So you decide to take the family on a vacation , you all have always wanted to go white water rafting . So you plan the trip. Since it is hard times you decide to forgo the guide , heck it's another $200 and you would rather save the money . Heck your half mountain man you can take care of yourself and the family knows they can rely on you . Now pack your bags : what do you take ? You are a ccw so you can take 1 pistol and thats it as far as guns go. This is set in colorado so remember your in bear country .
Here is where it gets interesting. The first day goes great you are having the time of your life . Then at noon on the second day disaster hits! Your raft hits a set of serious rapids and breaks up leaving you on foot . Your wife has a pretty serious cut on her head and your son has broken an ankle . He is 14 and pretty much a man himself . Your daughter the premadona is freaked out . She "like can't beleive you made us do this dad ." " OMG your such a hillbilly dad. " You know the type. You are 40 miles from civilization . WHAT DO YOU DO .
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I would pull out my rented Satellite phone that I had in water proof bag in a fanny pack on my side and call for help. They cost about 10 dollars a day to rent. If I was going to be somewhere where there was no cell phone service I wouldn't go without a Satellite phone.
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Last edited by White Rook; 03-24-2009 at 10:23 AM.
+1 White Rook. That should solve the problem. A little heart to heart talk with the premadonna daughter might produce an attitude change in her as well.
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Don't forget, if you do something like that in Colorado, buy a fishing license. Then they won't charge you for the rescue. Otherwise, you foot the bill for the chopper, paying the EMTs, etc.
So you decide to take the family on a vacation , you all have always wanted to go white water rafting . So you plan the trip. Since it is hard times you decide to forgo the guide , heck it's another $200 and you would rather save the money . Heck your half mountain man you can take care of yourself and the family knows they can rely on you . Now pack your bags : what do you take ? You are a ccw so you can take 1 pistol and thats it as far as guns go. This is set in colorado so remember your in bear country .
Here is where it gets interesting. The first day goes great you are having the time of your life . Then at noon on the second day disaster hits! Your raft hits a set of serious rapids and breaks up leaving you on foot . Your wife has a pretty serious cut on her head and your son has broken an ankle . He is 14 and pretty much a man himself . Your daughter the premadona is freaked out . She "like can't beleive you made us do this dad ." " OMG your such a hillbilly dad. " You know the type. You are 40 miles from civilization . WHAT DO YOU DO .
In Colorado, I can carry a shotgun with no issues so I would have my M6 scout with me. No worries about bears anyway as they do not want to be messed with by humans. They would be the least of my worries. I carry a SPOT wherever I go but lets assume it is not working for whatever reason. (forget it is water and shock proof)
First thing is first, I evaluate where I am at, assuming I have the maps and I am sure I would, then make sure my family is comfortable, warma nd has plenty of food. (I tie down my food while rafting as does everyone) My sons ankle is stablizied and I check my wifes head. She is a nurse so she could talk me through it with no issues. I give my daughter several tasks to do to keep her busy and her mind off being a premadona. Set up camp, make sure all is well and hike out. Keep in mind, you never more than 20 miles from a road in the lower 48. Even then, you may be a bit away from a town though. My family would be fine for a few days while I went for help. While rafting, there would be plenty of food and although not a man at 14, my son would still be able to pull his weight, that I would have ingrained that in him from birth.
So to answer the question in one sentence. Hike out for help.
Not a real SHTF situation though. Happens everyday to lots of people and they get out with no training what-so-ever.
tend to the wife since she has the laceration, make the premadonna care for the mom make sure she understands that she needs to pay attention to her first aid training that you made the family take before the trip plus the cpr course. Then tend to the 14 yr old, set his leg and make him a crutch... ok, calm down, take a deep breath and relax a minute... now, inventory everything you have including whats left of the raft, do you have a knife? if so make a leanto shelter and gather firewood with the daughter keep her busy let her know she is ok and you will take care of her, put her incharge of watching over mom like a nurse... if u can make a fire, make one especialy if its late... go over your inventory:
-firstaid items?did i bring one or just the one from the raft whats left after the crash do i need to make more bandages from clean cloths or can i use any wildplant life around me if i know what i am doing?
