WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FIVE Part 5: Bushwhacking

CHAPTER FIVE:  Bushwhacking

            “The comforts of life’s essentials -- food, fire, and friendships…”

            - Julia Child

 

 

            On winter camp cooking

 

            Because, like everything else, meal preparation is more difficult in winter, many winter campers prefer to prepare simple meals.  Some limit their cooking to heating canned goods or frozen bags of foods in boiling water.

            Depending on level of physical activities, you need 4,000 calories or more to keep your body warm while on a winter outing, so in addition to your regular meals, snack once every half-hour on high calorie foods such as fruitcake, granola bars, cookies, dried fruits, hard candies, and boxed lunches.  These are foods that can be consumed straight out of the package.  Some winter outdoor recreationists prefer taking most of their nutrition from snacking and five or six small meals a day rather than from the usual three daily meals.

 

 

            “Investment in travel is an investment in yourself.”

            - Matthew Karsten, known as the Expert Vagabond

 

 

            Also, when on a cold weather outing, remember to keep drinking plenty of hot liquids to keep warm and stay hydrated.  Some winter outdoor recreationists like to mix Jell-O ®, a dessert that contains gelatin, sugar and fruit flavoring, in a cup of hot water for a tasty, high calorie, nutritious drink.  Even plain, hot water warms the body, and helps to prevent dehydration.  Stay away from alcoholic and caffeinated beverages as these are diuretics that contribute to dehydration through increased urination.

            To help stay hydrated while on the move, many experienced winter campers carry a large‑mouthed pint plastic water bottle hanging from a neck cord.  The bottle rides between the underwear and shirt where body heat keeps its contents in a liquid and semi‑warm state.  While traveling the bottles contents can be replaced by adding water or snow.

 

 

            “...it only takes one voice, at the right pitch, to start an avalanche.”
            - Dianna Hardy, Return of the Wolf

 

 

            Avalanches

 

            While traveling in snow-covered mountains look for and avoid slopes that are clear of tall trees and/or have steeper grades than the surrounding areas.  These may be avalanche troughs; places, where avalanches have occurred before and may do so again.  The records of the Colorado Avalanche Information center list 367 persons, mainly skiers and mountain climbers, who were killed by avalanches between the years 1950 and 1991.  Any long snow-covered slope of more than twenty degrees presents the possibility of an avalanche.

            There are two basic forms of avalanches.  One is a dust avalanche which occurs when new fallen snow slides off a crust of old snow.  The other is a slab avalanche which occurs when a thick sheet of consolidated snow slides off a weak layer made up of granulated snow (sometimes called sugar snow because of its texture.)  The dust avalanche, being lighter, moves faster than the slab avalanche which is usually more massive and more destructive.  Both are dangerous to life and property.  After new snowfalls, avoid passing on or under all steep, snow covered slopes.  After most snowstorms, known avalanche zones inside recreational areas are usually closed to public access in an attempt to protect people from the dangers of avalanches.  However, in spite of the many posted warning signs, every year a number of people enter these restricted areas where avalanches have killed some.

            Some outdoor extremists seem to have a very cavalier attitude of, “No, that can’t happen to me.”  These people believe that because they or their friends have gone into restricted areas in the past and lived that they are able to keep on taking chances in avalanche country and live.  They are apparently unaware of the adage “Nature bats last”.  Partly as a result of this risky behavior, avalanches are still killing people.  It can even happen to you!  You don’t even have to be in a closed off avalanche zone.  Avalanches have killed people while in ski lodges, in parking lots, driving cars, and even riding on passenger trains.

 

 

            “I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.”

            - Caskie Stinnett

 

 

            Ironically, the victims trigger most avalanche accidents.  When in the snow-clad mountains, travel high above the danger zones to avoid being the trigger that starts the snow moving.  Keep clear of areas of heavy snow accumulation during and immediately after a snowfall.  The simple fact is that the deeper the snowfall, the greater the danger.  Snowfall of more than an inch an hour poses the possibility of an avalanche.  The most dangerous slope angles are between 30 and 45 degrees.  Heed the advice of local professional foresters and knowledgeable recreationists and stay out of restricted areas.

