Always be prepared for injuries in the field

I want to tell you a little story. This is a story about a lack of preparation. A story of when being stupid was thankfully followed by being lucky. Without the latter, the former would have kept me from telling this story at all. Depending on luck is a terrible decision in a survival situation. Depending on "well, this has always worked before" is foolish ‑ we should learn from those around us who may have more experience or more knowledge (or even a differing perspective or viewpoint). As Bismark is to have said, "Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others." This would make me a fool and you, the reader, wise.

I wish that I had had DNA Tactical to learn from when I was a younger man eager to explore the mountains and the trails of New England. In fact, I had no one to learn from. I just tried something once and, if it wasn't a disaster, I repeated it. I took only the precautions that my experience had taught me were necessary. I prepared for only what my very limited exposure to the potential hazards of the world had shown me might happen. If I hadn't experienced it, I didn't seem capable of imagining it. Ah, the halcyon days of youth. Certainly, I never considered having medical equipment with me, for I was young and strong and agile and was certain that I would avoid any problems with luck and athleticism. I was wrong.

I was hiking up Mount Garfield in the presidential range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire one summer. I had woken up, eaten breakfast, broken camp and was about to brush my teeth before getting on with my ten day loop. As I bent down to my pack, a movement at the periphery of the little clearing where I had spent the night caught my eye. A fully grown male black bear was slowly walking along the edge of the trees looking at me as he circled my little campsite. Feeling certain that all would be well, I stood slowly and raised my arms above my head and walked carefully backwards out of camp. The bear proceeded to pull the contents out of my pack and look for something that interested him. I had a great loaf of bread that friends had baked for me in their stone oven…the bear scooped it into his mouth and walked about 30 yards uphill and into some bushes and began his breakfast. I walked back to my pack to assess his handiwork ‑ not much damage had been done, and there was plenty of food left.

As I reached for my scattered belongings, I kept an eye on the bushes uphill. As soon as my fingertips made contact with my block of Vermont cheddar cheese, the bushes exploded violently and the head, shoulders, and forelegs of the bear appeared, followed by the very substantial rest of him, at a dead run directly toward me. Now, I had read all about how to deal with bear…I turned and ran like hell. He swiped at my back and shoulders as I ran and I sprawled forward onto my hands and knees ‑ still scrambling forward and not looking back. Determined to continue to retreat as fast as possible no matter whether I had my feet under me or not. As I stumble-sprinted down the trail, I soon realized that the bear was not behind me. I crept back to my little site only to find him standing up on his hind feet with my now scattered food and equipment beneath him. I knew defeat when I saw it, and turned and began the long walk out.

I was shockingly lucky. I was not hurt. He had only scratched and bruised me through my vest and t-shirt. I had not injured anything in my fall and had done myself no damage in my mad dash away from him. I easily could have been badly incapacitated, with no help and no medical supplies to bind any wounds or staunch any bleeding.

DNA Tactical has a full range of medical kits built from years of experience of men and women working in the woods and the streets and the battlefields. They have the knowledge and the equipment to keep us safe no matter what hazards we may choose to face or that life may throw at us. Learn from my folly and benefit from their experience. Self defense means keeping yourself and your loved ones safe from harm and caring for them should harm come your way. Be wise and let DNA Tactical prepare you for the adventures of life.