Are you ready to survive a crisis worse than this week's?
My May 25 and June 1 columns asked if there was a serious situation, could you survive?
By Murray J Martin on June 15, 2012
My May 25 and June 1 columns asked if there was a serious situation, could you survive?
Whitehorse experienced a minor tragedy with the washout of the Alaska Highway and produce could not get into the city's food stores.
By the next morning, all fresh produce, milk, eggs, breakfast cereal and even toilet paper were cleaned out of stock.
People went into survival (or panic) mode and rushed to get groceries.
Most buy only what they need for a couple of days and, with such handy conveniences, drop down to the grocery store as needed.
This time, in a few short hours, the store shelves were swept clean.
No milk, no fresh produce, no essentials.
The next day, I was talking to a person who actually felt threatened, yet this was only a small preliminary wakeup to what could really happen with a real tragedy.
This small incident almost cleaned out the food supply of local residents within 24 hours.
So let's say we had a real serious situation that we were cut off from the south for even a couple of weeks, no fresh milk in the fridge, no meat, no fresh vegetables, no eggs and in fact all stores simply closed, then could you survive?
The old Scout Motto "Be Prepared” has been long forgotten.
In an emergency
In our large, sealed emergency container, we have freeze-dried food in packages.
These supplies hold breakfast, lunch and supper supplies, all complete in sealed packages.
There are also freeze-dried fruits as well as vegetables and desserts.
We have powdered milk, flour, etc. to make fresh bread, even starter for sourdough.
There are a couple of canned hams and other essential canned goods but not many, as the freeze-dried foods make up for 90 per cent of your survival needs.
We have a good supply of bottled water on hand as well as water purification pills should we run out of bottled water.
Don't forget the "Bear Barrels” to keep fresh food in, safe from bears.
I do know you can pick up good freeze-dried food from the Hougens' Sports Lodge on Main Street and Up North Adventures on Strickland Street in Whitehorse.
A heat source
Also in our emergency supply room, we have a camp stove and ample propane gas cylinders.
We do have a barbecue along with two propane tanks of which one is always filled and ready to replace the other.
Our house trailer is in the same situation. Our kayaks are always at the ready, along with the necessary fishing gear.
We had a wood stove installed last year in case we needed it if we ran out of propane; it would easily heat our house.
Come cool temperatures, we will have adequate wood for a year and a half.
Actually, we like the wood heat over the propane heat anyway.
Oh, yes, we have a good supply of matches and a few handy lighters in a box, ready for any emergency.
As far as fresh vegetables and fruits go, in the summer time that is no problem if you know how to cook such things as dandelion leaves, bull rush roots and other such plants explained in my May 25 and June 1 columns.
But that is summer survival, and that is easy.
Come winter and a serious tragedy such as snowslides, volcanic action that would wipe out roads and as well as an airport, then what?
The freeze-dried packages of food remain the same.
You always try to drink fresh, running water rather than snow, as you use up personal energy to transform cold snow into water.
If you have a wood stove, you are OK; if not, you will be very cold.
Sleeping bags
The right kind of sleeping bag will save your life; cheap ones, you get buried in.
Oh, yes, folks: the best way to sleep in a sleeping bag to stay warm is in the nude, not with clothes on.
I suggest you try this at home, as it has its benefits there also.
Wearing clothes of any kind in a sleeping bag helps defeat the goal of keeping warm.
If you have a down sleeping bag, put an old cheaper sleeping bag between you and the ground, as the down becomes compressed under you and eliminates the fluffy down feather protection.
Tents
We have three styles of tents that will comfortably house my wife, Lisa, myself and our Siberian husky, Tikaani.
They are relatively low tents the wind would have a difficult time getting hold of.
There is also the kitchen tent. All tents have a fly cover to go over the tents. This is a must in tents for all kinds of weather.
Put the money into a tent that your life could rely on. And don't forget a tent repair kit.
Plan
May I guess that 90 per cent of people do not have a disaster plan, should something happen when the family is apart?
Do both your vehicles have a CB radio if the telephone system shuts down?
What are your emergency first and second meeting destinations?
Getting in your vehicle and driving off to safety is not a smart idea. The roads will be plugged by people in a panic (and there will be lots of that).
Gas supplies will be zero with no source of power, so you are not going to get far anyway. Save the gas for the last desperate need to survive. Then and only then leave your otherwise safe area.
Emergency radio contact
Stored in our emergency kit is a crank radio. If you have such, you can tune into CKRW at 96.1 FM for emergency information.
Many long-time residents will remember the vital role the station played helping Yukoners communicate with one another that evening in June 1991 when Whitehorse was placed on an evacuation alert during the out-of-control Haeckel Hill forest fire.
Until Aug. 31, you can also tune your radio into CBC at 570 on the AM band. After that date, you'll have to use the FM band at 94.5.
Booklet on verge of publication
Within the next couple months, I will have a third booklet ready for the Yukon Fish and Game Association to sell: The Outdoorsman's Manual.
It will include canoeing, proper big game rifles, how to skin and bush-ready your meat, compass use, cleaning fish, survival, and eating from the bush, to mention a few topics of the booklet.
If you want a booklet on great fishing recipes or on big game recipes, the association already has these booklets on its shelves at its offices on Strickland Street in Whitehorse.
If you are a member of the association, you might contact its offices and ask about a great discount at one of the major outlet stores in Whitehorse on the day before Father's Day.
All you'll have to do is show your 2012 membership card to get a worthwhile discount.
Last week's question was how does sound transmitted by humans affect fish?
Most boats are made of aluminum, and make an excellent transmitter of noise.
It doesn't take much of a movement in an aluminum boat to scare away fish.
The slightest shuffle of your feet on the bottom of the boat is enough to ruin the possibility of a prize catch.
The movement of your tackle box on the floor of the boat will also scare fish.
Game fish are alway alert for predator fish. All that it really takes is the swish of a predator's tail; that represents about 1,000 cycles to scare off a fish.
Just think what the slightest shuffle of your feet or tackle box emits.
You can somewhat counter this by placing a small indoor-outdoor carpet under your feet and tackle box to help eliminate any possible sound that will frighten off the fish you are after.
Talk all you want when fishing from such a boat, as the sound of voices bounces off the surface of the water.
Shucks! Now Lisa will read this, and I always told her when we were out fishing, she should not talk, as voices scare fish away.
This week's question: How does noise attract fish?
As bass and walleye anglers, we often used this noise trick to attract fish, and it works.
Pick up next Friday's Whitehorse Star for the very helpful "noise” trick for successful fishermen.
This week's saying: P.J. O'Rourke said it all:
"Aways read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.”
And you know I will say: "Amen to that, brother!”
The Whitehorse writer is a member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada and whose column appears Fridays.
Readers can suggest ideas to him by e-mailing him at: murraywritesforu@northwestel.net
VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS
By MURRAY MARTIN
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