 

 

            “I love ‘Tank!’ that is the main opening theme song to Cowboy Bebop.  However, I would never blast it out a portable media player anywhere outdoors, especially in known avalanche paths.”

            - James P. Buchanan

 

 

            In January 1998, a group of 32 French private school students ages fourteen to sixteen accompanied by six adults, including four professional mountain guides, went on a one day snowshoe trek in the French Alps on the last day of their school holiday.  The area they were planning to snowshoe had just received five feet of new snow on the day before.  This massive deposit of new snow presented a high avalanche potential that was rated four on a scale of one to five and was marked by bright and large warning flags.  However, the group’s adult leadership chose to ignore the flags and other warnings from area residents.  Thus, these leaders walked the children into a closed off avalanche danger zone.  They were moving through a forested slope when, suddenly, under the weight of the 38 snowshoers, the five feet of new snowfall slid off the underlying older, and much harder, snowpack in a dust (dry) avalanche.  Moving at close to two hundred miles an hour the snow carried the entire group down the slope and through a forest.  Nine children and two adults were killed either from crashing into trees and rocks, or from suffocation by being buried in snow.

            “It’s the group itself which set off the slide on its path,” said Lt. Laurent Jaunate of the area mountain police.  “It’s clear they had no business being there.”

The comic I’m reading today.

Today, I read the first chapter of “I Became the Strongest with the Failure Frame ‘Abnormal State Skill’ as I Devastated Everything”.  Here are my thoughts on this comic.  Instead of being rejected, Touka could have been useful doing jobs that a hired NPC would normally work at.  Touka could have taken care of horses and wagons, washing and repairing clothing, spent time buying supplies, selling found items for money and gathering information while his classmates train their skills.  Touka could specialize in skills in crafting such as keeping their blades sharp, buying and selling, public relations for his group, and building a fortified headquarters for his group.  The unsung hero working in a support role would be a good story.

WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FIVE Part 4: Bushwhacking

CHAPTER FIVE:  Bushwhacking

 

 

            “Any woman who does not thoroughly enjoy tramping across the country on a clear frosty morning with a good gun and a pair of dogs does not know how to enjoy life.”

            - Annie Oakley

 

 

            Winter Sleeping Gear

 

            For camping during winter it is better to use two three‑pound sleeping bags with one bag placed inside the other instead of a single six pound sleeping bag.  Both sleeping bags should have a polyester fill lining, such as Fiberfill ®, Polarguard ®, PrimaLoft ®.  Some winter campers place a mummy sleeping bag inside a rectangular sleeping bag.  The roomier rectangular bag accepts the mummy sleeping bag while allowing the sleeper movement and providing additional insulation.  The mummy bag opening closes tightly around the head, to help keep the body heat inside the sleeping bag.  The air space between the two sleeping bags provides another layer of insulation.  Using two sleeping bags instead of only one is another form of the layered clothing system.

            For use in more moderate temperatures, a light weight polypropylene sleeping bag liner can be placed in a mummy sleeping bag.  A Gore-Tex ® bivouac cover that fits over the sleeping bag forms a three-layer system providing insulation as well as protecting the bag from the effects of wind and precipitation, functioning much the same as wind pants and jackets or a tent.

            The points where your body’s weight compresses your sleeping bag’s insulation are places where body heat can drain out of your sleeping bag.  To block this loss of heat, place additional insulation between these compression points and the tent floor.  Winter campers use open or closed cell sleeping pads, or a combination of both.  A recent development now favored by many winter campers, is the Therm‑a‑rest ®, which is an open cell pad combined with a self-inflating air mattress.

            Avoid getting into your sleeping bag while you are wearing trail clothes, because they will probably be soiled and damp.  Usually it is best to remove all of your clothes and change into dry, clean, nightclothes.  Many winter campers like the warm comfort of insulated underwear or a jogging suit.  Some complete their sleep outfit with a pair of thick wool socks and a stocking cap.

