Wilderness Survival Essentials

You hope and pray that you never find yourself stranded or lost in the wilderness. Unfortunately, accidents do happen. If you find yourself in that sort of situation, there are some key things you need to keep in mind.

• Keep calm. To survive in the wilderness, you’ve got to have your wits about you. You need to be able to think rationally, so ignore your fears and anxieties so that you can solve the problem.
• Assess the situation, starting with your own physical well-being. Are you injured? Treat yourself first. Is anyone with you injured? Treat them next. Apply all of the basic principles of first aid, such as not moving someone with a potential neck or back injury.
• Examine your surroundings. Are there any immediate dangers, such as wild animals? Are there any dangers from impending weather? Figure out how to address these dangers, whether it is moving to another location or finding immediate temporary shelter.
• Take an inventory of your assets. What survival items do you have with you? If you’re wise, you’ve brought a variety of useful items.
• Identify or create a shelter. This could be a cave (make sure there aren’t any angry inhabitants first) or It could be a simple lean to that you fashion yourself.
• Identify a clean water source. You need to keep hydrated until help arrives. Don’t attempt to drink salt water or stagnate water.
• Find a way to signal for help. You might spell out the word “Help” using logs in a wooded clearing. You might build a fire in an open area. The main thing is finding a way for someone to find you from a rescue helicopter.

Ultimately, wilderness survival depends, to a large degree, on your patience and ability to keep a level head. In addition, keeping a variety of survival items with you, such as matches, a cellular or satellite phone, a flashlight, flares, energy bars, a first aid kit, water bottles and emergency blankets will exponentially increase your chances of survival.