Posted: February 19th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: author unknown, auto accident, badlands, cactus, cell phone, cross country travel, ethanol, flashlight, lips, little bit, Pocket knife, poison, rattlesnake, reapplication, sun block, sunblock, umbrella, walking at night, water bottle, windshield wiper fluid | 5 Comments »
Lost in the Desert
(Author unknown)
So, there’s a man crawling through the desert.
He’d decided to try his SUV in a little bit of cross-country travel, had great fun zooming over the badlands and through the sand, got lost, hit a big rock, and then he couldn’t get it started again. There were no cell phone towers anywhere near, so his cell phone was useless. He had no family, his parents had died a few years before in an auto accident, and his few friends had no idea he was out here.
He stayed with the car for a day or so, but his one bottle of water ran out and he was getting thirsty. He thought maybe he knew the direction back, now that he’d paid attention to the sun and thought he’d figured out which way was north, so he decided to start walking. He figured he only had to go about 30 miles or so and he’d be back to the small town he’d gotten gas in last.
He thinks about walking at night to avoid the heat and sun, but based upon how dark it actually was the night before, and given that he has no flashlight, he’s afraid that he’ll break a leg or step on a rattlesnake. So, he puts on some sun block, puts the rest in his pocket for reapplication later, brings an umbrella he’d had in the back of the SUV with him to give him a little shade, pours the windshield wiper fluid into his water bottle in case he gets that desperate, brings his pocket knife in case he finds a cactus that looks like it might have water in it, and heads out in the direction he thinks is right.
He walks for the entire day. By the end of the day he’s really thirsty. He’s been sweating all day, and his lips are starting to crack. He’s reapplied the sunblock twice, and tried to stay under the umbrella, but he still feels sunburned. The windshield wiper fluid sloshing in the bottle in his pocket
is really getting tempting now. He knows that it’s mainly water and some ethanol and coloring, but he also knows that they add some kind of poison to
it to keep people from drinking it. He wonders what the poison is, and whether the poison would be worse than dying of thirst.
He pushes on, trying to get to that small town before dark.
By the end of the day he starts getting worried. He figures he’s been walking at least 3 miles an hour, according to his watch for over 10 hours. That means that if his estimate was right that he should be close to the town. But he doesn’t recognize any of this. He had to cross a dry creek bed a mile or two back, and he doesn’t remember coming through it in the SUV. He figures that maybe he got his direction off just a little and that the dry creek bed was just off to one side of his path. He tells himself that he’s close, and that after dark he’ll start seeing the town lights over one of these hills, and that’ll be all he needs.
As it gets dim enough that he starts stumbling over small rocks and things, he finds a spot and sits down to wait for full dark and the town lights.
Full dark comes before he knows it. He must have dozed off. He stands back up and turns all the way around. He sees nothing but stars.
He wakes up the next morning feeling absolutely lousy. His eyes are gummy and his mouth and nose feel like they’re full of sand. He so thirsty that he can’t even swallow. He barely got any sleep because it was so cold. He’d forgotten how cold it got at night in the desert and hadn’t noticed it the night before because he’d been in his car.
He knows the Rule of Threes – three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food – then you die. Some people can make it a little longer, in the best situations. But the desert heat and having to walk and sweat isn’t the best situation to be without water. He figures, unless he finds water, this is his last day.
He rinses his mouth out with a little of the windshield wiper fluid. He waits a while after spitting that little bit out, to see if his mouth goes numb, or he feels dizzy or something. Has his mouth gone numb? Is it just in his mind? He’s not sure. He’ll go a little farther, and if he still doesn’t find water, he’ll try drinking some of the fluid.
Then he has to face his next, harder question – which way does he go from here? Does he keep walking the same way he was yesterday (assuming that he still knows which way that is), or does he try a new direction? He has no idea what to do.
Looking at the hills and dunes around him, he thinks he knows the direction he was heading before. Just going by a feeling, he points himself somewhat to the left of that, and starts walking.
As he walks, the day starts heating up. The desert, too cold just a couple of hours before, soon becomes an oven again. He sweats a little at first, and then stops. He starts getting worried at that – when you stop sweating he knows that means you’re in trouble – usually right before heat stroke.
