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Winter 1994 — #77

The Chairman's Corner

Eighty-six Complete Training

1993 was a most successful year for the San Francisco Bay Area Council High Awareness Team. Eighty-six Scouters completed the Basic Backpack Awareness course and nearly 50 previously H.A.T. trained Scouters were recertified at one day courses in May and October. The adult winter awareness seminar in January was also a great success with over 80 participants attending in conjunction with the Order of the Arrow's Winter Camp Awareness Training Course for Council Boy Scouts.

1994 again promises to be an exciting year with several new courses to challenge the high adventure spirit of the Bay Area Scout Leaders. The High Adventure Team plans to offer weekend seminars covering topics in Wilderness First Aid, Whitewater Safety, and Rapelling. The Basic Awareness Tune-up or recertification course will be given again in October 1994. This course is for registered Scouters holding a "Blue Card" for any previous H.A.T. course who would like to update their backpacking and outdoor awareness skills.

Finally, let me congratulate everyone passing last year's Basic Backpacking Awareness Course. With these basic outdoor and leadership skills your high adventure wilderness experiences will be safer as well as enjoyable.

Keep on trekk'in!

-- John Bouey

The following Scouters completed the 1993 Basic Backpack Awareness Course:

Coffee Cans & Candles in Cars

At the 1993 adult Winter Camping Awareness Course one of the Scouters present mentioned that in Montana automobiles that were stranded in the snow used candles in a coffee can as a source of heat.

The emphatic policy of National about no fires of any kind in tents, and my knowledge of the place of oxygen as one of the vital legs of the fire triangle caused me to be skeptical about this due to the danger of using up the oxygen in an enclosed space.

It seemed that the best source of information about this practice would be the States of Montana and Wyoming, which have severe winter storms. So I wrote letters to the State Highway Patrols in both, and both responded. They recommended two organizations that dealt with this problem.

Mr. Norman C. French of the Wyoming Emergency Management Agency supplied the most information; a booklet, This Doesn't Have to be Fatal and a specific response to the candle/coffee can query.

"The burning of a candle in a car is quite safe, unless it is done for a very prolonged period of time without opening a window occasionally. The threat from the burning of a candle is not so much from carbon monoxide as it is from using up all the oxygen in a car.

Several people within a car, even with no candle burning, could use the car's oxygen if all windows were closed. This is called 'oxygen starvation.' It ranks right behind carbon monoxide as a threat."

Mr. French further mentions that a person would be much better off by just making sure they had a sleeping bag, an extra hat and gloves for every person in the car. With that clothing, and remaining in the car, people should be able to survive the coldest of weather.

I have never heard of it, nor seen it, but Mr. French recommends an item that is nice. It is a unit that plugs into the cigarette lighter. It does require a battery in top notch condition. With it one could get a cup full of snow, melt it in the heating unit, add tea, hot chocolate, cup of soup, etc., and be in good shape and this would not pollute at all. He carries the above items in a lunch box in his truck.

Mr. Chasson of the Wyoming-Montana Safety Council advises that when using a candle in a can to keep warm in a stranded vehicle, it is recommended that you keep a window slightly open on the leeward side of the car or you can open the car window or door periodically to check the conditions around the vehicle. This action would replenish the oxygen available inside the car.

There are the opinions of responsible people who live with this problem far more that do we. I would add one admonition — if you plan to nap or doze, be sure that window is open before you do or you may have a longer "sleep" than you bargained for!

We are fortunate tat we do not have severe snow conditions unless we travel to the higher altitudes. When you do, remember: Drive to arrive, but drive to survive! Plan — prepare — perform. Plan for the unexpected; prepare for any emergency; perform in a safe and responsible way.

Survival Kits — Do it Yourself

Although a survival situation can arise at any time of the year, somehow, during the cold of winter, it seems to take on a greater importance. What is a survival kit?

"A collection of vital equipment to keep you alive in a life threatening survival situation — but — one that you probably will not have with you when you need it!"

Why, with that dire and negative thought, would we encourage our Scouts to compile a survival kit?

It is often said that the best survival kit is the one between the ears. That will be more meaningful and true if some vital information has previously been implanted in that "survival kit" for later recall.

Every unit that has an active outdoor program should make a concerted effort to provide access to the opportunity for every Scout to learn survival skills. One excellent way would be for every Scout to earn the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. With that knowledge, as the Scout assembles the items for his kit, he should recall why that item is deemed as essential and is included.

