Gold, Guns, Wilderness First Aid
If a person is hungry, who in their right mind would trade their food for a piece of metal. Not me. I wonder if gold will buy food if things go really south.
Guns. Most people think that having guns to defend their supplies and their families is a good idea. There are reasons I can understand for that. But remember that unless you are very, very good at killing, it is a hard thing to do when it comes down to it. And a bluff threat will not suffice. More, unless you are good at it, the ‘bad guys’ tend to be better at it. Think of the numerous times a police officer has been shot with their own gun. And then there are numbers. If you are greatly outnumbered, it would take an exceptional person to survive. Perhaps you are one of those. Then I leave it up to your conscience.
Wilderness first aid. If things go really south, there will be few things more valuable than a person who knows how to treat injuries. Even the hardest ass bad guy tends to look for help when they are seriously injured. If you have some knowledge of how to deal with, say, a stab or a gunshot wound, I believe that in many cases you have something more valuable than food. And a reason for people to keep you alive.
That is not certain. People get crazy. But it is a way to survive without killing. I have great skill with guns. But I do not have any now, and do not plan to have any.
If you have the guts and the great good sense to go that route, go to the Medic section of this website. I think there is precious little time to gain a lot of knowledge in this area, but truly, you can raise your skill level enormously in a short length of time. Then, if time allows, you can deepen your knowledge. I know EMTs and military medics who have been on the job for some time, who still do not have experience with a certain emergency airway opening technique. In fact, most emergency professionals have only book-learning for the procedure. If they need to do it, it will be their first time. And yeah, it would be my first time, too.
A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine, by Eric A. Weiss, M.D. is in my primary gear. It is my primary review material. If I got into a situation where I came across something I wasn’t sure about, I would reference this book before I proceeded.
There are many appropriate online sources. It is difficult to list them, for a variety of reasons. But if you search, you’ll find.
If you decide to do that, my very best goes out to you.
Just remember, the knowledge is more important than the supplies. But it sure is a great deal easier if you have just the right thing on hand. And some, like Quik-clot, are indispensable if they are needed. Read Medic. You’ll see what I mean.
