If water suddenly got hard to find!

Water, for most Americans, is just a turn of the tap away. It’s something we all take for granted, until it’s suddenly not available, that is. And, that’s not and if actually, but more of a when…

Each and every person requires water in order to live. While we can all go without food for a while, lack of water can put a person in the grave in a matter of days. We each need a minimum of 8 cups or about 2 liters a day to replace what is lost through normal respiration, urine and bowel movements. That’s a lot of water when you think about it. A family of four, then, needs at least two gallons on hand each day. More, if they are exposed outside, the weather is hot or they are exerting themselves. So, what would happen if some area disaster cut off the flow of water for a number of days… or even weeks?

Consider, if you would, what would happen if a terrorist action poisoned the entire water supply of a community to the extent that none would be available for some time. Where would you go to even get some water? No doubt, the stores around you would be stripped clean of anything drinkable in the first day or so. (My first thought would be to run to the store for cokes and bottled water). Once that supply was exhausted, you would be left to your own devices until some form of help arrived, which could take days or even weeks.

With no easy source of water available, you would have to scrounge for it. You might ask neighbors if they had some, (a plan that just might work out well for the first few days anyway). Or, you might want to strike out and locate a nearby stream. A sensible idea since streams can be found just about everywhere unless there is a drought ongoing. So, armed with some containers and pots you go out and secure a supply to take home with you. There are containers that are specially made to carry water in bulk and you might want to consider purchasing one. Now, the question becomes how to purify it so it’s safe to drink.

Boiling always works!

The best method to treat water is to first strain it and then boil it. Filter the water through something like sterile cloth or even coffee filters to remove any large debris and then fill a pot on the stove and bring it to a rolling boil for about two minutes. Cover and allow the container to cool. Voila! You now have fresh water on hand to consume at your leisure.

Purify it with Clorox!

The second best method is to first filter the water as before, and then add two drops of Clorox bleach for every quart of water you process. For this an eye dropper comes in very handy. Bleach is actually sodium hydrochloride and after being diluted in water and left to stand for about thirty minutes will break down in to table salt and more water. So, add the bleach, still well, cover the container and allow it to sit. I mention Clorox specifically as you want to add bleach and only bleach. No softeners or other additives. Cut out this label and affix it to a bottle of bleach to which you have taped an eye dropper and you’re all set!

Either of the two methods described above will kill most everything in the water and make it safe to consume. Just make sure to renew your supply of bleach every three months or so to keep it at peak effectiveness.

Hiking equipment shakeout: the kitchen!

Out in the wilderness, even making a simple hot dog can be complicated. I found this out while trying some backpack equipment prior to setting out into the woods on an overnight trip. With the weather currently so warm, I thought it would be a good idea to give everything a shakedown prior to venturing out this fall when the much cooler weather I prefer can be expected.  

On this occasion, I wanted to cook a hot dog using a simple piece of bread with some relish, mustard and ketchup as the condiments. I also had a small onion I wanted to cut up and add to the mix. Everything used is designed to fit nicely into a backpack without taking up much space. Now, on this test, I did sub some items; a regular kitchen plate instead of the metal one I normally take and condiments that were from commercial container instead of the small packets you can steal from fast food stores. Also, I used regular utensils instead of the ‘spork kit’ I normally carry on the trail.

During this particular test, I quickly realized that the metal grate was too high off the table to heat the metal pot quickly, so I improvised and used a metal cup to help elevate the burner. The burner, by the way is a MSR Whisperjet stove that is available for about $70. This little stove uses white gas and works very well. It even came with spare seals and such when I purchased it years ago. 

 The pot is made of stainless steel. There are lighter ones out there made of metals like titanium, but for the small weight differential, I don’t think they are worth the extra money. However, if weight is critical, that could be a concern. Here is a picture of the basic equipment, and as you can see, it’s a pretty small pile. Not pictured is the food I would carry in a small cooler until time to hit the trail. If possible, all meats are pre-frozen prior to leaving. This allows the meat to be carried for much of the day without worry that it will spoil.

In my pack, I also make it a point to carry other essentials no matter how long or short the hike. This is the so-called ‘ten essentials’ that always go with me no matter what. This covers items such as the ability to make fire, water and such. After everything is loaded, an average day hike pack will weigh in at about twenty pounds. In the woods, what you have on you is what you got, so think that way when preparing for your excursions.