-camping gear? were we going out for the day or overnight or a week? how much gear is left did any float down river? should i go look for it?
-food stores? ration whats left for know, look around and observe to see if there are any animal signs or birds in the area, can i or do i have the knowledge to make a fishing pole inorder to fish or can i fish with out a pole?
-handgun and ammo? if its a revolver i would think you would have brought the gun and rnds in cylinder, holster and at least a 50rnd box... if its a semi-auto then most would have just brought the gun the mag thats in the gun, holster and at least two extra mags... example: me- .45 1911 1-mag in gun and 4-mags in a double stack 2-mag pouch, the .45 is a single stack using 8rnd mags so a total of 40rnds... i would not have thought to take more ammo then that.
if people know we are on a trip and we have plenty of food then we would stay here. if people know we are here and we have no food then IDK. if injuries are bad then trek towards nearest civalization according to map or trek back to launch point and go from there to get help...
just some thoughts...
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You are packing the bags . You decide what to take . The satelite phone is a very good idea (your training is showing pull up your pants. lol) You are going for a week ,I didn't make that clear . When the raft broke up all your stuff was in back packs that are now doing 30 knots downstream .
Lesson learned you have to be detailed with this crowd . You guys are good . Keep it coming. I say we try this approach to the discussion's for a while . I have read just about everthing I can soak up about the shtf . Not that I don't think it can't happen just that doom and gloom get old after a while. Just my 3 cents. <more for your money most only offer 2 cents.
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Given half a chance people will do half of what you expect from them .
tend to injuries, find shelter, make fire for water supply a case of the trots can be deadly cant just sip it out of the river stay calm family members will look to strength, you will be no help to them standing in a puddle fo pee with a snot bubble hang'n from your nose get a grip on your situation things you have and things you need if still early look down river by bank or snags for lost supplies never to far from family if late hole upshelter ,fireand water most importantyou can go weeks with no food only a few days without water now is the time to dummy up
Well first thing is first you have to get control of the situation.
You pistol whip the daughter to get her back in line.
Splint your sons ankle
Keep the wife awake for 24 hours strait.
Assuming you don't have a phone or some sort of communications you camp where you are till the next set of rafters comes along or you are late for return and they come looking for you.
Well first thing is first you have to get control of the situation.
You pistol whip the daughter to get her back in line.
Splint your sons ankle
Keep the wife awake for 24 hours strait.
Assuming you don't have a phone or some sort of communications you camp where you are till the next set of rafters comes along or you are late for return and they come looking for you.
except for pistol whipping the daughter (i'd just make her go collect firewood(and i do have a primadonna daughter)) this is all i would do. tend to injuries, build a fire (big one), set up camp and wait for somebody else to come a long and hitch a ride with them. I already have my 09' CO fishing license/habitat stamp so I'm good there.
Provided I pack for the family, Everyone has their own survival kit attached to their person by way of a carabiner on a belt loop in a waterproof container with equipment for firemaking, water purification, shelter, and a first aid card. On top of that, my go bag (which would be attached to me on the raft) contains first aid gear including emergency sutures, well-built flashlights, chemlights, extra ammo, and fishing gear (among other things). I would also have a SPOT unit since the cost is well worth the well being of my family.
My CCW gun in bear country would be a .357 magnum with a 6" barrel, loaded with 2 .38sp rounds, 2 .38+p rounds, and 2 .357 magnum rounds, in that order of loading, with extras for each in a pouch on my belt. The .38's will take care of jackrabbits and other small game, and a bear will usually run from a loud noise that is unfamiliar (such as banging the revolver against your pot or canteen cup, or firing a shot in the air)
Provided the cut on my wife's head is just that, a cut, with minimal sign of bruising and no signs of a concussion (pupil constriction, lack of response to light, fatigue, etc) I will treat it with my medical kit, in which I have a Quickclot Sport sponge, after irrigating the wound with hydrogen peroxide or an alcohol swab. Then I would dress the wound to prevent infection and check the dressings twice a day. Further treatment would be determined by the severity of the wound.
