The Survival Podcast's 13 in 13 Skills Challenge

While I was listening to Jack Spirko recently, he offered a challenge to everyone who is of the preparedness mindset.  In The Survival Podcast's 13 in 13 Skills Challenge, Jack wants all of us to learn new, usable skills that can make our lives better now and in the future.  He writes, "The skills can be primitive, traditional, mechanical or even technical.  It is all about restoring the ability to actually do things to our nation."
This really made a lot of sense to me.  I have been wanting to learn a host of new skills to better myself, and I want to be more self-sufficient whether a major natural disaster were to hit Cascadia or not.  I have kicked around a number of ideas...some are rather expensive to learn (sailing and blacksmithing courses are $400 and up) and many are very time-consuming (such as learning a foreign language).  As stated before in a previous entry, my funds and time are limited.  Most of my free time and spare money go toward my grad school courses, which are nonnegotiable to me.  With this in mind, here are my thirteen that I plan to learn, in no particular order, and my reasons:

1. Gardening:  The apartment I live in grants me a small patch of ground in which to set out a garden.  This year, I just watched it become overgrown with grass.  Next year, I plan to set up a few raised garden beds using Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening method.  I have a friend who has been gardening for over 30 years, and she has promised to help me as much as she can.
2. Canning:  Canning is a great way to preserve what I grow in my garden, as well as preserve other fruits and veggies I may buy but did not grow.  Food preservation is an important skill, especially if there is no electricity available.  It is something (food preservation that is; not necessarily canning) we humans have done for thousands of years.  However, in modern society with its emphasis on the now and not the future, we have given into believing that supermarkets will always be there to meet our needs.  I want to learn how to can in order to lower my reliance upon supermarkets and to be able to eat more locally.  The same friend who will be helping me with my gardening has also been canning just as long.  She has all the equipment and said she would enjoy teaching me this as well.
3. HAM Radio:  Being able to communicate with others is a vital skill.  What if there were no mobile phone service available in a time of great need?  What if the land lines (traditional PBX phone service) were also unavailable or in limited supply?  How can you communicate?  Smoke signals?  Telegraph?  Hardly.  HAM radios are a cheap and effective way to ensure communications as they send signals through the atmosphere.  They run on battery power, so as long as I have access to a car battery, I should be fine.
4. Morse Code:  Morse is an easy way to communicate and does not take as much time to learn as a foreign language.  It was an effective way to communicate over short or long distances since the 19th Century, but it has fallen off the map in favor of modern communications.  I want to learn it in case it ever comes in handy.
5. Archery:  Archery is a great tool to have in your skill set.  If there ever comes a time in which gunpowder-based ammunition becomes scarce, the only way to hunt will be via this traditional method.  Last year, I took a number of free lessons from a guy I know who is a state champion archer, and I was rather proficient with a recurve bow at ranges under 30 yards.  The best part is that he has his own outdoor range at his house and has the bows and arrows necessary to teach others.  I want to get back into this fun and useful sport on a very regular basis.  I just don't like all the people who are getting involved due to "The Hunger Games" movie.  Most of those people clog up the ranges and they don't seem to be committed to the sport for the long term.
6. Hand Loading:  What a better way for me to get back into sport shooting than to load my own rounds?  It will be cheaper too, and give me a new and relaxing hobby.  I recently purchased a machine that will allow me to participate in this skill, and I look forward to getting it set up and in production.
7. Camping:  Sadly, I have not been camping since I was a young boy.  I really want to learn how to camp now that I am an adult.  I have a number of friends who go backpacking and camping on a rather regular basis, so they have offered to help me achieve this goal and teach me what they know.  I will have to lay out some money for the gear, but this will be good skill to know if there ever were a major natural disaster in Cascadia that would require me to hit the road.  I now have to get back into a better physical shape that will allow me to go camping.
8. Orienteering:  Orienteering is being able to use a map and compass to navigate across the land.  This would go hand-in-hand with the camping.  What if there were no GPS available?  How would one travel?  REI has some introductory courses that are fairly inexpensive, and there are local orienteering clubs I can join and learn from the members.

 Unfortunately, this is all I can think of right now.  I still have five more I need to think about.  I think I will look on TSP's forum and get ideas from those posting their thoughts.  Check back in the future and I will post another entry with the other five.