[pct-l] Stumbled across PCT-L archives going back to 1996 / Here's message #11 http://www.backcountry.net/arch/pct/

[Paint YW]

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<http://www.backcountry.net/arch/pct/9612/threads.html#00011>][pct-l] my
adventure
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   - *Subject*: [pct-l] my adventure
   - *From*: POLITECAT at aol.com
   - *Date*: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 04:36:52 -0500

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i have a story to share with you all.
i learned a important lesson from this and i hope you will to.

last weekend i got up early and headed to big basin california planning to do
my training hike i thought i would hike the 10.6 mile trail because it was a
tough one and good practice. so i loaded up my pack with the usuala things.
my nylon pants in case of colder weather. my fleece jacket and my rain
jacket. my lunch and snacks. (dried veggies gorp and power bar.) in  the
bottom of my pack lives my survial bag i use it  mainly for weight. and about
3 gallons of water. oh ya my walkman some tapes a hiking book and my camera
so i payed for my day parking and hoisted my pack on my back and off i went.
they ask you have a tleast 6 hours to hike the trail and i had a little more
in case but felt i would only take about 5 hours tops. the sky was an
overcast greyish hue. a teasing mist would fall semi often but i was hiking
pretty fast and it felt good.
well the trail signs were visable and for the first 3 hours i was doing great
i was booking. and then it happened. somewhere i lost the trail and ended up
way far from the park headquarters. you see they had had a fire and trail
signs and what not had ben destroyed so i got out my map and compass (from my
survival kit) and choose a direction to lead back. it was later than i was
happy about but i was confandant i would make it. so i hiked and climbed and
skidded (did i mention it had been raining off and on for a week) so things
were soaked and puddles and creeks were everywhere. at some point i met up
with a biker. as he passed i asked him if he knew what trail we were on and
how far from the main headquarters. he said wow it is way that way this is
the >>>>>> trail and he gave me some directions to follow so i smiled thanked
him and tromped on. almost running . there was only about 1.5 hours of good
light left and i was still sure i would be ok and make it back soon. i had
rivers to cross soaking my feet in freezing water and squishing my way
onwards. so i reached a big main trail/road and followed the signs there and
 ganced up at the deepening grey sky. soon i reached a cut off my road ended
and broke off without any real trail signs and so i followed the most
promentant trail which ended at a crossroads. there was a sign it had been
placed against  a tree either knocked down before or burned. i searched for
the orginal post marks in the ground so i could confirm the pointers but to
no avail so i took the shortest trail or so i thought the arrow pointed
straight ahead to a path of sorts it was overgrown and had a lot of debri on
it but because i was racing agaist the clock i just went for it. the trail
was sparatic disapearing and reappearing and yet it seemed well used. i was
slightly iffy about it but grey was changing to black if i could find the
trail a clear trail i could follow it even in the dark. but the farther in i
got the smaller and less travable the traail became until it just
disappeared.  by this time i had maybe about half and hour of light so i
pulled out the map and saw that there should be a trail above me somewhere.
it was longer than i wanted but at this point any trail was needed. so i
began climbing around fallen trees through leaves and debri slipping and
sliding on the wet leaves. i tried climbing up and when i reached a point
that looked clear i found my way blocked by weeds and bushes rocks and more
steep climbs. so i rethought my plan. i heaard a creek and knew the creek was
heading towards the other main path and to the park rangers. so i changed
directions following my compass reading towards the east. i slipped down a
hill scraping my legs pretty bad and then had to climb another steep mud
incased mountain my only hold was a razor sharp weed that as i slipped sliced
my legs and hands although it did save me from falling. so i crossed a small
creek and tried to follow it as well as keep my heading east. by this point
it was a light black. and becuase i was under heavy trees even darker the
shawdows had turned to intertwining cover. coating the ground with black . i
was fighting my brains need to reach safty and my knowledge i waas staying
somewhere near tonight. as i started off one more time i somehow ended up in
a bog of mud so thick i must have looked like one of those old time comedians
