Go for survival

Prepared for anything

SANDPOINT — Eight years ago, a Bonner County man spent two days in the wilderness with nothing but his emergency preparedness kit after his truck went off a cliff and into the Snake River.

Kurt Bucklin credits his “go bag” with saving his life following the accident while working in remote areas of Idaho on a land swap project in April 2013.

“I only have a couple of memories from that couple of days” said Bucklin in an interview with the Daily Bee, “I don’t remember even really much crashing other than I just remember being in the water, and then I remember hiking in the middle of the night.”

Bucklin, despite not having many memories from the occasion, was prepared for the situation he landed in. Bucklin was carrying a “go bag,” a type of emergency preparedness kit that contained enough supplies to support him while he was lost.

“It was scary. To grow up in these mountains and not know where you’re at,” he said.

His family and coworkers didn’t expect him back until the next day. But someone clearing the road noticed tire tracks going off the side of the road, which was an estimated 40 or 50 feet above the Snake River.

“It was a fluke thing that someone came on to clear the road and they noticed my tracks going off the road,” Bucklin said. “They looked down and saw some paint on the rocks in the water.”

The truck was never found, other than a piece of a broken tail light. Which was enough evidence for them to track down the year of the truck, eventually tying it back to Bucklin’s accident.

He doesn’t remember how long he was lost. What he does remember is crashing at night, and spending another night lost. The next day, Bucklin was able to make contact with an occupied cabin, located eight to 10 miles down river.

Bucklin didn’t have much external injuries, but it was the beginning of a five year medical journey. Two days after the incident, Bucklin suffered a seizure, which prevented him from being able to undergo anesthesia. Four-and-a-half years later, Bucklin was able to receive the surgery he needed.

“They replaced a couple of disks, and a part of a joint – put some cadaver bones in my neck and now I feel way better,” he said, “it was a little bit of a long haul, but it’s getting better now.”

Bucklin has been a Jehovah's Witness for 35 years. For 15 of those years, the church has encouraged members to be prepared for when disaster strikes. Preparation involves learning about potential disasters, mentally preparing yourself, and packing emergency supplies — such as go bags.

“Even though we live somewhere people say there’s not disasters, we live below a dam, there’s forest fires, there’s train chemicals,” Bucklin said. “There’s a real value in preparation.”

He also credits his faith for helping him through that time,

"You have to have hope, and without hope, you just give up."

In addition to the expected list of resources that go in an emergency kit, the Bucklin family also stores copies of everyone's important documents in every go bag, just in case one gets lost. They also pack items to help them relax, such as coloring books. Being able to remain calm in an emergency situation can also be a kind of resource.

For a list of recommended emergency supplies to make your own go bag, visit ready.gov/kit. Or go to the Jehovah’s Witnesses website at jw.org and search “steps that can save lives”.