As he does this for each item, he will store in his mind, valuable "whys." In a survival situation, where he is without the material things in his kit, he will still have in his mind "why" certain items were needed and will have the opportunity to improvise from what he has available to take care of the needs.

General George Patton is credited with this quote: "Never show them how to do something; tell them what has to be done and why, and they will astound you with their initiative and creativity." This may not work with young Scouts, but as our objective in Scouting is to "Teach boys how to do things for themselves" it is worth a try.

There are commercial kits available, but Larry Dean Olson who leads Survival Hikes, stressing the "primitive living" idea, stated that his major objective to survival kits is the "false sense of security they convey. Trying to figure out the use for all those little treasures may be traumatic."

Putting together a survival kit is a "do it yourself" task. A suggested base would be to have the Scout associate each item with the priorities of life.

There is not much one can do to provide air or oxygen. Just remember to provide access to air in any shelter. The need for water is next, and some items can help — for example, a black garbage bag can be filled with snow and placed on a flat rock in the sun to provide melted water. Water can be contaminated and while the results of contamination may be delayed, the presence of water purifying tablets can help.

Scouts must be aware that in some instances, death can occur from lack of shelter in less than 20 minutes. Seeking and providing shelter is one element of survival that the Scout can control. Shelter is the one need that a kit can help provide. A fire, providing warmth, is considered a shelter, so a means of preparing a fire is essential. This is a important factor. Scouts should be skilled in the art of fire building, not only on a warm, windless day, but on cold, rainy days with improvised material. And well schooled in fire safety. A camp fire, built for warmth, was the cause of one of the devastating wildfires that resulted in so much damage in Southern California. Large plastic garbage bags are also protection from the wind and rain.

While food is a low priority, the psychological uplift is not measurable, and helps to provide the positive mental attitude and will to live that is so necessary. There are lightweight bars available that will fit into a kit, and they do provide internal body warmth.

In the binder provided each unit at the Order of the Arrow Winter Camping Awareness training, there is a list of items that have been suggested for a survival kit. It can serve as a resource to Scouts and can be adjusted for the seasons.

There are almost infinite books on Wilderness Survival and most of them can be helpful as resources for information. Again, however, the Scout should create his own and make sure he relates each item to a specific need. And, he should know how to use every item that he includes.

Meager Air and Barometic Pressure

Whether you are at sea level or 12,500 feet elevation, a given value of pure, dry air contains about 21% oxygen. If that percent is constant, why is it difficult to get enough oxygen at high altitudes?

From early times, learned people wondered about air — the existence of oxygen was not discovered until 1774. One of those who wondered was Evangelista Torricilli, an Italian mathematician. In 1644 he took a 4 foot long glass tube, sealed one end and filled the tube to the brim with mercury. He then closed the open end with his finger and inserted the tube into a bowl that was filled with mercury. Instead of running out completely, the mercury stopped about 18 inches from the sealed end. The height of the mercury in the tube was 30 inches. This was the first "barometer" and it established that the pressure of air on the surface of the mercury in the bowl equaled the pressure of 30 inches of mercury in the tube.

In spite of the lack of instant communication, word of this experiment reached a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. After some inconclusive experiments, he had his brother, Florin Perier place a barometer at the base of a peak, Mont Puy de Dome and carry another to the top of the peak. The mercury at the 3300 foot altitude was 3 inches lower than that at the base. It was established that the earth's atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude is gained.

It is established that while air is extremely light, it does have weight, is highly elastic and compressible, and it is naturally more compressed at sea level than at higher altitudes.

While air pressure will decrease as altitude increases, the 21 percent oxygen composition does not. The pressure of the air as a whole declines, and the partial pressure of its oxygen decreases correspondingly. The number of oxygen and other molecules per cubic foot is decreased. At 12,500 feet for example, the amount of oxygen is meager, and the body taken to that altitude without gradual ascent begins to suffer from oxygen deprivation or anoxia.

This is called Acute Mountain Sickness and is explained in the following article.

Acute Mountain Sickness

In a discussion with a 26 year veteran Sierra Crest Ranger from the Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Park, he mentioned that they average 70 to 90 emergency evacuations per year and that a significant number of them were due to altitude, "going too high, too fast."

Those last five words are both the reason for and the means of prevention of Acute Mountain Sickness.

There are visitors in the hundreds of thousands, so that figure is not too great a percentage. However, in 1992, two of that number were adult Scouters, suffering from AMS, so it is something that we, as Scout trek leaders, should be aware. Age, physical fitness and past experience do not guarantee immunity.

