The Great Outdoors is dangerous, alone or with friends along, you do need to protect yourself -- in advance.
Be Prepared For |
Copyright © 2005
by Lin Stone
| My son-in-law was ecstatic when I invited him, Tina and the two grandkids up to the 1100 acre ranch for some family fishing and four wheeling excitement on a Labor Day Weekend. Four miles of the Archie River runs through the ranch with sheer rock cliffs on the other side. The living side is very rugged as well. "There isn't any way to get off the ranch except back up the road we came in on so you can go anywhere you want to as long as you take a compass with you when you go." Steve listened intently as I laid down the law on four wheeling. "Before you ever get on, put on a helmet. If you ever goose it, this thing will pop a wheelie." I pointed off towards the river. "After you get past the cemetery keep the fence on your right and keep going until the fence stops. You'll see a trail going off to your right. Stay on it until you get to the river. I have some work to do up here, but I'll be right on down to show you the best fishing holes." | 85% of those involved in recorded wilderness accidents did not even have the minimum safety kit with them at the time of the accident. u-foolem Safety Kits are available in practically any department store; they are better than nothing. If you want the real thing, stop in at the nearest Boy Scout Supply Store. While you are there, pick up the Boy Scout Manual. Do not confuse this with the Scoutmaster Handbook as that is for maintaining a troop. |
|
When I found them the
grandkids were splashing along the bank while That's a good spot right in there," I told them. "The river has gouged out a hole about 20 feet deep, but there is a boulder right along there that is only about 5 feet below the surface so don't go diving into the water until you have found it for yourselves." "Don't worry about that," protested Steve. "We won't be diving in because none of us can swim." I should have had a premonition right then, but you think about the grandkids first and both Jessica and Emily had little air supports. I told them how to find a couple more good fishing holes and went back up to the house to do some more work.It was almost sundown when Tina came rushing up to the house. "Steve fell in the big hole. He went down three times before he got out, and he can't stand up." He was still on the ground and vomiting when I got the truck up close. Jessica and Emily were as scared as he was. "I couldn't do anything but watch him go down," Tina explained. "Every time he came up he would scream for me to save him, and I'd yell back asking what I could do." (Tina weighs 105 pounds and Steve weighs 245 pounds.) It was enough to scare the pee-wallion out of me. Steve was shaking all over and his color was a two-hours-dead-already-gray. His eyes were glazed over like those of a dead fish. My own kid, helpless while her husband was drowning? I quieted down my seething shame. When an accident happens it is already too late to be planning ahead. "We had a rope up on the bank, but I couldn't leave Jessica and Emily by themselves while I got it." She was right, leaving the kids alone while Daddy is drowning right before their eyes was a sure way to have another accident. "Do you need Tina to do CPR, or me to pound on your back Steve?" He shook his head miserably. "I'll be okay." I didn't realize it at the moment but that was a sure sign of the Macho Man Mentality. We advised Steve repeatedly to go to the hospital at once to guard against contamination. He wouldn't. Therefore we advised him to get to a doctor when he got home. He didn't. By the time Macho Man was forced to believe he was sick he was VERY sick. Not only were his lungs infected, but also his kidneys. In spite of high-powered medications Steve was off work for another week and moaning in misery. His doctor told him, "Next time, go to the beach when you want to drown yourself. Sea Water usually doesn't cause an infection while water from a dirty stream most always does." |
Take A First Aid KitThe very first thing you need is a pack to put your first aid kit in. I have three packs, ready to go at any time. Just pick up the right one and step out the door. Remember my motto: Pack a pound less and go a mile more. One pack is the DAYLIGHT pack. It is light, and only the bare essentials are included because I'll be out there only one day, and I'll be moving fast and furious. My camping pack includes all the above, in larger quantities where sensible. I also have a hatchet in there and a garden tine fork. Because of my diabetic feet I add at least one extra pair of shoes, and a pair of slippers. A survival blanket is added, and a contour pillow. Now that I'm old and have more sense I also carry a small compact mirror, some duct tape and a sharp, piercing whistle. What is the duct tape for? This versatile product has numerous uses. For example, press a strip over cactus barbs stuck in your flesh and you can yank most of them out of there, all at one time. When the stiff brush I'm going through begins to shred my clothing a strip of duct tape will throw some added protection to the spot. And what if your trusty Buck Knife slips and penetrates one of your muscles to the bone? Why, a strip of duct tape can hold that muscle in place until the man with stitches arrives. It will