Thursday 20/08/15
The quickest way to get yourself into trouble in the bush is to try something you know is well and truly beyond your capabilities. For some inexplicable reason, people assume the simple act of going camping makes them invincible. This situation is exacerbated when the person in question hasn’t done a lick of exercise since high school.
Over the years I’ve seen people do things that had no chance of success.
- Swimming – Whether it is in a river, lake or the ocean, make sure you can actually swim the desired distance before you jump in. If you aren’t sure, or know you can’t make the specified distance, don’t attempt it. Drowning isn’t something you want to experience. You don’t want to risk your own life, or your rescuer’s life, because you over estimated your abilities.
- Trees – Being out in the bush gives some people the urge climb trees. If you know what you are doing, you should be ok. A good rule of thumb is your ability to do chin-ups. You need a lot of upper body strength to climb trees. If you don’t regularly do chin-ups you might want to reconsider your need to climb trees. Once you’re halfway up the tree, it’s a long way to the ground.
- Steep rock face - Rock climbing shares similar perils with tree climbing. People overlook the obvious; don’t climb up if you can’t climb down.
- Demanding physical labour in the sun - If you aren’t used to performing hard physical labour, don’t make your debut in the hot midday sun (while giving it all you’ve got). Break the job into smaller tasks, and drink plenty of water. It will take a little longer to get the job done, but at least you won’t get sunstroke.
Adding alcohol into any of these situations is guaranteed to turn a bad outcome into a complete disaster.
Obviously, if you were in a life or death situation, you would do whatever it takes to survive, including ignoring the above mentioned guidelines. If you are just there to enjoy the great outdoors, don’t let your ego turn a fun weekend into a disaster.