Quotes from Ray Mears

Tea: was there ever a more universal and life-sustaining beverage.

This traditional woman grew up in a world where respect for the animals hunted was of paramount importance. A concept that, in many cases, differentiates the native from the non-native hunter.

The Boreal World 'From a satellite orbiting high above Earth, the taiga appears as a dark mantle draped across Earth's shoulders, a robe glistening with aquamarine lakes. This forest-green cloak declares to the rest of the solar system that this planet is the home of living things.' J DAVID HENRY Canada's Boreal Forest

The best thing in life is moving on' Traditional Evenk saying Join

The silence of winter has already been broken by birdsong from crossbills, heralding the onset of spring. At one with the forest. For this man, the boreal forest is his home, his provider and he looks to the forest for the things he needs to live. He has no sense of isolation. He is a simple talker. This

Australian Aboriginal people is that they see the world in a multi-dimensional way – that's the only way I can describe it. Time is a more fluid concept for Aborigines than it is for us. Maybe they're string theorists, but I think that modern physical theory regarding the concept of time certainly has some resonance with an Aboriginal perspective. When

the ability to kindle a fire, swiftly and without fail, remains the most fundamental skill of life support in the boreal forest.

In the boreal forest, there are many highly combustible materials to be found – the north woods are a living 'tinderbox', one of the easiest places on earth to start a fire.

it. Symbolising

The fuzz stick described in many woodcraft manuals does work, but it is slow and awkward to carve. Any

Shouldering responsibility When

The other cause of many problems is 'assumption'. Never assume anything. If you do hear the word, alarm bells should start ringing. Always check, re-check and check again.

when you enter one of the world's great forests, you go in one side and you come out somewhere different. Sometimes, you go in and come out and you're different.

The old adage that 'there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing' is certainly true. Other

using drumming. Once found, the shaman would sing a magic song to hold the caribou in that place until the hunters could intercept them.

being able to catch and eat fish on a journey provides a deep spiritual connection to the land. Fishing

the greatest of their teachings has been the importance of looking to the forest itself for answers.

The international code for signalling with a whistle is: One blast – Where are you? Two blasts – Come to me Three blasts – I need help Response – One blast

Modern life can create great confusion and we can forget that humanity is an integral component in the natural world.

The first thing to understand about travel in this environment is that the forest can be your friend; it can supply you with almost everything you need for life if you learn where and how to look. The second thing is that you can be a friend to the forest; if you consider carefully the consequences of your actions, you can learn to harvest resources without causing any harm, sometimes even assisting the natural process of forest growth.

To my mind, if you don't know anything about the lives of the people you meet then they will be inclined to treat you like a child, but if you can hunt, if you can make fire, if you can make shelter and you know how to take care of yourself, they see this; they know the time it takes to acquire those skills and they will treat you as an adult. From that, they might involve you in conversations that you would not otherwise have. That is what I wanted to try to tap into. I

I also seem to recall that whatever my job was, I wasn't very good at it. I felt like I was staring down the barrel of a gun and I didn't like what I saw at the end of it: a loan for a car, a mortgage for a flat, weekly shopping, trips to the cinema and living for the weekends. They were all metaphors for a set of handcuffs, chaining me to the monotony of a job I hated,

It's so important to step outside your comfort zone because that's usually when you learn best. I think it's really important that you do things like that for yourself – no adult with you, just you and your own self-belief. Sadly, I think many parents would be too afraid to let their children make a journey like that these days. Having

The taiga provides wonderful opportunities for truly long-distance expeditions into areas that are incredibly remote from civilisation. The spiritual reward of such journeys can prove to be transcendental,