How To Find Natural Spring Water 

I’m gonna go try this in Central Park

As a farmer and woodsman, I have developed numerous springs for livestock and humans. There are shallow somewhat seasonal seeps/springs that flow in my neck of the woods, 1-20 gal per minute. Then there are the "deep springs" flowing non stop year round 150-300 gallon per minute ...they are impressive. Locally the deep springs come from limestone strata...very tasty alkaline. We have a cabin with a deep spring 1 mile away...been drinking that water for two years. Haul it to the farm in 5 gallon clear jugs. Your sedimentary strata shown is just impervious enough to push that surface water downslope just under the subsoil. Those are basically shallow seasonal seeps. Another hint when scouting for springs on potential property in northern climes....is to go out when there is a trace to 2" of snow on the ground. The seeps/slow springs become VERY obvious...even if the sink back into the ground and disappear. Catch them higher up an gravity flow them closer to your residence or conceal them for secret watering holes. ..even if they aren't visible normally. They can be developed into real producers. Additionally, look for vegetation changes...distinct vegetation changes do occur in many areas from subsurface water popping up. Locally here in open areas it's Reed grasses. Also, check in your local area for old timers who know the in/outs of springs your particular area. Even when digging wells water witchers can be pretty impressive. I have a 90 yo buddy who used to hand dig and stone line wells to 30'. One old timer used a pocket watch...he witched my buddies place, found two sources subsurface , told him where they met AND how deep it would be before they hit water....he was spot on. YMMV

That's the therapy right there, watching that water run is very therapeutic, its beautiful

Vigilance Elite: I have an almost limitless supply of fresh water. 6 months ago: Weird flex, but ok. Today: Is there a vetting process to join your militia?

I’ve lived in Tennessee all my life and can confirm, there are more freshwater springs than teeth in this state. That’s why that good ol Tennessee moonshine is so abundant

I love waterfalls. I could listen to them for hours. Such a relaxing sound.

This was awesome to see and thanks for bringing us to your home. I grew up in North Georgia, spent alot of time in Tennessee rock climbing, teaching tactical rope/heavy rescue, private and through GPSTC when I was an adjunct instructor there. (Spent most my life being a First Responder as a Firefighter/Medic in and around the ATL) So good to see home, hear those birds. Thanks Shawn, from deep in my soul, fir sharing the beauty and peaceful sounds, a healthy dose of tranquility well received. I owe ya! God Bless you and your family. Stay safe!

I've recently found your channel, and as a former Marine, I love the content brother. Very informative, simplified, and very direct. Keep up the great work.

God bless! You're quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. I love the variety of topics you cover. You truly keep it real brother. Thanks

I did the exact same thing. I lived in lake worth for 20 years. Last year me and wife moved to Tennessee. Best thing we ever did. Thank you for your service

Shawn, you've been pumping out videos to help keep us going all week. Thanks man. It is greatly appreciated.

I live in Maine and have a fresh spring by my house, we always had an old ladle hanging on a tree next to it for people to dip in and drink from. The coldest, best tasting water around. We had to take the ladle down during this time but people are free to use the spring, we just ask that they are respectful. Stay safe friends

Just beautiful, I wouldn’t get anything done, be sitting and listening to that creek all day. Congratulations on your land

Shawn I'm so envious the creek is so calming in regard to being able to unwind, and leave all of the chaos in the world behind. God bless you and your wife and stay vigilant.

I have been out for a very long time, 15 years. I thought I was a city guy, even after the wash, rinse, dry repeat cycle of what I now know was anger, depression, social anxiety, all rolled up into a PTSD blanket. I was a shit sandwich. Then you came onto the screen Mr. Ryan, along with Mike, Jocko and others, and I realized a lot about who I was, and stopped running. My wife, stuck by me and is the true warrior, since 2008. Now I have a son, to go along with my wife, and a normal job. My point, the operators who have decided to bless those of us that also have downrange experience, but nothing near your experiences nor level, really helps. It's therapy. I understand now why I am NOT a city guy, and how the country, the quiet is where I need to be, when not at work. I used to tell people that I just want to come home to a room with nothing but a chair in the center of the room. Nothing else. I now understand why. Thank you Shawn for the channel, the story time, the emergency Milk Duds, the alpacas, and your vigilance over us. 👍🇺🇸

Beautiful land my friend full of Indian artifacts “arrowheads” not hard to find once you task it . Rewarding/stress reliever as you find some pretty cool rocks ... stay safe and keep the footage coming good stuff bro

Thanks bro for sharing this! It's unreal the amount of people that don't even think about stuff like this. I thank God every day I live in TN. God bless and stay safe.

