Hi from Northern Manitoba Canada.

[Sammconn]

I guess I should say howdy to yall since I've been posting about already.
I'm up north of the 56th parallel, at the end of the ugliest 200 miles of dirt road you can imagine. I've got a few habits/hobbies and wrenching is one of them.
I'm an electrician by trade, mechanic out of habit and necessity, welder, woodworker, and cook. Add to the list accredited firefighter and instructor, and an outdoors and hunting lover.
Also I'm in the reserves as a Canadian Ranger, much different than y'all's Rangers. I've started a thread called BWST that contains more info on us.
Looking forward to being a part of this wonderful thing that Don has got going.

[Dawg25385]

Welcome!!

[Flyin6]

I guess I should say howdy to yall since I've been posting about already.
I'm up north of the 56th parallel, at the end of the ugliest 200 miles of dirt road you can imagine. I've got a few habits/hobbies and wrenching is one of them.
I'm an electrician by trade, mechanic out of habit and necessity, welder, woodworker, and cook. Add to the list accredited firefighter and instructor, and an outdoors and hunting lover.
Also I'm in the reserves as a Canadian Ranger, much different than y'all's Rangers. I've started a thread called BWST that contains more info on us.
Looking forward to being a part of this wonderful thing that Don has got going.

Welcome again!

Man even your Avatar looks cold!

So, what's the weather like right now, end of October? Temps? Snow/rain fall?

You gotta be one heck of a self sufficient/tough guy to hang out all the way up there. I hate being cold...Did you read my book? About the chapter where Me, Bob, Jason and Gay Pete were escorting the convoy north from Kandahar back to Kabul...in the winter...in a gunship...with no doors on it

I still get a chill now and again from that day. Thank our holy God almighty the helicopter over-torqued and ruined itself...Heck I might have died at the controls had I stayed flying!
As it was I was shaking involuntarily for like an hour or two afterward in the mess hall while they pumped coffee and hot soup into me...

Yup you folks living in Canada anywhere are tough, but remote and all the way up on top, well, you're a special breed!

Hat's off to ya!!!

[Sammconn]

Well it's trying to turn winter up here now. We had our first dusting of snow at the start of the month to the tune of around 10" or so. It hung around a few days and left. As of the last couple days it looks like winter is coming. Had some freezing rain and snow mix light dusting on the ground now. Sitting around freezing for highs and nearing -10c/15f for lows. Still running boat to cabin I think this will be the end of the season this weekend. Water temp nearing 35 or so and ice will be on its way.

I really need to get a copy of the book, no excuses now, just haven't bought a copy. I have thoroughly loved all of the bits you've given and really need to pick up a copy.

The avatar is a copy of one of our sniper targets supposed to have brown white and black. Shot that in a work up to CAFSAC our national shooting concentration. And yes now that you mention it he is cold looking.

Essentially every time I'm out once winter really sets in is a survival exercise. My hope is to either find some old pictures (had some computer issues) or remember to take some new ones to do some winter survival stuff in the real man knowledge base. The 30 & 40 below stuff gets easy, (read you can dress for it). The worst cold I've ever felt was at 4c/38f moose hunting. It rained, snowed, rained some more and I was overdressed then once sweated up a bit very underdressed. Never been so cold in my life. So I know of the involuntary shaking shivering need for warm.

[Flyin6]

Well it's trying to turn winter up here now. We had our first dusting of snow at the start of the month to the tune of around 10" or so. It hung around a few days and left. As of the last couple days it looks like winter is coming. Had some freezing rain and snow mix light dusting on the ground now. Sitting around freezing for highs and nearing -10c/15f for lows. Still running boat to cabin I think this will be the end of the season this weekend. Water temp nearing 35 or so and ice will be on its way.

I really need to get a copy of the book, no excuses now, just haven't bought a copy. I have thoroughly loved all of the bits you've given and really need to pick up a copy.

The avatar is a copy of one of our sniper targets supposed to have brown white and black. Shot that in a work up to CAFSAC our national shooting concentration. And yes now that you mention it he is cold looking.

Essentially every time I'm out once winter really sets in is a survival exercise. My hope is to either find some old pictures (had some computer issues) or remember to take some new ones to do some winter survival stuff in the real man knowledge base. The 30 & 40 below stuff gets easy, (read you can dress for it). The worst cold I've ever felt was at 4c/38f moose hunting. It rained, snowed, rained some more and I was overdressed then once sweated up a bit very underdressed. Never been so cold in my life. So I know of the involuntary shaking shivering need for warm.

I think a guy like you is invaluable for a furum like this. You aren't prepping for some eventuality, you ARE in survival mode for what, 60-70% of the year?

Your comment about a light dusting of 10" of snow is very telling. If it happened here in NKY we would have 500 accidents, no school, and an additional 5" of salt coverage.

Further south in Atlanta and it would be a state of emergency. A bit further south of there and the national guard boys would be earning an extra week's Armee salary

Your silhouette target gave me an idea. Print that on a ski mask...on the back side. Someone observing you from the rear aspect as some distance would think you are looking at them...

Makin' me think

Ya' get the book...Amazon is best I hear. Send it to me and I'll write something for you in it...

Got an email from two buddies in the CF. One is a major, Dr type who used to drink beer with us in Kandahar, and another from Tex. Not sure why he's called Tex, but he's a master Corporal out in Edmonton. He's a shooter, and a welder, and a hot truck guy. We worked together in Kandahar during a bad time for you guys. I think you had like a dozen armored vehicles when I got there...then week by week, the numbers decreased. I remember Tex welding up on the last one, trying to get his buddies some sort of protection. At that time we (our group) was flying gunships and we would cap your convoys or patrols every chance we could. Something about a couple of mini-guns circling above that takes all of the fight out of haji.

But those haji bastards got that one too and killed another one of your guys...Dam, that still makes me mad, even now...If I could have been there, they would have paid dearly for that!

Enough of that stuff...life goes on...

[rcampbell]

It's nice to see more Canadians here! I know a guy that had some experiences with the Canadian Rangers, great guy!

[Swampy]

Like your avatar there Sammconn! Believe it's called the Huns head......

[Sammconn]

Yes it's one of my favorited. And yes the Huns head is the common name. Officially the target is called the figure 14.

[Flyin6]

It's growing on me.
If we have a gathering down at the farm, and you can come, bring some and we'll blast them up, then hang a hapless victim up in the main area of the barn for future generations to ask about

[Sammconn]

Well, one way or another you'll get the target. Even if I just end up sending you the scan file of it.
My making it down would require a lot of the stars to allign just right, but just maybe it will work out.

I think I was probably right around the corner a couple summers ago, spent a week in the Columbus area.