From 72685228a7aacd6daa44da3833ac2eaeb80d1e39 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Collin Williams <96917990+bluedragon1221@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2024 20:03:03 -0500 Subject: move some stuff around --- md/14_Survival_Journal_Week1.md | 167 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 167 insertions(+) create mode 100644 md/14_Survival_Journal_Week1.md (limited to 'md/14_Survival_Journal_Week1.md') diff --git a/md/14_Survival_Journal_Week1.md b/md/14_Survival_Journal_Week1.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0d21807 --- /dev/null +++ b/md/14_Survival_Journal_Week1.md @@ -0,0 +1,167 @@ +--- +title: Survival Journal - Week 1 +--- + +_Week 1 consisted of two sessions of instruction and +3 days of torture, called Impact. The instruction did not mention +Impact, or it would have scared everyone out of starting the course. I +guess the theory was that after Impact, the rest of the course would +seem like a piece of cake._ + +## Tuesday, July 24 - 5:30 pm + +Since this is my first entry, I have a little catching up to do. I feel +kind of silly, writing to myself like this. The flight down from +Portland was really great. Flying into Salt Lake City over the lake was +quite spectacular. + +I am presently at Grandma and Grandpa's and have been visiting with them +most of the afternoon. I will be staying the night with them. Our first +day of instruction lasted from 9 am to noon. I was greatly surprised to +find that the girls outnumber the boys 2 to 1. Many are unexpectedly +very good looking while just as many are the husky, big bruiser types. I +was very impressed with our leaders. There are eight of them for our +group of 31. Our patriarch, Chuck, is a returned missionary and a very +special person. + +We spent most of the time being introduced to the course, going over +equipment needs and learning people's names. They spared few details in +telling us what to expect from the course. I think it will be a very +spiritual experience as well as a very severe test of endurance. + +## Wednesday, July 25 - 10 pm +After saying good-byes to the grand folks, I went to another session +from 9 to 12. We were taught how to make bedrolls, flint and steel fires +and how to take care of our feet. Afterwards we had a goal setting +meeting. The kids in my group are really great kids and the meeting was +a special experience. Many of the kids set their goal to improve their +communication with and relation to our Heavenly Father. This is my goal +too, but my main goal is to learn to base friendship on the inner, good +qualities of people instead of outward appearances or other unimportant +characteristics. I also want to learn to love others to the point that I +care more about them than I do myself. + +I spent the afternoon making char-cloth and taking care of last-minute +preparations. I ate my dinner very slowly and took a long hot shower. We +leave for the desert at 6:30 tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to +enjoy such luxuries again for a month. + +## Thursday, July 26 +The bus finally let us out on the trail at a vast open +expanse of desert (near Keg Knoll). We were told to tank up on water, so +I drank 10 pop cans full. It hurt to walk, I felt so bloated, but that +only lasted about 2 hours. Our last meal was lunch and we started hiking +at 4 pm. After 3 hours we started descending into Horseshoe Canyon. We +kept descending until we reached the bottom at about 11: 30pm, our goal +being to find water. The river bottom was dry when we got there, so we +bedded down while the leaders went in search of water. + +By this time most of the canteens were dry and we were all hungry. This +first three days is called "Impact" and, apparently, they don't intend +to feed us or allow us any time to search for food. + +The leaders came back in half an hour and led us groping in the darkness +to a little marshy place. We couldn't see what we were drinking, but it +was probably better that we couldn't. The water tasted of swamp, but at +least it was wet. + +We finally started to bed down at 12:30. The girls got their fire going +right away. The boys finally gave up and borrowed some fire from the +girls. I suspect one of the leaders started their fire. By the light of +the fire, I could see that the spot we had chosen to sleep in was +covered with prickly pear cactus. I kicked away enough to make a bare +spot and I thought it would be okay. However, by departure time I had +succeeded in impregnating every article of clothing I had with little, +tiny stickers. I'll be picking those out for days. + +We assembled to leave at about 4:30 a.m. They told us to tank up on +swamp water because it would be our best water all day. Few people drank +much of it and it later proved to be a major source of trouble. + +We followed the