Fresh Blair: Your Survival Questions Answered
Can’t someone finally tell us once and for all if it’s okay to drink our own pee? Using your questions, Sarah has created a board of Jeopardy categories (including Potent Potables) for Survival Correspondent Blair Braverman, who bestows her wisdom on how to best survive and thrive during a bout in the wilderness—and in our everyday lives. Digressions include AI cats eating their own babies, the potential jealousy experienced by female boats, and Blair’s super secret story from summer camp.
Click here to send us an audio postcard from where you live and be part of the YWA Holiday Special!
More Blair Braverman:
https://www.blairbraverman.com/
Comments (46)
would pay real money for a blair commentary reel to titanic
Coming back very late to say once again I LOVE BLAIR EPISODES!! The dynamic between you two is delightful. Absolutely love the direction you’ve taken YWA in the last couple years but lemme just say - a weekly/monthly/quarterly survival/outdoors-focused podcast w Sarah and Blaire would be a dream come true. 🫶
I kind of think the point was missed/skirted/dismissed in the hygiene question. I didn’t read that question as being about dirt and grime. To be more to the point, how does one maintain hygiene enough to avoid development of yeast infection or BV? I’ve had these kinds of things develop from not showering soon enough after swimming or working out, so I can imagine the same is true when working one’s body hard in the backcountry. And great to hear Blair is using the cup for period maintenance but same question - how do you keep it clean? Do you bury the blood? With limited water rations I can imagine it would be difficult to wash daily, which your supposed to do to prevent bacterial growth or infection. This has kept me personally from using my disc when I backpack, which is annoying when I’m trying to reduce my single use products.
I can speak to this a bit. When I first started backpacking in my teens, I was trained for packing in bear territory, so “smellables” produced by menstruation were obviously a concern, and menstrual cups were not popular at the time. We were trained to make and bring a set of pre-packed ziploc baggies of menstruation gear, enough baggies for each swap you need to make for your pad/tampon. Each baggie should contain: a smaller ziplock bag of loose baking soda, a square of tinfoil (~8”x8”, folded small), your menstrual product of choice (tampons strongly recommended), and a smaller ziplock bag of 2-3 wet wipes. On a change, you remove your prior product, wrap it in the TP you used and wrap it in the tin foil. Pop in the new product, wipe with the wet wipes, and then put all the used products into the larger baggie. Open the baking soda baggie and pour it into the larger baggie. Zip the whole thing and use hand sani to clean up anything your wet wipes didn’t. At night, you put your waste baggies in your bear bag/barrel, and you pack out the waste. It’s annoying because it involves a fair amount of waste to pack out, but it keeps you clean and the baking soda and foil reduces smell. I imagine you could reduce the amount of packing if you’re willing to bury the used product and wet wipes, but I was trained in Leave No Trace style, so I’m not sure. * Edited to add: I definitely have had illness caused by improper lower half hygiene on longer backpacking trips, so I agree that their discussion on this topic was a little dismissive. I’ve followed the procedure above ^ for years now, and I’ve learned that the wet wipes are Required, and that you should pack many more sets of bags than you think. My first time I backpacked when I expected a period, I didn’t pack enough sets (3/day), and that caused illness (I don’t think it was toxic shock, but I did have to be evac’d off trail). Pack for up to 6 changes per day to be sure you have enough. Also, sorry for commenting in a lot of detail on this old comment of yours!
Back when I was in field restoration I was spraying weeds in a rare perched fen by myself. I made a wrong step and sank in the mud to my belt line. My legs were stuck. I had a backpack sprayer full of herbicide so I took it off my back and laid it on the mud in front of me. I used it to shimmy myself out a bit. A tree branch was above my head so I pulled the rest of my body out of the mud. It was a relief because the person who had my job before had to call EMS to get her out.
I am a lady surveyor in Indiana with ten winters under my belt and before that I did forestry. Working with the cold is definitely a skill. There is no bad weather, just bad gear. I developed a reputation of putting up with even the coldest Indiana days unless i couldn’t see because my eye balls were too cold. Definitely not Alaska though. Fluffy, loose layer on my skin and a wind breaking layer on the outside. Always a hoodie with a beanie hat and a face mask. Always cover your face! Then the cheapest rag wool mittens you can get. With this outfit you will beat out the most masculine man who doesn’t want to wear a lot of layers.
Eating dirt 100% can give you parasites! Microscopic eggs and infectious baby stages (cysts, etc.) live in moist soil waiting for a host. That said, there’s a possibility that the prevalence of allergies to innocuous things in industrialized societies could be in part due to the absence of GI parasites appropriately training our immune system what should and shouldn’t be of concern. So it’s hard to know if it’s better or worse not to eat a little dirt as a kid.
Loved this episode!!
I live in Alaska and love to hear Blair speak about sled dogging. I have so much respect for people who do that, especially long distance like the Iditarod. My goal in life is to be an Idita-rider!
My 9 year old son loves your new book. He thinks the illustrations are hilarious.
I love Blair 😊 I want her to adopt me so I can come on all the dog sledding adventures lol
Will be remembering the down skirt for winter festivals/raves. Great suggestion 🌷
Can we get a separate podcast that's just Sarah and Blair vibing and talking about survival.
