Injury in the wild.

The rule, the way I hear it is, for hunt camp.

3 shots, just after dark, 1 minnute apart.

Not so much that everyone will reconize the 3 shots as a distress single, the people your hunting with should be on the same page.
 
Thanks for the support, guys, I appreciate it :)

HogFeet, thank you for the e-mail invite, I may just take you up on that. My tibia has a chronic non-union, but is healing verrrrrry slowly, so the ortho hasn't wanted to do the reconstruction, holding out for full, natural healing... it gets tedious, but I'm willing to listen to him. And you are absolutely right, it was miraculous in many ways. First, I didn't die - the boulder fell straight into me and threw me back against a boulder behind. I knew that if it fell into my head or torso, I would've been dead in the woods at the age of 24. Secondly, that I do have my leg and foot! Even the instructor who was with me said that my relative escape and recovery were miraculous :thumbup:

Concerning the distress number, "3" is the universal distress number. A triangle is the universal distress symbol/shape. However, not all people know this anymore. Building a triangle of fires, one on each corner is a decent visual signal. 3 short, sharp blasts blown repeatedly on a whistle are a decent auditory signal. You DO have a signal whistle on you, right? ;) Failing that, banging 2 rocks together in groups of 3, or hitting a hard stick against a rock or log, may get you some attention if someone is near enough to hear.
 
Trout Tamer said:
Concerning the distress number, "3" is the universal distress number. A triangle is the universal distress symbol/shape. However, not all people know this anymore. Building a triangle of fires, one on each corner is a decent visual signal. 3 short, sharp blasts blown repeatedly on a whistle are a decent auditory signal. You DO have a signal whistle on you, right? ;) Failing that, banging 2 rocks together in groups of 3, or hitting a hard stick against a rock or log, may get you some attention if someone is near enough to hear.
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SOS is easy with a whistle:
3 short bursts, then 3 long bursts, then 3 short bursts.

3 dots 3 dashes 3 dots

. . . _ _ _ . . .

With rocks or a hollow log, you can do 3 fast, 3 slow, then 3 fast, gives same idea. You can use a car horn too. you may not have enough battery to start the car, but the horn will still work for a while.
 
During today's hike I came across a very impressive pile of bear droppings!
First thing I thought was 9mm was a bad choice today. 10mm or bigger would have been a better choice. The black bear around here are usually not that big and scare off rather easily.
Then I was reminded of the old joke about 9mm glocks and polar bears:

A young hiker is in a general store in Alaska, about to go into the wilderness.
The young fella asks the old storekeeper, "is a good idea to bring his 9mm glock into polar bear country?" The old man tells the young man, "you should take the front sites off of the pistol before you go into bear country".
The young man is a bit puzzled and asks, "why take the front sites off"
The old man says, "that way, when the bear sticks the glock up your rear it won't hurt so much!"

I was in panther, hog, and bear country. I have never seen a panther in the wild (very rare), and the bear usually take off the second they see you. To me the scariest big animals here are the hogs, and the gators.

I wasn't mauled by anything today, but I was bitten a few times by mosquitos and got a few scrapes on my hands from thorns and such.
Long sleeves, bug repelent, head net, and walking stick are essential to minimize these minor nuissances. The one thing I forgot today was GLOVES!
When moving through thick brush like today GLOVES would have been nice to have.

One thorn got me between my fingers and I let out three short yells, three long screams, and then three more short yells!

This was only a short day hike. For longer hikes I carry steroid cream, antibiotic ointment and pills, antihistamines. Today just reminded me that infection in a swamp/ aquatic environment is also a concern for longer trips.
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That is quite the picture. Vibrant. Everything is very distinct.

Wonderful Flora,any pics of fauna?(Or her sister Donna.)
 
Kevin the grey said:
That is quite the picture. Vibrant. Everything is very distinct.

Wonderful Flora,any pics of fauna?(Or her sister Donna.)
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Thanks!

I did get some blurry pics of a black rat snake (not worth posting):thumbdn:

and I have a pic of some bear droppings (seemed like a good idea at the time):confused:

Sorry no pics of women today (it was not that kind of trip:) )

FYI the above pic is of the TRAIL (the good part)!:eek:

Lots of mud (this is the dry season... it is usually flooded in the summer), and lots of areas where the only way you can tell it is a trail is because there are sporadic blazes on some trees.
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Just a quick couple of notes":

I'm a climber and many European visitors consider a set of 6 as a distress signal, with a set of 3 as an answer.

Also, I think that in terms of preparation, it depends on what you are doing and what you expect to be able to accomplish regarding self rescue. For instance, soloing in the mountains can kill you. It's important to not fool yourself of what the possible outcomes are. Don't kid yourself - I don't.

To be truly prepared for every situation, would require that I carry so much gear, at which point the gear itself becomes a liability as it slows me down and makes me more succeptible to objective hazards (rockfall, weather, fatigue, etc)

Education, awareness, honesty with yourself regarding risk level, and skills practice are also key items to mention.

Cheers,
D
 
As a 16 year mountain biker I've injured myself on numerous occasions and have always managed to make it home. I've torn my rotator cuff 15 miles from the trailhead, landed on my face in Moab (ouch) and have gone nearly hypothermic riding down a mountain in a snowstorm. I carry the minimal survival gear, plus a little first aid and the rest of my riding equipment. Hopefully it will never happen, but my concern is either a broken leg or broken leg/broken bike that would cause me to spend the night outdoors. I carry a garbage bag, firestarter and knife. Since I stuff it all in a camelbak with clothes, water, food and bike repair gear I don't have much extra room. I don't carry much first aid, except for some pain meds, and antibiotic ointment, I'm better off treating the illness at home, or er.
 
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