"safety".........."don't Hit The Wall"..........at Least Not Fatally.

Discussion in 'Safety' started by Sourdough, Apr 6, 2019.

0/5, 0 votes

  1. Sourdough

    Sourdough "eleutheromaniac"
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    I hit the wall earlier this week. Hitting the wall was common for me, years ago. But so uncommon now, that I was actually frightened and confused, and headed towards doing something stupid.

    This subject: "Hitting the Wall" is not a common subject on survival forums or survival blogs. It can be a very serious event, and death is one possible result.

    So......I think my experience earlier this week was partly early stage hypothermia, part physical exhaustion, and part low glucose level (OK OK part being 72 y/o)
    As I stood there in two feet of snow, at the edge of the creek I still needed to wade across, and the hill I then would need to climb.......I considered how pleasant it would be to just remove my pack and lay down in the soft inviting snow and take a nap.

    Over the last fifty years I've had entirely too much experience with hypothermia, both personal, and dealing with hypothermic clients and assistant guides. So......I am pre-programed that the instant I start thinking of taking a short nap, I instantly switch to if I do I will never ever wake. You would think that that awareness would frighten you so that you would abandon the thought of a brief nap. Strangely it does not........and many in the arctic die, because they can't over ride the sweet seduction of a brief nap.....a brief and fatal nap.

    So.....I am going to build a nap "Over-Ride" kit, specially for those situations. I always have food in my packs, but strangely that is not what comes to mind, when I am being seduced to the big sleep. I am hoping the sleep over ride kit can be programed as the default alternative to nap.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2019
  2. Sourdough

    Sourdough "eleutheromaniac"
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitting_the_wall

    "Hitting the wall is a condition of sudden fatigue and loss of energy which is caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. Milder instances can be remedied by brief rest and the ingestion of food or drinks containing carbohydrates. The condition can usually be avoided by ensuring that glycogen levels are high when the exercise begins, maintaining glucose levels during exercise by eating or drinking carbohydrate-rich substances"
     
  3. GrizzlyetteAdams

    GrizzlyetteAdams Crap Creek Survivor
      390/460

    Blog Posts:
    3
    Make and pack Native American pemmican! Millions of Indians couldn't have been wrong. Pemmican was the original super-nutritious "trail bar."

    This is my favorite deviation from the traditional meat/melted fat/berries pemmican, yet it still contains meat, fat (in the form of peanut butter and other nuts), and fruit (in the form of raisins).


    Pemmican with Honey and Peanut Butter

    Some people prefer peanut butter to fat; some like a blend of honey and peanut butter. Here is a recipe that helps provide calories without meat fat (I find this lasts longer without going rancid as quickly as fat from meat tends to do)

    1/2 pound of jerky, pulverized to a powder, or nearly to a powder
    1/2 pound of raisins
    1/2 pound of nuts (peanuts, pecans. etc)
    2 tablespoons honey
    4 tablespoons peanut butter

    Warm the honey and mix with the peanut butter together until well blended.
    Add all ingredients together. Store in a plastic bag in a cool, dry place.


    To eat pemmican Native American style, pop a little bit into your mouth and chew it just about forever, sort of like chewing gum. That way you entertain your mouth and extract every bit of goodness from the dehydrated meat, berries/fruit, and nuts. It is surprisingly filling when eaten this way. Even though the food is low-volume, it packs power because it is highly concentrated and loaded with protein.

    There are different schools of thought regarding the shelf life of pemmican. Some say it will last for only a month or two; others say it will last for years. It depends upon the temperature and humidity of the environment, the quality of ingredients, and how it is stored. At any rate, the fat content will also determine shelf life. After the fat goes rancid from age, it will taste bad and should be thrown out. The cooler the storage temperatures are, the longer the fat will stay fresh.

    To help extend shelf life, I like to store pemmican in the freezer. If the electricity should ever go out long enough to affect the contents of the freezer, I will take the pemmican out of the freezer, and after making sure that it is perfectly dry, store it in a glass jar or plastic or paper bag in a dark cool place. (Watch for mold, in case it was not perfectly dry.)

    For even longer-term storage, I sometimes use raisins in place of fat in the traditional recipe.



    My favorite fat-free way to make pemmican:

    In a blender, whizz together equal parts of pulverized-almost-to-a-powder jerky, ground dried berries, and chopped nuts of your choice. Add enough raisins so that the smashed up raisins hold everything together nicely. Then you can form marble-sized balls or whatever. No blender handy? Chop with a knife, then pound the foodstuff to a pulp with a rock.

    This stores a lot longer than the traditional version with fat. But then, during really high caloric demanding situations such as hiking, working, or coping with a disaster, you'd be wishing for that little extra fat, because it supplies a majority of the calories in pemmican.


    .
     
  4. elkhound

    elkhound Master Survivalist
      307/345

    Blog Posts:
    0
    fruit cake !
     
  5. Sourdough

    Sourdough "eleutheromaniac"
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
  6. elkhound

    elkhound Master Survivalist
      307/345

    Blog Posts:
    0
    its funny you mention this as i just found out about these about a year or so ago when they were mentioned in a book..the borrowed world by franklin horton...he mentions some other items but i will have to go back and reread it.

    another item is old stand by gorp.

    homemade gatorade

    snikers

    i like dates alot.

    one thing i need for me personally is salt..it pours out of me and also magnesium...i burn through it fast.i am sure you know this but after a hard day its important to take vit c to help repair muscles.
     
