Archive for the 'Survival' Category

Some guy is apparently on the run, possibly in the Florida bush.

Alligators, black bears, clouds of gnawing insects. Two different types of rattlesnakes. Coyotes, bobcats and panthers. Everything is wet, almost nothing is edible, and safe drinking water is nowhere to be found.

If Brian Laundrie actually is deep in the Florida wilderness, a survival expert in Sarasota said that by now, he’s either dead or in very bad shape.

“If he’s down there in the Carlton Reserve, he’s living in hell,” local survival expert Mark Burrow said.

With heavy rain in recent days, starting a fire will be nearly impossible. It’s also the wrong season for foraging edible plants, Burrow said.

He said Laundrie may be able to scavenge leftovers from a predator’s kill. There also are freshwater clams and snails he could collect. Fishing is another possibility.

“People have been making a big deal of the alligators and the snakes,” Burrow said. “But it’s dehydration that’s the real danger.”

Even if he were able to get a fire started to boil water, recent rains will have made the drinking water full of tannins from local foliage. Tannins occur in the roots, wood, and bark of oak trees, and high concentrations can be harmful to humans, Burrow said.

“That can cause loose bowels,” he said. “Not a good thing when you are already dehydrated.”

When it comes to animals, the area’s bears and panthers are not likely to bother humans. But if Laundrie is injured or struggling, he will also have to deal with coyotes and bobcats.

“If you were injured or exhausted,” Burrow said, “they would eat you.”

There are at least four different types of venomous snakes in Carlton Reserve, the cottonmouth likely being the most dangerous. There’s also the pigmy rattlesnake, the diamondback rattlesnake, and the coral snake.

I wouldn’t be too worried about Bobcats or Coyotes, and panthers aren’t numerous enough to pose a real threat, but bears, alligators, snakes and insects are a threat.  The biggest threat, however, is lack of potable water.  I outlined how water controls your every thought and decision in a trip to Colorado.

Here is a recent video on water filtration.

Frankly, I wouldn’t trust a seep well.  It won’t filter Giardia or Cryptosporidium.  I have no idea whether water filters will remove plant tannins.  I confess I hadn’t thought about the risk posed by plant tannins.  I’m glad I stumbled on this article – I will think about it in the future.

I have a backpacking water filter, but I know there are a lot on the market now, and a lot of designs I haven’t seen.

What do readers think and what kind of water filtration do you have, and why?  I notice that carrying bleach wasn’t brought up in the video, and I’ll tell you that I don’t like the idea of loading my thyroid up with iodine.  There can be adverse health effects from that.

But pondering all of this shows just how difficult it would be to survive a protracted time in the wilderness without food, potable water, medical care, dental care, proper hygiene, etc.  Walkabouts can be dangerous.

Discussion at Outdoor Life.

I’ve seen in-field tests.  These things have limited capability, and are no replacement for having a parka or being able to start fire (which underlines my constant attention to redundant means of fire start).

If anyone has an experience with survival blankets, please indicate in the comments.

News from Alaska.

Hunter Jason Long of Eagle River, Alaska, was attacked and injured by a sow grizzly bear near the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve on Sept. 8, reports the National Park Service. Long was hunting alone when he encountered the sow and her two cubs.

Long was in an unnamed drainage near the Chisana River when he was mauled by the grizzly. He suffered lacerations and puncture wounds, but was able to press the SOS button on his Garmin InReach GPS device. The emergency message triggered an Air National Guard rescue mission, coordinated with the NPS.

A 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60 Pave Hawk II from the Eielson Air Force Basewas already airborne on a routine mission near Talkeetna, when it was diverted to the hunter’s location. A two-man 212th Rescue Squadron para-rescue team was dropped at the scene to treat and prepare the patient for transport. Meanwhile, the helicopter met a 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II for air-to-air refuel before returning to the hunter’s location to hoist the para-rescue team, the injured hunter, and another hunter from the party.

The grizzly-mauled hunter was brought to the town of Northway, Alaska, then flown to the Providence Alaska Medical Center, the largest hospital in Anchorage. Long was treated there, and his last known condition was considered stable.

When you go out in my neck of the woods you don’t have to worry about grizzlies.  You do have to be aware of black bear, coyote, and rattlesnakes.

There are ways to minimize the risk.  Take what you might need, e.g., a med kit.  Travel with a companion.  Solo hiking or backpacking or hunting can be dangerous.  Carry a large bore handgun for personal protection.