He decides that it’s time to try the windshield wiper fluid. He can’t wait any longer – if he passes out, he’s dead. He stops
Posted: January 25th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: backpacking trip, common sense, compass, eyes on the horizon, fatigue, flashlight, friends and family, good posture, hikers, light c, pace, Pocket knife, posture, streams, workout | 1 Comment »
1.
Which of the following is NOT a basic tip for beginning hikers?
A) Use common sense.
B) Communicate your plans to friends and family.
C) Listen to your body.
D) Always keep moving forward. Never turn back.
2.
What is one of the most important considerations for packing for a hike?
A) Bring everything you could possibly need. It is best to be prepared for anything.
B) Pack light.
C) Always pack enough supplies to last for 2 weeks.
D) Pack what you need for yourself and include extra supplies in case you run into someone who needs help.
3.
Which of the following is NOT one of the fourteen essential supplies you should pack for a hiking trip?
A) compass
B) flashlight
C) watch
D) pocket knife
4.
To avoid soreness, fatigue, and injury while hiking,
A) maintain good posture while hiking.
B) keep up with the pace set by those you are hiking with.
C) hike alone.
D) keep your eyes on the horizon.
5.
To stay healthy on a backpacking trip, it is important to
A) push yourself hard to get a good workout.
B) rest only at designated times.
C) drink only from streams where water is flowing quickly
D) stay hydrated.
Thanks Justin(:
Posted: November 1st, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: backpack, bookshelf, Bottle opener, boxes, closure, desk, dire need, dorm room, duffle bags, flashlight, kayak, key ring, mattress, open space, outdoor orientation, Pocket knife, room key, roommate, roommates, thin air | 3 Comments »
Ok so I’m in college and I went on an outdoor orientation trip for five days and brought my keys with me, when I got back from my trip I got to my door, and took my keys out of my backpack and unlocked my dorm room door. I then put my backpack down at the head of my bed and threw my keys towards the foot of my bed. Im almost positive I heard them hit wood, and I didn’t bother to see where exactly they went. My keys have 10 keys on it (including my dorm room key), a small pocket knife, a small flashlight, and a bottle opener, so it isnt exactly like they could just completely disappear. But alas, here I am 3 days later, completely keyless. Last night I took all the sheets off my bed, and my mattress and looked all underneath my bed and in my sheets. They are nowhere to be found!!! At this point Im literally starting to think they have desintegrated into thin air. My room is set up like this [DESK][B E D][dresser] closet||| and my roommates side of the room is the same. My bed, dresser and desk are all made out of wood, and there is also a 3 tier wooden bookshelf above my desk. I have some boxes and duffle bags underneath my bed, a 9ft kayak along side my bed, and my closet is an open space. I have been searching for them for the last 2 days, and my roommate is starting to feel uncomfortable about leaving our door unlocked, but i have no option, also my bike is locked up outside with a key thats on my key ring. So in closure, I am in DIRE need of any ideas, I am starting to lose my mind! Please help!! I will award the best answer to the answer that leads me to my keys!!! Thanks!!
Posted: October 27th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: backpack, bookshelf, Bottle opener, boxes, closure, desk, dire need, dorm room, duffel bags, flashlight, kayak, key ring, mattress, open space, outdoor orientation, Pocket knife, room key, roommate, roommates, thin air | 2 Comments »
Ok so I’m in college and I went on an outdoor orientation trip for five days and brought my keys with me, when I got back from my trip I got to my door, and took my keys out of my backpack and unlocked my dorm room door. I then put my backpack down at the head of my bed and threw my keys towards the foot of my bed. Im almost positive I heard them hit wood, and I didn’t bother to see where exactly they went. My keys have 10 keys on it (including my dorm room key), a small pocket knife, a small flashlight, and a bottle opener, so it isn’t exactly like they could just completely disappear. But alas, here I am 3 days later, completely keyless. Last night I took all the sheets off my bed, and my mattress and looked all underneath my bed and in my sheets. They are nowhere to be found!!! At this point Im literally starting to think they have disintegrated into thin air. My room is set up like this [DESK][B E D][dresser] closet||| and my roommates side of the room is the same. My bed, dresser and desk are all made out of wood, and there is also a 3 tier wooden bookshelf above my desk. I have some boxes and duffel bags underneath my bed, a 9ft kayak along side my bed, and my closet is an open space. I have been searching for them for the last 2 days, and my roommate is starting to feel uncomfortable about leaving our door unlocked, but i have no option, also my bike is locked up outside with a key that’s on my key ring. So in closure, I am in DIRE need of any ideas, I am starting to lose my mind! Please help!! I will award the best answer to the answer that leads me to my keys!!! Thanks!!
