I agree with both of your above posts: 100%.

I remember the first time I tried to make a water tight basha out of some 550 cord and a USGI poncho. It turned into a rain collector with a big hole in the middle (head hole)...which happened to be exactly what I was sitting under <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

We always try to develop a different skill every time we hike. Some times we don't choose what skill we develop - nature chooses for us. For example: last year my wife and I were a mile into a hike when she turned her ankle (thought it might have broken). I used my trama kit to stablize it (and her), built a split, and carried her out. Afterwords, I ran a several miles (with 30# of gear) to retrieve our SUV. In the end - she kept smiling and was secure the entire time (when I left her sitting on the side of a road in the middle of a National Forrest she had her hand on her own Glock 19, 2qt's of water; etc) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Outdoor activities often start this way...



Mistakes are made (we can climb through 300 yards of storm damage <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )...





Look like this in the middle (that dot is me running to get our truck)....



End up like this....