Sent this to every person I love as soon as I saw it. Thank you, Shawn!

Creeks “Nature’s Xanax “

WOW you are incredibly blessed. The property itself is healing with the water running and birds chirping.

Thank you so much for all the scenery and water sounds in that video! No am still stuck in the city and having to go to work everyday, even though several of my coworkers have COVID. This did more to relax me than any frig ever could! Can’t wait till I finally find that special piece of property!

last time I came this early, I entered parenthood..

Thank you for your service, sir. You were right in persisting and reaping the rewards for your efforts. Well done. Couldn't help but notice the picnic table in the background @12:14, great location for one.

Spring water fed creeks, so soothing and relaxing admist the "kaos." You always know how to keep your community engaged and relaxed. Best Sunday Morning Video thus far. VE4L!!!

From what I've seen, your search for that property was well worth the effort. Beautiful part of the country Tennessee. I'll bet your blood pressure has dropped 10 pts. since moving there!Thanks for all the new videos, very enjoyable.

You have a beautiful piece of property. Congratulations, you both deserve it. As a pre teen my family had property on a mountainside. My brother and I explored it together. We found several springs. Even in the deepest summer, one of the springs still gave fresh clean water. No wonder Tennessee had such great moonshine! Fresh, spring fed water deep in the woods away from prying revenuers eyes! Thank you for your tutorials. Not only lovely and serene to watch, but something all of us should know in case TSHF hard and heavy if we lose our infrastructure. Thanks Shawn. J in Oregon

I was born and raised in "your neck of the woods" , you definitely picked a great spot for SHTF scenario . Fresh water , plenty of wild meat , easily defendable terrain , and plenty of natural avenues of escape in a Bugout . Oh yeah , some of those Limestone Springs used to produce a mighty tasty M'shine .

Hi I really appreciate the content, thank you. I am from Missouri. I have found in most of my Valley streams, the point where you were calling out as "springs", in my case, they were just spots where run-off water was able to easily escape the ground, usually around trees over rocks. Not necessarily springs, but yet a water source. I would still purify those water collections. Continue up that stream and find its trail head, I bet there is a large spring feeding that stream directly from the stream itself. Thanks for sharing your property vids with us.

Hey Shawn. Stumbled upon your channel just a few days ago and I must say I also suffer from depression and anxiety. Sometimes I wonder why I ever leave the house because people are terrible. Your videos are very informative and at the same time relaxing. Keep the videos coming man. Appreciate your service too! Thank you

Learned some good stuff in this video. I'll pass it on. Especially the snails thing. I also want to say that for a guy living in the Chihuahuan desert this video was a mini vacation. Greatly appreciated.

Something about walking your property with an affection that most wouldn't understand. I live on an acre and a half and have another 5 in northern Michigan. I know every sapling, stump, track and trail. Enjoy the deer, turkey and all critters big and small, domestic and wild. Work my garden and see to the flora and fauna I'm a steward of. Tis truly my church. I can see that in your videos. Enjoy your peace brother.

Moved here, near Rogersville, from NJ in June. One of the best moves ever.

When I used to hike overnights in the smokies I used to rely on these type of springs for resupplying my drinking water. Sometimes I would filter it but often it was coming straight out of a rock cliff so I never filtered that. Never once got sick...

I just posted on my Instagram the other day how this is one of very favorite RU-vid channels. Versatility, everything from weapons training and gun info, medical, survival tips, great stories, ect... straigth forward no bullshit information. I even dig up the "motivation" video if I feel like I'm in a rut with pursuing some goals i have set. Fuck Yeah, thank you. Cheers 🍻

One of the best things you shared was about the snails. I grew up country and learned this from my grandfather as a small child. We played outside in the woods especially as back then it was just what kids did. I'm sure if you catch children young enough they will again. Like my grandfather and father before me I made sure all my boys understand how to survive primitively if ever forced to. To me that's something every responsible parent should be doing today. Also if you haven't learned how to survive on your own WTF are you doing even having children? This latest scare should be driving that point home to far more people than I feel it is. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and especially thank you for your service in Defending this Great Nation... P.S. Some of those might have just been run-off seeps but still damned good info overall...

