you know and I always carry a SAK saw. Dont know why I didnt use it this time.
It's okay, we all do it eventually. About 20 years ago I darn near took off my left thumb. Took some ER time and some stitches to close it up, hurt my pride as much as anything else. I felt like a real idiot doing it to myself. Important thing is to learn from our mistakes and don't do "that" again!
But I'm glad you posted it, as chilling as the photo is. Gave me the willies, I'll admit, but it made me think of something that had been rattling around my mind about choppers and saws in the role of survival.
Being a semi-old fart getting on in years, I don't have some of the hand strength I had years ago. Arthritus in some of my knuckles as well as a screwed together rotator cuff in my right shoulder makes heavy chopping a sometimes painfull thing. I wonder if under some conditions a saw would not be a better tool for some. It takes alot less strength and hand/eye co-ordinatiion to use a saw, if somewaht less romantic. Older folks, or somebody injured or exhausted, or cold, there is a safty factor in a saw. Fiskars, Opinel, Silky, and others make colapsing saws compact enough to fit in a survival kit, yet with some real ripping teeth that go through wood like a crazed beaver. Even if I keel over with a M.I., even my wife can saw back and forth with the saw in her PSK, and get a shelter up, or firewood cut to short lenghts that can be battoned with a mora or other small fixed blade.
I know that sometimes on our colder weather canoe or kayak outings, my hands have been cold enough that I don't know if I would have liked to handle a hatchet or large chopper. Your leg is a very unfortunate, but vivid example of just a split seconds mistep. Food for thought here.
Again, may you have a speedy and total recovery sir.
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