In the spirit of Halloween I thought I’d do an article on a book that was recommended to me, and not just for the comedic relief mind you.  Supposedly it contains valuable and logical knowledge in terms of survival. The book is called, “Zompoc: How To Survive A Zombie Apocolypse”. While I haven’t read the book as of yet, I hear great things. What does Zompoc mean? It’s an amalgamation of the words ZOM-bie and a-POC-a-lypse.

     Having read a few reviews I can give you a short overview of what the book contains.  Written by Michael and Nick Thomas, the book is 300 pages long and fully illustrated with over 200 individual peices of artwork.  while this book not only teaches you about the different types of zombies, how to combat them and what weapons to use, it also teaches survival skills that can be pertinent in any number of real life disasters or apocalyptic scenarios.

     According to it’s official product review; “All subjects from zombie identification, first-aid, escape techniques, household defense, combat techniques, raiding/bartering supplies, vehicle modification, weapons and convoy structure are all covered in great detail.” As if that wasn’t enough entertaining and useful information, they also teach you how to form your own communityand survive  in a post-apocalyptic world and eventually how to rebuild your society.

     Since the chapters written by topic, it’s a book you can pick up and set down to be used as a point of reference, but I have the feeling once you start it you will want to finish it. Besides the artwork, the coverage of all the different species of zombies and how to overcome them, the useful real life survival strategy that’s been thrown in and the logical chapter layouts, this book is not without it’s humor as well. So if you’re looking for an entertaining AND useful read for the Halloween season, don’t hesitate to pick this book up.  Besides, who else is going to teach you to survive the great zombie apocalypse of the 21st century?

     The Hilltop Nursing home…I don’t even know where to begin with this one.  This place was one of the creepiest I’ve been to. This burnt out old building is very unassuming.  It is set back behind the trees on top of the hill, so it can’t be seen from the street. It’s true name is Hilltop Care Center, and it sits on a 6.3-acre parcel on Hook Mountain Road in the township’s Pine Brook section in Montville, NJ. 

     The main building is the one you see in the picture to the left.  At one time it was housing for 114 residents, but has since been the victim of arson by three local teenagers.  There is more than just one building, but we didn’t have time to explore them all. Supposedly the building that still stands today was to be demolished and replaced with, you guessed it, another nursing home.  The new structure was to house 120 residents and have a total of sixty units, but apparantly at that time, the market for assisted living care was not very profitable, and the project was scrapped. Today, and for the last 10-20 years, the site has been the subject of local folklore and teenage curiosity.

   Since the land is privately owned, I’m pretty sure it is illegal to trespass beyond the metal fence that sits at the bottom of the hill.  However, seeing as how there were no signs posted,  we were not deterred from taking a walk up the path and doing a little exploring.   Today, it seems the buildings have been left to rust and deteriorate as the time slowly passes.  While it is still very spooky, as local legends and folklore suggest, it is not very safe. Once you enter the main structure you realize that nothing has been done to take care of it for quite some time.  The floors are rotting away, the metal railings are rusted to nothing and the walls look as though they were hit with wrecking balls.  As if that’s not dangerous enough, it has no roof, so there is water everywhere and plants and weeds have made the structure their home.

     After seeing it myself I strongly feel the building should be condemned, if it hasn’t been already.  I did manage to take some photographs during our short lived adventure through this 5 story skeleton. I’m glad I did, because in all likelihood I will not be returning for a visit any time soon. not that I wasn’t intrigued by the site, but I don’t need to break my leg to get a good scare.

     Any self respecting survivalist knows about “the bug-out bag”. The term itself was coined by military aviators and was originally known as “the bail-out bag”. Wikepedia defines a bug-out bag as, “a portable kit that contains the items one would require to survive for seventy two hours”. This definition is what sets it apart from a survival kit, emergency kit or other kit that may be tailored to a specific situation. The BOB is primarily kept on hand for evacuation purposes as opposed to long term survival. In this respect, it may contain items that you would not find in a traditional survivalists kit.

