Travel

by Joshua Piven

  While there is disagreement among the experts, most recommend this method. This should distribute the force of impact, rather than concentrate it on one area of your body. (Standing may be difficult anyway.) Lie in the center of the car.

  2. Cover your face and head to protect them from ceiling parts that may break loose.

  Be Aware

  • Hydraulic elevators are more likely than cable elevators to fall. These elevators are pushed from the bottom by a giant piston, similar to car jacks at service stations. Because the jack is subject to ground corrosion, it can rot, which could eventually cause the car to fall. The height of hydraulic elevators is limited to about 70 feet, so a free fall would probably result in injury—but not death.

  • Elevators have numerous safety features. There have been very few recorded incidents involving death from plummeting elevators. In general, it is highly unlikely for a cable (also called traction) elevator to fall all the way to the bottom of the shaft. Moreover, the compressed air column in the elevator hoistway and the car buffers at the bottom of the hoistway may keep the forces of the impact survivable.

  • Jumping just before the elevator hits the bottom is not a viable alternative. The chances that you will time your jump exactly right are infinitesimally small. Besides, the elevator will not remain completely intact when it hits—it will likely collapse around you and crush you if you are in the middle of your jump, or even if you are still standing.

  CHAPTER 4

  OUT AND ABOUT

  HOW TO SURVIVE WHEN LOST IN THE JUNGLE

  HOW TO FIND CIVILIZATION

  1. Find a river.

  Generally, animal trails will lead you to water. Water is the key to jungle navigation and usually the quickest way to travel.

  2. Fashion a makeshift raft using the method on page 93.

  3. Let the current carry you downstream.

  4. Travel on the rivers only during the daylight hours.

  Alligators and crocodiles are generally night hunters, so avoid traveling on water at night.

  5. Watch closely for signs of villages or settlements.

  Many jungle settlements and villages are located along the shores of rivers.

  HOW TO FIND FOOD AND WATER

  If you do not have the means to purify water (see page 129 for details), cut sections from large water vines, or cut banana trees (see page 127 for details) and capture the water welling out of the stalks.

  Only drink water from streams and rivers as a last resort, when dehydration and death are a near certainty. Diarrhea will most likely result, so increase your water intake and keep moving.

  If you cannot peel it or cook it, do not eat it.

  Avoid brightly colored plants or plants with a milky sap (many of these are poisonous).

  Insects, grubs, and raw fish (except those with bristles or spines rather than scales) are safe to eat. Look for grubs and insects beneath rotting logs and vegetation. Pinch the heads off and eat them raw. Peel fruits carefully before eating; the peels may harbor diarrhea-causing bacteria.

  HOW TO TRAVEL OVER LAND

  • Mark your trail by breaking and turning over fresh vegetation. This will reveal the bright undersides of leaves and will leave a clear trail should you need to backtrack.

  • Look for shelter during bad weather. Large hollow tree buttresses can often be used. Line the ground with palm fronds, and stand several more palm fronds over the opening. Note: Do not build this shelter under a tall tree during a thunderstorm because of lightning danger.

  • Be prepared for the dangers of the jungle. Most jungle creatures (such as big cats and snakes) want to avoid you as much as you do them. The real danger comes from the smallest creatures: scorpions, ants, flies, mosquitoes, and the bacteria in water and on fruit. The best defense against bites and stings is to watch where you put your hands and feet. Ants rule the jungle, so do not camp for the night in their line of travel or near nests. Never touch any brightly colored amphibians. Many, like the poison dart frog, have a powerful toxin in their skin, and any contact can make you very ill.

  Be Aware

  • Before traveling to a remote area, take the time to look at any available maps. Pay attention to topography and any roads or waterways nearby. If you get lost, you will need to know what general direction of travel will intersect a road or waterway and thus, eventually, civilization.

  • The jungle canopy can totally occlude the sun, so a compass may be your only means of determining direction. The same heavy canopy will make it impossible for would-be rescuers to find you, or even to locate a downed aircraft. Unlike being lost in a wilderness situation, staying put in the jungle means virtually certain death.

  • To make a natural insect repellent, you can use a termite nest. These nests are abundant on the ground and in trees. They resemble irregular-shaped dirt mounds the size of 55-gallon barrels. Break up the mounds (they look like dirt but are actually digested wood) and rub the material on your skin.

  HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY WITHOUT A COMPASS

  STICK AND SHADOW METHOD

  Be aware that the closer you are to the equator, the less accurate this method is.

  What You Need:

  • An analog watch

  • A six-inch stick

  Northern Hemisphere

  1. Place a small stick vertically in the ground so that it casts a shadow.

  2. Place your watch on the ground so that the hour hand is parallel to the shadow of the stick.

  3. Find the point on the watch midway between the hour hand and 12:00.

  If the watch is on Daylight Savings Time—which is during most of the summer—use the midway point between the hour hand and 1:00.