While there has been no mention of Scout-aged boys suffering from AMS, Dr. Herbert H. Hultgren, an authority, wrote: "Children and adolescents are more susceptible to altitude sickness than adults, and that is something you should remember about risk factors for this illness. Among the kids who go to the mountain with YMCA, Outward Bound, Boy Scouts and things like that, kids from 2 to 18 years old, the incident is 2 to 10 times as high as for adults in a similar experience." My own experience has not shown this to be a factor with any of my groups. Remember it can occur at 8000 feet and higher. But not all cases get publicity.

Dr. Gil Roberts, who was the physician for the successful American ascent of Mt. Everest stated that in California, it is possible to travel from sea level to over 9,000 feet in 8 hours or less. That, he mentioned, is not possible in Nepal, except by helicopter.

The word to remember in relation to AMS is "acclimatization", the ability of the body to adjust to altitude over a period of time. That is such a factor that a number of mountaineers have now successfully climbed Mt. Everest at 29,928 feet, the highest peak in the world, without supplemental oxygen.

Plan to "lay over" the first day to get adjusted to the height. If you anticipate a significant overall altitude gain, take it easy the next day « keep altitude gain to 2000 feet or less. That is the value of a trek profile, you can visualize your altitude gain. Sleeping at too high an altitude can also be bad. Some authorities recommend going back down as little as 200 feet. During sleep, ventilation may diminish, which intensifies the hypoxia or lack of oxygen.

The symptoms of AMS are:

• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Dyspnea (lack of breath)
• Fatigue
• Anorexia (loss of appetite)
• Gastrointestinal upset (stomach or bowels upset)
• Periodic breathing (occurs at night with difficulty sleeping)

Fortunately, this did not occur on any of my treks, but it is a latent risk over 8,000 feet. However, AMS does occur so do a little research if you are planning a trek that will take you to these altitudes. Remember that Forester Pass on the Muir Trail is 13,180 feet.

AMS affects 15 to 17 percent of people who climb to 8,000 feet or higher too rapidly. This illness requires descent.

HAPE — High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, routinely occurs above 9,000 feet, although some people are afflicted at lower altitudes. The symptoms include shortness of breath, severe cough, blood tinged sputum, headache, lethargy and mild fever. It usually develops after 36 to 72 hours at high altitude.

Yes, there is a pill, DIAMOX — and several doctors have told me they have used it with success. It is a prescription medicine, so check with your personal physician on its use.

AMS can be life threatening if it progresses to High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. This is why serious cases of AMS are evacuated.

Dr. Peter Hackett, the authority on this subject has stated that the treatment for HAPE if it occurs is "Descend-Descend-Descend." Should this occur, the patient cannot wait for evacuation —he must start down at once, a few thousand feet can work miracles.

Dr. Dave Ellis, a member of the Area III high Adventure Task Force and a member of the Stanford Area Council, now merged with San Mateo, has written a 10 page treatment of this subject, which was issued at their OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP CLINIC. If you would like a copy, send a self-addressed #10 envelope with 52 cents postage to Lew Gardner, 7747 Desertwood Land, Pleasanton, CA 94588. Scouters in Twin Valley can phone 846-8297 and pick it up or I can deliver it to the Twin Valley round table.

Two excellent books on the subject are:

	Going Higher, self-published by Charles S. Houston, M.D., Burlington VT, 1983.
Mountain Sickness: Prevention, Recognition and Treatment by Peter Hackett, M.D. Mountain Travel, Inc. Albany CA, 1978.

Some people complain about redundancy but here is a good example:Don't go too high too fast.

Cotton Clothing in the Wilderness

"Right is right if nobody is right; wrong is wrong if everybody is wrong."

One evaluator at a recent training session on clothing commented: "There is a paradox here, most people wear jeans and cotton underwear and these items are not recommended."

It is really not paradoxical. Wearing cotton outer clothing when there is a potential for snow or rain or wind and cold is wrong, and those factors are always a potential in the High Sierra.

Sure, I and the Scouts with me in the past wore blue jeans on treks. I hiked many a High Sierra mile in them, but we were lucky « no snow, no rain, no wind. Also we had no training to point out the hazard « books mentioned wool as the choice, but were not adamant about it, and cost was a big factor in our choice. Also, there were no less expensive alternates as there are today.

At this time, and with the knowledge I have about the danger, I have no hesitation to state: "If your planned trip may encounter snow, rain, wind and cold weather, and if a Scout has only cotton pants and jackets, DO NOT TAKE HIM.

Exposure used to be the word for which we now use hypothermia. In those days too many deaths were attributed to exposure.