     To me it’s quite obvious, but you may be asking yourself why you need a bug-out bag.  Although you may not experience one any time soon, disasters still happen on a daily basis. It doesn’t have to be a worlwide disaster either.  A personal or local disaster is a good reason to be prepared as well. Do you live in an earthquake zone? Do you live in tornado alley? Do you live near the hurricane prone coastlines? Anyone who lives in these areas knows the value of preparation, and you should too. Think about it.  Have you ever gone camping with friends? What would happen if you were to get lost in the forest? Could you survive if you weren’t prepared for the situation?

     While there is no substitute for knowledge, skill and experience, the bug-out bag will still give you a leg up on the “competition”.  Some people even have multiple packs that are suited for various possible situations.  For instance, I might keep a bag in my home, car and another small kit in a hidden location.  By doing this you significantly increase your chances of survival in an emergency. Creating seperate packs for seperate reasons is a common practice among the prepared.  Some of the names for these situational packs are BOB (bug-out bag), GOOD (get out of dodge), INCH (I’m never coming home), GHB (get home bag)…and there are many more. as you can see each name corresponds to a different situation. In some cases the individuals who are best prepared will have a bug-out location where their main resources are stashed. They may even have “escape” routes planned out and have hidden cache’s of goods along the way. These are things you may want to think about further down the line durign your emergency preparation plans.

     So what should you put in your bag? What kind of bag should you buy? Well, that all depends…How many bags you will have, where you live and where you will go (as well as other variables) will determine what you need to pack.  As a general rule though, there are certain things you should ALWAYS pack in every bag you create. The previous link is a good start.  There are many more articles out there on this topic though, so don’t hesitate to do your own research.  And don’t forget to add a cutting tool to your list as well.

If you are more interested in survival tactics and techniques visit the U.S. Army Survival Manual…or try googling the S.A.S.

     How to start a fire with a battery is our first post in the “How To” category.  Since we are going to be learning more and more survival skills over the next year or so, we thought we’d share this little gem with you.  As we all know, there are a ton of different ways to start a fire, but have you ever started a fire with a battery and a short length of copper wire? If you would like to know how then please follow the instructions below.

      Step 1: First thing’s first…gather yourself some tinder (DRIED grass, straw, tissue paper or cotton works best) and work it into a small “nest”.

     In this article I’ve decided to focus on problems, annoyances and nuisances specifically in reference to your outdoor activities.  For most people outdoor recreation inevitably teaches you that no matter how prepared you are, you will still encounter situations that require a little bit of innovative thought.  These are the moments i’m interested in.  whether it’s fishing, hunting, hiking, running, rock climbing, or whatever else your activity of choice may be, i’m sure there have been times when you wished you had something that you had not thought of previously.  In fact, I’m sure there have been times when you wish you had a tool or product that you’re not even sure exists. 

     If you’re like me, then you may find that your outdoor experience might be lacking some important implements that could help you save time, energy and in extreme cases possibly your lives.  It may be lacking something small, like if your camping you may want a fork and knife for your hot meal and discover that you have forgotten to bring them.  You may have sprained your ankle and wished you had a heating pad or ice pack. At times, we all find that we have come to an impass, either by accident or because the necessary tools and/or equipment just plain doesn’t exist. 

     Sometimes you may even find that you have a problem that needs solving.  For instance, you need to build a fire, but it rained recently and all you can seem to gather is wet wood and tinder.  Or perhaps your tent is collecting water, or maybe you just wished you had a better hunting knife with a special feature that you haven’t found yet.  It could be you don’t have a tent at all and could really use some materials to make a shelter to weather the night.

     So….what I want to know is, what are your pet peeves?  What bothers you the most when it comes to your outdoor excursions? Have you found a solution, or are you still looking for one? Is there a product you wish you had but can not find? Or do you have a problem that still needs solving? As an example here are a few of the things that seem to bother me when i’m spending time outdoors:

1.  Getting my socks and shoes wet and having to wait for them to dry out by the fire

2.  Trying to start a fire with damp or moist firewood and tinder

3.  Getting water in my tent in a nasty storm even though it’s set up properly

4.  Having a tarp but forgetting the parachord or twine to hang it up properly.

5.  When I’m fishing on a shoreline and I can’t cast as far as I want to, to get to deeper water

6. Not having certain ammenaties that I have in the comfort of my home such as ice for my water

So think about it…what problems do you encounter?  I’m very interested in your thoughts and comments and look forward to reading them so please feel free to comment as many times as you wish.

