Animals

After my recent run in with a bear in the Sespe Wilderness I thought it might be good to quickly run down what to do if faced with a wild animal. There are several to worry about, but knowing how to deal with the situation if it presents itself is paramount to not getting hurt. Here's a list of the most common critters you may have to worry about:  Bear, Rattle Snake, Coyote, Mountain Lion and Wolf. When you are out in the wilderness you need to be aware of what's around you. You need to be constantly scanning for signs of predators. Look for their track and scat - knowing who's in you're area will give you a heads up on what defense to take if you are confronted.

Let's start with bear.

As we were hiking to camp we saw a ton of bear footprints and scat along the way on the trail. They will follow the same trails you'll be hiking on. Let's face it if you had the choice of bushwhacking or walking along a well traveled route you'd chose the well traveled route because it's just plain easier. Here's what footprints from a bear look like. In the middle picture you can see how the foot prints point outward from one another and you can see the claw depressions in the sand.

Here's what bear poop can look like:

Bears are omnivorous so you will find almost anything in their poop, mostly you'll find seeds and the remains of berries. If you find a wedding ring you should keep your eyes peeled.

Okay so there's bear in the area, what do you do if you are confronted by a bear?

1. Do not run! They are pretty fast and can run for short distances of up to 30 miles per hour. If you run they will only see you as prey.

2. Do not climb a tree. Bears are very adept at climbing trees. If you climb a tree it'll just piss the bear off because he'll have to climb up there to eat your ass.

3. Give the bear a chance to identify you as human. Often times they will stand on their hind legs, this is not a sign of aggression. They are merely trying to get a look at who or what you are and try to smell better. Often when they realize you are human they will leave the area.

4. Speak in a loud low tone while standing. Try not to make direct eye contact and back up very slowly not turning your back to the bear.

5. If the bear charges stand your ground until they are going to make contact. Drop and lie on your stomach and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms, pray to your favorite deity and repeat.

Mountain lions are the most dangerous of all the predators you may encounter.

They are kings of stealth and will attack you from your back, often times by jumping on you from a cliff along the edge of a trail.  They are incredibly strong, powerful and can grow to 135 pounds, that's a big kitty with huge claws and jaw strength enough to chomp off your thumb. here's a Mountain Lion Print:

The Mountain Lion print has four toes and the pad has three bulbs at the bottom. However, it can appear to be a diamond with what looks like three toes and a pad:

What to do if confronted by a Mountain Lion? Well if you actually see a Mountain Lion consider it a once in a lifetime experience - unless you are a Park Ranger or someone who spends a great deal of time in the wilderness, they aren't often seen. But this once in a lifetime experience can be pretty serious. If you see one, often times it will think you're supper. Here's what you need to do:

1. Do not run, this only tells the Mountain Lion that you are indeed it's next meal.

2. Back away slowly to try to increase the distance between you and the animal.

3. Speak to it. Be firm and calm, let it know you are not a deer. A panicked reaction may provoke an attack.

4. If you have any small children with you, pick them up.

5. Make yourself appear as large as you can. Take off you jacket and open it up. Raise your arms to look taller.

6. Pick up a rock or a limb to make your self appear larger, but only if they are within a short distance. Do not bend over to pick it up, this is a sure way to get a Lion to pounce.

7. If they do attack fight it with everything you've got, go for the eyes and avoid the mouth. I wasn't joking when I said they can bite your thumb off - it's been documented. They are not expecting a fight and are used to easy kills, so if you fight back you may get it to stop and leave.

Rattle Snake:

If you encounter a rattle snake in the wild there are a few scenarios which could occur. One is you are walking or running and a snake will be slithering across a trail or sunning themselves. When this occurs they usually couldn't care less about you and merely want to go about their business. Two is you happen apon a rattler and you startle them, they will then let you know you've entered their territory by making their rattle sound with their tail. This is a warning not to get closer. The third scenario is you've entered their territory and they're pissed. You'll know they're really mad and ready to kill you because they will be in a coiled up position with their tail pointing straight up rattling as loudly as they can.

