The Ripple Effect

I grew up in western Pennsylvania where I spent a lot of my time out enjoying nature and learning about the intricacies of nature and how every living thing meshes together. My education began probably in 1950 and continues to this day. There are several ways of looking at nature, we can enjoy it, we can try to avoid it, and we can learn from it, we can exploit or abuse it, we can be good stewards of it and we can benefit from it. Think about your attitude towards nature and how you respond to it. Which way do you look at nature?

However you choose to look at nature, it has a ripple effect on your whole life. If you want to see the ripple effect in action go out to a pond on a still quiet windless day and just stand there quietly and just observe your surroundings by just using your senses. Do this for about thirty minutes, then pick up a large stone and toss it into the center of the pond. Then watch what happens as the ripples spread out across the surface of the pond. Those ripples have some effect, and touch everything in and around that pond. If you don’t believe me, then try it for yourself. Just the act of you picking up the stone and tossing it starts the ripples, before the stone lands in the water. If you were observant as you walked to the pond you would have seen the ripple effect that was set in motion as you approached the pond’s location.

Everyday of our life with everything we do or say, we set in motion ripples that will have an effect on our environment, our own lives, and the lives of all living things around us. Most of the time we have no idea of the ripple effects that we have caused. Inaction can also set in motion the ripple effect.

A kind word to a person can have a positive ripple effect in many lives in ways that you may never observe, but each ripple sets off another ripple. One harsh word said to someone could cause a disastrous ripple effect that could touch many lives. Ripples multiply and grow in strength, they can do good or harm.

On Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado we saw the culmination of a ripple effect that as yet we don’t know what set it  in motion, we know it took the lives of twelve people, and caused the wounding of 59 people. We may never know what set this off, but the ripples didn’t stop with the arrest of the person responsible.

If you aren’t aware of what’s going on in your surroundings and the rest of the world then you better quickly become aware. Think about what kind of effect that your actions are going to have on your section of the world. What kind of ripples are you setting in motion? Are they going to be beneficial or harmful to those around you? We are all going to be judged by our actions or our being inactive. The human race is collectively known as mankind. It’s time for us to start living up to the name. How about human-kind? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the word terrorist could be lost from the human language! Read Matthew chapter 5 verse 9 in the Bible, think of the ripple effect of that one verse.

The Choices We Make

The last time I posted was before I taught my Disaster Preparedness/Urban Survival Class. The class went really well. There were twenty-two students that attended. The students seemed to be enthusiastic about the information that was presented and all were excited about getting prepared to deal with disasters. I always see the same results in my classes, I just wonder how many follow up after the class and really do what needs to be done.

It all comes down to the choices that we make and the priorities that we set for ourselves. It affects every area of our lives in so many ways that we don’t even think about. Just the act of getting out of bed, puts you at risk later in the day. The choices we make throughout the day either increase or decrease the risk and possible dangers that we bring ourselves in contact with. We tend to live our lives with no regard to the many risks we encounter each day. Sometimes it comes down to a matter of timing; we see the accident occur right in front of us that we just missed because we eased off the gas for a few seconds. Then a week later you glance at something while driving and the car in front of you slows and you rear end them. Maybe you are walking down a trail, just enjoying nature when you watch a butterfly flit across the trail. Because your eyes are following the butterfly, you fail to see the rattlesnake coiled at the side of the trail at your feet. Is it fate, or was it your choice that you got bitten by the rattlesnake? Will the rattlesnake choose to rattle a warning or will it just bite? Will the snake choose to do a dry bite or inject venom into your leg?

Most of us get into trouble from the choices we make or because we choose to be unaware of what’s going on all around us. We need to become more aware of our surroundings and prepare, or suffer the consequences. We cannot choose to be innocent bystanders. What you don’t know can kill you!

Are You Ready?

The local authorities have just come through your neighborhood informing everyone that a disaster is about to strike and you must evacuate to a local shelter in the next 15 minutes. Nobody knows when you will be able to return home. You don’t know if your home will still be here whenever you are allowed to return. How long will it take you to gather up the supplies listed below? START NOW, YOU NOW HAVE TEN MINUTES! DID YOU PACK FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY? DOES YOUR VEHICLE HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO GET YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION?

How will you respond if this happens at 2:30 A. M.? How will you and your children respond if one parent is at home or running errands and one parent is at work and the children are at two different schools? What happens if you have a child at home alone?

Come to my Disaster Preparedness/ Urban Survival class to learn how to do this.

EVACUATION PACKS

Listed below are some suggested items to have in and Evacuation Pack. You should have one pack for each person. These packs should be filled long before a disaster occurs. Your Evacuation Packs are then to be kept in a place where they can quickly be picked up in case of a sudden evacuation. I suggest that you have these packs made up and kept in your home, your vehicle, at your work place, or at your business, and one for each child at their school. The reason for this is that you don’t know where you or your children will be when disaster strikes. Each person is to be responsible for their packs. They should know the contents of their packs, and know how to use the contents of their packs. Each pack should be designed for the person who has that pack. the contents of the pack must be age appropriate for the person who will use that pack.

