WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FIVE Part 1: Bushwhacking

 CHAPTER FIVE:  Bushwhacking

“We should walk not only to reach a destination, but also to be in motion.”

            - Author Unknown.

 

 

            Survival Kits for day hikers.

 

            While bushwhacking in remote areas beyond designated trail systems, there is always the possibility that you will be faced by the prospect of spending an unexpected night in the outdoors.  This happens to day hikers on well marked, designated trail systems that might be delayed past nightfall due to missing a turn in the trail, bad weather, or trail damage.

 

 

            “The sovereign invigoration of the body is exercise and of all exercises walking is the best.”

            Thomas Jefferson, (1743‑1826) third president of the United States

 

 

            Surviving a night in the open

 

            The National Rifle Association, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and other groups have developed educational programs which, among other things, include material to help prepare outdoor sports persons to cope with an unexpected night in the outdoors.

            As an example, a few years ago, in a class in firearms safety, the instructor gave us students the assignment of making up a survival kit.  What the instructor envisioned was a pocket‑sized plastic box, filled with the usual survival items such as matches, candles, candy, string, compass, etc.  Following instructions, I put together a survival kit in a pocket sized plastic box.  However, having done so, I found some doubt in my mind if I could really get by with its contents, especially if I ever lost the way while on a day hike to a remote place such as Peanut Lake.  Peanut Lake is a small, isolated lake located deep in northeastern Minnesota’s Superior National Forest.  Because it is several miles from the nearest road or trail, getting there involves off-trail bushwhacking.

            Somehow, I was not comfortable about the thought of staying out overnight in the open with only the contents of a small plastic box between me and an unpredictable Mother Nature who is always beautiful but sometimes vicious.  With that in mind, I started to pack my old rucksack with what I felt would be the bare necessities for a summer time, overnight stay in a northern Minnesota forest.  I started off with the contents of the plastic box and gradually added other items as I visualized myself out in the middle of a darkening wind and rain swept forest.  The more I thought about it, the worse the weather conditions became in my mind, and the more items I packed.

            According to the dictionary definition, a bivouac is an unsheltered encampment.  After I felt that I had packed enough gear to survive overnight in an unsheltered encampment, the rucksack seemed to be a full load for an army pack mule.  When I weighed my “survival kit,” it was just a few pounds shy of my backpack loaded with equipment and supplies.  Besides the weight of the loaded rucksack, I was uncertain as to how comfortable I would be with its contents.  I knew I could not have slept very well in a plastic tube tent without a sleeping bag.  It did not make much sense to leave the security and comfort of my backpack with a tent, sleeping bag, and pad merely to avoid carrying a few more pounds.

            Besides the possibility of losing my way going into or coming out of Peanut Lake, it could be possible that something might develop at the lake campsite to cause me to have to - or want to - extend my stay.  A backpack would give me the flexibility to cope with, or exploit, the unexpected.  When I finally did hike into Peanut Lake, it was with my backpack.  A loaded backpack is still the best survival kit.  Sometimes, you have to have too much for most situations, in order to have enough for some situations.

 

 

            “You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.”

            – Dr. Seuss

 

 

            Survival Essentials

 

            Experienced outdoor recreationists have recommended a list of items that should be carried by anglers, berry pickers, bird watchers, hunters, or rock hounds who often hike off of designated trail systems.  They call this off trail hiking bushwhacking.  For normal day hiking most of these items would not be used.  However, to be on the safe side, survival experts advise carrying these survival items when at least two of the following conditions might apply to an outing.

 

The air temperature might fall below plus 60 degrees F.

There is a possibility of a wind in excess of 5 miles per hour.

You will be walking in a remote area.

You will be walking alone or with only one other person.

Your plan is to be out walking for more than two hours.

 

            The survival pack

 

(1)    A complete change of clothing, and rain gear packed in a water proof bag inside your pack.

(2)    Emergency shelter in the form of a plastic tube tent with 50 yards of nylon cord.