Posted: September 29th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: backpack, bookshelf, Bottle opener, boxes, closure, desk, dire need, dorm room, duffel bags, flashlight, kayak, key ring, mattress, open space, outdoor orientation, Pocket knife, room key, roommate, roommates, thin air | 2 Comments »
Ok so I’m in college and I went on an outdoor orientation trip for five days and brought my keys with me, when I got back from my trip I got to my door, and took my keys out of my backpack and unlocked my dorm room door. I then put my backpack down at the head of my bed and threw my keys towards the foot of my bed. Im almost positive I heard them hit wood, and I didn’t bother to see where exactly they went. My keys have 10 keys on it (including my dorm room key), a small pocket knife, a small flashlight, and a bottle opener, so it isn’t exactly like they could just completely disappear. But alas, here I am 3 days later, completely keyless. Last night I took all the sheets off my bed, and my mattress and looked all underneath my bed and in my sheets. They are nowhere to be found!!! At this point Im literally starting to think they have disintegrated into thin air. My room is set up like this [DESK][B E D][dresser] closet||| and my roommates side of the room is the same. My bed, dresser and desk are all made out of wood, and there is also a 3 tier wooden bookshelf above my desk. I have some boxes and duffel bags underneath my bed, a 9ft kayak along side my bed, and my closet is an open space. I have been searching for them for the last 2 days, and my roommate is starting to feel uncomfortable about leaving our door unlocked, but i have no option, also my bike is locked up outside with a key that’s on my key ring. So in closure, I am in DIRE need of any ideas, I am starting to lose my mind! Please help!! I will award the best answer to the answer that leads me to my keys!!! Thanks!!
Posted: September 28th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: Bottle opener, clipper, filer, flashlight, laser pointer, lighter, magnifying glass, Pocket knife, swiss army knife, tweezer, Victorinox | 1 Comment »
I need a swiss army knife,
it has to have a:
pen
LED light/flashlight
scissor(it has to sharpen itself)
nail clipper/filer
tweezer
knife
bottle opener
flashdrive(min 2gb)
magnifying glass
wrench
optionals:
screwdriver(the ones where you can switch the heads)
laser pointer
(pocket sized)
any suggestions on where i can find my dream knife?
I gave my pocket knife to my ex=( so i need a new one, my last one was Victorinox SwissFlash w/ a laser and everything o.o i hate myself for giving it away.
oh and a lighter would be greatly apreciated^^
hehe i know u can’t have a lighter on a pocket knife (only jk) i do live in the city, but i go camping, i do alot of DIY stuff, and im forgetful so i have to go back and forth alotXD
Posted: September 3rd, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: auto accident, badlands, cactus, cell phone, cross country travel, desert, ethanol, flashlight, lips, little bit, Pocket knife, poison, rattlesnake, reapplication, sun block, sunblock, umbrella, walking at night, water bottle, windshield wiper fluid | 7 Comments »
So, there’s a man crawling through the desert.
He’d decided to try his SUV in a little bit of cross-country travel, had great fun zooming over the badlands and through the sand, got lost, hit a big rock, and then he couldn’t get it started again. There were no cell phone towers anywhere near, so his cell phone was useless. He had no family, his parents had died a few years before in an auto accident, and his few friends had no idea he was out here.
He stayed with the car for a day or so, but his one bottle of water ran out and he was getting thirsty. He thought maybe he knew the direction back, now that he’d paid attention to the sun and thought he’d figured out which way was north, so he decided to start walking. He figured he only had to go about 30 miles or so and he’d be back to the small town he’d gotten gas in last.
He thinks about walking at night to avoid the heat and sun, but based upon how dark it actually was the night before, and given that he has no flashlight, he’s afraid that he’ll break a leg or step on a rattlesnake. So, he puts on some sun block, puts the rest in his pocket for reapplication later, brings an umbrella he’d had in the back of the SUV with him to give him a little shade, pours the windshield wiper fluid into his water bottle in case he gets that desperate, brings his pocket knife in case he finds a cactus that looks like it might have water in it, and heads out in the direction he thinks is right.
