and say,
yes, I
could do it.
I could do this
or I
could do that.
Y'all, I mean,
y'all get in with
the
conversation too,
not just me and
Dave, but y'all
are invited too.
Yeah, I would
confidently
say yes,
contingent on
finding water.
And that's not a
big challenge in
our area.
I mean, you're
gonna find
some water.
And in a week,
even if I
couldn't find a
way to boil it.
Another thing you
mentioned
while ago,
you were
finding trash.
If I was here,
you look around,
you'll
find a bottle,
a can.
Beer cans
specifically.
Beer cans, figure
out a way
to make a
reflective
magnifier fire or
something
like that.
But even if, I
know it's a risk
and we're making
a week long
scenario.
If somehow I knew
at the end of the
week it was over,
I would drink
dirty water
before I thirsted
to death
or I dehydrated
and passed out.
Yes, and that's
one thing that a
lot of
people don't,
if you get
to the point,
it takes seven
to, I believe,
I think it was
seven to 11 days.
Seven to 11 or
seven to 14 days,
one to two weeks,
something like
that, for Giardia
to kick in
to give you the
diarrhea and all
that stuff.
Once that kicks
in, then that's
when it's life
threatening.
But like
you said--
You're probably
out by then.
Yes, probably out
by then.
And you ever seen
a TV show
out last?
I've never seen
that one.
Yeah, well it's
kind of like,
it's similar to
like Alone
or one of these
survival
type shows,
but they have one
girl on there
and she walked
around this
entire lake
to be with these
other people.
And when she did,
she drank some
dirty water
and then a week
later she got
sick and she had
to leave.
And so, you know,
but the whole
idea behind it,
and that's why
you carry a metal
container,
but with this, so
I'm gonna be
doing a video
here soon
where I'm trying
to find out, can
you, can you not,
can you boil
water in a tarp
or a paper bag,
a plastic bag or
something
like that?
So I'm gonna
figure that out.
And so I got a
video of that
coming up.
I've seen videos
of it done.
Really?
Yeah, Ziploc bag,
Well, I've seen
Ziploc bags.
And plastic bottle.
Because the water
inside keeps the
plastic from
melting.
And that's still
not a great idea.
It's better than
thirsting
to death.
Probably gonna
get cancer down a
root from it.
Well, here's the
thing about that
is that,
down the road,
you may
never come.
Yeah.
And you're
definitely gonna
die if you don't
drink water.
Yeah, you ever
die if you don't
drink the water,
but people in my
comment section
say that
all the time.
Like, oh my God,
that's got
PFAS and,
or whatever all
these things are.
It's like, you're
gonna die.
You're gonna have
cancer in
50 years.
Okay, well, at
least I
didn't die.
And in 50 years
now, I
will, you know?
Yeah. So.
A lot of these
things, I mean,
it's not the,
it's not the best
option that you
would do in the
kitchen,
but you see, you
know, out in the
woods and,
Yeah, you know,
a knife
and a tarp.
A tarp, I've seen
it time and
time again,
could be
fashioned, you
can make it
into a boat.
Yeah.
You can make it
into a boat, get
down the river
until you poke it
and then it
starts sinking.
(laughing) But, clear bodies
of water, open
bodies of water,
you can turn the
tarp into a boat.
All right, so you
have a
navigation way,
you know, a
navigating one
place or another.
A knife, you can
actually
cut down,
like up to two
inch diameter
trees
with a knife,
you know, and you
just cut it
at an angle,
ting, ting, ting,
ting, all
the way around
and then break
the tree.
Yeah.
And you can
cut a tree.
Bad for the knife
eventually,
because it's
gonna chip the
knife or
bend the knife
or whatever, but
it can be done.
So a knife is a
valuable thing
and I would love,
I mean, if I was
a knife
and a tarp,
yeah, I could
stay out
here for a week.
I could stay out
here for a week.
I mean, even, I
tell my kids all
the time
when they have
trouble with what
was cooked
for supper,
you can go three
weeks
without eating
before you get in
real trouble, so.
