I posted my Travel List and was surprised by the large number of replies via private e mails. It seems that we have two camps here;
One, those of use who try to plan for any contingency knowing that we can never prepare for everything, and that no matter how well you pack, you will forget something.
Two, those who take off on a long trip with nothing in the way of supplies.
The planners vs. the Buddhist Monks (the later walk the country hoping that someone will fill their bowl). And, I guess that there is a third group that falls somewhere in between.
Me, I plan for as much as I can, and still do it with less than fifty (50) pounds of gear that can be packed into two (2) Pelican 1550's. And a smaller tail bag. Better than to be safe than sorry, read on.......
For those of you who are regular Rambo's or MacGyver's who don't pack anything, I would urge you to go read post number 186589 "RIP Evan Tanner" (repeated below) Mr. Tanner, may he rest in peace, rode his KLR deep into the California Desert, with no provisions, and paid for it with his life.
But then, its your life. I plan for all that I reasonably can, and then beg borrow or steal as needed. I got stuck in New Orleans for Katrina; both my dog and I survived, why/how - I planned, took my chances, and broke even, but alive.
Eddie M
New Orleans
Re: RIP Evan Tanner
I just got back from riding solo the Mojave trail and hundreds of
miles in Death Valley--total of 4k+ miles in 9-days including this
harsh environments and air temps over 116F. At 2 feet off the ground
I measured temps exceeding 150F! It's like riding with a hair dryer
pointed at your face on high. You keep your shield down and constant
water on your body to maximize evaporative cooling and reduce
(conserve) hydration needs. It's serious business. With a liter of
water in these circumstances, I'd give untrained people less than a
day to survive themselves.
You have to be prepared and ready to self-rescue. Waiting 2-days for
a search to start in this environment can get you killed. And forget
walking 20 miles of dessert to get help which sounds like what might
have contributed to Evan's death. Rule #1 is don't do anything but
find shade at high heat periods. Without working in the shadows and
plenty of water, you're in serious trouble if you haven't
communicated a ride plan with detailed emergency and extraction
procedures. (FYI: We're still looking for Steve Fossett who didn't
tell anyone where exactly he was flying when he disappeared). In
Death Valley where I was camped the temperature at midnight 2ft off
the ground was still 106F. Yes, midnight. Try sleeping in that.
Well, if you wrap your body in cheese cloth and keep it wet and keep
your face out of the wind, you'll sleep well like I did. Honestly
folks, in temperatures in excess of 120F I've gone through a
gallon/hr of water (supplemented with electrolytes) when crossing
deep sand dessert. Best described...it saps you like kryptonite does
to Superman. Within 45 minutes it can have you so exhausted and
nauseous you'll be useless within an hour and dead within another
two.
No one knows the exact circumstances, but I will say if you're not
trained and prepared, you're likely to get seriously injured or
killed...or get others killed searching for you. It's not a laughing
matter. Everyone should be learning from this tragedy. I didn't
know the guy or the many others that have died in similar
situations. But I will say after being in extreme desserts, the
place can be as rewarding as punishing. To those making light of it,
you have no idea the suffering and anguish he felt nor the
ramifications on those left behind. It's a horrible way to die and
extremely frustrating upto the point expiry.
Lastly, I'm not going to criticize those making inappropriate
comments. Choosing this path alone will lead them to their own
special destiny. Besides, to respond in a rude manner is rude in
itself. This situation is a tragedy and listas should learn from
it.
Respectfully,
Brian - Who believes Revmaatin most likely would suggest lead by
example and follow no fool.
--- In
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "freediver85032"
wrote:
>
> After dropping two strait in his UFC comeback and fighting a
longtime
> battle with alcohol, Evan Tanner set's off on a new great adventure
> deep into the southern California desert to seek what he calls is
> "Treasure". Tanners blog post on SpikeTV details his preparation for
> his latest wild adventure, including retrofitting his Kawasaki KLR
for
> the trip.
>
> I'm hoping that very soon I'll be sitting out in the quiet of
the
> desert beneath a deep blue midnight sky, listening to the calm
desert
> breeze. The idea going into the desert came to me soon after I moved
> to Oceanside. It was motivated by my friend Sara's talk of treasure
> hunting and lost gold, and my own insatiable appetite for adventure
> and exploration. I began to imagine what might be found in the deep
> reaches of the untracked desert. It became an obsession of sorts.
>
> "Treasure" doesn't necessarily refer to something material.
>
> Being a minimalist by nature, wanting to carry only the
> essentials, and being extremely particular, it has been a little
> difficult to find just the right equipment. I plan on going so deep
> into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my
life
desert/
> Ride free Brother