     We had 30 feet of nylon rope with a steel hook at the end in my survival bag that we used to descend into the manhole. My best friend and I searched for something to attatch the rope to and ended up using a large tree branch as support. While searching, we came across a long black snake on the side of the trail which we later learned was a non-venomous black racer snake. It was huge; about 3 to 4 feet long. I yelled for my cousin to grab his camera and photograph the snake and to keep an eye on it so it did not attack us while we were dragging the cross beam back to the manhole.

     We attached the rope to the cross beam and we “shot it out” to decide who was the lucky guy to go first. Of course, it was me. So, I grabbed the rope, crawled through the manhole and I was immediately filthy and wet with “mud like slop”. I realized that the iron ladder rungs that seemed to only go down about a few feet, actually extended all the way down the wall to the structure below. Although it helped balance us on the way down, luckily, we did not have to climb the rope back up, so we took it with us just in case.

     When I reached the bottom of the ladder, I was immediately in a state of pure awe. I was standing on the crest of one of the many concrete arches that spanned the length of the entire viaduct. There were obvious signs that others have been down there. The walls were covered with a variety of graffiti and empty paint cans were left on the floor. Some art seemed recent while the rest seemed to have been there since the early 1970’s. The area we entered was about 30 ft. wide and 20 ft. long. I called up to my cousin and friend to come down and bring the gear. Once they had descended, we secured our gear and began to explore. We noticed that each arch was broken up in to 7 seperate sections or rooms; the top/middle section, which we were on, and the 3 descending sections on either side. Each descending section had a steel rung ladder along the floor, and as you descend each section, the ladder curves with the arch of the structure below. Nearing the foot of the arch the floor curves so drastically it becomes a near vertical drop.

     Now at the foot of the arch, we reached a doorway of sorts that led to an enclosure.  It seemed to have a make-shift bridge and wire crossing, presumably for workers and maintenance people to traverse the arches. Upon closer inspection, we noticed the make-shift bridge was above a pit filled with an indeterminable amount of water and garbage. We tested the bridge to make sure it would hold, and let the heaviest person go first, figuring that if it held their weight, that it would most likely hold all of us individually. We successfully crossed the bridge and exited the enclosure. We continued to ascend and descend each section and cross make-shift bridges until we could go no further, admiring the artwork, which to our amazement was present in every single section. Finally, we made it all the way to the East end of the viaduct.  Apparantly, the town, or whomever owns the land, had installed a triangular steel wall to prevent people from climbing into (and in this case, out of) the viaduct.  Opposite this wall was a trecherous drop that was too risky to scale, so unfortunately for us, we had to go back the way we came. We explored the other end of the viaduct as well, bo to no avail. We cut our losses, returned to our original entrance and exited the viaduct.

We were back atop the viaduct once again! We situated ourselves and began our hike back down the trail to the slippery hill with the faulty root system. We reached the road where we had parked our car, packed up our gear and drove away with the massive structure fading in the distance. All-in-all it turned out to be a great adventure and we walked away intact with a few hundred pictures and another experience we will probably never forget.

     As we drove up the road where the viaduct was located, we slowly approached a colossal structure of steel and concrete. We exited our vehicle to gaze upon this massive accomplishment of engineering mastery. Standing over 115 feet high and 1100 feet long, the Paulinskill viaduct exceeded all of our preconceptions. We grabbed our survival and photography gear and walked along the side of the viaduct to see what our options were as far as scaling this behemoth. We came across the river near the center of the bridge where we met an older couple with a horse. They seemed pleasant enough and were not disturbed by our presence. Unfortunately though, we could walk no further.

     When we realized there was no way up from where we were situated, we turned around and decided to scale the treacherous hillside, which was strewn with loose rocks, dry dirt and a faulty root system. We used these protruding roots as footing to get up the hill. When we reached what looked to be a hiking path, we noticed a couple walking towards us from the forest. There was a gentleman, who looked quite laid back and liberal, based on his vernacular and apparel. With him was a woman, who seemed slightly wary of our presence. As we approached the couple, the man began describing to us step-by-step how to reach the top of the viaduct. He explained that we would come across coverless manholes along the top of the structure. He showed us where the path split and led us to the direction we needed to go. He also informed us that he would not recommend someone going down into the manholes as he was unsure of where they would lead us. Not quite sure of his warning, we just assumed that he meant it was dangerous or hazardous. The couple moved on, heading down the path to where road was located.

