The Woodsman's Journal Online: January 2025

Sunday, January 26, 2025

It All Starts With Situational Awareness©

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

I had planned on writing something different for this week’s article, but the recent death of a beautiful person (HERE and HERE) I didn’t know, and a random conversation with my dental hygienist about self-defense last week, has led me to write this instead. I’ve been blessed/cursed with hyper vigilance and high protective instincts, and while I know that you can’t save someone you never knew, it still hurts and frustrates me. Perhaps, with this article, just maybe, somehow, I can help someone else I don’t know, instead.

This crazy world that we live in is made up of “sheep”, lovely people without a mean bone in their bodies, who have no or only limited capacity for violence, and who are targets for “wolves”; who prey upon sheep, and “sheep dogs”, who protect the sheep. This is an oversimplification of course, but it illustrates the point. Oh, and there are a lot more sheep than wolves or sheep dogs, which is both a good and a bad thing. It is good, because your chance of becoming a wolf’s victim is low, but it’s bad, because often there isn’t someone there to rescue you if you get into trouble.

So, how do you reduce your risks and become a safer, smarter sheep? There are a number of things that you can do, but it all starts with situational awareness and realizing that IT could happen to you. Once you realize that it can happen to you, the first step to being safe in any environment, whether urban or wilderness, is to be aware of your situation. Being aware of your situation can help you identify possible hazards, avoid accidents, react quickly to emergencies and make informed decisions.

Situational awareness or situation awareness (SA) is the ability to perceive, understand, and effectively respond to one's situation, which is defined as one’s environment, its elements, and how it changes with respect to time or other factors. Situational awareness is a cycle and is formally defined as, “the perception of the elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future”^2.

In a nutshell, situational awareness is being aware of your surroundings, predicting potential risks, and taking the necessary actions to stay safe, but what does that mean in an urban setting, which according to the U.N. is the home to over half of the world population today?

The concept of situational awareness has been a part of military strategy for millennia, a failure of situational awareness is what makes an ambush successful, for the ambusher! However, it wasn’t until the 1960’s that the concept of situational awareness was formalized into a model by Colonel Jeff Cooper. This hypothesis, which is known as the “Cooper Color Code”, details four levels of situational awareness, although later authors have added two additional levels, levels five and six, or colors gray and black.

The lowest level of situational awareness is “condition white” or the “switched-off”, “tuned-out” level. In condition white, you are completely unaware of your surroundings and are not prepared for anything. Reasons for being in condition white might be lack of sleep, fatigue, impairment due to drugs or alcohol, being absorbed by technology, or stress. In condition white, you are distracted and may not even realize you are in danger. This is the case when a person walking down the street has headphones on and is listening to music, is texting or is otherwise using their technology.

The second level of situational awareness is condition yellow, which describes a relaxed awareness level. In condition yellow you are relaxed, but aware of your surroundings and are actively scanning for potential threats. You can quickly respond to any changes in your situation. A person who is walking down the street and is frequently looking at the people around them is in condition yellow, so is a human “wolf” who is sizing potential prey.

The third level of situational awareness is condition orange, which identifies a focused awareness level where you have identified a potential threat and have focused on it. You are prepared to act if necessary and are in an increased state of awareness. A person who has spotted a suspicious person approaching them on the street, and is watching them, or a human predator who is moving towards a target is in condition orange.

The fourth level of situational awareness is condition red, which defines a high alert level. If you are in condition red, you are actively dealing with a threat and you are taking actions to protect yourself or others.

Smart people try to remain in condition yellow, because it reduces your risks and you become a safer, smarter sheep!

Don't Forget to come back next week for “The Ten Commandments of Situational Awareness©”.