He walks for the entire day. By the end of the day he’s really thirsty. He’s been sweating all day, and his lips are starting to crack. He’s reapplied the sunblock twice, and tried to stay under the umbrella, but he still feels sunburned. The windshield wiper fluid sloshing in the bottle in his pocket
is really getting tempting now. He knows that it’s mainly water and some ethanol and coloring, but he also knows that they add some kind of poison to
it to keep people from drinking it. He wonders what the poison is, and whether the poison would be worse than dying of thirst.
He pushes on, trying to get to that small town before dark.
By the end of the day he starts getting worried. He figures he’s been walking at least 3 miles an hour, according to his watch for over 10 hours. That means that if his estimate was right that he should be close to the town. But he doesn’t recognize any of this. He had to cross a dry creek bed a mile or two back, and he doesn’t remember coming through it in the SUV. He figures that maybe he got his direction off just a little and that the dry creek bed was just off to one side of his path. He tells himself that he’s close, and that after dark he’ll start seeing the town lights over one of these hills, and that’ll be all he needs.
As it gets dim enough that he starts stumbling over small rocks and things, he finds a spot and sits down to wait for full dark and the town lights.
Full dark comes before he knows it. He must have dozed off. He stands back up and turns all the way around. He sees nothing but stars.
He wakes up the next morning feeling absolutely lousy. His eyes are gummy and his mouth and nose feel like they’re full of sand. He so thirsty that he can’t even swallow. He barely got any sleep because it was so cold. He’d forgotten how cold it got at night in the desert and hadn’t noticed it the night before because he’d been in his car.
He knows the Rule of Threes – three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food – then you die. Some people can make it a little longer, in the best situations. But the desert heat and having to walk and sweat isn’t the best situation to be without water. He figures, unless he finds water, this is his last day.
He rinses his mouth out with a little of the windshield wiper fluid. He waits a while after spitting that little bit out, to see if his mouth goes numb, or he feels dizzy or something. Has his mouth gone numb? Is it just in his mind? He’s not sure. He’ll go a little farther, and if he still doesn’t find water, he’ll try drinking some of the fluid.
Then he has to face his next, harder question – which way does he go from here? Does he keep walking the same way he was yesterday (assuming that he still knows which way that is), or does he try a new direction? He has no idea what to do.
Looking at the hills and dunes around him, he thinks he knows the direction he was heading before. Just going by a feeling, he points himself somewhat to the left of that, and starts walking.
As he walks, the day starts heating up. The desert, too cold just a couple of hours before, soon becomes an oven again. He sweats a little at first, and then stops. He starts getting worried at that – when you stop sweating he knows that means you’re in trouble – usually right before heat stroke.
He decides that it’s time to try the windshield wiper fluid. He can’t wait any longer – if he passes out, he’s dead. He stops in the shade of a large rock, takes the bottle
Posted: September 2nd, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: author unknown, auto accident, badlands, cactus, cell phone, cross country travel, ethanol, flashlight, joke, lips, little bit, Pocket knife, rattlesnake, reapplication, sun block, sunblock, umbrella, walking at night, water bottle, windshield wiper fluid | 3 Comments »
I think it’s this one. I didn’t read the whole thing. Just first and last paragragp.
The Longest Joke in the World
* * *
Lost in the Desert (Author unknown)
So, there’s a man crawling through the desert.
He’d decided to try his SUV in a little bit of cross-country travel, had great fun zooming over the badlands and through the sand, got lost, hit a big rock, and then he couldn’t get it started again. There were no cell phone towers anywhere near, so his cell phone was useless. He had no family, his parents had died a few years before in an auto accident, and his few friends had no idea he was out here.
He stayed with the car for a day or so, but his one bottle of water ran out and he was getting thirsty. He thought maybe he knew the direction back, now that he’d paid attention to the sun and thought he’d figured out which way was north, so he decided to start walking. He figured he only had to go about 30 miles or so and he’d be back to the small town he’d gotten gas in last.
