Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, July 15, 2023

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, July 15, 2023 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

Gorgeous 

LULU BLUE

Meet LULU BLUE! Yes, Lulu Blue 
is named after her beautiful blue 
eyes! She is gorgeous, and super 
affectionate! She and her babies 
were found in someone's attic. Her 
foster mom says, "Still getting comfortable being held and 
sitting on laps, but is desperate for at-tention. This petite girl 
purrs, flops, and rolls when I pet her. She seems to be good 
with other cats. So patient, and she really loves her people. 

She comes running to me the second I walk in. Weaves up against my legs and flops so 
I can rub her belly. True to the Siamese trait, she is also very, very vocal. (Not for you if 
you want a quiet kitty!)

 I have never seen eyes so blue!" Born 7/2022.

See more of Lulu on our website's "Teen and Young Adult" page.

 SETTING SURVIVAL 
PRIORITIES 
-PART 
TWO

[Nyerges is the author of “Urban 
Survival Guide,” “Extreme 
Simplicity: Homesteading in 
the City,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” and other books 
on survival and self-reliance. For more information on 
his classes and books, go to www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.
com, or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]

A few weeks ago, we talked about what it 
actually means to “being prepared.” We addressed 
some of the factors that come into 
play, such as your location, your household 
situation, and various details that would affect 
how each individual prepares for some 
possible calamity.

I shared commentary from two experts. 
Here are the comments from more experts 
on this topic.

KEITH FARRAR

Keith Farrar is a family man and a survival 
skills instructor. He developed a teaching 
system to help students consider survival priorities. 
Farrar’s perspective is that while our 
environments change, our needs do not. He 
believes that we do not need to re-think our 
priorities in different environments. “While 
the items we put into our kit to address those 
priorities may differ from environment to 
environment, the priorities and how we address 
them do not change,” he explains.

“I have never been a fan of survival instructors 
that give a list of survival gear to carry,” 
he explains, “because you wind up with a 
bunch of stuff where you may or may not 
know their given purpose. Teaching the 
priorities in a survival situation and allowing 
the student to put into their kit whatever 
tools they are comfortable using to address 
each of the priorities makes more sense.”

“I follow the ‘Rule of 3s.’ However, I have 
added in two very important concepts that 
make the Rule of 3’s a complete survival system. 
Lastly I look at the “10 Essentials” which 
is a list of gear to carry created in the 1930s 
by the mountaineering group called “The 
Mountaineers”. 

“The ‘Rule of 3s’ are used like a pilot’s checklist, 
meaning if that priority is covered, you 
go on to the next priority. The first aid priority 
is a good example; it is very high up on the 
list, however, if you have no life threatening 
or major issues (severe bleeding or anaphylaxis 
for example), you move on to your next 
priority.

“The original ‘Rule of 3s’ covers how long 
you can live without addressing important 
survival needs:

• Three seconds without “Hope”: This means 
a positive mental attitude, the will to live. 
Yes you will not die after 3 seconds without 
hope, however this sets the tone for your survival 
situation.

•Three minutes without “Air”: While I am 
amazed at how many survival instructors 
think this only relates to “air”, meaning 
drowning, the reality is “Air” is a metaphor 
for bodily functions, meaning any life 
threatening First Aid issue where you stop 
breathing.

Carry: A first aid kit with items you know 
how to use. Take a wilderness first aid class.

• Three minutes without “Shelter”: This is 
thermoregulation (keeping your body core 
temperature at 98.6 degrees). This is addressed 
with shelter and fire.

Carry: Tarp shelter or poncho, cordage, 
lighter, matches, ferro rod, fire starting ma

terial, knife (to help process wood)

• Three days without “Water”: While you 
may perish in less than 3 days in the desert, 
or live longer than 3 days in cold & moist 
environments, this priority certainly comes 
after shelter. 

Carry: water container, water filter, water 
purification chemical, metal container to 
boil water.

• Three weeks without “Food”: You may get 
hungry and grumpy, however you will not 
die without food. It is a low priority.

Carry: Extra food, trail snacks, snare wire, 
the knowledge of trapping and processing 
small game.”

Farrar also believes that signaling and navigation 
should be considered, in order to have 
a complete system.

