Our Second Annual Bugout 2012 turned out to be fun, informative, and most importantly 'almost' rain free. Not bad considering it is October and the rainy season should be in full swing, in the Lower Mainland.
Thanks to our Edmonton contingent, we got to see some expert marksmanship from Grambo (Edmonton) at the local pistol range. He is a natural marksman with a 9mm pistol. With some tips from a local firearms instructor, I did manage to show progress, and briefly thought about challenging Grambo to a test of skill, until he switched hands and still scored bullseyes. Personally, I didn't buy the 'I'm a bit rusty and out of practice' excuses. He IS a natural. (Although I still maintain the tranquilizers he used before heading to the range steadied his shaking hands) hehehe.
Grambo also gave us a few lessons on backwoods craftmanship. Although we laughed at his mostly dull, Chinese-made pocket knife, he did manage to teach us how to make rudimentary tools like a tomahawk. I taught a knife sharpening course, and Denise made some of the best homemade MREs, dehydrated spagetti sauce, and other culinary delicacies out of home grown garden veggies.
The bug out actually started Sunday (Oct 7). All involved got together for Thanksgiving dinner, after gorging (afterall we were going to be eating dehydrated everything for the next few days) on a fantastic feast fo dead bird, cranberries, stuffing, noodles, and yams, those who could move settled down for some Prepper Talk. We discussed topics ranging from: water reclaimation, dehydration techniques, egg storage, firearms preferences, knife and tool preferences, MRE recipes, tents, sleeping bags, clothing for cold weather and even 234 uses for 550 paracord. Then came the fun part. Disassembling packs and explaining why and why not we pack and don't pack items for a bug out. This was so informative, we ended up delaying our actual bug out so we could run out and get some new items. Suture kits, Paracord, Drybags, Lots o'batteries, 2-way radio headsets, hand cranked radio/weather channel/flashlights, ground sheets, and some interesting books on backwoods cuisine, seemed to be a few of the things that piqued interests.
Although not everyone was a firearms owner, there was a keen interest in the legal aspects of firearms ownership, storage, PAL requirements, and ammunition quantities. Regardless, Wyatt Earp and John Rambo didn't manifest themselves in any of the participants. Our new local 'expert' on the longbow briefly talked about archery and managed to get Denise and I interested in taking some coures in archery . Boorman's Here We Come.
After a big hearty breakfast (thanks again Grambo) we headed up into the mountains north of Agassiz for several days of training, backwoods crafts, and relaxing discussions on emergency preparedness. Kudos go to Grambo, again, for having the best kept, most advanced first aid kit. I am sure local EMTs come to him when they need supplies. I am personally glad I didn't get so much as a sliver, for fear of being a unvoluntary pawn in some mock first aid excercise. The latest techniques in CPR were definitely of interest.
After extablishing our base camp. We did a little recon of the area for alternative water sources, fallback plans, and possible areas where washouts and rock slides could block us in. Dinner consisted of some sort of meat burgers and flatbread (not sure of the meat, but, MAN did it taste good, better count the cats). Since there was a fire ban still in effect due to the dry summer, we resigned ourselves to only practicing various ways of lighting a fire. No trees were harmed to keep us warm at night and the bears and beasties at bay.
The weather co-operated where we had a spectacular view of the night sky, 16 satellites, and 13 meteors. We also saw an iridium flare caused by the reflection of the sun's light on the antenna of an Iridium communication satellite. We had a quick lesson on night navigation using the stars, although, some did joke that we would be lost until the end of the rainy season in the spring. Surprisingly, cell phone compasses proved to be inaccurate for some reason. Digital watch/compasses were no better. I'll stick with my Brunton 8099.
The next day we compared notes as to how warm we were the night before. Denise froze in her fleece covered sleeping bag, Grambo didn't complain much, but then, he was hammering away snoring, soon after hitting the sack. I was toasty with my -30F rated bag, down hoody, and wool blanket combo. The temperature was just above freezing, so this got everyone discussing what to change on future outings (maybe in the dead of winter). Manning Park - January 2013 perhaps?
This brought into play a new discussion: Snowshoes. Since I absolutely detest the cold and snow, I consider myself 'objective' when discussing snowshoes. Since moving to British Columbia, my wife and I have actually discovered we like to snowshoe. After trying (and buying) numerous styles of snowshoes, I have come to the conclusion that the best experts are at MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop) and they set me on the path of righteousness and snowy pathways of enjoyment. NOTE: I still hate being cold, but layer proper winter clothing and you will be just fine. AND, don't sweat. If you sweat, you get wet, you get wet, you get cold, when you get cold, you get very very unhappy. (how profound).
Denise took some time cleaning up the garbage at a nearby beach, and we had a quick discussion on what items could be useful in a survival situation. It is truly amazing what can be made from next to nothing, found in the 'wild'.
In the afternoon we broke out the 2-way radios and worked out primary and secondary frequencies, faraday cage designs, VOX usage, and key words to confuse eavesdroppers. This was quite the eye-opening experience as to the true distance these radios are rated for. Usually ALOT less than advertised.
The next night, the clouds started to roll in. This was a welcomed relief to those who were cold the night before. Clouds tend to retain the heat radiating from the ground. Denise still froze. I sweat. Both survived.
We broke camp and headed back to civilization with a new appreciation for new found skills, and a list of improvements that needed to be made, food recipes to try, equipment to obtain, and equipment that was in fact useless.
Some things I learned:
1) I was the warmest in my super duper sleeping bag, and brown layer of fat.
2) 'Rusty' MY A**. Grambo can shoot.
3) No matter how bad something looks, it still tastes great in a survival situation.
4) I Love Paracord.
5) North is thataway....or was it thataway?
6) Break in those hiking boots BEFORE you need to hike in them.
7) You have to spend the big bux to get good 2 way radios. We didn't.
8) A compass and Topo maps for the location you are heading. Do Not Rely On GPS, or Cell Phones (Besides an EMP could take them off line)
9) 30 lbs of camera gear AIN'T survival gear.
10) A IPAD makes for a great campfire substitute.
11) No fire, no smores.
12) Don't forget the trailmix.
13) Grambling means rambling.
and the most surprising thing I learned....
14) YES, my beloved spagetti sauce CAN BE DEHYDRATED, and taste great.
Special Thanks to Brenda Lee, the Dog Yeller (she sure isn't a whisperer) and the Keeper of The Cats. KC reported no kickings or pullings-of-tails. Thank you. Now.... about that scratch in my car.
camera gear isnt survival gear?? OMG!
ReplyDeletetend to pack alot of camera gear. A weakness I have.
ReplyDelete