Bushcraft Outing - almost a disaster!

[Doodad]

swankfly, thanks for the heads-up with the lip guards.

[RKP]

Glad it all worked out !

[born2roam]

Wow... like others, glad it worked out okay.

You make one mistake and things can go snowballing to disaster. Or a CF (clusterf#ck) as we learned in diving. Well you took the right steps to correct and prevent things getting further out of hand.

Good practical reminder to all of us. Thanks for sharing.

Grtz Johan

[tdg]

Glad it all worked out. Nice kit by the way, i was looking at the emberlit mini and I see on his web site they are not available currently. Hmm

[NarlocB]

Glad you recognized the danger and are all good now!!

[Overgrown]

That was a close call brother, I myself am diabetic so I can relate, I would suggest keeping some hard candy in your pack for emergencies, myself I carry worthers originals. I carry the fast acting gluclose tabs but they taste awful.

[SkyPainter]

Glad everything worked out well for you. Hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your trip.

===> Well, once I regained some semblance of control, I packed-up and humped back out, not wanting to take any more chances that day. The trip was still a success - learned a good lesson, and found some good Cedar trees!

Good advice - glad you saw what was going on.
I also wish those silicon lipguards were available by themselves.

===> Turns out they are ...I will be ordering some as soon as I find them online!

Skypainter, you made the best of a dangerous situation and I'm glad you made it out okay and that you were able to read the signs your body was giving you before you were too far gone.

Had something like happen to me years ago when I was getting hypothermia while walleye fishing one cold and windy night. Reading the signs in time, I got back to the car, warmed up and was fine. If I had kept on going...

P.S., nice pictures.

Take care of yourself.

====> Thanks, Chard. I was lucky this time. I will be testing regularly in the field from here on out. Sometimes, we can fool ourselves into thinking we are TOO self-reliant! Glad your issue worked-out, too!

Good advice. Really cool bow drill.

===> Thanks. Bow drill fire starting is fun. I like to practice with all sorts of different trees, in case. I think the spindle on this set was too hard, or too damp. I left it all there for others to find.

You can buy the lip guards, they come in a 2 pak. I lost mine and had to purchase replacements.

http://www.backcountryedge.com/snow_peak-hotlips.aspx

====> Thanks!!! They are out of stock at the moment, but as soon as they are back I am going to order a bunch!

Glad things worked out. I never go out for day hike with out extra food, cloths , emergency bivy etc. We are not running the show,,,sh*t happens,,,i don't dwell on it ,its just in the day pack if i need it.

bill

====> I had all the extras, thank goodness! I also had my PSK (Personal Survival Kit) and FAK (First Aid Kit) with me, and BOTH of those had Glucose tabs in them, plus I had a full tube in my pocket! But I was crashing so fast, I DID NOT REMEMBER they were there! Much more careful next time! Will be testing regularly in the trees!

~ Sky

[SkyPainter]

SkyPainter, glad that you realized what was happening and were able to do what was necessary. I, too, am diabetic, athough my glucose readings are always high which is a bit easier to deal with, I think. I, like you, enjoy heading out to the woods alone for hikes and overnight trips also. Good word of caution for all of us. Whatever our conditions, we need to practice adequate self-care at all times. Looks like it was a good trip even with the scare.

===> Thanks. Will test, test, test, in the woods from now on!

Wow, that is quite a story! Thanks for sharing.

===> Thanks. Not a story I wanted to be sharing, but we can all learn from things. I sure did!

Weird how we seem to know better but still make mistakes. Glad to hear all worked out for you man.

===> Thanks - it did, and I can now adjust my woodsy routines to account for it.

swankfly, thanks for the heads-up with the lip guards.

====> +1 ! Will be ordering a bunch! They work well.

Glad it all worked out !

====> Thanks. Learned from it.

Wow... like others, glad it worked out okay.

You make one mistake and things can go snowballing to disaster. Or a CF (clusterf#ck) as we learned in diving. Well you took the right steps to correct and prevent things getting further out of hand.

Good practical reminder to all of us. Thanks for sharing.

Grtz Johan

====. Yup, there is a thin veil of control in life; we must always be alert, especially in the Piney Woods!

Glad it all worked out. Nice kit by the way, i was looking at the emberlit mini and I see on his web site they are not available currently. Hmm

====> Thanks. I love the Emberlit - mine is the SS. Fits my alcohol stoves perfectly, so it acts as a windscreen on windy days. Gives me another option. I always carry both - a wood burner, and an achy stove, as the conditions dictate.

Glad you recognized the danger and are all good now!!

====> I am fine, thankfully. Will be testing a lot more in the woods from now on. We always see ourselves as totally self-sufficient, self-reliant in the backcountry, but that image is flawed somewhat by nature. Best we can (and should!) do is prepare thoroughly for every trip!

That was a close call brother, I myself am diabetic so I can relate, I would suggest keeping some hard candy in your pack for emergencies, myself I carry worthers originals. I carry the fast acting gluclose tabs but they taste awful.

====> It was close! I had Glucose tabs in my pocket in a tube, in my PSK and FAK, and yet still did not remember they were there! I had a hard time identifying what I was holding (the Firesteel) or what is was for. When you get below a certain point, the brain is starving for energy, and just not working properly. Luckily, I remembered I had some food along (I always take food) so a fruit bar and some GORP, and eventually some Glucose tabs (once I began to recover) brought me back up where I could function. Thanks man. Be careful out there!!

~ Sky

[nemo327]

I tried a bow drill for fire starting ,I only got clouds of smoke and blisters. I recomend getting advice from someone that has done it instead of reading directions.

[SkyPainter]

I tried a bow drill for fire starting ,I only got clouds of smoke and blisters. I recomend getting advice from someone that has done it instead of reading directions.

===> Good advice, but I start fires all the time with Bow Drills, and hand drills. Took a while to acquire the skills, but they work great now. And once you are getting smoke clouds - go faster! An ember is in there someplace! Good luck!

~ Sky