by
Adam Taggart
survival
by
JW
by
JW
by
JW
by
Mat Stein
[NOTE: This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival]
What should you do if you are stuck in your car during a killer snowstorm?
In mid-December of 1992, unusually dry conditions had people cancelling their reservations for Christmas in Tahoe, but then the weather changed. A couple days before Christmas, it started snowing, and for the next three months it seemed to barely ever stop! The week between Christmas and New Year's, we averaged two feet of snow each day at our home in Truckee, and at nearby Donner Summit they averaged around four feet a day! The storms were so bad that at one point Highway 80 over Donner Summit was continuously closed for three days.
As the storm increased in intensity, the stream of bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic heading toward Reno moved slower and slower, eventually slowing to a complete stop. The snow kept falling at a rate of more than two inches an hour, burying thousands of stranded vehicles. Highway 80 over Donner Summit had turned into a 75-mile-long parking lot! Emergency vehicles could not get through. Snow plows could not get through. Cars ran out of gas from people idling their engines in attempts to stay warm. It was a three-day process to painstakingly remove each snow-bound car, one by one, along 75 miles of freeway. The restaurants and stores in Truckee ran out of food, and there were no available beds at any of the inns and hotels. Hundreds of stranded travelers slept on their jackets on the local high school's gymnasium floor – and they were the lucky ones compared to those who had been stranded in their cars, out of gas and freezing cold!
Every winter, thousands of people are stranded while driving in the snow. On more than one occasion, I have been overly confident in my abilities to drive in hazardous icy and snow covered roads, forgetting that while I may know how to drive in the snow, that does not mean the other guy does. When driving in winter weather, it is best to heed the old Yankee saying: Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!
Car Survival Tips for a Blizzard
by Mat Stein[NOTE: This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival]
What should you do if you are stuck in your car during a killer snowstorm?
In mid-December of 1992, unusually dry conditions had people cancelling their reservations for Christmas in Tahoe, but then the weather changed. A couple days before Christmas, it started snowing, and for the next three months it seemed to barely ever stop! The week between Christmas and New Year's, we averaged two feet of snow each day at our home in Truckee, and at nearby Donner Summit they averaged around four feet a day! The storms were so bad that at one point Highway 80 over Donner Summit was continuously closed for three days.
As the storm increased in intensity, the stream of bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic heading toward Reno moved slower and slower, eventually slowing to a complete stop. The snow kept falling at a rate of more than two inches an hour, burying thousands of stranded vehicles. Highway 80 over Donner Summit had turned into a 75-mile-long parking lot! Emergency vehicles could not get through. Snow plows could not get through. Cars ran out of gas from people idling their engines in attempts to stay warm. It was a three-day process to painstakingly remove each snow-bound car, one by one, along 75 miles of freeway. The restaurants and stores in Truckee ran out of food, and there were no available beds at any of the inns and hotels. Hundreds of stranded travelers slept on their jackets on the local high school's gymnasium floor – and they were the lucky ones compared to those who had been stranded in their cars, out of gas and freezing cold!
Every winter, thousands of people are stranded while driving in the snow. On more than one occasion, I have been overly confident in my abilities to drive in hazardous icy and snow covered roads, forgetting that while I may know how to drive in the snow, that does not mean the other guy does. When driving in winter weather, it is best to heed the old Yankee saying: Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!
