In the chapter entitled "I Get Started on This Venture", the first thing Sam makes is a fishhook.  He does it by whittling an angle on one end of a twig, then taking a smaller twig and sharpening it to a point.  After whittling an angle on that twig as well, he binds the two twigs together with green bark.

The second thing Sam makes is a shelter with a bed.  He cuts some boughs for a mattress, which he lays beside a large rock, then he leans some dead tree limbs against the rock and over the mattress, and covers them with hemlock branches.  This creates a kind of tent, which to him feels warm and secure.

The most important of Sam's new creations is a fire.  He tries doggedly to make his first fire alone from flint and steel, but is unsuccessful in the beginning. He has to spend his first night on the mountain without light and warmth, which is a scary experience.  With the help of a kind old man who lives near the highway, Sam refines his fire-making skills, and after an afternoon of practice, is able to make a fire on his own.