  4. Draw an imaginary line from that point through the center of the watch.

  This imaginary line is a north-south line. The sun will be located toward the south.

  Southern Hemisphere

  Place your watch on the ground so that 12:00 is parallel to the shadow.

  Then find the midway point between the hour hand and 12:00. Draw an imaginary line from the point through the center of the watch. This is the north-south line. The sun will be located toward the north.

  STAR METHOD

  Northern Hemisphere

  Locate the North Star, Polaris.

  The North Star is the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Walking toward it means you are walking north. You can use the Big Dipper to find the North Star. A straight imaginary line drawn between the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper’s bowl will point to the North Star. The distance to the North Star is about five times the distance between the two “pointer” stars.

  Southern Hemisphere

  Find the Southern Cross.

  The Southern Cross is a group of four bright stars in the shape of a cross and tilted to one side. Imagine the long axis extends in a line five times its actual length. The point where this line ends is south. If you can view the horizon, draw an imaginary line straight down to the ground to create a southern landmark.

  CLOUD METHOD

  Look at the clouds to determine which direction they are moving.

  Generally, weather moves west to east. While this may not always be true in mountain regions, it is a good rule of thumb and may help orient you.

  MOSS METHOD

  Locate moss.

  Mosses grow in places with lots of shade and water: areas that are cool and moist. On tree trunks, the north sides tend to be more shady and moist than the south sides, and therefore, moss usually grows on the north sides of trees. However, this method is not infallible—in many forests, both sides of a tree can be shady and moist.

  HOW TO CLIMB OUT OF A WELL

  WITH A NARROW OPENING

  Use the “chimney climbing” technique if the opening is narrow enough to keep your back against one wall and your feet against the opposite side, holding yourself off the ground.

  1. Place your back against one wall and your hands and feet against the other wall.

/>   Your body will be in an “L” shape, with your back straight and your legs sticking out—the soles of your feet pressing against the opposite wall. If the well is not completely vertical but is tilted in one direction, place your back on the lower wall.

  2. Use even, steady pressure from your thighs to maintain traction on the feet and friction on your back, and to hold yourself off the ground.

  3. Place the palms of your hands against the wall behind you, below your buttocks.

  4. Take your right foot off the opposite wall and place it under your backside.

  Bend your leg under you so that your left foot is on one wall and your right is on the other.

  5. While pressing your back away from the wall with your hands, push up with your hands and your feet.

  Move only about 6 to 10 inches.

  6. Place your back on the wall again and move your right foot back onto the opposite wall, now a bit higher than your left foot.

  Rest.

  7. Repeat the procedure, beginning with your left foot.

  Alternate feet, slowly working your way to the lip of the well.

  8. When you approach the lip of the well, reach up with your hand overhead and perform a “mantle move.”

  Pull yourself halfway up from a chin-up hang position, then roll (shift) your weight onto your forearms as they clear the lip of the well. Shift your body weight to your hands, and press up. Use your feet against the wall to assist in pulling yourself up out of the well.

  WITH A WIDE OPENING

  Use the “spread eagle” or “stemming” technique for an opening that is too wide to use the chimney climbing technique but narrow enough that you can touch opposite walls with your hands.

  1. Place your right hand and right foot on one wall and your left hand and left foot on the opposite wall.

  Your hands should be lower than your shoulders, and your fingers should point down.

  2. Keep the pressure on your feet by assuming a somewhat scissored leg stance, with your body facing slightly to your right.

  3. Brace yourself by pushing out with your hands.

  4. Move one foot quickly up a few inches, followed quickly by the other.

  5. Continue until you reach the top, where you will have to grab something sturdy and swing up over the edge.

  If nothing is available to grab onto, keep going until your upper body is out of the well, then flop over forward and use leverage to climb out.

  HOW TO NAVIGATE A MINEFIELD

  1. Keep your eyes on your feet.

  2. Freeze—do not move any farther.

  3. Look for spikes, detonators, wires, bumps, or discoloration in the ground around you.

  4. Avoid spikes, detonators, wires, bumps, or discoloration in the ground, and back up slowly in your own footsteps.

  Do not turn around. Walk backward.

  5. Stop when you are certain you are safe.

  HOW TO IDENTIFY AND AVOID MINEFIELDS

  The simplest way of avoiding mines is to avoid regions where you suspect they may be, such as post-war countries. If you are in such a region, follow these tips.

  • Ask locals.

  Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, local women, and children are the best sources of information (in that order) for where danger zones are located.

  • Observe animals.

  Field animals are considered de facto minesweepers. Fields with large quantities of mutilated animals, untouched by people, may indicate a minefield.

  • Watch the movements of locals.

  Locals who avoid perfectly good trails are probably avoiding a mined area. Observe which routes they will not travel on and avoid them. Never travel alone in a suspected mined area.

  • Look for dirt that has been disturbed.

  Transference of dirt or discoloration of fields may indicate hasty placement of mines.

  • Look for wires across trails.

