Reading this, you will realize that our assignment was one of those 'survivor' problems.

"I can tell that your military skills helped you with this assignment. It is always good to draw upon past experience to help one's self in a crisis. There is nothing wrong with all of you staying together. You implied that you were disallowed to leave and that is not true. That was certainly an available option. The group could have split up with some staying and some leaving, or the entire group could have left. Or, as you suggest they could stay and be rescued. The major flaw that I am finding with you survival plan is how you ignored the existing weather conditions. You did not crash in the summertime. The weather is in the low 40's at best, and more than likely cloudy and damp. Furthermore there is ice on the lake where you crashed. This does not sound like summer to me. A better analysis of weather conditions was a must in order to make your selections work for you. Hypothermia is a big issue here. I like how you were creative using the snow shoes and rope. You were the very first person to offer that perspective on building fishing traps. Excellent. My major concern would be how you are going to get dry. You never mention the importance of doing this first. All of you emerged from the lake wet and one person is soaking wet. What are you going to do???? It is late in the day and nightfall will be approaching. Potentially you have some wet sleeping bags. In other words, I was looking for a more careful examination of how you would use your resources. You never mentioned anything about the things that you guys had in your pockets that might have been useful. What are you going to do for shelter if it starts to rain or snow, since there is a 40% of that happening? These are all important elements of decision making and one can't just assume things will happen. You needed to have done a better job of spelling out your survival plan. I am taking off 5 points for the aforementioned."

I'll let this circulate for a bit, then will post both my original answer, and my reply too the above, lol.

__________________
Maskirovka: Show the world one thing...then do another.

http://maskirovka.blogspot.com/

What was the original problem and your answer as given? What you give here is the instructor's critique of your answer. That tells me only, say, a third of the whole problem and solution.

Reading between the lines on what is given I'd think the big two immediate issues are 1. Obtaining fire or a method to make a fire and 2. Shelter. Everything else is secondary to that particularly given his statement "It is late in the day and nightfall will be approaching." His focus on long-term resource gains like snow shoes or fish traps and on immediately getting a complete inventory of resources is definitely WAY down the list of things to do in a survival situation.

__________________
Truth is stranger than bullshit!

I found his critique amusing, for reasons that will soon be evident! I agree with your initial two goals. Read and enjoy!








Imagine that it’s very early Saturday morning, and the entire class is huddled together, sipping coffee at Detroit Metro Airport. You and the entire class are about to depart on a 7 AM flight to Northern Canada. My private jet is taking you on an overnight field trip to my wilderness hunting lodge. You are scheduled to meet me for a late lunch at the lodge close to the small town of Schefferville which is in Subarctic Canada, near the border of Quebec and Newfoundland.


The purpose of the trip is to have some fun, and to get in touch with the passion that feeds us. Therefore, the atmosphere will be entirely casual and full of good times. Since it’s just an overnight trip, only one small bag is allowed on the plane. You have been told that the weather is going to be very cold at night, and overcast most of Saturday and Sunday. This is normal weather for this time of year.


You have come prepared for the climate by having insulated underwear, socks, heavy wool shirt, pants, knit gloves, a sheepskin jacket, wool cap, and hiking boots. Since I am already at the lodge, the only people on the plane will be the pilot and your classmates. The appropriate flight plans have been filed with the FAA and the tiny Shefferville airport. Supposedly, the weather conditions are good for flying.


The small executive jet took off as scheduled and is flying at an altitude of 20,000 feet. You are all having the time of you life telling stories, cracking jokes, and looking forward to lunch around the fireplace at the lodge. Your pilot tells everybody that they will be landing pretty soon and to check that your seat belts are fastened. As soon as you fasten your seatbelt, the plane’s engine fails, and the plane goes into an uncontrollable spin. Unfortunately, the pilot was unable to contact anyone since he was doing everything he could to regain control of the aircraft. In a matter of moments, the plane crash-landed into a swampy lake. The pilot was killed upon impact. However, you and the rest of your classmates survive. Before leaving the plane, it appears that the most severe injury is a sprained ankle. You lead everyone to safety by pulling yourself through a window, and you walk knee deep in icy cold water to shore.


After walking about 50 yards to shore, everyone is exhausted and cold. You regroup at the shore- line, and after some discussion, your group calculates that the crash is about 30 miles south of the intended flight pattern and about 25 air miles east of Schefferville. Schefferville is the only town in the area and has a population of 5,000. It’s an iron ore mining community about 800 miles south of the Arctic Circle and 300 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. It is reachable only by air or rail, and any roads in Schefferville end within 5 miles of the town square. The immediate area around the crash site is covered with small evergreen trees (1.5 to 4 inches in diameter). Scattered throughout the area are a number of hills with rocky, barren tops. The swampy lake, where the plane sits, has ice floating on it. About 25% of the region is covered by long, narrow lakes which run northwest to southeast. Countless streams and rivers flow into and connect with the lakes.