            Getting into a cold sleeping bag can be a traumatic experience, as it takes some time for your body to warm up a sleeping bag.  One way to avoid this teeth chattering experience, if you are in a camp ground with access to electric power, is to place an electric heating pad in the sleeping bag.  After the sleeping bag has been warmed and before getting in the sleeping bag, for safety sake, you should turn off the heating pad.  Where electricity is not available, hot water bottles may be used to warm the sleeping bag while you are getting ready for bed.  By the time you get into your sleeping bag, it will feel much warmer.

 

 

            "It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent."

            - Dave Barry

 

 

            Tents

 

            A tent is an absolute necessity for winter camping, protecting its occupants from two of the three key elements that lead to hypothermia: wind and precipitation, but not air temperatures.  Anyone who says tents are not needed for winter camping, because it does not rain very much during that season, is not playing with a full deck.

            While selecting a tent for winter camping, pick one large enough for the planned number of occupants, their sleeping bags, plus storage space for some of their gear.  Some experienced cold weather campers consider a 5 x 7 foot tent suitable for one person, a 7 x 9 foot tent for two persons, and an 8 x 10 foot tent for three persons.  An 8 x 10 foot tent is about the largest shelter you can transport on a winter trek unless you have the use of a dog or snowmobile towed sled.

 

 

            "The glories of a mountain campfire are far greater than may be guessed."

            - John Muir

 

 

            Tent Floor Insulation

 

            During cold weather, tent floors need to be insulated to prevent conductive heat loss.  One way to insulate a tent floor is to stomp down the snow in an area a little larger than that of your tent floor.  First, compress the snow while wearing your skis or snowshoes and then a second time only with your boots.  After the snow has been compressed, lay down a plastic tarp about the size of your tent floor upon the prepared snow and set the tent floor on top of that.  The plastic tarp acts as a water barrier to prevent melted snow from forming pools of water inside the tent.  Inside the tent, cover the floor with at least one more tarp, space blankets, or anything else with insulation value.  Remember that insulation is found in both thickness and layers.

            Your tent also needs a waterproof tent fly or tarp to cover the tent roof and sides as well as the rear window and front door.  This cuts down on heat loss radiating from the roof of the tent and also prevents snow from falling directly onto the warmer tent roof, where it could melt and later freeze, coating the tent roof with ice.

            While tents provide some protection from the effects of wind and precipitation, it does not provide warmth.  You produce your own body heat and the tent helps you preserve it.  However, many winter campers would prefer sleeping in a heated tent.  A heated tent not only warms a camper, but also dries the sleeping bags and clothing, and prevents frost from forming inside the tent.  A warm tent also provides a place to relax, protected from the constant winter cold.  Because most winter camping trips last only two or three nights, a catalytic type heater is often the most reasonable heat source for these short winter camping trips.  Catalytic heaters are generally adjustable with a BTU output ranging from 3,000 to 8,000.  Burning at 5,000 BTU, a catalytic heater with a three quart tank keeps a tent warm from early afternoon to late the next morning.  Although the catalytic heater does not give off poisonous fumes, the tent should be well ventilated to prevent over consumption of the available oxygen.  Some campers, in order to be on the safe side, turn their heater off at night, before getting into their sleeping bags, and restart it again in the early morning.  For the sake of safety these heaters should be fueled and started outside of the tent.  It does not take a very long time for a catalytic heater to warm up a tent interior.  Besides, by turning the heater off at night, the fuel supply lasts longer.

            An easy way to be the tent “hero” is to rise before the others and take the heater out of the tent and restart it before bringing it back into the tent.  It is so much easier to get out of a sleeping bag in a warm tent.  Your tent mates will appreciate your efforts.

            On longer winter trips, where it may not be possible to carry enough liquid fuel, wood burning stoves are the most practical of tent heaters.  Many different types of portable models are available, such as the Sheepherder, and the Airtight.  To use a wood burning stove in a tent, adjustments must be made to the tent with protective heat resistant asbestos collars on both the tent and its fly.  These are to accommodate the stove pipe and protect the fabric from its heat.

