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Grex > Travel > #74: The Return of the Alaska Item | |
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| 25 new of 122 responses total. |
mcnally
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response 19 of 122:
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May 16 19:25 UTC 2007 |
Well, I'm back in Alaska, after having spent a couple of weeks of the
spring back in Michigan, following my father's death.
During my absence, spring has progressed quite a bit around here.
The salmonberry bushes, for example, are in bloom (they weren't when I
left, but the huckleberries were getting started) and hummingbirds are
fairly common in my neighborhood, though not as common as cruise-ship
tourists, who are back in early-season swarms.
This is the week one of the more interesting Ketchikan school traditions
I know of takes place. The entire 8th-grade class at Schoenbar Middle
School, who have been receiving instruction on native flora and sea life
as part of a five-week wilderness survival unit in their science classes,
are asked to put their recent lessons into practice. Each student is
allowed a sleeping bag, tools to construct a sleeping shelter, the clothes
they are wearing, and whatever other items they can fit into a 1 lb coffee
can and transported in groups of about 20 to small uninhabited nearby
islands (i.e. not on Revillagigedo Island, but within 5 miles) to survive
from Wednesday until their pickup on Friday on whatever they have with them
plus whatever edible plants and ocean life they can scavenge. They're
accompanied by adult chaperones to prevent things from getting out of hand
but the idea is to teach them what's necessary to survive for a few days
until rescuers can find them, should they become shipwrecked and stranded.
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slynne
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response 20 of 122:
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May 16 20:08 UTC 2007 |
While I imagine those kids will learn some really valuable skills, I
cant say that I would ever want to go out into the wilderness with so
little. But then again, I am not a middle school aged kid. I might have
thought it was fun when I was that age
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cyklone
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response 21 of 122:
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May 16 20:19 UTC 2007 |
That sounds like an awesome program, or the beginning of Lord of the Flies.
I'm not sure which.
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nharmon
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response 22 of 122:
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May 16 20:22 UTC 2007 |
Practicals are an important part of any type of survival training. It
basically teaches you that, "Yeah, this stuff WORKS", because up until
then a lot of what you're taught doesn't exactly seem right or usable.
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tod
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response 23 of 122:
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May 16 20:29 UTC 2007 |
Each student is
allowed a sleeping bag, tools to construct a sleeping shelter, the clothes
they are wearing, and whatever other items they can fit into a 1 lb coffee
can and transported in groups of about 20 to small uninhabited nearby
islands (i.e. not on Revillagigedo Island, but within 5 miles) to survive
from Wednesday until their pickup on Friday
I went through a similar program at MUCC. Our training was only 2 weeks long
but it included flora, basic water safety, first aid, hunting, fishing,
navigation, and survival skills. They drove us out to the wilderness (about
15 miles away from camp) and we had to make it over night and a whole day with
what we had on us (including a sleeping bag.) We foraged for food and built
fires and pretty much had a great time. My grandfather sent me to MUCC for
several years as my birthday present starting at age 13.
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bru
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response 24 of 122:
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May 16 20:38 UTC 2007 |
alaska is strange. They also offer Community College courses in how to
harvest Road kill Moose and elk.
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tod
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response 25 of 122:
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May 16 20:42 UTC 2007 |
Another gem the PNW is good for are the origami courses. Everyone should
learn how to make animals out of bathtowels or sombreros out of table napkins.
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durrett
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response 26 of 122:
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May 17 00:29 UTC 2007 |
I'd like to see examples of what they pick for the 1lb coffee can. I
imagine you could fit quite a few interesting things in there.
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tod
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response 27 of 122:
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May 17 00:36 UTC 2007 |
A roll of toilet paper and M&Ms.
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mcnally
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response 28 of 122:
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May 17 00:37 UTC 2007 |
Toilet paper would definitely be one to ignore at your own peril,
especially if you're experimenting with unfamiliar foodstuffs.
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tod
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response 29 of 122:
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May 17 00:52 UTC 2007 |
Or experimenting in general...all those horomones and fellow students in the
woods could get kinda crazy.
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keesan
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response 30 of 122:
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May 17 01:33 UTC 2007 |
Camp stove (portable). Oatmeal, raisins, powdered milk, noodles. Are they
supplied with water, or is the local water potable untreated? How cold are
the nights? Bees manage by huddling and changing positions so the outermost
do not freeze.
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tod
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response 31 of 122:
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May 17 01:36 UTC 2007 |
When I was in MUCC, the scariest part of the whole thing was the overbearing
sound of the mosquitoes after dark. Everyone hid inside their sleeping bags
with no air holes (except for the one counselor who brought his own net and
let 2 or 3 pixies in there.)
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mcnally
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response 32 of 122:
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May 17 04:57 UTC 2007 |
re #29: The groups are segregated by sex, so there're groups of boys
and groups of girls, but they're at different locations.
re #30: A campstove would probably take up a pretty large part of the
coffee can all by itself, even without cookware and fuel.
As far as water goes, finding water is generally not a problem in SE
Alaska, though in most places I wouldn't drink surface water untreated
for fear of Giardia. On some of the small islands surface water is
probably fairly safe - assuming one can find it it's probably very
recent rainfall..