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site. I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

Bonnafoux, Patrice; “Situational awareness: practical safety tips”, [© 2012-2023 Patrice Bonnafoux], https://www.urbanfitandfearless.com/2014/03/situational-awareness-safety-tips.html, accessed January 25, 2025

Endsley, Mica R.; “Toward a Theory of Situation Awareness in Dynamic Systems”, The Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Vol. 37, No. 1, March 1, 1995, pages 32 -64, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/210198492_Endsley_MR_Toward_a_Theory_of_Situation_Awareness_in_Dynamic_Systems_Human_Factors_Journal_371_32-64, accessed January 20, 2025

Kardian, Steve; “The Seven-Second Rule: How to Avoid Being an Easy Target”, Aug 6, 2017, [© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC], https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/seven-second-rule-how-avoid-being-seen-easy-target-ncna789226, accessed January 25, 2025

Oglesby, “Pamela; “Instinct - Are We Born With a Protective Instinct?”, July 18, 2022, [© 2025 The Arena Media Brands, LLC], https://discover.hubpages.com/health/Instinct-Are-We-Born-With-a-Protective-Instinct, accessed January 20, 2025

Wikimedia; “Crowd in the street’, by Christopher Amrich, July 3, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crowd_in_the_street_%2827890306640%29.jpg, accessed January 25, 2025

Wikimedia; “Stubai - Tiroler Bergschaf -BT”, by Basotxerri, July 16, 2018, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stubai_-_Tiroler_Bergschaf_-BT-_01.jpg, accessed January 25, 2025

Younis, Ola; et al.; “ Peripheral Vision Loss using Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality”, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, March 2019, Vol. 10, No, 2, pages 1 to 9, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331409336_A_Hazard_Detection_and_Tracking_System_for_People_with_Peripheral_Vision_Loss_using_Smart_Glasses_and_Augmented_Reality, accessed January 25, 2025

Monday, January 20, 2025

An Open Letter to Kenzie©

Kenzie, thank you for inviting me to your birthday celebration, yesterday. The gift that you gave me was incredible! I was so surprised! You shouldn’t have! It was too much! I really wish that you hadn’t, the cost was too dear, the price was too high, but you paid it, and I can never, ever, begin to repay you, or pay it forward fully.

It is a marvelous, wonderful gift, because for the first time in over forty years, I felt true emotions inside my soul, emotions other than anger and rage, which are my usual companions. Oh sure, I have felt happiness and pain during all those long empty years, but they were fleeting, shallow, temporary, outside emotions; pale imitations only, not true emotions, which twist your heart and tear at your soul, or make you catch your breath in joy and wonder.

You see Kenzie, to survive, I long ago learned to build walls, high and strong, and to bury myself within them, and to harden my skin into armor, because the world is such a hard place, it is not kind and has little time or patience for sensitive souls, who feel too much, and so I became numb, and felt nothing, or at the best, very little.

But you came and kicked in the doors, and you tore open the walls, and shredded my armor, and for the first time in decades, I felt sadness, loss, and pain. Thank you, it felt truly awful, but I FELT! I felt sorrow, I felt pain, and I cried for only the fifth time since I was ten. It is such an amazing, incredible, and miraculous gift that you have given me; because I felt, I feel, I am not just numb!

A simple “thank you” is too little, too insignificant, in comparison to the all that you have given. All I can do is promise you that I won’t rebuild the walls, or repair the doors, that I will stop hiding inside my shattered walls, that I won’t put on my armor, that I will keep on feeling, even when it hurts, that I won’t let myself become numb again. So, thank you and you have my promise.

Oh, and thank you for the birthday cake, it was delicious!

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Rest in Peace Mackenzie Michalski©

Six degrees of separation, that is all. Any two strangers are, on average, only apart by precisely 6.6 degrees of separation. I never met Mackenzie Michalski, a beautiful and vibrant young woman, who according to all who knew her was a light in the darkness, which is all too often our modern world. I wish that I had, but I didn’t. I might have, since I have known her Mother for almost forty years, but I missed my chance. And so today, I will meet Mackenzie for the first, and unfortunately, the very last time, at her memorial service.

You see, Mackenzie was killed while vacationing in Budapest, Hungary, a city she loved and called her “happy place”. For those like me, who never got the chance to meet “Kenzie” as she was known to her friends and family, she lived in Portland, Oregon and was a kind and loving neurosurgery nurse practitioner, who enjoyed traveling. Kenzie dedicated herself to caring for others and using her humor, positivity, and limitless empathy to making the world a better place for us all.

Kenzie, you were a light in the darkness and “will forever be remembered as a beautiful and compassionate young woman”, by all who were so blessed as to have met you. I wish I were one the lucky ones who had the good fortune to have met you, before today.