            Keep your tent doors zipped up during the day as well as at night even in the dead of winter as small animals can be a problem in a tent.  If they can’t find food, they may chew clothing or paper items.

 

 

            “Things will get really screwed up, right?”
            “Erm...maybe.”
            “Maybe, like how?”
            “Ever wanted to go sledding in the Mojave Desert?”
            - Julie Kagawa, The Iron Daughter

 

 

            Sleds

 

            Since winter camping often requires more clothing, equipment, and supplies than can or should be backpacked, a sled is a good choice for gear hauling.  Place the cargo in plastic bags to be placed inside Duluth packs or duffel bags.  Cover these with a tarp (which may have a number of functions besides covering sled cargo) and attach the tarp to the sled with rubber tie downs.  For hauling gear for two or three day outings, a six‑foot plastic toboggan is adequate.  For longer trips or with bulky gear, a larger sled may be needed.  There are some excellent fiberglass models that are based on European designs.

            To pull the sled, run line or shock cord through a pair of two inch diameter, six foot long pvc tubes.  Use hooks to attach one end of both cord to the sled and the other end to the waist belt of your backpack.  This makes a rigid harness that prevents the sled from sliding into you when moving downhill.  With most of your gear in the sled, all you need to carry in your pack are some trail necessities, such as supplementary clothing, an insulated container of warm drink, and some high calorie food that you can eat right out of the package.  Be sure to pack out the empty packages.  We don’t need any more litter in our outdoors.

 

 

            “The woods are lovely, dark and deep...”

            - Robert Frost

 

 

            Winter Campsites

 

            The ideal cold weather campsite is one that because of vegetation and topography provides some shelter from winter winds and precipitation.  When the ground is frozen and snow covered, you can make sheltered winter camps deep inside dense stands of low land conifers such as spruce and fir that screen campsites from winter winds.  In these conifer stands there is often an abundance of small standing, dead trees available for firewood.

 

 

            “Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.”

            - Walt Whitman

 

 

            Snow Shelters

 

            The Eskimo igloo is the most recognized type of snow shelter.  However, these structures require considerable construction skill and experience, as well as an ample supply of hard wind packed snow that is not found in most places.  On the other hand, a quinzhee is a snow shelter that is made by hollowing out a mound of loose snow and is comparatively easy to make.  For a three person shelter, it takes a snow mound about eight to ten feet high and about twelve to sixteen feet in diameter.

            As the pile settles, the snow crystals bond together to form what is called sintered snow.  To judge the height and diameter, place a pole of correct length from top to bottom through the center of the mound.  After the pile settles for one to two hours, you can start to hollow it out.  The quinzhee walls should range in thickness from about eight inches at the top of the dome to about sixteen inches at the base.  Sticking twigs into the pile helps you measure the wall’s thickness at various points.

            For best protection from winter winds, you should construct the quinzhee in a low land conifer forest where thick stands of spruce and fir form a wind break and where there are abundant supplies of snow.  The typical lakeside summer camp site is too exposed to the weather to make it a good winter campsite.

            To hollow out a quinzhee, experienced builders find that full sized, long-handled snow shovels are more effective tools than the shorter handled models.  When digging out a quinzhee, wear a rain suit or your clothes will get very wet.  The entrance to the chamber should be just big enough to enter, while digging with your shovel.  A plastic sled is useful in removing the snow from the quinzhees interior.

            Once the major portion of the excavation has been completed with the shovel, the interior can be finished using any scraping device such as an aluminum plate.  Once the chamber is completed, sealing the entrance with blocks of sintered snow is possible.

            For additional comfort, use snow to build a sleeping platform inside the quinzhee.  For greater warmth, the platform should stand slightly above the top of the entrance.  Because the warmer air in the quinzhee rises, your raised sleeping platform will automatically be in a warmer air zone.  Candles placed in wall alcoves provide heat as well as romantic light.

