Topic: I can't figure out how people think sometimes.

[WeatherHost]

There's a new cop show running called "Frontier Force" that follows officers from several agencies in Montana.  In one of the episodes they're dealing with the aftermath of a severe blizzard.  They're traveling in a snowtrack like machine going out to check on residents of remote farms.  Of course, one of the problems is widespread power outages.  As they arrive at one of the farms, the first thing the resident asks for is water because their well pump won't run without power.

I'm looking at the screen in awe of the stupidity as there are clearly several inches of snow on the ground and drifts a few feet deep.  Ummmmmm, WTF is SNOW made of people????  There is plenty of wood around these farms to get a fire going under a large pot or barrel to melt all the snow you can shovel.

Aside from that, why would someone in a remote area not have a generator to at least run the well pump?

What really made me laugh though was when the cop handed the woman two 16 Oz bottles of water.  Yeah, like that's gonna help a bunch!

I just can't figure out why these farmers/ranchers weren't more self-sufficient.

[Downlinerz2]

 

[wxtech]

I noticed that.  Blame it on the script writer.  Also, the green monster/snow cat broke a track and stopped.  The driver called in and was told to only make wide turns.  So, he started up again.
Also did you notice the driver was out in 10 foot drifts and only wearing a short sleeve shirt?  I guess we have to be as stupid as the producer to enjoy the show.

[Mark / Ohio]

Kind of like people around here complaining of lost refrigerated food when an ice storm took out power for several days a few years back.  Outside temp was down to <10°F at night and stayed below freezing during the day once the storm passed.

My attached garage worked quite well as a refrigerator and the back porch as a freezer at those temps.  One of my customers with no covered porch backed their Cadillac out of the garage into the driveway and used the trunk for a freezer.   

[Dr Obbins]

I can't figure out how people think sometimes.

The reason you can't figure it out is - they are not thinking 

[WeatherBeacon]

Don't forget that in many television programs it is outrageousness that sells. Consider any number of examples. Would Orange County Choppers have been as popular if "Senior" had not blown a gasket every episode and had they not been under extreme deadlines all the time? Would all the current extreme chef programs be so popular if everything went smoothly and the boss praised all the employees? Would American Idol even have been as popular if Simon had not been as brutally abrasive as he was? Ad infinitum. Not to mention the grotesque examples of extremism on TV. (I said I won't mention them. ) Then there's the sitcoms where nearly every laugh is based on either sex or someone's stupidity.

[xykotik]

I remember as a kid being bored on rainy summer afternoons since all that was on (pre-cable) was soap-operas.  We got into the regular habit of turning down the TV and playing music records and seeing if anything synced up.  That was good for some laughs when there were no "reality" shows to flip to.  These days, I think it might be just as effective with just about anything on there, from "real housewives" to CSPAN.

(Ok. who is going to jump in with a Dark-Side/Wiz anecdote?)

[WeatherHost]

OK, they did it again in another episode.  Hunters had gotten lost and spent two nights in the woods after a snowstorm that left several inches of new snow.  First thing the one guy says when they find their way out to where the cops are is "I'm thirsty", yet he also complains he nearly burned himself when he got too close to his campfire.

What am I missing?  Is there something about melting snow for water that I don't know?

[Downlinerz2]

    I saw the advert for that episode and I couldn't believe the whole situation. It sounded like the police had absolutely nothing to go on in finding these guys. They did not know what region they were hunting in.  They did not know what trail they used. They pretty much could of been anywhere from the sound of it.  Hopefully I will se the replay tonight.  Probably the same people that come here ice fishing on Lake Erie every year and end up floating out into the lake when the ice breaks up on them and they drift a few miles out into the lake.  But every year it is the same thing over and over.

[IMADreamer]

I think here is a good chance these were "city farmers" as we like to call them.  They are city people who have never seen a farm except on TV and then they decide, hey I'm going to move out there.  This explains how they have no survival skills.  The same for the hunters in the other example.  Probably from the city. 

We get those types all the time around here, they are quite comical. 

[WeatherHost]

I go back to my question; is there some reason I'm not aware of that you should not melt snow for drinking water?  I know there are contaminates in the air that can be picked up by rain and snow, but assuming you have a way to heat/boil it like the people in both of these cases did, it should be safe to drink, right?


My own neighbor even did this during our major ice storm a couple of years back.  Power was out, roads were blocked by fallen trees.  It was a few days before anyone could go anywhere.  Guy's well pump wouldn't work (never thought to have a generator on hand I guess), but he had a wood stove and a kerosene heater, yet was complaining about being out of water despite several inches of snow on the ground.

I just don't get it.

[Downlinerz2]

   As far as I know it is safe to drink snow melt.  When I was a kid we ate snow all the time.  We would pour warm maple syrup on it so that it turned into  a solid top and ate it like candy.  It would beat dying of thirst for sure.

[W3DRM]

I think that what is NOT recommended is to eat snow directly without melting it first. Not sure why but I seem to remember that being taught in survival school many years ago in the USAF.

[paleoguy]

Having know a couple of Montana people, I have to believe that the lack of believability factor lies primarily with the show's producers.  My friends are pretty self-reliant and probably are laughing at the episodes along with us.  What's disturbing to me, is that these shows are aimed at what's felt as main-stream America.

[SLOweather]

I think that what is NOT recommended is to eat snow directly without melting it first. Not sure why but I seem to remember that being taught in survival school many years ago in the USAF.

If you are in a situation where snow is the only source of water, presumably the outdoor temperatures are 32F or below. Eating snow directly consumes body warmth and calories from food or fat to generate that heat to melt the snow and warm it to body temperature.

Melting the snow first indirectly conserves body heat.

[WeatherHost]

That would make sense, but I'd think there was an issue of particulate matter also which melting and boiling would release.

[IMADreamer]

If I were somewhere and was thirsty I'd eat snow or melt it first.  It only seems the logical thing to do.

[Downlinerz2]

I think that what is NOT recommended is to eat snow directly without melting it first. Not sure why but I seem to remember that being taught in survival school many years ago in the USAF.

If you are in a situation where snow is the only source of water, presumably the outdoor temperatures are 32F or below. Eating snow directly consumes body warmth and calories from food or fat to generate that heat to melt the snow and warm it to body temperature.
Melting the snow first indirectly conserves body heat.

    I think SLOweather has hit the nail on the head .  Melt the snow first if at all possible.

[Farmtalk]

Hmmm...the downfall of mindless television today?

[Downlinerz2]

  Cannot blame TV.  It is the people who are mindless!

[Farmtalk]

Yeah  you're right, I guess tv is the scapegoat 

[WeatherHost]

Well, here's one who knew what to do:

Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:35pm EST

(Reuters) - A college student stranded in her car for nine days on a barren northern Arizona road has been rescued after living on candy bars and melted snow, authorities said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/22/us-stranded-snow-idUSTRE7BL1KO20111222

[Farmtalk]

Hey, you gotta do whatcha gotta do...Glad the person is ok

Amazing survival story!