As you are standing on shore, you decide to take inventory of what possessions each of you has. Your group discovers it has the following resources: $353 Canadien, US coins ( 2 half dollars, 4 quarters, 2 dimes, 1 nickel, and 3 pennies), 1 pocket knife containing two blades and an awl which resembles an ice pick, one stubby pencil, and an air map which is soaked and barely legible. You have volunteered to go back to the plane and see if there are any salvageable resources on board.


After floating through the aircraft and exploring the underside of the plane, you return soaking wet and shivering. You explain that only 8 things could possibly be taken off the aircraft, and that any salvage attempt must be done quickly. None of the luggage can be retrieved since the baggage compartment door is jammed against a huge bolder which can’t be moved. It’s about 2:30 PM, and the group has decided to salvage just one item for every member of the group. Before making any decisions, one of your group members says that weather should be taken into consideration while making any decisions. The classmate reaches into a shirt pocket and pulls out a computer printout of an extended weather forecast for Schefferville which came from the Weather Channel. The weather doesn’t look encouraging. Nightime temperatures for the next three days are in the mid-30's. The daytime forecast predicts heavy clouds, with a 40% chance of precipitation throughout the weekend.


Taking all things into consideration, which of the following 8 items would your personally choose to take from the crash site? Hopefully, whatever you choose would assist you and your classmates with survival until you are rescued. Good Luck!



magnetic compass
gallon can of maple syrup
hand ax
wind-up alarm clock
3 pairs of snowshoes
fifth of Bacardi rum, 150 proof
1 aircraft inner tube for a 14" tire which is punctured
safety razor shaving kit with a mirror
1 operating flashlight with 4 batteries
13 wood matches in a metal waterproof container
a small bottle of water purification tablets
a duffel bag full of down filled sleeping bags for each person, but the bag is soaking wet
20" by 20" piece of heavy duty canvas
250 feet of 1/4" braided nylon rope, 50 pound test
a book entitled Northern Star Navigation
a soggy bag of groceries that contains a loaf of bread, oreo cookies, and butter













Now that you have taken the time to identify eight items that you feel are critical to have for your survival, did you ever give any consideration as to what your survival strategy might be? So often, we make decisions without looking at the big picture. Depending on the survival strategy you support, some items may be more valuable than others. Remember, you are cold, wet, and you are the one who has a sprained ankle. What survival strategy do you advocate?


If you are like many people in society, you chose the items without thinking clearly about a rescue plan. Such individuals like to act, sometimes impulsively, before thinking. More than likely you behaved this way. Now you get a second chance at surviving.


Look at the following survival strategies. Which one would advocate?

1. all survivors staying put and waiting to be rescued
2. some survivors leaving and others staying
3. all survivors leaving together

Now, go back and re-examine which items best support your survival strategy. As soon as you have identified the best survival strategy based upon the facts presented, and you have identified the eight best items that would support your strategy, email to me your choices as well as a detailed explanation of why you chose the items that you did. Your rationale is most important for this exercise. You can even explain to me why you did not chose some items. Remember, your life and the lives of others depend upon your decision. Please re-read the items carefully. There are some tricky items on the list.


In your email to me, not only do I want to know the chosen items and your rationale to support your survival strategy, but I also want you to address the following:

1. What mistakes in judgment did you make when you initially chose your items?

2. How long do you really think you have to make a good decision about what to
take off the plane. Remember the time of day and conditions sometimes force
people into deciding things too quickly and perhaps making mistakes.


3. If you weren’t restricted to 8 items, do you think you would try to take off more
than 8 items? Do you have a tendency to carry around a lot of excess baggage?


4. If this incident really happened, would you be afraid? Please explain.



This was my solution!
SURVIVOR CHALLENGE, or a walk in the park!

ITEMS


1) all survivors staying put and waiting to be rescued

gallon can of maple syrup
hand ax
3 pairs of snowshoes
fifth of Bacardi rum, 150 proof
13 wood matches in a metal waterproof container
a duffel bag full of down filled sleeping bags for each person, but the bag is soaking wet
250 feet of 1/4" braided nylon rope, 50 pound test
a book entitled Northern Star Navigation

These Items I would rate in importance in this order:
Hand Axe
13 Matches
book (for burning)
duffel bag full of sleeping bags
3 pairs of snow shoes (for fishing)
250' of rope
the fifth and the gallon of maple syrup are extras, as we already have all we need with the first six.