Yeah, you can go.
Jesus did
40 days.
Yeah.
Nah.
Here's one real
good question is,
what is one skill
you think
that everyone
thinks they have,
but really don't?
What is one skill
that a lot of
people believe
they can do
but really don't?
I don't know how
many people
actually think
they can do it,
but using sticks
to make fire.
Absolutely.
Everybody thinks
that they can do
it in an
emergency.
And you hear it
all the time.
There's like,
hey, I'll just
rub two sticks
together
and I'll
make a fire.
That doesn't work
like that.
It is not
that easy.
No.
That is the best
example ever.
Matter of fact,
I'm going with
your answer.
Yeah.
(laughing)
We took Tom Hanks
on that island,
you know.
He used the
firefly.
Eventually the
firefly.
And that
was a TV show.
Yeah.
Anyway, guys, I
really do.
I hope y'all are
enjoying this
little format
that we're doing
tonight.
You know, we're
out here camping.
Got a fire going
right here.
And we just sit
here asking
questions
and just enjoying
each other's
company.
And it's like 11
o'clock at night.
(laughing)
So I got a couple
of questions on a
different
subject.
And I think you
already touched
on one was,
what is one
lesson that the
outdoors
has taught you
about God?
Sust, I say the
right word.
He sustains.
He takes care of,
I mean, you just
look at the world
and being in the
outdoors.
It's an organized
system of
the trees.
Even take these
leaves and jump
on the ground
that's fallen and
that's turning
back into dirt
and fertilizing
the trees which
grow up.
And then that's a
house for the
birds and the
wildlife
and all
that stuff.
And it all fits
together.
Creation
glorifies God.
Yes it does.
When you look at
how it all fits
together
out here,
I mean, the human
body is another
great example.
I mean, it just
screams creator.
Even though some
people
don't realize
the true
living God.
But you can't
look in nature in
my opinion
and say, wow,
this is just some
kind of random
accident.
Right.
Wow.
So one lesson
that the outdoors
has taught me
is that I am not
as significant as
I like to think
that I am.
I am not as big
and bad as I
think that I
really am.
And I think that
can apply to a
lot of people
and a lot of
situations too.
When it comes to
the
outdoors and God,
you are
but a speck.
Yeah.
In the grand
scheme of things.
But you're made
in his image.
That's right.
You're a very
important speck.
You are a very
important speck
and he values a
relationship
with you.
But when it comes
to the great
outdoors
and it has taught
me that I am not
as significant
as I really think
that I am
sometimes.
So when is a time
that you felt
closest to God
out in the
wilderness?
Have you
ever had a time
where you felt
closer to God
outdoors?
Yeah, sure.
I tell you, how
far in the
wilderness you
have to be?
You don't
have to be.
Okay.
I mean, it's just
like outdoors.
And say
wilderness but--
This is where God
be, okay.
This is the time.
And it's just a
random thing.
So given time, I
can probably
think of more
occasions.
But I used to
drive 18 wheelers
and I was over
somewhere in
South Louisiana
sitting at a
plant waiting to
get a load,
wanted to be
home, frustrated.
But there was a
canal
right there.
It may have
been a river
that we were
sitting
right beside.
But I just got
out of my truck.
I got my Bible.
I went over there
and sat down by
that water.
There's something
about
water to me.
And got by that
water and
sat still
and just read
some Bible.
And man, that
was, that's all
the elements.
I was outside.
I wasn't camping.
I wasn't doing
anything
outdoorsy.
Right.
I was on the edge
of a chemical
plant or
something.
But I found a
place, a calm,
serene place.
Calm,
still place.
By the water, had
the word with me
and just sat and
had some time
with God
for a minute.
And that's just
always
stuck out to me.
I was, I took the
boys, no, it
wasn't the boys.
It was a mentor.
We went to a
mentor, first
mentor's retreat
in North Georgia.
And I was walking
through
the hills.
And I can
remember sitting
at the waterfall.
They got
this big rock.
And I know you've
seen it,
and I'm
describing it for
these guys.