     We continued up the hill following the path. Before we knew it, we exited the path onto a gravel walkway, which was the beginning of the East end of the viaduct. The railroad tracks were removed in the 80’s, I believe, and all that was left was this gravel path with a few scattered railroad ties. As we walked across the bridge, we slowly became aware of just how high up we really were, and that this structure was larger than we had first assumed. We were treated to a gorgeous and spectacular view of rolling hills and mountains all around us. We continued along the trail atop the viaduct until we came across the first manhole without a top, as promised. The gentleman we talked to earlier mentioned this specific manhole, and we were more than intrigued. Enough to consider exploring it right away.

     My cousin peered down into the manhole to see where it led. He told us there was a second hole slightly offset from the first hole and that it dropped down about 15 – 20 feet, but to what he did not know. We decided to wait to explore the manhole until we checked out the rest of the surface of the viaduct. We came across two more manholes without tops, and we checked those as well. One led to nowhere and the other was the same as the first. At this point we  had reached the end of the viaduct and decided to turn around and walk back. When we reached the manhole we initially wanted to pursue, we decided… now was the time to go exploring. (to be continued)

     If you didn’t already know, the people who work on Endlessqwest are adventurous, free thinking and curious.  We love traveling to places that are off the beaten path or unique in some way.  Sometimes we even like to take a short journey that might scare us a little.  sometimes we “find” places that we aren’t supposed to be in! While we don’t advocate breaking the law, we do advocate exploration and the experience that comes with it.  If you are not sure whether or not you will be trespassing during your explorations, then you should not enter. If you do trespass you may be arrested, or even worse, find yourself in a dangerous or precarious situation.  Always attempt to obtain permission to explore new areas, and pay attention to any posted signs that may prohibit any such trespassing.

     When I was a kid I wanted to be an archaeologist.  I’m sure my impetus for this was in part due to growing up with Inidiana Jones’ movies.  Mostly though, it was due to my curiosity and desire to discover something new.  Every now and then we like to take a little excursion to satisfy these desires and curiosities. So this past month, NJHH (a paranormal investigative group) and Endlessqwest took a drive out to the Paulinskill Viaduct located off Rt. 94 in Knowlton, NJ.

     The Paulinskill viaduct was built between 1908 and 1910.  A viaduct, for those of you who do not know, is a bridge with arches used to carry a road or railroad across the span of a valley. At the time of its construction it was actually the largest concrete structure in the world at 1100 ft. long and 115 ft. high.  Also known as the Hainesburg viaduct, it was originally built to carry the rail line (known as the Lackawanna cut-off) across the delaware.  The Lackawanna Cut-Off was a 28.5 mile railway line that ran from Port Morris, New Jersey to Slateford, Pennsylvania.

     Once an incredible feat of “modern” engineering, as well as one of the largest construction projects the world had ever seen, it now sits abandoned in the hills of northwestern New Jersey. Featured in such magazines as Weird NJ, the viaduct obviously has some interesting history. We’ve even heard of a legend that tells of a worker who fell into the concrete as it was poured, becoming a permanent part of the bridge itself. If you are able to find your way inside (which is much easier than getting out, trust me) you would be amazed at not only the size and scope of the structure, but by the quantity and diversity of the artwork as well. some people might say there is not much to see in the viaduct, but we disagree. we were obviously not the first people there and we won’t be the last. 

     Once you’ve climbed inside you notice artwork adorning every wall. Some of it crude, some of it inspiring but all of it part of a story that spans decades at the very least. Steel ladder rungs are present nearly all the way through, which is necessary to make it from one end to the other. Once you reach the bottom of an arch, there are dark open “rooms”, which must be crossed if you are to make it to the very last arch (the footing of the bridge). These rooms span about 10 ft. across and may or may not have a makeshift wooden or steel platform for you to cross. One room however, is filled with about 5 ft.-8 ft. of water that you most definitely do not want to fall in to. Without any doubt, it is not the safest place i have explored. I’m sure it didn’t help that I had to carry a backpack with phtography gear all the while.  Now that we’ve filled you in on a little bit of history and a little bit of our experience, it’s time to get to work on the gallery! Oh…and don’t forget to come back for, “Paulinskill viaduct: Part 2″, where we will go into more detail about our trip and have a short video for you to watch as well.

