Survival Lessons Learned Beside the Hospital Bed - A Nurse's Perspective

Last year I covered a few lessons that I learned as a patient during a stint I had in hospital, which in turn gave way to the idea of writing about some of the lessons I have picked up on the other side of the hospital bed.

  This article is a collection of ideas that I have picked up over the last few years working as a nurse in various settings within the healthcare system, though my primary area of experience is in high-level Aged Care. During that time, I have picked up many personal lessons and had many survival theories that I am yet to put to paper, and these are the primary inspiration behind this writing.

   Medical personnel will have difficulty performing their duties without technology: Modern medicine relies heavily on modern machinery and electrical equipment. Whilst most hospitals and nursing homes have generators that can run their basic power if they lose electricity temporarily, should the grid go down for any extended period of time we will have a much different situation.
  Many air mattresses rely on electricity to prevent pressure ulcers, IV lines rely on power to give an adequate dosage of IV medications and from a security point of view, many of the locks to the hospitals and nursing homes rely on the facility or ward's electrical system to function. Without modern amenities, many new skills would become obsolete, and many old skills would need to be relearned.

  The elderly and infirmed would be left behind: Its an unfortunate reality, but many of our elderly and those unable to fend for themselves will be lost after a major event. Whilst those people may not be lost immediately, should the power grid be down for any longer than a week; I would envision many healthcare workers either walking out on the job or simply being unable to get to work. This of course, would depend on the event causing the grid to go down.
  Many of these people rely on nursing staff to manage simple tasks like walking to the toilet, eating breakfast or making an afternoon coffee and without those same nursing staff to perform those duties, their health would very quickly deteriorate.
  With this will come many mentally ill patients suddenly on the streets, without their required medications and health care. This will contribute to the violence and unrest already occurring in the are as well as putting those who live in close proximity to these facilities in immediate danger.
  Those with advanced cases of dementia who are known for wandering the facility in the later parts of the day(better known as "sundowners") will find the way out that they have been seeking and would not only put themselves in immediate danger but also be a danger to those in the immediate vicinity.

  Your co-morbidities may kill you before robbers, looters and marauders do: I covered this briefly in my companion article, however I feel that I should go into greater detail. Last June, my bowels decided to grow an abscess on the left side of my large bowel, causing infection, severe abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. It's safe to say that without adequate access to IV antibiotics, pain relief, anti-emetics and the correct diagnostic tools, I would not be around to write this article today.
  Whilst as far as chronic conditions go, I got off light with diverticulitis, this is the entire point. A seemingly minor and manageable condition such as diverticular disease, diabetes, nut or egg allergies, asthma and even a well managed mental health or personality disorder; can become a death sentence without the technology, infrastructure and knowledge in place to deal with condition when it becomes an issue for the person suffering from it.
  
  Hospitals and medical facilities are a survivalist's smorgasbord: Every time I walk into the store room to  get anything from continence aides, wound dressing packs, saline for injection, plastic bags for bin liners, surgical scissors or even just a pair of non-sterile gloves for day to day duties; I am met with the same thought, that this is a veritable supermarket for survival supplies.
  This in turn will make hospitals and even nursing homes hot spots for conflict, should a pro-longed event occur and we are living WROL. Forgetting the fact that essential medicines are kept on premises, with most hospitals even having a pharmacy on-site for quick dispensing of medication to the wards and as mentioned above, should the electrical grid go down, the electrical security safeguards would not be in place; and looking purely at the non-medication based supplies available there is still a wide variety of supplies accessible.
  Things such as bandages and wound dressings would be highly sought after, topical antiseptics and ointments would be looted very quickly, food would be taken from kitchens, even the fuel from their generators would be targeted and siphoned off.
  In essence, medical supplies would become a commodity and those who have formed together in organised groups may choose to either protect the facility or ward, including those in it, or they would choose to over-run the area, loot the supplies within and at best leave those who are left, in their beds to die.

  Hospital staff may become hostages: Whilst looters may very well steal the supplies they need, there is no guarentee that they will have a person within their group who knows how to use the equipment and supplies that they have newly acquired. It may be that either one or more of the nursing or medical staff will find themselves the victim of abduction and essentially become a hostage of the bandit group. As stated above, it is also possible that these looters may choose to take up residence in the ward or facility, taking on both the staff and patients as a part of their group.


