Shackleton, men were tougher back then.

[Hugh R]

I remember looking at some of the historical coal mines in TN from 100+ years ago. You went in deciding whether you wanted to have your face up or down in the morning.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by RWebb

well, I just cannot equate agricultural settings to wilderness

While not an arctic expedition, they were equally reliant on the land and subject to the whims of mother nature. Caught in a blizzard - dead. Crops die - starve. The nearest help might be days away by horse, it's not like they could just go next door and ask to borrow some flour.

[M.D. Holloway]

Actually, I think that the wildrness would provide a better means to live. Being on a farm means you really can't leave. Your captive. Well runs dry, crops fail, animals die, its not like you can split for a few weeks to go hunt and then come back. In the wild you prolly fashion a hootch, trap and hunt pretty much all day. Maybe prep some hides, source out some water.

Its not easy but if you can keep warm, dry and semi fed I think the wilderness would be a better gig...of course you have bears and wolves to deal with...

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Those are few and far between. Nowadays, we are raising a generation of pussies.

Totally agree. In the beginning you had to be strong to survive. If you were a wuss, someone would kill you or a critter would eat you. Now you are elected to public office and get rich...

America was made what it is by the strong generations before us. The "politically correct" generations we have had the last 30 years are dooming us...

[vash]

i admit. i am a total pussy. i'm not so sure i could walk across a nature park barefooted. i almost had to go to the doc because i got a splinter under my fingernail and it infected.

but..i am not the biggest pussy. i would survive way longer than most..like justin beiber. he would die immediately.

as humans we are getting soft. but this is because we can. if things got ugly, i KNOW we would become cavemen fast.

[911boost]

Read this, onesecondafter.com - Home

While not completely accurate in some parts, I think it does a good job describing how quickly certain types of people will die in a disaster.

Bill

[vash]

Originally Posted by bsiple

read this, onesecondafter.com - home

while not completely accurate in some parts, i think it does a good job describing how quickly certain types of people will die in a disaster.

Bill

thanks!! the author looks like he would last two seconds max..right after his glasses break.

[nota]

Originally Posted by legion

Civilization is a temporary state. Empires rise and fall. When the Romans stopped conquest and became more concerned with bread and circus, their fates were sealed.

I imagine that the reason that the population of Rome declined from around a million people just before the fall to around 35,000 in roughly 100 years was because many of the soft citizens could not cut it.

NO the empire stop expansion by 1 ACE except for minor bits like Britannia
and that was all over before 100ACE but rome's golden age was 0 to 200 ACE
or exactly when the conquest stopped

WHAT KILLED THE EMPIRE WAS THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
allowed by 320 the church quickly took over and destroyed the other beliefs
and by 405 Rome was sacked [by another christian german sect]

bread and circus didNOT cause the fall christians DID

[Shaun @ Tru6]

coaching rowing in New England for years, I qualify for any time period.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

While not an arctic expedition, they were equally reliant on the land and subject to the whims of mother nature. Caught in a blizzard - dead. Crops die - starve. The nearest help might be days away by horse, it's not like they could just go next door and ask to borrow some flour.

Agreed. It was very isolated.

I guess we can blame Henry Ford and his model T for changing all that.


It is still that way in Wyoming during parts of the winter. In a blizzard, no one is going anywhere, esp. those on ranches.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Agreed. It was very isolated.

I guess we can blame Henry Ford and his model T for changing all that.


It is still that way in Wyoming during parts of the winter. In a blizzard, no one is going anywhere, esp. those on ranches.

True, though it's a bit easier to handle when the weather radar tells you to go inside, your house is a comfy 72 deg, and you brew up some coffee and pop in a DVD to weather the storm. Better than walking 50 ft to an outhouse to take a leak, following a rope both ways because you can't see. Modern life is a-ok by me.

[RWebb]

Modern life has some definite advantages -- esp. when you get older.

But there are always people who will push various envelopes - just because. And only some of those envelopes involve fighter aircraft.

[vash]

Originally Posted by RWebb

...... only some of those envelopes involve fighter aircraft.

wuut? shackleton was a fighter pilot?

isnt this the explorer guy?

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by vash

wuut? shackleton was a fighter pilot?

isnt this the explorer guy?

Shackleton was a sailor all of his career.

[sammyg2]

Yep, things were different back when I was your age ..........









hay someone had to say it.

[89911]

Team braves wet, cold retracing Shackleton's steps

I think they read my post and thought to give it a whirl.

[Head416]

I did read the book years ago. It just happen to come on the Smithsonian channel and watched with my son and wife. Plenty of other examples of survival stories before gps, cellphones, and other innovations. I especially enjoy the tales of old whaling ships



http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Sea-Tragedy-Whaleship-Essex/dp/0141001828



Which is a great read.

Fantastic, finished it last night!

[johnco]

when I was very young, I remember at my great grandmother's house the outhouse was across the yard. wanted breakfast? cows were in the barn for milk and chickens for eggs were in the yard. grab some firewood to fire up the stove on your way back. your choices were water from the cistern (pick out the bugs) or homemade wine. kerosene lamps, moss filled mattress, chicken feather pillows. only heat was wood stove in kitchen. no electricity, no running water, no fridge, nothing but the bare essentials. only vehicles they ever owned were boats. nothing and no one around for many miles..some tough old people living a rough life. sure was fun visiting weekends as a kid though. and yes.,. there was the sears catalog hanging in the outhouse

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by johnco

when I was very young, I remember at my great grandmother's house the outhouse was across the yard. wanted breakfast? cows were in the barn for milk and chickens for eggs were in the yard. grab some firewood to fire up the stove on your way back. your choices were water from the cistern (pick out the bugs) or homemade wine. kerosene lamps, moss filled mattress, chicken feather pillows. only heat was wood stove in kitchen. no electricity, no running water, no fridge, nothing but the bare essentials. only vehicles they ever owned were boats. nothing and no one around for many miles..some tough old people living a rough life. sure was fun visiting weekends as a kid though. and yes.,. there was the sears catalog hanging in the outhouse

My great grandparents had some amazing hardships. I have a written family history of them living on the frontier. They would go weeks without seeing any other human. There would be frost on the bed in the mornings. Another family member made the run in 1889. He had to dig a sod house since there were no trees for miles. They almost starved one winter and all that kept them alive was turnips they managed to raise the summer before.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

My great grandparents had some amazing hardships. I have a written family history of them living on the frontier. They would go weeks without seeing any other human. There would be frost on the bed in the mornings. Another family member made the run in 1889. He had to dig a sod house since there were no trees for miles. They almost starved one winter and all that kept them alive was turnips they managed to raise the summer before.

That would be a seriously cool read.

I love The Walking Dead, and one of my favorite elements is the concept of survival in a post-apocalypse world. It would be very hard to give up our modern cushy life, a lot of people would die just trying to survive. You know, the ones that the zombies didn't eat.