Applying Lessons Learned

[joesxm]

I recently went on an overnight hotel trip and realized that many of the things I have learned from listening to this podcast have crept into my standard procedures.

Arriving at the hotel all of the parking in front was taken.  I suppose I could have parked on the side or in the back but I opted for parking a bit farther away but with a line of sight to the front and directly under a light.

Getting into my room I propped the door open with my bag and used my tactical light as I entered the room.  I did a full scan of any hiding places and checked the window.  As predicted in the podcast the window was not locked.  It was the third floor but taking no chances I locked it.

I located the fire escape path and verified that the door to the stairs was usable.

When I locked up the door I made sure to use the deadbolt and other latch.  In addition I brought two
GE doorstop alarms and set them up.  To the hotel's credit they had an instruction sheet about locking the door, using the peephole and calling to verify the identity of any unexpected hotel personel that might knock.

On the drive home I needed a bladder break.  Remembering the podcast on getting jumped in the rest room at highway stops I opted for the stall so I could latch the door to cover my back.

Earlier that week I was exiting my local sportsman's club meeting and two members were stumbling down the hill in the dark saying that they wished they had brought a flashlight.  Now that I carry my surefire every day I was able to pull it out and shine it at their feet 30 feet ahead of me and still have light for myself.

The weekend before I was out for a hike on a dirt road through the woods trying to get some exercise to improve my survivability both from a medical perspective and also from a strength/stamina perspective.  I was about a mile and a half from the main road when three guys came down the trail towards me.  Thinking "condition yellow" I assessed the tactical situation.  They had parted leaving me a path through the middle of the three.  I decided that it would be better to have them all on one side so I moved to the side of the road keeping all of them on the same side of me.  Probably over reacting but better safe than sorry.

It is nice to know that some of this stuff is sinking in.

Thanks Alex.

Joe

[gitt1]

We probably see ghosts many times where there are none, but who knows when your actions forestalled crisis unawares. Keep it up!
Larry

[Alex Haddox]

Thanks for the amazing post, Joe.