Published by: OutdoorSafe Inc. P. O. Box 62039 Colorado Springs, CO 80962-2039
Tel: (719) 593-5852 Website: www.outdoorsafe.com Email: outdoorsafe@attglobal.net

Newsletter #8 December 1st 2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy holidays to you all. By the time you receive this Mary and I will be in Argentina. We’ve escaped emails, telephones, Fax’s and all the other things that seem to occupy your time to the exclusion of those things that you really like to do—like fly fish! We’ll be gone for 18 days so those of you that want to order any equipment you will have to wait until we get back on the 19th of December

As usual we have traveled backwards and forwards across the country presenting programs. Once again we spent the summer in Wyoming at the Safari Club International, American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS). I taught my survival classes, helped with fly tying and fly fishing programs, drove the teachers from training site to training site and generally helped out wherever help was needed. Mary and another lady ran the kitchen all summer and cooked endless good meals for both staff and participants. The AWLS course is a wonderful program and if I haven’t told you about it before let me do it now. Elementary, Middle School and High School teachers come from all over the country for an intensive course in conservation, ecology and the role that the state and federal agencies play in managing the natural resources on the public lands across the United States. In addition they have the opportunity to float the Snake River, go fly fishing, and many other fun activities. All in all it’s a packed six days that results in each individual leaving better equipped to teach their students when they get back to their classrooms. Contact me if you’d like to receive more information.

The event that stands out as I think back over the year was an email that I received from a lady who, two years ago, had attended two of my survival workshops. Earlier this year she was part of a group of people on a rafting trip north of the Brooks Range in Alaska. Long story short, she and another woman decided to climb a mountain about six miles from camp when they were unable to continue their float trip. Upon reaching the summit the weather changed from blue sky to blizzard and a casual hiking trip became a survival ordeal. Cathy Jacobs credits what she learned in my workshops with saving her life that day. I credit Cathy with choosing to attend the training and then applying it in a difficult situation to not only save her life but also that of the other women.

We have talked with a number of other people this year who, in the past, had found themselves in difficult situations and who had used my training and Mary’s survival kits to cope. The feedback we get confirms for me that the information and more importantly the skills we are teaching are in fact legitimate and practical! When used, they make a difference.

Compare Cathy Jacob’s story on page three with the nonsense you see on TV! I’ve been watching the “Survivor Man” series and while I applaud his approach and concede that some useful knowledge and skills can be learned by watching the show it is a bit artificial. The programs revolve around what can be improvised from the natural materials and other non-natural materials that Survivor Man arrives with or can find. Improvising is great if you are uninjured and have the materials to work with but what happens if you’re hurt and aren't mobile or only have the use of one hand. You may recall how difficult he found it in
the one episode that he “injured” his arm and carried it in a sling and how quickly he abandoned the experiment when he was unable to perform the tasks needed to survive.

I also found it interesting how many times critical needs were resolved “off camera!” In particular when it came to fire building! There were times when you never really saw how something was accomplished! Keep in mind too that Les Stroud, the Survivor Man is an experienced outdoorsman. The skills he demonstrated were often difficult for him to accomplish and consequently would probably be impossible for a non-experienced person to do.

All in all the series is good entertainment but should not be considered an exclusive base upon which to build your survival knowledge.

On another note. If Hurricane Katrina didn’t teach you something about “being prepared” this year a great opportunity was missed. I have maintained for a long time that “we are the thickness of a piece of paper away from disaster at any given time” and the Katrina incident just reinforced my conviction. We as a nation have become so dependent on what we believe others will and should do for us in an emergency that we no longer do much for ourselves. How many times on the news reports did you hear the word “they” being used as in “they aren’t doing anything to help us.” . In a crisis there is no “they!” There is only “me” or perhaps “us!”

Look what happened when the New Orleans police weren’t able to maintain law and order in the city. Are you ready for something similar? Have you considered what would happen if you were away from home when the crisis occurred? Would your family be able to continue if you weren’t there? Are you ready for a natural disaster that damages the power grid leaving you without heat, light, water, the ability to cook, without the ability to keep your food refrigerated, without water to flush your toilet?

While New Orleans was an extreme case we should not become complacent and believe that “something like that could never happen in my town! It can and it might!

“Preparedness doesn’t mean you’ll survive, but it won’t contribute to your demise.”

