Heat Loss Through Head

I have joked with my family and friends for years through outdoor activities about wearing a warm hat in inclement weather…”Do you know you can lose 75% of your heat through your head?”

Well, of course, some wise ass, smarty pants (WASP) had to do the research to debunk my admonition and my credibility. Here is a small piece re heat loss via the head in different situations. In a worse case scenario of hypothermia, you may want to heed my advice….or theirs.

Here is my daughter, today in Seattle (UW), blatantly taunting me!

Bungee Cord Snaps…Eek!!!

Aussie Girl Survives African Bungee Disaster

Utah Family Rescue: Ice Waters & Heroes

Roger Anderson and 3 Children Rescued By Heroic Efforts

“Car plunged down a 10-foot embankment and flipped over into the icy river 10 bystanders brave the freezing water and turn the car over using their hands…”

“As many as 10 heroic people jumped into an icy Utah river to help save three trapped children after a car plunged down a 10-foot embankment and flipped over.  The rescuers helped turn the Honda Accord upright in the Logan River, and one man shot out the car’s window with a handgun and cut a seat belt to help free the children after Saturday afternoon accident….” (more)

For the Anderson’s, the car is in the river, upside down, and but for nearby citizens they would have died. But, what about your preparations  to survive a roadside or worse stay in inhospitable conditions? Is your car or rig outfitted to sustain you and others until help arrives?

And, are you mentally prepared (have you mentally rehearsed/envisioned what would happen and how you would respond? is your life currently in chaos and you are distracted and mentally ill prepared?) to meet a challenge for yourself, loved ones or someone like the Anderson’s, upside down in a stream?

Plan, Envision, Respond. 

Seismic Activity Map (Interesting)

Global Seismic Map Here, Not Above…Open/Click on a Region for details

NW Back Country Travel: Study Recent Conditions!

STUDY RECENT WEATHER AND AVALANCHE FORECASTS  

If you snow shoe or cross country ski in the Pacific NW back country grab this site and study, study! Uncover the person in 15 minutes=90% chance of survival;   35 minutes=50% chance of survival; 60 minutes under snow?=10% chance of survival. Plan by studying weather patters and take classes.

The Penis & The Thumb (Separate & Not Equal)

No, not much to do with fly fishing…well, I suppose the thumb factors in here and there. I was seated in a doctor’s office today for a followup visit, post op. Muscles repairing and nerves tweaking have made for some difficult times of late. ‘Difficult’? 

In the doctor’s lobby, I came upon the November 2011 issue of Men’s Health and perused the insides. Lead story, with a promo from the Editor, our wounded warriors are suffering ever increasing losses of their genitals because of the greater use of IED’s in the Afghan theater. More profound is the VA has a traumatic injury protection program, an insurance policy, that attaches a value to lost body parts: thumb $50K each, foot $50K, hand $50K each, eyes $50K each eye, lips $75K for two lips……the list goes on and on, but according to the author, Bob Drury, there is currently no compensation for the loss of a penis, or testicles. Of course, compounding all this is the probable loss of lower limbs. The Afghan War has become notorious for multiple limb loss per wounded combatant. I am not certain if all combat soldiers automatically qualify for the insurance policy. I hope they do, as seemingly inadequate as it seems.

British Developed Tier II Body Armor Codpiece

Some soldiers have had the forethought to store their sperm prior to heading over seas. Obviously, there is horrendous mental adjustments for the wounded warrior on so many levels. I will simply offer that the VA must develop some form of compensation for the loss of a genital component (regardless of sex). Further research will evolve with genital reconstruction and hormone replacement therapy because of these ever increasing injuries from IED’s.

Yes, I have some pain, but I will get better in time. I am lucky. I am trying to figure out if I will be able to fish this Winter. Others with all manner of traumas are mustering the will to live and somehow adapt.   Attached is a very graphic/violent video…you don’t have to watch it to grasp the reality. 

Fly Fishing Trip to Chile???

A good friend of mine is planning an extensive fly fishing trip to Chile with friends. In light of the recent quakes and volcanic activity, I figured I would add this interesting site to the mix…I did find another site, but it was primarily focused on the UFO’s that have been seen escaping from inner earth via the volcanos, as even they (the aliens) seem to know what calamity lays ahead. So instead I offer up this:

el chaiten http-::farawayflyfishing.com:argentina-fly-fishing-blog

Scientists warn half of Chile’s active volcanoes could erupt in the near future

Winter Vehicle Stay Put Kit

Well, I don’t live in the most dangerous environ for Winter travel unless I decide to venture up the Columbia R. Gorge during a Winter Blast affair. But, I do drive to the coast on wet, dark, foggy mornings or push down a few logging roads to gain access to a drift. At any point, I might lose the fog line or sight of the edge of the road and take an unexpected diversion off the side of the road.

