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Posted by calamity on January 2, 2008 at 6:58:02 pm EST
In reply to Re: What's in Your Survival Kit? posted by BigSmoke on January 2, 2008 at 6:05:39 pm EST

I was camped last summer with my girlfriend on the bottom of a steep-sided little valley, when, well after midnight, a very strong thunderstorm passed overhead.

Knowing that lightening would likely strike high points near yet well above us, I realized we were rather safe. While I attempted to enjoy the wild beauty of the storm, my girlfriend, unfortunately, nearly had a nervous breakdown. (She also has a poor understanding of risks presented by black bears.)

If under 5% of SARs involve fatalities, one can extrapolate, very roughly, that backcountry travelers on average, are at least eight times safer (and perhaps far more than that) compared with automobile drivers, a majority of whom wear seat belts.

This is not at all precisely true, because the data, and my arithmetic skills are poor. But I think it may be roughly true.

I'm a complete fool in some respects, and completely wrong about many things. I never check the pressure of my spare tire. I've driven 4-500,000 miles without a flat and am probably due for a lesson.

On the other hand, I have no illusions that the spare tire will save me from a head-on collision with a drunk.

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