Only Two things to Worry About

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I was so fortunate to grow up close to my Grandfather, and could be along with him on many adventures, exploring the high deserts of central Utah where he grew up, looking for interesting rocks, or twisted cedars, or just enjoying being out there alone, no crowds, no highways, and usually no people.

Grandpa had such an interesting life and was always full of stories, interesting anecdotes, and wise counsel. He had quite a sense of humor, I think that’s where I got mine from, he could laugh or make a joke out of anything, so much so that grandma would chide him at times for being a bit too jovial, one too many jokes in his talk at church for example.

During the summers he was a beekeeper and was very busy with that, in the winter he tinkered with woodworking and with slicing stones such as geodes with his diamond saw, to see what was inside.

One thing I distinctly remember was a wooden plaque with a thought on it, he had a number of them he had collected, this one though, I was always drawn to, so much so, that at a young age, I memorized it, and amazingly enough, I still remember it. It applies very well in our lives. It goes like this.

Why Worry?

There are only two things to worry about;
Either you are sick or you are well;
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about;
If you are sick, there are only two things to worry about;
Either you live, or you die;
If you live, there is nothing to worry about;
If you die, there are only two things to worry about;
Either you go to heaven or hell;
If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about;
If you go to hell…
You’ll be so busy shaking hands with friends,
You won’t have time to worry;

So why worry?

It’s a funny thought, but quite true in some ways. For example things are usually not as bad as we think they are at the time, and most of the bad stuff we think will happen to us, doesn’t. But there is one more way the tone of this thought is true; in a survival situation, things can be greatly simplified when you realize that generally there are only two things to worry about.

  • Keeping your body temperature where it should be
  • Drinking plenty of water

Obviously a number of things come into play in order to achieve these two goals, but thinking in terms of only those two items really clears the head, and unwinds the complicated.

Exhaustive research of rescue reports over decades of time, shows that food for example is almost never a factor in living or dying during a survival episode, that alone eliminates a lot of hassles.

Barring medical or first aid difficulties, a normal person who can make themselves comfortable enough to sleep about eight hours a day and drink plenty of water will be able to maintain their core body temperature at acceptable levels, and can live a month or more with little else.

Where knowledge, skills and gear come in, is that your abilities with these things is what allows you to adapt to a given situation and take care of those couple of essential things until you are rescued, which incidentally, is usually less than two days.

So there are Only Two things to Worry About!

Note on picture above, this is my late grandfather on the left and my father on the right who died earlier this year, to both of whom I owe so much and also miss deeply.

Until next time, this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival.”

ALWAYS Carry your Survival Gear

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Most likely you’ll only really need your survival gear when you don’t have it, so if you ALWAYS take it, it’s kinda like insurance against Mr. Murphy and his crazy law.

 

Well I was all set to write a blog on another subject when my automatic web search plopped a story in my lap that was too good to pass up, perfectly timed for the season as well. Let me begin by stating that people sometimes try to poke fun at me, because I always have my Bug Out Bag with me. I tell them I’d just like to be more comfortable if something were to go wrong. Before getting into the story from the Anchorage Daily News, I’d like to note the following observation from about a week ago.