 

Note:  Imagine if you and your group find yourselves in a flat plain or valley without natural wind breaks.  Wind breaks are bushes, trees, or rock outcrops such as the boulder-strewn hill, named the Devils Den at the Gettysburg Battlefield.  Also, imagine that the snow is too shallow to dig into.

At these events, a snow wall may be your best option.  This type of shelter is for an emergency, one night stay that will only be needed for a few hours.  You build a three foot or one meter tall snow wall; long enough to protect you are your group from the wind.  The wall is built between you and the direction of the prevailing winds.  Such walls become a wind break for your camp that is much better than sitting totally exposed.  Sheltered from the wind, the wind chill on your body can increase the apparent ambient temperature by 20 to 30 degrees or more.  Thus, by simply blocking the cold wind by a snow wall, you will feel much warmer.

I found a silly face painted on a rock

This silly face painted on a rock is in the northwest corner of the King Manor surface parking lot.

WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FIVE Part 3: Bushwhacking

CHAPTER FIVE:  Bushwhacking

            “Make the most you can of the Indian hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”

            – George Washington, 1st United States President

 

 

            Marijuana Fields

            Marijuana is sometimes grown illegally in national forests, especially in northern California, Oregon, and Kentucky.  This problem has caused several wilderness areas to be temporarily closed due to the fact that growers are very protective of their illegal crops.  A healthy marijuana stalk can bring between six hundred and a thousand dollars.  With so much money tied up in their plants, some growers feel that they are justified in using deadly force to protect their crop.

            Marijuana plants are easy to identify because of their unique color and five-leaved stalks.  If you think you have come across a marijuana field, get out of the area immediately and report its location to the nearest law enforcement agency.

 

 

            “The fire is the main comfort of camp, whether in summer or winter.”

            - Henry David Thoreau

 

 

            Winter Camping

 

            Many citizens of the snow-belt states, who find winter weather uncomfortable, tend to think of winter camping as more of an emergency survival procedure and not as something done voluntary for outdoor recreation.  However, winter camping can be an interesting, educational, and rewarding experience for those who learn to cope with its special conditions.

            There are three ways for a novice to break into winter camping.

            First, in many areas, local outdoor recreation organizations have scheduled programs for beginning winter campers.  Also, colleges and community schools offer winter camping classes for students as well as the general public.  These classes usually include at least a one-night camp out.

            Second, you should always go winter camping with experienced winter campers.  As a group of all novices will make basic mistakes, putting their lives in danger; you need at least one responsible and experienced winter camper in your group.

            Third, it is also possible to learn winter camping on your own.  First, read at least five informative books and outdoor magazine articles on the subject.  Second, select (rent first) the equipment you think best meets your needs.  Then, try a shakedown overnight camp out in your backyard, or at a municipal or a state park campground to test your gear and winter camping skills.  That way, if any problems develop, you will not be far from assistance.

 

 

            “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountains and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”

            — Sir John Lubbock

 

 

            Clothing

 

            The main thing to remember when winter camping is to STAY WARM, BUT DRY!  If you don’t stay dry, you may die.  Stay warm, but avoid the overheating that brings on perspiration.  If you perspire heavily enough to dampen your clothes, you cause a 90% drop in the fibers insulation values.  As often stated, wet clothing next to the skin conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than dry clothing.

            To stay dry and warm and avoid the problem of becoming too warm wear several layers of thinner clothing.  The warm air trapped between the clothing layers provides insulation for warmth, while at the same time acts to prevent overheating by allowing you to subtract layers as your body warms from exertion.  Historians say that this highly flexible clothing system was first developed in ancient China, where it was found that wearing several layers of clothing was vastly superior in coping with cold weather than wearing only one thick garment.  In China, a common way of expressing the degree of cold was in the number of coats needed to be worn in order to maintain a comfortable body temperature.  For example, the Chinese might term a very cold day a three coat day.

 

 

            “Wake up. Be wonderful. Repeat.”

