CO8b-OM-GoimgintotheFieldPart3

Reprinted by permission at http://theweekendminer.com

THE WEEKEND MINER

Rediscovering American Mineral Resources

THOUGHTS FROM THE “OLD MINER”

Going Into the Field – or Desert – or Mountains, in Search of Your Interests

Part 3

Well, the feedback didn’t take long. I got a number of responses about where to find some of the things I had discussed in the first two columns, so Chemical Jack, our webmaster (of sorts) is trying to “hot link” some of the items to our advertisers adds in the Miners Mart. Be patient please, we are not experts at “html” so it takes us more than a “bit of time” to do such things.

My baby brother Fred (who is 59) came back with a number of things I had forgotten and ideas of his own. Fred is an avid fisherman and hunter, so he also views things from a practical standpoint.

Lights: I knew I was in trouble when he asked me if I was part cat – otherwise how could I see in the dark? I need lights.

Let’s start with flashlights. I carry a couple of them. I would recommend a good, durable one, like a three or four cell Maglite as your primary light. A Mini-Maglite is a good back up, but they don’t throw enough light to be your primary light. I also carry a rechargeable, hand spotlight in the car, for checking out road conditions and watching wild animals. It is also quite effective as a signaling device. Watch for these on special at local discount and sporting goods stores; that’s usually the best place to get them. Always put the lanyards on them. This way if you drop them they are a lot easier to retrieve.

For exploring in caves or other dark areas, or evening activities, headlamps are a great help. I like to get one that gives me a good light, so I spent a little extra here. The Xenon type project light better than some of the other types, but they also tend to be more expensive. Your likely uses of this tool should guide you as to how much you want to send. If you spend a significant amount of time in caves or in evening hunts (including walking back to camp with your arms full), the better units may be worth the extra cost.

For the camp area you will need some light. I tend not to use gas lanterns unless I will be out for an extended time. I prefer battery power, especially rechargeable batteries, where practical. I recently bought a LED lantern for camp use that I like, although it does not give as intense of a light as my gas lantern does. The nice thing is that children can use them without worrying. I always remember camping with my father. Lighting the gas lantern was always something he did; even when we were in our late teens. He was concerned that it was dangerous, and I guess it rubbed off on me. The propane or butane types are safer, but cost more to run.

Another convenient form to carry light is in the form of chemical lightsticks. I do not trust these for emergency signal lights, as many people do. They are pone to breaking and discharging when you don’t need them, especially in a pack. However, they are good for around the camp and children love o play with them. At night, they make it easy to spot your children. You can take this one step further by getting different colors, for different children or groups of children. This way you can tell who is who from a great distance. If I need to carry them for an emergency signal device, I get a piece of threaded, plastic pipe, just longer than the lightstick and slip it in that for protection. It keeps them from getting bent and getting the light when you don’t need it. By the way, these chemical lightsticks will work underwater. They tend to float, so you have to anchor them (a fishing sinker and piece of fishing line works well), but they add an interesting effect to the “swimming hole”, if you can find one. Be sure to retrieve hem, when you are done, and dispose of them properly.

Hats: I talked about Hard Hats but failed to mention regular hats, primarily for sun protection. I often use a baseball cap if it is not too hot and I am not using mosquito netting. If it is hot, a mesh topped baseball hat is fine. My favorite is a wide-brimmed, ventilated hat, in tan or light brown. They say in a cold climate, over 75% of your body heat loss is through your head. If that is true, in hot weather you really don’t want to do anything to restrict you body cooling you off through heat loss through your head. I like the mesh panels as vents and the wide brim for sun protection.

Mosquito Protection: My brother dislikes mosquitoes about as much as I do snakes, so he suggested mosquito protection should be added. First I would recommend a good repellant, such as Cutter’s. They still like to buzz around your head while you are doing things, so many of us use head netting. A couple types are out there; one that fits over your hat and one that contains a hat frame, usually wide brimmed. Bulk netting is also available, that can be cut to cover windows, baby carriages and other things. It also comes in a concealment version for bird and animal watching and for hunters. Whether you will need it or not will depend greatly on the location, season and what the weather has been.

Eye Wash: I have a small bottle of eye wash in my First Aid Kit, but it doesn’t last very long, especially in dusty areas and if you don’t wear goggles. An extra bottle or two in your kit can make a trip more pleasant and may even gain you some friends, especially if they don’t have any. I personally like to wear a pair of motorcycle goggles, but they aren’t the most attractive things going, and are foregone by most of my friends.

Fishing Hook and Line: One thing you can carry that may come in handy is a single or treble fishhook and a strong piece of fishing line 10’ to 50’ long. I take a pair of pliers and attach a small split shot sinker to the bottom of the hook or hooks. I do not know if you have ever dropped something valuable down a shaft, vent, crevasse or other place you can’t get to. Using this little piece of equipment, I keep in a small pill bottle, I have retrieved most of mine. If you can’t see it well, your headlamp can be used to illuminate the area, leaving both hands to work the line and hook. If the tool you dropped has a lanyard on it, hooking the lanyard, or even the lanyard ring, is relatively easy.

Bear-Proofing Your Supplies: I go a comment from a person in Fresno, who said they prospect up in the old gold-mining camps around Placerville. He suggested that I mention bear-proofing your supplies. I personally have never really had a problem with bears, although around the parks they seem to have lost their fear of man, and have started to associate man with food supplies, even if it is usually garbage. My biggest problem has been with raccoons; they get into everything. I guess if a container is made to keep out bears, it should work on raccoons. The easiest way to keep your supplies out of an animals dinner menu is to suspend them. Take a small cargo net or sling, throw a rope over a high limb, and suspend them 12 to 15 feet off of the ground. You can buy special “bear-resistant” containers if you want to. They tend to cost quite a bit and I do not personally believe they will truly stop a hungry bear, but they are an option.

Solar Power Units: Now this is a real luxury. There are a number of solar power kits that you can buy. They will recharge batteries, run your GPS or phones and the like, but they are expensive. They probably make more sense to have if you use a lot of rechargeable batteries and want to recharge them in the field. Most can be linked together to increase output. I will link to a couple so you can see what they are, what they do and how much they cost. Here are the \ links, to rechargeable batteries, a “solar port” and a “solar roll”.

Fire Extinguisher and Auto First Aid Kit: These are part of my normal car emergency kit, but I forgot to include it in column 2. I found a new type that claims to be an environmentally safe, water-based spray with no chlorofluorocarbons. I have never had reason to use them yet. Is anyone familiar with these? Are they as effective as the old type?

Well, again I am getting a “bit long” so I will sign off for now. Keep the ideas coming, and please enclose your name or club. I would like to give you or your club credit for good ideas.

Thanks again for you time and attention.