The smell stuff is so real. Years of doing drum corps as a teen/YA and then around teens/YAs showed me how we don’t feel maximum smelly until we’re putting a towel down in the car to drive to housing sites after 12h of 98 degree heat rehearsal 😅
Found The Day Leap Soared while on a girl's trip last weekend and got it supposedly for my 2 year old, but mostly for my inner child who dreamed of mushing.
lol Sarah don’t think I missed your victor garber “VERYY wool!” comment
Listening to this on my flight. Just in case.
A gas station owner told me it’s good to drink your grandson’s pee
During the discussion about eating bugs, our foster kitten, Cricket, became very concerned. I assured her she was not the cricket being eaten.
*Blair very expertly explaining stand-to-pee methods for survival* *me, a trans man, listening intently because he wants to start using urinals in public restrooms*
I love Blair and You're Wrong About too! They help me survive everyday.
until someone taught me how to properly wash my hair (as an adult) i thought my hair was greasy & had to be washed every day. now i can go weeks! it’s all about not letting your shampoo sit on your hair too long & rinsing really really well. i also have some good products that help but that’s the main thing.
Love y'all and love Room of One's Own!
Blair is the greatest YWA guest
Loved the episode. With rip currents (coastal safety researcher here) Swimming parallel is not the messaging any more it is now "float to survive" as: 1. Swimming parallell is not effective if you are not a really strong swimmer, once you get tired it is easier to drown 2. Often rips at sea (atleast in australia) will eventually pull you back around closer to the shore. (This is not always the case though so always evaluate) 3. Swimming parallell is encouraged if you are at an unpatrolled beach, if you are at a patrolled beach floating is reccomended as you can conserve your energy whilst someone takes the time to save you. In general swim in patrolled areas or places with people, always bring a flotation device if you can (can be a 10L plastic water jug) in case you need to save a friend if you are remote and try to learn how to identify rips. If the water is calm with less waves than the rest of the beach probably a rip. Please note I research in Australia and so this only applies to coastal settings
I am so chuffed and flattered that you got to my 'pee receptacle' question first in the 'potent potables' section first! <3
Blair’s story about her dogs resourcefulness reminded me of the newest David Attenborough series out in the UK right now which shows two African wild dogs trying to pull their family member out from the jaws of a crocodile. Also the wild dogs care for their disabled and sick family - such incredible solidarity in the animal kingdom!
So far the best tip from Blair is that if you feel cold peeing really does help make you warmer p much instantly. I never noticed before but it’s v much true.
The story about female mushers in the Iditarod was pure gold, truly a gift today 🤣🤩😂
Sarah, I heard you interject "oh fer cute" on the In Bed With The Right Live Bingo! podcast and wondered if you'd been in the North Woods. But obvs all one needs to start using Lutheran Church Lady exclamations is to send Vanna White there. Thanks for this podcast, it was really fun! And thank Blair for sharing her expertise with us.
I’m not gonna lie I cried when you told us about Jenga leading you to safety! I love dogs so much!!!
Pausing to cheer for the skirt mention! I wear skirts all the time now and it's incredible how good they are at temperature regulation. They shade your legs in the heat, they shelter them in the cold, they're easier to fit than basically any other clothing item, and best of all they have unsurpassed pocket capacity. Truly the most versatile clothing item.
This is very far removed from survivalism or mushing on the Yukon, BUT - as a kid I went skiing a couple times and we were dressed in these overall ski jumpers that turned emergency outdoor bathroom situations into such a mess. Would NOT recommend (the jumpers).
I also cannot go too long without shampoo, you could grease a pan with my head after a few days.
6 days in the Boundary Waters turned my hair into a Crisco outlet. Solidarity!
Aww! My favorite family lore story is that time we worked as a family to get my youngest out of quicksandy mud. We didn't even lose her Xtratuffs! Hearing the mud of Southeast Alaska mentioned was so gratifying! <3 love Blair episodes!!
Love love love Blair Braverman. I bought Welcome To The Goddamn Icecube after listening to some of the episodes with her. Enjoyed the book a lot! ❤️ from Copenhagen
God, the “stop using shampoo!!” trend. People were so self righteous about that shit 😂
Tinkle Bell is another great one for the outdoors! Comes w a bag & carabiner, best paired with a Kula cloth 🙌🏼✨
As a fat person from northern Sweden, I feel so seen when you talk about how fat retains cold. I can still be literally shivering *while* in a hot bath. Also, down skirts is what all Swedish mums wear when going to dinner parties in the winter. Good to know they're in hardcore outdoor gear.
Wait...but...HOW DID BLAIR GET OUT OF THE QUICKSAND?? 😭
Came here to say this!!!
Eating dirt while doing your dishes together feels so girlhood <3
Sarah- have you heard of the book Murderland? I think you would love it. It’s about the Pacific Northwest and how industrial pollution caused an influx of serial killers in the 60s-90s.
Always love to hear from Blair, and this is perfectly timed to listen to while Turkey Day prepping!
As always, I love learning from Blair. & I would die for Flamy March