I think about this just about every time I leave the house, especially if the distance is greater then 20 miles or more. I maintain maps of the area, my EDC bag, and spare water and food sleeping bag and tarp in the vehicle i'm driving. It get's more complicated as I take a friend to dialysis every other day or so which is about 20 miles away. If/when disaster strikes EMP or CME ,and we are on foot/wheel chair, there is a lot of challenges along the way. There likely won't be any GPS or cell phone service. The harsh reality, without dialysis my friend will not survive long. Pushing 250+ Lbs of person and gear will deteriorate a wheel chair on highway rather fast, (providing the highway is passable), not to mention my own ability to continuously push the chair . Weather can also have adverse effects on travel. Often times there are more than one specific disaster happening at the same time. Earth quake can include flood and fire, as well as desperate people panicking over the events. I've been forced on foot before ,but there were no conditions such as the afore mentioned , and the walk was not any special event. Dad stuck his truck in the woods, so we hiked out. By the way , If I ride with some one else, My EDC bag always comes along, and I'm watching the terrain ,considering the potential walk home. What are the obligations and added loads to your capacity in the realm of getting home on foot ?
I keep water and a GHB in the truck and always make sure my foot gear is capable of a long walk home. Maybe a bit too simple, but so far so good.
Arleigh, I was also wondering about this. Maybe not so paranoid, after all. We have safety kits and GHBs in both vehicles. Living in the South, one of our always preps is drinking water, which really came in handy when our Jeep broke down last August. After a long day's work, we could have gotten a case of heat stroke just waiting for the tow truck. So, an additional consideration for us is how to best travel at night. I figure it'd be good to be able to switch from red light if going cross country, to white if following the roads. Need bug protection, too. With 2 young kids, it might be wise to have a rope from me in the front to mom in the rear for the kids to hold onto, and an empty backpack for their tablets and favorite toys that can't wait in the van. Just spitballin'... Thanks for making me think!
I made a cart for breaking down and storing the trunk, but lately I have a wheel chair occupying that space.
Because I do a two hour trip a couple times a week to check on my mom that goes through the middle of nowhere, I think about this a lot. My husband got me a newer car to do the trip (that man seriously said to me that there is a twenty mile no phone reception area I drive though and "that's where the ax murderers are", oi), and I carry my CERT pack with me all the time. My biggest concern is that no matter where I go, I have a person I worry about eighty miles away.
I got into this studying mountain men and whatnot, and I got to say, there is something to say for being able to say "it's my time" and go out for along walk...
I think about what if we have to walk every time we go some place. We just drove to Vegas and one of the first things I packed was a case of water. Now that the kids are older, everyday commuting is easier. I have my "stuff" in the car and depending on the weather, I can pick and choose what to carry with me if I have to walk home. @arleigh I read that you would have to push a wheel chair. That is hard. IMO it is easier to pull then to push but I do not think that is do-able with a wheel chair.
The person I'm pushing is old, and over weight , so tilting back on the two large wheels is not an option, which under normal circumstance would normally for me, be much easier for long distances. Too boot there are no brake controls on the handles ,so going down hill gets to be a bit of a challenge. The other problem is the possibility of roads that have become impassable due to over pass collapse or traffic jamb . Going off road to by pass these things can be treacherous . Thankfully there are no significant rivers to cross .