  Whilst this has been my most grim and bleak piece so far, these are just a few issues that have been swirling around in my head and it's nice to have finally put this piece together. I may write another follow up piece further down the track. I hope that you find the information here informative and useful and I will hopefully write another piece for you very soon.

Ditchfield Campgrounds to Beeripmo Campgrounds - Braving the Mountain a Second Time

  In early May I decided once again to try and make my way up Mount Cole to Beeripmo Campgrounds. Given the spectacular failures of my previous attempt, I had reevaluated my gear, purchased a new pack as well as some new gear and reevaluated my approach to the trip. I even packed less food with me.
  Knowing that there was a water source on the trail and at each camp site, one of the first things I did was remove my water bladder from my bag, remove one of the water bottles from the side of my pack and strap a canteen to my hip instead. This gave me a canteen at my hip, a steel water bottle on the side of my pack and a collapsible canteen inside my belt kit that I would fill up at camp.

My gear all packed up with my belt kit on the side

  I decided to bypass the hell that I went through on the first trip and pick up where James and I had left off at Ditchfield campgrounds. I arrived at around 10am, parked my car at the hut that we had taken shelter in on our previous disaster trip, strapped on my gear and set on my way up the mountain.
  The extra time I had taken to pick my gear and the extra money I had spent was well worth it, as I was nowhere near as bogged down with gear this time. The pack sat comfortably on my shoulders and I barely noticed the canteen and knife at my respective hips, though it is worth mentioning that the terrain was just as unforgiving as it was the first time. The walk was almost exclusively uphill, the tracks were muddy and the rocks were slippery.

The muddy tracks, spectacular hillside and the looming clouds overhead

  It was quite an overcast day and the clouds overhead looked ready start raining down at any moment. There was a point where I even stopped and took my poncho out just because I was expecting rain. The wind was howling louder as I walked higher, though this did nothing to take away from the amazing views. I was even lucky enough to spot some wildlife while I was on my way up to Cave Hill and took an impromptu video of the sighting.
  I stopped at around 1pm for a quick bite to eat at what I thought was a pretty looking area. I was able to see across the countryside towards nearby Ararat and I was able to see across to Mt Buangor, almost directly opposite where I was on Mt Cole.

Whilst I'm sure I was far from the cloud-line, it made me feel like I was amongst the clouds

  After I had stopped for lunch and pressed further towards my eventual campsite, the terrain began to ease off. It seemed that the closer I got to Mt Sugarloaf, the less off an incline the terrain seemed to have and it was the case for almost the entire way from Cave Hill to Mt Sugarloaf. It's worth noting that along the way from Cave Hill to Mt Sugarloaf, there is an official lookout titled "Grevillea Lookout" and whilst I assume it gets it's name from the Grevillea walking track that makes it's way around Mt Cole, it gives spectacular views of the area.

The trees and bushland in the foreground give way to farmland and wind turbines in the background

  The relatively flat ground leading up to Mt Sugarloaf gave way to one last large incline, before easing off once more to more manageable peaks and dips. It was one last peak that caught my interest, not long before arriving at camp. It was when I realised that what had eluded me on my previous trip, was now within reach.

So close to the night's destination

  It was only a few minutes after seeing this sign, and a very short walk uphill that I then came to my destination. Whilst it presented itself as more of a toilet block than anything else, I was so relieved to have finally gotten to Beeripmo Campgrounds. I took a few minutes to rest, then set about  setting up camp and gathering firewood.

It was such a feeling of accomplishment to have even reached this far

I sat down on one of the benches briefly, then set up my tarp and hammock before gathering and chopping firewood. I had greatly overestimated the amount of time it would take me to reach my destination so I still had a great deal of sunlight, having arrived at camp at around 2pm. I got a fire going without too much trouble thanks to the fact that I had thrown my hexamine stove in my pack at the very last minute. Interestingly enough, this was a piece of gear that I had considered leaving behind as I felt that it did not see any significant use, I'm glad I decided to take it one last time.