Awesome! Like to see more videos like this man. Praying for you and your wife that you guys stay safe during this outbreak.

Appreciate the tour bro! My wife’s fam is from Columbia TN. We love Franklin and a dream of mine is to own that much land there. Amazing you can find such a get-a-away in TN. Stay safe.

The camerawork and editing in this video is lush. Beautiful

Boss. Southern AZ. We have Springs but nothing like GA and TN. Completely different skill set out here. We look for different vegetation where trees go deep for water sources. Next you follow the game. Also you can look for old mines. Many of those mines stopped because they hit water. Ranchers use those for filling cattle tanks. We call them water mines. Thanks for all you do. Sane mind in an insane world.

Sean I never have seen a guy so honest thank you and God bless you and family

Love that water fall! These videos are great. Keep em coming young man. My granddaughter loved your alpaca video.

Great video. Been subscribed while now and enjoy learning something new from you every video. I’ve lived in rural WV my whole life and love some country living. Keep up the quality entertainment brother

Good eyes on for an absolute necessity. Back in the 90's we used to climb in the heart of Nevada in the Toyabe range. There's literally no water for miles at elevations of 10,000+ ft to the naked eye or unaware. But, tiny springs reveal themselves by following the green flora to the spring itself. Freezing cold water from Mother earth.

I could just set up a pup tent there and just love the sound of the water.

You live in paradise brother. Peace, quietness, self sufficiency. One day I’ll achieve this.

Thanks for making that. Beautiful land. You cured my cabin fever for today and helped refine my goal of one day escaping from the Chicago area.

Tennessee is such a beautiful state! Brings back memories, because I grew up there, but what's unbearable there are the hot, humid summers and the ticks! Glad to be in a more moderate climate, but this gives me idea to visit TN in the Spring, before Summer!

I can relate......exactly what I am looking for on the land I want.....a creek and some fresh spring water.....nothing less! That waterfall in the creek is such a relaxing sound....wow such a blessing!

Great camera work! Thank you. Be blessed.

Pretty cool! The area of Kansas I live in has springs that come out of the western edge of the Flint Hills. When the area was first settled a spring meant a constant supply of good water and spring houses made for storing milk and food supplies. I’m sure the Indians used them as well... the Etzanoa repelled the Spaniards here in 1601.

I grew up with an artesian well, and would collect water for my water bottles when I went out. I would notice tap water in teas and coffee after drinking fresh water for so long. It's always good to have a natural water source. When I couldn't find bottled water at the store, I took a trip home, and made sure the parents were ok, but also to fill my 5 gal jugs up with fresh water.

I have lived in Tennessee all my life except for the 4 years I was in the Navy. My Grandparents ,My Parents gave us their Great knowledge of survival. Its privilege to live here and one of the most beautiful places in earth . Welcome 🙏🏻

As a Geology major I am just eating all this information up. Thank you very much for this video!

You are very fortunate. There is little if any spring water around here, at least that's what people are generally lead to believe. We like to do a lot of driving around, hiking, and generally exploring. What we've discovered is that, around here, springs and seeps are almost always characterized by one very obvious feature: cattails. Since we started looking now for cattails, we have found springs that we never knew existed. Another common sign here is bees. Whenever we see a lot of bees flying in generally the same direction, often there is a water source of some kind, sometimes springs, nearby. One thing that is necessary if you want to facilitate water collection from springs or seeps is a small shovel. Plenty of times we've seen a muddy spot where water will collect shortly if you dig down a foot or so. Line the hole with grass to help clear the water. And of course, water is never pure. It always comes from somewhere else, perhaps where it is heavily polluted and deadly. It may look clear (pure), but that doesn't mean it is. The safest approach is to always test or treat before consumption. Many thanks.

I just want to say thank you!, for teaching me that!

Hello from the middle of nowhere in MS brother. Yeah, I got tired of apartment life and did the same thing. Great content btw

I too live in the middle of nowhere in TN. Great video

Mr Ryan got the coolest Scapes, got staircases with water falling from it, and its all ALL NATURAL..God Bless You Bro.

Hey whoever is running your camera is doing an excellent job. Fantastic quality

Next video : “How to build a still and keep your operation hidden in plain site during times of desperation.” 👍🏼👍🏼

Beautiful !! Thank you for sharing!

Good info, man. I learned a few things. This is why I follow you and most other people. To learn.

Thanks for the walk in the woods.