They get this big
rock that
overlooks this
waterfall.
And it's about,
what
would you say?
60, 80 feet up
above, or if not
a little taller
or whatever.
It's a beautiful
picture.
And actually I
do, that picture
actually made it
in the book.
And I can
remember sitting
there and
praying.
And I just felt
like I was so
close to him in
that moment.
And it was all
because I was in
his creation.
And you go back
and you think
about it
to where,
you know, where
Adam and
Eve was here
and God walked
with them daily
in the evening,
in the cool of
the evening, and
walked with them.
And it makes you
want to be like,
you want that
closeness
with him.
And when you get
out there and
you're
sitting there
and you're
looking at
all nature
and all the
outdoors and
stuff like that,
and it happens,
and oh man, it's
just, it's
amazing stuff.
It's
amazing stuff.
So do you think
that being
outdoors
changes a man?
Why or why not?
And this is not
necessarily just
like a faith,
but it's more
like a life type
question.
Like, do you
believe that
being outdoors,
going outdoors
all the time,
learning new
skills outdoors
that it can
change you?
Yeah, I do.
With the caveat
that it's not for
everybody.
I mean, they're,
you know, people
have
personalities
and some people
are city people,
some people are
country people
like we are.
And, you know,
they've got
their things
that connect them
with God
and bring them
serenity and
growth and stuff.
But for us, I
think it
does a lot.
For one thing,
even though we
both got
our phones
in our pocket and
stuff, and we
have cell
signal here,
it is still,
you're getting
out of the
rat race,
pulling back from
it a little bit,
breathing some
fresh air with a
little
smoke in it.
And it just, it's
grounding.
Breathe in some
fresh smoke with
a little air.
Yeah,
sometimes, yeah.
Which way the
breeze is
blowing.
Yep.
So we got some,
what's the
dumbest injury
or accident
you've ever had
outside or
in the woods?
All right.
Only creek, the
same creek that
my buddies and I
were lost on when
I was 10.
Years later, me
and Golly had to
be two other guys
in our early
twenties.
Went back there
to that same
creek to go
swimming.
And we had a rope
swing on a little
tree across
the creek.
Bear in mind,
this is still
coming
from the same,
about the
same place.
It was a good
quarter to a
third of a mile
walk back.
And so I'm
deciding to go up
this angled tree
to go out to get
the rope to pull
it back in.
Well, about three
quarters of the
way up, I
fell out.
Now I'm about 10
feet in the air.
And I landed on a
cypress knot that
was about
two inches
under the water
right on my
tailbone.
Bow!
Thought I had
died right there.
So I had to swim
across the creek,
which thankfully
wasn't very wide.
Lay there in the
cold water
for a while
until I could
move again.
And then walk my
way with a
severely bruised
and probably
broken, but I was
too embarrassed
to go to the
doctor tailbone.
Yeah, missed some
work and
everything.
So that was a,
that was the job.
Missed some work
and everything.
Wow.
By far, that one
came right to me.
Let's see, I'm
trying to think.
I don't have a
stupid injury.
Silly injury.
The only thing I
could think of is
reaching down
and grabbing the
lid off of a cast
iron pot
with my hands.
Stuff like that,
but not nothing
with a
fancy story
like yours, that
was pretty good.
I'll give you a
fire one too.
I was, again,
most of the dumb
stuff
happened to me
when I was a kid.
Thankfully I got
a little smarter
when I was older.
But so probably
there again, 10,
11, 12 years old
somewhere.
I used to camp in
the backyard, I'd
look tent,
I'd camp in the
backyard, have a
little campfire.
I mean, I was
like right behind
the house.
I'd be really
backyard camping.
It was fields
back there, so
what a
neighborhood,
but it was a
backyard.
Anyway, so I had
a little fire and
I had a stick
and I had a
polyester or
something shirt
wrapped around
this stick.
And I was playing
in the
fire with it.
Never do that.
While I noticed
if you ever burnt
polyester
on a stick,
it'll start
dripping and it's
burning
all the way.
(imitates explosion)
That's when it
makes no sound.
