Now, I feel relatively secure in my
prepping, having been at it for several years. Food, check. Arms and ammo,
check. Water, tent, first aid supplies, heating sources, et cetera, check,
check, check. All is well and good, as long as I am home or near home and can
shelter in place or pack up and move out of Dodge. However, there are several
times every year when I am away from home and not just in the next county. We
spend time in Florida and go to vet conferences in other states. When we’re
somewhere else, we are totally dependent upon what’s locally available. We all
know local sources can be depleted in a matter of hours.
I carry concealed every day, even at
home, but you can’t do that on a plane anymore, unlike the ‘60s and ‘70s. Yes,
I can pack and declare a pistol or rifle when I go to a state with reciprocity,
and maybe I should always do that when I can, especially if it’s for an
extended time. My insecurity grows the farther I get from home. Many
knowledgeable sources believe that when the SHTF, it will happen quickly,
whether it’s an economic crash, an electromagnetic pulse, grid collapse, or
failure of civility. What if I’m away from home? It’s a 17-hour drive from
Florida to home, nearly non-stop. If I’m in Arizona, that’s more of a three-day
trip by car, providing the roads are clear, there are no roadblocks, and an EMP
hasn’t knocked out transportation.
So, what is there to do? Should I
stay home until our country has been reset to original intent Constitution
rule? Well, that will require a Second Revolution (2R), because as corrupt as
things are in Washington, a hundred more elections won’t change a thing. As
Einstein defined “insanity,” that’s doing the same thing over and over again,
expecting different results. Like voting R/D/R/D/R/D and thinking that someone
eventually will reduce the size of our federal government, eliminate earmarks,
eliminate the Federal Reserve, or vote for term limits. Ha. The series “House
of Cards” is far closer to fact than to fiction.
When I travel, I make sure we have
plenty of cash. How much? Well, ten Franklins is good. Consider the possibility
that you have a rental car in Las Vegas and you have to get home to Illinois.
You see on TV that there is a general trucker’s strike and rioting is beginning
in the cities because the grocery store shelves have gone bare. The very first
thing to do would be to get to a gas station, buy as many 5-gallon gas cans as
will fit in the trunk, and load the car and them all up with gas. Get some road
maps, if you don’t already have them, because you will want to avoid the bigger
cities on the way home. Even little crossroad towns might give you trouble. To
get an idea of what it would be like to travel 250 miles on foot to get home,
read Going Home by A.
American.
When renting a car, even for a short
stay, consider getting an SUV or 4-wheel drive vehicle that would be more
road-worthy than an economy car. It may be a trade-off of durability for gas
economy, but you want something that is less likely to break down on a back
road. The more ground clearance your vehicle has, the better also. Get green,
tan, or some other “earth color” if you can pick one. Think blending in instead
of standing out, like silver or red would.
How can you arm yourself if you
don’t have a gun? Is there a sporting goods store nearby? Even a Walmart? Buy a
gun and a couple boxes of bullets, if you can (being a non-resident), or at least
get a couple of fixed-blade knives, a hatchet, or a knife that you can fashion
into a short spear. Compound bows and crossbows work, too. Got money left? Get
gallons of water and pop-lid canned goods, like beef stew or anything you can
eat cold or hot out of the can. Get a couple of spoons and a few butane lighters while you’re at
the store, if there’s anything left. Remember the saying about “nine meals to
anarchy?” Don’t put this off, if it looks like things are going bad quickly.
Too late will be tough scheisse.
One thing you can still pack in your
checked luggage is a good knife or two, or even a tactical hatchet. Edged
weapons are still okay, and do not need to be declared. I just traveled with
two pistols and had to declare them in my checked bag. The bag, guns, and I
were escorted over to an inspection area, where the gun cases were swabbed for
explosives (for other than gun powder, apparently). They must be looking for
bombs using gun cases as concealment. They never even looked at the guns; I
just had to lock the cases.
Other considerations regarding an
emergency road trip home would include a can or two of “fix-a-flat,” or even the
inexpensive battery-powered air pump at an auto parts store. Some new cars
today have a mini air pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter as part of the
inflatable spare tire kit. A multi-tool would be handy,
as would a roll of duct tape, some baling-type wire, and
several flashlights. You don’t need
shelter if you sleep in the car, but you will be better off rotating drivers
and pressing on home. Consider a small backpack or two in case the
car breaks down totally and you have to proceed on foot. Did you pack good road
shoes? All-weather jackets with hoods could
keep you alive if you’re hoofing it. Grab some big, 55-gallon heavy trash bags if you see them.
They make great rain covers and ground cover, too, to curl up on.
By all means, use your credit cards
while you can, but it is likely that the system behind them will soon shut down
and you will have to fall back on your cash. As you can see, $100 won’t last
long when you’re preparing to drive home. Silver one-ounce coins are heavy, but
it wouldn’t hurt to pack a few of those, too, in case paper money quickly
becomes worthless. That’s why you need to buy what you can with fiat currency
ASAP.
Take stock of everything in your rental
car. Check the glove box, trunk, and compartments for a spare tire, jack,
inflator (if it’s a doughnut), and any safety items. Some have a first aid kit,
too. Likewise, take stock of everything in your luggage, carry-on, and on your
person(s). Nail trimmers, ball-point?
pens, eye drops, and lip moisturizer sticks will
all be useful. I’ve flown for many years, even internationally, with an Exotac® fire starter, a
magnet-base mini red lens flashlight, and a Swiss-Tech® Utili-Key on my
key chain without confiscation. Also have a little key chain stainless container
full of aspirin. Seven keys kind of masks things, too.