(3)    Matches and fire starters.

(4)    Extra food and drink besides your lunch.

(5)    Signal devices such as a whistle, flares, and strips of bright cloth.

(6)    A flashlight with extra bulbs and batteries.

(7)    Topographic maps of the area and compass.

(8)    First aid kit.

(9)    Scout pocket knife or a Leatherman tool.

(10)  Insect repellent.

(11)  A synthetic fiber filled sleeping bag.

 

            The best pack for carrying this load of survival items is a backpack with a capacity of at least 2,000 cubic inches or more.  When hiking far from civilization, it is better to have a pack that is too big than one that is too small for your needs.  While you may have the physique of a National Football League quarterback, this gear and the smarts to use it properly will get you safely back home more than brute strength will.

 

 

            “Here is a great day, here is a perfect choice! A camp in nature! What else do you need? You don’t have to dream because you are in a dream now!”

            – Mehmet Murat ildan

 

 

            Campsites

 

            Most parks and forest backpacking trails have developed and designated campsites with fire boxes and pit toilets.  Although off-trail camping (making camp away from designated campsites) is allowed in some forests, it is not allowed in most parks.  To reduce environmental damage, as well as to have the use of a better site, it is best to camp at designated campsites.

            When off trail camping, pick a place that is at least three hundred yards from a designated campsite to respect the privacy of those using that campsite.  Also, camp at least fifty yards from the shoreline of a lake or river to prevent pollution and erosion.

            In the past, recreationists camping on Pacific Ocean beaches have been swept away by unexpected tidal waves.  They are events geologists have named the tsunami; they are often the result of a distant seaquake.  To protect yourself from this danger make sure your campsite is sited well back from Pacific Ocean beaches.  This also holds true for large lakes, as storm driven waves could flood a lakeshore campsite.

            Avoid hiking or camping in or near dry stream beds.  A sudden rainstorm many miles away could result in a dangerous flash flood that could wash you and your tent away.  Recently, a group of eight hikers following a hired guide were hiking in a narrow, deep, dry stream bed when they were overtaken by a flash flood originating upstream from a distant downpour.  All but the guide, a former factory worker with little guiding experience, were swept to their deaths.  According to the U.S. Weather Bureau, flash floods kill more Americans every year than any other weather phenomenon.

            Avoid pitching a tent under the canopies of isolated tall trees, as these often attract lighting strikes.  In the past, standing tress struck by lightning have conducted deadly bolts of electricity from their crowns through their trunks, down into their roots, and sometimes killed campers whose tents were pitched above the roots.

            Be aware of standing dead trees.  Several times while walking through forests, this writer has been startled by the sound of a distant falling tree.  Standing, solid looking, dead trees - especially old birch trees - sometimes topple without warning or any visible cause, so be careful; especially during periods of high winds.  Standing dead trees, sometimes called snags, should be removed by trail maintenance crews from campsite areas and along trails for safety sake.  However, unless these dead trees present a danger to recreationalists, they should be left standing because they do provide tree cavity nesting sites for wildlife.

 

 

            “I just want to live in a world of mountains, coffee, campfires, cabins, and golden trees, and run around with a camera and notebook, learning the inner workings of everything real.”

            – Victoria Erickson

 

            Summer Campsites

 

            The ideal summer campsite is a well drained, level site somewhat higher than the surrounding land.  This area should have enough trees to provide day time shade, but spaced wide enough to allow the evening breezes to have some effect on flying biting insects.  High, dry, shaded and breezy locations are ideal places for warm weather camping.

 

 

            “Light a campfire and everyone’s a storyteller.”

            – John Geddes

 

 

            Campfires

 

            Many agencies now prohibit open fires in their recreational areas, while encouraging the use of stoves.  However, in areas where building open fires is legal, here are a few general guidelines.

            When you first arrive at any campsite, be it undeveloped or developed, you should pick up all combustible litter to burn in your campfire.  Carry enough plastic bags to haul out some of the non-combustible trash.

WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FOUR Part 4: Backpacking

CHAPTER FOUR:  Backpacking

            The Hunters Pack

 

            We call the Survival Pack a Hunters Pack when hunters carry it.  Its cargo consists of hunting equipment and supplies and emergency survival items.  Besides meeting the special needs of hunters, we can modify the survival pack contents to serve the needs of anglers, photographers, and other fresh-air lovers who venture forth into remote areas where there is the possibility of an unexpected overnight stay.

 

            “Be Prepared” - Boy Scouts of America motto

 

            A growing number of urban people are now spending more recreational time in rustic settings.  Some of those who venture away from roads and paved trails run the risk of becoming stranded (lost) in remote wild areas.  Let us examine what happens when an ill prepared urban outdoor recreationist becomes lost.  Too often, the first and most dangerous emotion that sets in after the realization of their predicament is panic.  The feeling of being cut off from the comforts and protections of normal life and now being stranded in a wild, uncertain, dangerous environment can create the feeling of panic.  Panic is the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction.  The urban resident, whose main contact with nature may be viewing Hollywood films that are heavy on fear and light on factual information, may find his or her mind filled with cinematic images of terror.  (There are lions, tigers and bears, oh, my!)

 

            “Expect the unexpected”

            -British Royal Marine Commando motto.

 

            Panic-stricken people often do strange things, such as running off blindly to get back to safety.  In order to run faster they often shed packs, clothing and other useful survival items.  Commonly, this mad dashing can lead to exhaustion, which can be followed by dehydration (too busy running to drink).  The end result of panic can be a case of life threatening hypothermia.

 

            In any case, panic can only make things worse.  If you feel that you are going into panic, sit down, breathe deeply several times, count to fifty slowly, and press your thumb into your nose.  This “pressing the panic button” may help some people stop a panic attack.  However, almost any constructive activity can act as a remedy for panic.  By occupying the mind with routines such as building a fire, heating water, or preparing a snack, the mind can be directed away from panic and turned toward rational thought which is necessary to deal with a survival situation.

 

            A survival situation can be defined as any situation when the outcome is in doubt.

 

            There are three basic types of survival situations.

 

1.  They can be immediately obvious -In the middle of nowhere your dependable aircraft, watercraft, car, bike, or snowmobile breaks down and you are stranded without transportation.

 

2.  Some survival situations can develop slowly -Late in the day, you decide to take another loop of a ski or hiking trail.  Now you are losing daylight and you are getting colder and you’re not sure you have gone the right way---You are turned around (lost).

 

3.  Situations resulting from negative mental attitudes

A:  Hurrying to meet a deadline.

B:  Not realizing your limitations.

 

            Under these conditions, be aware of the danger of losing your way and becoming stranded.

 

            When faced with the fact that you are lost, you have two ways to react - either by panicking, or by assessing your situation rationally.  Once you have made an estimation of your situation, follow it up with a plan.  Then put that plan into action while keeping a positive mental attitude (PMA).  In a survival situation you must live for the present and deal with each moment as it comes.  First, you will need to provide for your own basic needs - shelter and water.  This is the rationale for having a survival pack containing those basic needs with you anytime you are out in remote areas.  You cannot depend on others to bail you out.  You must be solely responsible for your own well being by being prepared for any possible situation.

 

            On the subject of hypothermia, winter, due to its low air and wind chill temperatures, would seem be the season with the greatest risk for hypothermia.  However, records show that most hypothermia deaths occur during the spring and fall seasons, with air temperatures between plus 30 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit

 

            In the spring and fall, daytime weather conditions can be more benign than nighttime weather conditions.  Because many daytime recreationists do not plan to be out after dark, when they are forced to be, they are often ill prepared for the rapidly changing nocturnal weather conditions.  Nevertheless, because things do not always go according to plan (If you want to make God laugh, tell him or her your plans) it is best to be prepared for the worst possible weather conditions for the region, the season, elevation as well as the time of day.