Thanks Shawn .. Just what I needed from being coupled in this week👍

At least you picked a good place I'm from Dallas originally but I moved to the tri city's TN about 20 years ago and so glad I did

Liking your vids more and more. And it makes my heart feel fuller to know that a combat vet is getting the chance to be happy and live the American dream. 💪

Beautiful landscape. Nothing beats nature. Great piece of heaven. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the content and your service Shawn.

Beautiful property, brother! We are currently looking for land to homestead in Tennessee and Montana. All these years of doing God's work, we are ready to get far away from the types of people we have dealt with for the last 20 years. Good for you! I hope you and your wife enjoy happiness and piece of mind.

Beautiful property. Your dry humor cracks me up. Stay like water my friend.

perfect. thank you for sharing/posting

All seriousness, with rise in cabin fever, I think a full hr of relaxing waterfalls by VE is just what Dr ordered!

I can almost feel the cool air coming off those creek bottoms

I have to say Shawn, this is great content. Easy, walk thru your woods. It shows that you busted your ass in life and now get to enjoy the fruit of it! Nice place man! Thanks, cheers from Southwest Michigan!

If you stick a pipe (pvc or otherwise) into those spots on the hillside you can funnel it. Some of the cleanest water you’ll ever taste.

You have your own world, that’s priceless.

Growing up in Kentucky, about 60 miles north of you, we drank from these creeks all the time as kids. As I got a bit older and understood more about farm and septic run off and where the water table was, I quit doing it without purification. It may seem pure and sometimes it is but, I don’t take that chance anymore. Do some water test beforehand and test every few weeks at a minimum.

I am also a W.P.B. native that is recovering in Upstate S.C. now. I went from having a canal to having a creek.

Thanks I needed this. Stay safe

I got out of LA 2 years ago to a suburb of a small city... best thing I ever did.

The sound of the water is very relaxing

Thanks for the vid. brother. Makes me miss back home. I’m from Arkansas but am now stuck living in the city and I fricking hate it!

Thxs for sharing your knowledge with us .

Normal guy after mowing drinks out of the end of a garden hose, you'll find Shawn with a lifestraw at his creek. Great video, again beautiful place.

I'm in Bergen County, NJ so no Fresh Water Creeks for me. On one side, I have the Hackensack River and on the other side I have the Hudson River. I can't try to drink from either of those but if you ever Vacation in Jersey or NYC feel free to try the water. Tee Hee Hee!!! Possibly the Bergen County Nature Centers might possibly be safe but there are stores, restaurants, and supermarkets to buy water at, at least for now. Your Fresh Water Creek and bird nature sounds are very relaxing.

Thanks for all the content

I have springs all over my land too. It's a very secure feeling. One of them actually feeds our house. Even nicer its height gives us great water pressure even if the power is out or the booster pump fails. Spring water is so much better than well water we dont even use our well.

That was a very relaxing video, thank you guys!

No telling how much life this creek has given to local wildlife since it began. Amazing.

Glad you found such an awesme place.love your videos.

I could walk around those woods all day long. So nice there

Beautiful land. Spring time in the woods is hard to beat. Great video 👍

@Vigilanceelite I don't know if I've seen all your vids but I've seen a bunch so far and I gotta say you got a badass property man ! Keep up the great content!

Shawn, when my girlfriend and I get married next year we plan to buy some land and build a home I'm looking for similair features as far as land that's reasonably self sustainable water ect. If you could do a video on lessons you learned while shopping for land the buying experience and also what you have learned sense taking ownership that would be badass and a huge help to me as I respect your opinion. Thanks man

Preach brother about self reliance.

My2X grandfather was a Tennessee vol. Fought for the south was voluntold He was a poor farmer who owned no slaves but lived and died in that land. I'm sure he enjoyed that land just like you do. I can't wait to move out of California. Probably next year. Possibly Tenn or Georgia. Can't wait!!! Thanks for your stuff

Nice video bro your cameraman is a savage lol, I'm from FL too ik where I'm going if SHTF, I dig the info very useful.

Good job by the camera man it was some great views of the woods and creek.

Man it’s awesome to see someone that appreciate one of gods many creations and it serves as our life source,fishing, fun and even the sound of a spring is so relaxing. Natural anxiety med. 🤘😎🤘🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸always love your videos and thank you for sacrificing where we have the freedom to enjoy places like this. You definitely deserve a place like that to enjoy. Godbless you and your family🙏😇👍

Awesome, it is peaceful listening to water run