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Real or Repro...It’s a Mystery!©

Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

It’s a mystery. I bought a sword at an antique store; it didn’t have any maker’s marks, any inspector’s markings or even the year stamped on the blade or grip. It did have a patina on the blade and on parts of the hilt that made me think it might be old, there were hammer-marks on the tang, and the blade still had a sharp edge...but patinas can be faked, and anything can be sharpened.

Just what type of sword is it and did I get a real antique, or a modern fake? I had my suspicions, but no proof and that is why it was a mystery!

The mystery sword has a one piece hilt and cross guard that are of cast brass. The brass hilt has a fish scaled grip, a nippled pommel, and a 4 inch (10 cm) cross guard. The grips have been molded in a scalloped fish scale design with no visible rivets. The pommel is decorated on each side with a heavily embossed American eagle, with shield, holding arrows in his left talon and an olive branch in his right talon. The straight cross quillons terminate in disk shaped finials.

The tang is an extension of the blade that runs mostly unseen through the grip and allows for the blade, grip, and guard to be bound together. The tang on the mystery sword is slightly irregular and has several hammer marks on, indicating that it was hand made.

The end of the tang on the mystery sword is threaded to accept a heavily embellished nut, called a “Capstan” or “Kapstan”, which holds the blade to the grip.

The sword has an overall length of 25 ¼ inches (64 cm) and has a double-edged blade with single and double fullers on both sides. The blade is elliptical in cross section, and tapers slightly for the first four inches before widening again, then coming to a spear point.

The blade washer on the mystery sword is missing, which is often the case with old swords. Blade washers are designed to decrease shock, reduce looseness between the grip and the blade, lessen noise, and prevent water from entering the scabbard. Blade washers were predominantly made of leather, however on imported European swords, cloth, particularly red wool was common.

The mystery sword looks like a U.S. Model 1832 Foot Artillery sword, which was a “Roman gladius” style short sword, that was based on the French foot artillery sword of 1816.

U.S. Model 1832 Foot Artillery sword was the first sword ordered by the U.S. army from the Ames Manufacturing Company of Springfield¹, Massachusetts, and started production in 1832, which is why it is the Mosel 1832. In later years, blades were imported and supplied with grips and scabbards by W.H. Horstmann & Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The sword was intended as a personal weapon for use by the regular and foot artillery regiments of the U.S. Army and were standard for both because both artillery and infantry regiments were trained and equipped as infantry prior to 1861. It was issued to sergeants, drummers and fifers of infantry regiments from 1832 until 1840 and remained in service until 1872, with foot artillerymen.

Many modern historians feel that this sword was impractical for actual combat, since the infantryman’s bayonet or cavalryman’s saber has the advantage in reach over it². Reportedly however, it was put to other uses, such as clearing brush or creating trails, uses which are supported by the French nickname for their version of this sword, the “coupe choux” or “cabbage cutter”.

It would appear that the mystery sword is a U.S. Model 1832 Foot Artillery, but who made it and is it a real antique or just a reproduction.

The mystery sword’s grip was cast in one piece since the feather scales show an intact pattern along both sides of the grip. A grip that was cast in two pieces and then brazed together would not have a pattern along the edges, just a smooth seam line.

The mystery sword doesn’t have rivets holding the grip to the blade, so we know that it was not manufactured by Ames Manufacturing.

William H. Horstmann & Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania also manufactured U.S. Model 1832 Foot Artillery swords. They could make every part of the sword and its trappings on site, except for the blades. Blades were imported from Solingen, Germany and then fitted onto the grips, at their manufacturing/show room located on the corner of North Fifth and Cherry Streets, in Philadelphia.

But since there are no markings on the blade or the grip, can we be certain that the mystery blade was manufactured by W.H. Horstmann & Sons and that it is, in fact, a genuine antique?

The missing blade washer, the patina and the hammer marks indicate that it is probably a genuine antique and since Liveauctioneers sold a Model 1832 sword which they believed to be manufactured by W.H. Horstmann & Sons, and which had a capstan identical to the mystery sword’s on September 8th, 2022, it is likely that the mystery sword is, in fact, a U.S. Model 1832 Foot Artillery sword manufactured by W.H. Horstmann & Sons of Philadelphia. Mystery solved!