It was just beginning to get light outside, I had let my car warm up for about 10 minutes to defrost all the windows. The temperature outside was 8 degrees F, and a steady wind was blowing as it does about 364 days out of the year in my town. I stopped by the gas station to top off my tank, before heading South twenty five miles to the Wilderness Innovation shop to work for the day. I got the gas pumping, and while waiting I started to look around at all the others. I saw a number of people dressed for the chill, and I saw others dressed for a day at the office driving a desk. On the next island over a young man was pumping gas for his car, he had on a thin cotton casual shirt, short sleeves. I watched him intently as he braced himself against the wind, waiting for that familiar click, signaling the tank being full. I could tell he was anxious to get back in his warm car.
Out of curiosity I walked by his vehicle, glancing inside to observe what kind of cold weather gear he may have had, amazingly, there was nothing, empty seats other than a laptop computer bag. My mind automatically began to process a scenario; he gets out on the highway on his way to work in the next town, something happens, a serpentine belt breaks and suddenly the engine dies. He has to check things out, standing outside totally unprotected from the brisk wind and the biting cold, if not careful he could easily become hypothermic in a very short period of time. Another scenario pops onto the stage in my mind; in his travels a storm comes up and he slips off the road, perhaps it’s hours or longer before help arrives.
All of us at times do something like this man, whether it’s with a car, a snowmobile, ATV, a boat, a plane, or just on a little day hike. In fact did you know the most dangerous thing you can do outdoors  is go on a day hike? Most of the accidents or survival rescue operations occur to people just out on a day hike. Their guard is down, it’s supposed to be short, easy, no sweat, now that’s when things always seem to go wrong.
The Story
Clifton, a mechanic for a utility company in Nome, Alaska, decides at a little before 8 pm one evening to go for a little drive, perhaps cabin fever or curiosity, he decides to take a road North to see how far it’s still open. Just a quick little trip was all. About 40 miles North of town his truck suddenly lunges deep into a snowdrift. Clifton tried to dig himself out, all to no avail, and with temperatures well below zero and a wind blowing; things are complicated further by the fact that he’s dressed in gym shoes, jeans and a light jacket and it was nearly 10 pm.  No one was at home, no one knew where he went, and no one would miss him for a couple of days. Sound like the plot for an interesting movie? It is a good story.
Read the full story by clicking  below, think about it.
Until next time this is Perry Peacock, for “Simplifying Survival,”
READ CLIFTON’S STORY HERE – IT’S A TIMELY REMINDER TO ALL OF US

Proper Use of the Space Blanket

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When I was young what is today most often called an Emergency Blanket, was invented and it changed the world of survival and preparedness. NASA developed the material in 1964 for use in the space program. The plastic film is PET, the same material used in water bottles, aluminum vapor is bonded to the film in a vacuum process. This material is valuable when used correctly, it is dangerous when relied upon without knowing its properties. I always get a kick out of the many advertisements showing people with the blanket wrapped around them, big smiles on their faces, I think to myself, I’ll bet they’ve never used the blanket in the cold.

 

What it is and what it is not

  • It is not insulation nor is it an insulator. The material itself quickly becomes the same temperature as the environment
  • It is not actually a blanket, it is more a sheet or film, although I’ll refer to it that way due to common convention
  • It is PET film coated with a thin layer of aluminum
  • It is compact and light in weight
  • It is not breathable at all
  • It is somewhat fragile
  • It does not generate any heat
  • It is a reflector, like a mirror
  • It can be used as a large signal mirror
  • It can reflect as much as 90% of infrared radiation
  • It is in our Core Survival Kit at right, (formerly Off-Road Survival Kit)

 

Many years ago shortly after graduating from High School, I was a guide on Deer Hunt when we got trapped in the tops of some mountains by a sudden snow storm. The day had been warm and nice, we were in shirts and had some thin windbreakers with us. The storm seemed to appear out of nowhere, as can be common in the mountains. We were not able to get back to camp till morning. I remember pulling out my space blanket and wrapping it around me expecting to soon feel the warmth. I was sorely disappointed as anywhere I had direct contact with the blanket it was freezing cold, and the wind did not help as it pressed the blanket against me. I did find that if there was a space between me and the blanket I could feel the warmth, I soon abandoned it however, as it seemed useless to me at the time. We got through the storm very well, by making a tall circular windbreak of sage brush and building a fire in the middle. We slept through the night, awaking to a nice layer of snow everywhere except our little alcove shelter.

 

Today I still carry the Space Blanket and I love it, I love it for what it does so well. After that first experience I learned more about the material, it’s nature and what it could realistically do for me.

In a survival situation use the Space or Emergency Blanket as a mirror. It functions much the same as a solar oven or a reflector oven, changing the direction of travel of IR radiation. My favorite way to use the blanket is as a lean-to or incorporated in the wall or roof of a shelter that uses fire for heating, see picture at right. It can be used alone in cold but not too windy weather, here’s a link to a video on this application. Duct tape can be used to reinforce stress points.

