There are more than 5 important outdoor survival skills to know and apply. That goes without saying considering the many outdoor-related shows on TV and the selection of videos available through You Tube to help people in surviving the wilderness.
While all of these presentations help, it is in answering these specific 5 questions that will make or break your preparation and prevention for your next adventure.
Therefore, can you answer yes to each of these questions? And is your answer a resounding yes! More important, can you prove you know and can apply the answers.
Remember it is one thing to learn about wilderness and outdoor survival skills; it is yet another to be conversant and practiced in the skills.
1) Can you construct a shelter in less than 60 minutes with minimum effort to converse energy “for your seasonal activity?” It is a question of balancing shelter versus effort needed. Then consider the equipment you have available linked with the surroundings from which you can draw additional resources.
2) How do you stay found along your trip if assistance is needed? Unless it is dangerous where you are, stay put, stay found! When you read the stories of people who are lost and they keep moving only to experience worse conditions, it makes sense to learn the importance of staying found. Then build a base of operations around you, knowing help will arrive because your family and friends will start a call out when you don’t report in.
3) What is the best signalling device for the location in which you are travelling should you need help immediately? The old stand by is blowing your whistle. However, what if you need to signal an aircraft? Of the various devices available take some time to learn which one or two would work best for your next adventure. Remember not all days are sunny, and help can arrive at night.
4) Can you start a fire in 30 minutes or less for the conditions you will encounter along your trip? It seems, quickly lightening a fire is a rare skill. It is amusing what people will try, when around them is everything they need to start a fire. And there are some neat and nifty supplies available in your home that can be packaged and brought along like cotton balls, petroleum jelly and lint.
5) In what ways can you obtain clean water along your trip? Read survival books and copy examples of collection techniques matched by your upcoming locations. And don’t underestimate the critical contribution of water to your well-being on the trip. You will need to replenish your water loss to keep your body and mind alert to what is happening in you and around you.
If you are about to leave on your next adventure trip, and you hesitated in answering these questions; then get yourself to the next outdoor survival course and learn, practice and practice some more.
Prevention is Queen; Preparation is King
