A Post That May Save Your Life....

[catnhatnh]

...As you can tell from my sig line I live in New Hampshire where this time of the year can bring major swings in the weather. My morning paper (the Union Leader-UGH) carried the story of a 41 year old hunter whose body was found yesterday less than 48 hours after he went out to hunt.At the time he left it was sunny and sixty and he wore a sweatshirt and camo jacket.The paper noted him to be an "avid hunter and savvy woodsman, yet he carried no survival gear.Evidence from the scene indicates that after becoming lost in a remote area 5 miles from his cabin and recognizing the onset of hypothermia (temps in the mid 20's and snowing) he shot himself in the head his first night out.
Last month a 50-odd year old man described in the paper as an "experienced seaman" was swept into the sea from his 41 foot sloop as he sailed her toward his winter storage yard.No life jackets were found on the sloop-it is believed they were removed for indoor winter storage.
Thru this winter I can expect 3-6 more stories of people ranging from "savvy and experienced" to "first time or amateur" to be killed in encounters, planned OR unplanned, with mother nature.So to my point-now is the time to prepare yourself, your car, and your home for unforeseen circumstances.
Prepare yourself-Know the three day weather forcast for your area before any plans are made and consider whether your plans outweigh the possible consequences.Be sure your clothing is appropriate for any extended outdoor stay.
Prepare your car-Have a basic winter check-up of belts, hoses, antifreeze, etc when you have your snow tires mounted.Throw a sack of sand (traction) and a shovel (snowbanks) in the trunk.Add a warm change of clothes and a blanket.Really anal???Add a little emergency food supply, a knife,A cheap blue plastic tarp,a hatchet,a length of rope and NEVER-NEVER leave home without waterproof matches, a cigarette lighter, or some other method to start a fire-the hunter in the mountain died for lack of a 99 cent Bic!
Prepare your home-For the loss of normal utilities that can come on suddenly and last several days-When the power goes down you may lose them all...many furnaces will NOT function without electricity and with the loss of heat your pipes can freeze within hours denying drinking water.So be sure to have A.Flashlights,lanterns, and candles.B.An alternative source of home heat that is independent of electrical supply.C.Sufficient bottled or otherwise stored drinking water and food for at LEAST one week.Keep in mind that with the freakish weather patterns we are experiencing due to global warming INCREASE-not preclude the chances of a week long blizzard coming between you and the grocery store.
Just my two cents worth.The deaths I started this post with happened to experienced people who KNEW better,but acted foolish and overconfident.Take time and precautions now 'cuz later is too late...good luck.

PS:A working cellphone might have saved BOTH of them.

[flowomo]

1. remember that story from some years ago in Maine...

where a woman was hanging white mittens on the clothesline in her back yard and was shot dead by a hunter who mistook the mitten for the "white flag" of a raised deer tail? It's not only the hunters who have to be careful! But having once lived in Maine for many years, your comments on the changing weather are worth noting.

[Arugula Latte]

10. I visited relatives in Maine in fall and they couldn't go outside w/out

wearing orange. That is crazy! I could not live like that. Hunting and hunters -- bleah ...

[MisterP]

12. oh, that IS depressing

a lot of people agree with *'s dictum: If it lives, kill it.

[madrchsod]

2. here is a story you may have never

heard about. happened nov 11 1940.
http://www.midkydu.org/storm.txt
storm.txt

[cdsilv]

4. 99 cent bics are really handy....

I used to carry a couple in a ziploc in my pocket when spelunking (cave exploring), when the flashlights dimmed, or the miner's carbide lantern had dissolved its last calcium carbide (I think that's what it was, rock that gave off hydrogen when mixed with water), the bics would get us OUT of the cave....

[mokawanis]

3. Excellent advice. Also should remember to

be prepared as far as clothing goes. Having good raingear can make all the difference. If you get cold AND wet you can really get in trouble fast. There's an excellent and inexpensive book available on Amazon called "The Secrets of Warmth", written by Hal Weiss. Great tips on being prepared for nasty weather and what to do if you aren't prepared and get caught in a bad situation.

