YOU WILL SURVIVE!
Stay Put!
It's absolutely critical that you STAY PUT! If lost,
the odds that you will find your way out are slim.
If injured, you'll only make it worse by trying to
travel. If it's just gotten late, you stand a good
chance of getting lost in the darkness. However, if
you stay put you will be found, likely in only a few
hours. Don't make it harder for searchers by moving
around.
If you are with another person or a group, always
stay together. Do not separate, do not split up, and
never move out of sight or hearing of each other.
When you are noticed missing, others will start to
search for you immediately. Before long a lot of
volunteers and professional search and rescue people
will join in the search. All you have to do is stay
safe and stay put and they will find you.
There are only a few fundamentals to wilderness
survival. You must maintain your body temperature at
or near 98.6 degrees (fahrenheit). Too cold
(hypothermia) or too hot (hyperthermia) and you can
die. You need to conserve energy. Don't waste it by
"doing" before "thinking." Water is vital for your
body and mind to function properly. You need both
working as good as possible. Finally, remember that
your only responsibilities are to stay alive, and if
at all possible, make yourself easier to find by
actively working at attracting attention to
yourself.
Shelter
Shelter is a basic necessity. Find or make temporary
shelter. Heat and cold can sap the lifeblood from
you very quickly. Wind, rain, snow or other
inclement weather hastens the process. Pick the best
convenient location for your shelter, as dry as
possible in wet or cold weather, and away from
natural hazards. Don't go far to find something
better or perfect, make do with the best you can
find right where you are.
Your shelter can be as simple as sitting under the
overhanging branches of a large tree or rock
outcrop. Beneath the bottom branches of a large
evergreen there is often a clear dry area, even in
heavy snow. Avoid sitting on the bare ground or
snow. Sit or lay on gathered small branches or
shrubbery or on a downed tree for insulation.
A large garbage bag (a bright color is best, but any
will do) is a very effective, inexpensive and
compact personal emergency shelter or poncho that
will fit in your pocket. Always carry one or two
when you go off into the wilderness. Use the garbage
bag to cover yourself and to keep heat in and the
weather out.
To use, hold the bag upside down and go to one of
the corners (a bottom corner, but now on top as you
hold it), drop down about eight inches along the
crease, and cut or tear a slit or hole only big
enough for your face. Pull the bag over your body so
that the corner rests on top of your head and your
face sticks through the hole. Be sure to keep your
head out where you can breath, you can suffocate
inside the plastic if it covers your mouth and nose.
If you have another bag and you're tall enough so
one bag won't cover you completely, pull the other
bag up from your feet. If you can, stuff the bags
and your clothing with dry leaves for added
insulation, but be careful not to introduce any
unwelcome pests into your improvised shelter.
You can also use the bag as a small shade tarp, if
the sun is a problem. A cap or hat is always useful
to keep you head dryer, and warm or shaded, as
appropriate.
Use a tree, downed tree or piled up snow to break
any wind. Curl into a tight ball to conserve heat.
If there is more than one person, huddle together
for warmth. In hot sunny weather, seek shade. If the
ground is soft and you can do so without
overexerting yourself and wasting precious water,
scoop out a hollow in the shade, it can be 30
degrees cooler 12 inches below the surface. Once you
have shelter, stay there. If you've taken shelter
where it might be hard for anyone to see you, try to
leave some sign or marker, sticks or some rocks, out
in the open pointing to your shelter.
Attract Attention
The more you can do to attract attention to
yourself, the quicker someone will find you. The way
to do this is by making lots of noise and by making
yourself easy to see. You can be hard to see when
wearing dark clothing, so it's always a good idea to
wear bright colors when you go out. If you hear a
helicopter, lie down in a clear dry space to make
the biggest possible target for them to see.
If you are rested, feel up to it and there is a
clearing, make a big "X" or "SOS" in the dirt or
snow using your feet or a stick to scrape the dirt
or stomp the snow down, broken branches and shrubs
or rocks. Contrast and size are the keys to
effective ground signals. If there is enough room,
the letters should be 12 feet tall with lines at
least two feet wide.
If you have something to use as a flag (an excellent
reason to carry a brightly colored bandanna with
you, it also has many other uses), that will be far
more effective than your arms and hands alone. If
you must use your hands alone, always wave wildly
with both hands in an emergency situation. You don't
want to be mistaken for somebody just giving a
friendly wave.