 

            Both military and civilian outdoor experts stress the need to have enough supplementary clothing to provide insulation from the extremes of weather conditions that you might expect for the seasonal, regional range of daily temperatures.  As an Alaskan bush pilot has said "If you can't lie down and fall asleep at any time you are outdoors, you are not properly dressed.  You shouldn't have to keep moving to stay warm."

 

            These items are selected to help meet the conditions of the Snow Belt states.

 

(1)   Supplementary clothing, including rain gear.

(2)   A one-person tent or bivouac sack with a fly and fifty yards of nylon cord.

(3)   A synthetic fiber sleeping bag and pad.

(4)   Water and food.

(5)   Signal Devices such as whistle, flares, or a strip of bright cloth.

(6)   Flashlight with extra bulbs and batteries

(7)   An appropriate topographic map and compass

(8)   A Leatherman tool or Boy Scout knife

(9)   A First Aid kit

(10) Fire starters, such as matches in a waterproof container, cigarette lighter and plumber's candles.

 

            At first this may seem to be a lot to carry, but when you think about it, this load is rather cheap life insurance.  In addition to keeping you alive and free from the risk of panic in a survival situation, the Survival Pack will add a degree of flexibility to your outings.  A person who is prepared with a survival pack might see being ‘turned around’ as an opportunity to have some extra time in the outdoors.

 

            Food is not as a vital survival item as are water and shelter because most live persons are found within 48 hours after the start of a search.  As long as water is available, healthy adults can survive for two weeks or more without food.  Extreme dehydration can be fatal as it reduces the body's blood volume, with the same lethal effects as hypothermia.  Without sufficient quantities of oxygenated blood, your vital organs such as the heart and lungs will cease to function.  You cannot live without water.

 

            Shelter in the form of a tent or bivouac sack and sleeping bag with pad are necessary to prevent a dangerous loss of body heat from the effects of temperature, and precipitation.  A sleeping bag and pad inside a tent or bivouac sack will provide protection from hypothermia as well as shelter that will allow sleep.  As the wise saying goes "When all else fails, take a nap."  Sleep relaxes the mind, reducing the danger of panic, and serves to replenish the body's vital energy.  Many Alaskan bush pilots will not get into a general aircraft without a tent and sleeping bag.

 

            Survival pack size

            These items require a pack with a carrying capacity of more than 2,000 cubic inches.  The average day-pack is not large enough.  In this writer's opinion, a leading candidate for the Survival Pack is the Duluth Tent and Awning Company's Rambler Pack.  This is a large rucksack with a central bag, a zippered back pocket, two side pockets, and a zippered map pocket under the top flap.

            I suggest that you practice to be prepared, by trying your Hunters (Survival) Pack on a shakedown camp out in your own backyard or a local park campground.  These are places where, if any problems were to develop, assistance would be close at hand.  A shakedown experience could also give you the confidence to try a one night, bare bones, backpacking outing with your Hunters (Survival) Pack instead of a full backpack.  As the Athenian philosopher; Socrates (469-399 B.C.) noted, “The fewer our needs, the more we resemble the Gods.”

WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FOUR Part 3: Backpacking

CHAPTER FOUR:  Backpacking

            “Politeness [is] a sign of dignity, not subservience.”
            ― Theodore Roosevelt

 

            Trail Manners

 

            This is an important but sometimes overlooked subject in many outdoor books.  A good definition of trail manners is that you leave as little evidence of your passing as possible.  Thus you should take nothing except keepsake photographs, make nothing except pleasant memories, and leave nothing except foot prints.

            While on the trail or in camp, keep your radio, cell phone, and other electronic devices off except for necessary weather reports.  Even then it is better to use headphones.  Your fellow trail users want to experience the sounds of nature, not your favorite music.  While I love A Cruel Angel's Thesis from the 1995 television anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, I will enjoy that music at home and not on a trail or campsite.  Above all, respect the rights of other trail users.