[TeeYiYi]

5. Thanks catnhatnh . . .

. . . for reminding me that it's past time to winterize.:hi:

TYY:kick:

[sandnsea]

6. And buy a fire extinguisher

It's used to get you out of the house alive.

[catnhatnh]

7. Though my post is based on extreme outdoor conditions,

my intent is to have EVERYONE consider the possibility of being stranded by the cold...Of the 3-6 stories I can expect here this winter at least 1 or 2 will be stranded motorists and at least one will be someone who wanders away from their car on a remote road and becomes lost-the bodies are usually found within a half mile of the road....and I neglected to add in other deaths from wood stove fires and carbon monoxide poisoning from furnace malfunctions-Oh Yeah Guys-check your smoke detector and monoxide/oxygen depletion sensors and replace your batteries.Also for fun and safety,remember that cordless phones will NOT work during a power outage even if your phone lines are intact-keep an old fashion,cheap-ass, no feature phone either plugged in elsewhere in the house or with your emergency supplies.Did I forget to ask about your $1000 sound system???Well then add a cheap battery powered radio....You may not PLAY as extreme as my examples but you could die as quick....

[EFerrari]

26. I went on a disaster prep rampage last month

Got 2 radios that have big old lamps on them. They can be powered by batteries, solar, or cranking.

They each cost under $20!

It's not hard to plan to keep yourself safe. Great thread. :hi:

[MojoXN]

8. Great advice!

I think the first guy was just suicidal though.

MojoXN

[catnhatnh]

9. Possible....

...though we'll never know....I'll take my parables where I can find them.The thing that struck me was the juxtaposition between terms like savvy and experienced and the result of "sudden death".It kind of shook me from my complacency,since I had not bothered to really get winter ready yet...So while I prepare to heave my ass from my comfy computer chair, I thought I should kick a few friends loose too....

[no_hypocrisy]

11. And always check the air in your tires. Install a new battery is this is

the third year (even if it's a five-year battery). You want that engine to turn over in a pinch during freezing temps.

[murray hill farm]

13. lessons about survival!

a different climate, for sure...but some observations about living without the luxury of utilities. we lived here on isla mujeres for over ten days after the hurricane without utilities...and, for starters..u do not need electricity..not much at all...what u do need is a water source that is in addition to your regular water utility. u can keep warm..even in very cold conditions without heat too...i am from the upper penn of michigan..had a cabin on the lake..and would ski out there in the winter for a few days..no heat..and sooooooo cold that the walls were frozen through...i had some wool army blankets..and if you cover with them...u do stay amazingly warm. But back to today...it is water u cannot live without...u not only need it to drink, but to clean and to cook and to wash clothes and your own body..it is essential to survival. when i get back to georgia, one of the first things i will do is to put in a well in my back yard..with a hand pump..i do not ever want to be without water again..it is that essential to life. life without electricity even has its positive side..without a refrigerator, you just buy food fresh each day..a better way anyway..without electricity, you go to sleep when it gets dark and wake up when it becomes light again..it is in almost every way very easy to adjust to...the most difficult part is being cut off from information..but that too, is a calming thing after a while. i think we should all be prepared for the coming years in every way that we possibly can be...and i pass this on to you..it is water that is the most essential...not just bottled water, but a source in addition to the regular utililty source.

[catnhatnh]

16. Welcome Back, Mexicopat!!!

People have been asking for you,but I heard you survived OK and figured you would soon be back-again great to hear from you...while I agree water can be a #1 priority, my scenario (surrounded by/innundated with meltable snow) bumped heat and shelter up a notch.Thanks for sharing your insight into the real hardships drawn from true emergency conditions!

[murray hill farm]

18. Thanks for the welcome!

yeah..snow...melts to water..an excellent alternative..ha!

