- Joined
- Feb 19, 2000
- Messages
- 168
As Uncle Bill knows, I'm heavily involved in a local youth camp program (Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme) which gives teenagers from 14yo to 18yo, a chance to get out into the bush, learn some skills and develop self-confidence. Last weekend we had the first of our "Bush Survival" camps. This starts off with cold water survival (river swim - remember its still winter here in Australia) followed by talks/demo's on survival kits, fire-lighting, shelters, navigation, water proofing etc. The sort of basic bush-craft city kids will need to keep them going while hiking.
For the last 4 years I've never left for a camp without my trusty 15in AK strapped to the side of my day-pack. Its been used for normal camp chores, clearing bush, cutting a track during an evacuation exercise and occasionally digging. On Saturday it got its most vital test.
The river we use starts off in the High Country, at this time of year its just above freezing (around 40C/330F). For the swim we have at least 3 qualified lifeguards in wetsuits on stand-by with throwing ropes & flotation devices as well as a safety rope across the river a little down-stream. The current is mild but the centre section is over 2m (7 feet) deep and the river is around 15m wide. The participants are required to swim across & back.
On Saturday one of the girls got to the other side of the river but was suffering from cold so much that she was not able to make it back. The lifeguard on that side had gotten her out of the water, but she was in a bad way and needed warm, dry clothing.
The problem we were confronted with was this: About 50m up-stream there was a ford for vehicles with a locked gate on the other side. The road runs parallel to the river about 40m above the area we were using for the swim, unfortunately it snakes through the bush for about 2.5km (1.5 miles) and would take about 30min on foot to reach the swimmer. Alternatively, I knew of an old path that ran along the river bank about halfway between the river and the road, which would take about 10 min. to traverse. Given time was short it was clear that the path was the best option.
Carrying the girls' towel, jacket & dry shoes in my pack, I waded the river and set off along the trail, using my khuk to cut a path through the low scrub & blackberries that had started to overgrow it. To add to my difficulties, rain the night before had made footing on the bank (which was extremely steep - around a 70 degree incline) very slippery.
On three occasions I found washed-out sections where I had to drive my AK into the river bank, past the bend in the blade, to give me a handhold so I could extend my reach to get a new foothold or grab a rock or bush to continue on. Once while doing this the khuk was solid enough that it stopped me from sliding down the bank when my footing gave way (a rock was my other hold).
Once I had reached my destination we got the girl, who was still extremely cold, warm & fairly dry, used my khuk to cut her a walking stick from a sapling and slowly inched up the hill to the road, clearing scrub with the khuk all the way. From the road it was a simple walk back to the ford where a vehicle was waiting to get us back across and to a fire.
So there it is, having my khuk with me allowed me to get to a small problem before it became a big one, saved my hide at least once by providing a handhold when I slipped and was still sharp enough to keep clearing bush & cut a walking stick. Th AK came out of the whole thing very muddy, a few scratches on the blade but the edge was almost untouched. I got a lot of small cuts & scratches from the thorns & blackberries & the girl recovered quickly & complete the rest of the camp.
I don't have another knife (apart from my other HI khuks of course) that I believe that would have handled all of this.
Big thumbs-up Bill.
Andre
(edit for typo)
For the last 4 years I've never left for a camp without my trusty 15in AK strapped to the side of my day-pack. Its been used for normal camp chores, clearing bush, cutting a track during an evacuation exercise and occasionally digging. On Saturday it got its most vital test.
The river we use starts off in the High Country, at this time of year its just above freezing (around 40C/330F). For the swim we have at least 3 qualified lifeguards in wetsuits on stand-by with throwing ropes & flotation devices as well as a safety rope across the river a little down-stream. The current is mild but the centre section is over 2m (7 feet) deep and the river is around 15m wide. The participants are required to swim across & back.
On Saturday one of the girls got to the other side of the river but was suffering from cold so much that she was not able to make it back. The lifeguard on that side had gotten her out of the water, but she was in a bad way and needed warm, dry clothing.
The problem we were confronted with was this: About 50m up-stream there was a ford for vehicles with a locked gate on the other side. The road runs parallel to the river about 40m above the area we were using for the swim, unfortunately it snakes through the bush for about 2.5km (1.5 miles) and would take about 30min on foot to reach the swimmer. Alternatively, I knew of an old path that ran along the river bank about halfway between the river and the road, which would take about 10 min. to traverse. Given time was short it was clear that the path was the best option.
Carrying the girls' towel, jacket & dry shoes in my pack, I waded the river and set off along the trail, using my khuk to cut a path through the low scrub & blackberries that had started to overgrow it. To add to my difficulties, rain the night before had made footing on the bank (which was extremely steep - around a 70 degree incline) very slippery.
On three occasions I found washed-out sections where I had to drive my AK into the river bank, past the bend in the blade, to give me a handhold so I could extend my reach to get a new foothold or grab a rock or bush to continue on. Once while doing this the khuk was solid enough that it stopped me from sliding down the bank when my footing gave way (a rock was my other hold).
Once I had reached my destination we got the girl, who was still extremely cold, warm & fairly dry, used my khuk to cut her a walking stick from a sapling and slowly inched up the hill to the road, clearing scrub with the khuk all the way. From the road it was a simple walk back to the ford where a vehicle was waiting to get us back across and to a fire.
So there it is, having my khuk with me allowed me to get to a small problem before it became a big one, saved my hide at least once by providing a handhold when I slipped and was still sharp enough to keep clearing bush & cut a walking stick. Th AK came out of the whole thing very muddy, a few scratches on the blade but the edge was almost untouched. I got a lot of small cuts & scratches from the thorns & blackberries & the girl recovered quickly & complete the rest of the camp.
I don't have another knife (apart from my other HI khuks of course) that I believe that would have handled all of this.
Big thumbs-up Bill.
Andre
(edit for typo)