My tarp and hammock setup, using it as a gear-loft while I cook on the fire.

I finally had my first coffee of the day at 4pm, boiling some water in my stainless steel water bottle. It was such an amazing feeling that proves how much more appreciative one is of the simple things, once stripped of modern conveniences. Thankfully, the night was fairly uneventful. I had something to eat, made sure I had plenty of water to drink, ensured that I had enough water in my containers for the morning and made sure that my pack was sufficiently covered underneath my poncho on one of the benches outside my tarp.

Since I was fairly certain that I was going to get rained on, I was very diligent to check that my hammock was sufficiently covered by the tarp and that the tarp was tied down properly. I also made sure that I went to bed early because I wasn't sure whether or not I would be able to sleep through a storm.

I woke up a couple of hours later and was shocked to see another camper setting up in pitch darkness. I carried my lantern out, strapping on my head-lamp at the same time to greet my fellow camper. Whilst my first instinct was to reach for one my knives, hostiles usually don't say "hello" and "sorry if I woke you". He was actually a really nice bloke and whilst we didn't chat much at night because he was busy setting up his camp, and I was pretty eager to get back to bed.

The night passed without too much fuss. There was very light drizzle overnight and whilst it was still very cold, I woke up completely dry at around 8am. I got up, started boiling some water for breakfast and got chatting to aforementioned camper who arrived in the dead of night. Oddly enough, one of the first things I said to him was something along the lines of "I hope i didn't snore too loudly". Still unsure of how well I was going to fair on the return trip, I made sure that I ate quite well at breakfast time.

Surprisingly, the return trip was quite an easy one. Given that the trip to camp was almost entirely up hill, it's a fair assumption to make that the trip back was almost entirely downhill. I still took a few stops, even filming what I assumed to be four Wedgetail Eagles circling overhead. It was a trip that took far less time that the day before, though my legs were still very sore and I was still very glad to get home when I did.

Whilst I feel that due to the trip being largely a success, I have very few take-away points, there are always lessons to be learned. I feel as if I am finally getting the right balance between an adequate amount of gear and not too much weight in my pack. I also found that my shelter system is finally adequate for my needs, being warm enough during the cold, sufficiently covered from the rain and keeping me off the ground. Next time however, I will ensure that I pack adequate sleeping clothes. Whilst it was the most comfortable sleep I have had in the bush in quite some time, I felt that I did not need to be sleeping in my compression gear as this simply led to a less comfortable walk the following day.

All in all, the trip was a resounding success and next time I'll not only make sure that I have a decent camera to take photos and video with, but I'll make sure I walk the entire Beeripmo circuit.

Travel Light or Travel Heavy and the Reasons I Do Both

This is a question that I find myself fielding more and more as I delve further into hiking and survival. It is also a question that does not have a clear cut answer, and I inevitably end up saying to people, "do whatever you're comfortable with" or something to that effect. I honestly don't have a passionate stance either way, though I will say that if I go on a trip and something doesn't get used once, I usually won't take it on a subsequent trip. So with that in mind you could say that I tend to advocate more for lightweight hiking than hauling twenty-five or thirty kilos on my back, but I'm sure that at some point my mind would change as I add and remove other things from my pack.

  My general rule is that if I can't comfortably pick it up with both hands, then it's too heavy to have on my back. The reasoning behind this being that I still need to be able to comfortably put on and take off the pack, and my arms are not going to be as strong as my shoulders and legs; meaning that if I can comfortably pick up the pack with both hands, I can comfortably carry it over distance. This reasoning hasn't failed me yet, though it also means that my setup is completely unique to me and my body type.

  As I have stated in a previous article, I am relatively short, standing a mere one hundred and sixty-five centimetres, yet I am built quite big and at last weigh in I was around one hundred and thirteen kilos, making it more than a little difficult to not only find a pack that fits me but to find a set up that suits me. I find that more often than not, I alternate between two packs depending on what I am doing.

  For overnighters and extended hiking trips, I take my seventy-five litre Black Wolf Mountain Ash.

