| 6/13/2005 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Women had the opportunity to learn about everything from canoeing basics to how to build camp fires. |
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| A canoeing instructor shows students what to do if a canoe becomes water-logged. (Staff photo by Jenny Jones) |
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Women learn outdoor survival skills
Jenny Jones
Courier Staff Writer
On the grounds of Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, near Old Timbers Lodge, a group of women scurried to start camp fires and erect makeshift shelters in hopes of staying alive for another 48 hours.
With Vaseline-soaked cotton-balls, lighters and small piles of dry grasses and sticks, the women built fires to keep warm and to draw rescue crews’ attention. Then they pulled tarps from their survival packs and strung them among tree branches, creating shelters to help lock in the heat of their fires as well as provide cover from nature’s elements.
“Most people who end up ‘lost’ are either found or dead within 48 hours,” Bill Beville, Jennings County conservation officer, said. “You’ve just got to understand ... every adventure has the potential to go wrong. Being prepared is the most important thing.”
Learning how to prepare for an outdoor adventure was just one of the skills participants of the first-ever Outdoor Women at Big Oaks had the opportunity to acquire during the all-day event Saturday. They also had a chance to take classes in canoeing, archery, self-defense, backpacking, fly fishing, nature journalizing, wildflowers and edibles and several other nature-oriented topics.
Fifty-five women took part in the program which was sponsored by the Big Oaks Conservation Society, Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, the Indiana Air National Guard and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Cindy Spillman, Women in the Outdoors regional coordinator, said she was pleased with the turnout. She and the sponsoring agencies hope to make it annual event.
Participants in the wilderness survival course were given a checklist of supplies they should carry with them whenever they go hiking or camping. The list included items such as a first-aid kit, a knife, iodine tablets, sunscreen, a metal cup and other essentials.
Beville showed the women how to turn everyday objects into compact, multi-purpose items. One example he gave was a fishing reel. He showed the women how to turn a water bottle into a fishing reel by attaching about 20 feet of fishing line and a lure to the bottle with duct tape.
“Think outside the box,” Beville said. “Always be prepared for the worst to happen.”
Beville gave the women other survival tips that ranged from ways to make kindling for fires to how to purify water for drinking. Cotton-balls covered in Vaseline stay lit for about five minutes, allowing time to build a fire around them, and an iodine tablet in two quarts of water make it suitable for drinking, he said.
After the women had the opportunity to put their wilderness survival skills to work in simulation, it was time to move on to the next class. Some of the women went to turkey hunting while others went to either firearm safety, hiking and camping, wildflowers and edibles or self defense.
Other participants spent the three-hour morning block in one class, learning either the basics of ATV riding, bird watching or canoeing.
At Old Timbers lake, the sky was cloudy and rain drizzled on and off as the women strapped on their life jackets and prepared for canoeing class.
The women started the class in boats with instructors. As their confidence built, each student was encouraged to pair up and board a canoe with a fellow classmate. Then every student was given the opportunity to be in a canoe by herself.
As the women paddled around the lake, there was a sense of calm. Only the faint sound of chatter and laughter could be heard from the shore as the women practiced their skills.
At the end of the morning sessions, the women gathered at the lodge for lunch and then they were off again for two more nature courses of their choice.
Joe Robb of Big Oaks Wildlife Refuge walked by as a small group met under a tent to learn about camping and hiking. He asked if everyone was having a good time and the women answered “Yes” without hesitation. They were enjoying their time in outdoors, learning skills that would help them start new hobbies.
When the event ended, all the women gathered in the lodge. They talked about what they learned, shared ideas with one another and said they looked forward to next year’s Outdoor Women at Big Oaks event.
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