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Survival Techniques and Tips
Modern survival techniques are primarily
about keeping yourself safe until you are found, and doing things
to get found. Most wilderness emergencies are resolved by search
and rescue teams, after all, and not by living off the land for
weeks as you journey back to civilization. So food is not a priority.
Staying warm and dry, or cool and hydrated, is what matters.
With that in mind, here are a few survival techniques worth knowing.
Fire Starting In Wet Conditions
A fire can save your life. It is not only
a way to get warm and dry, but a way to signal rescuers. But
when you need it most - when it is cold and training or snowing,
and everything is wet - that's when it is hardest to start a
fire. Here are some tips that can help in these conditions:
- Break open wet logs and stumps to find
dry parts inside.
- Small dead branches near the base of
spruce, fir and pine trees are often dry even after hours of
rain. You can also look for chucks of tree resin that have oozed
out. These will burn when wet.
- Start the fire out of the wind and rain
for best results. If there is no natural shelter from the weather,
hunch over the fire as you start it, with your back to the wind.
Survival Shelters
The key function of a shelter is to regulate
your body temperature. That means providing shade if you are
in a hot environment. Shelters that do that are perhaps the easiest
to make. A simple lean-to layered with branches will work, or
even just getting in the shade of a tree or rock.
A shelter to keep you warm has to block
the wind and any precipitation. Ideally it is also small enough
hold your body heat and insulate you somewhat from the surrounding
cold. Here are some examples to get you thinking:
- If there is no rain or snow, a pile of
leaves or dry grass can be all the shelter you need to stay warm
even in below-freezing conditions. Just burrow into it.
- To conserve energy, look for natural
shelters that can be modified before you start making one from
scratch. These can include rock overhangs, dry caves, "tree
wells" (the sometimes snow-free hole around the base of
evergreens in winter), and large fallen trees that you can fit
under.
-You can learn more about building a shelter
here: Survival Shelter - Think!
Getting Found
Survival techniques for getting found usually
are about not moving around too much. There are many search and
rescue stories that involve searchers finding campsites of lost
hikers or hunters who have moved on. Many search planes now have
a precise grid-pattern they can search based on GPS systems,
so they don't miss any spot. But that doesn't help if you have
moved back into the area they already finished searching.
Fires are a great way to signal searchers,
so have one going when possible. You should also have a supply
of green tree branches, wet leaves or something else that can
produce a lot of smoke if you hear a plane coming.
Three is the universal number for distress
or emergency. Fire a gun three times in a row or blow a whistle
in sets of three blasts and you might get the attention of someone
who can help. If there is an open area near your survival camp,
you can also a triangle with three piles of rocks or tree branches
that can be seen from the air.
For more survival techniques and tips,
see the Wilderness Survival
Guide.
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