It makes no sound.
Yeah, it sounds.
(imitates explosion)
So I was shaking
it and the shirt
come loose,
flipped around,
some of that
polyester landed
on my arm.
And so now it's
on my
shirt on fire.
What do they tell
you if you're on
fire when
you're a kid?
Stop dropping roll. Stop
dropping roll.
I jumped.
Now I'm standing
on a terrace row
that's about two
feet high.
So rather than
just drop, I
jumped, flew
through the air
about three or
four feet,
down on the
ground, rolling.
That does nothing
for polyester on
your sleeve
burning,
by the way,
rolling.
Because finally
I'd come
to my senses
and just patted
it out with
something
and didn't burn
myself to pieces.
Made the mistake
of telling my dad
about it.
I could have got
away with it
completely.
Scott free.
But you got in
trouble.
Well, you know, I
got the old.
You learned your
lesson, didn't
you boy?
Yeah, son, I
thought you were
smarter
than that.
I'm off to
the flame.
Look at that,
that's crazy.
First time I've
ever seen that.
Did you fly right
in there?
I flew right up
to the flame and
then he flew
around it
and then he went
over to
the light.
So what is the
worst camp meal
you ever ate?
You know, camp
food is
always good.
Almost no
matter what.
I don't think
I've ever had a
really bad one.
I know, I agree
with you.
But in the Boy
Scouts, we did
something
and maybe it was
okay then.
We took cans, we
were told to
bring
canned food.
And I think we're
maybe doing a
little float trip
on the inner
tubes or
something,
or I don't know
exactly what
we're doing.
We're supposed to
bring canned food
to eat for lunch.
But what we're
gonna do is take,
where you take
the can most of
the way off,
bend it back and
then use that as
a handle
and stick it in
the fire.
Well, you know, I
brought corn.
I brought a can
of corn.
And then my
friends were
actually jealous.
"Oh, I didn't
need anything to
bring corn."
But now I realize
there's plastic
liners in
those cans
and that's not a
great idea.
Now this would
have been the
late 1980s.
So maybe they
didn't have
plastic liners in
the cans yet.
I don't know.
I've done that so
many times,
warmed up the
biggum cans on
the stove or
whatever.
And it's crazy.
So mine is,
I'm saying,
I'm trying to
think what was
the worst.
The worst
canned food.
Because I
usually, I cook
pretty good
when I go out
into the woods.
Yeah, but you
have a
armadillo and...
Yes.
All right.
So actually, all
right, well,
we'll do that.
So I was on
this river
and an armadillo
walked up in camp
and I
dispatched him
and I skinned him
out and I threw
him in a pot
and I boiled him
down and I made
armadillas stew.
Armadillas stew.
And I'm telling
you now, it was
actually good.
It was delicious.
It was not
bad at all.
And I mean, it's
not bad.
(laughing)
I guess that's
not a great
answer for that
question.
No, it's not.
I can't think of
anything.
You know what's
funny is because
there's no
horrible
food to me.
Yeah.
You know, to me,
there's no
horrible food.
You know, unless
somebody showed
up at this camp
and did Brussels
sprouts
on kebabs,
I am not eating
your Brussels
sprouts, dude.
It's not
gonna happen.
That's the only
food I won't eat.
Really?
Other than that,
I'll eat anything
that eats me.
You know, tries
to eat me,
you know?
I'm not, I'm
not, uh-uh.
So if you could
have any animal
as a survival
companion,
what would it be?
That's a stupid
question.
That's a stupid
question.
Okay, but is it
just, I need more
details there.
Is it just a
random animal?
Is it a trained
survival animal?
Oh, come on.
I can only give
you whatever day.
If you could have
any animal, any
is the key word.
All right.
As a survival
companion.
Okay, survival
companion.
What would it be?
Hawk.
A hawk?
That's Hawk.
I seen a guy, a
falconer before.
Yeah, but that
was a
falcon, not a hawk.
No, it's
just Hawk.
They call it
falconry, but
it's Hawk.
He had Harris
Hawks and
Red-tailed Hawks.