            - Adrienne Posey

 

 

            We know this is a restatement of other chapters.  But, let’s review one more example of the layering system designed for cold weather.

 

            For cold weather outings, wear three layers of clothing.  Your first clothing layer next to the body should be a suit of polypropylene underwear.  Polypropylene was first developed as diaper material.  It is a fabric that absorbs very little moisture, while acting to wick perspiration away from the skin.

            The second layer and middle layer is the middle insulating layer and can be made up of any hollow fiber fabric such as wool or polyester in the form of shirts, vests, jackets, or pants.

            The third and outer clothing layer protects the first two layers from the effects of wind and precipitation.  For your outer layer, wear wind pants along with a hooded parka both made of a Gore‑tex ® type material. 

           I wouldn't be doing my duty as an outdoor instructor if I didn't pass along a word of caution to you about down.  Advertisements often tout it as the ultimate in outdoor clothing insulation.  However, once down becomes wet, its fibers mat together forming clumps that lose more than 90% of its insulating value.  This makes a damp down garment, or sleeping bag dangerous in cold weather camping.  Every winter recreationists outfitted in expensive down outerwear and sleeping bags suffer from the cold or even risk death from hypothermia when their down clothing or sleeping bags become damp from perspiration, snow, fog, rain, or immersion in water.

            Leave your down sleeping bag for inside winterized cabins and your down parka for watching football games outdoors during dry weather.  A wiser choice of insulating fibers for outdoor recreation would be one of the better quality polyesters ‑ such as Hollofil ®, Polarguard ®, and Quallofil ®, as even when damp these provide you with life-saving insulation.

 

 

            “When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”

            - A. A. Milne

 

 

            Footwear

 

            The suffering caused by cold feet can wreck the pleasure of a winter outing.  When your feet are cold, the rest of your body also feels cold.  To help insure warm feet in a wide range of winter conditions, wear snowmobile boots.  For most people most of the time, snowmobile boots are still the most practical versatile and available cold weather foot gear.  These are rubber‑bottomed boots with either leather or nylon tops; they are insulated by Thinsulate ® liners.  When damp, you can remove and replace these liners with a dry pair.  Removable inner soles provide additional insulation, while providing a better fit of the boot.  Some of the higher nylon topped snowmobile boots reach almost up to the knee.  And, buy and then use boots topped with a draw string that helps keep snow out of the boot, which functions much like snow gaiters.

            When using this type of footwear for winter camping, make certain to have several extra pairs of clean and dry socks, boot liners, and inner soles to replace those which become damp from exertion caused perspiration.

 

 

            “A crude meal, no doubt, but the best of all sauces is hunger.”

            - Edward Abbey

 

 

            The Mug‑Up

 

            The mug‑up is a trailside tea party, (traditionally hot tea and high calorie donuts).  In the past, the mug up was considered to be only a winter season trail event.  Present day recreationists are currently finding that it is something that may be enjoyed on the trail any season of the year.

            In the past, the mug‑up ritual started with the building of a small wood fire to boil a pot of tea water.  The modern nature-lover can now boil water safer and more efficiently on a single burner stove or carry hot water, coffee, or tea in an insulated container.  Nevertheless, some of the more traditional recreationists still consider the building of the wood fire, in areas where open fires are permitted, to be an essential part of the mug-up ritual.  It is an opportunity to display and instruct others in outdoors skills such as safe, efficient, and fun outdoor fire building as well as getting first-hand experience with the tea brewing and serving, ceremony.  You should feel free to make your own tea serving ceremony to fit the occasion.

 

            Mug‑ups serve several practical purposes for trail recreationalists.

 

            First, hot tea served with food such as grilled cheese sandwiches is a source of warmth and energy that reduces the possibility of hypothermia and dehydration by replenishing energy and body fluid lost from hours of trail exertion.

