First Public Meeting

On Monday, January 19th, the first public meeting of the KBE was held at Virginia Point. On the agenda for the evening were four presentations. An impromptu podium and easel were created by KBE member Marley, and combined with the couches for the audience made for a comfortable lecture setting.

To begin the presentations, the Supreme Commander of the Order of the Blue Elephant, Derek, began with a simple demonstration of techniques for creating a snow shelter. The information presented had been culled from several survival sources, including the SAS and US Army survival manuals.

Following on this presentation, the Guardian of the Inexhaustible Treasury, Marley, gave an excellent demonstration on building a shelter using a poncho and string or twine. Her excellent use of hand-sketched illustrations helped to ensure that all members were able to understand thoroughly the proper techniques and some secret tips to improve their shelters. Some of these tips include tying the hood of your poncho shut to avoid leaks, how to use small rocks to secure corners of a poncho that lacks grommets, and how to face the shelter to avoid wind-related problems.

Immediately afterward, the Scribe of the Immortal Elephant, Ben, gave an exciting presentation about interacting with nature's cute but cantankerous bear family, the Ursids. Bears being fairly common in the Olympic and Cascade ranges made the talk all the more apropos, and Ben's suggestions of avoiding eye contact, "bowing down to Mr. Bear," and his discussions of different bear species gave the entire Company a better understanding of how to interact with these creatures should they run across one in the wild.

Finally, the Knight General of the Order of the Blue Elephant, Nick, gave a presentation on that difficult task, building a fire without matches. In spite of his joke that you simply use a lighter, Nick presented some excellent tips on how to deal with this life or death situation. Tips included using a magnifying glass and how to use a bow and drill (and the difficulties inherent to this technique), and helped reinforce why we carry waterproof matches as part of our basic survival kit.

The meeting concluded with a discussion of Physical Fitness plans to prepare for the upcoming scrambling season, and a final story of survival from the SAS in the windswept wastelands of the Falkland Islands.

Subjects for next weeks presentations are based on a common theme: Survival stories. Each member of the KBE will present on a different area of survival: at sea, in the desert, in the mountains, and in the woods.