2012 WMBO Entry Thread **Winners Announced** 3/4/12

[Canadian Guy]

Privateer73-Interesting MWBO with the bike, well done!

[aa1pr]

Little Mike's 2012 Winter Mock Bug Out Contest Entry

Ok so the little guy [Mikie ~ 15yrs old now] patiently waited for a mediocre day to head out into the bush. Our winter this year has been snow turning into rain or rain. So everything is a sheet of ice. He brought along his friend Keefer. Yesterday seemed promising since they were calling for a few inches of snow; they got a light dusting overnight. However the weather was rain to snow to ice. My main warning was to “Stay Off the Ice”. The temp was 47 when they ventured off and was 34 upon return arrival…

Mikie was all psyched out as he has been waiting to use his new tetragon 5 tent, santa got it here for him: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28224 also his

GSI dinnerware, platypus, headlamp and other items he received for xmas. Unfortunate he fell on the ice on the way down and broke his phone besides being immerged in water in a small stream. Here is the broken phone, I tried to save it & recover the photos, but no luck… this happened last year too once. Sometimes you can save it by placing the phone into a gallon or larger sealed Ziploc bag with a few paper towels and letting it sit overnight. The paper towels in the sealed bag absorb the moisture. Thankfully his friend Keefer took a few pictures, you will see as this progresses…


For his ruck I gave him my molle rifleman ruck that I never seemed to use & was only collecting dust in the closet. For cooking his brought along a MSR whisperlite [forgot who I bought it off of here] & 33oz fuel tank, food consisted of a package of hotdogs, breakfast sausages, Mrs. Grass’s minestrone soup, hot chocolate and a bladder of water each. With his -20 sleeping bag, ruck & all the various gear it weighed in around 45lbs. He brought along a Basher shelter but never used it. Gear also consisted of cold weather clothing, just in case.

They decided to camp at one of the sites at Silver Lake. It is about 1 ½ miles up to the lake and campsite. Here are a few shots of the lake and them on the ice, even though I told them not to venture onto the ice due to all the varying temperatures and concerns of safety. Here you can see the tube dropping off the steep cliff for several hundred feet. The view is of Lake Dunmore below.


Mikie by campfire at their site, which housed a fire ring. Together they collected firewood and used a magnesium fire striker/block to get the fire started. Firewood was easy to obtain without all the heavy normal snow accumulations.

Not shown is the ax and camp saw that they used

Here was the lake just as dusk was approaching

Vertical view of same area & time


Lake again



Mikie on ice, using the shallow end of the lake as a short cut instead of going through the woods, this could have been a dangerous and deadly mistake. Notice my prior warning!



Another view of the lake again



Keefer broke through the ice with his ax to get at the fresh water & used some sort of MSR filtration bag to get some water in the morning. Obtaining water in the winter is not always an easy chore, in this case the stream was below and the lake in front of them was frozen over. Ice is 80% water & snow is less, so remember this if contemplating melting such for drinking water as it consumes fuel and energy.

Mike on water tube, since the woods were so icy on the way up, they decided to use the water tube in an attempt to walk down without falling further. Now he wishes he had his own microspikes, like mine. The temp when I picked him up today was 34.



Lessons learned are kids never take warnings seriously, need better camera that is protected, and need spikes, crampons etc.

EDIT 1/30/12 Added tent photo

[Takaaco78]

Privateer73 have you had that tent out in the rain yet? and did it have any condensation problems?

[Privateer73]

It rained a couple times in the night but very little, I did notice considerable condensation until I opened the vents a little and it cleared up quickly. Overall seems to be a good buy for the money.

[Takaaco78]

I know last time i took my little backpack tent out in below freezing temps. I woke up in an igloo, had a nice layer of ice on the inside walls, and if i hit the side it would snow inside.

[Woods Walker]

aa1pr.

Mikie did a fine job. Not suprised he went out on the ice despite your warning. Most of us would have done the same thing at that age.

[SHTFSurvivalist]

Hey Bro, is that the 4000 cubic inch evasion bag? If so how do you like it? I was thinking about getting one.

[Woods Walker]

Welcome to ZS. That is a 7500 cubic inch Kifaru EMR.

[SHTFSurvivalist]

Welcome to ZS. That is a 7500 cubic inch Kifaru EMR.

Wow! That is huge dude lol. Thanks for the welcome.

[aa1pr]

aa1pr.

Mikie did a fine job. Not suprised he went out on the ice despite your warning. Most of us would have done the same thing at that age.