 

Using duct tape alone or with pins the Space Blanket can be attached to a tarp. This makes it much more durable and versatile. If you can set up a shelter facing South with a clear view of the sun, the blanket can even be laid on the ground to reflect energy from the sun up into your shelter.

 

Medically it has been used in a mild environment next to the skin to reflect body heat back and to humidify the air around the body of a patient. In hot weather the blanket can be used to reflect heat away. In short just think of it as a mirror to reflect heat and it will simplify things for you. Since it is waterproof, it can shed rain water, either wrapped around a person, or incorporated in a shelter roof. It can also be used as a catch basin for rain water, when supplies are short.

 

So there’s the short story on using the Emergency Space Blanket, be sure to watch our YouTube Channel for upcoming additional videos showing various uses.

 

Until next time, this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival.”

Survival, Thankfulness and Hope

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Survival, Thankfulness and Hope

It’s still dark, just after five a.m., the air is freezing, a biting breeze scours my face as I walk the two miles to the bus stop, and as is often the case my mind wanders to assorted thoughts. This morning I seem to be captivated by a certain theme, thankfulness.

I’m thankful that I am in good enough health to make this trek early each morning and return each night, for a nice cabin to live in, for the warm fire, for my sweet and unbelievably encouraging wife, for my children and grandchildren, for my ancestors, and for my freedom. The list could go on and on I know, I look at the stars in the dark sky and wonder, imagining all that is out there, and yet here am I, down here, with my life and the world all around me.

It’s a quiet morning on the bus, all the University students are off, many of the various workers are off as well, tomorrow being Thanksgiving Day. Our driver Doug is not in his usual “petal to the metal” rush, I hope I make my next connection, normally there’s just a moment to spare.

Last weekend Beau and Ben and also my son Jacob went camping. There was a forecast for snow and we wanted to be in it. We had a great time cooking dinner, and chatting around the fire till late in the night. Just as we were making our way to our beds, snowflakes began to fall, and I was thankful. I love the quiet that comes as the snow begins to fall, a certain peacefulness and calm surrounds us.

I make my last bus transfer that takes me near our shop, not the familiar smiling Evelyn, our normal bus driver, but a holiday substitute, I’ll have to watch more carefully today so I don’t miss my stop, since he doesn’t know my routine.

In the morning as I awoke comfortable in my hammock, I peeked out from under the little canopy overhead, my mind raced, I got a little adrenaline rush as I saw the thick layer of snow on the ground. My feet were cozy in two pair of thick wool socks as I emerged from my little cocoon type sleeping shelter. I put my feet into the soft fresh snow. It felt similar to the days at the beach, my feet in the deep sand. I walked around camp stocking footed, like a kid on Christmas morning, looking at how nature had decorated all around us with the exquisite white snow.

Daylight is just starting to emerge over the snow-capped peaks as the bus climbs the hill that signals entry into the small town where our shop is located. And again I am thankful for a wonderful day, for the possibilities that await.

Beau and Ben had pitched their hammocks under the large PST or tarp, there was snow all about, and bare ground underneath. I walked past their quarters to the edge of the trees, I looked down to the creek, it’s chilly waters tumbling over rocks and winding down the canyon, it’s edges outlined by puffy banks of snow. Looking back towards camp I see the beauty of our tarps and hammocks suspended above the snow.

I pull on the cord to signal the driver that my stop is next. I put away the computer and put on my backpack. As always I exit the bus at the front, telling the driver in my usual way, “thank you, have a great day.” The streets look deserted this morning as the holiday is underway for many. The air has warmed some since I started out from home earlier, I can see the mountains plainly now as I walk the quarter mile to the South edge of town to the shop. It’s a beautiful day, and I am thankful.

