Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
thriving under the changing conditions of modern society as they are for dealing with emergen-
cies. Physically prepared people tend to have supplies on hand to deal with emergencies and re-
spect their bodies enough to maintain some kind of physical conditioning, so their bodies can
perform when needed.
Being prepared is about being mentally and physically prepared to cope with things that
you hope and pray will never happen. With luck, you will never need any of the information in
this chapter, but just in case, here it is.
Survival Strategies
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Twenty years ago, I nearly made a tragic mistake while trekking solo through the High Sierra Mountains during a severe
snowstorm. I started this trip dressed in a wool sweater and a pair of pile pants. Heavy snow and high winds settled
in about a half hour after leaving the trailhead. I was moving quickly, and my body temperature stayed pretty warm
for most of the next hour. Initially, I delayed putting on additional clothing because I wanted to avoid overheating and
consequently drenching my clothes with sweat. As I got wetter and colder, I delayed because I knew that as soon as I
stopped moving and took my pack off my sweaty back, the icy winds would make me feel miserably cold. I was hoping
for a break in the winds, but they only grew stronger. When I finally stopped to put my gloves and coat on, I realized
that I had a serious problem. Even though my body core felt just a little cool, I was shocked to find that my hands had
chilled to the point where they were numb and nearly useless. They felt like lumps of clay. The winds had picked up to
about 60 miles per hour, blasting snow onto my hands and face. I realized that it was absolutely critical that I get myself
into protective clothing, but my fingers were unable to work the zippers, straps, and buckles on my pack. After fifteen
minutes, using my teeth and near useless hands, I managed to open my pack and remove my mittens and coat. During
this time, I started to shiver violently, but I knew that if I gave up, I would lose my fingers to frostbite and might perish
in the snow. I managed to slip my coat on, but it took another ten minutes of warming my hands in my armpits before I
could work my mittens over my fingers. I am an experienced mountaineer. It was very sobering to see how close I had
come to disaster through procrastination and ignoring a few simple signs!
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That day, I committed two common blunders that nearly led to my demise. First,
I failed to re-
act quickly to rapidly changing conditions
, and second,
I failed to conserve my resources
. In
emergencies, it is often vitally important to
conserve what you have
. In this case, I failed to
conserve body heat. In spite of the wind and snow, I was moving rapidly and felt that I was
generating enough body heat from exercise, but I was wrong. Many people facing emergencies
squander their resources in the first few hours. Expecting a speedy rescue, they thoughtlessly
consume their available food and water supplies before the reality of their situation sets in.
Wasted resources can also include fuel, physical energy, health, and dry clothing. It is usually
easier to conserve the resources at your immediate disposal than to find new ones.
The original twenty-eight survivors of the 1972 airplane crash in the Andes Mountains
(made famous by the topic and the movie
Alive
) also squandered their resources in the first few