also hold your walking stick together, and I've seen it hold a busted distributor cap together too. For major expeditions I go whole hog. Love The Outdoors has a basic list from which you can draw ideas to personalize your own needs. Any time I see a list of this nature I go through it and tally up MY new or temporary needs. I also search the internet for safety kit content lists designed for the specific areas I am going into. "WOW! Why didn't I remember that I needed that?" Activities which induce contact with wild waters should prompt you to include two essential items, a rope that floats, preferably yellow so that it is far more visible in the dark -- and you will also want a small pair of needle nose pliers to remove fish hooks with. Every time I see a trot-line in a river I'm canoeing or swimming in, I shudder. I would NEVER cut someone's fishing line with a knife, but occasionally I have let my curiosity get the better of me and took a motor boat across to see what was on the other side of that line. Steve feels the same sense of ownership about fish hooks. That's why he stepped off into that hole -- to remove a bobber and fish hook he had lost. One second of inattention was all it took. The current caught him and swept his feet out from under him. A rope that sinks will be of little use in plucking someone from the current. If that is all you have, ADD something that floats to the end of it. A floating rope should be cast just slightly UPSTREAM from the person in trouble if they are maintaining their position, as when clutching a boulder or tree stump. This gives them time to prepare for where the rope really will make contact with them. If at all possible, ALWAYS tie the rope off to something solid, besides yourself, before you cast it out. How tragic it would be to be tugged into the water with the victim and both of you drown. If you don't have a rope, think of anything you have with you or around you that floats. Clutching at straws is an old cliche, but the fact is that even a small branch can prevent a drowning. Make Your Kids |
Get Your Own Survival Tools and Equipment. Thousands of items to choose from. Just for example, you will find 23 different tools to start a fire. There is one method that will easily and surely light a fire in a fierce rainstorm any time you need it. Yet the fire will extinguish instantly to avoid detection, leaving no residue, no odor, and no smoke. Personal Health Can you quit smoking? Probably not. Some people try everything, even kicking themselves, and STILL can't quit. For more insight into this stubborn problem, Click HERE. Gum disease, gingivitis, or bleeding gums can cost a fortune if you let it go too long. Learn how you can stop gum disease naturally. SlimSweet is an incredible exciting new sweetener that provides benefits no other sweetener can! Now everyone can enjoy SlimSweet's great sweet taste without worrying about calories, cholesterol, weight gain or harmful insulin surges caused by other sweeteners (even natural ones). With SlimSweet, you'll never eat sugar again! self improvement Women’s financial health. It’s certainly not a new topic. In fact, the concept gains more and more interest each year as millions of baby boom women get closer and closer to retirement. If your mind, body and soul are in desperate need of renewal, where will you turn for help? The automatic response used to be, “I’ll be at the spa for a couple of hours, dear;” but with a day at the spa costing upwards of $400, nowadays many people are turning to another place for peace and tranquility. Life's most important lessons are amazingly varied and can be quite confusing. Even so, they most all have two things in common. First, they usually are not particularly complicated. It certainly can sometimes take a while to get it; but once you do get it, the lesson is normally straight-up and to the point. Second, and here is the rub, the lessons invariably are a "So now you tell me!" kind of thing. Leave A Legacy: Be Your Own Banker! Money you are already spending can make you rich, provide a stable income over your whole lifetime, and still leave millions of dollars for your heirs. home improvement Make your Garden Glow Learn the best strategies of making your yard and garden a source of great satisfaction. The size of the average American yard continues to shrink -- it now stands at only 9,100 square feet -- including the house. At the same time, more and more people are valuing fresh, organically grown produce and wanting to grow their own. With new technology, special varieties and innovative planting systems, you can now grow almost any vegetable, herb or fruit on a deck or in a small corner of your yard or deck -- even producing more than if you planted them in a regular-sized garden. Turn Your Small Yard into a Big Garden. |
the end
Lin Stone is the author of Going Exotic, Keeping An Exotic Pet. Thirty of his books are currently free to download. Hundreds more articles can be found by typing LIN STONE into any search engine. He lives in Noble, OK.
|
Your Medical Care can be more affordable, and more accessible. |
NOW is the time to share this information with every neighbor and form a neighborhood group that can help each other. Anarchy and riots could break out and law enforcement agencies may be operating sporadically if at all as we have witnessed in New Orleans.
