My teacher once asked if I were on a deserted island, what three things I'd wish I had with me. The three things are a fire starter kit, a bow and a hatchet. An interesting fact about all of the items I have chosen is that every item is useful for building a shelter or for use as a weapon.
One reason I would want a fire starter kit would be so I can cook game that I catch. Other uses for the fire starter is for purifying drinking water, for building a fire to stay warm, and to petrify wood for building a shelter. It can also provide light at night so animals will leave me alone, and the smoke will stop the mosquitos from eating me.
I would want a bow to provide myself with food. A bow could be very useful in a bad situation, for protection, or could help build my shelter. A bow has a thick string on it that shoots the arrows. The string can help start a fire, keep food hung up, or tie up wood for a wall. However, the most important thing about a bow, in my opinion, would be obtaining food from fish to birds.
The hatchet is pretty much an essential item for chopping wood or even food. A hatchet has two sides: one side is flat like a hammer and the other side is a sharp axe head. Therefore, a hatchet can make arrows for your bow, or chop wood for a fire or for your shelter. A hatchet can be used for so many things and that is why it is the most essential item to me.
To my surprise one day I did indeed find myself stranded on a deserted island.
Excerpt from my journal:
March 11, 2011 Night 1
I have sweat running down my face as I walk out of the crashed plane. I cannot breathe. 'Where am I'? I think. I look around the plane. I know in the cockpit there is an emergency bag with a hatchet, flint and steel. As I crawl through the plane I start to cry, because it is a small one-man plane my dad bought me before he died. 'Where is this bag?' I ask myself. I see a nice compound bow in the pit, so I grab the bow and walk off the plane. 'Oh, here is the bag!' I exclaim when I find it lying on the sand.
First things first. I have to find some kind of shelter. I start to explore the island. It was not very big from what I remember seeing from the air. "This is a good spot." I reach into the bag and grab the hatchet. It is very sharp, so I have to be careful when I chop wood. After a day of hard work, it starts to get dark, so I know I need a fire.
The flint and steel came with instructions, so it is very easy to use.
I look around for dry grass or paper and find some deer tracks, but I must get the fire started. By the time I return to my camp, it is really dark. I cannot find my bag or anything, so I cannot start the fire, and during the first night, bugs make a feast of me, so I did not sleep. It was a rough night.
March 12, 2011, Night 2
The sun is starting to rise and I get to work right away. By noon my shelter is almost done, the fire is started and I am petrifying the last four pieces of wood for my shelter. I remember watching a video of building a shelter, and remember if I petrify the wood it will stay sturdier than regular wood and will not fall apart.
March 13, 2011, Night 3, 12 p.m.
There is something lurking behind my camp.
March 15, Night 5, 2011
It has been a couple of days and no sign of human life, I am starting to lose weight, and the few fish I am consuming are not maintaining me. Then I remember something being behind my camp, so look for the prints. Human footprints; can it be?
March 16, Night 6
I am packing up and leaving camp to locate the humans. I follow the tracks for miles, and I have to stop finally because it is getting dark.
March 17, Night 7
The sun has peaked over the mountain. It is time to leave. As I walk up the mountain, I hear a loud boom! Suddenly, I see a large camp ahead. "Hey you," someone yells. I turn to look. I fall and start to cry. "It is going to be all right," they say.
March 18
I am finally home, and my rescue is all over the news.
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