By Jim Dickson
Contributing Editor
Every year people disappear in our national parks and this should not be surprising, since during the summer season, you have large numbers of people accustomed to city life suddenly thrust into the last great expanses of wilderness in North America.
What could possibly go wrong? Everything.
Wandering off and getting lost is a common beginning. People go blithely into the woods without the finely honed sense of direction and they have no map or compass to fall back on. A few minor course changes around obstacles or simply stopping to examine something without taking their bearings first and they suddenly don’t know which way to go. Now they are facing the true dangers of the wilderness and they are without the gear they need to survive. If they panic, they generally make things worse fast. A fall can result in a broken bone or kill them outright. The wilderness is no place for careless accidents or taking chances that can lead to injury.
When night or inclement weather comes they may die of exposure. If they have tried to shelter in a hollow log or a natural space under a rock ledge they may be so well hidden that their body may never be found.
While most poisonous snake bites in North America are not fatal they can easily be near fatal and being that sick while lost and unprepared for the woods can quickly turn fatal.
Water hazards are often worse than they appear. Some streams are incredibly strong and fast. When Betty and I had Alaskan trapper’s licenses there was one stream that I used to throw rocks in just to watch how far it was swept downstream before it would sink! In Georgia a few years back someone was swept under an underwater ledge and drowned in the Tallulah River. They were still there when divers found and recovered the body. They later dynamited that ledge to prevent a repeat performance. People drowning in lakes are often never seen again.
Out in the wilds people may fall prey to animals or other humans. It is legal to carry a pistol now in the national parks in accordance with the laws of that particular state and you are foolish to not do so. A standard M1911A1 with hardball .45 ACP ammo will successfully deal with anything in North America and carrying a spare set of loaded magazines makes sense. The pistol can be carried openly or concealed in a modern holster with complete comfort. Unlike a revolver, you can sleep with a holstered M1911A1 in a Pancake holster even if you turn over on the side the gun is on. Sometimes that’s important. If humans are part of the threat this is the only pistol I would consider. You may need its firepower depending on how many threats you face.
When it is only animals that you are concerned with then you can get by with a .45 Colt caliber revolver. A Ruger 4-inch barrel Redhawk double action revolver can be fired just as accurately double action as it can single action thanks to its superb trigger pull.
I have often carried a .45 Colt Single Action Army with a 4 ¾-inch barrel in a duplicate of John Wesley Hardin’s holster made by El Paso Saddlery. It has been quite a comfort in my hand when I am around my local black bears.
Unlike Alaska, where black bears are notorious man-eaters, the black bears East of the Mississippi are well mannered bruins. I have been within 10 feet of a momma bear and her cubs on my farm without a problem and I once had a young black bear get in the logging road 25 yards in front of me and proceed to walk down the road ahead of me for quite some distance before he veered off into the woods.
Don’t think animals are unaware if you are armed or not. Betty and I were in one park when a big mean dog was terrorizing and treeing everyone in its path. When it got to us I pointed my pistol straight at it and this savage dog immediately became a nice doggy. That saved its life. Another time I had a wild dog running at me cringe and take off when I drew down on it with my M1911A1.
A backup pistol is always nice to have and American Derringer Corp. in Waco Texas makes a .45 Colt double Derringer that also will chamber 2 ½-inch .410 shotgun shells.
In North America there are a lot of different animals that have preyed upon humans over the years. Black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears, mountain lions and wolves head the list and even alligators and coyotes have eaten folks. Nature is not a Walt Disney film starring cute little woodland creatures. It is a predator and prey world and sometimes the prey is human.
There is another predator sometimes found lurking: humans. Drug dealers and sometimes their drug growing patches have invaded many areas and these hidden farm plots are often guarded by deadly booby traps and equally deadly armed guards. Human trafficking of all types exists and some disappearances appear linked to these. Not everyone you might meet in a National Park is someone that you can let your guard down around and some are professional criminals working the national parks just like they work the cruise ships and other vacation agendas.
You are well advised to carry a pistol for threats from man or beast but what about the threats nature provides. A map and compass are basic as is proper clothing should the weather turn on you. A poncho and some food and water can serve to keep it a happy day and prevent things from turning serious. In areas where the temperature may drop substantially make sure that you have the means to keep from freezing if you are caught out overnight.
Fire starting is a basic skill that many people today lack. They all want to start with big wood and have no clue as to how to get it started without a gallon of Coleman lantern fuel. You should be able to build and sustain a fire from what you scrounge from the forest floor. A Bic lighter is a simple and nearly foolproof method of starting your tender. The trick is to start with very small tinder and twigs and gradually work your way up in the size of your wood.
Folding saws are nice and a full size axe is a far more efficient tool than any hatchet. It is well worth carrying on any overnight trip.
Army surplus iodine water purification tablets are needed for most water sources in the U.S. You can also substitute a small bottle of Clorox and use a few drops of that to purify water for your canteen.
A good knife is a necessity for a wilderness dweller. Most, if not all of those gone missing in the national parks didn’t even have a big knife. In WW2 the Army found out that for general purpose work the knives to you needed at least a 7-inch blade and a lot of the men were using and preferring the big Case and Collins Bowie knives with their 9 ½-inch blades. An 18-inch blade machete is about the lightest efficient wood cutting knife made.
Is it any wonder that some wander off, get lost, and never get found.? Don’t you be one of them. Use a little common sense.