  7. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    2
    Payday candy bars work good. the sugar gives you a quick boost then the peanust offer a little protenand the fats offer a longer term support. I used to be diabetic and learned early that protean was my friend and carbs are only a temporary fair weather buddy.

    Right now me and that wall you mentioned are getting to be good friends. Pernicious anemia and a hemoglobin count of a corpse makes that wall a near thing. This has been hard on me. I have always been someone with a lot of stamina and sort of suddenly it was just gone.

    Things are beginning to improve. Four iron infusions and now some shots to make mymarrow produce more red blood cells seems to be helping. I have learned a lot from this. For one thing controling your breathing is important when you don't have a lot of blood to carry oxygen. I have no problem with boredom anymore. that can be sort of nice. Any time that I sit down and stop moving if there is nothing to keep me alert I go to sleep. I can sleep ANYWHERE.
     
  8. lalakai

    lalakai Well-Known Member
      97/115

    Blog Posts:
    0
    for the pernicious anemia, have you tried the B complex shots directly into the muscles? Once a month and it can usually be self applied.
     
  9. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    2
    I have been doing B12 shots for many years. My inability to metaboliseB12 is probably at the root of the Anemia and then my marrow stopped making red blood cells at a rate that was healthy. Everyone ages differently. In my familly, men almost never make 70. I'm going to make a run at it maybe though.
     
  10. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    I am familiar with the term " Hitting the Wall ' but I have only encountered it in athletic terms; pushing your body to the limit; usually when running. I have hit the wall many times, but it hasn't happened in a long time.

    Unfortunately my remedy won't work for you Sourdough, because it is exactly what you are trying to avoid. When we hit a wall we would sit down and rest. I never had the opportunity to try to cure it with food. TexDanm, I don't think I am anemic. At least no test has ever indicated it, but I am right with you. I think I could sleep standing up. Nothing keeps me awake. I can drink caffeine right up until bed time, and have no trouble going to sleep.

    Please keep us posted if you find something that works.
     
  11. Sourdough

    Sourdough "eleutheromaniac"
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Well.......after the original post, I have been studying on this intensively. I have also made the same trip twice more, with no negative effect. I am very surprised that this subject is non-existing in the prepping and survival community. The good news is that the running athletes have been studying this for decades, and there are hundreds of products available.

    https://rungearguru.com/best-energy-gels-for-runners-good-better-best/

    It appears that Gel is the fastest acting cure. I had four "Pop-Tarts" in my pack as part of my survival stuff, but strangely I never thought to eat one.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2019
  12. elkhound

    elkhound Master Survivalist
      307/345

    Blog Posts:
    0
    The Innkeeper and TMT Tactical like this.
  13. elkhound

    elkhound Master Survivalist
      307/345

    Blog Posts:
    0
    when i was a kid and started backpacking me and buddy used tang. we found it was good at masking some pretty crappy questionable water we boiled.once he and i was at a bad spot for water and we boiled water that had 'sea horses' in it. you could hold it up and see them pumping up and down in it...lol...we was poor back then.we had crappy equipment but we went and done.....
     
    The Innkeeper and TMT Tactical like this.
  14. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    2
    I actually get up most nights and make coffee. For me, it actually seems to have a bit of a sedative effect. I've often had bassackward responses to a lot of drugs. I often make the coffee and sit in my recliner and that may be the best sleep that I get that night... unless I go to sleep with my coffee in my hand unfinished and wake up when I spill it in my lap.

    Getting old sucks but having a sense of humor about it takes the edge off of it. I never expected to live anywhere near this long so it's really all good. Part of getting older is remembering all the ones that you knew that didn't make it anywhere near this long.

    Vietnam was hell on young guys and even a lot of those that made it home didn't make it for long. Now they at least try to understand PTSD, back then you were just another crazy lazy bum. I quit counting the suicides that I knew when I ran out of fingers and toes to count them on...

    I am actually doing better almost every day right now the 4 iron infusions helped but this new stuff is GREAT. I have had to give up on my hopes to be a professional athlete though. What they are pumping into me now is the stuff that Lance Armstrong used to win 7 tour-de-France championships. You might remember how that worked out. It really is remarkable stuff.
     
  15. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Sure. I remember Lance Armstrong. That was the stuff he swore he never took, right? For a while there I thought he was Russian. You know. You just keep lying about something that everybody knows is the truth. Like the Korean airliner they never shot down, or Chernobyl never happening. You lie about it enough that people believe you. Fortunately, the truth won out. Must be good stuff. You like it, and it certainly worked for Lance.
     
    The Innkeeper and TMT Tactical like this.
  16. Sourdough

    Sourdough "eleutheromaniac"
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    I feel so satisfied with my final results, that I have integrated them into my first stage survival. I am in the process of acquiring 400 White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.......CLIF BARS.
     
    Radar, Keith H. and Morgan101 like this.
  17. Pragmatist

    Pragmatist Master Survivalist
      485/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Good afternoon Sourdough,

    I believe it was this website.

    I introduced SAMHSA, the mental health section of HHS. They started out about 20 years ago as the illegal drug rehab agency and since went into other aspects of mental health.

    My responder squad is given several key SAMHSA pubs. One is "Responder Fatigue". Another is :psychological Issues for Older Adults in Disasters".

    Some survival manuals from the US military discuss "The Will To Live". Don't believe I've ever introduced these pubs here.

    Meanwhile, back at the BOP, ... Dr Viktor E. Frankle, M.D., the psychiatrist who survived the Nazi concentration camps, copied from Nietzsche with: "He who has a WHY to live can bear with almost any HOW".
     

Share This Page