I am reminded of a story I read in the paper on Sunday about a group of girls on their way to an activity in Wyoming when their car slid on icy roads, through a guardrail, then plunged 150 feet landing in an icy creek. The vehicle was smashed, some were seriously injured, to ease the tension the girls began to sing a church song titled, “Count Your Many Blessings.” Now who in that circumstance does that? For most people it’s instantly about the serious trouble they are in. Singing that song showed they had hope and though injured, thankful to be alive, and that’s a perfect place to start. For the full story and pictures read here

“Survival is about being thankful every day, for without it there is no hope, and without hope there is no survival.” -PDP

 

Until next time this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival.”

 

Sleeping for Survival

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In the world of survival and preparedness the most popular topics are such things as knives, guns, fire starting, shelter building, and food procurement, these are all valuable topics which we address as well. Astonishingly, almost no attention is paid to sleep, as if it’s something we don’t need or can do without.

There is something called the “Rule of Three’s” the common version goes like this-

  • Three minutes without air
  • Three days without water
  • Three weeks without food
  • Three months without social contact

But How long can you go without sleep?
I remember when I was about 18 years old I worked at a business where I worked in the evenings to allow me time to go hiking in the mornings, and skiing in the mornings in winter, hmmm, things haven’t changed much as far as my getting into the hills, haha. Anyway this company got an overwhelming amount of work to do in the month before Thanksgiving and they allowed anyone to work as many hours as they wanted.
I decided to take advantage of that offer so I went to work as normal on the first evening and worked continually, except for 30 minutes for my meals at appropriate times, for 36 hours straight. I had already been up 12 hours when I went to work, by the time I finally got to sleep I was well into my third day. When things slowed down I had a hard time staying alert, It was a real battle, my drive home was so unpleasant that I still remember it to this day some 38 years later. It was a tough fight to keep control, my mind wanted so bad to shut down. I should not have been driving, but I was young and stupid. I’m certain that I was just as unresponsive as someone who was pretty drunk.
Imagine now that something has happened, you are stranded somewhere and are now exhausted from trying to get things under control, you try to go to sleep, but can’t get comfortable, the night drags on and on, fifteen minutes seems like forever, morning seems impossibly far away. At daybreak you have slept in brief fits, no really good rest. You feel like you need to get up and going, but you are so tired now.
In this scenario how well do you think you will perform during the day? Will you be able to do the work needed? Can you be confident that decisions you make will be sound?
Sleep deprivation is a killer, even in normal civilized life, not to mention the added stress and strain encountered in a survival environment. Listed below are some of the effects of sleep loss, notice how similar many of them are to hypothermia, drunkeness, and drug use.

  • Slurred speech, stuttering, slow speech

  • Reduced speed and efficiency in performing tasks

  • Lack of coordination

  • Body does not regenerate as it should, particularly the brain, sleep is needed to regenerate proteins for neurons, form new memories, and generate new synaptic connections

  • Trouble thinking in imaginative ways, which is essential in dealing with the changing conditions of a survival experience.

  • Difficulty making quick logical decisions

  • Impaired ability to simultaneously focus on several different related tasks

  • Hallucinations, ie. Thinking things are happening around you when they are not

  • Limited amount of new information the brain can retain

  • Tired

  • Forget things easily, details

  • Depression, lack of motivation

  • Sleeping just 1 ½ hours less than normal can reduce awake time alertness by 33%

  • Induces stress to the nervous system

  • Brain begins to shut down

  • Weakened Immune System

    *As you can see from the above, sleep is critical, in fact it is probably easier to go without water than sleep.

So what do we do about this?

It’s easy really, spend the same kind of effort preparing for sleep as for getting water, creating shelter, building and maintaining fire.

Keep in mind the value and importance of getting rest, in relation to surviving the experience. The brain needs the sleep as much, if not more than the rest of your body, it becomes slow and unreliable without resting for repairs and regeneration.

Make a good bed to sleep on.

A wilderness mattress is one nice option. It’s a foot or more thick layer of soft boughs and branches, leaves, grass, whatever you can find. If done properly it is soft and comfortable and insulates from the ground.

