hopeak is my hero and inspiration

[wareagle69]

was going to wait until new years but want to do this now. hopeak doesn't have a television and while i won't be throwing mine out, i am cutting out my time with it, thru the week that is easy cuz i am gone so long then have chores to do but my 3 day off i can get lazy sometimes, so no more(well unless i'm on the computer after all they are in the same room) but man did i get more done to day w/o careing who won the tiltle (both ufc and nascarr) althought i found out when i logged on, but i need to free my mind and spend more time with the horses
thanks hopeak

[Sourdough]

Shucks.....golly...gee...guess my work here is done. Well this week I have seen the light also. I subscribe to the theory that one can listen to the whispers or listen to the shouts. That means, that if you are paying attention the Universe will gentle communicate things to you. If you do not listen to the gentle whispers, the universe will whack you up side of the head. And if you still do not listen, the next communication may be fatal.

As some of you know, I do one to three hikes per day. Most all are right out the back door, and into wilderness, and that I never carry any "Survival Gear". Everyone else needs the safety of survival gear, but I have never needed it, so I never carry any, zilch, none.

Well in the quiet of the wilderness, I have been having thoughts, that a little first aid kit, or maybe a lighter or matches, that I really should start packing some "safety gear". Well that clicked "Safety Gear" would be good, but I don't need real Survival gear. If I call it "Safety Gear" I can get on-board with that. So just as I said to myself, "I'll give that some thought back at the cabin, maybe make a list", the thought is just starting to change to, "Why bother, you never needed it", when WHACK' a Alder switch takes me across the face and the right eye. Pain...Pain...Pain, and I "Know" just as clearly as the Zen student knows when whacked by the Master.

I had the whispers, I had the slap across the face, I have learned from experience the next lesson is to be avoided. So I have resolved to buy the Filson "Field Bag" small (10"W 9"H 4"D) and build a "Safety Kit".

When you take a switch across the eye, You really do "see the light", stars, lights, little red dots, lots & lots of red dots.

[nell67]

hopeak,glad you are ok,could have been worse,glad you are considering taking safety gear out with you. Your work has just begun!

WE,I haven't watched tv since moving into the new house,other than news a couple times a month,just not interested in it anymore.

[crashdive123]

Hope - glad you weren't hurt too bad. Safety bag??? Are you sure it wasn't just curiosity because of all of the "man bag" talk?

[trax]

WE, I started playing guitar, got to work on a couple of manuscripts, spend more time hiking (not that I needed that so much, but hey) with the Wonder Dog and packing along my little .22 plinker, all since I stopped watching tv. I'll rent movies once in a while, I get my news here (at the office, on the web) or will click on the radio if there's something really major happening.

Hope...what exactly do you pack now, when you say you don't take any survival gear?

[chiye tanka]

Hope, glad you're ok. Just when I was about to tell WE that he was gonna make your ego unbearable, mother nature took care of it.
Really though, I'm glad it wasn't worse.

[wildWoman]

I subscribe to the theory that one can listen to the whispers or listen to the shouts. That means, that if you are paying attention the Universe will gentle communicate things to you.

Indeed...maybe you and WE on his 30 days alone survival trip noticed this too...I mostly get this in the winter when I'm the lone human over however many square miles. Sometimes I can feel if there's an animal around or not. Sounds totally loopy, I know, but that's just what it is. I have beautiful timing with letting the dogs out or not, somehow knowing there's a couple moose cows in the yard even when I'm still in the cabin and can't see them. Also felt a couple days ago that the raven had left. My reason is always berating me, going, yeah right, how would you know? But it's just a really strong gut feeling which, whenever I have it, proves to be right. Do you guys get that too?? I think it must have something to do with being alone in the woods, your senses just all open up and gobble up all sorts of info that you usually block out when there's more going on or there's people around.

Alders are such face whackers...I'm really talented in that department too! If you have chamomile tea, you can put some drops of that into your eye. May want to put an eye patch over it for 2-3 days, if it scratched your cornea, that'll let more light into your eye and give you really mean headaches.

