I Built a Stone & Wood Survival Bushcraft Shelter Deep in a Wild Forest

In this video, I take on a solo adventure deep in the wilderness—building a survival bushcraft shelter using just stone, wood, and what nature had to offer. Finding the right spot took some time, but eventually, I stumbled upon the perfect location: towering trees, a steady stream of water, a generous supply of firewood, and, most importantly, plenty of stones for construction.

Once I set up camp beneath the canopy, the real challenge began. Not far off, a seasonal creek had scattered smooth, eroded boulders along its course, leftovers from powerful flash floods. They looked promising—but proved far less useful than I hoped. Gathering stones from the creek and surrounding forest turned into a gruelling, time-consuming task.

Thankfully, I discovered some pre-cut logs nearby. That was a turning point. I decided to incorporate them into the shelter’s walls to reduce the need for stone. With effort and patience, I rolled them down, lifted them into place, and began shaping the structure.

The soil, being loose and alluvial, made things trickier. It wouldn’t bind well, complicating my plans. And just when I thought nature had thrown enough at me, a little forest resident joined the story—a clever squirrel. It made a habit of stealing my food whenever I turned my back and even disrupted my sleep at night. I’d return from foraging or collecting stones only to find more rations missing.

With the walls up, I cut fallen logs to frame the roof. I filled the gaps between the logs with pebbles, mortared them as best I could, and added layers of dried pine needles. Then came a tarp, covered with spruce leaves and topped off with a layer of mud to give it a flat, insulated finish.

But nature wasn’t done testing me. The weather turned. Fast. Snow began to fall, and I rushed to build a door before conditions worsened. The door wasn’t perfect, but I had no choice—because out of nowhere, a full-blown snowstorm hit. Visibility dropped, temperatures plummeted, and I still had essential work left to do inside the shelter.

To make matters worse, my food supplies were running dangerously low—thanks again to my squirrel companion. It became clear: I had to leave.

Come along on this raw, real journey of survival and creativity in the heart of the forest. Like, comment, and make sure to subscribe for more adventures like this. And don’t forget to turn on notifications—you won’t want to miss what’s coming next.

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