[EFerrari]

27. You're so right. It's about having water.

Putting our kit together, I got MREs because they don't need water. Stocked a two week water supply for 2 people amd 8 furry people. Got some tabs that kill most junk in water but still have no way to filter water.

We're two blocks from the beach, tsunami zone.

After what you and merh and Swamp Rat (and other DUers) went/ are going through, we became very serious about having "to go" packs and about planning to shelter in place. But, I don't see a way to get an alternate water source unless I figger a way to process sea water.

:hug:

[B Calm]

14. Last week I installed a new battery and checked anti freeze. The last

thing I want to do is change a battery when it's 20 below zero outside..

[Richard Steele]

15. This sounds abit fishy:

QUOTE: "recognizing the onset of hypothermia
(temps in the mid 20's and snowing)
he shot himself in the head his first night out."

C'mon, lots of folks have suffered hypothermia;
when have any of them comitted suicide as soon as they got chilly?

But that might be a different discussion, and I don't want
to sidetrack the thread.

The OP is discussing an important subject
so let me add my 2 cents:
All the supplies and gadgets in the world
are NOT as useful as KNOWLEDGE!

Spend a day some time Googling "survival tips", or
"wilderness survival", etc.
It's a fine use of your time.
If you ever find yourself lost and cold,
your brain will remember an AMAZING amount of that info.
And that info might not keep you clean and cozy,
but it will keep you ALIVE.

[catnhatnh]

17. OK...

your quote is MY paraphrasing,in the interest of accuracy the actual quote is;
"Last night, according to Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus, a medical examiner had determined that (Mr.) Young had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound,likely induced because of hypothermia.
"Because of the manner in which he was found,he was lost and hypothermic" Bogardus said. "We believe it happened on the first day he was lost, on Wednesday,because of the conditions in which he was found and that is what the medical examiner ruled."
Yeah-that is a discussion for another time...I just tried to use his tradgedy to prevent others.Your tip on survival sites is great and I believe I could use a brushing up-Thanks

[Richard Steele]

21. yeah, I said I didn't want to distract from your important point.

The details of his death should be on their own thread,
if they were important enough for DUers to care.

The point that EVERYONE should learn some basic 'survival' skills
is important to EVERYONE;
I apologize if my minor comment distracted anyone from the
serious point of this thread.

[catnhatnh]

22. Really, it was the gunshot wound...

...that caused enough dissonance to get me thinking....If he simply froze I probably would have passed right by...but the "surprise ending" took it from the realm of the normal (and forgettable),so I used it here to get others thinking...You gotta admit that EVERYONE pictured themselves lost in the snow and freezing,with a gun in their had and a choice on their mind...So if one reader here saves themselves from any grief than some good may come from what may otherwise be merely a comforting euphemism.
Anyhow off-post and point I noticed your sig-line Re: the torture photos...in other lines as best I can recall the government was given 20 days to appeal on Sept 29th which was later extended to Nov 14th.I saw no mention thru yesterday, so supposedly the close of business Monday would be the drop-dead date...here's to hoping....

[hlthe2b]

19. Yup...

Out in Colorado, we get these reminders almost nightly on local news--the kids skiing the early wet snows who owned avalanche beacons, but didn't have them with them (died), always those lost without gear, food, communication equipment... those caught in sudden storms.

The saying about weather in CO really applies: "don't like the weather now? Just wait a couple of hours..."


Amazing how many people become complacent.

[calimary]

20. Kicked and recommended. Where I come from, we call that an

earthquake-preparedness kit. Warm-weather style.

Worthwhile info - thanks for posting!

[catnhatnh]

23. Sneaky evening self kick.....

...No kidding,this stuff is important.I'll probably kick it in the morning,too....

[BrklynLiberal]

24. Thank you thank you thank you.

[FreedomAngel82]

25. How scary

Whenever I go somewhere I try to take the appropriate jacket and I always check the weather.

[catnhatnh]

28. Selfish self kick...

cuz I really do think this important...