And the thing was
trained.
It would come
right
back to him.
It would fly and
catch squirrels
and bring
them to him.
I mean, it
was, yeah.
It's the way he
did with these.
He took a
squirrel hunting,
squirrel and
rabbit hunting
with this Hawk.
So if I have
anything I can
have a...
I would
bring Ranger.
I would never go
hungry because
I'd eat all the
turtles.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He's a turtler.
He loves, he will
find every turtle
in the yard.
He will find any
turtle anywhere.
Now his big thing
is, I got a
catfish pond at
the house.
And so I've been
feeding
the catfish
and the catfish
come up, stick
their heads out
and they're
sitting there
walking around
with their mouth
open, gobbling up
all these
little things.
He thinks he's
gonna get them.
So he gets out
there and he
swims around
trying to
catch them.
He's swimming in
circles trying to
catch a fish.
I need to make a
video on that.
He's gonna get
one one day,
won't you?
Well, I wish, I
hope he does.
So we're gonna
move on to a
couple more
questions
and then we're
gonna wrap this
thing up.
So if you could
leave one piece
of advice,
hold on, lost my
question.
If you could
leave one piece
of advice
for your
grandkids about
living outdoors,
what would it be?
Hmm.
I don't guess you
can just
say do it.
Learn it.
Learn it, that's
a good one.
Take a bushcraft
course somewhere,
take a campfire
course somewhere,
pick up a book or
a YouTube video.
Yeah. Just get out
there, man.
That's a, yeah.
Yeah, it seems
what gets me is
back in the day
when we were
kids, they didn't
call them
shelters.
They were
called forts.
Yeah, I had forts all over the place.
We built some of
them amazing
forts growing up.
Well, mine would
be to teach my
grandkids
since I
just had one.
I got my first
grandbaby.
He's five months
old today
actually,
I think.
Tomorrow,
tomorrow he'll be
five months old.
And I just give
him a copy
of my book.
Yeah.
(laughing) That's cheating.
No, me and him's
gonna have
fun, dude.
Me and him's
gonna
learn a lot.
He's gonna
learn a lot.
I was actually
doing the
FaceTime with him
while I was
cooking dinner.
And I was showing
my son the fire
and the grandbaby
heard my voice
and was like
hooping and
hollering,
laughing,
you know?
It's crazy.
But grandkids are
something
else, dude.
So what's one
thing
people get wrong
about camping or
survival?
Hmm.
What's one thing?
I don't know.
Can I go back to
the previous
question just for
a second
and then we'll
hit that one?
Just another
thing that I was
thinking about.
I am not a
Greenpeace tree
hugger by
any means.
But we need to
teach the next
generations
to cherish the
outdoors and to
take care of it.
So that, you
know, so be I
wish more people
would teach their
grandkids not to
trash the
outdoors
Yeah, don't
litter it,
enjoy it.
I vote for people
that want to
protect it.
And I know that
gets into a whole
political
spectrum
of things, you
know, but,
I think that was
the problem for a
long time was
so many people
were ingrained in
the outdoors
in
generations before
that they didn't
think about the
destruction
that was
coming on it.
So they weren't
teaching our
generations
coming up,
hey, you need to
take care
of this.
But that's
something that
needs to be
passed on.
Yeah, I thought
about that a
little bit
in the book,
you know, don't
handle it
too much,
but you know, you
need to cherish
what you do have
because it can be
taken away
from you.
Yeah.
You look at it
this way,
you got wildlife
management areas
all over
the place,
especially here
in South
Mississippi where
they gone in and
they've cut down
all the trees,
you know.
I realize while
they're doing it,
they're trying to
make habitat for
other species,
non-target animal
species,
you know,
but they need,
you got to
cherish it,
you have to take
care of it.
In these places,
even places
like this,
when you get out
here, pick up
your trot lines
and your hooks,
pick up
your trash,
don't throw your
big glass
bottles.
You know, it's a
shame that you
can't even walk
on a river
because glass
gets cut in your
feet, you know.
So what was the
next question?
