When Survival Isn’t Enough....Chapter 2

When John first opened his eyes the next morning after the plane crash, there was a fog of sleep around his mind.  For a brief moment he wondered where he was.  Then it all came back to him in a rush of emotions.  It was an odd mix of euphoria and sadness that filled his thoughts.  Glad that he had survived the plane crash with only minor injuries, and sorrow over the loss of the life of the pilot, as well as the fact that his family back home had not heard from him and would begin to worry.  It had been his plan to phone home at least every 48 hours on the satellite phone to let them know his location and progress.  Now, there was no form of communication available to him and he felt that strange, unfamiliar disconnection that is only really understood by those who are used to instant communication in the modern world.

Thankful that it didn’t rain on him during the night, and conscious of the heavy dew that lay around him glistening in the morning sun, he looked up through the boughs of his hastily contrived shelter and saw many areas where the light shone easily through.  Because of the heavy morning dew, he knew from his training that the day ahead was going to be good weather.  However, things can change within a matter of hours at that latitude, and John knew that the first order of business after putting some water on to boil in his one and only pot, was to strengthen and add to his shelter to make it as waterproof as possible.

Putting some dried twigs on the fire and fanning the smoking embers with a piece of bark, he succeeds in re-starting his fire.  It’s important to keep this fire going.  He knows that he must carefully husband his ferrocerium rod and lighter as they are his only guaranteed means of fire starting and he doesn’t know how long it will be until he is rescued.  The Fresnel lens in his wallet can only be used on sunny days with extremely dry materials. The lighter which was nearly new had maybe 50 lights in it if he were careful and was susceptible to moisture and cold.  The ferro rod could be used in any weather and was probably good for up to 1200 fires.

After the fire was built up in strength, he put the pot on to boil and went around to the other end of the small lake where he had spotted a stand of Yellow Birch trees.  There were several large, downed trees within reach of the shoreline in various stages of decay.  As birch decays from the inside and as the natural oils in the bark preserve it for much longer, he was hopeful that he might find several large slabs that he could pull off by hand in order to better roof his small shelter.  Also, he was glad for the resource of the birch bark because the oils that help preserve it also make a wonderful fire tinder even when wet and it was something that could help him effect survival that much easier.

He did indeed find some large pieces of bark and it took several trips but John finally was satisfied that his small shelter would shed rain.  He had placed it on a small hillock above the lake so he was pretty sure that flooding wouldn’t become an issue.  There is almost nothing more uncomfortable than trying to sleep when you are wet, as he remembered from the last night’s experience.  After that task was done, he went and carefully gathered more spruce boughs for his bed as the bed from last night was compressed and not too comfortable any more. He took the boughs from multiple trees, making sure that he didn’t take too many branches from any one tree.  Even though his survival was at stake, John realized the importance of being a good steward of his resources.

Then, sitting down on the shore on a large log, he carefully took off one of his boots and removed the boot lace.  The lace was nearly 8 feet long.  He had thoughtfully replaced the factory laces with what was called “The Ultimate Paracord”.  Beside the seven inner strands of standard paracord, there was a strand of waxed string fire starter and a strand of monofilament fishing line.  After removing the strands from the outer sheathing, he then re-laced his boot.  The sheathing itself was rated for over 200 lbs of breaking strength even without the inner strands and would still make a fine boot lace.

He hadn’t planned on doing much fishing and all of his emergency gear had burned up in the plane fire.  He now desperately wished that he had snuggled away a few small number 6 hooks in his wallet wrapped up in some scotch tape.  What he wouldn’t give for a few modern fish hooks! However, all the wishing in the world wasn’t going make it better so he got up and went over to the plane to see if he could scavenge something with which to make a rude hook or two.  As he stirred among the ashes, a thought occurred to him.  Maybe he could use one of the several key rings on his keys and pocket gear to fashion a hook.  So, removing one of the smallest and thinnest key rings and using the pliers on his multi-tool. he bent it out straight.  Then, very carefully, he used the wire cutters to cut off a small section and using the needle-nose pliers again, bent a tiny loop in one end and a hook on the other.  Next, the file on the multi-tool was used to sharpen the end of the hook.

Holding it up, he examined his progress carefully.  It should work.  Then, he set about using the rest of the key ring to make three more.  After threading the one eight foot fishing line on one of the hooks and three of the eight foot inner strands from the paracord, he began to walk a circuit around the small lake turning over rocks and logs looking for grubs, worms or any bugs that might work. He found a couple of Black Blister Beetles and a half dozen grubs.  Going back to his lines, he threaded the bait on the hooks and attached each line to a flexible spruce bough from which he had cleaned the outlying bits of green and branches.   Then, going to the spot where he had seen the fish the night before, he carefully placed each line in the clear water, letting the bait dangle a couple of feet below the surface.  Laying the crude poles over a couple of logs and a large rock, he weighed down the back end of each of the poles with a heavy rock to hold them firmly in place.

Soon, he noticed one of the lines beginning to wander around a bit, and quickly and quietly he went over and removed the rock from the back end of the pole.  As soon as he had the rod firmly in hand, he gave it an experienced jerk and felt the satisfying tug of a fish on the other end.  By the feel of it, it was a rather small one but still he worked the pole as if it were a trophy catch.  Working with such a short line was difficult as he didn’t want to lose the fish.  He finally got it close enough to shore and sufficiently around several large rocks in order to give a swift yank and the fish flew out of the water and landed flopping on the shore.  It was a small lake trout about 11 inches long.  He expertly dispatched it with a blow to the head from a small but stout stick on the shore, and then laying it beside him, he re-baited the hook and tossed it back out.  He fished the rest of the afternoon without catching anything else and his watch as well as his stomach told him it was getting late in the day.  Because of the high latitude, the sun didn’t really set at this time of year and he knew he had to keep to a routine for his health and sanity’s sake.

After cleaning his one and only fish, he placed it on a slab of wood leaning and facing the heat of the fire to cook.  When it was sufficiently done, he took the slab of wood and placed it on his lap.  Bowing his head, a prayer of thanks and gratitude for this small bounty went heavenward from his lips.  That done, he carefully sliced strips of meat off and chewed slowly, making the experience last as long as possible.

After boiling some more water, John slid into his tiny shelter, wiggling into the boughs, and pulling his jacket over top of him for cover and his hat over his eyes to block out the light.   He drifted off to sleep with his appetite somewhat satiated and his heart feeling satisfied that the first day had gone so well.  His last thoughts of the day were a prayer for his family and that God would keep them safe and help them not to worry too much about him.

Spiritually speaking, we all have times that are beyond our control and we must learn to do the best we can with what we have at hand.  Wishing for things to be different won’t effect real change, we must do the hard work in life if we wish to succeed.  However, there is a God in Heaven Who is always with us and will answer our prayers.  Just like Abraham and Isaac, we must learn to do all that we can do and then learn the lesson that “God will provide…” Genesis 22:8

Let us learn to trust Him today.

Thanks for reading!

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James B