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See, Corndog, I tried.
I was hoping for what you would use during the high winds to start that fire, Wareagle. How to go about using flint and char cloth under those condition or whatever your first choice would be. But NNnnnnooooooo. You followed my lead and went for the easy joke.
Insurance is good enough that I sit with my back to the wall, thank you.
if out in a blizzard and i want to play then i will try a primitive way, if i think that it is a survival scenariio then i will not waste precious time i will light the flare and get warm..
always be prepared...
by the way. were you out hunting for the mushrooms that we discussed when this storm came up. what time of the year is it? what shrooms were ya looking for..
He's right Rick light the flare, but do you bring a flare with you every time you go out? Since I live in So Cal not goin to think about Blizzards so how do you lite one with flint n steel
Actually, I stopped the car to take a picture of this mother bear and her cubs. They were soooo darn cute. I wanted a really close shot but they walked the other way so I followed them then got lost. Why don't you Canadians put signs up out there in the wilderness? I mean, wouldn't that be so much easier to find your way around? And, Mr. Wildlife Rehabilitator, why wouldn't that momma bear pose for a family photo? Pretty rude to her southern neighbor if you ask me.
O BTW i ask with the memmory of the story "To Start a Fire" by Gary Paulson, so im serious(er)
WE he asked you to save his life and now he's complaing about how you go about it???He's the one sitting there freezing his a$$ off,no wait,you already gave him your jacket AND a blanket not to mention built a shelter around him,I think you were right with the flare,but if he keeps complaining, hand him the char cloth and the flint and tell him go for it......then you jump back in your truck crank the heater up,drive to the nearest town and leave directions to his location at the local law enforcement agency,then go home to the wife and a nice hot cup of coffee,geesh even men can only take so much complaining.:D
Proud - I was just joking for Wareagle. Lighting a fire and finding a shelter in a storm is a really serious thing. Corndog did a nice write up to start the thread and I offered another alternative to starting the fire. That is make certain you are properly dressed and know how to make a shelter under those conditions.
I don't carry a flare in the wild. I do carry Wet Fire Tinder and cotton balls soaked in vasoline. I also carry a BIC lighter, steel match, and water proof matches. (BIC lighter may not work in extreme cold!).
Most blizzards, at least the ones in lower elevations and/or in the Midwest where I am, don't rage on for days. They are almost always associate with a storm front moving through so the duration is more in terms of hours. (I know Alaska and Canada can be much different). Being able to hunker down with your survival blanket or a sleeping bag inside some other protection (beneath an evergreen, snow cave, etc.) or some other protection will get you through the worst of it.
Nothing can replace proper planning, being prepared and using good common sense.
By the way, you did exactly the right thing. If you don't understand something or we have confused you with our banter, then ask. It's important to get the right information.
Anyone else feel free to join in.....
Jeepers, Nell. (sniff) Now look what you did.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/image...ng_closeup.jpg
Rick, should I call 9-waaa-waa for ya?? No need to go cryin dude but I gotta tissue if ya need it!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Rick
9-waaa-waa.....that's too funny.
Thanks Rick (sniff) such a true friend, to bad wareagle left you out there to freeze now whos goin to help the newguy?
yea,Rick, we use that one on the kids at the store all the time,shuts them up real quick LOL!
Dont worry Proud,I doubt WE would leave Rick out there to freeze,he is a better man than that LOL, now me on the other hand...if the guy can complain more than I do then ....maybe (j/k) I couldnt leave anyone out there like that either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Proud American
i like zippo lighters very good in a wind although the only time that i used them is when i go to the bush seems the fluid goes away to fast. cotton balls and vaseoline also asr in my kit. takes less than ten seconds for a cotton ball to burn up and over a minute with vaseoline.
contrary to what ppl think bears don't just hang around waiting for you then smile at the camera, they can't tell the difference between a camera lens and a scope, although i tried teaching that to norm..
I doubt there is anything more rugged than a zippo but than nice little burning sensation on your thigh after you fill one up made me get rid of mine. They do lite under just about every circumstance though, except being out of fuel.
I used to carry a zippo WE,carried in my jeans pocket for about a day but the fluid like you say,it leaks out and it burned the skin on my leg,so I carried it in my fanny pack but lost it the woods.Quote:
Originally Posted by wareagle69
i learned to carry my zippo and fluid in a plastic bag also same with my honing oil
Rick I appreciate your effort. All jokes aside... a blizzard, no matter the depth of the snow or the geographic area will kill. Wonder how many people will die this winter? Knowing how to start a fire in a blizzard is critical...just knowing how is not enough, a person needs to have the ability.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
15 inches, 20 inches, 6 feet ...whatever. The North Pole is a desert, less than eight inches of precipitation a year...think there's blizzard's there? bet your *** there's a reasonable facsimile to theme.
Shelter first, fire second. See at the end of that last sentence? That's a period. What keeps a fire burning once it starts burning? Fuel and oxygen. Warm air moves up, cold air moves down (remember WE's chimney adventure?) If you build a fire outside in the cold and you are exposed at all (no wind protection) that fire will help you freeze to death. It's going to suck cold air in from all around itself, you'll get colder and add fuel to the fire..which will make it suck more cold air in. You're between the cold air and the fire and most of the heat generated is moving....straight up.
Also bear in mind what was said about the real weather conditions, it is f****ng difficult to get a fire going in blizzard conditions. You guys have been discussing one of the potentially most fatal survival situations. When you're eyes are starting to ice shut and your hand is trembling badly enough to put out the match or whatever you're lighting with. There's good advice here, and in reality, you do the best you can, but remember it looks way easy on the forum, not so much out in the bush.
Two most important things I can think of right now to watch for in the outdoors in sub-Arctic or Northern temperate conditions.
1. Sundogs...it looks like a little tiny slice of rainbow on each side of the sun or a little tiny copy of the sun on each side of the sun. Temperatures are going to go down. I remember once working in northern Saskatchewan and temps were in the minus 30's and 40's. I saw sundogs and thought "Oh he**, how much colder can it get?" Shouldn't have asked, -55 the next morning.
2. Heavy, slow moving gunmetal grey clouds, sudden change in wind (direction and or speed) and barometric pressure. Blizzard's coming, stay indoors.
People keep expecting me to actually do my job around here and it makes me miss things I meant to write! Idiots!
An important point...when you're eyelids are frosting shut and it hurts to breathe and your trembling trying to get that fire going...fear is going to set in. If it doesn't your a psychopath incapable of feeling fear and good for you, we're better off without you anyway. How much fear sets in, and how much control you give up to it is up to you. It's worse if there are other people counting on you. WE's advice...be prepared, proper clothing, some kind of shelter for windbreak, those things are essential, they are of paramount importance. If you have other people with you, make them help. Two people? One makes shelter one makes fire, three people? shelter, fire, gather more fuel, etc. Everyone stand around in a nice tight circle when the fire's being lit. Alone? Know exactly what you want to do next and move quickly, it'll offset the panic.