I know

I also edited the post as I forgot to add the tent photo somehow

[warrenpuckett]

Love this thread!

[Flying Lead]

Started out Saturday with following;
Granite gear nimbus meridian pack
Jetboil SOL
Swedish firesteel
Western Mountaineering Versalite 10 degree bag
First Need water filter
REI 1.75 self inflating sleeping mat
Go Lite shangri La 1 tent
Patagonia camp pants
2 Lbs food and snacks
Nalgene 1.5 liter bottle
Nalgene 96 oz plastic water bag
FAK
MSR mug w/lid
Titanium spork
Personal items, meds, toothbrush, etc
Knife, 4 inch fixed blade
Odd and end repair items, paracord-needle and thread-duct tape

Started out in a wilderness area at mid morning. Walked 4 miles to a logging troad and bushwhacked to a set of waterfall I had found a while back.









Only bad spot was climbing down a step six foot high, notice the small four foot wide spot to land on.
Just beyond the ledge a 40 foot drop. Could here my wife's voice saying "be careful" in my head.



Found a great spot to camp, flat, water, fairly concealed, and lots of fire wood.





Set up camp and quickly gatherered firewood as it would be dark down in the canyon at 16:30 hours.

[Flying Lead]

After grabbing the wood and starting a fire, set up the tent.








Spread out the gear, took stock, planned dinner, and of course, had coffee.





Found a neat idea a French Legioneer told me about. Take a steel bottle and lay near the fire to warm fluids. Saves gas for the cookstove and requires less efort. I must say the $4 at Big Lot for the bottle is major WIN!

[Flying Lead]

After getting ducks in a row thought it a good idea to check operating area, found a junction with a river 1/4 mile away. Saw wild pig trails too, the fire will keep them off, they tend to ster clear of smoke around here.





Saw a smart idea on the firepit. These thin rocks can be pulled out and replaced to control draft as I had a descent breeze at times.



Prepared dinner of dried potatoes and chicken, was quite good.



The Jetboil turns down low for a very good simmer. Time for drying boots, food and watching the fire.

[Flying Lead]

Got the new down bag fluffed up and took a nap.


Woke up and finished cleaning up gear and getting ready for night.




Decided on a long fire rather than cutting up a lot of wood.


Went to bed at 21:00 hours and woke up at about 3:00 with a damn migraine. A big one, so sick I could not lift my head. My meds were in my jacket beside me, water 3 feet away but I needed to eat a snack with my pill and food was 40 feet away. NOT GOOD! I was 2 miles off trail and at least 1 mile from where anyone would even pass the next day. After much thought and muttling around I made it out of the tent and to my feet after 45 minutes. The thought of self rescue really dampened my spirit.

Got up at ate a bite and took meds and rekindled the fire, screwing with the fire helped as it got my mind doing something else.

[Flying Lead]

The next morning had my shit together again and packed up and headed out. Talked to a couple of folks and made my way to an old hunters camp.


Sat down had brunch and scoped the place out. It's kind of hidden and far enough off the beaten path where it evaded destruction and people actually spend the night there, spray the place for bugs and leave a few supplies and a lantern there.

I stopped for some water and headed out.




Like the water filter for sure! It holds the Nalgene container so you only hold the filter and pump it. No need to balance a bottle from falling over and there is no outlet hose to keep from getting in dirty water and it's fast about putting out the water too.

Overall (sans f'ing headache) the weekend was fine! Low was 24 degres. All equipment did a great job, I was comfy and what I have learned served me well. Hope you enjoyed.

[Woods Walker]

Migraine in the woods sure doesn't sound fun. I liked the use of fire. The falls and pool looked nice. Thanks for your entry.

[omega_man]

Nice trip Flying Lead. Looks like some fun terrain. Can't wait to get out next weekend and add to these great posts.

[Takaaco78]

Flying Lead where did you bug out? That area looks a lot like mine.

[Flying Lead]

Flying Lead where did you bug out? That area looks a lot like mine.

Sipsey Wilderness in the Bankhead National Forest. About 1.5 hours northwest of Birmingham AL.

I want to see someone do a MBO in Joyce Kilmer Wilderness in NC.
That place is man country! Makes our forest look like a city park.

[Medic73]

Beautiful area Flying Lead! Truely stunning photos. Love the waterfalls.

I'm trying to get our ZS Winter Mock BOB Campout going either next weekend or the one after. My 16 year old son and I are going and perhaps a few others from this area so it may turn out to be a smallish group BOB campout.

So far, this winter has been more like spring here. We've had highs in the 70's and the lows the past few nights in the mid to upper 30's. That just doesn't feel right!