            Except in emergencies, you should never wander off the established trails.  You might cross into private property, twist or break your ankle, fall off a cliff or into a sinkhole, and/or encounter many other potentially dangerous situations.  “Trail Breaking” also contributes to soil erosion, making ugly scars on the landscape.  For all these reasons, you should always walk on established trails.

 

 

            Wilderness Use

            The Seattle Mountaineers, one of the oldest and largest organizations devoted to outdoor events, have written and published “The Eight Principles of Wilderness Use.”  These eight principles are:

 

1.  Stay on established trails; do not cut switchbacks when traveling cross country.  Tread lightly to minimize damage to vegetation and soil slopes.

 

2.  Camp in established campsites whenever available.

 

3.  Use a camp stove instead of building a fire.

 

4.  Properly dispose of human waste away from water, trails, and campsites.

 

5.  Wash well away from camps and water sources.  Properly dispose of waste water and avoid the use of non-biodegradable soaps.

 

6.  Pack out all of your parties litter, and a share of that left by other parties.

 

7.  Leave flowers, rocks and other natural features undisturbed.

 

8.  Keep wildlife healthy and self‑reliant by not feeding them.  Pack out all uneaten food.  Leave pets at home.

 

 

            First Aid Kits

 

            When group day hiking or backpacking at least one member should carry a first aid kit and be knowledgeable in its use.  Simple, but practical, first aid kits can be constructed from household supplies, or bought as a kit from a local pharmacy or sporting goods stores.

 

            The American Academy of Emergency Physicians has suggested these basic items for a first aid kit.

 

            Carry an analgesic such as aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, and/or acetaminophen to treat headaches, fever, and pain.

            Please contact health professionals as soon as possible should poison is ingested.  The rationale is that different types of poisons need different treatments.

 

            Elastic wraps for wrapping joint injuries.

 

            Triangles bandages for wrapping injuries and making arm slings.

 

            Compact scissors with rounded tips to cut bandages and clothing if necessary.

 

            Use tweezers with blunt tips to remove ticks and splinters.

 

            Carry a waterproof box of bandages of assorted sizes per person.

 

            Also carry adhesive tape for bandaging wounds.

 

            Gauze in rolls and pads for bandaging wounds when on hikes.

 

            Antibiotic ointment or cream to apply to any cuts, scraps, and burns to prevent infection.

 

            Butterfly bandage closures to tape cut edges together.

 

            Safety pins to fasten splints and bandages.

 

            Rubber gloves to protect your hands from the risk of infection, when treating open wounds.

 

            A must is a first aid hand book.

 

            A notebook with phone numbers of local hospitals, doctors, ambulance companies, poison control centers, and rescue squads.

 

 

            Why your trek leadership should walk the trail before the day of the main event

 

            If possible, in order to brief the hike participants on what they might expect on the trail based on personal experience.  Thus, it is a good idea for the hike leaders to walk the entire route taking notes along the way shortly before the group hikes the trail.  We recommend this because trail conditions are sometimes subject to sudden and drastic changes, such as floods that wash out sections of trail, or areas where high winds or heavy snowfall have blocked the trail with downed trees.  While personnel at local recreational resource management units, such as ranger stations, are sometimes able to provide some current trail information, providing such information to the public is only part of their work assignment.  So, verifying the condition of the trail with first-hand experience is always advisable.  Also, having the hike leaders scout the route beforehand gives the group confidence in their leadership.

            Additionally, keeping alternate trail routes (Plans B & C) in mind is always advisable in case the first trail choice (Plan A) turns out to be impracticable.  Switching to an alternate trail is better than subjecting group members, especially novice hikers, to a negative hiking experience.  Group hikes are supposed to be safe as well as fun!