Before checking out of your hotel
room, grab all the small shampoos, soaps, and even the little sewing kit. If
your trip home is long, you will probably want to freshen up a few times on the
way. You might just take a couple of the wash cloths and towels, too. If there
is someone at the desk, you can pay them for the towels on the way out.
With one person driving, the other
should be constantly scanning ahead, and a decent pair of binoculars are easy
to pack on a vacation or trip. Your navigator should be watching for road
blocks or people gathered by the road. Avoid them at all costs, because they
are not there to help you on your way. Every person you meet is a potential
enemy who will swiftly kill you for what you have, or worse. Be constantly on
guard, and do not stop within sight of other people.
Regarding Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s
classification of sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves, I have an acquaintance who said
he was a sheepdog but could become a wolf if that’s what was needed to keep his
family alive. That’s disconcerting, to say the least. I wouldn’t necessarily
want him in my group, but you have to understand that it is very likely in a
“failure of civility” situation; everyone will become a predator in some way,
and everyone will also become prey. You may not be able to discern wolves from
sheep until it is too late, because they will all be wearing sheep’s clothing,
and there is no animal more deceptive than man. So consider everyone a
potential enemy.
All bridges will become potential
choke points for people to ambush you or hold you up for ransom or take
whatever you have that they want. Crossroads with woods or buildings nearby can
also be ambush points to watch out for. You can be reasonably sure if these
points are controlled by our military that it may be safe to approach and pass
through. However, if government contingency plans are activated, they could
also confiscate your weapons, transportation, food, and fuel, before shuttling
you off to a FEMA camp. It’s better to stand off, unseen, and observe what is
going on there for a while. Let somebody else approach them and be the goat.
Highway overpasses can also harbor bandits, and it would be good to observe
from a distance before approaching.
If it looks like you will be
trekking home, see if you can find a bicycle (or two) with sturdy tires. Your
gluteus maximus will toughen up after the first few days, but you’ll cover many
more miles faster this way. Average walking speed is three to four miles per
hour, but a bicycle can put you up to 10 to 15 mph. Tough touring tires will
get you over 4,000 miles (not the skinny 10-speed tires, which may go 1-3k).
You’re not trying to impress anyone with a high-tech racing bike, so look for
sturdiness and heavier tires. Think about fixing flats, too, and get a small
patch kit with tire changing spoons.
When I fly, I dress for potential
survival travel. I wear a long-sleeve 5.11® shirt and pants, and have on Thorlo®
over-the-calf anti-fatigue socks.
Underwear is reflected by the weather, remembering the adage that in cold
weather, “cotton kills.” Wicking polypropylene would be the all-weather choice.
I always wear waterproof boots covering above the ankle, usually Vasque®
lightweight hiking boots. Consider the
possibility of a crash landing in which you are lucky enough to survive but
have to walk to civilization. I see people on the plane in shorts and wearing
flip-flops, but I feel fine the way I’m dressed.
A hat– baseball cap or lightweight
stocking cap– that you can stow somewhere in your 7-pocket pants could be a
lifesaver as well. Since most of your body heat is lost through the top of your
head, in cold weather you want to conserve this. Columbia® makes a light cap with reflective
“Omni-Shield®” lining that really keeps your head warm. Any cap with a brim, or
a soft, foldable boonie hat would be fine
for warmer weather. Above all, you want to avoid getting sunburned, even in the
winter.
You can make it home in days, if in
a car with no problems along the way. On a bicycle it will be weeks, for sure.
On foot, depending on the distance, it could take months. Consider the pioneers
crossing the western plains, walking alongside their covered wagons. The
2,000-mile Oregon Trail took 160 to 170 days to travel. The pioneers had to
worry about Indians and bandits, but they were all armed and ready for the
unexpected. Things won’t be much different today in that respect, but you may
not have the security of firearms. Avoiding trouble by avoiding people will be
imperative.
If there are friends or family that
live between you and home, and the phones are working, contact them with your
plans. It may be worthwhile to go a little out of your way to hole up with them
for a few days before proceeding. If they live in a city, find out what the
conditions are there; it may be more dangerous than it’s worth. Get accurate
directions to their location.
The time of the year is certainly
important, too. I wouldn’t try walking home when the temperatures get below
freezing at night. Going from north to south might not be as bad in the winter,
but going the other direction and you are at the mercy of the weather and it
will add tremendously to your problems. Keeping yourself dry is very important,
because you can become hypothermic in even moderate temperatures. Your body
will cool down to the ambient temperature quickly if you are undernourished,
stressed, and improperly dressed. Wet clothing facilitates loss of body heat.
I’m glad my odds are good that when
the world collapses, I will be at home and able to take advantage of my
“stuff.” Millions of Americans today are oblivious to anything taking place
beyond their TV screens, hand-held games, or cell phones. Good luck to them.
Sorry, but I’m too old to carry you. I have enough on my hands just saving
myself and my family. There will be a tremendous winnowing of the chaff.
Remember the Marines’ gung-ho motto, “Improvise, adapt, and overcome.”
Oh, and last but not least, always
have a small New Testament or Bible along in your travels. Borrow the Gideon’s
from that hotel room, if you have to. It can help you through many trials and
tribulations. Prayers go up; blessings come down. Getting home safely is the
objective.
From the Survival Blog
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