The Hunger Games has become a huge success with a bestselling trilogy written by Susanne Collins and a trilogy of movies with has set box office records in attendance. For those of you who have not read the series nor seen the movie, here is a little background.
The novel is set in a future in which each year a contest is held which pits two children (one boy and one girl) from each district against one another in an arena. There are twelve districts for a total of twenty four combatants . The idea is survival. The winner is the last child alive. This series has prompted an interest in survival training.
You do not have to be engaged in a forced government sanctioned game in which you are forced to fight to the death to find yourself in a threatening situation in the wilderness. Now it appears that the wilderness is all around us, urban and rural.
But you say, I wouldn’t enter the wild any more than I would intentionally hit myself over the head with a hammer. Life is funny in a twisted kind of way. Accidents can happen and surprise, they can happen to you wherever.
One scenario that comes to mind is an airplane crash. Yes, there are people that survive the crash of an airliner. Did you remember to fasten your seatbelt and keep it fastened during flight? Or your vehicle could become disabled in the middle of nowhere. There are a host of other situations where your knowledge of basic survival in the wilderness can be priceless.
First: Look around you to get your bearings. Assess your environment. Are you safe where you are? Is it better to remain near the wreckage or move away to avoid a fire? Usually authorities will be notified and a search conducted not long after impact in an aircraft going down and off radar. If you are lost, for example, hiking, then you need to be where you can be located. Take a moment to calm yourself and take stock. What do you have with you? Inventory anything that can used to survive in the woods.
Second: If it appears that you may be in the wilderness for some time, you will need to find a place that is safe and where you can build a shelter. It should be near a clearing or on high ground, where you can be spotted by searchers.
Third: Now it is time to start a fire. It would be great if you have matches or a lighter, but the fire can be started without these. A good source of information on the topic is the Boy Scouts site on Survival in the Wilderness.
Fourth: Find a water source. It may be a stream or lake. This is where the fire comes into play. The water will need to be purified and boiling is your best bet, unless you carry purification tablets with you and not many of us do. Be sure to boil the water for at least five minutes to kill the bacteria. And remember to use this safe water anytime that you are cleaning anything that will go in your mouth. Like utensils or roots of plants that you have dug from the ground.
Fourth: Build a shelter or find a safe cave where you can get out of the elements. With caves, be sure that they are not occupied. Bears and snakes do not make the best roommates. Especially if the bear is hungry. Shelters can be erected using limbs and leaves. Again the above cited website has some great information on shelter building. When collecting the limbs, be sure to kick the dead limb before attempting to pick it up. Snakes have a habit of using them as their shelter from the heat of day and may be lying under them. They tend to nip at anyone or anything that disturbs them.
Fifth: Create a signal to alert anyone searching for you. Placing green branches on the fire will create smoke that can be seen for great distances, especially from the air. Stacking rocks on the ground in an X and then another grouping of rocks in the shape of an arrow pointed in the direction of your shelter, aiding the rescuers in locating you.
Sixth: Food is the next priority. It comes last because you can survive up to a week without food. A basic knowledge of edible plants is valuable, if only to serve as trivia to use at parties, unless you become stranded in the woods where they become breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Hopefully, you will get rescued fairly quickly. If you are concerned that you will find yourself in this situation, there are sources where you can learn how to hunt and fish using what you have at hand.
An interesting guide book was written by Bradford Angier, “How To Stay Alive In The Woods” This book is full of useful information on how to, not only stay alive in the woods, but thrive.
If you would like more information about wilderness survival, please leave a comment with your questions.
Remember: Your Safety Is Up to You.