Frontier Survival

[Tsalagidave]

I took some family members out on a hike and we were talking about a young couple of hikers that recently got lost in the area and nearly died of thirst before being found by rescue trackers. My sister in law, Carla took some photos and I thought I'd share them on the site.
First, water is fairly easy to find. Out in the open, a green-belt (green plants, grass or trees) will contrast against the drab, waterless landscape is a dead giveaway that water is near the surface and almost certainly accessible with even the crudest digging tools. More than likely, these spots will be at the low points of dry stream beds or even in the form of Artesian wells in the sides of mountains, hills, ravines or canyons. Below are pictures of green grasses that are a clear indicator of water no more than 18" below the surface. Another dead-giveaway would be moist sand. Notice the picture that brushing away the top layer of the sand reveals the dark-colored damp sand beneath.

I grabbed a piece of deadfall just feet from the stream bed and it served nicely as a hoe to dig with to reach the water in seconds. This goes to show that there isn't a real need to pack a pick and shovel any time you take to the trail when nature-made tools are readily at hand.

As you widen the hole, the waterlogged sides will continue to fall in. I would say that its best to keep digging until you have a basin about 1-2 meters across. (Mine was only 18" just for show.) Eventually, you'll want to shore up the sides. An easy way is either to line it with fabric held in place by wooden staves or by weaving thin branches into a basket-work to line the sides of your basin.

[Tsalagidave]

Purification: I have drunk out of quite a few streams without suffering any ill effects but it does not mean that I still wasn't taking a risk. First, we live in developed countries with sanitary levels that leave our systems even less accustomed to deal with the heightened levels of bacteria as it was back then. Second,  even then food and water borne illnesses still took a very high toll back then. A good period way is to first let the water settle. This happens when it becomes clear after letting it stand for about a half hour. Your basin should be roughly 3' wide by about 12-18+ inches depth of water at the bottom. (Hence the need to shore the sides as you may have to dig down a couple of feet.) When you draw this water, I recommend boiling it while taking off any scum that may gather at the surface. Sweeten it with a touch of white lye ash from your campfire. This is an additional purifying agent that will ensure that you are taking a safe drink.

[Tsalagidave]

Standing water: The water in this picture (photographed further upstream) is so cool and clear. However, it is also stagnant and loaded with organic material. Even if you boil it, there is a good chance that the poisonous waste products of microorganisms may still make you sick. As a rule of thumb, it is safer to dig a well near a water source instead of trying to drink straight out of the pool, lake, etc.

[Shotgun Franklin]

There are some people who can do fairly well out in the wild and there are some who can't. I guess it's been that way since the Garden of Eden. I'm guessing there are foks who can survive better in New York City and some who can't. We seem to revere people who can find and use water in the woods and maybe slight the guy that knows how to get home on the Subway at Midnight in a big City. They are both types of survival.

[Tsalagidave]

There are some people who can do fairly well out in the wild and there are some who can't. I guess it's been that way since the Garden of Eden. I'm guessing there are foks who can survive better in New York City and some who can't. We seem to revere people who can find and use water in the woods and maybe slight the guy that knows how to get home on the Subway at Midnight in a big City. They are both types of survival.

I don't think many if any here would have anything against a guy who can survive in a tough neighborhood. It's just not that relevant in an outdoors / 1800s orientated site. Funny you used subways as an example. As a teen I was in the Guardian Angles; I learned a thing or 2 about subways.

-Dave

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings My Good Tsalagidave -

Thanks for the topics, it is not an easy chore to keep coming up with new subjects for discussion or pontification!

re: subways -
I once was in Vienna ( my only time out-of-country, sent on the company's dime for specialized training) on the subway and saw a nice young lady get on holding what looked exactly like a tomahawk "at the ready" ( it could have been a Norsky hand axe...) which seemed
to keep everyone away from her.

I myself relied upon my winning smile.

re: water -
In these modernisch times it is not difficult to drop a "sippin filter straw" in one's kit. But in days of yore one could replicate it nicely with one's bandanna, some sand, and charcoal from the fire. Many of us have filtered agua with the old bandana, but in order to purify it one need only hang the kerchief in a stick frame (to form a  makeshift a funnel), add a handleful of clean sand and top that with a layer of pulverized charcoal.  Slowly add water and the charcoal purifies the water whilst the sand filters out the charcoal and you get a slow drip from the bottom of your kerchief. Bear in mind this is not "ultimate purification" and micro-organisms (such as giardia) may still pass thru ....

I believe it was Leonardo DaVinci who used a series of layers or  beds of charcoal , gravel, and sand to purify the drinking water for the city of Venice.

yhs
prof marvel