Book excerpt: Participating in Nature teaches you how to stay warm and comfortable without a sleeping bag, how to start a fire by friction, and how to build a reliable shelter from natural materials. Thomas J. Elpel extensively researched self-reliance skills, including fishing by hand, cooking edible plants, felting with wool, and making stone knives, wooden containers, willow baskets, and cordage. Nearly 200 photographs and sketches demonstrate these outdoor skills.