Our PSS, set up as a hammock is another really nice option. It is a piece of gear we make that can be used as a small tarp, a poncho, and a comfortable hammock. In five minutes you can set up the hammock and be in it ready to sleep. The nice thing is that it is quick to set up, very mobile, and super comfortable. See Video

So to recap, make sure sleep is one of the prime considerations in your survival plan, arrange to make a good sleep possible, take the time to do it right and you’ll feel much better in the morning.

Until next time, this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival”



Hunting Season Preparations

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The time is upon us soon at least in our part of the country in the Mountain West for the big hunts. It’s a pretty big deal around here, when I was a kid the opening days of the deer hunt were practically state holidays, school was conveniently out. We had enough weaponry out in the field hunting that were our state hunters counted as an army, we’d rival most countries.

There are lots of memories of the past, and of all the things that don’t really change is the news stories of lost hunters, stranded hunters, unprepared hunters, bad turns in the weather with rain and snow. This year will likely be like all the rest that I can remember, same things, different people.

Nothing will ever change unless people change, you can’t change the earth, it’s going to do what its going to do. It’s guaranteed that equipment and transportation will fail for a good number of hunters, that’s not going to change, odds are a certain amount of that will happen.

“Don’t worry about everything, just the things you can control, the rest will take care of itself”

The only way we get an edge up on the things beyond our influence, is by preparation. We get ourselves ready for the eventualities by preparing. When Mr. Murphy comes calling we have an option, we have a plan.

All summer long I’ve seen people out sighting in their rifles, and shooting round after round, so as to be in practice. The sad thing is so many will go to all that trouble with the gun, then for everything else it’s just throw it in the trailer, hardly any thought given.

Some suggestions:

Have some personal gear that you always have on you while hiking around

  • Personal Survival Kit with items like in our Off Road Survival Kit
  •  Personal Shelter such as a tarp or our 3 function PSS Personal Survival Shelter that is a Poncho, Tarp, and Hammock all in one, (available now via email on contact page, soon to the website). Video
  • Water and means of procuring more
  •  Have a knowledge of the area you are in, where roads are and some general directions
  •  Travel safe, most people that wind up in serious trouble don’t have on their person the things they need for survival.

Remember Sir Edmund Hillary’s goal to be the first to climb Mt Everest, his goal was not simply to climb it, it was to climb it and return safely. Have the same goals for yourself, above all to return safely.

Look for us at the Self Reliance Expo, booth 303, in Sandy, UT Oct 7&8, 2011

Until next time this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival”

 

Boise Super Preparedness Fair

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Wilderness Innovation will make it’s next public appearance at the Boise Super Preparedness Fair August 26th and 27th at the Qwest Arena. Wilderness Innovation was able to be apart of the Utah Valley Super Preparedness Fair held this past June, and it was a great opportunity to meet hundreds of like minded people. We had an overwhelming response to many of our products, and really appreciated all the feedback that we received from the show.

The Boise show will take on the same format as the Utah Valley show. There is several speakers on several different topics including food storage, cold weather survival, urban warfare, personal defense, solar & alternative energy, and much, much more!

To download a full Boise Super Preparedness Fair schedule click here. You can pre-register as an attendee or pay at the door. For information on attendance you can check out the official sponsor’s site.

There were 56 vendor booths at the Utah Valley show, and they expect to have close to that at the Boise show. In Boise we will be debuting one of our newest products to our survival gear line, and will have several for sale at the show. We are really excited for the opportunity to meet everyone, and contribute what we have to the preparedness community. Please let us know if you have any questions about the show.

Hope to see everyone out at the event!

A quick side note for our Utah followers, make sure to mark your calendars for October 7th & 8th which will be the next show that Wilderness Innovation will be at. The Self Reliance Expo will be held at the South Towne Expo Center.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for current events as they happen at the show!

