The Mountain Readiness Expo is a hands-on, three-day preparedness gathering held at Van Hoy Campground in Harmony, NC. It brings together survival instructors, authors, homesteaders, and everyday people for skills-based learning and community building. Held May 2-4, 2025, at Van Hoy Campground, Mountain Readiness isn’t just another gear show or lecture circuit. It’s a practical, skills-first gathering of everyday people who care about one simple goal: being more self-reliant in a world that seems more important everyday. This wasn’t my first Mountain Readiness event. I taught at the Fall Out event last October and knew the community was special. But…

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Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news—plus a free month of onX Hunt Elite. On Friday, buddies Jimmy Appleton and Blake Daugherty were scouting just before the season opened at noon. The two men, both of whom live in Pope, Mississippi, were cruising in Appleton’s 17-foot aluminum boat, along with Blake’s two sons, 11-year-old Cruz and 9-year-old Cash. They were checking out an oxbow lake off the Mississippi River near Natchez. “We’ve all hunted gators together for years, including Cruz and Cash,” Appleton says. “We were looking for a big 12-foot gator we knew about…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWhat if I told you that when the next major disaster strikes—you’ll most likely be behind, not ahead? That’s part of what SHTF mindset is all about. No matter how prepped you feel, when you’re at the epicenter of a serious crisis, you’ll likely start off scrambling to get ahead. You’ll start as the underdog. You don’t control the clock. You don’t get to pick the terrain. And the systems you thought you could count on? Nothing is guaranteed when the worst happens. Minor emergencies? Sure, you might be able to muscle through. Those…

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The National Rifle Association is challenging a longstanding Florida law that requires lawful firearms purchasers to wait for three days before taking possession of a gun after the transaction is completed. On August 25, the NRA, along with 2nd Amendment Armory, three NRA members and the Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF), filed the lawsuit Dunn v. Glass in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida challenging the waiting period law on Second Amendment grounds. At issue is the law imposed by a 1998 Florida constitutional amendment that required a mandatory three-day waiting period between the purchase and…

You see an coyote in the street—middle of the day. You’re not in the woods or on some remote trail—this is suburbia. Your kid’s school is a block away. And this isn’t some rare event. Urban coyotes are showing up more frequently in neighborhoods, school zones, and parks—a change in your environment that we should pay attention to. While coyotes are probably not your most significant risk, they are wildlife doing what wildlife does. Unfortunately, when wildlife like coyotes are out living their best possible urban lives, that sometimes means doing so at the expense of you, your families, and…

This article was originally published by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Washington Examiner on Labor Day that the Trump administration may declare a national housing emergency in the coming months to address the affordability crisis. Bessent’s comments come just ahead of an expected interest-rate cut cycle, underscoring the administration’s urgent effort to address the affordability crisis, which is set to be one of the key topics ahead of the 2026 midterms. Bessent joined the Washington Examiner for breakfast on Labor Day at McLean Family Restaurant on Monday. He told the outlet that President Trump plans to make “affordability” a critical pillar of…

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThe Boiling Point We’re Ignoring Political violence preparedness in America isn’t new—but as 2025 unfolds, it’s need is rising fast and hitting closer to home than many people realize. While still statistically unlikely, the sheer increase in frequency, along with political tension, raises the chance that you or someone you care about might get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. This article isn’t here to scare you. It’s here to give you clarity: So you can understand the trend—uncomfortable or not—and how it shifts your risk profile. And so you can…

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Increases yield without increasing footprint. Plants that grow well vertically include strawberries, leafy greens, pole beans, and trailing herbs. Starter tip: Water from the top and let gravity help distribute moisture downward through each level. 6. Edible Cacti – They’re Not Just Decorative Did you know that there are certain species of cactus that are both pretty and edible? Some of these consumable succulents include: Aloe vera: While not used as food, aloe vera is good for treating scrapes and burns. Sea beans (salicornia): They can be boiled, fried, or raw and have protein, iodine, and calcium. Pitaya (dragon fruit):…

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis episode came from a recent Mind4Survival listener survey, where I asked: What’s the one thing you need help with most right now in your preparedness? One response stood out: “Having a plan for when things actually HTF. Being prepared is one thing. Planning the steps to start with is another thing.” That’s a good question because while many people focus on the obvious aspects of preparedness, such as gathering supplies, they haven’t thought through the steps they’d actually take if the wheels fall off. Ask anyone who has worked/lived in some sort of…

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Consumer advocates are enlisting military families in the war against AI-aided scams. As computer-generated fraud becomes easier to create and spread quickly, the organizers worry the military community will become an even more attractive target for scammers, given the stable incomes and respected social standings of troops. Instead of waiting to be victimized, members of the military community should be on the front lines of identifying and thwarting the ruses, they argue.“It has obviously been happening for years, but these scams are getting more and more sophisticated with the use of generative AI,” said Ellen Gustafson, a Navy spouse and…

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U.S. Navy pilots in training no longer have to complete a requirement previously considered integral for flight school success.As of March 2025, students can qualify for graduation without landing a jet on an aircraft carrier, according to a Navy spokesperson who provided an emailed statement to the Navy Times. Pilots will instead complete carrier qualifications during follow-on training at the fleet replacement squadron they’re assigned to.“The strategic decision of moving strike pipeline carrier qualifications from the training syllabus to their fleet replacement squadrons was driven by increased technological capabilities in the fleet,” the spokesperson said.In 2016, the Navy rolled out…

At just 16, Frank S. Wright lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. He entered the ranks of the 4th Marine Raiders and later the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division, and went on to fight in Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Guam and Iwo Jima. He was bayoneted in the stomach while liberating Guam and shot in the chest and arm by enemy machine-gun fire during the Battle of Iwo Jima.Days ago, in a ceremony in Stockton, California, the now 100-year-old was promoted from corporal to honorary sergeant by the 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric…

The keel for the U.S. Navy’s second Columbia-class submarine was laid during an Aug. 27 ceremony in Kingstown, Rhode Island, marking the beginning of the sub’s construction. The vessel, currently designated SSBN 827, will be known as the Wisconsin, becoming the third in a line of warships that served with distinction in U.S. history. The original Wisconsin was the flagship of the Pacific fleet until 1903, while the second was an Iowa-class battleship that fought in numerous World War II Pacific battles and was resurrected twice to serve in the Korean and Persian Gulf Wars. As a ballistic missile submarine,…

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Colorado’s mail-in voting policies were a “big factor” in his decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama.Meanwhile, Republican members of Congress from Alabama, who stood beside Trump during an Oval Office announcement, insisted it was former President Joe Biden who politicized the basing process.“This delegation has worked together, both chambers, both parties, to make sure that Huntsville was the place that Space Command called home,” Sen. Katie Britt said during the event. “Obviously, the Biden administration chose to make this political.”The announcement is just the latest development in a yearslong…