Survival News 2007-01-19
More Articles Related to BlogMountaineering Couple Found
The two mountaineers who went missing during a month-long backcountry ski-touring trek in the Rocky Mountains Yoho National park near Mt Collie and the Alberta-British Columbia boundary have been found.
The bodies of Claire Dixon and Cornelius Brenninkmeyer were discovered in a collapsed snow cave shelter they had constructed sometime around January 4th. It seems likely the snowcave collapsed on them as they were sleeping, which caused the couple to suffocate.
Cornelius Brenninkmeyer and Claire Dixon had built a snowcave shelter at about 9500 feet of elevation during a 4 week backcountry ski outing in the Wapta Icefield area about ninety miles northwest of Calgary. Dixon's parents had reported the couple as missing when they were a couple days late from getting back.
Update: As of January 20th bad weather had prevented Parks Canada officials from helicoptering the bodies out. It wasn't until the 22nd that successful recovery of the dead backcountry skiers occured.
Claire Dixon was 27 years of age and Cornelius Brenninkmeyer 25 and were experienced mountaineers.
Muddle Through Man
Les Stroud has been undergoing specialized survival training in deep jungle at the headwaters of the Amazon River, living with the primitive Waorani Tribe, Eating monkey meat and learning how to live off the land.
Stroud reports learning to like manioc drink, the local brew which the elder women create by mashing manioc in their mouths and spitting out into containers for overnight fermentation.
In my personal opinion, the manioc beverage might be at least a little more palatable if it consisted of young virgin woman spit instead, but of course I am inexperienced in such delicacies.
With Less' newfound knowledge he is poled upstream with little more than local tools and weapons, where he will attempt to survive for seven days. This should be an excellent survival adventure story.
"In my personal opinion, the manioc beverage might be at least a little more palatable if it consisted of young virgin woman spit instead, but of course I am inexperienced in such delicacies."
I must admit I have always enjoyed watching Les Stroud on the Discovery Channel. I have taken to calling his Survivorman show the “MuddleThroughMan Show” though, largely because it often seems to me he pretty much hangs out for a week in the wilderness, obtaining little food or water and not really showing any special skills in particular. Like building his shelter on a sandbar and then getting flooded out during a nightime rainstorm, or flicking his knife around irresponsibly and cutting himself.
I suppose when compared to the average urban dweller, SurvivorMan's survival skills are way up there. Country boys raised close to the land on hunting, fishing, trapping will probably spot a certain amount of lack of ease in the outdoors that Les demonstrates from time to time.
Emergency Survival Bucket Re-Invented for the First Time
A recent article in the Lake County News-Sun in Waukegan, IL features a man named Ronald Schumacher who plans on patenting his Emergency Survival Bucket.
According to the article, “Unlike other survival kits on the market, his bucket contains all the necessary life-support items including six bottles of water, matches, candies, candle, a blanket, nutrition bars, FM radio with a built-in light, tissue packs, plastic bags, a whistle, glow sticks, first-aid kits, hand sterilizer, hand wipes and duct tape.”
Errr...yeah, it is obvious Mr. Schumacher at the cutting edge with his invention of the survival bucket.
Why didn't anyone ever think of making Emergency Survival Buckets before?
You've Fallen Far My Friend
In other news, just another man who fell 15,000 feet and lived to tell about it. Michael Holmes went into a spin when his main parachute became tangled during a two mile drop over Taupo New Zealand. Landing in a blackberry bush may have saved him.
From what I understand, falls from great heights are not always deadly. You still have a chance – aim for deep snow, mud, a plowed field, thick bushes, or anything soft that will cushion your fall. But not water, which is as hard as concrete when falling at terminal velocity. Be sure to land on your feet and roll in order to distribute the shock of impact.
Pumpkin the Cat
Pumpkin the Cat, of Washington state, is a lesson to all who are faced with a survival situation. Three weeks without food, water, and companionship in a completely alien environment did not dampen her will to survive.
It is obvious that Pumpkin came out of her ordeal with at least one of her nine lives remaining.
On December 28th Pumpkin disappeared from her crate in the baggage compartment on a flight from England to Germany. The furry feline spent three weeks traveling around the world in the cargo hold of a United Airlines plane.
The cat was found January 17th by United cargo workers at Denver International Airport and taken to Alameda East Veterinary Clinic, where she is recovering from dehydration.
"As far as we know, the Pumpkin's travels included London to Munich, then to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles," Gall said while petting Pumpkin the cat. "Who knows where else she went."
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