  Trip wires strung across trails indicate mines or other explosives.

  • Look for newly destroyed vehicles on or just off the road.

  Evidence of recent mine detonations includes burning or smoking vehicles and craters. Never assume that because a mine has already detonated the path is clear.

  • Avoid brush and overgrown fields and trails.

  These will not be clearly marked with mine clearance signs, and are more difficult to navigate on your own.

  Be Aware

  • Many mines stay active indefinitely. Be sure to ask for guidance in an area known for mines.

  • There are four basic mine types:

  TRIP-WIRE MINES. Stepping across a wire attached to the detonator will cause the mine to explode.

  DIRECT-PRESSURE MINES. Stepping down on a pressure-sensitive pad will activate the detonator.

  TIMER MINES. A timer can be an electrical clock, an electronic digital clock, a dripping/mixing chemical, or a simple mechanical timer that will detonate the mine.

  REMOTE MINES. A remote mine can be detonated via an electrical charge across a wire (a “clacker”), via a radio signal, or from a heat or sound sensor.

  HOW TO SURVIVE A RIPTIDE

  Riptides, or rip currents, are long, narrow bands of water that quickly pull any objects in them away from shore and out to sea. They are dangerous but are relatively easy to escape.

  1. Do not struggle against the current.

  Most riptide deaths are caused by drowning, not the tides themselves. People often exhaust themselves struggling against the current, and cannot make it back to shore.

  2. Do not swim in toward shore.

  You will be fighting the current, and you will lose.

  3. Swim parallel to shore, across the current.

  Generally, a riptide is less than 100 feet wide, so swimming beyond it should not be too difficult.

  4. If you cannot swim out of the riptide, float on your back and allow the riptide to take you away from shore until you are beyond the pull of the riptide.

  Rip currents generally subside 50 to 100 yards from shore.

  5. Once the riptide subsides, swim sideways and back to shore.

  Be Aware

  • Riptides occur more frequently in strong winds.

  • Streaks of muddy or sandy water and floating debris moving out to sea through the surf zone are signs that riptides are present, as are areas of reduced wave heights in the surf zone and depressions in the beach running perpendicular to shore.

  HOW TO SURVIVE WHEN YOU FALL THROUGH ICE

  1. Breathe steadily.

  The shock of hitting the cold water will be great, but remain calm.

  2. Turn in the direction from which you came.

  You most likely came from the area with the strongest ice.

  3. Use your elbows to lift yourself up onto the edge of the hole.

  Do not get out yet. Hold yourself in that position. Let as much water as possible drain from your clothing.

  4. Reach out onto the solid ice as far as possible.

  If you have car keys, a comb or brush, or anything that might help you dig into the surface of the ice, use it to help pull yourself out.

  5. Kick your feet as though you were swimming, and pull yourself up as you continue kicking.

  6. Once on the ice surface, do not stand up.

  Stay flat and roll away from the hole. This distributes your weight more evenly and decreases your chances of breaking through the ice again.

  HOW TO SURVIVE IN FRIGID WATER

  1. Do not attempt to swim unless it is for a very short distance.

  A strong swimmer has a 50-50 chance of surviving a 50-yard swim in 50-degree Fahrenheit water. Swim only if you can reach land, a boat, or a floating object with a few strokes. (Swimming moves cold water over skin, causing rapid cooling. Cold water saps body heat 25 times faster than air of the same temperature, and water any colder than 70 degrees Fahrenheit can cause hypothermia.)

  2. If you are alone and wearing a flotation device, assume the heat escape lessening posture (HELP).
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br />   Cross your ankles, draw your knees to your chest, and cross your arms over your chest. Your hands should be kept high on your chest or neck to keep them warm. Do not remove clothing. Clothes will not weigh you down but will hold warm water against your skin like a diver’s wetsuit. This position can reduce heat loss by 50 percent.

  3. If two or more people are in the water and all are wearing flotation devices, assume the “huddle” position.

  Two to four people should “hug,” with chest touching chest. Smaller individuals can be sandwiched between larger members. This position allows body heat to be shared. Also, rescuers can spot groups more easily than individuals.

  4. Keep movement to a minimum.

  Increasing the heart rate speeds body cooling. Try to breathe normally.

  5. Once you are rescued, look for signs of hypothermia.

  Slurred speech and a lack of shivering are signs of severe body temperature loss. Immediately rewarm your body.

  IF YOU ARE NOT WEARING A FLOTATION DEVICE

  1. Grab anything that floats.

  A piece of driftwood, a floating cooler, and a plastic bag full of air all work well as flotation devices.

  2. If nothing buoyant is available, float on your back, tread water very slowly, or assume the HELP position (see step 2 above).

  3. If you are unable to float or tread water, button the top button of a coat or shirt and splash air and water under the bottom edge of your clothing to trap air.

  Trapping air under clothing may help you stay afloat, but can also be dangerous since it increases movement and hence cooling.