Couple things, If we were coming from Detroit, that means we were approaching our target town from the SW, so we couldn't have ended up EAST of the town. And if we were only 25 miles from the town, then we cannot be 30 miles south of the flight plan. Regardless, with the exceptionally mild temperatures, the abundance of perfect pine trees, and the many fish filled streams, we will soon be sitting around the camp/signal fire, drying out our sleeping bags on the pine trunk frames, cooking a feast of fish, and getting ready for bed in our pine bough lean-toos.

Using elementary infantry skills, we would build fish traps, use pine trunks tied to the snowshoes to scoop the fish to the creek banks, and the rest is history.

Given that we are disallowed to simply walk out (town can be reached by road/rail only, & one member has sprained ankle), and that we were at 20,000 ft/25 mile range from the airports radar, the searchers have a good idea of where we are, and (I assume) that we will not be seeing long periods of darkness this close too the Arctic circle in summertime. Our best chance is obviously too stick together (so no one gets 'lost in the woods'), and with barren hilltops nearby, signal fires on them should be little problem.

This is where he made his critique.

"I can tell that your military skills helped you with this assignment. It is always good to draw upon past experience to help one's self in a crisis. There is nothing wrong with all of you staying together. You implied that you were disallowed to leave and that is not true. That was certainly an available option. The group could have split up with some staying and some leaving, or the entire group could have left. Or, as you suggest they could stay and be rescued. The major flaw that I am finding with you survival plan is how you ignored the existing weather conditions. You did not crash in the summertime. The weather is in the low 40's at best, and more than likely cloudy and damp. Furthermore there is ice on the lake where you crashed. This does not sound like summer to me. A better analysis of weather conditions was a must in order to make your selections work for you. Hypothermia is a big issue here. I like how you were creative using the snow shoes and rope. You were the very first person to offer that perspective on building fishing traps. Excellent. My major concern would be how you are going to get dry. You never mention the importance of doing this first. All of you emerged from the lake wet and one person is soaking wet. What are you going to do???? It is late in the day and nightfall will be approaching. Potentially you have some wet sleeping bags. In other words, I was looking for a more careful examination of how you would use your resources. You never mentioned anything about the things that you guys had in your pockets that might have been useful. What are you going to do for shelter if it starts to rain or snow, since there is a 40% of that happening? These are all important elements of decision making and one can't just assume things will happen. You needed to have done a better job of spelling out your survival plan. I am taking off 5 points for the aforementioned."

And my response to that, lol.

Hmmm, what wasn't clear about:

"Regardless, with the exceptionally mild temperatures, the abundance of perfect pine trees, and the many fish filled streams, we will soon be sitting around the camp/signal fire,

drying out our sleeping bags on the pine trunk frames,

cooking a feast of fish,

and getting ready for bed in our pine bough lean-toos."

I must have given my answer in the minimum of words, as I didn't ignore anything, lol. I remember going through Arctic training in the Army. We were trained that in (or near) the Arctic circle, at night, in winter, you would be lucky too see temperatures above zero. That's why I mentioned the "exceptionally mild" temperatures, a little tongue in cheek humor, that.

He has yet too respond...

__________________
Maskirovka: Show the world one thing...then do another.

http://maskirovka.blogspot.com/

I guess I'd do it a bit differently:

magnetic compass (for navigation when necessary)
gallon can of maple syrup (excellent food source)
hand ax (obvious)
wind-up alarm clock (internal parts and hands on face make fish hooks and spinners, the face and bezel can be used as signalling devices assuming they are shiny.)
3 pairs of snowshoes (broken up for their mesh as fish line and string along with possibly being useful as ready made poles)
13 wood matches in a metal waterproof container (obvious)
a duffel bag full of down filled sleeping bags for each person, but the bag is soaking wet (it will dry in time and the duffel bag is a useful carrying sack)
250 feet of 1/4" braided nylon rope, 50 pound test (obvious)