So the next
question was,
what's one thing
people get wrong
about camping or
survival?
Hmm.
Well, camping,
and I think
people learn this
pretty quick.
They don't
consider the
difficulty and
the discomfort.
So they come out
with the idea
that you're just
gonna go out
and get a great
night's sleep
just like
you do at home
and everything's
gonna be, no,
it's not
about that.
And that actually
turns a lot of
people off
from camping, is
coming out and
they didn't,
they didn't take
into
consideration
how tough it was
gonna be.
For us, that's
part of the game.
That makes it
fun, you know,
but that's just
not the same for
some people.
And I think if
they just would
have the
right mindset
going in that,
you know, I'm
sleeping in a
hammock,
and I'm probably
not gonna sleep
as good as I do
at home,
but that's okay,
it's part of the
whole experience.
So for me, this
question is what
is one thing
that people get
wrong about
camping or
survival is
you have to
practice with
your gear.
Yeah.
If you don't
practice with
your gear,
you won't know
how to use it.
And if you don't
know how
to use it,
then it's gonna
contribute, like
you're saying,
you're gonna have
a miserable time.
Yeah.
If you don't, and
I say it time and
time again
and I'm teaching
kids how to use a
ferro rod,
all right,
they'll
willy-nilly just
strike it,
and, you know, it
looked like a
Roman candle
going off,
but there's no
method or
madness to it
until you finally
show them
how to do it.
And, you know, if
you don't teach,
you don't learn
how to do some of
the things
on the outdoors,
then you're not
gonna enjoy it.
And we get it all
the time in the
primitive camping
and bushcraft
group on
Facebook,
if people's like,
"Hey, I'm new
here," you know,
and post a
picture of
something
and say,
"Hey, what
about this?"
You know, and
they're like,
"Hey, there ain't
nothing wrong
with it."
And that's one
thing that people
get wrong too,
is that there's
no wrong way to
do anything.
Sort of going
into the woods
and cutting down
every green tree
but that goes
right back to
what
you're saying
while I go about
respecting nature
and respecting
the place,
but there's no
wrong way to do
anything.
There's an
end result,
and if you get to
the end result,
you're good.
And there's 14
million, you've
heard the phrase,
there's more than
one way to
skin a cat.
There's 14
million ways to
start a fire.
There's 14
million ways.
I use Blackbeard
Fire Stars,
love them.
I also picked up
a pack of $2.58
char grill,
whatever, char,
whatever,
and you know,
from a salvage
store and they
work just fine.
That's why we
started
this fire.
There's no wrong
way to do it.
Don't let
somebody come in
and tell you
it has to be done
this way because
it does not.
It does not.
I see
that so much.
So,
(laughs)
give me the top
three
pieces of gear
you wouldn't
leave home
without, go.
That
should be the,
I assume when
we're coming
outside,
same thing.
Spit it out, just
spit it out.
Top three pieces
of gear.
Cell phone,
pocket knife.
(laughs)
We heard it here
first, ladies and
gentlemen.
Container.
(laughs)
Heard it here
first, the cell
phone and
pocket knife.
If I'm coming
outside, the
three things
that I want
is a knife, a
metal container,
and a
piece of rope.
That goes right
back to where we
were at the
beginning.
I think you said
you wanted a
shelter.
You
wanted a tarp.
Yeah.
Yeah, but I mean,
seriously though,
your phone,
now, it's gear.
You know
what I mean?
Yeah.
We don't always
think about it
that way,
but I mean, it
does a lot
for them.
We have maps,
downloaded maps
of the creek that
we're on.
It's always
in my pocket.
So when you're
talking about
your top three,
that's pretty
much your EDC, your
everyday carry.
And that's pretty
much what I'm
carrying
every day
is my cell phone,
my watch,
and my knife.
EDC.
Yeah.
So,
one thing that I
would highly
recommend people,
what you say in
cell
phone is that
the battery is
going to go out.
Yeah.
One thing I do
recommend is
people actually
getting a compass
and learning how
to use an
compass.
