Field and Stream - Water RSS

Modern Day Family Foxhole

Online Editors — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:32:53 -0500

by Chad Love

So what would your family do as the world is being vaporized by mutually assured thermonuclear destruction? Well, if you were lucky enough to be a proactive Popular Science subscriber in 1951, you'd probably be cozily hunkered down in your "family foxhole," where you’d be blithely going about your business, cheerfully and wholesomely preparing for Armageddon as untold megatons of radioactive hellfire rained down from above. Because that's just how make-believe families in the '50s-era rolled... Cool stuff, sort of a "Leave It To Beaver" meets "On The Beach" mash-up ...via BoingBoing.

What do you think would be the modern equivalent of the family foxhole? How would you build it, what would you put in it, and if you had to use it, would you be nearly as happy and nonchalant as the family on the cover? And just how good are those Russian guns?

Toilet to Tap: Dry Weather Forces Recycling of Sewage Water in Texas

Sarah Smith — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:21:05 -0400

by Chad Love

It's hard to overstate just how pernicious and devastating the effects of the ongoing drought in the southern plains have been. Lakes and rivers are drying up, city water supplies are dwindling, fish and wildlife are suffering and Texas alone has suffered over $5 billion in agricultural losses. Many are now asking if the drought is part of a paradigm shift in how we view water usage and conservation in this country. How much of a paradigm? Many cities are now actively looking at recycling wastewater into drinking water.

From this story in the Christian Science Monitor:

This summer, Texas' drought of the century is an uncomfortable reminder that often there just isn't enough water to go around. But the 40 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures and minuscule rainfall may also be boosting the case for a new freshwater source being developed in Big Spring, Texas, and surrounding cities.

Backyards Become Oases For Wildlife During Drought

Online Editors — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:26:37 -0400

--Chad Love

As the drought afflicting the southern part of the nation deepens, wildlife is moving out of the woods and into our yards in search of what little food and water is available.

From this story in the Houston Chronicle:
The rat looked dead. It was face down, arms splayed, in the big shallow pan of water placed near the fence as succor for the wildlife suffering in adjacent woods left blistering hot and deadly dry by Texas' ongoing drought. Every morning, we'd fill the pan with clean, cool water and then watch as a steady parade of wildlife trickled from the woods to slake their obviously considerable thirst or nibble at the mix of millet, sunflowers, shelled corn and other food we scattered for them. There were cat squirrels, swamp rabbits, possums, coons and all manner of birds. It was an all-day procession, a sure sign the deepening drought was causing wildlife that normally survived by living wary and crepuscular lives to do something they normally would not do - abandon the cover of the forest and expose themselves in a wide-open yard during the middle of the day to get a drink of water or a bite of food...The rat, it turned out, wasn't dead at all. It was simply floating in the water, trying to keep cool and hydrated.

An Emergency Shelter in a Cube

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:37:38 -0400

--Dave Maccar

As a natural pessimist who assumes everything could go south at any given moment, this video piqued my interest. Take a look at the LifeCube emergency shelter, a tent system with an integrated hard floor that serves as its own heavy plastic shipping container when not deployed. The cube has detachable hoop wheels so it can be moved over uneven terrain. Once the whole thing unfolds, it forms a raised 144-square-foot platform.

Check out the video of it’s 5-minute deployment, and try to ignore the corny music if you can.

Jim Baird’s Arctic Adventure: How to Cross a Pressure Ridge

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:10:09 -0400

I like swimming, but it’s more of a summertime thing. I don’t want to do it when I’m trying to cross a pressure ridge in the Arctic. That’s why I listened closely to tips I heard in the community of Delene before venturing out onto Great Bear Lake. Combining those tips with my own ice safety knowledge got me past many nasty pressure ridges safe and sound.

When you drive up to a pressure ridge, land can be miles away on either side. You first have to decide which way to go. You may have to follow it all the way to shore if you can’t find a place to cross. While following the ridge, you constantly get off your snowmobile to walk up to the ridge and check out promising-looking spots. When that spot is no good (and it usually isn't) it always looks like there is a good spot just at the next bend in the ridge.

Most of the time, when you get there you find a pool of slush or a deep crevasse and not a place to cross, so you keep moving. The search goes on like this for a couple miles or more, unless you’re lucky. Every time you check a possible crossing spot it’s important to be safe and keep these tips in mind.