            Second, the mug‑up is a time to rest.  Rest is very important in outdoor recreation because tired people are less observant, less able to reason from cause to effect, and less able to imagine possible outcomes that can result in mishaps.  Stopping to rest also gives the body an opportunity to drain some of the detrimental by-products which are created by the burning of muscle sugars, such as lactic acid.  Lactic acid, sometimes called “fatigue poison,” contributes to muscle soreness and tension during and after exertion.

            Third, the mug‑up can be a time to adjust and repair your gear, as well as look for medical problems and treat such things as blisters and the early symptoms of hypothermia.

            Fourth, finally, the social benefits of mug‑ups are always enjoyable, and the group interactions that take place during the mug‑ups or around the evening campfire(s) may be seen, in retrospect to be some of the more memorable and valuable experiences of the outing.

 

            Note:  Because caffeinated tea is a diuretic and can lead to dehydration through increased urination, you should drink it with an equal volume of plain water.

The comic I’m reading this week

I am reading, “I Don't Really Get It, but It Looks Like I Was Reincarnated in Another World”.  If I was to be reincarnated, having a body like that and in a world that is similar to an online role-playing game would be a good experience.  However, I have more interest in crafting useful objects and building modern infrastructure, while bringing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the people of this world then the self-indulgence enjoyed by the main character in the first five chapters.  I hope someone someday makes this into an animated series or a multiplayer online role-playing game.

WALKRIGHT, Second Edition – CHAPTER FIVE Part 2: Bushwhacking

 CHAPTER FIVE:  Bushwhacking

             “I would like to see every woman know how to handle guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies.”

            - Annie Oakley

 

 

            Firearms

 

            Unless hunting is the main reason for the outing, firearms are considered by many outdoor recreationists to be an unnecessary burden.  Most of the time, it is illegal to possess firearms in some areas - such as most national and state parks.  Additionally, the possession of cased firearms is permitted in many national and state forests, but it is not encouraged, except during hunting seasons.  Exceptions to this general rule are parts of Alaska and the Canadian Northwest and Yukon Territories where wilderness travelers are sometimes advised by local residents and some government employees to carry a large caliber rifle or large gauge shotgun as protection from aggressive bears.  Many wildlife professionals consider Northern Canadian black bears to be larger and more aggressive than those black bears living further south and more apt to make an unprovoked attack on humans.

            However, in the lower 48 United States, sports hunting for bears are a wildlife management tool that keeps most of the bear population in fear of humans, greatly reducing the chances of recreationists being harmed.  Although this may be true, there is a subset in the bear population that is aggressive enough to attack anything moving, including humans.  This does not happen very often, but it happens often enough that outdoor recreationists should be aware of the potential risks in an encounter with a bear.  In May 1998, a solo hiker in a remote area of Glacier National Park was killed and his body mostly eaten by a female grizzly bear and her two cubs.  He was the 10th person killed in a bear attack in the park since 1967.

            As a general rule, no matter where you are, if you are in the presence of a bear, black, or brown you are in danger.  In recent years a number of recreational visitors and resource management workers in Alaska and Canada have been attacked and sometimes killed by grizzly and black bears.  These large and unpredictable animals are often not at all like the bears depicted in the Wilderness Family TV series.  So, if you see a bear, try to move away as quickly as possible without arousing it.  The best way of avoiding an encounter with a bear is to be aware of the danger and to look out for them in places where they might be prowling for food.  In most of these human and bear encounters, the bear will retreat as soon as it identifies the object of its attention as human.  A group of noisy hikers is in far less danger from a bear attack than a solitary angler or hunter whom the bear might mistake for prey.  So if you are traveling alone in bear habitats, let any nearby bears know who and where you are.  Several years ago, in Alaska, a young U.S. Fish and Wildlife employee, while conducting a solitary field survey, lost the use of both of her arms when attacked by a small black bear.  She did not have a firearm.  Apparently, after that attack, the agency allowed some of its field employees to carry firearms.  Shortly afterward, another U.S. Fish and Wildlife employee, alone while conducting a survey, was suddenly attacked by a grizzly bear.  Without much time to think about it, she was forced to defend herself with a shotgun blast fired from the hip.  She killed the bear.  Afterwards she was heard to ask, “What would have happened to me if I didn’t have my gun?”