When we go, I'll be sure to take some photos and maybe a video or two for the contest and for those that must only live through these posts and photos until they can get out themselves.

Medic73

[swordofthebreeze]

Great work guys!

Hoping to do an overnight bug-out this weekend.

[weez9127800]

This is a first for any of the contests here.




Starting and finishing at Anderson E. Shumate Memorial Bridge at 1548 ft to the Angel's Rest at 3633 ft
The map indicates the elevation change and surrounding areas.  The actual trail varies from the highlighted area. There are many more switchbacks than what is marked.  Any further trips to the Angel's Rest will be made coming from the west and walking up one of the fire roads and then along the ridge line.  







Gear:
Boots - Danner acadia, hiking socks, polyester base, cargo pants, insulated sweatshirt (Burnt orange in color), gloves -Blackhawk SOLAG, baseball hat, spyderco delica w/ wave feature, Glock 23 in a Crossbreed IWB holster, 
Backpack - :
1.  fire starting kit - matches, bic lighter, petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls.
2.  MREs - Chicken chunks with salsa and Mexican rice.  and a Mountain House meal.
3.  Rain Jacket - Rolled up on top of backpack.
4.  SOG SEAL Pup - in kydex sheath.
5.  Towel - small hand towel.
6.  Toiletry bag - TP, trowel, 
7.  First Aid Kit - sam splint, band aids, alcohol prep pad, emt shears, 4" israeli bandage, tape.
8.  Kitchen cook set - SS pot, knife/spoon/fork set, Vargo lightweight stove, Vargo Triad denatured alcohol/tablet fuel stove, Syringe (for priming stove), 
9.  32 oz. Nalgene bottle, and an old 16oz water bottle for denatured alcohol.
10. Extra Pair of socks, and wool half-finger gloves, safety whistle, 25' 550 cord wrapped and attached to a carabiner, Tritium illuminated lensatic compass,
11. AP Trail topo map of area.
12. head lamp.
13. Glock 22 mag.

Most of the gear carried was unnecessary, but could have been necessary if an overnight would have been needed.  No tent/tarp or sleeping bag was packed though.  The weight was fine, unfortunately I did not weigh it prior to leaving.  The backpack has previously had issues with the MOLLE straps on the bottom interfering with the IWB holster.  More irritation than anything else though.  So I took the waist belt and looped it through the straps to get them both out of the way.  

The boots were being tested and broken in, which performed well overall with no problem and only a couple of warm spots.

From the parking area at Rt. 100 near Bluff City I walked to Pearis Cemetery.  











An MRE was eaten early on at the cemetery. Most of the water up to this point was carried in a water bottle that was left in the vehicle. Chicken with salsa and mexican rice.  The problem came with all of it fitting too snugly in the MRE heater provided.  The original plan was to rehydrate a Mountain House meal once up on the Angel's Rest. Due to a lack of time in the schedule, this was omitted.

Then along AP Trail to New River (460 connection), and back to cross the Pearis Cemetery trail towards Bluff City and points beyond.




The trail continues across the bridge then goes under the bridges and up Peters Mountain and across it's ridge north.




Starting up from Bluff City towards Pearisburg, VA and the Angel's Rest.  At the start of this area the trail goes along Route 100 for maybe 50 yards or so then slips into a wooded Pine area between residences in some places. 




This is looking out from the Pearis Cemetery area towards Bluff City and Rt. 100.




This is looking back on the Pearis Cemetery Area with Rt. 100 between.
 















The wind was bad in this area but it started off being around 50 degrees. The further i climbed the colder it became.  There was hail/sleet for a period of the climb, but it had stopped by the time I reached the top. As the wind picked up the widow-makers in the forest started letting themselves be known through creaks and branches falling. So I moved through these areas as quickly as possible.



At or near the Rest along the top of the Mountain.






The hail/sleet accumulation and looking back down the trail.













This is a partial view from looking out over the Rest. It is a right to left progression.
After that it was time for a break in which I drank half the water left and decided if I did not leave now I would be traveling a long way down the trail in the dark.
So these are now the pics of the trip back out the way I came.



There were not many opportunities to fill up on water on the way up. This area held the only pools between the river and the Rest at the top.










By now it was too dark to take any more pictures and the head lamp was out. This is the Cross Ave that cuts the trail partway up the mountain.
Still a ways to go before I reached my vehicle though.
All in all a good day trip.

[Takaaco78]

Don't forget bush craft skills play a big part in the contest.