[pct-l] To flare or not to flare

[Eric]

So you don't carry a knife at all?  I just took a wilderness survival course
last weekend and a knife was the #1 thing that contributed to survival.  Of
course, it can be done without, just a lot harder. I'm definitely carrying a
knife of some sort myself.

As far as the road flare goes, maybe excess, maybe not?  Anyone know the
chances of it accidentally igniting? I would think they are pretty slim...?

Regards,
Eric

On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 9:58 AM, David Thibault <dthibaul07 at gmail.com>wrote:

> After reading this I went through my gear list to look for my "survival
> kit"
> I found only one item that I would consider an item I carry for survival.
>  That is a whistle. All the other things like a knife, meds, bandages, etc.
> are more for comfort than survival.  I guess you could consider a tent/tarp
> as part of your survival kit but to me its just what is needed to do the
> trail.  The things like the bandages (bandaids) and meds (anti diarrheal,
> IB,  and antibiotics)  I carry are not going to save my life out there,
> they
> are just going to make me more comfortable until I get to town.
>
> I believe that what people are trying to express is most thru hikers learn
> pretty quickly to carry only what is required and then some of  what is
> desirable (nice to have).  Super ultra-lighters generally don't carry a lot
> of the 'nice to have' stuff.  The advice you are getting is an attempt to
> make the trail easier for you.  But, this is really something everyone has
> to learn for themselves.  What works for one person will not work for
> another.  One trait I've picked up, and I have noticed it in a lot of long
> distance hikers, is that I can't pick up an object without subconsciously
> weighing it. Never did that before I started long distance hiking.
>
> One more thing,  while most people are strong proponents of HYOH and the
> idea of "carry whatever you want" there maybe exceptions.  For example, if
> you are carrying something that endangers others or the trail .  The
> concerns expressed with the road flair was just this. If that flair
> accidentally ignited in southern CA it could be tragic.  Trust me on this,
> if you get through the trail in CA you will gain an great appreciation for
> the amount of damage that has happened to the trail due to forest fires.  I
> was saddened so many times to be walking through so much devastation.  I'm
> still saddened by just the memory of some of those huge dead burned trees
> that had to be hundreds/maybe a thousand years old.
>
> Enjoy your hike.
> Day-Late
>
>
> >
> > Some of us do carry little in the way of a survival kit and rely on
> > experience and planning to mitigate the few true dangers that exist on
> the
> > trail; but this by no means is the answer for everyone. Back in '06 I
> > carried a knife, multi-tool, patch kits, many types of tapes and
> bandages,
> > three forms of back-up fire starter, a dozen types of pills and on and
> on.
> > Through time and experience I've trimmed this down to some tape,
> > antiseptic,
> > needle and dental floss, backup lighter, pocket knife and a few meds..
> But
> > I'm comfortable with that, most wouldn't be.
> >
> > Jackass
> >
> >
> >
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