Cotton is a wonderful cloth « it has many attributes which have made it as popular as it is. It is hard to beat as a warm weather or controlled weather garment.

Its ability to absorb and hold moisture and enhance cooling by evaporation is the factor that rules it out as protection in wet, cold conditions.

Now that we are aware that cotton clothing contributes to risk, we cannot put our Scouts in harm's way by exposing them to the hazard that is intensified by the effect of wet cotton clothing in the cold and wind.

There are alternatives. Seek them and explain in detail to your Scouts and their parents the reasons why restrictions must apply.

The October issue of Backpacker has this tip among 30 for successful winter camping: "Cotton kills because it gets wet, it takes forever to dry out in winter, leaving the door wide open for hypothermia. This is an essentially useless winter fabric, so leave the jeans at home. One caveat: bring a cotton bandana to clean your sunglasses."

Book Review:

Sierra North — Sierra South

Sierra South by Thomas Winnett (Editor), Jason Winnett, Lyn Haber, and Kathy Morey. (Available from Amazon.com)	Sierra North by Thomas Winnett (Editor), Jason Winnett, Lyn Haber, and Kathy Morey. (Available from Amazon.com)

For as long as I can recall, members of the High Adventure Team who made presentations at the annual Basic Backpacking Training, and who displayed their resource books, always had copies of the above titled books displayed.

In 1984, when the course was conducted at Point Bonita in the Golden Gate Recreational Area, Tom Winnett, the man who hiked the trails to create those guide books, visited our course and gave a heart-warming talk about his exploits.

In a recent edition of the RAM'S HEAD, the Wilderness Press newsletter, there was an account of Tom's life as it relates to Wilderness Press and Sierra North and Sierra South.

Of particular interest is the fact that Tom was motivated by his involvement as a Scout. As editor, I feel you would like to share his experiences that have benefited all Sierra hikers.

As I head toward retirement a few years hence, my staff has told me that my career as a hiker and a publisher of hiking guides might be of interest to readers of this catalog. I hope so.

Like millions of boys, I got my start hiking in the Boy Scouts. In the early Thirties we went on hikes and backpacks in the mountains near Los Angeles. Then in the summer of 1936 we went for two weeks to the High Sierra, where for the first time I went into true wilderness « over Mono Pass to upper Mono Creek. I loved it. That trip hooked me on the wilderness.

In the ensuing years a number of things kept me from the mountains all too often — college, World War II, getting married, running a business (predecessor to Wilderness Press). But when in 1965 Karl Schwenke suggested we write some little guidebooks to parts of the High Sierra, I quickly said yes.

Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region (A Sierra Club Totebook/Fold-Out Map Included) by Walter Augustus Starr (Available from mazon.com)

After a couple thousand miles of hiking in 1966, we wrote Sierra North. It sold like hotcakes. At that time, only two or three guidebooks to Sierra Nevada trails existed, chiefly the Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region. In fact, there were very few guides to any trails in the whole country. Given this success, we quickly formed Wilderness Press and created Sierra South. I was an author as well as a publisher, and even if I hadn't written or co-authored any more guidebooks, I would have had to keep up to date the ones I had already done. That required lots of time on trails, every year, and I felt it was important to spend some time on trails described by other Wilderness Press authors, to "spot check" whether they were keeping their books up to date. One side effect was that I stayed in good physical shape.

So I spent a busy 20 years, hiking, writing, publishing, editing. Many things changed in the hiking-backpacking world in those 20 years. As I said, hundreds of guidebooks were published by others, and we published 84 guidebooks and how-to books, plus many maps. Literally millions of Americans took up backpacking. Wilderness permits began to be required. Internal-frame packs overtook external frame packs. Backpacker magazine was established and soon became pre-eminent in a sometimes-crowded field. New long trails, like the Pacific Crest Trail, were first declared in existence by Congress and then made a reality on the land. Scores of new companies manufactured tents, boots, sleeping bags, parkas, stoves, knives, pots, pans... On the downside, Giardia invaded the U.S., as did Lyme disease.

Looking back to 1936, I have to say things have changed. When I was a Boy Scout, we cut tree boughs to make beds « no one said that was wrong. Now many authorities say that you must even carry out your toilet paper « don't even burn it, let alone bury it. When I was a Boy Scout, we washed our pots in the stream. You could get arrested for doing that now.

All in all, I'm happy that I chose to do what I did, and I hope that Wilderness Press customers are glad that someone wrote and/or published all those excellent books.

