Just in Case
Like the Boy Scouts, be prepared when you
venture into the outdoors.
The day had started out warmly, even for early spring, so I had dressed for a day of sun and high temperatures for my outdoor excursion. But by 10 a.m. I was caught in a downpour accompanied by strong, cold winds. Fortunately I could trek back to my four-wheeler and don my emergency stash of coveralls and army poncho.
After donning my gear and again moving off on foot, I got to cogitatin' about my preparedness: Usually I carry a folded black garbage bag as an emergency poncho, plus a space blanket, matches and a candle.
However, I had left all of that behind in the mistaken belief that I wanted to travel on foot lightly. I was wrong!
But that preparedness scenario doesn't just apply to me as a hunter. It applies to you as a hiker, an ATV rider, a mountain biker, a bird watcher or a horseback rider, or for any other outdoor pursuit a person might try that takes a body more than half a mile from your vehicle or home, whether you are in the flat desert or the high mountains.
On the same day of my plight, a friend of mine met real disaster; he was on the river and water was running high, fast and muddy. He had already reasoned that he couldn't cross the river on his ATV, so he decided to wade across.
He knew the crossing well and took it for granted. But rather than being the normal 18 inches of depth, the river had formed an unseen channel that was quite deep and treacherous, and my friend found himself chest-deep and being swept away!
Fortunately, the man was young and strong and he easily swam to shore. But now he was soaked to the bone and had not a stitch of dry clothing along. He spent the remainder of the day wet and miserably cold.
Another friend went afield on a mountain bike with a partner. Because the day was mild, they were stripped down to the usual biking attire of spandex, although she did have a light windbreaker in a pouch. She did have to don the jacket but she said it didn't help much as the temperatures quickly dropped in the late afternoon. Luckily, the pair made it back, very cold, but none the worse for the experience.
But what if an emergency had overtaken them, such as an accident that left one of them with a broken limb, or a concussion, or even a broken-down machine? Were they prepared to spend the night in the mountains as temperatures plummeted to the lower 20s?
A broken leg or ankle can happen to anyone who goes afield and it could leave a body stranded as close as a couple of hundred yards from their starting point. I have heard of folks who have died in blizzards only yards from the safety of their vehicle or home. Do you go prepared for the unthinkable?
I still remember vividly being stranded in the arctic tundra of Alaska, over half a decade ago. A miracle of God and a thin, torn space blanket literally saved my life as I lay there shivering violently from hyperthermia.
An everyday fanny pack—or a saddle bag if you ride horses—can carry all that a person needs. In those containers I have carried two space blankets, lighter, candle, knife, rope, Ace bandage, tiny first-aid kit and that black, plastic lawn bag.
If there is room, I also include a water purification system, compass, dry socks, cheap rain suit and flashlight. On my belt I always carry a utility tool, GPS unit and a handgun.
Speaking of flashlights, I now use a headlamp with halogen bulbs so that my hands remain free to use a walking staff for balance on narrow, uneven trails.
Just recently on a wild sheep hunt, I became caught in a field of thick prickly pear on a steep hillside. There was loose shale everywhere and mesquite brush to boot.
It was slow and rough going and a slip or fall meant that not only would I careen downhill out of control, but I'd be stuck to death, too! I happened to spy an old dried-out yucca stick and I used it to carefully negotiate my way out of that jungle. Even so, I could feel the tiny, silica-like needles of the prickly pear over my skin and I had a tear or two from mesquite.
That reminds me of another tale: A fella I was hunting with made the mistake of scooting under the bottom strand of barbed wire and, in doing so, he collected a butt-full of cactus spines. He was in agony as I guffawed at his fate, but my humor soon departed when I discovered that I had to pull those spines from his bare backside! Fortunately for him, we were close to Ol' White and I had a pair of new tweezers in the truck. Still, it was no fun for either of us!
Recently I've graduated from the fanny pack to a nifty little black, nylon backpack that Wally-World sells in the luggage department. It has padded shoulder straps and it allows me to carry everything that is needed in an emergency plus have space left over. I've even added to the contents things such as a folding saw, granola bars and an empty purifier bottle. I recommend it highly!
Even fully loaded with all of the things mentioned, this backpack weighs less than 10 pounds and can be hauled on my back, on a mountain bike, or even on a horse (been there, done that).
Remember that unfortunate hiker who got his arm caught under a boulder? Had he not thought to carry a folding knife that day, he'd be "gone beaver," as the mountain men used to say. I'll bet he never gave much thought to that outing being anything more than a pleasant daytrip on that fateful day.
As the Boy Scouts say, "Be prepared!"
As always, keep the sun forever at your back, the wind forever in your face, and may the Forever God bless you in your outings.
Larry Lightner writes Ramblin'
Outdoors
exclusively for Desert
Exposure.