Several weeks ago, a Dream I had inspired this Survival / Extrication Scenario.

In it, -I was in a scrubby, abandoned lot, kind of area. Scattered thruout, were a dozen or more small, (2 to 3 square foot), deep (100 feet plus) ,square to rectangular, "Person Sized" old Drill Holes. Many were rather difficult to readily see!, -obscured by grass clumps, etc. I was walking through thinking, -"Gosh!, -Watch it!, -Sure Don't want to Fall in one of those things!" They happened to be of Soil / Subsoil, -Not Rock or Sand, -all the way down.

In the Dream, I gathered a few old concrete blocks and stuff, -and set them around some of the Holes. As at least some rudimentary Safety Precaution, -for the Benefit of the Next Person walking on thru there.

There was also little to no water in the bottom of many of them. But it was Wet and Damp down there, -not dry. I could so see these Characteristics in the Dream, -though in Real Life, -unless Illumination was more or less from Overhead, -one probably couldn't so see the bottom.

Such are the Background Data and Circumstances of this Predicament.

The Predicament concerns what would happen, -and what one should Best Do, -should one fall in to such a Hole.

I am assuming for Discussion's Sake here, -that one is Not Injured, -or at least Not Prohibitively Injured, -by such a Fall. Injuries could of course Prohibit, -or Greatly Complicate or "Difficultize", one's Extrication Attempt.

My Dream Inspired me to Ask, -What would be the Best Ways of Dealing with this? What would be the Best Ways of Getting oneself back Up and Out!?

Some Possibilities that I have Come Up with, include,-

1). Keep Cutting or Shaving areas of the Wall about Hand / Torso / Head or just Above Head Height, -and continually let such build up beneath your feet. You should eventually be able to so get yourself Up to the Top, and Out.

2). Continually Dig Out Handholds and Footholds for yourself, -if Properly and Judiciously Done, -this should also be a Way of Getting oneself Up and Out!

Of course a potential Disadvantage here, with this second method, -is that if you again Fall before being able to Reach the Top, -you *Don't* have that cushion of Soil, beneath your feet! Sure some would have fallen from the Handholds you Carved Out, -but this would be Far Below! This Danger would be All the More Likely, -the Higher Up you are! If still uninjured after such a fall, -or at least not prohibitivly Injured, -you still do have your earlier excavated Handholds to work with. You won't have to repeat such work, -until you reach the point where you had your "Second Fall Mishap". And you can always yet happen to Fall again!

Between the two methods, -I would opt for the first! That of Steadily and Methodically Scraping Soil under my feet, -gradually elevating myself Upward in the process. One need Not worry about Re-Falling!, -through X amount of Space!

It is Easier and Safer to "Foot-Raise" yourself by my First Method, -over the Greater Danger, Difficulty, and Liklihood, -of Trusting the Integrity of Dug Out Handholds and Footholds. Especially in the Pure Soil Conditions, -of which I speak.

Timewise, -there may be some Difference between the two methods, -but I don't think that it really need be too much!

Once again, -the Pits that I am speaking of, -are of Soil, -Not Rock or Sand. And Not Waterlogged or Filled, -but also Not Dry.

I've thought of another Possible Method or Two, -but they at the moment escape me. They're essentially Variations or Adjustments, -on my above mentioned methods. Be they these Methods or Variations, -or other ones that I havn't even thought of, -There well could be such *Other* Methods of Extrication, -from such a Situation and Hole. Perhaps some of you can Shed some Additional Light here.

And while at it, -What sorts of Survival and etc, -Dreams may some of you, -have had!? What "Deal With it or Extrication" Thoughts, -may have such Prompted or Inspired?! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]

It's since occurred to me, that in exiting such a hole by the transferring of Wall Soil beneath your feet, of a method, -that you Won't have a Straight (if a bit Wider), -of a Shaft once you're out. It would rather have something of a Funnel, or Inverted Cone, -Shape.

What and Why? -Because as you remove surrounding Wall Soil, -to transfer beneath your feet, -You thereby have a Wider Shaft to *Later* Fill beneath your feet, -once you reach that Higher Point in the shaft. This will require even more surrounding soil, (at this Higher Level), -to be scraped off, and emplaced below your feet. And with a bigger volume of Space to now fill, beneath your feet, -such extra "Scrapeage", -will certainly be needed.

And onward it goes.

It may still be a Shallow Angled Inverted Funnel though, -not neccessarily a Wide Angled one. The whole expansion may be a Gradual Process. But there *Would* Neccessarily need to be some of this.

Also, your arms can only reach so high, -for your required increases in Dirt.

Additionally, -you can't make too much of an Indent in your Shaft, -Lest Undug Soil from Above, -begins Caving In, on you!

So some Limitations could well come into play, -before you're safely and successfully able to Extricate yourself from such Hole / Shaft. But let's hope that they are not Prohibiting Limitations.

It would be Interesting if someone could Run a Computer Sim on this, -to see wheter or not such Extrication can actually be done, -from such Soil Conditions, Shaft Width, and Depth.

If the "Prohibiting Point" *Doesn't* come, however, -before one arrives at or near the Top, -then one Can successfully Extricate themself Out, -by this method.

But rather than a simple, Straight Shaft method of extrication, however, -the Hole's Shape after all is done, -will again and Neccessarily, -be something of an Inverted Cone or Funnel.

This I think is one of the Variations, -of which I was speaking of, in my original post on the topic.

As Long as one can Still Get themself Up Out of that Hole! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> -The Method would be Good Enuff! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]