















ParkVisitor is pleased to present to you Part 1 of our Zombie Defense 101 series! Jake Griebe , the founder of the School of Wilderness Medicine and Survival is our featured author for the 5-part series! This is Park Visitor’s first entry of five zombie defense articles where the ParkVisitor staff and Jake Griebe will be working together to detail five National/ State parks that are the best for finding food, shelter, water and survival in the event of a zombie apocalypse. For his first entry, Jake takes readers on a journey to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore of Wisconsin.

Zombie Defense 101 – Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Author: Jake Griebe, School of Wilderness Medicine and Survival

So, there was a zombie apocalypse! The good news is that now you’ll have plenty of free time on your hands. Staying in the city is going to be a bad idea so now’s your chance to get out there and do some, well, let’s call it camping.

It stands to reason that you’ll want to avoid areas where there were a lot of people around before the whole zombie apocalypse happened, so why not check out one of the beautiful National or State Parks that our country has to offer?

A trip to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in lovely northern Wisconsin is definitely going to decrease your chances of a zombie encounter. Being positioned out in Lake Superior means solitude is what this place is all about. You can’t get to any of the 21 islands without a boat or kayak so I hope you brought a wet suit, or at least some arm floaties. There are already camp sites on 18 of the islands, so carving out your new wilderness home might not take as much work as you think. If you’re lucky you might even be able to take up residence in one of the many lighthouses. However, if you’re feeling extra hardcore, you can paddle on over to the aptly named Outer Island where the amenities aren’t as nice.

You’re going to need resources to survive the endless onslaught of the undead. The forest will provide plenty of wood to burn for heat, to cook with, and with which to build things. So, go ahead and sharpen up a few extra sticks to poke zombies with, there’s enough to go around! The humble conifers are going to be some of your best friends. A four inch thick bed of boughs is usually enough to insulate you from the ground. Their Vitamin C rich needles can be boiled into a tea to stave off scurvy. And, if that weren’t enough, pine sap has antiseptic properties and can be used to prevent wound infections.

There are some black bears roaming around on the islands, but no grizzlies. Stay away from them and they’ll probably leave you alone.

There are plenty of other critters running to be found too. From whitetail deer to snowshoe hares, you should always have a ready source of protein and fat. There’s a variety of edible plants and berries to be found as well. One of the islands is named Raspberry, after all. Several of the islands are known to produce large amounts of blueberries too. Don’t forget the fishing that this location affords you either. As for water, you’re on an island. You’d be wise to filter and purify it but you’re in no danger of running out.

If there’s a downside to this location it’s probably the harsh winter climate. It’s going to be cold and windy so pack some mittens. It also means that any zombies that have managed to float over from the mainland will be frozen. Problem solved!

So let’s see now. You’ve got shelter, food, water, plenty of wood to burn, and nobody else around for miles. That sounds like it could get pretty boring after a while. Why not “recruit” some recently deceased pals to keep you company? A noose stick is just the thing you’ll need to make new friends in this post-apocalyptic landscape you’re in. I guess you could also use it to catch small game and roosting birds, but that doesn’t sound like it would be as much fun.

Jake Griebe is the founder of the School of Wilderness Medicine and Survival. Jake served in the Marine Corps for four years before he became a full time paramedic. He specializes in bush and wilderness medicine. His expertise is priceless, as he can tell you how to make cable-like twine from stinging nettles, to learn the art of foraging wild edibles, and a whole plethora of information you’ll need in the event of a Zombie apocalypse. His knowledge has culminated in his offering of survival classes on anything from ‘basic outdoor survival’ techniques to more detailed classes such as ‘cold-weather survival.’ His blog can be found here.