A couple of weeks ago, on a warm, cloudless sunny day, my wife and I went for a walk down to the river behind and below our property. It’s a 40 minute walk down, and a 60 minute climb back, all steep, but some so steep a handhold is needed to climb. It’s a bit harder climb than it was when we came here 20 years ago, when I was 49! Judy carried a quart of ice cream, which sounded good because it was hot.
About 15 minutes after we finished the ice cream a sudden storm came up the river canyon. Stiff wind, then heavy driving rain which quickly came mixed with hail. We got back under some cedar trees but,dressed with only summer clothes, we still got soaked and COLD in minutes. Had we climbed out immediately, it would have been an hour of misery before we got to the house. But I was prepared, so we stayed there and were before the storm even stopped, though it laste about a half hour. Here is how I was prepared.
About 5 years ago I got the bright idea of making a firestarter to carry in my wallet. One that would light up most any wood available, and most important, ALWAYS be one me, because, when I put my pants on, I always make sure I have my large Stockman pocket knife in one pocket, keys and bic lighter in another, and wallet in the hip pocket. All are used daily, but the fire starter hadn’t been needed for 5 years. - I gathered up a bunch of the finest twigs available till I had a double handful, all soaking wet, with rain and hail blasting at our backs. Judy brought in some larger branches. I pulled out my firestarter, doubled it and lit it up. The flame it put out was about 2 inches diameter and stood probably close to 6 inches high. The fire was roaring within less than 5 minutes and the storm suddenly became quite pleasant.
Here’s how to make such a firestarter. - That one was the hem from an old cotton tee shirt, a piece a bit shorter than a dollar bill, and soaked with beeswax. One end of it must have the wax dried out a bit or lighting will be difficult. After you get one made, heat up one end and soak out all the wax you can with a dry rag or paper towel. It will still remain water proof, but will light up easy. It makes a nice thin piece to carry in a wallet, if you don't have a lot of folding money in the way, a thing I don't have much problem with. One could make better ones real easy, (bigger and hotter is better) by using lamp wicks, which are available in most hardware stores. They are a bit thick to carry in a wallet, but would be perfect to carry in a hunting jacket pocket, fanny pack or anything larger. One of the wider lamp or lantern wicks commonly stocked in stores, heavily soaked with bees wax, would probably burn a 1 ½ inch diameter flame, four inches high for at least 5 minutes and possibly 10 minutes, and would light up about any wood one could find in a rainstorm. In other words, for most occasions, it could be used to light many fires if reasonably good fuel was available. Or, if one were cold and needed fire fast, like we did, double it so both ends burn at once. A good way to hold it while it's burning is to insert it into the end of a green twig with the end split, so you can reach back under a pile of tinder and easily remove it when the fire gets going. I used only my fingers but shoved the whole thing under the tinder soon as the fire starter got hot to handle.
The reason for using beeswax is because it is quite flexible, and doesn't crack off when bent and banged around, especially in cold weather, whereas candle wax, which is normally parafine, will crumble if the wick is bent as it is when carried in a wallet. - I haven’t done it yet, but am thinking of making one a bit smaller than a dollar bill, cut from an old sweat shirt. There is something about a big fire fast, when one really wants it, that is remembered fondly for a long time.
While on this subject, (preventing hypothermia) here is a tid bit of information I came across some time back. – About 50% of deaths caused by exposure to cold are to people over 60 years of age. Over 75% of these are to men. About 20% of them occur in the home! The latter is quite stunning! How many of them occur within a short walk of a warm home like we were! Or auto. A not too serious injury could make it happen if one doesn’t have a good fire going quickly. (Our lives weren’t threatened this time. We were just miserable and the outing would have been ruined, but getting warm fast, then sitting by the fire for a couple hours after the storm passed, made it a very pleasant outing!)
I told you about carrying large garbage bags for such occasions. We didn’t then, but did today when we went on a similar hike, with rain threatening.
If you don't have beeswax available, most grocery stores carry beeswax candles. One will make many firestarters. A short stub of one is itself a good fire starter, but the flame is tiny and vulnerable in a stiff breeze, whereas a big fire isn't! I want a big flame when I get cold.
There are several reasons why older people are more vulnerable to hypothermia, primarily because endurance and strength are diminished. Which means it's more important to use your head, even though it is somewhat diminished too! But, a thing which has happened to me, actully beginning before I was 40, is that I get REALLY cold whenever I stop to rest, if I have previously been exerting my self till I'm real tired. Most old timers have the same problem. Not to worry though, just carry a good fire starter, enjoy your long life, and know that the problem becomes painfree soon after the heart stops pumping.