Getting a
topographical
map,
and figuring out
how to use the
topographical
map.
And I'll try, if
I
remember, you know,
because I won't
start editing
this till
Thursday or Friday,
but if I remember
when we get home,
to put the link
into this place,
I mentioned it in
the book,
I forget the name
of the website,
the most thorough
and amazing
explanation of
how to use
a compass
and a map I've
ever seen.
And I was in the
military,
you know,
and this place
did a jam up job.
And so I'll put that link in there. I'd be interested
in seeing
that myself.
If I could tell
you guys anything
is to get you a
compass and a map
and learn
how to use it.
Last question for
the night.
And we'll be
wrapping this up
because we've
been doing it for
one hour.
What is your
dream
camping trip?
(whistling)
I would like to,
I would like to
do one of those
trips in Canada
or Alaska,
where you fly out
to a remote lake
on a float plane
and in a canoe or
something.
And I don't want
to do, it doesn't
sound
appealing to me.
You need to just
team up with Jim
and Ted Baird.
No, you know,
because actually
they do,
I've seen some of
the guys,
you know,
they'll do the
portages,
you know,
where
they're making,
they're going a
pathway somewhere
is a journey.
So they're gonna
fly up there and
then they
can canoe.
And then they got
to carry
the canoe.
I'm just fine.
Pick me a good
lake and I'll
just set up a
camp right there.
Fish in
that lake.
And I'll see you
when you come
back and get me.
Yeah, yeah.
Set up a date and
come back
and get me.
Yes.
Give me great big
bear barrels of
food and stuff
and all the
things I need.
And that would,
that'd be my
dream
camping trip.
So I went, I
lived in Alaska
and Mason, my
youngest,
was, he was three
years old
and I took him on
his first
camping trip.
And Logan,
he was eight.
Yeah, he was
eight years old
at the time.
And we were
driving, I had a
1982 model
Ford Ranger four
wheel drive.
And we was
driving back
through there
and the creek was
frozen
over, you know,
but it was still
the springtime,
but it was kind
of frozen over.
And the only
problem is,
is that I
couldn't see how
deep it was.
In Alaska,
generally the
rivers and creeks
are not
very deep.
They're
really not.
But so I'm going
out through there
and I go
and they said,
oh man, we drove
through it
yesterday.
It was fine.
You know, I
said, okay.
So I get there
and the first
thing I do
is fall in
and water comes
up to the
windshield.
I'm like,
oh my God.
And then I just
kept on driving.
And that's as
deep as it got.
And I just went
right on
through it.
And then we get
out there,
but I'm telling
you now,
that was the
best, most
memorable camping
trip I've
ever had.
We were camping
on a
glacier in Alaska.
And it was
amazing.
It was amazing.
But my biggest
number one thing
I want to do is,
me and my
brothers have
always wanted to
A, go peacock
bass fishing in
the Amazon.
South
America, yeah.
Or B, take the
donkeys and ride
the pack mules
up the top of the
mountains
and go fly
fishing for a
golden trout or
whatever trout.
And we were
actually going to
do that,
but the guide,
his mom got sick
and
canceled the trip.
We canceled the trip.
So we
couldn't go do it.
But I wish we'd
have gone through
with that.
That was in
Colorado.
So anyway,
that's it.
Ladies and
gentlemen, thank
y'all so much.
I hope y'all
enjoyed this.
I've enjoyed the
fire out of it.
What about
you, Davey?
No, no, I'm
kidding.
This was
awesome, yeah.
I had a
great time.
First time I ever
done a podcast
from a campsite
on the river on
the camping trip.
Thanks for
sitting around
the fire
with me today.
If this episode
gave you
something to
think about,
if it helped you
feel a little bit
more prepared
or it even
stirred your
faith a tiny bit,
go ahead and
share it with
someone else
who might need it
as well.
We don't go
camping, run away
from life.
We come out here
to slow down and
to recharge.
So grab another
log, throw it on
the fire,
and remember
this, in all your
ways,
acknowledge him
and he will
direct your path.
I'll see
you next time.
God bless ya.