Carry all of the things we’ve discussed, even on a day trip (rubberized poncho, cordage, water, quick food energy, light, knife, clothing and redundant fire starter).

But there is little you can do about the problem of mechanical injury except call for help.  If you have no satellite phone or GPS and way to reach someone with your coordinates, you’re in trouble with an injury caused by bad mechanical decisions or incidents, bear attacks or snake bites.  If a rattle snake bites, you’re in very deep trouble.

That’s one reason I don’t go into the bush very much in the summer.

Interesting video.  Also applicable to some hunting.

They are using a light weight poncho, and I’d like to get a Polish Lavvu poncho, but here is the only place I can find a legitimate and authentic one, and I don’t even know if they ship to the U.S.

There are many of those.  But this one is quite interesting, and I’ll repeat what I’ve said before: I don’t start my day without coffee, even if I’m on the trail.  A better way of saying it is that coffee starts my day.

In this case, coffee may save your life one day on the trail in less than optimal circumstances.  You can start fire with it.

I wonder if this works with flint and steel or a ferro rod?  I guess there’s one way to find out.

News from Oregon.

Burleigh emphasized how leaving extra supplies behind, even a water bottle, made the situation even more challenging.

“It sounds funny, but it’s so true. You gotta take those kind of considerations when going out in Mother Nature,” he said. “And if you’re not prepared for it, she’ll hammer you.”

What was planned as an overnight fishing trip in the Twin Lakes area in early May turned into a 17-day search.

Burleigh began hiking into the Twin Lakes area before he lost the trail. What ensued was more than two weeks of pure survival as search and rescue teams from throughout the Pacific Northwest attempted to find the 69-year-old.

Burleigh was due to return from his fishing trip on May 6, a Thursday. Friday morning, Stacy Burleigh started to get concerned.

More than 100 volunteers assisted in the search for Burleigh in the Calf Creek area, ranging from trained mountain rescue and ground searchers, K-9s to eyes in the sky via both plane and helicopter. That search began on Mother’s Day, based at the lower Twin Lakes trailhead.

Here’s a little more detail.

Burleigh said he got lost and the next day it snowed. He tried to find his way out but realized things were serious.

“I tripped and fell and hit this first log, bounced to the next log, lost my fishing pole, crushed the reel against my hip and smacked my head pretty hard,” Burleigh said.

After a few days lost, Burleigh said he lost a sense of time and was feeling disoriented.

“It’s uncomfortable, it’s cold, you’re hungry. You have a sense of not thinking clearly,” Burleigh said.

Burleigh said he drank his own urine and ate bugs to stay alive.

But wait.  Does this paint a slightly different picture?

His 17-day disappearance and the search effort that followed consisting of about 100 volunteers began as an overnight fishing trip, but Burleigh said everything took a wrong turn when he started down a trail that was supposed to be a quick hike and lost his way.

This was going to be an over-nighter?  We’ve discussed this before.  For any trip into the bush – any trip, including day hikes – I carry the following: [1] Big bore handgun, [2] flashlight, [3] fire starter, [4] 550 cordage, [5] water and container, [6] energy bars and maybe other food, [7] knife, [8] heavy rubberized poncho or at least a rain parka for cover from rain and a tarp for the night.

And I should start religiously carry a med kit.

It’s a wonder this guy is alive.

The length of the video is rather long, but you get to see most everything they did.

It’s not only a good OP, but if you happen to know it’s a well trafficked deer trail or turkey roost area, it would be good for hunting as long as you encamped before sunrise.

Mike has a number of recommendations, and especially interesting is the links he provides at the bottom of the video.  I have my own preferences (e.g., for hatchets), and I notice no link for bush saws.  But there’s a lot of good recommendations for comms, med kit supplies, water filtration, and other needful things.

It never changes from year to year.  It’s always the same.  A Hiker goes out in the woods in California and is haunted by mountain lions for a long night.

A Man goes hiking in Tennessee hasn’t been heard from in a week.

Know your topography.  Carry a compass.  Have maps.  Carry a heavy rubberized poncho.  Carry a parka.  Use high quality hiking boots.  Carry cordage (I intend to purchase Amsteel cordage rather than 550 cord).  Carry a large bore handgun.  Carry plenty of water and a filter.  Carry energy bars.  Carry a knife, and carry a headlamp or tactical light.  Carry fully redundant, independent means of fire start.

Even if you’re going out for the afternoon.  One afternoon can turn into a week alone.