- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
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- 2,373
I got out this week to run two guys up into the hills of Minas Gerais for some mountain survival practice. The mountains here run up to a little over 6000 feet in my area. In the winter it will get down below freezing, but even in the summer the temps get down to about 50 on top and there is usually dense fog, high wind, and driving rain. There is also very little if anything to burn up there (what is there is soaking wet) so it isn’t a place you want to stay overnight.
Renato - I had them cut poles in a small forest in the valley as they are hard to come by up top. Straight poles are a great aid to making shelters up there.
Valcione - These packs look large but they are basically empty. They are only carrying about 15 lbs of gear on the trip.
Since this was the first time for both of these guys up in the higher elevations (Renato’s first time in the bush ever). I had decided to have them camp together under a large rock overhang, halfway to the top, that I have used many times before. We got there and the wind direction was such tat it wasn’t as protected as we were hoping. Since the second night we were going to make individual shelters anyway we decided to spread out and find our own locations
I knew of a cave nearby where I had sheltered from a storm before but had never considered sleeping there. I headed over there to see if it was adaptable. I needed something quick as I had to spend time talking them both through setting up their shelters. The cave had a nice flat section in the front. I tested the ground with my machete. It was made of dirt interspersed with large flat flakes that had come off the ceiling but was large enough to sleep one, six foot, American. I sent them off to scout out locations and see what they could come up with as I quick dug out the floor to level and determined that I could come back and set myself up without too much trouble.
Prepping the cave floor, I used a 12 inch Tramontina. Did it dull the edge? Yes, but that’s what the Ez-Lap is for.
Valcione had found a huge rock overhang about 50 meters away and uphill with a small body-shaped cleft in the rocks. The mountain had burned last year and the cleft was filled with dry ashes, a very good sign in rainy season. On a sloping shelf above his sleeping area there was a large rock resting there. This thing was a widow-maker for sure. I gave it a tug and it came down right where his head was going to spend the night. He set about chopping and digging to adapt that space.
I found Renato still searching for a spot and led him to a place I had found last year and had planned to use myself this trip. It had a long rock wall with another rock that formed a ”L” and was a very good windbreak. The flat spot in front of it could be covered over with a poncho and a contractor bag or two to make a very good shelter given the prevailing winds.
For shelter resources they each had a bivy sack, tropical bag, cordage, and a poncho as well as a 55 gallon contractor bag as a reserve. This is the minimum I recommend for a day hike up in the hills here. For bedding they had to make a mattress of grass.
More to come...
Renato - I had them cut poles in a small forest in the valley as they are hard to come by up top. Straight poles are a great aid to making shelters up there.
Valcione - These packs look large but they are basically empty. They are only carrying about 15 lbs of gear on the trip.
Since this was the first time for both of these guys up in the higher elevations (Renato’s first time in the bush ever). I had decided to have them camp together under a large rock overhang, halfway to the top, that I have used many times before. We got there and the wind direction was such tat it wasn’t as protected as we were hoping. Since the second night we were going to make individual shelters anyway we decided to spread out and find our own locations
I knew of a cave nearby where I had sheltered from a storm before but had never considered sleeping there. I headed over there to see if it was adaptable. I needed something quick as I had to spend time talking them both through setting up their shelters. The cave had a nice flat section in the front. I tested the ground with my machete. It was made of dirt interspersed with large flat flakes that had come off the ceiling but was large enough to sleep one, six foot, American. I sent them off to scout out locations and see what they could come up with as I quick dug out the floor to level and determined that I could come back and set myself up without too much trouble.
Prepping the cave floor, I used a 12 inch Tramontina. Did it dull the edge? Yes, but that’s what the Ez-Lap is for.
Valcione had found a huge rock overhang about 50 meters away and uphill with a small body-shaped cleft in the rocks. The mountain had burned last year and the cleft was filled with dry ashes, a very good sign in rainy season. On a sloping shelf above his sleeping area there was a large rock resting there. This thing was a widow-maker for sure. I gave it a tug and it came down right where his head was going to spend the night. He set about chopping and digging to adapt that space.
I found Renato still searching for a spot and led him to a place I had found last year and had planned to use myself this trip. It had a long rock wall with another rock that formed a ”L” and was a very good windbreak. The flat spot in front of it could be covered over with a poncho and a contractor bag or two to make a very good shelter given the prevailing winds.
For shelter resources they each had a bivy sack, tropical bag, cordage, and a poncho as well as a 55 gallon contractor bag as a reserve. This is the minimum I recommend for a day hike up in the hills here. For bedding they had to make a mattress of grass.
More to come...