Initially, stay put and stay together. Walking out is an option for day two or three once basic needs are met.
Job one is get a fire going. I suggest given that most things are damp shaving the pencil down with the pocket knife and igniting the carbon filings as these will burn almost certainly. The canadian paper money is also a potential fire starter.
Once a fire is going collect wood and use the axe and rope to begin building shelter from the available trees and wood on the ground. Use pine needles as ground cover to prevent dampness getting into sleeping bags once they are dry.
For day one, fire and shelter are paramount. Everything else can wait.
From there, decide next day on whether to move or stay put. Send small party with compass to recon the area from higher ground. Majority stay put and improve shelter and collect food: Possiblities include fishing, pine nuts from pine cones, edible plants and possibly setting traps for small game using a small amount of the maple syrup or fish if caught, for bait.
Make sure there is material available to make the fire smoky if a rescue aircraft is spotted.
Also, although initially allowed only 8 items if possible send someone to use the axe to hack off portions of the aircraft skin for better shelter or to make additional tools like a shovel or another axe. It is thin aluminum and should be doable. This is an add-on that would have to be decided by situation.
Given the number of people available, another useful function on day 2 is gathering rock to build up a shallow foundation to make the shelter dryer. Basically, if the weather holds halfway dry within a few days we would have a small rock and log cabin of sorts up with a natural laid stone fireplace for warmth.
Food appears to be reasonably available. At this point it is possible to start working on extracting more stuff from the plane in ernest and possibly looking into walking out. After all, by day 3 we should have a good lay of the land scouting during the day with a small party.

__________________
Truth is stranger than bullshit!

Nice choices!

I assumed that this was something everyone had heard of, and so didn't mention (this is why I didn't pick the clock), but if you build a pair of upright stick "damns" in a shallow, narrow part of a stream, you can trap fish within, and (depending on the style of snowshoe) use this to toss fish to the shore.

On the other hand, why we couldn't simply take all the items off the plane right from the beginning is a mystery. I mean, how hard is it to carry the clock, compass, and the rope?

When I read my instructors response, I was tempted to answer in a typical military manner, such as: "Listen up, you MAGGOT, what part of (my post) didn't you understand? Did your mommy have any kids that lived? WTF....trails off into rest of tirade, lol.

I though it especially amusing that he asked what we were going to do for shelter? Evidently he never heard of a 'pine bough lean too'. And I guess the sleeping bags on racks didn't penetrate either.

__________________
Maskirovka: Show the world one thing...then do another.

http://maskirovka.blogspot.com/

What kind of course was this for if I can ask?

But, my answer is based on having more than a little bit of "roughing it" skills growing up. For instance, my now wife went camping when we were just going out (along with her kids from a previous marrage) and she forgot all the cooking utensils. I improvised a smooth flat rock for a frying pan, aluminum soda cans for pots, and made everyone eat some of the rattlesnake I shot.
On another occasion she watched me extract a Ford F250 and large trailer off a hillside (someone else got it stuck really good in a rain storm) and then her minivan out of a ditch in wilderness using hand tools and a rope. So, I have a bit more experiance than someone living in an urban oblivion like New York.

__________________
Truth is stranger than bullshit!

I like that! I once repaired a tree that had split during a storm. The apartment manager said he hated to cut the tree down, but as the trunk was split, it was only a matter of time. I looked at the tree, looked at the manager and told him I could fix the tree with some rope and wooden rods. The manager (trying to picture what I could be thinking) said that it was impossible too save the tree. An hour later, with the tree tied snugly back together, he admitted he had been wrong. I lived there for several years after that, and when I moved, the tree was alive and doing well.

The odd thing is, this is for a class called "life work planning". From some of the things that have been included so far (reading a book by the 'Blanchard's'), and soon to be watching a movie called "the pursuit of happiness" (the one with Will Smith), the focus of the class is on motivation and determination. One thing about these motivational classes, they all try too focus on people that 'make it big'. This isn't a bad thing, but they would do well to include more down too earth stuff, as how many Michael Jordan's are there running around? You don't have too compare yourself too top athletes to be able too get motivated.

We have taken all sorts of psy tests within the course, and I didn't have the heart too tell the guy that I had already done pretty much the same stuff before I even enrolled at the collage. The one interesting point so far is the personality profiling that we did. I came out with an INTP rating, which is in the 1% section of the population. They use fancy words, but it comes down to just saying "jack of all trades, master of none".

It also explains why I can come up with tons of ideas, but can never follow through with things. I guess I need to marry a gal that can supply my lacks, like practicality, and get it done mentality.

__________________
Maskirovka: Show the world one thing...then do another.

http://maskirovka.blogspot.com/

My answer was pretty similar to T.A's, but I took the inner tube rather than the clock on the basis that they burn quickly and easily however wet they are (I tend to carry some bits of my old inner tube for lighting hexamine on exercise).

I have to agree on 'outdoorsy skills,' I'll never claim to be any kind of woodsman but I know the British countryside quite well and spend as much time as I can in it. I know it's not the same as the wilds across the pond but still, it's mine and I like it . It was an odd feeling of being out of ones depth though when I was on the prarie in Canada, the same in the rockies.

__________________
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.