            Recently, a young woman driving to Alaska along the Alaskan Highway with her two small children was killed by a black bear while outside her vehicle at a British Columbia rest stop parking lot while her children watched from inside the vehicle.  A man who attempted to come to her aid was also killed by the bear.  Soon after an armed man at the rest stop shot and killed the bear.  With all species of bears one should expect the unexpected.  You should never trust a wild animal.

            A backpacker from London, England was hiking along a trail in the Yukon Territory.  Along the way government employees and others asked him if he carried a gun in case he met a bear.  He did not have a gun.  One evening, while he was relaxing by his campfire, a local Native American informed him of the presence of a large female grizzly bear and her cub a short distance from his camp.

            This bit of intelligence so unnerved the Brit that he spent the night in his tent yodeling to keep his spirits up and the bears away.  This behavior, however, could have been very dangerous, as his yodeling might have sounded like an injured animal to the bear and an easy meal.

            As stated before, for most recreational outings in most places, unless hunting is the main objective, firearms are usually dead weight.  If you feel you need to have a firearm when traveling in bear habitats, pack at least one gun big enough to kill a bear.  This means at least a 30‑06 caliber (7.62x 63 mm) rifle or a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with slugs.

            Due to the lack of penetration power of their ammunition handguns cannot be depended upon to provide protection from a bear.  The comparatively light weight 30‑30 Winchester rifle bullet and 20 gauge shotgun slugs both penetrate more soft tissue than a .44 magnum bullet fired from a handgun.  The authors must note that in many cases, shooting a charging bear does not always stop its attack or prevent the shooter from being mauled.  Also, keep in mind this important fact; if you shoot a bear the shooting must be reported to the nearest wildlife authority and you may be subject to an investigation.  If the shooting was found not to have been in self defense you are liable for arrest.  Another effective, but non-deadly way for the backpacking public to stop an aggressive bear is to use chemicals such as pepper spray.  This method usually stops a bear attack and it spares the life of the bear.  Pepper sprays also stop a criminal human attack and are legal in most places.

 

 

            “Even in the best and most peacefully civilized countries many occasions arise when a woman versed in the knowledge and use of firearms may find that information and skill of great importance.”

            - Annie Oakley

 

 

            Usually, if you don’t disturb the bears, the bears will not bother you.  Keep in mind that bears have the same eating habits as raccoons.  Both these creatures will locate and eat anything edible.  Thus, think of bears as 400 pound raccoons that can break into locked autos and strongly-constructed cabins in search of food.  If you feed bears, or leave food scraps from them to find, they will lose their incentive to find food on their own and become dependent on easy handouts from humans.  If such bears find people who have food and are unwilling to give the bear any, the bear will become dangerous and take the food it wants.  Thus, responsible campers get hurt or killed, while park rangers must put down these dangerous bears, just because of a few thoughtless people who thought it would be fun to feed the “cute” bears.  In other words, keep in mind the wisdom of “Live and Let Live,” as killing bears should only happen in regular hunting seasons as a part of wildlife management.

            Humans need responsible hunting, as well as the right to own and use firearms, to keep wildlife in balance with habitat.  The purpose of game management is to provide recreation, while protecting the resource.  In the Western States, when meat-eating predators were killed and hunting reduced, the number of deer increased to the point where they overtaxed their habitat and too many starved to death.  The pain and suffering these hungry deer experienced could have been avoided if both natural predators and human hunting had controlled deer population numbers in the first place.  These starving deer also destroyed backyard gardens, farmers’ crops, and young trees, causing the loss of millions of dollars to the American economy each year.

 

 

            “A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.”

            - Frederick Douglass, famed civil rights leader in 1867, in response to post-Civil War segregation laws

 

 

            Always remember that firearms are dangerous tools.  There is no such thing as a safe firearm.  For anyone to use firearms with safety and proficiency requires comprehensive instruction from a qualified coach.