Hi all,

I hesitated in posting the following story but after reading Xavier recent post and all the nice replies, I figured I would share it on the forum.

My career requires that I spend most work days in an outdoor rural to remote setting, being knowledgeable and equipped to survive has gotten me out of many difficult situations or at least given me the confidence to do my job effectively. But sometimes complacency sets in and you do something that breaks even your own rules of common sense, here is a personal example from a week ago.

I was working alone in a semi-remote area (rough gravel road into a logging clearcut) that I accessed by ATV, it was an overcast day about 15*c with occasional showers. On the ATV I had my large patrol pack that has all the gear I needed to spend a night out in reasonable comfort (like minimalist camping). It was late afternoon and I was trying to determine how to get to a small lake but the ATV trail ended and turned into a faint hiking trail. My new GPS showed that the lake was not far so I left the ATV (with my pack, coat, raingear, axe, shelter, PLB, Sat phone, water, food, etc on it) and headed down the trail with just what I had on me.

I hiked for about a 1.5 kilometres but the trail only linked up to a swampy creek that flowed into the lake which was still a further kilometre to the south. I decided that it was getting late in the day for bushwacking and started back out the little trail toward my ATV. The trail was marked with small pieces of blue flagging tape and as dusk came on I had difficulty seeing them in the dense bush. In the area of a flowing stream I lost the trail and started circling trying to find it, the bush was very thick and I fell 3 times on the slippery rocks in the creekbed. After about 30 minutes of searching it was sunset and I had to make a decision, to Stay or Go?

I remembered the most basic survival training (the same one I have taught kids), S.T.O.P. so I sat down on a log and thought for a moment. I sure wished I had some of the items that were strapped to my ATV but I did have with me my work tools and my EDC survival items; folding knife, multi-tool, compass, fire-starter, whistle, 2 way radio, cell phone, flashlight and a mini-survival kit based on Doug Ritter's homemade one. I had filed a detailed work plan for the day so co-workers knew where I would be and I may have been able to call out with the radio or cell phone.

My GPS showed that there was a logging road 800m to my west and the creek that I had found earlier was 400m to my east, I had neglected to log my ATV in as a waypoint (duh) but knew it was approximately 1000m north of me. I decided to walk the small stream east to the swampy creek as I remembered that the trail came very close to the edge of it. I walked the north side of the stream using my flashlight in the hope that I might by-chance pick-up the lost trail. Sure enough after about 200m I found a small piece of flagging tape that linked to the trail I had hiked in on and within 20 minutes I was back at the ATV (whew).

This is a small example (I was only turn-around for about 45 minutes) of where a brief lapse in judgement lead to an unplanned, although not very serious event (still enough to give me that knot in your stomach feeling). One of the times that I fell on the rocks while searching for the trail I hit a nylon carrier on my belt hard enough to smash it, an impact a little higher or lower and the situation could have been much more serious.

I learned from this experience (and a similar occurence last summer) that I need to make my main pack more modular so I can remove a fannypack sized kit from it to take with me on these impromptu excursions (I was seriously lacking a shelter component). I also need to learn more patiences, I tried to rush this job at the end of the day so I would not have to travel back to the area a second time, my haste almost cost me a wet night in the bush, my family/co-workers unneeded worry and perhaps worse.

Please feel free to reply to this post, your input is always appreciated.

Mike

You did the right thing with STOP. One year, I was hunting, maybe 600 yds from the house we stay at - come nightfall, I got turned around for about 10 minutes - and I've hunted that spot for oh, 25-30 years

Good job, SwampDonkey.

"...I left the ATV (with my pack, coat, raingear, axe, shelter, PLB, Sat phone, water, food, etc on it)..."

That pretty much says it all. Glad you had the GPS, and the presence of mind to stop and think. And next time I'll bet that you mark the location of the ATV in the GPS...

I agree that you should layer your gear. Rather than having a single large backpack, take a duffel bag as your main gear bag (which stays with the ATV) and a smaller backpack such as a Camelback Rim Runner or Alpine Explorer as a walking kit. The walking kit should be light enough that you have no rational excuse to leave it behind; its primary job is to get you back to the ATV, even if that might be the next morning. Sounds like you had a good experience.

I second RAS's post -- make a pack so small you always carry it. (camelbak HAWG or MULE?)

teacher

PS You might also get in the habit of leaving a note ON the ATV as to where you are going --e.g Its noon on the 24th, I'm going up to the top of the ridge, back at 1400.

I've done the same thing while scouting for trailheads. Sometimes they're overgrown with bush at the side of a road, and there are lots of game trails and false leads. I don't want to scramble through this scrub with full pack for nothing. So the pack stays in the car because I'll be back in ten minutes. In theory. Problem is, trails lead me forward, not back. One trail leads to another, and next thing I know I'm 20-30 minutes in with basically no gear. Not great.

Sounds like you've thought the matter through. An oversize fanny pack is the way to go. I'm currently testing a big one from MEC (6 litres of storage with external water bottle carriers). I got used to always having a handy pack like this while travelling -- it contained my essentials and my travel documents. I call it the "football" (IIRC that's the Secret Service nickname for the briefcase with the nuke launch codes).

BTW: I've only been badly turned around once, while bushwhacking. I would have bet any amount of money that my compass was wrong. I had to sit down, have a bit of water and a snack, and talk myself through it. These days, before a trip, I check my compass against a known north-south road. That way I won't question the compass in the bush.

Yes, this is a typical we have all been there story. It reinforces my determination to always have my gear with me, no matter how small the trip into the bush may be.

I was a land surveyor in the Northwoods of Maine for many years. The blue flagging is easily lost in the shadows. Our crews found what we took to calling "passionate pink" ribbon to be the most easily visible and so we nearly always used that over any other color.

I went with the Rim Runner. The Mule would carry water and some small essentials, but not much else. RR carries the small essentials plus more water (I added a quart nalgene bottle), a stainless steel cup (nalgene is nested in the cup), MSR Pocket Rocket and fuel cannister, sil-nylon tarp, Thermo-Lite Bivvy, para cord. It's light and carries very easily.

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the nice words, information and "been there - done that" replies.

I added my mini-survival kit to my work belt about 2 years ago for just the situation I found myself in last week (e.g. walk away from my vehicle for a moment to check something out and get lost or injured in the process). As I sat on that log in the bush last week contemplating spending the night my mini-kit looked very, very small.

I agree with those who posted that I need a mid-sized day hiking kit, it will include items not found in my mini-kit or EDC like shelter, first aid, water and food plus expand on the fire, light, signaling, navigation and mulit-purpose items/tools. I need to keep this kit light (5 to 10 pounds) so I am not tempted to leave it behind and it needs to be carried in a high backpack so it does not interfer with my work belt or backrest on the ATV or snowmobile.

This kit would be extremely important if I sink my snowmobile through the ice and only make it to shore with the equipment on me, I have done that before and it was a very cold experience. Lucky both times I was working with a partner and we doubled out on his machine back to the truck.

I liked the "note on the ATV" idea and may even call the new day kit the "Football" just to remind me of its importance.

I cannot see me stopping the way I like to explore in the bush (I have been turned around many times) so I will just have to modify my equipment carry and reevaluate my tactics for finding my way back out (e.g. study GPS manual).

I appreciate all your input.

Mike

P.S. Concerning water bladder type packs, what happens to them in very cold weather; do the keep working because of body heat, freeze-up, or freeze and expand to the point of bursting? I have no experience with this tye of water system.