The Mountain Ash in action during my recent solo trip to Mount Cole

  It's specifically designed for those of us who are vertically challenged and tends to be favoured by women. It allows me to carry ALOT of gear, without taking all of the weight on my lower back and hips; which I have problems with for various reasons. I have a few reasons for travelling heavy, but the main reason is comfort. Whilst I don't like camping in a tent purely because I hate sleeping on the ground, I like being as comfortable as I can be; which for the point at which my skills are, means carrying a bit of extra gear. Things like my poncho in case it rains, spare underwear and socks, my lantern that hangs just under my tarp, even my axe and saw are redundant due to the fact that I always have at least one fixed blade knife on my person when I'm in the bush. I put the need for these items down to a lacking within my own skill set and a need to simply have more dirt time. The more time I spend in the bush, the less gear I will need.

Hammocks are under-rated for comfort and durability

  For day trips I take a much smaller, lighter and less durable pack. It's a no-name brand twenty litre day pack that carries the bare essentials, including a tarp, hammock, a day's worth of food and two litres of water. I have a belt kit that also comes with me on both extended trips and day trips which allows me to make fire, purify water and sharpen my cutting tools.

Some items I take on the outside of the pack vary, but this is the basic setup. In particular I tend to change the knives I take. 

  I consider this kit as a minimalist kit that would allow me to stay out overnight without being too uncomfortable. Whilst I could more than likely get away with simply carrying my belt kit, I like to be prepared for the possibility of being stuck overnight or even for a few hours in adverse weather conditions. I have planned for quite some time to do an overnight trip with this kit but it hasn't happened as of yet. I may wait until winter is over, though to me this will defeat the purpose of having the pack.

  

Regardless, the kit is lightweight and able to carry enough gear for a reasonable amount of comfort. My tarp is not pictured, however.

  Regardless of anything else I have mentioned above, tarps, hammocks, packs, lanterns, ponchos, eating utensils, cooking stoves, etc. they would all be useless without one specific tool that I always ensure i carry with me. That tool is of course, a fixed blade knife. Regardless of which maker you favour, it is important to properly acquaint yourself with your blade. Without consistent use, it is simply extra weight on your hip that you don't need and will have zero use for. Even if I hike with nothing on my back, which I rarely do, I always make sure I have some kind of fixed blade knife on my person.

I think it goes without saying, ensure that you check legalities in your state for carrying knives.

Overnight in the Volcano's Mouth - Family Camping at the Foot of Mount Franklin

Maybe the title makes the night sound more dramatic than it actually was, however Mount Franklin is part of the Hepburn State Park, around a twenty minute drive south of Daylesford and is situated in the mouth of an old volcano. Despite what people may initially think when hearing the name, there is actually no waterfall or any water source at all at Mount Franklin, save for a couple of water tanks at the camp site that were mostly empty.

The entrance to Mount Franklin. It's a very strange and twisty drive in.

  The day started off fairly relaxed as my wife had packed the car fairly high and mostly with kid's toys for our daughter. We set off after lunch and the drive up was fairly relaxed. It was October when we took the trip so the weather was fairly reasonable. It was sunny, however it wasn't too hot, there was a breeze but we weren't too cold.

This was eventually where we would pitch the tent. It would prove to be a grave mistake when morning came.

  We arrived at the camp site, picked a spot to set up camp and took our time setting things up. There were plenty of other campers there, some with small tents, others with caravans and others with large tents like ours. There were a few old couples there, but there were also many families. I generally prefer to camp in a fairly isolated site, but I made the exception for camping with my family not only for my wife's peace of mind but also in the hopes that my daughter might meet and socialize with some children her own age. Unfortunately we were the only family there with a small child.

She still had fun. I'm fairly certain that's some moss in her hand.

  Once we had relaxed for a little while, it was time to put the tent up. My wife had insisted on purchasing a three room, nine person tent and whilst it was spacious when set up, the actual setting up was not fun at all. For a person who is used to camping almost exclusively with a tarp and hammock, putting up a large tent was challenging and frustrating to say the least. I had forgotten how frustrating it is to line up poles and match them up correctly. The weight and size of the tent when packed up was also very big as it took up most of our car's boot. Thankfully for my wife, and my wallet, the experience has completely turned me off buying a hiking tent.

