backcountry

High-Altitude Cutthroats In The Backcountry

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:30:00 -0500

Death by Walleye: An exclusive gallery from photographer Dusan Smetana

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:00:00 -0400

Save Yourself

fieldandstream-editor — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 11:00:00 -0400

Your life is on the line. Would you rather trust a store-bought survival kit, one in which the components were selected to apply to the greatest number of people while maintaining an affordable price, or a custom collection of equipment that you selected, tested, and assembled yourself? I know what I'd rather have.

In the survival courses I teach, I always recommend that students build their own kits. By doing so, you can ensure that quality and utility are the biggest priorities for individual components. You also get to tailor it to your specific activities and locations. And when you pick your own survival tools, the items become familiar before you need to rely on them in an emergency.

Don't be overwhelmed by the amount of survival gear out there. The following three kits of mine will give you a good idea of what to carry, and the worksheet at the end of the story will teach you three easy steps to building your own.

THE POCKET KIT
Fitting inside a pocket tin, this kit is easy to keep on hand at all times.

This is ideal for anyone who wants to have the essential survival gear along each time they head into the field. Everything fits in the Altoids tin [BRACKET "1"]. It meets all your needs except for shelter and protection, but add a survival blanket to your pocket and you'll be covered.

FIRE AND LIGHT

Mini-Match magnesium fire starter [BRACKET "8"] with steel striker [BRACKET "9"]. One side is magnesium and the other is flint. You scrape shavings off the former and then light them with a spark from the latter.
Waterproof-windproof matches [BRACKET "4"] with a striker [BRACKET "3"], placed in a mini zip-seal bag, then rolled and taped.
5 Tinder-Quik fire tabs [BRACKET "22"], which light even when wet. They're great for stuffing in all the extra spaces of a survival tin to eliminate rattling.
Candle [BRACKET "17"]. I cut a 1/2-inch-diameter emergency candle down to the height of the Altoids tin, so it fits in one corner.
Photon Micro-Light II [BRACKET "6"], a bright LED flashlight.

WATER AND FOOD

Water bag [BRACKET "7"]. A Reynolds Oven Bag does the trick, cut down to fit in the tin, with a 1-quart marking as a guide for using iodine tablets.
20 Potable Aqua water purification tablets [BRACKET "26"], repackaged in a mini glass vial.
50 feet of braided fishing line [BRACKET "27"] wound on a round sewing-machine bobbin.
Fishing tackle kit [BRACKET "13"] in a plastic tube. Inside are assorted hooks [BRACKET "14"], swivels [BRACKET "15"], and split shot [BRACKET "16"].
10 feet of 24-gauge snare wire [BRACKET "2"].

SIGNALING

Custom-made signal mirror [BRACKET "29"]. Commercial versions are all too thick to fit in this kit. I used a durable, ultrathin piece of plastic called mica (locksmiths slide this between a door and jamb to push the lock back). I glued on a piece of Mylar film, rounded the corners, and made a sighting hole.

NAVIGATION

20mm AA liquid-filled button compass [BRACKET "21"]. It's the best-quality instrument that will fit in the tin.

KNIVES AND TOOLS

Commando Wire Saw [BRACKET "5"], a small survival cable saw.
2 X-Acto knife blades [BRACKET "20"], without the handle. You should always have a real knife on your person; these blades are for backup.

MEDICAL

Small packet of antibiotic ointment [BRACKET "23"].
2 butterfly closures [BRACKET "11"].

MULTIPURPOSE

Several yards of nylon string [BRACKET "12"].
2 magnetized sewing needles [BRACKET "18"] for sewing or making an emergency compass (floated in water on a leaf, the needle will face north).
Small piece of glue [BRACKET "28"], cut off a glue-gun stick.
Small laminated card with instructions [BBRACKET "10"] for the water purification tablets and fishing knots.
Fresnel magnifier [BRACKET "24"]. This lens can start a fire by magnifying the sun's rays to a point on your tinder, causing combustion.
Safety pin [BRACKET "19"], for repairing clothes and straps.
2 feet of aluminum foil [BRACKET "25"] for making a cup, signaling, cooking fish, etc.

Urgent Messaging

fieldandstream-editor — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 11:00:00 -0400

If a hunter lost in the forest cries out for help and no one is close enough to hear, does he still make a sound? This old philosophy question makes the point that wilderness rescue depends upon being able to draw attention from much farther away than any human voice can carry.

Before we get into the key techniques for signaling to land-, air-, and water-based search parties, keep in mind that survival situations are brought about by extraordinary circumstances--blizzards, raging seas, thunderstorms--when conventional methods may not work. It's not always the strongest who survive. Instead, it's those who show the ability to improvise, like the plane-crash victims in the Bahamas who used shiny credit cards to flash a passing plane, or the two Montana hunters who were found after rescuers spotted strips of orange marking ribbon they'd tied to bushes. Others have attracted attention by shaking tall trees back and forth. Remember that the farther you stray, the less likely that anyone will hear or see your signals. Follow the No. 1 rule for the lost and injured: Stay put, find an open space, show your face.

FLASH FOR HELP
In clear skies, pilots have spotted flashes from signal mirrors at over 100 miles. Commercially made mirrors, which have sighting holes and grids, make signaling a cinch, although it's a good idea to carry the directions for your specific model. Improvising a reflective surface takes more practice, but you can signal with a knife blade, reflective tape, a credit card, a can lid, aluminum foil, a space blanket stretched over a green stick bent into a circle, or even a chewing-gum wrapper.

First, hold the object in one hand and point it toward the search plane, holding it close to your face or forehead. Next, stretch your other hand out in front, pointing toward the target, and focus the rays of the sun onto that hand by tilting the reflector. Finally, adjust it so that the reflection bounces just above or through a V in the fingers of your outstretched hand. Do not let your hand block the target.

SEND AN SOS
Three dots, three dashes, three dots is the formal distress signal used in Morse code. Flash it at night with a flashlight, or follow up three short whistle blasts with three longer ones and then three more short ones. You can also spell out the letters SOS on open patches of sand, rock, or snow, using stones, branches, logs, kelp, or other debris that boldly contrasts with the background. Other useful symbols include I, which means you have an injured party; and X, which means you can proceed no farther.

USE THE SIGN OF THREE
Three signals, whether they be gunshots, whistle blasts, or car horns, constitute a universally recognized call of distress. So do three objects arranged in a triangle pattern. Find a clearing on high ground to signal from and adapt techniques as conditions change. For example, during the day, build smudge fires by heaping green branches over the flames. At night, use dry wood for a brighter fire. The pattern of three will attract attention better than a lone fire.

CREATE SHAPES AND ANGLES
Geometric shapes stand out as man-made among nature's intricate designs. Arrange bright objects such as tarps or ponchos to form a triangle in a clearing near camp. Then, making forays of 1/4 mile or so in each direction (mark your trail so you can backtrack afterward), leave clues that you are in the vicinity by building circles, squares, or triangles out of rocks or logs. Build your signs in the open, and use somethinng that stands out from the background.

POINT THE WAY
The sign for "trail closed," used to discourage searchers from heading in the wrong direction where two or more trails may converge, is two branches crossed in an X. A single branch laid in the middle of a trail is interpreted as an arrow, with the leafy end showing direction. Secure branches with a stone to assure searchers that they were deliberately placed. These signs are important to leave if circumstances force you to abandon camp. Do anything to help your rescuers.