Mountain Survival

Hard to believe this July will be 14 years since I attended the Mountain Survival Course at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Pickle Meadow, just outside of Bridgeport, CA. The location was originally used during the Korean War as a cold weather training regiment and later became a permanent station. For over 60 years the Marine Corps has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service and has been training U.S. and foreign service members to prepare them for operations in mountainous, high altitude, and cold weather environments.

Training was three weeks invested in the majestic and rugged eastern Sierra at elevations ranging from 7,000-10,000 ft. The area was lush with a variety of pines and an assortment of lakes and streams which are well known for trout fishing. The base also bounded the northern parts of Yosemite National Park, which as you can imagine, afforded some spectacular scenic views.

I remember there being a Chilean soldier in our class, standing no higher than 5' 6", whose abilities resembled that of a mountain goat as he had plenty of experience scrambling in his home range of the Andes. There was also a Swedish soldier who naturally wasn't disconcerted by frigid weather, but this was the summer course; some would say we were lucky.

We trained in everything from fire making, procurement of water, creating expedient shelters, foraging for plants and insects, use of game, survival fishing, animal habits, tracking, priorities of work, survival medicine, mountain weather, navigation, expedient tools, evasion, and signaling and recovery to name a few. A critical emphasis was also placed on a sound comprehension of the psychological aspects of a survival situation and how significant a healthy mental attitude is to life or death - lessons of which I'll keep for life. We trained in groups and individually.

I vividly recall the meditative time spent with self and with the mountain during the isolation phase. One of the days I had finished my wilderness chores for the morning such as fire-blowing a bowl from wood, gathering water, and boiling up some pine needle tea. Planning to conserve energy and escape the midday sun and heat, I later took refuge under some shade provided by a lodgepole pine tree on a hillside which was also well-suited to observe the animal behavior in the meadows below.

I found a comfortable spot and gladly lounged up against the hospitable pine's trunk. Just next to where I sat was a line of black ants, intently moving along their highway and getting things done, doing what ants do. This turned out to be a convenient food source as I sat there and casually plucked away at the ants, one by one, and acquired some much needed intake for the day. While they provided some minimal calories, it surely wasn't enough to tame the hunger.

A few hours had passed and I distinctly remember dreaming of more of those sought-after calories. I found myself staring at the mountainside in front of me about a kilometer away and it appeared that something was propped up on its slope. The image appeared to be a giant billboard glimmering the image of a juicy In & Out burger. Could this be heaven? After drowning in the dream for a moment or two, I snapped out of it, cursed my imagination for the momentary splurge, apologized to the stomach, and soon realized it would take a lot of ants to live up to this fantasy.

A few more days into isolation and the calories had picked up some. While traveling to and from different points of work, garter snakes had crossed my path many times and I had successfully caught and eaten four in just three days. There is a rule that nothing goes to waste in a survival situation. Although I remember when I caught the fifth garter I thought to myself, "I'm full and tired of skinning and eating snake today." So I released it back into its grassy labyrinth of a home. Nothing wasted - perhaps we'd cross paths another time when I'd really need it.

Those were just a few of the experiences. Three weeks later, along with some pounds lost, we came away more aware and skillful in the mountains. Pickle Meadow was a notable experience and valuable training for any service member who gets the opportunity to attend. Some timeless wisdom was passed on that can be hard to find elsewhere. Thanks to the Corps, my instructors, classmates, and of course the mountains for another treasured memory in the Sierra Nevada. Semper Fi.


"I learned how much of what we think to be necessary is superfluous; I learned how few things are essential, and how essential those things really are" 
- Bernard Ferguson (Chindit commander, Burma 1943)