[pct-l] Bright colors

[matt at mattmaxon.com (matt maxon)]

Here's an ultralite alternative....

strips of space blanket (reflective Mylar)....... on a bit of parachute cord

Having searched for old aircraft wreck sites, I look for bits of shiny
material as a clue for a site.

This Mylar would show up well, old helium balloon would work too, these are
the bane of power companies as they can short out power lines.

Trail90
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Woods" <wpsnotebook@charter.net>
To: <rice.craig@comcast.net>; "PCT -L" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 10:59 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Bright colors


> From the air at a quarter of a mile, you can cover something the size
> of a tent with a pencil eraser held at arms length. I'm a former search
> and rescue aircrew member, and I will tell you that spotting even
> something large and brightly colored is tough under the best of
> circumstances.
> Here are some alternates:
>
> Gather enough material to make a big X - 20 feet or so across, that
> will look decidedly unnatural against the background. On snow, lay out
> a big X with logs, evergreen boughs, and will work in open meadow and
> open ground. No logs or boughs? Build something from stones, or dig a
> trench that big. Yeah, its an earth-moving project but you do what you
> have to do in an emergency.
> Another signaling device is to rig a clothesline as long as possible
> and hang as much stuff from it as you can. The long straight line and
> stuff flapping in the breeze can attract attention.
>
> Be very careful about flares and signal fires, which will work, but can
> get out of hand quickly, so consider static signals above first. I
> carry a signal mirror, visible for many miles if used properly.
> Yet another possibility is to carry a smoke marker. This could even be
> the small 4th of July kind, and are in general slightly less of a fire
> hazard. But
> SAVE THEM UNTIL A RESCUE TEAM IS IN YOUR SIGHT!
> You would not believe how many people get into trouble, fire off all
> their flares in the first two minutes and then have nothing left when a
> search team flies overhead an hour later. Picture Tom Hanks, standing
> on the beach in the dark waving a little flashlight at a boat on the
> horizon.
>
> Above all, practice what you will do to attract attention beforehand,
> and keep your head in an emergency.
>
> Mo Jo
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