swaying left and right with out falling. my shoes would not come out and i
struggled a few precious minutes and then one by one they popped out. so
 when i reached safe ground i looked for a place to stop and set up a mini
camp.  found a grove with good shelter some good  lookiing shelter and not to
far from where i  ended. so in the mornig i could begin where i ended.
instead of wandering amlessly in a circle. so i sat down opened my pack (by
now i was cold tired hungry and shaking my head at my new adventure. so i
pulled out my nylon pants my fleece jacket and my rain jacket. i put them on
and then opened my survial bag. no flashlight. but a candle two clear plastic
bags a space bag and a lighter. i also found some pitch wood my knife and my
metal match. i had also for some strange reason put a water proof pack cover
in my pack. hey great i thought ground sheet. so i started my adventure by
tring to start a fire .i tried forever i found some semi dry wood rotted to
bits some dead branches but everything was so wet and it was so dark i swear
in a blink of an eye the sky became black as the bowels of hell. leaving my
and my lighter alone. so i finally gave up on the fire. i burned some pages
of my book warming my hands then i made my bed. i opened my bag took off my
soaking shoes slipped in to the bag then put the plastic bag over it. i then
buried my curled up legs and feet and some of my back in leaves and mud as
much as i could find near my. i pulled the bag up and then although i was
feeling sick to my stomach and shaking like a belly dancer over drive. i made
myself eat my gorp nuts and choclates coconuts and raisins. i gagged a couple
handfuls down and drank as much water   asi could then pulled the bag over my
heaad. right before i covered my face i looked up at the sky laughed a little
that i was sleeping out here and thinking all i need now is for it to rain.
now i do not know about you all but if you have ever thried to sllep in a
space bag and plastic bag it makes one feel kind of like a carton of jiffy
pop every movemnet is crinkle crinkle and crunch crunch. but i did slumber
for a while waking to the sound of ping ping plop plop. yes you guessed it it
had started to rain so i thought quick and pulled out my other plastic bag
opened it up poked a hole in the bottom corner near the seams and pulled it
over my head placing my mouth through the hole. then i buried my body more
snuggled down making sure the top bag was over the other bags so water would
run off and not in the bags. sleeping was a impossiblaty. i was so cold and i
wanted to stay aware of my body and i found that by every so often moving
around (not alot just lighting the candle burning my book or scooping more
leaves ) made me warmed and made me feel in control of me. it was so cold and
so dark but i knew i would survive and make it out tomorrow. and soon the sky
began to lighten and the rain slacked and i knew morning was almost upon me.
i must have slept a hour or so for when i  awoke the sky was a oveercast grey
of morning. so i packed up all my stuff the papers the bags (by the by those
space bags are flimsy my tore half way through the night ) i was left with
pices wrapping them around what ever was the coldest. so i ate some veggies
and some gorp(yummy breakfast) i knew i had about 6 miles to the station and
all day to find it so i wanted to try to find the trail i lost last night
first i figured if i could not find it then head east. so i walked back sort
of the way i came and somehow ended up finding the trail and followed it back
to the main sign i took a different trail and low and behold three hours
later just 24 after i started i was back to my car.  i reported in to the
rangers and they yelled at me i did not tell anyone where i was going. i was
hiking alone and they had no way to get a hold of my bosses. (it was there
car in the lot) so i earned a bunch of lessons. next time tell rangers i am
alone and where i am going. i went out today and bought silver nylon and am
making my own bag same size better wear. and i am going to practice the fire
thing.  so i hope you enjoyed my story and maybe learned never ever go any
where with out your survial gear you never know what might happen.

ps i do need to say that if i had not taken the survial class i would be
dead. i would have had on cotton i would not have had any of the clothes i
had with me or the survial gear. i am also proud of me becaus ei did not
panic freak or cry i did not worry or afraid. i was calm and found humor in
it. so i hope to talk with you all soon have a great weekend and smile. the
world is a beautiful place.
wendy aka polite cat at aol.com.
or as i call myself now wendy the forest  queen goddess of the woods.
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