Japanese Tsunami Debris Heading For West Coast

Online Editors — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:03:31 -0400

--Chad Love

Who can forget the amazing footage of the Japanese tsunami sweeping literal mountains of debris into the ocean? Now scientists say all that debris - millions of tons of it - is slowly making its way to the west coast.

From this story on mercurynews.com:
Millions of tons of debris that washed into the ocean during Japan's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in March -- everything from furniture to roofs to pieces of cars -- are now moving steadily toward the United States and raising concerns about a potential environmental headache. Scientists using computer models say the wreckage, which is scattered across hundreds of miles of the Pacific Ocean, is expected to reach Midway and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands by next spring and beaches in California, Oregon and Washington in 2013 or early 2014.

Search Continues for 7 Missing Americans in Mexico Boating Accident

Online Editors — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:14:42 -0400

--Chad Love

U.S. and Mexican authorities are still searching for survivors after a chartered fishing boat carrying 44 passengers and crew capsized after being caught in a storm off the coast of Mexico.

From this story on ABC News:
The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy are scouring the Sea of Cortez by boat and helicopter in a continuing effort to locate the seven U.S. tourists still missing after the sinking of a charter boat off the coast of Mexico Sunday. One U.S. tourist died. The Coast Guard will be using a larger aircraft in its search today that is capable of covering greater distances, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Pamela Boehland said. The Coast Guard expects to be up in the air over the Sea of Cortez around 10:30 a.m. PT. The Mexican Navy is expected to deploy the same two helicopters it has been using.

Jim Baird’s Arctic Adventure: How to Get Your Snow Machine Unstuck

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:50:47 -0400

Before we left the tree line, Ted and I experienced very deep-powder snow in the bush around Great Bear Lake. We were not used to riding snowmobiles in that type of powder and got stuck badly a few times—luckily we knew how to get ourselves free.

How It’s Done: Getting stuck in deep snow happens when you cannot keep the machine level while moving. It’s very important to center your weight and turn by shifting your weight from side to side. You also get stuck when you don’t go fast enough through the powder, which causes your skis to sink in deep and the front of the machine to bottom out. After that happens the snow doesn’t provide enough grip for your track to push your front end through the jam. Your track will just kick all the powder out from underneath it, and your machine just sinks deeper. Reversing is futile at this point as well.

Jim Baird’s Arctic Adventure: Why I Did The Trip

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:45:41 -0400

Why did I do this trip? That’s a question that I don’t actually have a solid answer for. There are several reasons, but I always find myself sputtering when asked. I know that sounds a little odd. I traveled 755 miles through the frozen Arctic by snowmobile while camping out in sub-zero temperatures with polar bears, dangerous ice conditions, and blizzards all constantly looming, and I can’t think of a solid reason why.

George Mallory said it beautifully when he was asked: “Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?” His reply: “Because it’s there.” Mallory died attempting to climb the mountain. I am not a mountain climber and I can’t relate to his fate. It does remind me to stay safe. I can relate to his answer, though, and I’m going to roll with it.

Jim Baird’s Arctic Adventure: Reflections From Back Home

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:09:47 -0400

Now that Jim Baird is back from his two-week-long Arctic adventure, we thought we’d catch up with him to talk about the highs and lows of his trip and hear about how it feels to be back home.

F&S: What’s been the toughest part as far as readjusting back to “normal” life?
Jim Baird: Seeing so many people around me. I felt a little claustrophobic at first. Also, it’s a different mindset when you only have to focus on regular daily activities—and not on your survival. This makes you feel complacent to things that may have seemed stressful before. That’s a good thing.

F&S: Ten years from now, what memory of the trip do you think will stand out as the best?
JB: When I was driving on the smooth ice of the Amundsen Gulf in awe of the scenery and I first got the feeling that we were going to make it. Sometimes it’s the scary memories that stick with us. This way we learn from them and are safer next time. It’s a survival instinct. In the future a dangerous moment from the trip may end up being the “best” memory because it could end up saving my life. It is also often an exhilarating feeling to have survived something dangerous. I learned from being chilled to the bone as the sun rose over Prince Albert Sound. I learned from realizing there was only an inch of ice under my feet at a pressure ridge on Great Bear Lake. I definitely learned from coming close to driving off a canyon wall as we traveled in the dark. I will remember these things as part of the adventure and cherish them—but at the same time remember not to let them happen again.