One Handed Fire Starting

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In the spring of 2010 I had been exploring some trails on my mountain bike, one trail in particular had caught my fancy, parts of it are rocky and cobbly there are lots of stream crossings. One day late in the afternoon I took the trail and went farther up on it than I had previously been. The water was a bit high with some spring runoff, not dangerous, just a little high. I was riding back down the canyon, blazing down the trail, a blasting through the water crossings, I was having one of the best rides in a long time. Suddenly all the fun ended, a hidden hole at one of the crossings caught me by surprise, my bike dropped into it and I was heading straight for some boulders in the water, head first. I ended up landing on a boulder on my right shoulder. The water was pushing me against some debris, I was under the icy water except for my head. I soon found I could not use my right arm at all. The only way I could get up and out was against the water flow, but that meant using my right arm. I was soon able to roll myself onto my bike somewhat and use it as a crutch to get out.

Once on shore I found my shoulder had been knocked loose and was useless. I was cold, the sun was setting, and no one knew exactly where I was. I had my Wilderness Innovation Survival Kit and a Fire Starter Kit was part of it. I figured if I could not get out, I would need to get a fire going, and I would have to do it one handed, and before it got too dark. It was decision time.

As it turned out, luckily I was able to get my shoulder popped back in place, but it was too painful to use my arm for anything much. I got the chain back on my bike and was able to carefully get on it and get out of the canyon to my truck.

Back to that moment of decision, I knew I had to decide one way or another whether I was staying put or getting out, and I had about 15 minutes to determine which it would be. I figured the ideal situation would be if I could get out, so I would see if it was likely possible, if not I would stay, make fire and camp till morning. When I thought of staying the first thing that occurred to me was that I would need a fire for sure and I would have to do it all one handed. I figured I could do it, but I had never done it before so I wasn’t sure how would be the best way.

Recently someone inquired about changing to some other kind of fire starter besides the Doan that we use, and they cited a device by another company that was designed for that purpose, a one handed fire starter. I knew their products were good and even owned a couple pieces. As you certainly know, I love the fire starter kit we have. I’ve been using essentially the same thing for nearly 30 years now. In fact I am still using the very same Doan Magnesium Fire Starter, and it still has lots of life in it. To me there is still nothing better than the Doan. Most of the things out there now are spark throwers, which is fine a lot of the time, but to me can’t match the ability to vary the heat output which the Doan can do and the others can’t. So anyway I got to thinking, I need to try doing fire with the Doan, one handed, one armed.

Today I did just that and I filmed the first attempt, which turned out to be successful. You can watch it here. Conclusion, the Doan is a wonderful tool that easily passes the one arm fire starting test. Another reason to just keep what I have had all these years. You can get your own on our website, it’s likely the last fire starter you will ever need. I tell my kids I’ll leave mine to them in my will. Check out the video and see how easy it is. I did it the hard way too, with just the Doan and not with the other aids we have in our kit, they would have made it impossibly easy.

A bit of news. We had a problem with the Rendezvous on Aug 26 and 27 and would have to change it, then we found out we were invited to the Preparedness Show in Boise, Idaho on that same date, so it all worked out anyway. If you are near Boise, come and see us there. We will notify of a reschedule date for the Rendezvous, it may be better a little later anyway as the plants and berries we were going to use for part of the activities are a little late this year. Keep in mind we are limiting the size of the the group to ten people plus ourselves, this will be nicer and more effective.

Until next time, this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival”

Scenarios and Rendezvous

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I have two things to talk about today and they are both pretty fun.

1 – Scenarios

OK so what is this about? Well it’s an opportunity and we’ll see how it goes. I spend a lot of time testing gear, testing myself, trying things, and most of the time I do it alone. I don’t mind doing these things alone, sometimes that’s best as I can concentrate on what I’m doing. Plus a lot of the time what I’m doing is not very pleasant, like sitting by a tree all night while it rains at 36 degrees or minus 4 degrees with a thin light blanket. Let’s face it, I like bad weather, it’s been like that since I was a kid, um did I say since I was a kid, perhaps there’s still a little of that going on in my head. Gear testing is just that, it’s when you find out your great idea has a fatal flaw, at 2 am. But it’s all gotta be done and I love doing it. Anyway here’s the deal, I thought of this; at times when I don’t mind someone coming along, I’ll post on here a Scenarios Alert and tell what I’m doing, when and where. If you would like to go along, at your own risk of course (he smiles), we can work that out. At times there may be a week or two of notice, other times it may be a few hours. Result, you may have an opportunity to have a little extra fun in the outdoors. Sometimes if I’m testing gear, I may have some extra you can try, other times you can watch me, and you can bring whatever you would like. So if you see a post with a Scenarios Alert in it, start getting excited, let the adrenaline run wild, then come and join me. The wife would probably like me to have someone with me once in a while, so she’ll sleep better, and that’s a big plus for me. I don’t know how frequent these will be we’ll just have to see how it goes.