NEW BOOK

It’s finally done! Or at least it’s at the printers! I expect to have “Surviving a Wilderness Emergency - practical advice on what to do when you find yourself in trouble in the backcountry” in my hands before we start the show circuit in January.

The book will be priced at $19.95 and will be full of all of the good information many of you have heard me speak on at the many seminars I present around the country. It will be a soft cover book, 8.5” by 5.5”, and approximately 220 pages with black and white pictures throughout. As soon as I have it in my hands I’ll update my website (www.outdoorsafe.com) or you can call 719-593-5852 to order it direct.

Topic s covered in my book include:
Defining “Survival.”
Survival Myths and Misconceptions
Three Little Words
The Need to Prepare
What Am I Preparing For?
Staying Found
Survival Medicine
Weather
Selecting Cold Weather Clothing
Here’s What I Carry
The Fork in the Road
Emergency Shelters
Fires and Fire Building
Getting Yourself Rescued

Speaking of books. In 2004 I co-authored a chapter on surviving for Wilderness Medicine edited by the Emergency Clinics of North America. The table of contents lists the following:
An Introduction to Wilderness Medicine
Hypothermia and localized Cold Injuries
Plant Exposures: Wilderness medicine
Heat-Related Illness
High-Altitude Illness
Submersion
Lightning Injuries
Arachnid Envenomation
North American Snake Envenomation
North America Wild Mammalian Injuries
Wilderness Survival
An Introduction to Mountain Search and rescue
Wilderness Emergency Medical Services
Wilderness Medicine Education for the Physician
Wilderness Emergency Medical Services Systems

I have a few copies of this book for sale so if any of you are interested in buying a copy send me a check for $50 or call me with a credit card number and I’ll put it in the mail to you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CATHY JACOBS – a survivor’s story

There are times when it is better to listen to the stories of those that have survived a traumatic event than it for me to talk about surviving and survival. This is one of those occasions. I received this email from Cathy Jacobs, a graduate of one of my training programs who found herself in a very difficult situation earlier this year. Hoping that others might learn from her experience Cathy has agreed to allow her email to be shared with the readers of the Dallas Safari Club Journal.
Dear Peter,
            I took two of your classes several years ago with the Wilderness Medical Society in Snowmass CO.  (My husband is the doctor).  On June 12th I went to the Artic National Refuge in northern Alaska for a 2 week rafting trip down the Kongakut River.  It is an indescribably beautiful place.  The very last day, a group of us, 4 total, decided to climb the highest peak in the area to see the Artic Ocean.  There was too much ice in the river to paddle all the way to the coast, which was our plan.  Half way to the top, 2 in the party decided to turn back, so just 2 of us continued on to the top.  It was a fairly long distance from camp, about 6 miles.  The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky etc.  Even though we had to cross two ridges and two valleys, the camp was always visible, even though very faint.  This as it would turn out caused me to make a huge mistake.
            I have always carried your survival kit in my day pack, no matter how short a hike I’ve taken.  On this day, I also had an extra layer of clothes plus rain gear.  Because the weather was so nice, I did not use my compass or map to take bearing to the top.  The person I was with was very slow and out of shape, but of course, I stayed with her.  When we got to the top, she was exhausted.  The weather turned on us in about 2 minutes after reaching the summit.  I have never before experienced a change in weather as drastic.  The temperature dropped dramatically.  It started snowing and the wind was so strong it was difficult to stand up.  I told my companion that we must get off the mountain and start back down immediately.  My mistake was that I did not force her to comply.  She wanted to stay until the weather cleared a bit so she could see the Arctic Ocean.  In a matter of minutes, it became a complete white out.  You seriously could not see your hand in front of your face.  I immediately realized the danger of the situation.  The person I was with completely panicked. She started running from side to side, up and down, screaming etc.  Not only did I have to deal with finding my way down the mountain, I had to deal with a totally crazy person. I was afraid that she was going to run off the side of the peak or into a crevasse.  I finally grabbed her and shouted that we had to remain calm and figure out the way down the mountain or we were going to be in serious trouble.  She kept shouting that we were going to die etc.  This made it hard for me for I was very scared also.  Everything you said in your course came back to me. I found a rocky outcrop that gave us some protection from the wind.  I sat down.  I kept my head and tried as best as I could to feel my way down and try to recognize any landmarks.  In the white out it was impossible to tell direction and even if we were going up or down.  The danger, besides the weather, is that the area is just so BIG.  If we came down the mountain another side or direction from where we came from, no one would ever have found us. The tundra is so immense and there are no trails.  Nothing to indicate which way to go down was the correct way. I got my whistle out and started blowing the SOS signal.  I had my compass ready in case the weather cleared enough just for a second to take a reading and I must admit, I prayed.  I knew I had the survival “tent” in my pack but I also knew it would be difficult to survive the cold and amount of snow.  After about 30 minutes there was the slightest thinning of the clouds. I saw the river far below and was ready with the compass and took a reading.  I grabbed the woman’s hand and started down, continuing to blow the whistle every minute or two.  Although we could not see anything, literally, I kept following the compass.  About half way down, I was able to see a tiny speck of yellow, the parka of one of the guides who had come searching for us.  They were way off to the left, but I knew then we were safe.  I can’t tell you what that felt like!!