Close Call: Stranded, Fisherman Battled Hypothermia, Ate Fish

Online Editors — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:49:06 -0500

A Colorado flyfisherman broke his leg in a remote canyon. He lived off raw fish to survive.

Fact Or Fiction? Top 8 Survival Myths

Online Editors — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:53:20 -0400

On water from a cactus, moss on trees, drinking urine, and playing dead to avoid a bear attack.

Marine Survival: 15 Gear Items For Your Boat

Online Editors — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:23:45 -0400

Whether you're fishing in saltwater or duck-hunting on the river, the survival gear you pack in a "ditch" (overboard) bag can save your life.

Montana Hunter Lost for Two Weeks Found Alive in Big Horn Mountains

Online Editors — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:23:04 -0500

From the Billings Gazette:
Lost in the Big Horn Mountains, presumed dead by family and friends and hallucinating because of too much wind and too little food, Travis McMahan, stumbling up a creek, found a dead fish.

“It looked all rotten,” he said. . . . “I cut its head off and skinned its back,” he said of the fish. “And there was good meat in there, so I ate it.”

Discussion Topic: Emergency Beacons and “Yuppie 911”

Online Editors — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:58:22 -0400

What would it take for you to summon Search and Rescue? Lost for a day? Mauled by a bear? Fell out of your treestand? How about, tasted some salty water?

Build A Survival Fire With Condoms and Underwear

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:58:22 -0400

The author tests readers’ fire-starting and tinder tips and picks the winners.

Discussion Topic: On Hunting Pythons in Florida

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:33:20 -0400

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s request for a massive hunt of an estimated 100,000 pythons roaming the Everglades in Florida has been approved by Florida’s governor, Charlie Crist.

Crist has asked wildlife officials to start trapping pythons immediately. This comes a couple of weeks after a 2-year-old girl was strangled by a pet Burmese python in central Florida.

The Jungle Angler's Survival Guide

Joe_Cermele — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:22:03 -0400

The Bolivian jungle is a dorado dream destination, but it's certainly harsh on the angler. Here is Kirk Deeter's list of essential gear for a deep jungle adventure.

Chad Love: Locked & Loaded in Parkland

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:28:51 -0400

There's already been a boatload of bloviation expressed on the recent reversal of the ban on loaded firearms in our national parks, some of it sensible but most of it (predictably) bordering on hysterics.

This column from the Huffington Post is a perfect example:

"In fact, the new rule is likely to make national park visitors less safe around wildlife. Packing heat could give some people a false sense of security and make them more likely to approach bison, elk, moose, and grizzly bears, rather than keep a safe distance which is better for both people and animals."

But the most certain outcome of this congressional action is that it will promote poaching. The National Park Service warned in its fiscal 2006 budget submission each year for the past several years ... The data suggests that there is a significant domestic as well as international trade for illegally taken plant and animal parts." Poaching, the agency said, "is suspected to be a factor in the decline of at least 29 species of wildlife and could cause the extirpation of 19 species from the parks."

Discussion Topic: Field & Stream Wins ASME’s Highest Honor

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:32:04 -0400

F&S is the best magazine of its size on the planet. Okay, I’m a little biased on that point--but it’s not just me who thinks so. Last night, the country’s top magazine editors representing the country’s top magazines met at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the 44th Annual National Magazine Awards. Known as Ellies, these are basically the Oscars of the magazine industry, and “General Excellence” is “Best Picture.”

Chad Love: Tools and Pocketknives

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:31:15 -0500

As well-read, worldly and sophisticated as I obviously am, I've never been a big fan of Esquire magazine. Mostly because - like most of the genre - it's little more than a monthly instruction manual on how to be a well-coiffed nice-smelling, perfectly-accessorized, smartly-dressed narcissistic tool.

Can You Survive a Whitewater Emergency?

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Unguided Alaska: Whitewater, Salmon, and a Near-Death Experience

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:00:00 -0400

Make a Survival Kit out of an Altoids Tin

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 05:00:00 -0400

This kit is ideal for anyone who wants to bring the essentials along each time they head into the field. Here's how to make your own.