Never go walking in the
South Texas Brushlands without carrying a flashlight. Never!
This advice comes to you via a fellow who a long time ago was a reckless
kid who was fortunate in being a good runner but had a nasty habit of never
returning to camp before sunset. As such
I ran back on many occasions figuring that if I was traveling fast enough a big
rattler crossing the trail wouldn’t have time to implant its fangs into
me. At least that was the theory. But besides needing a flashlight to illuminate
the path you also need a light in case something happens and you are forced to
make a quick camp. A lot of people recommend
a headlamp and that is good advice. I
usually use a small AA handheld light because it seems to work okay for
me. Maybe someday I’ll use a
headlamp. But that’s not the point. The main thing is to carry some sort of
light. Besides rattlesnakes you’ve got
to contend with prickly pear cactus and dozens of thorn-bearing woody shrubs
and trees. When I’m tracking someone I always
know if they were walking in the day or night by whether or not they avoid
cactus and thorny shrubs or amble into them.
Once I found a fellow who was so covered with cactus spines he looked
like a human pin cushion.
At night you also must
deal with scorpions, pamorana ants and centipedes and you don’t want to sit
anywhere or pick up anything without inspecting it first. You’ll need a light. There are also vicious shrubs like mala mujer and stinging cevalia that
will leave burning welts on your skin that will last for days sometimes weeks. The bottom line is that carrying a flashlight
is prudent and has the potential to save your life. Make sure your flashlight is dependable and
always carry an extra set of batteries on you or in your pack. You don’t want to be out in the deep woods
and find out your batteries are caput. I
prefer LED type flashlights because they are brighter. So carry a light and save yourself the agony
of having to run back to camp.