Most survivors are found by ground search teams and
a whistle is the most effective signaling device. A
whistle is far superior to shouting because your
voice just doesn't carry very far, especially in the
woods. The whistle will be heard for 1/2 to 2 miles
or even more in the wilderness where your voice may
only carry for a few hundred feet, at best. You will
also be able to signal for much longer periods of
time, whereas your vocal cords will give out very
quickly. You should never leave home without a
whistle hung around your neck.
The shrill and unmistakable blast of a whistle
repeated three times is a universal signal for help
and will definitely attract the attention of anyone
within earshot. Blow three clear blasts, pausing for
a few seconds between each, then wait for five
minutes and repeat until you are rescued. If you
hear a whistle, respond immediately with three
blasts every time. If you don't have a whistle, you
can make a loud signal by banging two rocks together
or beating on a dead tree with a stick or rock (but,
be careful you don't hurt yourself or that the tree
or branches don't fall on you if it is still
standing).
At night, your greatest fear is likely the result of
an overactive imagination fed by the TV and movies
you have seen. While the sounds of the wilderness at
night may be unfamiliar, there's nothing out there
that has any in interest in harming you. If you
think you hear an animal nearby, yell, make lots of
noise or blow your whistle. If it's an animal, it
will run off. If the noise is searchers, you have
been found.
Water
For the limited length of time you might be out,
water is a lot more important for you than food.
It's always a good idea to have at least a quart of
water with you at all times, more is better,
especially in the desert.
The best place to store water is in your stomach, so
don't be afraid to drink what you have. Don't drink
to excess, but if you have water, drink it when you
feel the need. If you don't have any water, keep
from sweating and breath through your nose to retain
as much as you can.
While it is best to purify water found in the
wilderness before drinking, don't let a lack of
purification stop you drinking from a stream or
spring, as long as the water looks reasonably clear.
Keeping your body fluids at a safe level (hydrated)
is more important than the slim chance you might
catch some bug from the water. There's nothing you
can get from the water that a doctor can't easily
take care of. Do not eat snow to obtain water, it
will just make you colder.
Improvisation
Improvisation, the ability to use things for other
than what they were originally designed for, is an
important survival skill. It's not what things were
that's important, it's what they can become, what
they can be used for. Using a garbage bag as a
personal emergency shelter is an example of
improvisation.
Think of your personal belongings and the natural
environment as your own private wilderness equipment
store. With a little thought and effort, you can
improvise everything you need to survive.
The five rules of improvisation are:
These are not toys and can be dangerous and
destructive if misused. They should never be carried
or employed unless you have received instruction
from an adult in their safe use.
Once you know how to use these tools safely, you
should never venture into the wilds without them.
Survival Kits
The environment is the key to the types of items you
will need in your survival kit. How much equipment
you put in your kit depends on how you will carry
the kit. A kit carried on your body will have to be
smaller than one carried in a vehicle. Always layer
your survival kit, keeping the most important items
on your body. For example, your map and compass
should always be on your body. Carry less important
items on your load-bearing equipment. Place bulky
items in the rucksack.
In preparing your survival kit, select items you can
use for more than one purpose. If you have two items
that will serve the same function, pick the one you
can use for another function. Do not duplicate
items, as this increases your kit's size and weight.
Your survival kit need not be elaborate. You need
only functional items that will meet your needs and
a case to hold the items. For the case, you might
want to use a Band-Aid box, a first aid case, an
ammunition pouch, or another suitable case. This
case should be--
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Water repellent or waterproof.
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Easy to carry or attach to your body.
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Suitable to accept varisized components.
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Durable.
In your survival kit, you should have--
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First aid items.
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Water purification tablets or drops.
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Fire starting equipment.
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Signaling items.
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Food procurement items.
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Shelter items.
Some examples of these items are--
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Lighter, metal match, waterproof matches.
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Snare wire.
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Signaling mirror.
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Wrist compass.
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Fish and snare line.
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Fishhooks.
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Candle.
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Small hand lens.
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Oxytetracycline tablets (diarrhea or infection).
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Water purification tablets.
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Solar blanket.
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Surgical blades.
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Butterfly sutures.
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Condoms for water storage.
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Chap Stick.
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Needle and thread.
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Knife.
A great site that goes in-depth on survival subjects
is survivaliq.
I highly recommend visiting this site for resources
prior to training for Wilderness Survival.