“DOCTOR P”:

Doctor P wanted to remain anonymous, and 
he has made a specialty of being prepared at 
home, and specifically for medical situations.

He says, “If I stayed at home in my condo 
(after some emergency), I’d fill the bathtub 
with water, have a few 5 gallon buckets for 
toilets, lots of TP and or alcohol and rags for 
hygiene, beans, rice, or MRE's, guns and lots 
of bullets, some bleach to add to the water 
in the tub and back of toilet for cooking and 
drinking, have a dozen 3-day candles, and 
stock up on antibiotics (you can use the ones 
for animals from feed stores; I like valleyvet.
com). If you have medical needs, stock up.”

Dr. P has a bug-out bag that contains food, 
water, water purification tablets, flashlight, 
supplies for shelter and warms, a variety of 
tools (including rope and fire-starters), as 
well as hygiene and first-aid supplies.

CATHERINE HEINLEIN

Heinlein is a college instructor in nursing 
programs. She says:

“For our nursing program's disaster preparedness 
curriculum in the Community 
Health Nursing course, we include a list of 
contents in the American Red Cross recommended 
disaster survival kit. It will hold one 
person for 72 hours. Can look it up on their 
website.

JAMES RUTHER

According to lifelong wilderness explorer 
and bushcrafter James Ruther, “I set my priorities 
by the age-old ‘rule of 3,’ and I build 
my kits around it.” 

Ruther makes his survival kits based on the 
Rule of 3, as explained above. 

According to Ruther, “My first line of defense 
is my clothes and what’s in my pockets. 
So I carry my EDC pocket knife, mini 
multitool, ferro rod, lighter, and fresnel lens. 
When I am day hiking, I carry a fixed knife, 
32 oz water bottle, space blanket, and a Silky 
Pocketboy saw. Then I have more in my car, 
where I carry my ‘get home’ or 72 hour kit. 
In all my kits, I carry enough for two. In the 
car, I have always carried a hatchet, a bow 
saw, and a shovel. I have had to use all three 
tools in the past to get me out sticky situations. 
Heavy storms bring down trees where 
the hatchet and saw come in handy. Sometimes 
you’re driving off road and get stuck 
and that’s where the shovel come in handy.” 

Ruther goes on to say that “The most exciting 
4x4 driving I have ever done was going 
fishing with a couple of ‘old guys’ in an 80s 
vintage Datsun B210. One of the guys would 
look at the other and ask if they should try 
the next section of road, to which he’d reply 
‘Do we have the shovel?’ which was the deciding 
factor to go or not.”

CONCLUSION

You can’t go wrong by giving the Rule of 3 
and the 10 Essentials serious consideration. 
But also, look through the lens of YOUR 
family in YOUR location, 
since every situation is 
unique, and will require a 
unique approach so that 
you get through it safely and 
in good health. 

Everyone listed above has a 
deep involvement in practical 
day to day survival, and 
so their comments are well 
worth noting.


Pet of the Week

 
Lovely Miss Yolanda (“Yo” for short) has been waiting patiently 
for her forever home for quite some time! We really don’t know 
why, as she is such an amazing girl! Yolanda has been in a foster 
home and gotten stellar reviews. Her foster tells us Yolanda has 
been a wonderful house guest. She adjusted really well to the foster 
home and learned the routines quickly. She sleeps when left alone 
during day, no barking or separation anxiety. “Yo walks great on 
a leash, loves to go for rides. She’s a good mix of sassy confident 
and sweet sensitive. Very loving, she will nudge up to your hands 
and get excited with her butt and tail wagging asking for attention. 
She wants to be close and is a great cuddler. She really enjoys bones 
and her kong. During the day, she’s either sleeping on dog bed 
by my desk or snoring behind me on couch. She’s a great couch 
companion watching a show or game. She sleeps in bed next to me 
peacefully at night. I can tell that she’s used to being a family dog. 
This sweet old lady is going to make whoever adopts her incredibly 
happy!” Yolanda is truly a special girl ready for her special home. 
Could that be yours? The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog 
adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. New adopters will receive 
a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled 
with information about how to care for your pet. 

 View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. 
Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every Sunday and 
Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or 
email. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com