When this happens you should back up slowly and create as much distance as you can from the snake. In some instances a snake will chase you but a snake can travel aproximately 3 miles per hour and a human walks at about the same speed. So if this happens, do the math - walking backwards may not be the best course of action at this point. After giving the snake as much distance as possible choose your course of action. If you must travel in the direction where the snake is give it some time to calm down. Usually they will slither off trail and try to remove themselves from their percieved danger. If the snake stays on the trail you should try to go around it and stay at least 15 feet away from it keeping an eye on it.

 

If you get bitten, do not try to cut into the bite. You'll undoubtedly create more open veins which will allow the poison to spread more rapidly. The best course of action is to remain calm, keep your blood pressure and heart rate low and seek emergency medical help asap. Most venomous snake bites are 98% survivable if you reach medical help within 4 hours.

Here is what snake tracks will look like:

Coyote:

Coyotes are pretty much harmless. I've encountered many of them while trail running. The young ones don't know they shouldn't approach humans and some will try to get as close as possible. I usually try to wave my arms, clap loudly and yell at them. This will usually scare off a coyote. Some haven't run off and seen me as a potential food source because many people who go out on trails will feed coyotes because they remind them of dogs and they can be kind of cute. When they have approached me and not run off I've squirted my water bottle at them and this has been enough to get them to run. It's a bad policy to feed wild animals because they become dependent on getting food from humans and it erodes their instincs.

This is a good example of a coyote track. If you are a really good tracker you can tell the difference between a coyote track and a dog track. I've been trying for years to get to the place where I can tell the difference but it still illudes me.

Wolf

Wolves have become an increasing problem because of the reintroduction policy of the wolf to some areas in the US and Canada. The Government has tried to reintroduce and increase the population of the Grey Wolf because it's numbers had been dwindling. The policy has worked very well and the numbers of wolves has increased steadily because they are reproducing like rabbits. 

Wolves are extremely dangerous because they do not fear humans and they hunt in packs. There have been documented cases of wolves walking right into a camp and taking food off your picnic table, attacking small children and attacking people while they sleep in their sleeping bag.

So what to do? If you are an adept tree climber and you can get up a tree before they bite you on your ass then climbing a tree is a possible escape... However, they may just set up camp at the base of the tree and wait you out. Because they hunt in packs they may take turns at sentry while the others go off for food and water. So they will definitely be able to wait you out.

Your best option is to stand and fight. With anything and everything you've got. But standing is the key, do not go to the ground this would be a sign of weakness. Be as large as you can, hold your backpack or jacket over your head to appear larger. Do not stare at the wolf in the eye or show your teeth, these are signs of aggression. Do not turn your back and run, you will just appear to be a chew toy. If you must use your fists or feet aim for their noses, they are extremely sensitive. Protect your head and neck at all costs and if you do get knocked down try to cover your head with your arms and use your feet to kick with everything you've got.

Here is what a wolf track looks like... Kinda looks like a Coyote or dog? Well they are much larger than coyote but can be easily mistaken for dog and they are basically the same species other than one being domesticated and the other not so if you are out in the middle of the boonies and you come across several of these tracks which look to be about a 100 pound dog they're probably from wolves traveling in a pack and not your neighbors Labradoodle.

Solar Power on The Go

How will you power your devices like your cellphone, gps receiver or
radio when you're on the move?  A solar charging kit is a great option
as components have gotten smaller, lighter and cheaper.  You can buy
kits like the Goal Zero Guide 10 solar panel which comes with everything
you need to keep AA and AAA batteries charged, or you can build your own
system to meet your specific needs, we'll look at both options so you
get an idea of some different options.

Let's look at 3 components of mobile solar charging:

Collection.
Storage.
Distribution.

Store bought ready to go:

We'll start out with the Goal Zero Guide 10 solar kit which retails for
about $100.00.  It comes with the Nomad 7 solar panel, a rechargeable
battery pack that holds 4 AA or AAA batteries.  4 AAA batteries are
included and you can purchase additional batteries separately.  Also
included are a 12v DC adapter and a few other cables.

Here are both sides of the kit, there are 2 panels which fold to close
like a book, and zipper together.

We have the panel for collection.
The rechargeable battery pack fills the role of storage.
The rechargeable battery pack is also used for distribution.

One note about this kit, the battery pack can be recharged via the solar
panel, A/C or DC power, so there is some overlap on a few of these
concepts.

This is the power connector block which is connected to the panel.

