> I don’t know what mistakes you mean, Ken – location of ammunition? But that
> SOS didn’t look large enough, even if he did stamp ash into it.
The SOS was adequate size. He actually did a good job with that.
Here are several items where he went wrong:
1. No emergency or second shelter. For living in the bush like that,
you MUST have two shelters set up and instantly livable. For this very
reason. Fire is death. Most people have at least an all-season
cabin-style tent setup at least a hundred feet away.
2. No secondary cache of weapon, ammo, food, basic survival gear,
radio, basic transportation gear (skis, snowshoes).
3. Know thy neighbors! He actually wasn't very far from another
occupied cabin. And within 30 minutes of slow snow-shoeing to at least
three other seasonal cabins. Breaking into a cabin and consuming any
food, tools, or fuel there is perfectly acceptable and legal in Alaska
in the winter for survival. Almost everybody will leave behind a
gas-can full of gas for anybody needing it to get their snow-machine
back to civilization. An emergency stash of food is almost always left
there too. (stealing stuff in the summer months is NOT acceptable,
though).
4. No attempt at using a signal mirror. Conditions were absolutely
prime for being able to use a mirror to flash the horizon. There are
MANY airplanes flying reasonably nearby (10-20 miles). You may not be
able to see the aircraft, but the reflected sun from your signalling
mirror WILL be seen by the aircraft. Again, CAVU conditions for almost
the entire time he was in trouble.
5. The guy was a new-comer to this and didn't really have a clue about
some of the basics.
6. The design of the cabin he was in was VERY dangerous and a fire trap.
7. The guy really isn't very intelligent and Darwin was about to hand
him his award.
I'm a little bothered by his description of the ammo cooking off. I'm
not sure that's generally how it behaves. I know it can fire off like
that, but I don't think that's normal for it to fire off like a box of
fire-crackers.
I wouldn't say the guy is "lucky to be alive", but his basic ignorance
almost killed him.
AK Schnozz
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