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[at-l] one more umbrella
When the umbrella was invented, puritanical people protested that it was
immoral to oppose God's will that you get wet. (Has history repeated
here?) The same people similarly opposed lightning rods (the subject of a
fascinating Isaac Asimov essay, "The Fateful Lightning").
I like umbrellas because they work. They don't work everywhere, but
neither does anything else. I would hesitate to take one on a 2kmile hike,
but umbrellas can be useful in the woods, especially in semi- stationary
situations.
As a cave-rescue communications specialist and instructor, I sometimes
spend hours or days in the woods with a radio and a field telephone. Upon
being summoned to a rescue, the second thing I grab is my umbrella (after
my sleeping bag). Murphy's law of cave rescue says the weather will be
wet; indeed, many rescues are 'precipitated' by high water. Associates
have ridiculed my umbrella but they become very friendly when the rain
starts. I found an umbrella called "Portaroof" in a sporting-goods store.
It attaches to a tree by a wood screw in a horizontal part of the "handle."
The canopy spans about 240 degrees; the gap wraps around the tree trunk,
tied with attached lines. It's about 4 feet in diameter, camouflage color.
The unique rib design lets it fold very compactly (about one foot long, 2"
dia. in its stuff sack). It weighs about the same as a golf umbrella.
Without modification it's not suitable for use while walking. It costs
$30, distr. by Buck Wing Products inc., 690 S. 10th St., Allentown, PA
18103. http://www.buckwing.com
The traditional flimsy construction of umbrellas contributes to a self-
fulfilling prophecy of their unsuitability in non-urban environments.
Developing an indestructible 2-ounce umbrella made of teflon, goretex and
mithril is probably not among NASA's priorities. (The Mary Poppins anti-
gravity model would surely be denounced as unethical for Trail use... :-)
--
Frank reid@indiana.edu W9MKV NSS 9086
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