2 -The Summer Rendezvous

We have decided not to try to grow it to a bigger and bigger size group. We like it small, so we are limiting the group size to just 10, not counting us. We like the smaller group for this, it’s more personal and we get to know each other better. There is more time to test things, teach and learn. As always the Rendezvous are somewhat informal other than we like to have a scenario to work with, some good food and some skills to learn.

Date: Friday August 26th starting in the afternoon and going about 24 hours to Saturday afternoon

Location: Hobble Creek Canyon at Springville, UT

Free, no charge, just get there. Come and be one of the first to try out our new PSP or Personal Survival Poncho. It is going on the market shortly. It’s a nice Poncho, a Tarp, and a very nice Hammock all in one. It’s great!!

Details will be given to those who sign up, as to the scenario, what to bring and exact location. If you really want to go, sign up as soon as you can, to assure a place. To sign up send an email to info@wildernessinnovation.com or click this link to go to our contact page  I wanna go to the Rendezvous

Our guarantee: It will be a nice event and you will learn something.

Until next time, it’s me again, Perry Peacock, for Wilderness Innovation where we “Simplify Survival”

Are You One of the 10% Who Know What to do?

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Some time ago I read a book by John Leach called “Survival Psychology” it is one of the best out there on the subject. John details why people do what they do and suggests what people might do, by understanding how the mind works, to direct themselves to survival and safety.

John states: “In an emergency 75% of people have to be told what to do. Only 10-15% of the people act appropriately leaving the remaining 10-15% sitting on the sidelines acting inappropriately!” Those in the top 15% had prepared for the events that they found themselves in.

When I read a statement like that I quite naturally probe myself asking, “where do I fall in that statement?” Do this exercise yourself, and be perfectly honest about it, don’t rationalize. What you want to do is find out where you are really positioned, and by knowing that, you can move yourself to where you need to be. I would suggest that perhaps each of us may place differently depending on the type of emergency. If it is in an area that we are more familiar, we would be more of a leader, and more sure of what to do.

Find out what your weaknesses are

If you have never been around tornadoes, and a warning or watch is posted you may get the “deer in the headlights” look, which is simply a stunned or shocked feeling that many times causes uncertainty in knowing what to do. Being in that situation makes you one of the 75% that John talks about, that are waiting for someone to tell them what to do.

How do you move from being one waiting to be told what to do, to knowing and taking action?

Knowledge. Knowledge of various threats and situations, studying what others have done successfully has the effect of preparing your mind, or training it in how to respond to emergencies. When I took CERT training in my city it gave me direction and information about most of the threats one might encounter and how to deal with them, as well as how to prepare ahead of time. We did practice drills that gave each of us the opportunity to evaluate conditions and make a decision. It was interesting how after a number of these exercises, much of the uncertainty vanished and I felt comfortable in quite a few types of emergencies. The practice lets your mind embed successful experiences, which can be instantly drawn upon in a real emergency. Now I know what to do in a lot of circumstances, that prior to becoming CERT certified, I may have been one of those who waits to be told what to do.

So learning and practice prepare a person to lead out in tough conditions, making them a contributor rather than a drone waiting to be taken care of. They become one of the top 10% in John Leach’s research example. The time to become trained is now, the time to prepare is now, the time to practice is now.

Note about CERT: It stands for Community Emergency Response Team. Most cities and towns in the US have these programs, and a good part of the world does as well. It is a great public service to get trained and become part of a local team. In a community emergency you can be one of those helping your city to deal with disaster, become a contributor.

For Wilderness Innovation this is Perry Peacock, “Simplifying Survival”

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