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

American Swords LLC; “Basic Sword Anatomy”, [©American Swords, LLC, 2014-2024], https://www.americanswords.com/the-sword---info.html, January 11, 2025

U.S. Army Center of Military History; “1866 Willard Civil War Uniform Photos”, [Quartermaster Museum, 2220 Adams Avenue, Fort Gregg-Adams, VA], https://qmmuseum.army.mil/research/primary-sources/civil-war/Willard-Uniform-Photos/index.html, accessed January 11, 2025

Workshopoftheworld; “William H. Horstmann & Sons, Manufacturers of Dress Trimmings and Military Goods”, [© 2007 workshopoftheworld.com], https://www.workshopoftheworld.com/center_city/horstmann.html, accessed January 11, 2025

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Don’t Break The Ice! ... How Not To©

Remember that classic old game, “Don’t Break The Ice?”, it was a lot of fun! But breaking through the ice in real life isn’t, in fact it is downright deadly!

How do you know if the ice isn’t safe? Ice is tricky and just because a lake or river is frozen, it doesn’t mean that it is safe.

According to the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in New Hampshire, you can’t tell the strength of ice just by looking at it, the daily temperature, the thickness, or whether it is covered by snow or not. Ice strength of ice is based upon a combination of the size of the water body, the water chemistry, the distribution of the of the ice, and local climatic factors, plus the depth of water under the ice. Below are suggestions that these researchers have on what to look for to stay safe.

At the ice’s edge, look for areas of open water, signs of recent changes in water levels, such as the ice sloping down from the bank as the water level dropped, or wet areas because the water has risen and flooded ice that couldn’t float, because it was frozen to the bottom or the banks. If the ice is covered in snow, look for wet areas in the snow.

Find an easy approach to the ice, free of cracks or piled, broken ice. Whether you are walking or taking a vehicle out on the ice, first check it out on foot. Using an ice chisel, strongly probe ahead of yourself.

Near the shore, listen for hollow sounds while probing. Ice sloping down from the bank may have air space underneath. This is not safe; ice must be floating on the water to support weight.

If the ice chisel goes through, cautiously turn around and retrace your steps back to shore and try again another day or somewhere else.

Others in a group should follow in the leader's steps but stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) apart.

Drill or chop a hole through the ice and check the thickness every 150 feet (45 meters) or so along the intended path. Ice seldom freezes or thaws at a uniform rate, and it can be a foot thick (30 cm) in one spot while, 10 feet away, only an inch thick (1 cm). If the ice thickness is variable, check more frequently.

Measure the thickness and see if the ice in each hole is clear white, or grey ice.

The strongest and safest ice is clear ice (also sometimes called blue or black ice), and typically forms at the start of the season on top of calm water. This ice is clear but can appear blue or black, when looking down into the water.

White ice occurs when snow melts on top of a sheet of ice and then refreezes. This type of ice is only about half as strong as new, clear ice because it is full of air bubbles and is made up of smaller crystals.

Gray or “rotten” ice may appear transparent or splotchy grey and is a loose term for ice that is melting or being honeycombed with liquid water or air, it is generally found after spring or summer thaws.

Frozen lake or stream water will be stronger than ice formed by melting snow, refrozen ice, or ice made by water bubbling up through cracks in the ice and freezing on the surface.

Remember, several inches of new ice may be strong enough to support you, while a foot or more of old rotten ice may not be.

Measure the thickness of snow cover on the ice, different thickness of snow may mean different thicknesses of ice, because snow is a good insulator, slowing down the formation of ice. Also, the weight of snow can decrease the carrying capacity of the ice.

If the snow cover is heavy enough, the ice sheet will sag below the water level. Then water will flood through cracks in the ice, saturating the lowest layers of the snow and making slush. When the saturated snow/slush freezes, it will add a layer of white ice to the original layer of black ice. However, until this slush freezes, stay off the ice sheet.