By Thomas Winnett, Publisher

Buying Boots

Several times in the past year I have been asked; "How do you buy boots? How can you be sure that the fit is right? What is the best type?"

The answer to the first question would be "What am I going to use them for? Cross country, well graded and maintained trails, climbing rough trails?" There is no one boot that will work easily on all of the above conditions. You will have to determine in advance just what kind of trail work you will be doing. Then check Sporting Goods catalogs, stores that sell boots, and try on different styles, makes and types of boots. The boot you buy will have to be your personal choice, the condition of your pocketbook, and how long you plan to wear them.

Now for the fit. Once you have selected the boot you want, first try them on with bare feet or a real thin pair of socks. Slide your foot until your toes are as far forward as possible. You should be able to insert two fingers between the back of the boot and your heel. Take the boot off and put on two pair of socks of the type you usually wear when hiking. The sides of the foot should just touch the inner sides of the boot, toes should be able to wiggle comfortably, one finger should fit between the heel and the back of the boot. Lace boot comfortably and walk. Your heel should lift slightly off the bottom of the boot, the arch of the inner sole should conform to the arch of your foot, the ball of the foot should conform to the depression in the inner sole.

What type is best? There is no such thing as a "Universal" boot. Cross country and regular trails will require a different type. I have used the same boot for several different types of trails and cross country, but not with comfort. At my age, I try to plan my hikes for smooth, well graded trails but not with a great deal of success.

There are two fields of thought about the use of light-weight leather and nylon boots and all-leather boots. Both have their good points. If they have the ability to give good support for your ankles and otherwise fit properly, they will provide a comfortable platform to walk in.

What about basketball or running shoes? I have seen Scouts wear both, carrying packs and having no trouble at all. Their cost can be from $19.00 to well over $100.00. Good hiking boots can cost from $90.00 all the way to the ceiling. For young growing Scouts, secure their footwear at as reasonable a price as possible. They will probably get only one hiking season out of them.

Check the sales at Sears, Wards and other sources. I purchased a pair of Sears light-weight type and have used them on overnight hikes and campouts with success. The brand name ELK-WOODS cost $39.95 and were on sale for $29.95. The boots that I use on treks are Vasque Clarion Super-lights bought at R.E.I. some years back at a cost of $68.00. Now the cost is greater.

In conclusion, my recommendation is: Buy the best fitting boot you can afford and take care of them. After each hike or trek clean all the mud and dirt off of them. Put them in a cool dry place until you need them again.

Socks? I always wear two pair; usually Wigwams that are part wool and part nylon, available at any good sporting goods store.

I always carry in my pack a pair of "sneakers" to wear around camp. It is a real treat to get into the sneakers after pounding down the trail in hiking boots that can get real hot and heavy during a long day on the trail.

Ed Davis, "not an expert"

Ed Davis' Cookout Corner

Curried Beef and Rice

Ingredients

• 1 Pound lean boneless sirloin steak
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 Cup coarsely chopped onion
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Cup long-grained rice, uncooked
• 1/2 Cup raisins
• 1 Cup beef broth
• 1- 14 1/2 oz. can stewed tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions

Trim fat from, and cut steak into 3/4" cubes. Combine curry powder, salt and red pepper. Stir well. Reserve 1 Tbsp. curry mixture; set aside. Sprinkle remaining curry mixture evenly over steak cubes.

Heat oil in a large, no-stick skillet over medium heat. Add steak and cook for 4 minutes or until steak loses its pink color. Remove steak from skillet; set aside. Add onion and garlic to skillet; cook 2 minutes. Add reserved curry mixture and rice, raisins, beef broth and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Return meat to skillet, stir well. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for 5 minutes. Spoon into individual serving plates. Top with sliced almonds.

This dish is good with a green salad and whole wheat muffins. Serves 6

Source: I picked it up at a Safeway meat counter.

Quote:

"If at first you do succeed, hide your astonishment."

Farmer's Breakfast

Ingredients

• 6 Slices bacon, diced
• 2 Cups diced, cooked potatoes
• 1 Medium onion, diced
• 1 Small green pepper, diced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 Eggs, well beaten

Instructions

Fry bacon until crisp, remove from pan and place on a paper towel. Retain 3 Tbsps. of bacon fat in pan over medium heat. Cook stirring, spuds, onions and green pepper until light brown. Pour eggs into pan and cook until the eggs are set. (I like to use small red potatoes, leaving peeling on and diced. They seem to taste better.)

Quote:

"Marriage is like any other job, it helps if you like the boss."

Ed — a fair weather camper.