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Being safe in the woods
Aug. 9th, 2011 12:06 amOk, the news keeps covering this young woman who was found last week after being lost in the woods for 4 days. Somewhat mountainous terrain.
I'm glad she's okay and all that. But the last straw was when they started talking about how brave and resourceful she was, and how it'd make a great movie.
Ok, she got lost the first afternoon after wandering away from camp. She broke her leg that night by walking over a 50 ft cliff in the dark.
She drank water from streams (not the best idea in the wrestern US, because of giardia, butif you need water, you need water). She ate berries (usually ok), bugs and caterpillars and even slugs.
Used to be when covering stuff like this, they'd mention the first rule. Namely, if you get lost *stay put*. If she'd followed that she'd not have gone over the cliff in the dark.
In the woods, *especially* if it's just you and a friend or two, you never set foot out of camp without some granola bars or the like (basically food that won't spoil and that can survive getting rained on oir falling in a stream). A water bottle or canteen, a good knife (suitable for cutting small branches and stuff), and waterproof fire-making materials.
Cell phones are nice if you have coverage. FRS-radios are better because they don't need cell sites, and you can talk back to camp or to rescuers. Be sure to agree on what channel to use.
GPS is good, even a rock bottom model will let you set a waypoint for the camp and thus tell you how far away you are and in what direction.
Spare batteries for the FRS & GPS are good.
Heck, I carry most of that when biking around town!
Also, do read up on the area you are going to be and find out what is ok to eat and what is a really *bad* idea to eat (some caterp[illars, for example are not a good idea to eat. Ditto for some berries (deadly nightshade anyone?)
Heck, a lot of this is stuff you should have in your *car*.
The time to get ready for being lost or stranded is *before* it happens.
I'm glad she's okay and all that. But the last straw was when they started talking about how brave and resourceful she was, and how it'd make a great movie.
Ok, she got lost the first afternoon after wandering away from camp. She broke her leg that night by walking over a 50 ft cliff in the dark.
She drank water from streams (not the best idea in the wrestern US, because of giardia, butif you need water, you need water). She ate berries (usually ok), bugs and caterpillars and even slugs.
Used to be when covering stuff like this, they'd mention the first rule. Namely, if you get lost *stay put*. If she'd followed that she'd not have gone over the cliff in the dark.
In the woods, *especially* if it's just you and a friend or two, you never set foot out of camp without some granola bars or the like (basically food that won't spoil and that can survive getting rained on oir falling in a stream). A water bottle or canteen, a good knife (suitable for cutting small branches and stuff), and waterproof fire-making materials.
Cell phones are nice if you have coverage. FRS-radios are better because they don't need cell sites, and you can talk back to camp or to rescuers. Be sure to agree on what channel to use.
GPS is good, even a rock bottom model will let you set a waypoint for the camp and thus tell you how far away you are and in what direction.
Spare batteries for the FRS & GPS are good.
Heck, I carry most of that when biking around town!
Also, do read up on the area you are going to be and find out what is ok to eat and what is a really *bad* idea to eat (some caterp[illars, for example are not a good idea to eat. Ditto for some berries (deadly nightshade anyone?)
Heck, a lot of this is stuff you should have in your *car*.
The time to get ready for being lost or stranded is *before* it happens.