In such a case, I might be ok to hike out for help, but I might be better served to stay with my rig until conditions (weather/lighting) improve (stats suggest you will live longer if you stay with your rig). We all know the basic first aid stuff we tend to carry, but do you really know how to use it and do you have enough materials to handle a laceration or fracture? Pain?

Basics Again: Does anyone know where you were headed and/or your scheduled return? The benefit of staying with your rig is that people know the general area of your outing so you will be found. Truly warm clothing and shelter for inside your rig with broken windows or while upside down? Extra clothing? Light? High Energy Food/Calories? Water? Do you really know where you are up that watershed? Maps? Plastic tarp? Waterproofed matches? Light sources?

That survival kit: where is it in your rig? In the back under the canopy or in the trunk? Can you reach into that section now? It might be better to always keep that Winter (or any season) Survival Kit in the passenger compartment where you can access it when out in the wilds. 

Many of you travel in serious Winter conditions and are confident that you can handle most anything, because you have over and over. What if’s become muted with the routine of no mishaps or close calls. Your rig can go anywhere. You know better.

The rest of us, have no excuse because we should know we are headed into conditions we are totally unaccustomed to….no excuses…be prepared. 

Driver Dies….Not Wearing Seat Belt

 

Renee-Nicole Douceur Rescued from Antarctica to NZ

Well Renee Nicole Douceur was flown out from the research facility in the Antarctica to New Zealand..that was probably a long, uncertain experience for her. But, I find the typical ‘rescue’ (evacuation) itself more interesting. Just a few clips of an piece say it all…..

LC-130 Hercules

Antarctica is not only the coldest continent but the driest, highest and windiest, according to the CIA World Factbook……

The continent is so cold that if plane engines are turned off during winter, the fuel can freeze into a jelly….

These are not your typical runways. The Pegasus White Ice Runway, for example, sits on a 110-foot-thick (34 meters) glaciated shelf with several inches of snow on top…

During the winter, the continent is dark 24 hours a day. The runways do not have permanent lights because they are on ice. Landings and takeoffs can be dangerous even when the sun is shining on the runways; wind can kick up snow and block pilots’ vision…..

During a white-out landing, pilots must land in a part of the Antarctic sea ice runway that has been surveyed and known to be clear of any hazards. Essentially, the pilots land blind….

“You can have almost an instantaneous hurricane win… Seventy miles per hour (113 kph) is nothing. It can be up to 100 mph (160 kph), no problem.”   MSNBC

Search & Rescue (SAR)…Time Considerations

Seems about this time of year with the change in the weather, I get into this ‘be prepared mode’. I probably go out into a wilderness setting more in the Spring and Summer, but the elements, light and the occasional lost hiker prompt me to at least share my concerns about being prepared and safe.

The just recent cases of an Oregon lady supposedly lost in the Mt. Hood Wilderness and the recovery/deceased of another woman in the nearby State of  Washington raised my awareness to an internal process in Search and Rescue (SAR) missions: The consulting with experts to evaluate your probable chances of survival given the factors: were you prepared (gear), do you have a history of knowing how to conduct yourself in the wilds, the weather, the terrain, your known health/fitness factors, etc.  

I want to share some very interesting stats and time line markers re the search and termination of the search should you become lost. The resources are very fascinating and should be read and shared.

OHSU Researchers Find Time Is Best Predictor Of Survival In Search And Rescue Missions (July 17, 2007)

“Oregon Health & Science University emergency medicine researchers set out to develop a model that could be used by search and rescue teams to determine when a search and rescue (SAR) mission could be terminated without abandoning potential survivors. The model found time to be the most important variable in determining whether a person will be found alive. Ninety-nine percent of people found alive were found within the first 51 hours after being reported missing. Their findings are published in the most recent edition of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.“

“The model found a high rate of survival for people found within 17 hours of first being reported missing, a moderate rate of survival for those missing between 17 and 51 hours, and a low rate of survival for individuals missing for more then 51 hours. The analysis also found people reported missing in May through October were less likely to survive, as were people older than 60. Individuals reported missing on land were more likely to be found alive than those reported missing from a water-based activity.” (Read the entire report)

The SAR Missions are now, and probably have been, but now it is more openly presented, using these timeline markers and ‘experts’ to decide if the search will continue. If you are lost, you need to stay safe, composed and alert to SAR operations trying to find you. If you are family/friends of the lost person, the difficult decision re termination of SAR ops will be presented to you given the above timelines at some point. The probabilities of survival will be used to protect the searching resources. A fact of life, maybe a fact in death. Be prepared!!!