Survival Skills
Even
children need to understand the principles of survival. I remember vividly an
experience at Nickel Plate when I was seven. I had been skiing and arrived home
very cold: so cold that I could not open the door with my frozen fingers. I
could not even open the door with my wrists and my fingers were to numb to undo
my clothing to place them next to my skin for warmth, or even to relieve
myself.
Fortunately,
before I slipped into hypothermia, Mum arrived from the hill and I was let into
the house. A long warm bath, hot chocolate, hot meal and a good night’s sleep
and I was a good as new.
Mental
preparedness is the essential ingredient for survival. One has to be alert to
any harmful situation and be prepared for the appropriate actions. It is often
the small things like numb fingers that can make the difference in many
situations. Be very aware of your condition and take the appropriate steps to
keep warm.
The
first things in any survival kits are fire starting implements, water-proof
matches, fire starter sticks (or short candles), and a wind proof lighter. Don’t
wait until you need to use your fire starting skills, but practice them
whenever you go on an outing. One could also use flints and strikers, bow and
drill or rubbing two sticks together, but these do take lots of practice.
Besides being edible (not always palatable) horsehair moss is usually an excellent
fire starter, but burns very fast and one needs to have a good supply of dried
twigs to get it kick started.
Water
is also very important, perhaps even more important than food. (I love my food
though) There are several light weight
and compact water filter systems on the market that are suitable for
backpacking. Water purification tablets are also easy to carry and use, but be
sure to follow directions. Melting snow in the mouth is not a great way to get
one’s supply of water it robs the body of heat: it is much better to melt it
over a fire.
A
bright orange plastic bag can be easily spotted by searchers and may be used to
collect rainwater and dew in an emergency. A cell phone is good for calling for
help, but there are many blank spots with no reception. There are new GPS
gadgets that with a push of a button send out a call for help with your
position plotted. Of course there is also the old standby of three puffs of
smoke.
If
you happen to be with a vehicle the advice is usually to stay with the vehicle;
it does offer some protection and is usually easier to spot from the air.
Whatever your situation, the crucial thing is when you are expected back and
when would the search begin and most crucially do they know the location to
search. If at all possible give as accurate plan of your travel as possible.
This not always easy then hunting as conditions change so fast at times.(New
logging roads, fires, and weather conditions)
An
injury to yourself or one of the party also calls for some fast decisions. A
good knowledge of first aid can be of great help in making this choice. I do
recommend either keeping up with taking refresher courses on a regular basis or
at least studying the book once in a while.
Knowing
what to do and applying your knowledge is the test. I like to imagine I’m lost
and always look for fuel for fires, possible shelter and for wild edibles. I
recommend “Food Plants of British Columbia Indian part 2/ Interior Peoples” by
Nancy J. Turner for some interesting reading.