He thinks about walking at night to avoid the heat and sun, but based upon how dark it actually was the night before, and given that he has no flashlight, he’s afraid that he’ll break a leg or step on a rattlesnake. So, he puts on some sun block, puts the rest in his pocket for reapplication later, brings an umbrella he’d had in the back of the SUV with him to give him a little shade, pours the windshield wiper fluid into his water bottle in case he gets that desperate, brings his pocket knife in case he finds a cactus that looks like it might have water in it, and heads out in the
direction he thinks is right.
He walks for the entire day. By the end of the day he’s really thirsty. He’s been sweating all day, and his lips are starting to crack. He’s reapplied the sunblock twice, and tried to stay under the umbrella, but he still feels sunburned. The windshield wiper fluid sloshing in the bottle in his pocket is really getting tempting now. He knows that it’s mainly water and some ethanol and coloring, but he also knows that they add some kind of poison to it to keep people from drinking it. He wonders what the poison is, and whether the poison would be worse than dying of thirst.
He pushes on, trying to get to that small town before dark.
By the end of the day he starts getting worried. He figures he’s been walking at least 3 miles an hour, according to his watch for over 10 hours. That means that if his estimate was right that he should be close to the town. But he doesn’t recognize any of this. He had to cross a dry creek bed a mile or two back, and he doesn’t remember coming through it in the SUV. He figures that maybe he got his direction off just a little and that the dry creek bed was just off to one side of his path. He tells himself that he’s close, and that after dark he’ll start seeing the town lights over one of these hills, and that’ll be all he needs.
As it gets dim enough that he starts stumbling over small rocks and things, he finds a spot and sits down to wait for full dark and the town lights.
Full dark comes before he knows it. He must have dozed off. He stands back up and turns all the way around. He sees nothing but stars.
He wakes up the next morning feeling absolutely lousy. His eyes are gummy and his mouth and nose feel like they’re full of sand. He so thirsty that he can’t even swallow. He barely got any sleep because it was so cold. He’d forgotten how cold it got at night in the desert and hadn’t noticed it the night before because he’d been in his car.
He knows the Rule of Threes – three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food – then you die. Some people can make it a little longer, in the best situations. But the desert heat and having to walk and sweat isn’t the best situation to be without water. He figures, unless he finds water, this is his last day.
He rinses his mouth out with a little of the windshield wiper fluid. He waits a while after spitting that little bit out, to see if his mouth goes numb, or he feels dizzy or something. Has his mouth gone numb? Is it just in his mind? He’s not sure. He’ll go a little farther, and if he still doesn’t find water, he’ll try drinking some of the fluid.
Then he has to face his next, harder question – which way does he go from here? Does he keep walking the same way he was yesterday (assuming that he still knows which way that is), or does he try a new direction? He has no idea what to do.
Looking at the hills and dunes around him, he thinks he knows the direction he was heading before. Just going by a feeling, he points himself somewhat to the left of that, and starts walking.
As he walks, the day starts heating up. The desert, too cold just a couple of hours before, soon becomes an oven again. He sweats a little at first, and then stops. He starts getting worried at that – when you stop sweating he knows that means you’re in trouble – usually right before heat stroke.
He decide
He decides that it’s time to try the windshield wiper fluid. He can’t wait
any longer – if he passes out, he’s dead. He stops in the shade of a large
rock, takes the bottle out, opens it, and takes a mouthful. He slowly
swallows it, making it last as long as he can. It feels so good in his dry
and cracked throat that he doesn’t even care about the nasty taste. He takes
another mouthful, and makes it last too. Slowly, he drinks half the bottle.
He figures that since he’s drinking it, he might as well drink enough to
make some difference and keep himself from passing out.
He’s quit worrying about the denaturing of the wiper fluid. If it kills him,
it kills him – if he didn’t drink it, he’d die anyway. Besides, he’s pretty
sure that whatever substance they denature the fluid with is just designed to make you sick – their way of keeping winos from buying cheap wiper fluid for the ethanol content. He can handle throwing up, if it comes to that.
He walks. He walks in the hot,
IT’S SO LONG IT WON’T PRINT ALL THE WAY! JUST GO TO THIS LINK!
http://longestjokeintheworld.com/
Posted: August 31st, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: auto accident, badlands, cactus, cell phone, cross country travel, desert, ethanol, flashlight, lips, little bit, Pocket knife, poison, rattlesnake, reapplication, sun block, sunblock, umbrella, walking at night, water bottle, windshield wiper fluid | 5 Comments »
So, there’s a man crawling through the desert.
