What an interesting period of time. Normally, I can tell when the ditches are stocked, but now not only are they fished on the weekend but with the layoffs, men and women are both are enjoying the outdoors by fishing during the week.
With the kids out of school this is a great time to introduce them to the many outdoor sports. Living near the Manzano Mountains, it’s a good time to take family hikes in the foothills. If you go, make sure there is plenty of water as well as emergency supplies in your day pack.
Paul Rockhold
Both FEMA and the American Red Cross have lists of emergency supplies online. The FEMA/Red Cross booklet can be ordered online at fema.gov and Red Cross.org. FEMA also has a phone number, 1-800-480-2520.
If you hike, please don’t go alone. Go with one or more partners. There are too many who go out alone and need to be rescued or worse. In Colorado, two men went gold hunting for buried treasure. One was found and the body of the other was discovered. Later, it was brought to light that the second had previously been rescued.
The strangest rescue was in Arizona. While prospecting, an older man drove off the road to go exploring. He was soon lost and the only liquid with him was anti-freeze. According to the story, he sipped it until found. I’m not sure how he survived because I’ve always been told that anti-freeze is deadly to man or beast.
If you take your dog or another pet please be sure you have supplies for it.
During this nationwide shutdown, grocery stores seem to be a focal point. According to those in the know, canned goods will last up to two years. The freeze-dry food processors guarantee their products for 20 to 25 years. I even found freeze-dry dog food, but I didn’t purchase enough.
Freeze-dry food can not only be bought online but I found a small supply in a local market for $20. With an earthquake epicenter in the area of Route 60 and Interstate 25, it wouldn’t hurt to have a supply.
For daily use, I carry a pocket knife, as I have since the fourth grade. I guess kids are no longer permitted to carry them. I don’t know how many times I watched my dad use one of the blades of his pocket knife as a screwdriver. That is a big no-no, but tell him that.
The one knife that I have in all the vehicles is either a Scout Knife or a Swiss Army Knife. The tools on both are unique and come in quite handy. Depending what you want, the Swiss Army Knife can be purchased with a different array of tools.
I actually saw a bottle of water with a cork in it, so the cork screw came in handy. It took me the longest time to figure out how the can opener on both works. When I did, I was amazed. It operates counter clockwise. Since I can no longer carry one in a pouch on my belt, along with a sharpener, it is tucked away in my luggage.
(Paul Rockhold is resident of Rio Communities and writes columns on the outdoors and on hunting.)
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April 19, 2024