By the end of the trip, I hated this thing

  We had finally gotten the tent set up, after a lot of sweat and profanity, then it was time to set up the bedding. This proved to be more of a challenge than I had originally thought as both my wife and I thought that the other had packed the pump for the air beds. Thankfully I managed to blow up my daughter's bed manually, thanks to years of not smoking and having a decent lung capacity this wasn't too much of an issue.

It blew up without too much hassle

She seemed comfortable in it at least

  The biggest problem was the queen sized air bed that we had purchased for my wife and I. It had been advertised as having a built in air compressor and I had been told in-store when I bought it that the air compressor would plug into my car. This was not the case as the air compressor would only plug into a conventional power point. This proved problematic as I not only went back to Ballarat and purchased another air compressor from Bunnings to attempt to blow it up manually, this was not as simple as it sounded. Eventually one of the campers from across the park saw me struggling, probably hearing my profanity-laced rage, and kindly offered to help by plugging our air bed into his generator. Within seconds the air bed sprang to life and pumped up without an issue. I cannot remember the man's name or the name of his wife but they were incredibly friendly and their help was very much appreciated.

It was quite a big bed once we finally got it pumped up.

  Once the beds were pumped up, my daughter thought that it would be a fun idea to jump on the mattresses. this was fine on the smaller mattress that was less than thirty centimetres off the ground, however this was not such a great idea on the larger mattress. While playing on our mattress, she thought she would jump onto the ground, whilst she wasn't hurt, she was quite upset and even now doesn't like heights. It's certainly a mistake that she will only make once.

We were in the process of taking photos when I managed to snap this gem. Fairly certain that she was in the process of falling at this point.

  Once were all set up, the fire was going and we'd had dinner, we decided to sit and relax in the shade for a while. Surprisingly, we saw a lot of wildlife for an area that saw so much human traffic. Thankfully, the wildlife was not shy about approaching the area, so they must be used to human contact. Whilst there were mostly rabbits and cockatoos that we saw, there were also possums, kangaroos and wallabies on the odd occasion. Anybody who is a good shot with a bow could easily walk twenty metres in any direction and find a rabbit for dinner.

She insisted on playing in the shrubbery.

  The night passed without issue, we relaxed in the shade in our chairs and even roasted some marshmallows over the fire. When I was setting up my chair I got a very welcomed surprise when I found a can of cider in the drink holder, most likely left over from the last time James and I were drinking in my backyard. We made sure that we put all of our food inside our tent to prevent possums from having a little midnight feast and went to bed shortly after.

It'd be a great photo if not for the big, ugly bald bloke spoiling the shot.

  The following morning passed fairly uneventfully as we took our time packing up, let our daughter play around in the open grass patch in the middle of the camp site, had a drink and packed up the car. We also made a point to thank the couple who had helped us out with out bedding the night before as they were very kind and very understanding.

  All in all, Mount Franklin was an amazing trip and we are hoping to make it a family tradition to at least go camping every spring, whether it's at Mount Franklin or elsewhere. I would only really recommend this particular site to families or couples looking for a quiet weekend. Those seeking adventure had best look for a site with walking trails, as the walking trails at Mount Franklin were small and few. Those that they do have are, unfortunately, not worth writing about. Those seeking a weekend away partying in the bush would find themselves out of place here as most of those that we encountered were families and there was not much of a party atmosphere.

Tipperary Springs to Bryce's Flat and Back Again

 The Hepburn Regional Park is an area that surrounds the small township of Daylesford. Gum trees, and Wattle trees are abundant through the entire area, as are creek beds and mine shafts. On this particular sunny afternoon, I had decided to head down to Tipperary Springs and try the mineral water. I figured while I was there I might as well bring a small backpack and take a walk through the area. I had not long ago purchased new hiking shoes and figured a good walk to test them on was Bryce's Flat, which was only a seven kilometer circuit.

  I started off, as expected, at Tipperary Springs. I had been looking for somewhere close to the Daylesford area that I could hike and find a campsite for a future overnighter but it seems that most of the sites along Hepburn Regional Park are strictly no camping. I can't say that I blame Parks Victoria, given the sorry state that I see many of our state forests in I'm surprised that the whole area is not closed to the public. I brought some basic gear with me in a small backpack: water bottle, coffee cup, a few tea bags, first aid kit, hammock and of course I threw in my scouting survival kit.