canyon out till it joined the Green River. This river +was so muddy that you couldn't see the bottom of a teaspoon through it. +It wouldn't strain or settle, so the only way to drink it was to close +your eyes and gulp. Sometimes you had to chew a little too. + +It must have been at least 90 deg. by 10 am and some of the kids started +getting sick. Our goal this day was to hike about 14 miles to some good +water, but the sick ones made the going awfully slow. My attitude was +one of impatience almost to the point of anger toward these people who +slowed us down so badly. I just wanted to get to that water, rinse the +grit out of my teeth, guzzle a couple gallons and plop down in a heap +under some tree. + +I should say something about the country we were moving through. Both +the Horseshoe and the Green River Canyons were breathtaking to behold. +People were exclaiming all the time when we first started out. By the +start of our second day, the comments had dropped off a little and by +noon nobody even cared anymore. While you were busy watching your step +on the trail, it was easy to walk right beneath a huge monolith or +balancing rock without even noticing it. I tried to keep looking around +while we hiked, but truthfully, I didn't care all that much anymore +either. + +Finally, they let about 10 of the healthier ones hike on ahead without +stopping all the time for the lame and sick. The good water was supposed +to be at the mouth of the Horsethief Canyon, and we set off at a fairly +fast pace. I put everything I had into it and thought I was near +exhaustion when we finally arrived at about 7pm. The little pond turned +out to be back-up water from the Green River. It had settled a little, +but you still couldn't see through it and it tasted terrible. I began +to wonder why I had been stupid enough to go on this survival thing. + +When the others arrived and we had rested for an hour, the leaders +informed us that we would be hiking on up the canyon till late in the +night. We trudged on after a prayer for strength and watched the stars +come out. I was carrying an extra bundle that belonged to one of the +sick girls who was unable to carry it. When it got so dark that we could +barely see, I traded shifts and helped the sick girl keep going. + +I grabbed her belt from behind and pulled her along while she leaned on +me for balance. Thus, we went tripping and stumbling on into the night. +Melody was a rather stout girl. She out-weighed me by 20 pounds. + +My previous attitude changed rather quickly when I saw how sick this +girl was and how much courage she showed by still trying hard and giving +her all. I realized how fortunate I was to not be so sick and how little +effort I had to use compared to her. There were many similar situations +in the rest of the group and our love for each other certainly grew that +night. + +We finally came to a little pool of water below an ancient falls where +we decided to bed down. We offered a sincere prayer of thanks for the +good water and guidance we had received. I had no trouble falling asleep +on the rocks at about one in the morning. + +At daylight, we tanked up and trudged on. We had to reach base camp +about 8 miles away to set up for the weekend. This was at the end of Big +Springs Canyon. No one had much strength left on this third day of +Impact. It took the combined efforts of all to keep the group going at a +very slow pace. Several times we had to pray to our source of strength +to keep us going. We finally arrived at about 1:30 in the heat of the +day. + +The water there was good, and we offered many thanks for our arrival. We +are now waiting for the supply truck to come with some food. I have been +catching up my journal but, at least the ordeal of Impact is over. It +certainly proved our motto, "If it doesn't kill you, it will make you +stronger" to be true. I have learned much about myself and my +limitations. + +## Monday, July 30 - 6 pm +I'm sitting here at Mule seep wondering what's +going on. I hope this [is]{.underline} Mule Seep. Anyway, I'd better +take up where I left off. + +## Saturday, July 28 +The supply truck finally came late in the afternoon. +They had had car trouble, I guess. First, they gave us 10 gallons of +tang and a carrot apiece to get our systems going again. Then, we +organized into cook groups or family groups with a men and women's +leader. Connie, a very nice RN, and I were chosen as leaders of our +group. We would fill the role of mother and father of the family group +for the week. Then the weekend food was distributed to each family +group. We were given hamburger, potatoes, carrots, oatmeal, flour, brown +sugar, salt, and milk. We had a fairly decent stew for our dinner that +night. That same evening, we organized our student branch. Jay Bossardt +is our Branch President. -- cgit v1.3.1