Sidenote: Sorry! the Paulinskill Viaduct gallery will not be available until the end of the week (8/20/10)

     These days there are all kinds of ways to give back to the world. There are charities, fund-raisers and many other ways to help people in need. But how can you give while playing a video game? Dreamkind, an entertainment and media company that creates games and applications for kids, has come up with a way for you to donate to charity while you play their games. It’s called Sproutster!

     This wonderful game, while made for kids, is a joy to play no matter how old you may be. Created for the Iphone and Ipod touch (download the trailer on Itunes as well), this game donates grains of rice to the United Nation’s World Food Programme. While their website boasts that “over 10% of all the companie’s proceeds go to kids’ charities”, ALL the proceeds from Sproutster are donated to the WFP. This creative and innovative application was released just yesterday (8/4/10) and is sure to be a big hit.

     Sproutster is a plump, round character who always seems to smile. He runs around with a wooden bucket and collects raindrops that fall from the sky to feed his plant. Collect the water, feed your plant, collect your grains, and Dreamkind will donate them to the UN. Dreamkind is doing wonderful things not only for kids, but for other people in need as well. Way to go Dreamkind! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

“…on behalf of Dreamkind LLC, we would like to thank “EndlessQwest” for the admiration and support for our latest product. We hope we can all save the world together.” — Dreamkind LLC.

     I recently discovered a website with an ongoing mission that I can truly relate to.  I hate to start my regular blogging schedule by promoting another website, but I love the concept so much I think it should be shared with whomever visits my site.  The site is called Justfortheloveofit.com, most notably touted by the concepts creator, the inspiring Mark Boyle. Personally I’ve never been one to go with the flow.  For some reason I love to go against the grain.  FINALLY I have found a website that not only allows me to go against the grain, but do it in a fashion that, ironically, provides something positive for myself and the community as a whole.

     There are other websites that are great if you like to barter, especially in these trying times. Sites like Barterquest.com that lend you the ability to not only barter endless amounts of items, but real estate space for vacation and services as well. And of course there is always the trusty Craigslist.com. If you haven’t heard of it I’m shocked…it’s definitely worth a look see. Mark Boyle however, has something that I have not found in very many people or websites for that matter, and trust me I’ve been up all night researching.  Mark has true dedication and conviction in his personal beliefs.

     If you happen to decide to take a look at the freeconomy website you will find a section called “philosofree” where it states, “ We do not use advertising, we receive no donations or income from the website and it is completely free to join, forever. Why? Just for the love of it!”.  This concept is not something that we find to be prevalent in American society. While the government of the United States loves to give away billions of the taxpayers money on a daily basis, and corporations and wealthy individuals enjoy significant tax breaks by giving to charities, you may find that individuals aren’t necessarily as charitable as you might think. I for one am inspired by justfortheloveofit.  I’m not necessarily soully inspired by the website itself, but it’s ardent promoter Mark Boyle from Ireland. 

     Inspired by the infamous Ghandi, the 28 year old decided to take a 9,000 mile walk on January 30th, 2008 on the sixtieth anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination! Why is this significant? Well besides the obvious, seemingly insane idea, to walk such a great distance, Mark has decided to take this walk without carrying any cash or credit! according to him he’s relying on the generosity of people he has never even met.  His walk from Britain to India, will take him a staggering  2 1/2 years.  So…i guess your wondering why he is doing it, huh? According to Mark, he has embarked on this incredible journey because,  “I have a vision of a money-free economy in which everyone cares for each other”.  As far as Mark is concerned, money is at the heart of most of societies shortcomings.

     Sadly though Mark only made it 1 month into his journey when he reached France and was forced to turn around.  While such a major setback would send most running and searching for a rock to crawl under and hide from the prying eyes, Mark is optimistic and hopeful that one day he can make the trek again.  This time however, in all likelihood, he will be bypassing the apparantly inhospitable country that forced him to turn around and walk the other way. He added, “I know people are laughing at me, but I don’t mind. I’m going to go and do it all again.” Where most see failure Mark sees a second chance and an opportunity to be and do better. As far as I’m concerned that is truly inspirational.