The sign saying "No Camping". I really shouldn't be surprised.

I tried the mineral water at Tipperary Springs, which was strange to say the least, then headed off towards Bryce's Flat. As expected in South-West Victoria, the trail was very uneven, hilly and the terrain was varied. The forest was full of various types of trees that I could not identify nor name, though I did recognize the Gum trees and Wattle trees as well as the Blackberry bushes lining the shore of the creek.

The Gum trees and Wattle trees.

One of the many thorny Brambles surrounding the banks of the creek.

  Whilst there wasn't much wildlife out, the walk was not as unpleasant  as I had expected. I had been expecting to slip and slide on the muddy and rocky tracks, however due to having recently purchased my first pair of hiking boots, I was finding the walk very easy on my feet. At times I found myself virtually skipping along and had to slow myself down so that I could take in the views through the forest. Most of the terrains was well above the level that the creek was on, so I had a lovely view of where the creek ran and the vegetation surrounding it.

This was the clearest shot I could get. It really was spectacular

Shortly before I came to the clearing that was Bryce's Flat, I found what seemed to be an old abandoned mine shaft or a cave formation. The opening was quite small, but if I slightly bowed my head I could make it through. Those who do not know me personally may not be aware quite how vertically challenged I really am, standing at a stout 165cm in thick-soled boots. I walked a couple of steps into the mouth of the mine shaft, but that was as far as I dared to venture as they are notoriously unstable and prone to flooding.

The mouth of the rock formation. The camera did not pick up the wooden beams on the roof of the entrance.

  The clearing that is Bryce's Flat appears quite suddenly on the trail, though it appears suddenly at the top of the stairs leading down to it. It's not far from the road, has the creek running right next to it, has plenty of trees to hang a hammock and has a small picnic table in the middle of green grasses and tall trees. I had decided to stop for a few minutes on the picnic table, have a drink and have something to eat.

The entrance to Bryce's Flat.

One of the many pictures taken while I sat on the picnic table

  I debated whether or not to walk the extras three kilometres to The Blowhole and back to the main track, however time dictated that this time I could not deviate from my current course and I pushed on back to Tipperary Springs. The second leg of the trip was much stranger than the first, with much more varied terrain and what I first thought was an old hunter's cottage. When I approached the construction made entirely on wood and corrugated iron, it turned out to be a sealed up mine shaft, though this one I could clearly see into.

It simply appeared to be a shelter for hikers

Closer inspection revealed a sealed up mine shaft

   The rest of the walk was as expected, varied terrain with alot of hills, rocks and bumps. There were fallen trees blocking the path at times, however they were easily avoided, The creek continued to run along side the walking track with a steady growth of Brambles on bank and the warm, spring sun continued to shine.
  When I arrived back at Tipperary Springs drenched in sweat, I once more drank some of the mineral water from the bore and took a few minutes to rest and cool down before getting back in the car to make my way home. I absolutely love hiking in the Hepburn State Park, the surroundings, the creek, coupled with the wildlife and the various mineral springs make it an area well worth visiting again and again.

Survival lessons learned from the hospital bed

  As some of you may or may not be aware, the main reason why I have been so inactive over the last month is in no small part due to having just spent the better part of June in and out of hospital with a very nasty bowel condition known as diverticulitis. Whilst I will not go into too much detail as to the ins and outs of the condition, I will say that it was excruciatingly painful and gave me a new found appreciation for water sanitation and plumbing that is in working order.

  You may be asking how this relates to hiking or even survival. I haven't yet touched on urban or wilderness survival in this blog, but it a keen interest of mine and something that is always on the forefront of my mind. This was especially evident when I was first informed that I would be required to spend the night in the hospital in order to receive a course of IV antibiotics. The first thing I thought was "Great, this is how all the zombie movies start.", though thankfully there was no zombie apocalypse. But in order for me to tell the story of lessons learned, I first have to tell the story of how I came to be in the hospital in the first place.

