Message Board

Letters to the editor can be sent to
Wilderness Way, Editor Christopher Nyerges,
Box 41-1503, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.

updated 03/09/2008

ON HYPOTHERMIA
Hello Christopher:
I read about half of the Wilderness Way that Dude gave me on Saturday. I hope you don't mind if I make a few comments:

First, Dude and Alan's article on hypothermia was especially rife with errors. You might want to proofread more carefully.

Second, regarding the content of that hypothermia article: They recommend giving warm sugar water to someone suffering from moderate to severe hypothermia. I don't have experience with hypothermia in particular, but I do with easily-assimilated foods. Most things that are called sugar - most natural sweeteners we consume, including table sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, date sugar, and so on - are disaccharides. They are energy sources readier than polysaccharides (ie. complex carbohydrates (starch)) or other calorie-containing food components (proteins and fats), but they must still be broken down before they can be utilized. If ready energy is required, monosaccharides (particularly glucose) are better, since that is the form the body actually uses. Honey is nectar that bees have already largely broken down into glucose and fructose with enzymes; also, there are glucose tablets at pharmacies that diabetics use to avoid severe hypoglycemia. Sugar-water is doubtless better than food in hypothermia, but my suspicion is that, if it is available, honey-water is probably even better.

Finally, Tamarack Song is awesome.

—Lilach, Altadena

GHOST OF THE LEAN-TO
Greetings!
This is the ghost of the empty lean-to. Just kidding, this is Christopher Reamer. The new Wilderness Way magazine is truly awesome. I sat down and read the whole thing, cover to cover. Your "note from the editor" on the inside cover was so beautiful. You have a way of boiling things down to the very core of the importance. My favorite thing of all were your drawings of the lean-to building process, but I'll say, if I saw a guy like that outside of my lean-to, I would run back into civilization as fast as possible.

Christopher Nyerges, the things that you teach are so important for the future of our world, and the quality of our lives. I thank you with a profound love and respect.

—Christopher Reamer, Malibu, CA

TENT CONDENSATION
Dear Christopher,
I just read Lisa Bassett's letter in Volume 13, Issue 3 regarding the condensation situation with her tent. She did not mention what type of material her tent is made of, so it is difficult to pinpoint the exact problem.

The tent is probably constructed from polyester or nylon fabric treated with a urethane waterproof coating. This combination does a wonderful job of keeping water out, but it also traps warm moist air inside the tent causing the condensation. The simplest solution is to give that interior warm air an exit. Increase the ventilation by leaving the top of the door open slightly. The more ventilation the less condensation you will have. This will also lower the inside temperature of the tent, so be sure to take precautions to stay warm.

A more labor intensive solution would be to sew or buy a tent made from a breathable material such as canvas - canvas tents can often be found at surplus stores for a very reasonable price - then use the material from the original tent to construct a rain fly. By suspending the rain fly above the tent you now have the best of both worlds. The tent will breathe allowing the moist air to escape, and the rain fly will keep the tent dry. Be sure to leave an airspace between the tent and rain fly, and to keep the center of the rain fly higher than the sides. This will prevent the most air escaping from the tent from condensing on the rain fly and raining back down onto the tent.

If Lisa is already using a canvas tent without a rain fly, the problem is probably not condensation, but simply a leak. When canvas first gets wet it absorbs water causing the fibers to expand, which blocks water from coming through the fabric. If the fabric wears thin, or if you touch it while it is wet, the surface tension of the water is broken and you will have a leak.

My friends and I tested this theory on many a childhood campout and always got a leak. To this day I still can't explain why we kept doing it when we knew what the outcome would be. Just slow learners I suppose.

Best wishes,
—Jim White

WEARING A BLANKET
Dear Christopher:
I really liked the article "How to Wear a Blanket" in Volume 13, Issue 2. It's rather like origami for the human body. I had an idea for a technological improvement. With a few loops and buttons, you wouldn't need a belt. Belts are always coming loose and the blanket would shift around.

See the illustration. You could still have a coat without putting holes in the blanket. Coat by day, blanket at night.

It's also a good way to keep warm when the electricity goes off at home.

From time to time, you've had articles about making things from bone. It would be good to read an article about working with bone generally. Keep up the good work.

—Becky Blue, Cedar Ridge, CA

GREAT FIRE ARTICLE
To Bill Qualls:
Sir, your little article in Wilderness Way Volume 13, Issue 3, had to be one of the neatest and innovative things I've seen in a while. The waxed jute connected to the ferro for one compact fire starting kit, and the use of a wire connector for a small handle is awesome! Thanks for sharing and to all, a great issue!!

—Ed Arnold

ON CLEANING FISH
Dear Editor:
I would like to add some information to Ms. Yasha Krajcir's article, "Field Dressing Small Game," in Wilderness Way Volume 13, Issue 3.

She is quite correct that scaleless fish should be skinned, and scaled ones should have the scales removed. But with some fish, another step is necessary. There are so-called "rough fish" or "trash fish" such as carp, which have scales. They should also be skinned after scaling, and the strips of much darker flesh removed before cooking and eating. This will make all the difference on removing the highly objectionable strong "fishy" taste. The discarded strips also make great "tails," added to a lure for catching more desirable fish.

I might add that The People had no word for "weed" and I would wager the concept of "trash fish" did not exist with them either.

Sincerely,
—Walking Bear, John Walkin, Otley, IA