Nighttime temperatures this time of year get down into the low 40s
or high 30s. Our forecast for tonight is a low of 40 degrees F.
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keesan
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response 33 of 122:
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May 17 14:01 UTC 2007 |
Are the kids allowed to collaborate and bring different things, such as one
campstove for a group, a thin tarp, etc.? It is supposed to freeze here
tonight. Did you say sleeping bags were allowed?
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mcnally
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response 34 of 122:
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May 17 16:44 UTC 2007 |
Sleeping bags are allowed. I don't know if the kids are allowed to
collaborate. It's a good strategy but if the idea is to teach them
what they'll need to know if they're stranded by themselves it might
not be permitted.
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tod
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response 35 of 122:
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May 17 18:22 UTC 2007 |
My guess is they build a leanto out of sticks and twigs and don't need a tarp.
As for fire, they probably know how to do that with a stick and string and
then they can heat up water in the coffee can itself.
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nharmon
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response 36 of 122:
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May 17 18:37 UTC 2007 |
Okay, if you were going to be stuck on an Alaskan island for however
many days, and could only bring your clothes, a sleeping bag, and
whatever you could fit into a one pound coffee can....
What would you bring?
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tod
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response 37 of 122:
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May 17 18:41 UTC 2007 |
Half pound of coffee, k-bar, and sewing needle.
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marcvh
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response 38 of 122:
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May 17 19:15 UTC 2007 |
Powerbars (or SOLAS rations, but Powerbars are tastier)
Water purification tablets
Sierra cup
Firestarter (probably flint and magnesium -- the string approach is not
reliable)
Small parafoil kite (to increase conspicuity for rescue, or for use as
shelter, or just for fun)
BC bud (to barter for any other needed supplies and help pass the time)
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mcnally
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response 39 of 122:
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May 17 19:26 UTC 2007 |
re #36:
> Okay, if you were going to be stuck on an Alaskan island for however
> many days, and could only bring your clothes, a sleeping bag, and
> whatever you could fit into a one pound coffee can....
>
> What would you bring?
+ fire-starting supplies (matches + some of those wax/sawdust
fire-lighter things, because given the rain around here much
of the fuel will be damp.)
+ zip-loc freezer bags (to carry water and scavenged food items.)
+ very lightweight tarp or several heavy-duty garbage bags for
waterproofing overhead shelter and for insulating my sleeping
bag from the wet ground.
+ a decent quantity of toilet paper, stored in a waterproof zip-loc.
+ a paperback for entertainment (and, if stranded long enough, backup tp.)
+ some high-energy no-cook food, probably chocolate.
+ heavy-duty twine or monofilament fishing line.
+ a short pencil stub with duct-tape wrapped around it.
+ fish hooks.
+ a multi-tool or knife with cutting blade and needle-nose pliers.
+ a luxury item (e.g. small transistor radio or my teeny-tiny iPod shuffle)
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mcnally
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response 40 of 122:
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May 17 19:31 UTC 2007 |
Marc didn't exactly sneak in, but my response was pending for a while
as I worked on something else. I think the water purification tablets
are a good idea. I always carry some in the outside pocket of my backpack
but I probably would forget to swap them to the coffee can.
I probably should have also listed a cup of some sort.
Also I think the kite is a fun idea. Not very practical to fly around here
unless your island has a stretch of level beach (in most places the forest
goes right down to the water's edge) but it could be a good pick for some
places.
I might also throw in one of those thin reflective-foil "emergency blankets"
for extra insulation or to serve as a waterproof membrane for something.
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slynne
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response 41 of 122:
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May 17 19:33 UTC 2007 |
My list:
2-3 powerbars
two cups of oatmeal
small packets of salt
waterproof matches and a lighter
fishing line and hooks
a folding bowl
water purification tablets.
BC bud! (good idea marcvh!)
a pocket guide to edible plants
one of those small bouncy balls for entertainment. (jacks with stones)
a good pocket knife or leatherman tool
waterproof bags (good idea mcnally!)
That still leaves some room I think. I dont know what else I would take
but obviously, I would cram as much into the coffee can as I could.
Perhaps adding more food. I would add toilet paper if the area isnt one
where one can find the right kind of leaves. Michigan generally has the
right kind of leaves but perhaps Alaska doesnt. Is it all pine trees?
If so, toilet paper!
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keesan
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response 42 of 122:
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May 17 19:39 UTC 2007 |
You can use water instead of toilet paper, and cook in a can. I did that once
at a youth hostel on top of a mountain near Rome, where the resident couple
left 10 days early. Two of us showed up unawares and slept in the shed. We
found a big can, I had spaghetti and matches, he had sauce and a candle and
a sleeping bag. (I froze sleeping on the floor in my light jacket). The
spaghetti was nice and warm.
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mcnally
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response 43 of 122:
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May 17 19:46 UTC 2007 |
re #41: I'm not sure what you'd bounce a ball on around here..
regarding leaves as toilet paper -- unless the island you land on
has been logged recently, most of the trees will be needle-bearing,
not leafy, but there are leaves in the undergrowth that might work.
And there's moss everywhere.. toilet paper would be a luxury, I
admit, but.. having previously done without on a couple of
occasions, I'm willing to spoil myself on that particular count.
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