Here in Northern New England, this has again been a mild winter.. I still haven't found the need to break out my winter coat, just fine with my Fall coat. Our district also held it's Klondike today with no snow on the ground. I don't believe our troop had optional wheels for it's sleds, so I don't know what they did.

I do worry about the maple syrup flow this spring, and our skiing industry, other then that I am not complaining.. We did have 3 bad driving days in a row the evenings last week.. First day, if you were out past 7pm you had glaring ice as everything from the rain froze.. The next night the fog was so thick you couldn't see the hood of your car as warm air hit the still cold snow.. Third night the high winds dropped so many trees into the roads everyone in our neighborhood had to go miles out of their way in a round about way to come in. It took all night for them to clear the downed trees in the roads.

Still, personally I like the mild winters for driving and walking in.. But, I worry about our industries that depend on the snow..

This weekend, the groundhogs with their heads in the ground are snowed in. Their lawyer spokesman stated that the groundhogs will now reconsider when Spring starts at a meeting in May. "This time we want to be certain of our decision by making it after all the facts are in. Expect our formal decision on the start of spring by mid-summer."

Last week no snow for Klondike, this week another District's Klondike postponed due to TOO MUCH snow and WIND and okay, the state of emergency driving restrictions too. The Blizzard of 2013, now this is more like it.

Phil is being sued for his wrong prediction this year.....

http://freepblog.wordpress.com/tag/groundhog-sued/

Can't start a topic, so would someone please move this out?
Title: Survival EQ in a Hiking Staff

Gonna build a staff with some hidden extras.
Basic Concept: Permanently store small items that could aid in a survival situation

Most items will be against the shaft wrapped under 12 to 16 inches of paracord.

My list:
Fish hooks,
fishing line,
snare wire
survival blanket
fire striker
survival whistle (the thin flat kind)
exacto blade

I'm thinking of wrapping this stuff tight under the handle and forgetting about it. (I'm old. It's gonna be forgotten anyway...)
​I may need to carve some relief into the handle to accommodate some items and to keep the handle wrap smooth.
The metal items will need to be rust proof (Stainless fish hooks, copper wire) and I'm thinking of painting the blade with a few coats of urethane. Will that keep it from rusting until it's needed? Or will painting it totally ruin the edge? Can you recommend a stainless blade that is thin enough to wrap under a grip, and cheap?

Might recess a compass into the wood, but I don't want to weaken the staff.

What else should I consider putting under the grip wrap?

If this turns out well, the boys can make one for themselves. Should I allow them to make survival tomahawks instead of staves?

http://www.hatchetsandaxes.com/bsa_scout_camp_tomahawks

A loooong time ago, an outfitter used to sell lightweight, hollow walking sticks with waterproot tubes inside of it for storing just such items. Parents got me one...still have it. Don't think they ever really caught on.

Interesting update to that idea.