The Vent and Rant Thread

[badgoodDeb]

I bought 2 or 3 of those whistles a bit ago. Haven't used them yet, but there is one around the rear view mirror in my car. I'll try to remember to take it when hiking. But it will also be useful if I get buried in a snow drift, in the winter!

[ProfCrash]

I have one in my day bag for hikes. I also carry a first aid kit, food for two days, waterproof matches, fire starters, a lighter, a thing of rock climbing rope, rain gear, long undie top and bottom, a compass, a multi purpose tool, a knife, and maps. Even though we hike on known trails that are well marked it is possible for strange things to happen. Watch Survivorman to see how easy it is for things to go wrong. I'd rather my hubby tease me and be prepared then have do etching go wrong and not be some what prepared.

[badgoodDeb]

"etching" go wrong --- it sounds like a case of iPhone (or iPad) correction?!

[ProfCrash]

iPad correction made while rocking a baby to sleep.

[kindlekitten]

in addition to my SAR work, I teach a program called "Hug-A-Tree". the target audience is kids 5-10 years old, but much of the info is good for any of us. I will be brief;
for big groups of kids, ie; scout troops, class camping trip etc., I have them take a striding step across a piece of aluminum foil and then write their name on it and leave it on their sleeping bag. why? in campsites where there are a lot of people/kids around and many have the same type a shoe, knowing which track we are looking for can be crucial. always take a buddy. always tell someone where you are going, even if that means pointing to the big rock behind the picnic table. for grownups, this can be a quick text message, email, voicemail, whatever. even for a short walk, take a whistle and a large sized garbage bag. the garbage bag is for picking up trash... no seriously, a large bag can wad up into a pocket, and if one does become lost, putting a garbage bag over your head, after first tearing a hole in the corner to breathe, can be the difference between life and death from hypothermia. if you do believe you are lost, STOP! people manage to get themselves well and truly f*cked up by thinking; "just around the next tree, I will know where I am at!", if you hear helicopters, they are probably looking for you, so you need to make yourself BIG! this means finding the flattest open space in your area, laying down or your back, spreading out your legs and arms and getting as much of your light colored clothing visible. this is the ONE time (target audience is kids remember) that it is ok to talk to a stranger, if you are lost in the wilderness. if they know your name and say they are looking for you. and it is ok to stay right where you are and tell them that you want your Scout Leader, Teacher, Parent or whoever you were with when you got lost to come get you. I reiterate that this is the ONLY time EVER they can do two things that they are always told not to do; put a garbage bag over their head, AFTER tearing a breathing hole in it, and talking to a stranger that knows their name. then I talk about the tree that they are going to hug as that will be their best friend until they are found... they are going to sleep under the tree, stay by the tree and get to know the tree. I then talk about the scary noises that they might hear, owls, coyotes, wolves, etc (I used to have a recording). I also pull a kid out of the group, have them demonstrate tearing a hold in the bag, putting it on, and sitting still until I know they are good and hot, so they can tell everyone that it really worked. while they are hanging out in the bag, I then show them what it sounds like to have people screaming your name in the woods and emphasize that even though it sounds lie the people looking for them are mad, that they really aren't, it's just because they want to be heard. I also go over the international emergency signal and we talk about different things that can make loud noises.

this program was started by a couple whose son wandered off during a picnic. his body was found the next year about 6 feet off of the path where searchers were known to have looked. they figure he thought he was in trouble when everyone was yelling his name.

stupid unforeseen sh*t happens all of the time. it happens to really smart prepared people as well as to those who really should have been bleached out of the gene pool. SAR people have a goal, which is to work themselves out of a job. the only way to do that is through education

[Stitchawl]

Emergency whistles are like health insurance. You buy them praying that you will never have to use them. But like insurance, it only works if you buy it before you need it.

Unlike tasers, stun guns, pepper sprays, and knives, you can NEVER get in trouble using a whistle prematurely if you think you are in danger. Walking across a large shopping mall parking lot at night, or walking the dog, and you see/feel as if there are a couple of nasties lurking in the shadows giving you unwanted attention, a single long loud blast on a Storm whistle is often more than enough to draw some friendlier 'wanted' attention until you get to a safer place.


Stitchawl

[poohbear_nc]

OK - just to emphasize the point everyone has been making, here is my (stupid) true story (really stupid):

Years ago (before cell phones) when I had just moved to NC, I went on a vacation with a friend to the NC coast. We went during off-season (after Labor Day) when hotel rates really drop off. But 90% of the sites are closed and/or understaffed as well. But we were adventurous!