He’d decided to try his SUV in a little bit of cross-country travel, had great fun zooming over the badlands and through the sand, got lost, hit a big rock, and then he couldn’t get it started again. There were no cell phone towers anywhere near, so his cell phone was useless. He had no family, his parents had died a few years before in an auto accident, and his few friends had no idea he was out here.
He stayed with the car for a day or so, but his one bottle of water ran out and he was getting thirsty. He thought maybe he knew the direction back, now that he’d paid attention to the sun and thought he’d figured out which way was north, so he decided to start walking. He figured he only had to go about 30 miles or so and he’d be back to the small town he’d gotten gas in last.
He thinks about walking at night to avoid the heat and sun, but based upon how dark it actually was the night before, and given that he has no flashlight, he’s afraid that he’ll break a leg or step on a rattlesnake. So, he puts on some sun block, puts the rest in his pocket for reapplication later, brings an umbrella he’d had in the back of the SUV with him to give him a little shade, pours the windshield wiper fluid into his water bottle in case he gets that desperate, brings his pocket knife in case he finds a cactus that looks like it might have water in it, and heads out in the direction he thinks is right.
He walks for the entire day. By the end of the day he’s really thirsty. He’s been sweating all day, and his lips are starting to crack. He’s reapplied the sunblock twice, and tried to stay under the umbrella, but he still feels sunburned. The windshield wiper fluid sloshing in the bottle in his pocket
is really getting tempting now. He knows that it’s mainly water and some ethanol and coloring, but he also knows that they add some kind of poison to
it to keep people from drinking it. He wonders what the poison is, and whether the poison would be worse than dying of thirst.
He pushes on, trying to get to that small town before dark.
By the end of the day he starts getting worried. He figures he’s been walking at least 3 miles an hour, according to his watch for over 10 hours. That means that if his estimate was right that he should be close to the town. But he doesn’t recognize any of this. He had to cross a dry creek bed a mile or two back, and he doesn’t remember coming through it in the SUV. He figures that maybe he got his direction off just a little and that the dry creek bed was just off to one side of his path. He tells himself that he’s close, and that after dark he’ll start seeing the town lights over one of these hills, and that’ll be all he needs.
As it gets dim enough that he starts stumbling over small rocks and things, he finds a spot and sits down to wait for full dark and the town lights.
Full dark comes before he knows it. He must have dozed off. He stands back up and turns all the way around. He sees nothing but stars.
He wakes up the next morning feeling absolutely lousy. His eyes are gummy and his mouth and nose feel like they’re full of sand. He so thirsty that he can’t even swallow. He barely got any sleep because it was so cold. He’d forgotten how cold it got at night in the desert and hadn’t noticed it the night before because he’d been in his car.
He knows the Rule of Threes – three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food – then you die. Some people can make it a little longer, in the best situations. But the desert heat and having to walk and sweat isn’t the best situation to be without water. He figures, unless he finds water, this is his last day.
He rinses his mouth out with a little of the windshield wiper fluid. He waits a while after spitting that little bit out, to see if his mouth goes numb, or he feels dizzy or something. Has his mouth gone numb? Is it just in his mind? He’s not sure. He’ll go a little farther, and if he still doesn’t find water, he’ll try drinking some of the fluid.
Then he has to face his next, harder question – which way does he go from here? Does he keep walking the same way he was yesterday (assuming that he still knows which way that is), or does he try a new direction? He has no idea what to do.
Looking at the hills and dunes around him, he thinks he knows the direction he was heading before. Just going by a feeling, he points himself somewhat to the left of that, and starts walking.
As he walks, the day starts heating up. The desert, too cold just a couple of hours before, soon becomes an oven again. He sweats a little at first, and then stops. He starts getting worried at that – when you stop sweating he knows that means you’re in trouble – usually right before heat stroke.
