Head Lesion

Bathtub: 1
Cole: 0

It isn't as bad as it looks. He just has a small half-inch split on the back of his head from his bathing acrobatics. After a short 60 minute wait in the emergency room, the doctor (who I was able to covertly photograph in the mirror) glued it back together and wrapped it up.

I doubt this was serious enough to change his future behavior in the tub. Darwinism, after all, only works with life threatening/ending consequences.

What to keep in mind when being rescued in the bush by a helicopter

1. If you are trying to see if your mobile phone has a signal, walk 15 feet to the left or right before discounting that as an option.
2. If you are among heavy overgrowth, do not light a signal fire.
3. If you can't persuade the camp idiot not to start a fire, then make him stand watch over his damn fire.
4. If the he doesn't stay on task and repeatedly walks away from the fire, assign someone more competent to watch it.
5. After you receive confirmation that the helicopter has located you, put the fire out.
6. Have some water handy for when the down-draft of the helicopter turns your signal fire into a scattering of 10 small bush fires. Stamping out the fire and throwing dirt on it also works surprisingly well.
7. It is best not to have your tent erected in a helicopter landing zone.
8. Especially a landing zone that has a shower of sparks from random bush fires.
9. If your tent is flung 50 feet from the landing zone by the helicopter downdraft, accept that your tent poles will snap.
10. When the helicopter comes back to pick up the injured person, be prepared to put out any fires you thought were extinguished but have flared up again.

A week ago, I went camping in Budawang National Park with some guys from work (and their lobotomized friend). Near the end of the first day we came upon a woman day-hiker who had kidney stones. She was in excruciating pain. We were about 2 1/2 hours hike from the car park at a brisk pace, but it would have taken more than twice that time to hike her out. Two guys from her party hiked out to get help, but lucky for her Scott was able to get his mobile phone to connect after walking around trying to find a signal. Scott called the emergency number and we were hooked up with a chopper within the hour. It was a nice bit of unplanned excitement to add to the trip without any real danger to anyone (except my poor tent).