by
Mat Stein
[NOTE: This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival]
The first time I met Hugh Herr, he was partnered with a buddy of mine to climb a famous “hard man” Yosemite rock climb called “Astroman.” Just a 16-year-old kid at the time, Hugh was one of the hottest teenage rock climbers in the world, and already making quite a name for himself as a rising young “rock star.” The following winter he was developing his ice climbing and mountaineering skills in Huntington’s Ravine on the slopes of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington—famous for its high winds and severe weather. After successfully completing a difficult ice climb, Hugh and his partner Jeff Batzer decided to continue on to the summit of Mount Washington. The weather was horrendous—full blown blizzard and “whiteout” conditions. Before reaching the summit, Hugh and his partner decided to turn around. However, while descending the rather featureless summit cone of Mount Washington in whiteout conditions, they became disoriented and mistakenly descended into the “Great Gulf Wilderness,” one ravine over from where the rest of their gear was stashed and a warm fire awaited them in the Harvard Cabin nestled near the bottom of Huntington’s Ravine. Stumbling through deep snows in the Great Gulf, at one point Hugh’s feet broke through the snow into a creek and got wet. When the two climbers did not return to the cabin that night, a search was launched in which one would-be rescuer was killed in an avalanche. After spending three nights outside in -20°F (-29C) conditions, without the protection of either tents or sleeping bags, Hugh and Jeff were finally located and rescued. Both men suffered from severe hypothermia and frostbite. After weeks of fighting to save Hugh’s gangrenous feet, both legs were amputated just below the knee. His climbing partner Jeff also lost his lower left leg, the toes on his right foot, and the fingers on his right hand.
Tips for Surviving Outside in Extreme Weather and Subfreezing Temperatures
Every year people get lost in the backcountry near where I live in the High Sierras and end up spending one or more unplanned nights outside in the snow and extreme cold. Some of those folks live to tell the tale, and some of them don’t. Hopefully you will never need to spend unexpectedly long hours outside in extreme weather, but in case you do, here are a few tips:
Winter Survival Tips
by Mat Stein[NOTE: This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival]
The first time I met Hugh Herr, he was partnered with a buddy of mine to climb a famous “hard man” Yosemite rock climb called “Astroman.” Just a 16-year-old kid at the time, Hugh was one of the hottest teenage rock climbers in the world, and already making quite a name for himself as a rising young “rock star.” The following winter he was developing his ice climbing and mountaineering skills in Huntington’s Ravine on the slopes of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington—famous for its high winds and severe weather. After successfully completing a difficult ice climb, Hugh and his partner Jeff Batzer decided to continue on to the summit of Mount Washington. The weather was horrendous—full blown blizzard and “whiteout” conditions. Before reaching the summit, Hugh and his partner decided to turn around. However, while descending the rather featureless summit cone of Mount Washington in whiteout conditions, they became disoriented and mistakenly descended into the “Great Gulf Wilderness,” one ravine over from where the rest of their gear was stashed and a warm fire awaited them in the Harvard Cabin nestled near the bottom of Huntington’s Ravine. Stumbling through deep snows in the Great Gulf, at one point Hugh’s feet broke through the snow into a creek and got wet. When the two climbers did not return to the cabin that night, a search was launched in which one would-be rescuer was killed in an avalanche. After spending three nights outside in -20°F (-29C) conditions, without the protection of either tents or sleeping bags, Hugh and Jeff were finally located and rescued. Both men suffered from severe hypothermia and frostbite. After weeks of fighting to save Hugh’s gangrenous feet, both legs were amputated just below the knee. His climbing partner Jeff also lost his lower left leg, the toes on his right foot, and the fingers on his right hand.
Tips for Surviving Outside in Extreme Weather and Subfreezing Temperatures
Every year people get lost in the backcountry near where I live in the High Sierras and end up spending one or more unplanned nights outside in the snow and extreme cold. Some of those folks live to tell the tale, and some of them don’t. Hopefully you will never need to spend unexpectedly long hours outside in extreme weather, but in case you do, here are a few tips:
by
JW
I had the pleasure of watching Alone in the Wilderness this weekend and thought it would be a good addition to the DailyPrep section. I think the words "Awesome" and "Wonderful" were used many times amongst the family while watching. Here is a short clip from youtube to bring a smile to you face.
Get Alone in the Wilderness on Amazon. Learn more about Dick Proenneke here.
Alone in the Wilderness
by JWI had the pleasure of watching Alone in the Wilderness this weekend and thought it would be a good addition to the DailyPrep section. I think the words "Awesome" and "Wonderful" were used many times amongst the family while watching. Here is a short clip from youtube to bring a smile to you face.
Get Alone in the Wilderness on Amazon. Learn more about Dick Proenneke here.
by
JW
by
JW
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JW
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