One day we decided to visit Jockey's Ridge State Park near Nags Head (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jockey%...dge_State_Park), which has the highest sand dunes in NC. And there is a ridge in the center of the dunes - which you have to walk over to get to Roanoke Sound, where an earlier storm had washed up tons of jellyfish that we wanted to see. So we parked off the coastal road and started walking - it's about 1-2 miles from the coast to the sound, OVER the ridge - which is up to 100' high in places. We didn't know a damn thing about walking over dunes, and learned to do an amateurish side-step shuffle eventually. There are no marked trails, no ranger stations, no emergency phones. It's ALL sand! But we preserved and made it to the sound - and saw the jellyfish. We figured we could just follow our footprints to get back to the car - I was wearing a brand new pair of Nikes with a very distinctive clear tread.

So we wandered up & down the inlet until we got thirsty. Yes - we had brought no water having vastly underestimated the distances - esp. if you factor in the up & down the dune walking. So we find my tracks and start off briskly. It struck us that the tracks were going off at an angle more than we remembered, but we just thought slipping up & down the dunes had pulled us off a straight line. So we walked ... and walked ... and walked ... and walked .... with no water. Once you get out of sight of the sound, there are no landmarks. We kept reassuring one another that it was only a mile or so - we just had to keep walking and eventually we'd come to the road.

You guessed it! We picked the wrong footprints to follow. What were the odds of 2 tourists wearing the same shoe style? We were lost big time, dehydrated, and getting scared. None of the dunes we were on were high enough to see the inlet or the road. And we had no clue as to directions. Remember - no phones, no rangers.

Close to panic, I decide to sit down and wait for the sun to set to get some idea as to where west was (the inlet side) - and we would then walk opposite to get to the road. It worked - after I don't know how long we were at the road. Safe now you say?

We had no idea where the car was! Neither of us had ever been here before, so we didn't recognize any landmarks on the road. All the restaurants, etc. are closed - so no phones, no directions. We thought about splitting up and walking up & down the road to find the car -- but only had 1 set of car keys. And it's getting dark .... you guessed it - no street lights. And no traffic - it's off-season.

Now we're really scared - and start walking in one direction - but nothing looks remotely familiar. So we decide to turn around and retrace our steps the other way .... remember, no water, no food, no jackets .... when I suddenly start jumping up & down! I had spotted a road-side restaurant with a purple plastic giant octopus on its roof - and I knew we had passed it before we parked the car. So we trudged on & on and finally found the car.

Yes, we were young, stupid, and thought it was a huge adventure. But it also shows how things can go terribly wrong very quickly, esp. if you have taken no precautions!

I can't believe we were that stupid! And lived to remember it!

[Stitchawl]

Does the moss grow on the north side of sand dunes or the south side?



Stitchawl

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Does the moss grow on the north side of sand dunes or the south side?



Stitchawl

Or is the answer "No" ?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Does the moss grow on the north side of sand dunes or the south side?



Stitchawl

Funny you should say that - that was one of the first things we thought about - the lack of moss ... and then arguing (for no reason at all) as to which side it would grow on if we could find some ....

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Or is the answer "No" ?

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Funny you should say that - that was one of the first things we thought about - the lack of moss ... and then arguing (for no reason at all) as to which side it would grow on if we could find some ....

"Mosses will grow on the north, south, west and east of trees (and walls, rocks, buildings,), wherever there is enough moisture to sustain them - and that depends on various factors, such as prevailing winds, and not exclusively on shade."

However, it IS a fact that in northern latitudes there is 'usually a bit 'more' moss growing on the northern sides, due to the sun's direction of travel. Mosses do better in shaded, or partially shaded locations. But I don't think I'd care to chance finding my way by the use of moss.

Personally, I'd think sand might be a bit too dry for mosses. But if you were to stick a stalk of sea grass upright and mark where the tip of its shadow fell, then waited an hour and marked the new location of the shadow's tip, then drew a line between to two, you'd have a rough east-west idea.


Stitchawl (who has been lost too many times to count...)

[SneakySnake]

I have never been lost in the bush, but can only imagine how frightening it would be. If you were lost in the bush near where we go you (always stay on the road) would never be found and a whistle wouldn't help you.

I was lost once in Shanghai with my mum. The sun was going down and we ended up in the back streets. We were very unseasoned travellers too! All of a sudden it was dark and we were in alleys looking up into windows. I remember a little boy watching television right next to a window right next to my head.

Much more scary for me. Other people frighten me more than snakes and spiders, but possibly not as much as bears (which we don't have).

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

I have never been lost in the bush, but can only imagine how frightening it would be.

When I get lost, I don't get frightened. I become angry and upset. I know that I'm most likely going to be very uncomfortable for the next day or two, and there is NOTHING I dislike more that being uncomfortable...


Stitchawl

[SneakySnake]

And carry a big stick in case a bitey nasty comes along.

[nohmi2]

Why "horror", nohmi?


Horror and admiration if I remember correctly.


You seem well prepared and confident.

Go for it!!!

Cheers.