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12 Comments

1. Allen a …. Thank-you for the article. It is nice to read first hand accounts of preparedness paid off. This is the goal every is striving towards.

2. Thank you, Allen A! This was an excellent combination of survival strategy instruction and the sharing of your personal story. So thankful for your preparedness, your reasoned thinking through the crisis, and your safe delivery.

   From your post: “A SHTF event happens quickly. One second I’m driving through some of the most beautiful country on the face of this planet. Three seconds later I’m stuck in a snowbank implementing my survival plan. Your emergency will be different but these same steps will still apply.”

   This is really the truth, and the emergency steps you’ve outlined offer a universality that would apply to many situations.

3. Go to “Wiggy’s” for tremendous quality cold weather gear.
   Also “Icebreaker” for base layers.

4. I enjoyed reading your article – thank you. I carry a surplus military extreme cold weather sleeping bag and a Gore-Tex bivy in my car for three seasons of the year. I’ve never needed it in an emergency, but I have winter camped at -20F in it and felt toasty warm (getting out of it in the mornings wasn’t anywhere near as much fun).

5. Great article. I’m glad you are safe. Even though 11 hours isn’t that long, it would have long enough for some to perish from exposure and hypothermia. Your planning has served you well. Thanks for writing.

6. Great , great article , especially ” Recognition ” I have been in a severe train derailment , and a severe hotel fire, both cost many lives and the one thing I have noticed is that people are extremely slow to recognize the seriousness of the situation . I have even remarked to myself that these scenes play out much like a disaster movie with very few knowing what to do or when to do it .
   I am no longer a large crowd person , I sit next to exists , I listen to my own intuition or gut instinct . Do not expect 90% of people to have any clue of what is going on around them…

7. Great article, but I want to bring up a point about your fuel management- you said your low fuel light came on indicating about 30 miles left. that suggests you had only 2 or 3 gallons left, a very low level of fuel in the tank.

   The fuel pumps of most vehicles on the road are in the tank and depend on being submerged in fuel to cool the pump, if the motor of the pump is uncovered it will run hot, shortening its life. The usual failure mode is “sudden death”- it just stops and you are stranded. This has happened to several people I know who were in the habit of driving around with 1/4 tank or less.

   Another thing to keep in mind is those fuel pumps typically cost $400 to $600 just for the part!

   1. Upcountry, you are 100% correct. My fuel tank holds 20 gallons and each of my spare fuel cans holds 15 gallons. Like most cases where things go bad it was one thing compounding another. Normally I would have already stopped to refuel. I takes about a half an hour to dismount the spare fuel, top off, and rescure the container. The border closed in under an hour from my expected arrival. I had adequate fuel in the tank to reach the border where I expected to refuel after clearing customs. Things happen at the most inappropriate times. We push the limits for seemingly good reasons and most of the time we get away with it, but not always.

8. This was good. Having lived in the Colorado mountains for 15 years, this is a familiar scenario. However, in those days, on most roads, I could count on a vehicle passing by at least every 1/2 hour or so, in which case the tow strap/rope is your most useful asset. I can’t remember how many times I was pulled out by a passer-by or pulled somebody else out. Caution!!! get the strongest tow rope you can handle, make sure its limit exceeds your vehicle weight. The cheap 1500 pound ones are not likely to pull out your stuck 4500 pound SUV.

9. I really enjoyed learning many lessons from you. Thank you for sharing!

10. One way to provide heat in a enclosed space is a candle(makes a surprising amount of heat). Used to carry one made from candle ends melted into a tuna can with 3 wicks covered with cat food lid. This low cost tool would heat a car interior to comfortable levels well past zero F and enough light to act as a emergency beacon.

11. “Sorry, it’s Canada, no gun.” that’s as far as I read. you guys in canada are responsible for your own government…take care of it.
    next article…

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