72 hour car kit Power

Yesterday I worked at Regional Hospital located on Military road in South Seattle (near the airport). As you locals know, it snowed the night before a little and snowed all day yesterday. The seattle area is a mess whenever it snows. Between the lack of snow plows, hills, and lack of knowledge and good judgement of the people when it comes to driving in the snow, our region quickly become immobilized with stranded cars and accidents. My shift goes from 7am to 7:30 pm. My replacement didn't make it until 9pm. She came from Issiquah a 35 min commute on a normal day. Yesterday it was a 3 hour commute. I didn't work the next day and I was in the mood for an adventure and so decided to check out the road scene. The hospital parking lot is down the hill from the road and it took me 3 tries to get out of the parking lot. Challenge one concurred. I got on the freeway with ease. This freeway was closed a couple house earlier as it was a parking lot, but now at 10pm, we moved with ease past many, many stranded cars and a few minor accidents. Driving actually went real smooth until I reached the large hill just before my house (I was by Ikea). Cars were standing still. we inched along a car length every 10 minutes which I think was from people turning around more then actually making progress. I knew from getting out the the parking lot that even if I had the patience to wait, there was no way my car was getting up the hill. So I gave Ryan a call to have him google the distance from Ikea to my house. He said it was 1.5 miles.

"Ohhh, that is not bad. I am totally walking." I informed him.

I had a cell phone, there were people everywhere, there were warm houses, and even a hospital before I hit my house so I assessed it was pretty much a low risk activity. However, I wasn't really dressed for the event and although I thought I could probably make it in the clothes I was wearing (medium weight jacket, super thin cotton scrubs) I knew it wouldn't be fun so I sought out to rectify it. I parked my car and popped my trunk to see what I had to work with. I spotted my full leather hiking boots I left in my trunk since building our house. I smiled. "Sweet, my procrastination has paid off!" Then I cracked open my 72 hour kit, excited to actually get to use it. There were no clothes in the back of my car so I knew I would have to get creative. The helpful items that I had were 2 ponchos, 2 space blankets, 6 clothe winco bags, and a shake powered flashlight. So, I put on the boots, stuffed my pants and jacket with the clothe winco bags, wrapped each leg with a space blanket, tucking them into my sox and pants to keep them in place and topped it off with a poncho. I put the second poncho in my purse just in case I met someone who could use it. Things that I was sad I couldn't justify the use of - my crank radio, a simple plastic tent, the food bars (they are like 1,000 calories each in these little food bars. Although I hadn't eaten since lunch, the 3 days worth of bars are all sealed together and they don't expire until 2012, so I thought since this "emergency" was so weeny, I would save it for another one. One can only hope.) So in my new fashion statement, I set off. It was awesome. Wearing a poncho brought back all these childhood memories. Everyone was staring at me as I walked on my way. The space blankets were AWESOME! It was incredibly windy (they had high wind warnings of 50 mile winds with temperatures adjusted in the teens) and on one leg my space blanket kept blowing out of my sock. So I could feel the difference between legs, but the winco bags also did a lot and overall I was totally warm. I came accross several others on foot too. One lady was headed to the hospital. She was a labor and delivery nurse from Redmond. She was wearing comparable clothes as me - medium weight jacket and scrubs. She had been on the road for the last 5 hours. Yikes! She was blocks away from her destination by this time though. I told her what I was up to and what I was wearing. With every layer I described she would reply, "oh, you poor thing." I kept telling her, "no I am totally warm. It is awesome." But she couldn't help but reply, "oh you poor thing. When we were about to part she said, "Do you have any gloves? You could have mine." They were simple strenchy knit gloves. I relplied, "How nice of you, but I have pockets in the this cave of warmth with my poncho. I am tally warm" I was trying to instill confidence in her of my state, but she couldn't help herself and she said, "Oh you poor thing." It was a good thing we were parting.

As I headed up "snake hill" an incredibly steep and windy side hill and was shocked to see cars still trying to go up and down it. Wow, people are more stupid then I originally thought. I saw a couple staring at their car that is in a ditch and practically on it's side.

"Is that your car?" I asked

"Yup" they confirmed

"Do you need any help?" I inquired, fully ready to bring home anyone who didn't know where to go.

"Oh no we live just up the hill. We are trying to decide if we can dig it out." Wow, they are glass half full type of people as there was no way they were getting that thing out without another vehicle.

Then the girl sizes me up and ask, " Do you need help?"

"Help? No way I am totally warm. Space blankets are awesome. I live just up the hill too."

Hmmmm, I guess my outfit didn't instill confidence in others. I was thinking I was totally cool using anything and everything to be sucessful........and I was.......sucessful.

No one wanted my poncho. Their loss. I got home at 11pm and checked on my chickens before I went inside.

So without futher ado, I present to you a warm Quinae

And here is layer 2.

It was pretty much awesome. I had a great time. I was a bit disappointed It wasn't more challenging. I was in suburbia, it was totally light out with the street lights and snow reflecting - I didn't even use my flashlight. There were lots of people everywhere. So many ways for help if I needed it. It was only 1.5 miles. To keep myself entertained as I walked I did try to figure out how I would hunker down for the night in the elements if such a situation arise. I decided it would be hard and miserable. I thought of Bear from Man vs. Wild. One day though, I will have a better story.