There are a quite a few different ways to use this kit, one is by using
the solar panel to charge a battery pack of AA or AAA rechargeable
batteries.  This connection is made with the included (unfortunately)
proprietary cable.  You can also recharge the battery pack via A/C
using, unfortunately, a USB mini cable, not a standard micro USB cable.

Once you charge your rechargeable battery pack, you can do 2 things,
take the batteries out of the battery pack and place them into a device,
or connect a USB cable to the battery pack and charge things directly
from the battery pack, like a cellphone.

You can also use the 12 volt auto adapter cable, plugged directly into
the power block on the panel, to power/charge 12 volt devices.  This
setup skips the storage role as it is only powering devices.

You can also plug a USB cable directly into the power block on the
panel, and charge any USB devices.  This setup skips the storage role as
it is only powering devices.


There's an example of an available product that fills all the roles of
mobile solar charging, the kit including batteries weighs .4 lbs.  

Self Built Kit

Let's see one made from individual parts and pieces, it consists of a solar panel, a solar charge controller, a 12
volt auto adapter and all the necessary cables.

For collection, we have a Powerfilm Solar brand rollable solar panel,
model R15-600.

Specifications:

   Rated Power (Pmax): 10 Watts
   Operating Voltage (Vmp): 15.4 Volts
   Operating Current (Imp): 0.6 Amps
   Weight: 1.0 lb
   Dimensions: 11.5" x 4.25" x 4.25" (Rolled), 11.5" x 38" (Unrolled)

You roll it up and keep it closed with a velcro strap, it's light,
waterproof, and very packable.

   

   

   

This setup skips storage, but can send power to any battery pack, like
the one from the Goal Zero, for storage if desired.

Distribution is handled by the solar charge controller.

This is a Powermate Technology model PSC-A15. solar charge controller.
It takes the input from a solar panel and regulates the output voltage.

Specifications:

   Charge Load Current: 15A
   Automatic Charge Voltage: 12VDC/24VDC
   Maximum Charging Voltage: 14.7V for 12V systems, 29.4V for 24V
systems
   Maximum Discharge Voltage: 10.5V for 12V systems, 21V for 24V
systems
   Maximum Solar Panel Power: 180W @ 18V for 12V systems, 360W @ 36V
for 24V systems
   2 selectable modes
   LED mode indicator and audible alarm for warnings
   Recommended wiring: 8-10 AWG
   Aluminum heat sink
   Size: 5.51" x 3.54" x 1.42"
   Weight: 210 grams (7.4 oz.)

   

There are a few different way to connect things up.  The solar panel has
a connector on it that can accept different cable attachments, one of
which has the solar panel connector on one end, and bare wires on the
other end.

   

   

If you look on the top of the solar charge controller, you will see 2
connector holes on the left hand side at the bottom, with a small icon
for a solar panel.  Those connectors accept the the solar panels bare
wire output leads.

There are 2 other sets of connector holes on the solar charge
controller, the middle one has a battery icon.  This connection provides
output voltage and can connect directly to a car battery for example.
This will allow you to keep a car battery charged or even recharge it
over time, directly from the sun.  Part of what a solar charge
controller does is provide overcharge and reverse charge protection.
Once a battery is fully charged, the solar charge controller will stop
any current from backing up from the fully charged battery, back into
the panel and destroying it.

   

One of the other connectors that plugs into the solar panel connector is
a female auto socket adapter.  That will allow me to plug in a 12 volt
auto to USB adapter and charge or run devices directly from the solar
panel.

   

   

   

The voltage coming from the solar panel when it's placed in direct
sunlight is around 15.5 volts. The 12 volt auto to USB adapter I'm using
has built-in voltage limiting, so it will lower the 15.5 volts from the
solar panel to 5.5 volts for USB automatically, and not damage my
devices. I like this adapter because it can also plug into A/C by
flipping down the prongs.

Since the solar panel is only rated for .6 amps, I will add a second
solar panel in parallel to this system.  My rechargeable battery pack
draws 1 amp when charging 4 batteries simultaneously.  With both panels
connected I can charge my batteries with the 12 volt auto connector from
my rechargeable battery pack.

   

The panel and all of its accessories roll up and store inside of a 4"
diameter pvc pipe.  I bought the 4" pvc pipe, one solid end cap, one
internally threaded end cap and one threaded screw end cap.