This list is far from complete, these are only suggestions to prepare you if you suddenly need to leave home during an evacuation.

PERSONAL CLOTHING

•   Hat
•  Sturdy shoes
•  Hooded jacket
•  Rain gear
•  Long pants, one pair of shorts
•  Long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirts
•  Underwear and socks, three pair
•  Large bandanna

PERSONAL GEAR

• Soap, washcloth, towel
• Toothbrush, toothpaste,mouthwash, floss
• Deodorant, comb, brush, unbreakable mirror
• Shampoo, lip balm, shower shoes
• Foot spray, shaving cream, razor and blades
• Feminine hygiene products
• Toilet paper, laundry detergent
• Sunscreen, insect repellent
• Extra medications, extra eyeglasses
• Prescription medications

SURVIVAL ITEMS

• Personal first-aid kit
• Knife, multi-tool, headlamp, extra bulb, batteries
• Compass and area map- good quality, topo map
• Whistle
• 72 hour supply of food and water, high nutrition snacks
• Tarp- 8 ft. x 10 ft.
• Paracord-20 ft.-50 ft.
• Canteen, water purification tablets or pump & filter
• Waterproof matches, water proof container
• Three methods for starting a fire, dry tinder
• Duct tape, safety pins, sewing kit, extra shoelaces
• Notebook, pens and pencils, reading material
• Cook kit (nesting type), eating utensils, drink cup
• Inflatable pillow, good quality space blanket
• Cell phone & charger
• Extra money, concealed

IMPORTANT PAPERS AND INFORMATION

• Drivers license, insurance information, for health, home and vehicles
• Real estate and vehicle titles
• Birth certificates, social security cards, passports, marriage certificates
• School records, health, medical and immunization records
• Credit cards, loans, mortgage, bank, and employment information
• MAKE COPIES OF ALL IMPORTANT PAPERS AND CERTIFICATES AND STORE THEM AND THE ORIGINALS IN A SAFE PLACE THAT YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO AT ALL TIMES. PHOTOGRAPH YOUR VALUABLE POSSESSIONS.

Children in the Wilderness

Going on a trip into a wilderness area with  your children can be a rewarding and a learning experience, for you as a parent, and also for each of your children. But because this is a different environment than what you experience at home, there are new risks involved. You,as the parent or adult leader, are the one who is responsible for the care and safety of each child in your family or group. Each time you take a child into a wilderness area, or a different environment, take the time to discuss possible safety issues, and to establish some common sense rules to help avoid any known hazards. As a parent or group leader it is your responsibility to make yourself and the group become aware of the possible dangers that you could run into on your outing. Each adult in the  group has the same responsibility for the safety of the children. The rules you establish must be followed by both adults and children. If an adult bends the rules, the children will quickly do the same.

Preparing you and your children ahead of time could help prevent a family tragedy. You do not have to be many miles from civilization to find yourself or one of your children in trouble. It could happen in a local park, or maybe some location that your family has gone to for many years. You, as an adult and as a parent, are responsible for your children and their actions. No parent wants to experience the anguish or anxiety of having a child injured or missing. Make the time to teach the rules and the reasons for them, repeat this often during your trips to keep them fresh in everyone’s mind.

Establish a buddy system between all of the children. Then have each adult be responsible for a small group of buddies. The first rule you need is to have a good ratio of adults to be able to supervise the number of children in the group.I would recommend a ratio of one adult for every three children. This is a minimum and would depend on the ages of the children and what types of activity you are doing and the location. I offer classes on wilderness and urban survival for families. Below is a list of suggested survival safety rules that I teach in those classes.

1. Always provide adult supervision
2. Always do what adults tell you as long as it does not put you in danger
3. Always have your children wear bright colored clothing, no camouflage or drab colors
4. Always keep your children in sight
5. Provide your children with an age appropriate survival kit. Train them how to safely use the contents of each kit.
6. Always be aware of your surroundings
7. Never go anywhere without telling an adult where you are going
8. Never go anywhere alone, even in a campground
9. Never leave the trail
10. Never run ahead of the group
11. Never lag behind the group
12. Never wander around after dark
13. Always be knowledgeable of the possible dangers of the area you plan to be in. Explain these dangers to your children and teach them how to respond to those dangers.
14. Train your children how to respond if they become lost.
15. Know how you, as an adult, should respond should a child become lost.
16. NEVER PANIC
17. NEVER HIDE FROM SEARCHERS
18. Never stop without telling someone
19. If you think you are lost, STOP, DO NOT WANDER AROUND UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO GET BACK. (children should wait for someone to find them, and use the whistle in their survival kit to attract attention)
20. Have each person or child step onto a piece of aluminum foil to register the imprint of their shoes. Label each sheet with the person’s name. If that person becomes lost, this will help the trackers to track them.

