What Would You Need?

Watching "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" made me think about what items I would consider essential to survival.  Katniss makes do with a bow and arrow, tablets to purify water, something to wrap herself in for sleeping, and a rope to tie herself to the tree.   Cool video below on how Jennifer trained to climb trees for the movie.

When I go tent camping I take very little compared to my neighbors at the campground.  A small cooler (sometimes), my tent, an inflatable mattress, a flashlight, a sleeping bag, my Kindle, and a small shower kit. Occasionally I'll bring a chair to sit in but I usually just read in my tent.  I don't use the fire ring. Besides a change of clothes and my camera gear that's it.  I get some odd looks.  It takes me five minutes to set up, even in the dark or the rain.  I've watched people take an hour or more to break camp on Sunday when it's time to leave.  In the shot below the people who wanted the site when I was considering whether or not it was time to leave showed up and I said, hey guys, give me a few minutes and it's yours.

Haven't seen "The Hunger Games"?  It's probably better than you think.  It's not just about surviving the "games" but about surviving all kinds of things: love, loss, even your own society and government. People get a little hung up on the children killing each other issue, but that's only a small part of the larger story.  The problem is the government that put them there; they do what they need to do to survive for themselves and their families, and in the long run the series is about how much will you sacrifice of yourself to fight injustice.  If you watch the clip below be aware it gets a little disturbing but I've seen way worse in other movies.

Katrina and I watched "Catching Fire" at the theatre when she was home for Thanksgiving and it met my expectations.  I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!  Jennifer Lawrence is an incredibly talented actress.

What could be wrong with a movie that has a strong female hero?  Not to mention those hilarious performances by Stanley Tucci as Caesar.  Loved him in "America's Sweethearts", too.  Getting to watch Lenny Kravitz act is just a bonus.

But I digress.  Let's say you were stranded on a desert island.  Yeah, that old scenario.  And you had your basic "survival" gear.  You could get clean drinking water, you had shelter and a way to get food, and tools to make a fire.  What would you need emotionally to survive?  Say you were allowed five things, actual things, not people.  What would they be?  Of course this theme was tackled in "Castaway".  What do you need to keep your wits about you when you're lacking human companionship for a long period of time? What do we really need...an intriguing thought at this time of year when people are spending money on tons of "things".
Here's my list.

1. Camera (battery and SD card included, I'll cheat a little)
2. Solar camera battery charger
3. Since I couldn't have my blog I guess I'd have to include a journal and pen
4. Smartwool socks
5. neti pot

Didn't expect the neti pot, did you?  If I couldn't have my allergy pharmacy on hand I'd have to at least have the neti pot! I know no one would see my photos, but that's okay, I mostly take them for my own pleasure anyway.  Sharing them is just the icing on the cake.  Normally chocolate would make the list, but not very practical for the long term and I don't think I'd crack under the pressure of a life without chocolate if it were necessary.

Well, not a very exciting list, but maybe some of you will have some more creative ideas.  May the odds be ever in your favor!