  It started on a chilly Saturday afternoon at my nephew's birthday party, he was turning twelve and had never had a birthday party before so my mother in-law decided to throw one for him at her place. We ordered pizzas for lunch, all of the kids were having fun playing games, the birthday boy was enjoying his presents and we were all eating way too much. This was up until I began to double over in pain from a long, dull pain in my left-lower abdomen. Due to what I had been eating, I assumed it was my gall bladder but figured it may also be my appendix. I thought I would be able to last the afternoon out then head to the hospital when all of the kids went home. When it quickly became apparent that the pain wasn't going anywhere I made my way to the Emergency Department at the hospital.

  I waited a couple of hours in the emergency room, they poked and prodded, loaded me up with pain killers and sent me home with instructions to come back first thing in the morning. Cue the next day I came back in with even worse pain than the day before, once again they loaded me up with pain killers, poked and prodded me, took some blood, did a CT scan and the diagnosis came back as diverticulitis. I was promptly admitted, given IV antibiotics and discharged the following day with two courses of oral antibiotics.

  This worked to an extent, the pain reduced however it didn't entirely go away. I returned to work and when a co-worker noticed I was doubling over in pain throughout the shift, she rightfully expressed her concern to charge nurse and when I came to work the following day in cold sweats, I was sent home by the same charge nurse. It is worth mentioning at this point that I had been awake the night before with nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

  I took the day off, slept it off and went to the doctor's the following day for a doctor's certificate, hoping to return to work the following day. He poked and prodded, ummed and arrred, then told me to head straight to hospital. Once again I went to the Emergency Department hoping for a quick examination, but a few litres of IV fluids and a CT scan later I'm being informed that I have a  three centimetre(or roughly one inch) abscess on the left side of my large intestine. Once again I was admitted, given IV antibiotics for the better part of four days and discharged with oral antibiotics.

  Now that you're up to speed on my situation, I feel that it is important to list what I have learned and how it relates to survival as a whole.

Australia has one of the best healthcare systems in the world - I believe that this is something that we as Australians tend to take for granted. It is a simple concept, free and accessible healthcare for every citizen. Aside from the days off work that I have missed, I am only forty dollars out of pocket, which is the cost of the medication that I needed after discharge. When I see so many people preparing for civil unrest and economic collapse by stocking up on guns and knives, it boggles my mind that those same people do not make the connection that free and accessible healthcare is a step towards preventing both of those things.

It doesn't matter how prepared you are, illness will still get you - Once again this ties into my previous point, people like to romanticize the idea of a SHTF situation or even worse TEOTWAWKI. The idea of the lone survivor traveling the wasteland, his dog in tow, nothing but a shotgun, a knife and handful of bottle caps(or maybe I'm just a little too excited for Fallout 4) is something that far too many people think is both realistic and achievable. No matter how many knives you have, how much ammo, food or water you have stocked, how many Bug Out bags you have, how many caches you have along your Bug Out routes, it  is all useless if your bowel decides to pack up and go, if your appendix decides to burst or if cancer decides to rear it's ugly head.

Being prepared is not just about external disaster - I learned that I need to be more prepared for things to not only go south in nature, though living in a high risk area for flood and fire will do that; but to be prepared for things to go wrong internally too. Survivalists don't often speak about less testosterone-driven endeavors such as ensuring that your have enough cash on hand to live on if you're unable to work for a few weeks. This is a harsh lesson to learn, however it is very valuable.

Nurses make the worst patients -  Not so much a survival lesson and more of a personal lesson than anything else but I have no doubt that I was an absolute pain to take care of. Constantly asking questions, checking my med chart and butting in when the nurses were talking, they were extremely patient with me but I have no doubt that I annoyed them.

  All in all the biggest thing that a stint in hospital has given is a newfound appreciation for my freedom and good health. Nothing makes you appreciate good health more than having it taken away from you. I will be happier when I am finally able to return to work and hit the trail once more, but for now I have no choice but to rest and heal.

Car camping at the foot of Mount Cole - A strange night at Richard's Camping Grounds

On what was intended to be a relaxing and uneventful weekend, James and I set out for Ditchfields Camping Grounds. We left at a decent hour, given that we weren't in a huge hurry and the drive up was peaceful and very relaxing.