While all that is going on, I make sure to include my daughter in the treatment process, letting her know how important it is that she help me both with the cleaning and dressing of the wound and by remaining calm so that her mother is able to calm down and relax, minimizing the possibility of the onset of shock.
My son, who no doubt knows his ankle is broken, has elevated his foot while we tend to the mother thanks to the first aid course him and everyone else in the family took. I would splint it with a good sized, strong branch, and look for another for him to use as a crutch.
Then we would all move further uphill from the river, as cold air tends to blow by and stay at lower elevations in the evenings, and I would have my daughter look for firewood while my son, sitting on his butt, prepared the firebed. Then I would make a debris hut shelter for all of us, (should we have to spend a few days, they can be very comfy) activate the SPOT unit, and make a big smoky fire and get the flares ready for when the chopper/other rafters arrived. But when they did arrive, we would be comfortable and ready to go.
One thing I notice is that everyone assumes they will immediately forget about food since we can survive without it for awhile, but one thing many people don't realize is that if you provide food and shelter to your group quickly, it creates a sense of comfort and reduces the possibility of someone in your group freaking out and running blindly through the woods. Just my $.02...
I say we try this approach to the discussion's for a while . I have read just about everthing I can soak up about the shtf . Not that I don't think it can't happen just that doom and gloom get old after a while. Just my 3 cents. <more for your money most only offer 2 cents.
I agree. This approach will offer advice that may actually be used, much like the sat phone suggestion. never thought of that one, and on an other thread, the tampoon/maxipad suggestion. Im more likely to really slice my self field dressing a deer and need a big bandage than to run into a zombee in the woods.
As far as the rafting scenerio, i assumed ALL my supplies were washed away in the raft crash. I'm there with my family, maybe the gun, maybe not and not much else....
having seen dozens of people get lost in CO every year, the ones found the quickest are the ones that stay put and build a big fire/shelter and wait for help to arrive. In a scenerio where you are hundreds of miles from help well thats a different ball game. cant really wait for help to arrive anytime soon.
we hire a guide.
because we do not want to be stuck out there, injured and so on.
anyone dumb enough to try this on their own should pay for their rescue.
Unless you are carrying a .357 or .460 in a revolver, your handgun will not stop a determined bear. That being said, bears don't come down below certain altitudes, and rarely EVER attack people. Mountain lions on the other hand will attack you, and good luck hitting something that fast.
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If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they'd probably rather be dead.
Well my solution is don't get married and always use birth control. I just solved 3 problems right there. So I guess what I would do is pull out the fly rod and get some fishing in.
I would tend to the injured 1st. Then I would build a hugh fire and make alot of smoke.
Someone is bound to see the smoke. If it were a life threatning situation then I'm sorry folks I'd set the woods on fire to get help if my cell phine didn't work.
If it were my situation I only have one daughter so that eliminates one problem. I would gather what food and suplies we have left, have my daughter clean and treat my wifes cut while I find or make what shelter is around and start a fire right away to boost their moral. The next thing would be to have my wife and daughter help ration what food we have left for the long hual while I spend as much time collecting firewood as possible in case rescue is does not come the first night then they would have less gathering to do. I would look at my maps and figure out a bearing and set myself up to hike out the next day leaving most of the food and gear with the wife and daughter. Before I hike out I would leave them most of whatever tools like a small saw, one of the knifes, most of the fire starting equitment and make shure she has here .357 handi and verse her and the daughter in surviving the next few days while I hike out and find help. Hiking out is a 50/50 shot the best thing to do is wait for help but if it's my family on the line that gives them two chances verses one.
Last edited by sea_chicken1; 04-21-2009 at 05:46 PM.
