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.