[at-l] Re3 Thru hiker Survivor Fire

[kahley@ptd.net (kahley)]

At 10:34 PM 3/10/02 -0500, rafeb@adelphia.net wrote:

>So if you fall and can't move, you assume that all
>the combustibles you need will be right there, at
>the point where you fell?  That's pretty optimistic, no?

Not trying to pick nits here, but there is a BIG difference between can't
get yer own butt back out and can't move.  When I broke my back, it
took me almost an hour to crawl the five feet and two steps back into
the house.  It was one of the scariest times in my life and began my on
Trail practice of having everything I really need in a belly bag at all times
(even when I go out to pee in the middle of the night most of the time).
I could never have hiked my way out if I'd been on the trail, but I
could have crawled far enough to gather stuff and make a fire if a fire
would have been needed.


>I agree that as an emergency tool, fire *could* be
>a lifesaver.  But for 99.999% of all hikers (who don't
>encounter such an emergency) it is a non-essential
>skill.
>
>That said, it seems to be a useful thing to know
>(building a fire, that is) and matches/lighter aren't
>a huge burden to carry.  I'm certainly not encouraging
>ignorance in this area.  I just think that fire may be a
>bit over-rated as a skill needed for hiking on a trail
>like the AT.
>
>
>rafe b.
>aka terrapin
>
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