He decides that it’s time to try the windshield wiper fluid. He can’t wait any longer – if he passes out, he’s dead. He stops in the shade of a large rock, takes the bottl
Posted: August 30th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: author unknown, auto accident, badlands, cactus, cell phone, cross country travel, ethanol, flashlight, lips, little bit, Pocket knife, poison, rattlesnake, reapplication, sun block, sunblock, umbrella, walking at night, water bottle, windshield wiper fluid | 6 Comments »
Lost in the Desert
(Author unknown)
So, there’s a man crawling through the desert.
He’d decided to try his SUV in a little bit of cross-country travel, had great fun zooming over the badlands and through the sand, got lost, hit a big rock, and then he couldn’t get it started again. There were no cell phone towers anywhere near, so his cell phone was useless. He had no family, his parents had died a few years before in an auto accident, and his few friends had no idea he was out here.
He stayed with the car for a day or so, but his one bottle of water ran out and he was getting thirsty. He thought maybe he knew the direction back, now that he’d paid attention to the sun and thought he’d figured out which way was north, so he decided to start walking. He figured he only had to go about 30 miles or so and he’d be back to the small town he’d gotten gas in last.
He thinks about walking at night to avoid the heat and sun, but based upon how dark it actually was the night before, and given that he has no flashlight, he’s afraid that he’ll break a leg or step on a rattlesnake. So, he puts on some sun block, puts the rest in his pocket for reapplication later, brings an umbrella he’d had in the back of the SUV with him to give him a little shade, pours the windshield wiper fluid into his water bottle in case he gets that desperate, brings his pocket knife in case he finds a cactus that looks like it might have water in it, and heads out in the direction he thinks is right.
He walks for the entire day. By the end of the day he’s really thirsty. He’s been sweating all day, and his lips are starting to crack. He’s reapplied the sunblock twice, and tried to stay under the umbrella, but he still feels sunburned. The windshield wiper fluid sloshing in the bottle in his pocket
is really getting tempting now. He knows that it’s mainly water and some ethanol and coloring, but he also knows that they add some kind of poison to
it to keep people from drinking it. He wonders what the poison is, and whether the poison would be worse than dying of thirst.
He pushes on, trying to get to that small town before dark.
By the end of the day he starts getting worried. He figures he’s been walking at least 3 miles an hour, according to his watch for over 10 hours. That means that if his estimate was right that he should be close to the town. But he doesn’t recognize any of this. He had to cross a dry creek bed a mile or two back, and he doesn’t remember coming through it in the SUV. He figures that maybe he got his direction off just a little and that the dry creek bed was just off to one side of his path. He tells himself that he’s close, and that after dark he’ll start seeing the town lights over one of these hills, and that’ll be all he needs.
As it gets dim enough that he starts stumbling over small rocks and things, he finds a spot and sits down to wait for full dark and the town lights.
Full dark comes before he knows it. He must have dozed off. He stands back up and turns all the way around. He sees nothing but stars.
He wakes up the next morning feeling absolutely lousy. His eyes are gummy and his mouth and nose feel like they’re full of sand. He so thirsty that he can’t even swallow. He barely got any sleep because it was so cold. He’d forgotten how cold it got at night in the desert and hadn’t noticed it the night before because he’d been in his car.
He knows the Rule of Threes – three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food – then you die. Some people can make it a little longer, in the best situations. But the desert heat and having to walk and sweat isn’t the best situation to be without water. He figures, unless he finds water, this is his last day.
He rinses his mouth out with a little of the windshield wiper fluid. He waits a while after spitting that little bit out, to see if his mouth goes numb, or he feels dizzy or something. Has his mouth gone numb? Is it just in his mind? He’s not sure. He’ll go a little farther, and if he still doesn’t find water, he’ll try drinking some of the fluid.
Then he has to face his next, harder question – which way does he go from here? Does he keep walking the same way he was yesterday (assuming that he still knows which way that is), or does he try a new direction? He has no idea what to do.
Looking at the hills and dunes around him, he thinks he knows the direction he was heading before. Just going by a feeling, he points himself somewhat to the left of that, and starts walking.
As he walks, the day starts heating up. The desert, too cold just a couple of hours before, soon becomes an oven again. He sweats a little at first, and then stops. He starts getting worried at that – when you stop sweating he knows that means you’re in trouble – usually right before heat stroke.
He decides that it’s time to try the windshield wiper fluid. He can’t wait any longer – if he passes out, he’s dead. He stops in the
Recent Comments