  We arrived at Ditchfields around 11ish thinking that this was where were going to hang our hammocks, set up our camping chairs and have a few beers. When we arrived we were greeted with the ghastly sight of two large camper vans parked illegally on the grassy space reserved for tents, with one of the bollards removed where they had driven their camper vans onto the grassy area. We were also greeted with the sight and sound of around five motorbikes speeding around the area with the riders of varying ages, although it is worth noting that the majority were children. We decided to simply leave it be, although at one point we did contemplate calling Park's Victoria and alerting the ranger.

  We continued driving along the track to Mugwamp Hut, which was admittedly a very unsteady drive in James' car, though the end product was worth it. The site was very small, with a single firepit, a toilet, three gum trees in a very convenient formation for our hammocks and a quaint little hut. James and I both agreed that the hut looked like something out of Deliverance and a group of hillbillies were going to jump out at any moment. With that in mind, we parked the car near the stream and decided to take a bit of a midday stroll around the trails surrounding it, given our previous failed attempt at making it to the summit, we wanted to at least see if we could find the lookout to Mt Buangor. Whilst we did not find the official lookout, we found a nice little clearing overlooking Mt Buangor, stopped for a few minutes and made our way back to set up camp for the night.

 

Squeal like a pig!!

  When we arrived back at the camping site and were going to unload our gear, we were greeted by the aforementioned hillbillies. Well, not quite, we were greeted by a middle-aged woman who was traveling with two teenage boys. We figured that the last thing we wanted was for said teenage boys having to put up with our drinking, screaming and obnoxiousness and decided to move on.

  It was at this point that we decided to simply head down to Richard's and try our luck at the very base of the mountain. We figured it would be less cold, and hopefully there would be less people down there. We drove down the same way that we had came, even briefly stopping once more at Ditchfields to see if it was a viable option, but eventually decided on Richard's. We felt a brief sting of disappointment when we arrived at Richard's as we saw that there were already alot of cars parked at the site, however when we got out of the car we found that the camp site was completely deserted. We did a little hop, skip and jump then proceeded to unpack our gear, hang our hammocks and build a fire.

  We had just built the fire, opened a can of cider and were roasting marshmallows when I heard a voice and some rustling behind me. It was a young lady, most likely in her early twenties, who had just walked down the hill from the toilets. She was friendly and began talking to us, we even shared our marshmallows with her. She mentioned that she was backpacking from Tasmania and staying at the camp site out of her van. We shared some pleasant conversation and some marshmallows, after some time she then got up, got in her van, drove off for a while and we did not see her again for the night. The reason I mention her visit is because she had completed the Beeripmo walk in a single day. This is the very same walk that James and I had failed to complete two months prior over a two day period. To put it in comparison, she had completed twice the walk, in half the time. Whilst it put a huge dint in my ego, my hat goes off to her.

  The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, we cooked a stew in the dutch oven, ate, drank and froze our asses off. That is to say, it was uneventful until around midnight when a car pulled up and shone it's lights directly on us. I swear I jumped a country mile and instinctively reached for my bowie knife, it's probably a good thing that I had put all of my blades away at that point as it was simply a young couple who had left home late. We gave them a hand putting up their tent and invited them to stay up and have a drink with us, however they pretty much went straight to bed.

Probably a good thing that I put it away.

  James and I were also getting tired and decided to go to retire to our hammocks shortly after. Well, that
 is to say that I retired to my hammock and James decided to be a pussy and sleep in his car. In hindsight, I probably should have just taken his hammock as mine was rigged very poorly and I ended up on the ground, I'm just glad that I pack sleeping pad.

  Before we left in the morning I spoke with the young couple who had arrived late the night before and saw that they were foraging for something. Whilst I don't mind finding and eating wild edibles, there is a point where I draw the line and wild fungi is pretty much it. When I asked them what they were doing, they told me that they were collecting magic mushrooms, that these particular mushrooms cause you to hallucinate and that Richard's is one of the best spots to find them. A strange ending to a strange weekend.

If you read about a young couple from Bendigo who died at the base of Mt Cole from an unknown poison, this is what they ate