Wilderness survival

Wilderness survival describes ways to stay alive far from civilization and support. It may describe short-turn survival while awaiting rescue or long-term living choices made by people with few resources or a desire to live in a secluded area. Wilderness survival involves adaptation and the ability to make the most of what is available. Foraging for food, purifying water, and finding or creating shelter are among the most important survival skills.

Wildlife survival is of interest to a wide range of people. Some wish to learn to be self-reliant for political or personal reasons, such as to be prepared in case of natural disaster or a mishap while hiking or hunting. Many stories have been reported about people who experienced an accident while hiking or camping and had to rely on survival training to survive. For example, in 2003, a hiker in Utah was trapped by a boulder that pinned his arm in a canyon. After five days without rescue, the experienced mountaineer was forced to cut off his arm to escape.

Many organizations teach wilderness survival skills. Colleges teach courses on survival, complete with overnight weekend camping trips, for those who wish to learn such skills. Branches of the military teach service members to survive in various conditions, including desert environments and extreme cold. Youth scouting organizations offer instruction and badges. Many television programs have shown viewers how to survive in a variety of situations and climates.

Background

Early humans had no tools other than rocks or sticks they found lying around. Later, they learned to modify what they had—sharpening sticks, for example—and eventually they developed the means to make tools from raw materials. Each advance was a boon to human survival.

Archaeologists and anthropologists have studied evidence of early wilderness survival methods. Many of the techniques of surviving were demonstrated in 2016 in the National Geographic Channel series The Great Human Race, which re-created human migration. The participants used primitive tools, such as a spear-throwing device called an atlatl, to get food. They lived as various human ancestors did. Homo habilis, for example, did not know how to make fire 2.6 million years ago, so the show's two participants slept in trees on the savanna of Tanzania to avoid predators. Homo erectus could make fire by rubbing wooden sticks together, so the show's stars made a fire and a ring of thorny branches to protect themselves in Uganda. They were nevertheless circled by hyenas and a lion during the night, and had to chase away the animals with burning sticks. They ate insects, leaves, and animals they could kill using primitive tools, but they found that finding food was much easier than finding safe water. One participant became sickened after he drank tainted water. They also learned to make their own clothing by tanning animal skins in a solution of animal brains and water, then smoking it over a fire. The pieces were sewn together using tendons. Clothing making was a major step forward for early humans. When they could protect themselves from the cold, they expanded their range a great deal. Survival in many more areas became possible.

Researchers believe that modern societies that continue to survive as hunter-gatherers use survival methods that were probably used by early humans. They often differ from wilderness survivalists in that they know where to find what they need. They return to the same water sources, fruiting trees and shrubs, or wild root plants year after year for decades. They know where to find fish and honey, and where prey animals are likely to find food and can then be easily ambushed. Many of these cultures also practice methods of ensuring the food will be available in the future. For example, they may extract honey from a tree, and then increase the size of the hollow in the hope that the bees will make even more in the future. When digging up yams, harvesters may cut off the tops of the tubers and rebury them, causing the plants to grow new tubers. Some cultures put effort into opening up trails so they can easily reach areas, such as fruiting trees. They disperse seeds from foods as they eat them on these trails, increasing the availability of the foods in the future.

Much modern wilderness survival training is provided to military forces. The US Navy's Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) school in Brunswick, Maine, includes classroom training and outdoor exercises in severe weather conditions. Soldiers learn winter survival skills in the forest, and they endure a simulated capture experience, complete with interrogations and solitary confinement. Other SERE schools offer similar challenges.

Overview

Wilderness survival skills are usually related to safety/protection, first aid, and physical needs, including shelter, fire, water, food, and hygiene. Experts say that studying survival skills is useful, but the best way to prepare for the unexpected is to actually learn and use the skills in the field.

Safety and protection concerns include basic first aid training, shelter, and protection from dangers such as animal attacks. Wounds should be kept clean. Bandages, if necessary, may be improvised using clothing. Fractures may be splinted using sticks and belts or shoelaces. Many wild plants can be used as medicine, but only if one is knowledgeable of medicinal plants. If one encounters animals, it is generally best to back away slowly. Most animals avoid humans unless threatened or ill.

Choice of a campsite should take many things into consideration, such as access to water and wood that can be used to build a fire and construct shelter, and avoidance of dangers such as dead tree branches that could fall on the site or low-lying areas prone to flash flooding if it rains. Hypothermia is the biggest danger in cold weather, so building a well-insulated shelter is crucial. A natural shelter can be improved upon with stacked branches, leaves, and moss that will keep the wind and rain out. Four to six inches of debris, such as leaves and pine needles, will provide insulation from the cold ground.

Safely maintained, fire is an essential survival tool. It can provide heat, discourage many animals, signal to rescuers, heat food, and boil water to purify it. If fire gets out of hand, however, it can quickly become a danger. Fire can be started using many methods to create a spark, such as a battery and some steel wool or wire. First lay a forearm-sized log down as a base in an area cleared of flammable materials, and gather the items needed. Use the spark to ignite tinder—dry fibrous material, such as dried grasses, cattail fluff, or birch bark—against the base log. Stack kindling against the log, allowing air to flow around it. Begin with toothpick-sized twigs, increasing the size of the kindling to Q-tip and pencil size, and then add larger sticks and branches until the fire is hot. Add larger logs. To create a signal for rescuers, build a fire out in the open, so the smoke will rise up and be visible. Once it is burning well, add green branches, such as pine boughs, to make a great deal of thick smoke. One may also use a reflective surface or mirror to signal for rescuers. In the absence of a signal device, if a rescue plane or helicopter is visible, hold arms up and out, like a Y.

If water is available, it is safest to boil it to kill pathogens. Sources of water that should be safe to drink without boiling include dew, rain, and snow. To collect dew, soak as much as possible up with cloth, such as a bandana, and wring it out. Water can be found in certain plants, such as maple trees, if they can be properly identified as safe and if one has a tool to cut a hole in the bark. Water can also be collected through transpiration. One can enclose a leafy branch in a clear plastic bag and tie it tightly closed. Water will slowly condense inside the bag.

Although hygiene may not seem like a priority, basic care can prevent problems. Use a clean piece of cloth wrapped around a finger to wipe teeth clean. In hot, humid conditions, try to keep feet, armpits, and other areas prone to dampness as dry as possible. Change into dry clothes if possible.

Finding food depends on knowledge. Many plants are edible, but individuals must learn to identify them using a reliable guide. Similar-looking plants could be deadly, so one should never eat anything unless completely certain of its identification. Common forest foods include acorns from oak trees, dandelion leaves, wild grapes, and pine nuts. Protein from small creatures, such as fish and frogs, is usually more readily available than larger game, such as deer. Fish, snakes, and other small game can be caught using a gig, or a pronged spear. A split-tip gig can be made from a sapling that is about an inch in diameter. Use a knife or sharp rock to split the fat end into four equal sections, several inches deep. Spread these tines apart with sticks and sharpen them to points.

Navigation is another important survival skill. Without a compass and map or working global positioning system (GPS) tool, use the sky to navigate. The sun rises roughly in the east and sets in the west. At night, find the North Star, Polaris, at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper constellation. Face Polaris; this is true north. An individual who does not know which direction to travel may follow a stream, which flows downhill.

Ropes and strings can come in handy in many situations and are most useful if one learns a variety of knots. Ropes can be used to create shelters, tie snares, carry gear, and climb cliffs. One may improvise by using shoelaces, threads from clothing, drawstrings, dental floss, or other materials.

Bibliography

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