   

   

Hopefully you got some worthwhile information from this article, feel
free to post questions/comments.

Comms

Communication is paramount in todays world. Without it we would be pretty isolated. Let's flash forward to a moment when an event occurs and all communications as you know it are cut off. You are at work and your family is at home. How will you let them know you are well, or find out if they need help. Well, you won't. Cel towers will become overloaded within seconds with emergency calls and complete Yahoos telling someone in Peoria that something has gone wrong and that the should turn on the TV to watch it live on CSPAN.

There are several major ways we communicate in todays world. Wired telephone which is rapidly becoming a thing of the past but is actually a pretty darn reliable method of communication even if the power goes out. Reason being your telephone runs on a 52 volt DC battery bank at your local telephone company hub close to your home, as long as you have an old school telephone without any electrical gadgets attached, you're good to go. Because of redundancy there are overlapping battery banks and telephone lines which can support each other if one gets cut off you will still be able to make and receive calls.

We also use cel phones, which as previously stated a fragile method because the network can become jammed and towers themselves can be knocked out. Email and texting are slightly more reliable if you are using a wired internet connection, but then it will require electricity to run the infrastructure and if the shit hits the fan there won't be any electricity to make those devices work.

So what is left? Radio communications are a pretty reliable form of communication, and HAM operators have been coming to the rescue for years when emergency services have fallen short. What is it I mean by this? Well Police, Fire, Medical Rescue as well as Coast Guard and other emergency personnel all have their own frequencies, meaning Burbank Fire cannot speak with the Northridge Police. In fact no department can actually speak to another. So when we have a wildfire or an earthquake, HAM radio operators come together (who are previously trained) to assist and bridge the network between departments.

Beyond this there are many HAMs who are just hobbyists and will come to the aid when needed. In Louisiana during Katrina it was HAMs who would communicate to the Coast Guard choppers telling them where people were trapped on rooftops and needed to be rescued.

In the event of an emergency HAMs will create Nets which are used to pass messages from operator to operator until messages can be delivered and in some cases messages will then be hand delivered to people who are not HAM operators.

So why HAM and not some other form of communication?

There are some options for using smaller radios if you are within a certain range of your house, like blocks or miles depending on the terrain. Simple two-way radios bought at a big box store can be used without the need for licensing because they fall into the "Family Radio Service" category. They are simple to use and have preset frequencies set up in channels. Often they are either rechargeable or run on AA batteries. The problem with these is they have a very limited range and only preselected frequencies giving the operators no choice of bandwidth.

In the 70's you may remember the CB radio. This was pretty good until the limitations of the technology came into play. There is a very specific bandwith in which these radios can transmit, they are only allowed to use up to a certain amount of power for transmission and have a maximum size antenna. So it is only good for a certain distance. This type of communication also requires a license from the FCC.

For the cost of a CB or General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license you can get a HAM license which is far more flexible and costs $15. The exams are run by volunteers and the license is good for 10 years without any renewal fee. These radios have the advantage of running higher power and their range can be extended by purchasing after market antennas. Amateur radios can range in price from $50 to over $500, HAM radios are a little like cars, there's a model and a size to fit in most budget and needs. Below is the model I have, the Kenwood TH-F6. It runs about $350 and is a tri band 5 watt radio.

There are testing centers in most every city across the country and are usually offered weekly. You can find a local testing center at www.arrl.org. Here in Southern California we have the advantage of having two incredible instructors: Norm and Naomi, a married couple who teach out of the Lost Hills Sheriff's station. They can be contacted through their website: www.hamclass.goodkin.net. They offer classes and tests quarterly and their website offers study guides and sample test questions. The advantage of going to Norm and Naomi's class is that you arrive at 9am and study all day learning what is required to pass the exam, at 3pm you take the test and by 4pm you know if you passed. It's a great class and it's where I took my test.

Once you get licensed you are able to transmit on a wide variety of frequencies. In Southern California we have a repeater system called PAPPA which allows you to connect with people from Tijuana to Santa Barbara and from Los Angeles to Arizona. You're able to speak with people from all over and share information. With an antenna and a car kit I'm able to use my handheld in my car or take it with me to work. It provides up to the minute communications even when systems go down.