[pct-l] Staying Not-Dead (was: stay out of canyons)

[Matt Bradley]

Hoplite,
     That is a very difficult and complex question you posed.  The short
answer would be "Make sure that you have prepared properly before hand".  By
this I don't mean that you should be toting all manner of survival gear.  I
am a firm believer that "the more you know, the less you need."  Anyone who
ventures out into the backcountry should have (or be pursuing) a thorough
knowledge of how to take care of his/herself in these sort of situations.
That knowledge includes not only general survival skills but also an
understanding of the environment you are in and where to find the things you
need to survive in it.  For the absolute expert, survival is easy in any
environment because nature provides for us.  I am certainly no such expert
and I very highly doubt that anyone on this list is either.  At any rate, I
am rambling, but here are a couple of places to go to educate yourself:
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival By: Tom Brown Jr.
98.6 Degrees: The art of keeping your ass alive! By: Cody Lundin
Desert Survival Skills By: David Alloway
David Alloway has passed on unfortunately, but Tom Brown and Cody Lundin
both run well respected survival schools and I recommend that you check them
out.
Best of luck!


------------------------------
>
> Message: 30
> Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 12:57:13 -0500
> From: Logan Park <park at vt.edu>
> Subject: [pct-l] Staying Not-Dead (was: stay out of canyons)
> To: PCT MailingList <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Message-ID: <457AF8F9.1040308 at vt.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Okay.  Mr. Kim is tragically dead, survived by his family.  It's got the
> nation talking about it, at least until everyone gets busy with Christmas.
>
> I thought we might discuss this in a context that might be more useful
> to 2007 thru-hopefuls (wish I was one...!!).
>
> Let's suppose you get stuck on a high pass in the Sierras (or other
> suitable PCT locale) in whiteout conditions and you're 80 miles from
> sure help (the closest road crossing).  Like Mr. Kim, you're tied to the
> spot, in this case by an injured hiking companion, instead of a young
> family.  Let's say s/he's injured a leg and cannot move well at all, but
> is otherwise healthy, following a close call self-arrest.  Yes, yes, we
> know that conscientious hikers would never attempt a pass in dangerous
> conditions.  But for whatever reason, you're there and conditions are
> terrible.  How do you maximize survivability for (1) yourself and (2)
> your companion to avoid becoming the next Kim?
>
> Hoplite
>
>
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> End of pct-l Digest, Vol 38, Issue 14
> *************************************
>



-- 
Peace and Love,
Matt