Real men! ngc

[Steve Cas]

How many of us would attempt this, in our prime, in good weather and sober!!

 Reprinted from the newsminer.com

Birch Creek man found alive after 46-mile walk at 35 below zero

FAIRBANKS — A Birch Creek man who decided to walk from his village to Fort Yukon in 35-degree-below-zero weather was found by a search party just four miles shy of his goal.
Lawrence James, 52, walked roughly 46 miles in about 15 hours, according to Fort Yukon Police Officer Michael Ivie. James’ family had alerted Alaska State Troopers and village law enforcement after James left Birch Creek about 7 p.m. Monday.
“Our issue is that it was -30 or below, and he was by himself, and he was only carrying a little .22 rifle,” Ivie said. “There were all sorts of possibilities that might have happened. He could have been trampled by a moose or (attacked by) wolves.”
Ivie said a .22 rifle would not be very effective against a moose or predator but said James “could have shot a couple of ptarmigans to eat” if he had to.
Birch Creek is an Interior village about 26 miles southwest of Fort Yukon as the crow flies. That would require traveling over numerous lakes, rivers and sloughs, however, so James took a more circuitous route of approximately 50 to 60 miles.
James was dressed for the cold in heavy winter gear and also had a bottle of water with him. He told Ivie he had walked non-stop and didn’t get cold the entire trip.
“When I asked him why he did it, he said that a cousin of his did it a few years back and he thought he’d try to see if he could do it,” Ivie said. “I told him, ‘more power to you, buddy,’ but that’s not something I think I’d want to try.”
James said he felt fine during the entire time but his legs were hurting by the time the search party picked him up, according to Ivie.
“That’s understandable, he’d just walked 50 miles,” Ivie said. “This gentleman, it’s actually pretty impressive that he walked that far, being that he’s 52 years old.”
James’ family told the search party that one of the reasons they called for a search was because James wasn’t completely sober when he decided to go on his overnight excursion.
“He had been drinking. Not a whole lot, he wasn’t drunk. He had a couple of drinks,” Ivie said. “He said if he had to do it all over again, he would have probably picked a different time. He said his last drink kind of gave him that urge, that oomph.”

[Lannis]

To Build a Fire ....

[acogoff]

     Unfortunately, finding people frozen to death in the cold country is an all too common occurance in the native community and even more common in Siberia where it is around -50F with their drinking problem. Booze can be a bad thing at times. Nothing manly about it. This guy was lucky.

[ridingron]

To Build a Fire ....

Reads a lot like something O Henry would have written.

[Triple Jim]

To Build a Fire ....

That's for sure.  That story was told to my 8th grade English class by phonograph record.  I've read it since then a couple times.  It's a piece of literature that one doesn't forget.

[rodekyll]

Reads a lot like something O Henry would have written.

Do you mean Jack London?

[Lannis]

Do you mean Jack London?

In the Jack London story, the guy freezes to death and the dog makes it.

I suppose in the O Henry version, the guy makes it and there isn't a dog ... ?

[dilligaf]

In the Jack London version didn't the guy fall through the ice and tried to build a fire under a tree?  :BEER:
Matt

[rodekyll]

In the Jack London version didn't the guy fall through the ice and tried to build a fire under a tree?  :BEER:
Matt

Yes.

Except for the tree part, that happened to me once.  To head off the anticipated question -- yes, I died.   8)  <----- pennies on the eyes smarm


The twist in the o. henry version was that it happened in Florida.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  So in the O'Henry version he froze to death in Florida?
  I read the Jack London version, it was often in my mind when I lived up in the Selkirks in primitive conditions.

[rodekyll]

I like Jack London.  My favorite quote by him is to the effect that he took up writing on account of it was easier than mining.

I pitched camp once as close to his winter campsite at White Pass as I could.  They all built 'boats' (VERY loosely applied term, as were the boat assemblies) over the winter and when the ice broke in the spring, shot the river into the interior.  The original campsites are still around the lake, with the tin cans and bottles, rusting utensils, and fire pits still visible.

[travelingbyguzzi]

To Build A Fire was probably the first story (at  8 or 9) that I read that had an unhappy ending- except for the dog. I like to think it ended well for him.

[rodekyll]

No dogs were hurt in the telling of the story.  It's said that after 100 years he still roams the winter bush, looking for a smart human.  Oddly, in the winter bush, he's never found one.

[yogidozer]

From Jeremiah Johnson

 I, Hatchet Jack, being of sound mind and broke legs, do leaveth my rifle to the next thing who finds it, Lord hope he be a white man. It is a good rifle, and kilt the bear that kilt me. Anyway, I am dead. Sincerely, Hatchet Jack.

[travelingbyguzzi]

Hatchett Jack should have taken a lesson from Hugh Glass, who crawled (dragged himself) 100 miles after being attacked by a grizzly bear in South Dakota. He killed the bear with his knife.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Hugh didn't have broken legs.
  Jack Londons dog in the story at least ate well.

[yogidozer]

Hatchett Jack should have taken a lesson from Hugh Glass, who crawled (dragged himself) 100 miles after being attacked by a grizzly bear in South Dakota. He killed the bear with his knife.

and it was a butter knife too.

[travelingbyguzzi]

 Hugh didn't have broken legs.
  Jack Londons dog in the story at least ate well.

My bad, Jim. It was broken leg, not legs. His companions left him to die, thinking he could not survive the mauling. But he recovered enough to drag hiself 100 miles to civilization.
Perhaps, like Brian Williams, I first reported the story from my faulty memory, but the story IS worth a google search if you are unfamiliar with it.
At least as dramatic as any Jack London fiction. And I like Jack London. I recommend 'Burning Daylight'.

[normzone]

And be certain to see the YouTube trailer for the greatest movie that never was, " Saving Daylight ".

No, seriously.

[bad Chad]

I'm not sure I could walk 46 miles in 40 degree weather when I was 25!  At 52, not a chance.