Tolerance is the Word

Today, too many Americans have become unseemly in the way they have become just a wee bit intolerant concerning the following issues:

Government Overreach

OK, let’s clear this one up right away. It is not the business of the American public to tell the Administration how to run this country. Please, let the Democratic Party square the country away in peace and behind closed doors. Show some tolerance, OK?

Government Regulations

Our government could not run the way it is run today without a steady infusion of new regulations that create new bureaus that will insure the ‘onion’ gets ever larger (bla bla bla). Once again, an uninformed (and largely illiterate) American citizenry are sticking their noses in where they don’t belong. Let the government officials take care of the country while you, Mr. American, go out and look for work no matter how trivial it may be.

Muslim Extremists

What exactly are extremists anyway? Aren’t they a people who just care a lot about their own religion? We gentiles should tolerate the desire for such a group to want subjugate the female population while defining the Christian world as ‘a group of devils’. Isn’t it just possible we are? Huh? And, the fact that they may be using an otherwise good religion as a mask for world supremacy and subjugation should not be criticized , but rather tolerated as part of the diversity of life. 'Go forth young Christians into the area. Those tigers will not harm ye.'

Now, I want you all to try this exercise. Find a closet, lock yourself inside, close your eyes and think tolerant thoughts! Stay in there for a year or so and then come out. Wow! What a changed world you will find!

Brer Rabbit and the Congressional Tar Baby!

Just as in the 1946 Disney cartoon where a naive rabbit gets tangled up with a tar baby, so too have the American people found themselves in a sticky economic situation. And, just like that ol' Brer Rabbit, we may have to use our wits to get us out of this mess!

Update: Circa 2016 and I can just feel the PC crowds angst.... get over it! I've become so much not PC, that you wouldn't even know me...

Check out the original movie! Opps! A classic movie that is now removed and censored by your so fucking correct government. I wonder what the PC crowd will censor next...

I swear this is true!

In what should come as no surprise to anyone, the climate of the world seems to have come partially unglued over the last few years. Now a world recognized scientist living in California give a horrifying forecast. Here's an excerpt from a recent broadcast.

Ed Clark: “My name is Ed Clark with KTOK News and I’m here with a well known climatologist by the name of Dan DeMinto, a tenured professor at the prestigious Berkeley College in Oakland California. Sir, I understand that you have some grave news for us.”

Dr. DeMinto: “Why yes, I do. Now, I don’t want to scare anyone mind you, but very shortly the temperatures on earth will approach the boiling point of water!”

Ed Clark: “Now surely, Dr. DeMinto, you don’t mean that! Why life on earth would cease to exist!”

Dr. DeMinto: “Yes, well let me rephrase that statement. Yes, umm, what I meant to say is that living conditions will become quite warm everywhere except here in California due to an anomaly in the earth’s magnetic field. This force field, if you will, will create a barrier to the excess heat making it quite nice here west of the Rockies.”

Ed Clark: “And, you have some proof of why this would occur?”

Dr. DeMinto: “Proof! God man, of course I have proof! And it’s available to purchase for only $19.95 not including handling and shipping charges.”

Ed Clark: “Hmm, I think I smell a con here….”

Dr. DeMinto: “But wait! If you act right now, I’ll throw in a pair of my special sunglasses AT NO COST if you pay extra shipping and handling.”

Ed Clark: “OK, so I get it that your trying to sell us all something that’s basically worthless.”

Dr. DeMinto: “And did I mention that if you call 800-555-1212 in the next twenty four hours, I’d be happy to have my wife who’s number one in Real Estate, call you with land offers you won’t be able to refuse.”

Ed Clark: “This is Ed Clark and I’m so out of here….”

Graphic of a heat wave!

After waterfall deaths, Yosemite officials renew signs!

After the deaths of three hikers swept over a Yosemite waterfall this week, officials are renewing their warnings to be cautious around the park's waterways, still raging because of a late snow melt.

The accident brings the number of water-related deaths in Yosemite this year to six, park officials said. Two hikers drowned in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on June 29, and a hiker slipped and fell into the Merced River on the Mist Trail on May 13.

Twelve people have gone over Vernal Fall in the past, park officials said. None survived.

Yosemite National Park spokesman Scott Gediman said rangers were collecting statements and photographs from witnesses to try to piece together what happened, but "none of this will bring these people back."

The Mist Trail leading to Vernal Fall is one of the park's most popular, Gediman said, and about 1,500 make the trek to the top of the waterfall each day without incident. He insisted that the park provides sufficient warnings of the dangers, and that the spot is safe if visitors follow the rules. He said the guardrail took "some effort" to climb over.