River ice is dangerous and is about 15 percent weaker than lake ice. On rivers, ice thickness and quality can change quickly due to bends, shallows, or tributaries. The problem with rivers is that there is always water moving underneath the ice and no matter whether the current is slow or rapid, water can be pushed up from deeper depths, where the water is warmer, to the surface. This creates thin spots, and once a person falls through, the current can carry you under the ice. Straight, smooth flowing stretches are safer than river bends. River mouths are dangerous because the incoming current undermines the ice and creates thin ice.

For both rivers and lakes, warmer water from springs can create areas of thin ice. The ice near shores can either be thinner, due to warm groundwater flowing in or the insulating effect of drifted snow, or thicker, because of the candle-dipping effect of changing water levels. Ice near the shore is weaker, because the buckling action of the lake or stream continually breaks and refreezes ice near the shore.

If the air temperature has been above freezing for at least 6 of the past 24 hours, use the 1.3 lower dashed line on the graph to the right, obtaining a larger minimum ice thickness to account for any possible weakening. If the air temperature stays above freezing for 24 hours or more, the ice starts losing strength, and the graph no longer represents safe conditions. Stay off the ice!

You are likely to encounter cracks in the ice. Cracks are either wet or dry. If they are dry, they do not penetrate the ice sheet and are not a concern. If they are wet, use the 2.0 upper dashed line on the graph to obtain the required minimum ice thickness. The same for if you plan to leave a load on the ice for extended periods, more than two hours.

If you cross wet cracks, your path should be as close to perpendicular to them as possible, instead of parallel to them.

And contrary to what you might expect, a rapid, large air temperature drop makes ice more brittle, and the ice may not be safe for 24 hours or more.

If you hear ice “booming” or cracking on cold days or still evenings, it doesn't necessarily mean that the ice is dangerous, only that it's changing shape as the temperature changes. On a lake larger than several acres such noises may be harmless responses to thermal expansion and contraction, however on a river this may mean the ice is about to break up or move.

A potential danger spot on lakes is an open portion surrounded by ice. Winds will force exposed water beneath the ice and rot it from below. the actions of birds and fish can weaken ice, for example, schools of carp can create thin spots in the ice, or even open water, by schooling in one location moving the water with their fins, in effect creating a current.

So, if you are out on the ice this winter, remember don’t break the ice!

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

City of Corning Fire Dept; “The Dangers of River Ice”, [Corning, NY], https://www.cityofcorning.com/vertical/sites/%7BBE0E976C-81B9-4F4C-8763-A90E76CF4D33%7D/uploads/The_Dangers_of_River_Ice_2016.pdf, accessed January 4, 2025

McQueeney, Kerry; “Caught on camera: The terrifying moment girl plunges through ice into lake after being egged on by friends... and lives to tell the tale”, Daily Mail, February 15, 2012, [Associated Newspapers Ltd], https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101030/Pictures-girl-falling-ice-lake-egged-friends.html, accessed December 28, 2024

U.S. Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory;

“Safety on Floating Ice Sheets”, [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hanover, New Hampshire], https://rivergages.mvr.usace.army.mil/WaterControl/Districts/MVP/reports/ice/safety.html, accessed January 4, 2025

U.S. Department of the Army; “Engineering and Design: Ice Engineering, EM 1110-2-1612”, September 30, 2006, [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC 20314-1000], https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Publications/EngineerManuals/EM_1110-2-1612.pdf, accessed January 4, 2025

About Me

I live near Buffalo, New York and have more than 25 years of experience in the outdoors. I enjoy being in the wilderness, paddling a canoe or exploring the woods, when I am not researching survival, woodcraft, camping skills or life on the Old Northwest Frontier of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I am a published author and I have been a guide for Birchbark Expeditions and an Outdoor Skills trainer for the Boy Scouts since 2014. I am also a martial artist, having studied several different combat arts over the past 30 years. Currently, I am the author of The Woodsman’s Journal Online and BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.

The Woodsman's Journal Online

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Sunday, January 26, 2025

It All Starts With Situational Awareness©

Monday, January 20, 2025

An Open Letter to Kenzie©

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Rest in Peace Mackenzie Michalski©

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Real or Repro...It’s a Mystery!©

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Don’t Break The Ice! ... How Not To©

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