Thinking First

Well here we go again, the front page headline of the Everett Herald, on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 reads “Boy Saved at Wallace Falls”. the reporter calls the thirteen year old Burien boy a lucky kid, a county sheriff’s Sgt. calls the boy a very lucky young man, while saying he was in a very dangerous spot. The chief helicopter pilot for Snohomish County Search and Rescue twice used the word miracle when he talked about the rescue. He referred to  the water as white water and moving fast. The Herald writer states that the rescuers had to contend with crossing the frothy river fed by frigid snow melt. I wasn’t there, but I would agree with the chief helicopter pilot. I would say that the boy’s Guardian Angels were doing their jobs and we all experienced a Miracle. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

First the boy’s Guardian Angels guided him to a rock ledge after he was swept over a ten foot waterfall. Then, according to the newspaper more than fifty volunteers worked through the night to help save the boy’s life.

I just have two questions. Given the description of the water conditions, why did the boy choose to go wading upstream of three waterfalls, the largest having a 270 foot plunge? And why did the boy’s dad let him do it?   The rescue also involved the seven member swift water rescue team. One of the team members said, from his standpoint, such a technical rescue requires both forethought and flexibility. All the while , he was asking himself, “If I do something, can I get back?”  It’s too bad the boy didn’t ask himself that question before he chose to go wading. Thank God the outcome ended as it did. Thanks to all those fifty volunteers who put their life on the line, as the chief helicopter pilot said, “This was definitely a high risk mission.”

To all of you that will head out into the great outdoors for whatever reason, please use some forethought and ask yourself, “IF I DO SOMETHING, CAN I GET BACK?” Let’s all use some common sense. Parents, if your children choose not to, then you need to step in and use it for them. You may spoil their fun, but they will be alive to talk about it. There is no fun in a funeral.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ ANSWER

A lot factors into the decision that you make in this situation. You must consider the weather, the season, the climate, has anyone been injured, what gear you have with you, are you absolutely sure you can safely find your way out before dark, etc. Here is what I teach my students. 1. Find or build a shelter 2. Build a fire 3. Find water 4. Food is last. Numbers 1 & 2 are interchangeable depending on conditions. If someone is injured that should be the first priority. As far as finding your way out, wait until morning, do not run around in the mountains or woods in the dark, you could make your situation worse.

Feel free to comment or ask questions.

We just had an 8.6 earthquake which caused the Washington and Oregon coastlines to drop two feet which also caused a tsunami. What will you do now?

 

W HAT WOULD YOU DO ?

  Well here we are at the weekend before the long Memorial Day weekend, and in my section of the country the mayhem has already begun. We have a popular hiking spot near here called Mt. Pilchuck. About a month ago a group of three men hiked up the mountain on a Saturday to camp out overnight. When they hiked down on Sunday, they got lost, wet and cold. Their solution to their predicament was to call 911. A county Search and Rescue helicopter was used to take the men off the mountain one at a time. What would these men have done if they had no cell phone reception? It appears that these three men did not have the skills needed to deal with the situation that they put themselves into.This is the very reason that I offer and teach classes. In this situation, thankfully no one was injured, they were just wet, cold and lost; and totally lacking in skills, knowledge or preparation. They didn’t know it but their survival situation began before they ever left home. What would you have done in the same situation?

Here is a quiz for you. If you are lost in the mountains and you are cold and wet and it’s going to be dark in two hours, what should you do first? Find food? Build a shelter? Find water? Build a fire? Keep searching for a way home?  The answer will be here next week!

Firebuilding

 

Getting Started

Twenty-seven years ago, I saw many people headed off to some wilderness area completely lacking in the skills needed to safely go into those areas and then safely return home. Some of them suffered injuries, some died, and some were never seen again. Most of them went with the same goal in mind, they were going to have fun. The majority of them did just that, but some of them only had a tragedy. Today, twenty-seven years later the fun is still ending as a  tragedy, for some.  I began  to learn survival skills and to improve the few skills that I already had. I set a personal goal to learn all I could about survival and nature, then to share that knowledge with other people. I learned that what you don’t know can kill you, but with some effort, you can learn the skills and gain the knowledge to go into the wilderness and enjoy nature safely, then return home to share your adventure.

This is why I teach the classes that I offer. This is why I have expanded to a  blog. I teach classes on nature, wilderness and urban survival and disaster preparedness. My classes will take you through different skill levels. I will touch on some things in this blog, but by its very nature, it will not be as thorough. My goal is to share my knowledge and skills by teaching. Maybe what you learn will someday save someone’s life and prevent a tragedy. If you have a desire to learn these skills, contact me for further information.