            Backpacking leaders should have intelligence, experience, and good communications skills.  Nevertheless, group members should beware of an ego driven leader who is determined to get to a distant campsite, regardless of trail conditions and end up setting up camp, after dusk.  For example, your group should stop and set up camp between one and three in the afternoon.  This allows you to find a great camping spot without the risk of darkness and group safety.  Determination is a desirable quality in a business person or athlete.  However, stubborn determination to continue on in the face of deteriorating weather conditions, darkness, or hiker fatigue has sometimes resulted in humiliation, suffering, and even death.

            Select leaders who know the limitations of the hiking group and know when it is wise to turn back to a place of safety.  “Macho” men, and the people who blindly follow them, sometimes die on the trail.  For example, a man and his two teenage sons started off on a weekend backpacking trip into the mountains of western Washington State.  In the face of a rapidly developing spring blizzard, the father refused to return to safety, saying that “Real men never turn back!”  Although his sons survived their father’s determination, the father did not.  It would have been much better for him, and his family, if he had turned back and lived.  In other words, think carefully before you act; your life and the lives of those around you depend upon your clear and rational thought.

            Risking your own life by following this type of rigid behavior is bad enough, but too often outdoor recreationists place themselves at risk when they surrender important trail decisions to those leaders who are long on machismo, but short on common sense.  This is why you should never hesitate to speak out or even take charge yourself when you see your group’s leadership (including professional guides) making potentially dangerous decisions.  Mutiny is always justified to protect lives.

            If weather conditions are becoming increasingly unfavorable, or darkness is approaching, or party members are showing signs of distress such as fatigue or hypothermia, it becomes your duty to speak up and demand that the party immediately seek shelter or turn back to safety.  Your actions could prevent you and your party from being forced to set up camp after dark or perhaps save a life!  In the wilds small mistakes and misjudgments can lead to big troubles, some of which can be fatal.  When in doubt, you’re best to error on the safe side.

            Every spring and fall, outdoor recreationists die as a result of not being prepared to meet the rapidly changing weather conditions of these two transition seasons.  Quite often, but not always, the victims are teenagers who are inexperienced in coping with the sometimes lethal effects of high winds, precipitation, and sudden drops in air temperatures.  Nature can be unforgiving to the uniformed.

            Some people may have years of outdoor experience, but may not have the wisdom to use their experience to make good judgments as outdoor recreation leaders.

            Outdoor skills are not difficult to learn.  Good leadership judgment, however, is the result of a combination of outdoor skills.  These include weather prediction, one-to-one and group communication skills, conflict management skills, knowledge of plants and animals that they might encounter along with the ability for two-way communication, and common sense.  Outdoor books and outdoor recreation courses can teach the value of making good judgments, as well as teaching outdoor skills, but due to the constraints of time and space, often leave out the former in favor of the latter.

            On an episode of Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock, one of the characters found a book on the rules for exploring.  One rule of the book was, “Once you put on your pack, you can never turn back.”  The episode’s moral was that rigid rules should never replace clear thinking.  Never let any set of written or unwritten rules, including the ones in this book, replace thinking for yourself in the situation that you are in.

            Tragically, school children have perished in mountain blizzards and avalanches while on field trips led by adults, including professional guides, who were well aware of the hazards, but for a number of irrational assumptions chose to ignore them.

            We should not allow children to participate in any structured hike or outing unless the adult event leadership has filed a trip plan complete with schedule and itinerary with the appropriate agency.  A parent, or legal guardian, of each participating child should be issued a copy of this plan several days before the event.  Equally important is to make sure your children have extra clothing, such as rain gear, for protection from rain or heavy fog.

            For longer treks, such as backpacking into remote wilderness areas, give the personnel of one or more managing agencies your trip itinerary showing where you expect to be hiking or camped each day and the date of the trek's completion.  Inform the agency that you plan to check in with them on completion of your trek.  This way if you do not check in with an agency shortly after your hike's completion date someone with a copy of your trip itinerary knows where to start looking for you.  If you leave a vehicle at a trail head, list its make, model, color, and license number on the trip itinerary.  After completion of your hike contact the agency and give them your impressions of the trail.  Most recreational agencies welcome trail user input to help plan future developments.