            Peter, there is no doubt in my mind that if I had not had your course, I would still be on that mountain somewhere.  It was so hard to remain calm and clear headed.  I had to completely focus on staying calm.  I thought of my children for a brief second and had to forcibly put them out of my mind because I felt the fear come up through my stomach.  I also constantly told myself to think positively.  I pushed every negative thought out of my head.  This was difficult in the best of circumstances but very hard when I had to calm down a totally hysterical woman. I also realize that my skill level was not adequate for this type of crisis.  I wanted someone else to take charge and save us.  The scariest moment was when I realized that I had to do this by myself or we both were not going to make it.   I have never been in a more dangerous situation and it has changed my life. 

I’m not sure how or if I can thank you enough for saving my life
Sincerely,
Catherine Jacobs

Unlike many people Cathy Jacobs was prepared for the circumstances she found herself in and while she was ready for the weather she experienced her traveling companion was not. Cathy recognized the possibility of having to spend an unplanned night out and was clothed and equipped properly. She didn’t fall into the “I am just…..” trap that I have spoken of in earlier articles. Despite the “blue bird” day she carried her emergency kit with her. Notwithstanding her preparations she still found it one of the most difficult circumstances she has had to contend with. It is entirely possible that had she not acted the way she did her friend would have died.

I am frequently asked why I am willing to travel ten months out of the year, to put up with endless miles of highway as I travel the length and breadth of the country. Why I tolerate one bland restaurant meal after another. Why I give up my comfortable bed at home in Colorado Springs for another uncomfortable night in some motel. All it takes to spur you on is a letter, email or telephone call from a person like Cathy Jacobs who has actually used the training I provided in a life-threatening emergency and survived the event. The tragedy is that many people will not accept the possibility that they might be the next Cathy Jacobs and unlike Cathy, will find themselves totally unprepared when confronted with a crisis. Some of these people will get lucky and survive - others will die.

TSA IMPACT ON TRAVELERS

Earlier this year a story was related to me that we all need to think about when we fly . Two friends left Portland for a ten day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters. They carefully packed their gear and checked in with the airline. Processing through the various security checks was uneventful. Arriving in Minnesota they retrieved their belongs and drove to the Ely canoe base where they rented the canoe that would be their means of transportation for the next ten days.

Later that day, after paddling many miles, they arrived at their first campsite, unpacked, set up camp and began their preparations for their first meal in the outdoors. Imagine their dismay when they were unable to find any of the matches they had packed and instead found the now commonly found TSA announcement that your bags had been searched! Searching through their gear they were unable to find any other means of starting a fire and had to return to the canoe base to obtain matches. Needless to say their trip was thoroughly disrupted!

So far I have not had a problem with carrying metal matches in my checked baggage. I do know of people who have had them confiscated when they carried them in their carry-on baggage. I don’t even try to fly with either regular matches or cigarette lighters any more. When all is said and done it is probably better to buy your fire starting devices when you arrive at your jumping-off destination.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“To avoid the need to survive avoid getting too hot or too cold, too hungry or too thirsty. Avoid becoming scared, tired, wet, sick, sore or hurried. As these conditions develop they increase exponentially the probability of a serious accident or illness from occurring.” Tim States, MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~