Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126278
th e San Diego Union serves to sho w wh at ca n happen to a nyo ne . ..All t he a d vice a nd su rvival irai ni ng and equ ipment in t he world will not help because 'not lon g a fter d eh ydration begins you lose you r a bility to make ra tiona l decision s. You go out of you r mi nd ." . Good ell recall ed a sea rc h in 1160 heat for a m issin g l fi-yea r -ol d boy. T he sea rc h pa rt y he was with ca me to a large out cro p ping . H e directed th e others to .go one wa y wh ile he sea rc hed th e ot he r . They wer e to meet on th e othe r side . " I took off 186 0 fro m whereI was going . Don't ask me why. I didn't know what I was doing. If I had been alon e I would hav e died out there." H is friends quickly found him . 'T became argumentive . I was not sick a t fir st. I felt hot like I was burning up , and I was very apprehensive . Then I felt nauseated. " Luckily th e group was a ble to get him out by helicopter and into a hospital, He had only been searching for 45 m inutes! This is a good example of what can qu ickly happen to on e's m ind , and wh y it is often so diffi cult for a person to be found. Logi c is gone. This is the major reason that good r iders, intelligent men have gotten into trouble a nd lost th eir lives. Your survival How ca n a- rider better prepare fo r su rviva l. especially for the-desert? First, be aware of how th e heat can effect you . Secondly, before leav ing home,' part icul arly when going into a remote area such as Baja, plan exactly where you are going and by what route. Leave these plans with your famil y or a friend and instruct them as to who to cont ac t if you d o not return on time . Don 't change your plans later. Lea ve information where you will leave your veh icles when you unload . Leave a good des cription of your bike, clo th ing and othe r ge a r . Who is going with you ? What does their gear look like ? When do you plan to return? ' . What ca n you ca rry for your safe ty? Ed Good ell sugges ts you ca rry wat er , a metal m at ch (fi re starting) and steel wool , signa l flares and proper clo th ing . Sgt. Mander , a pilot , has assemb led a . pack he .ca rries which is easily ada p ta ble to motor cycles. H e 'uses a plas tic hold er for a cigarett e i pa ck (good as a scoop, cu p , etc .) . In side , Mander ca rries a small m irr or fOT sign a ling , a small co m pass, two Ba nd -Aids, needl e , ra zor b lad e a nd . two prophylact ics, eac h of which will ho ld ab ou t a qu art of wat er if held carefully in your hel met , a sock or somet hing sim ilar. In th e pack he a lso ca rries m at c hes, c ha pstick and n a il c lip per s, Around th e ou tside is wrapped ' t hin nylon cord . A sma ll p iece of stai n less steel (about 2x3) ca n be carr ied in one 's wa llet for signa ling. A ..cou p le of flares ca n be easily ta ped to your bike . An other ite m th a t co u ld be put under th e bike sea t is a cig a rette pack size "space blanket." It is reflec tive and cou ld serve as shade. It is im porta nt to .carry wat er, ho wever, a ca nt ee n won 't get you very fa r in extrem e he a t. "In as much as you are unable to ca rry a su fficie nt amount of wat er in a su rviva l situ a tion you should have positive backup or limit your range of activity," advises th e De An za : Rescu e Unit's Survival. Be sure you r b ike is in good mechanical condition. Carry th e mo st, essen tial spa re parts and know how to rep air and recognize you r mechanical problems. If youare headed into the Baj a desert at any time of th e yea r , you will also need to carry extra gas. . Maps of Baja are of qu estionable accu racy, esp ecially in th e more remote areas where many roads are not shown, but they are still helpful. Many places identified on Baja maps .a re only remnants of th e pa st. For example , Campo la Victoria is on many maps. It is not too far from the pole line road in to the desert. Campo la Victoria consists of a cemen t slab and an old truck in a ravine. The maps, however , lir e go od for . orientation. Before leav ing and as 'you ' tra vel continually orient yourself. Take the time to obs erve th ings a round you ' and where you are going. Keep track of landmarks, di rections traveled and m ileages. T his makes it possibl e to backtrack if it should be come necessary. If you ca n , go with someone wh o is truly famil iar with th e area . A fourwheel vehi cle with you can be of immense value . Stay close .enough together that you can ch eck on eac h other every onc e in a whil e . Fill up with gas when you can an d watch th e level of your gas . Gas is a problem in many a reas of Baja . If you are headed south -southeast of Tecate, top off with ga s before leaving the pa vement . Exce pt for towns on th e paveme nt , the sawm ill is the only pla ce to ge t gas in the area . Beca use of th e most recent deaths, Rau l, of the Repea ters, is hav ing met al wa rni ng signs ma de to that effect. T hey will be p laced a lon g the mounta in route and especially a t th e top of the po le lin e roa d , th e grade into th e desert . What if you become disa bled , particularly in th e desert hea t ? Gen erally it is best' to stay ' with your bike . Put it.on its side in the middl e of the tra il. Find a bu sh or anyth ing to sit under for shade and remain as inactive as possible. The first search is . alw ays made by plane . Using a razor blade or knife ,. shave tread from your tires until you have a fairly good pile . Mix it with crankcase oil and you have a signal to light when you see or hear a plane. If you make the decision to leave your bik e and hike out , aga in , leave it lying in the middle of the trail. Po int it in the d irection in which you will go . Also leave note as to date and direction you are go ing: Then stick to that plan . Leav e arrows drawn in the dirt or made from extra gear. An ything unusual , a line of rocks across the road for example, will be seen by th e pil ot and it will help gu ide him to you . All these help him to find you faster. It is conceivable some of the previous victims might be alive today if they had not hidden th eir bikes. You life is more valuable than your bik e. a If you suspect someone is in trouble' If you r friend or family member does not return on schedule. notify the San Diego County Sheriffs Office. Be prepared to give them as much informa tion as possible. Do not take off looking on you r own. . Too many have already lost th eir lives in the Baja desert . Hopefully that can be prevented. The De Anza Newsletter advises "Sum mer is obviously upon us and our best advice during these hot months is; if it's not absolutely necessary for you to be on the open desert -:- DON'T GO I The high temperature is both unrelenting and unforgiving. There are no allowances for mistakes, errors in judgem ent , or unexpected.problems. The results of any of these is all too frequently 'dea t h from dehydration .' Don't become a su m mer sta tistic!" • 43