Good on you for getting a survival pack together...my worry here is always injury away from home, so what I pack would keep me dry, warm and well-fed (helps with making rational decisions by keeping the blood sugar level up). That way I figure, I don't have to waste time on those essentials but can focus all energy on dealing with the actual problem on hand. Just a thought.

[Sourdough]

Hope...what exactly do you pack now, when you say you don't take any survival gear?

I take a firearm, Just a few rounds of extra ammo in my pocket, I always have my folding knive in belt sheath, Little orange earplugs. That's it; gun, knife, ammo.
If I am laying out a new trail I take a Eastwing Hatchet. I know I am foolish and pushing my luck. Note: this is what I carry for recreational/exploring day hikes, where I always end up back at the cabin.

[Riverrat]

One suggestion I would make is a small pressure dressing, I cut my hand with a hatchet and almost bled to death a few years ago, I never go anywhere with out one now. Cutting a trail and hit a glancing blow, cut across the back of my other hand, which was holding the bush....

[Sourdough]

That is the problem in a nutshell for me......where to draw the line. That is why I want a small bag. And even that will end up stuffed. Once stuffed it won't ride correctly and I'll stop carrying it. If one lighter is good, two is gooder. Fill it with Snickers bars and be happy.

The most likely emergency event for me would be. Getting impailed on a dry sharp snag, or having to crawl out with a broken leg, also getting nibbled by bear. The best gear for those events is a cellphone, which I do not want.

[trax]

Well yeah hope, that's about it for me too and something to start a fire with, most trips out.

[Sourdough]

Anybody have hands on experience with those 911/Gps handheld emergency transmitter only, thingies.

[trax]

Anybody have hands on experience with those 911/Gps handheld emergency transmitter only, thingies.

Looked at some in a store once, picked them up and handled them. Put them back because the sales clerk was trying to attach himself to me like one of those little fish do to sharks. I think I looked suspicious.

[klkak]

Hope, I'm not sure which device you are asking about but the folks at Surveyors exchange had me take one of those "Spot" handheld satellite messengers out on my PWS trap line last winter to test it. I used it to send 28 signals from 28 different locations around PWS and only 6 signals went through. I felt the results were to poor for me to use one. They may work better down in the lower 48 but they suck up here.

http://findmespot.com/en/

[Sourdough]

Yea, that is the tool, bummer it don't work. I recall some guy used one way up north, to get evacuated. I think the canopy, thick trees has something to do with it. Tell me what you don't like about the vest for gear. It looks gooder for summer than winter wear.

We are overrun with Martins, Do they bring a price worth the work......?

[Sourdough]

Maybe I'll get another hand held aircraft Nav/Com, and call the big birds when down.

[crashdive123]

When the rescuers got there you could always say - One minute I'm flying along, and the next I'm laying in the snow with this emergency beacon. Honestly, I've got no idea where the aircraft went.

[Sourdough]

Well, sometimes the snow is so deep and powder that you land on ski's and the craft is buried when you stop.

[Rick]

Hopeak - I would never assume to tell you, of all people, what you need in the bush. Just let us know what you take so I can adjust to what a pro uses. Thank you very much.

You might be interested in what Doug Ritter has to say about those 911 gizmos. Here's a write up of his:

http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=82

And if you look through here you'll find some more info on them:

http://www.equipped.com/

[klkak]

Yea, that is the tool, bummer it don't work. I recall some guy used one way up north, to get evacuated. I think the canopy, thick trees has something to do with it. Tell me what you don't like about the vest for gear. It looks gooder for summer than winter wear.

We are overrun with Martins, Do they bring a price worth the work......?

Hope, The only thing I have against the survival vest I use is the material its made of. It only last me about 3 years then I have to buy a new one. I am considering changing to a M.O.L.L.E type vest as they are made of much tougher material and I can customize the size and location of the pouches. In the winter I wear the vest under my out layer. Also in the winter I don't carry the S&W .44 mag. I switch to the Browning Buckmark .22lr.

As for the martins. They are definitely not worth the work. If you don't want to mess with them I'd be happy to make the 200 mile round trip down there once a week and thin them out a little for you. I'm joking of course about what they are worth.