Modern Wilderness Survival

We don’t usually venture into the wilderness with the intent of staying beyond what we’ve planned for. But failing to prepare for such a situation – an injury, getting lost, being delayed because of weather – can turn an inconvenience into a real problem. I started teaching survival skills in the military, where it was a student’s duty to prepare for a worst-case scenario. Many of my students, who had jobs such as fighter pilots or members of special operations units, had a fairly real potential for using what I taught them. After my military service, I taught at Boy Scout campouts, Hunter Education classes, community groups, and among friends who liked to hunt and fish. I began to realize that instilling a “duty to prepare” mindset into people who spent time in the wilderness was a much harder undertaking when they didn’t really believe there was the possibility they’d have to use these skills. Never did I realize this more than when I went on hunting trip many years ago with “John.” He was born and raised in Montana, and he spoke at length about his experience in the backcountry. We planned to hike several miles into a remote area for a weekend of elk hunting at his family’s camp. It was a great idea, until it started. I asked for a map of the area, and he said, “Trust me,” because he didn’t want to give away his family’s secret spot. He carried a small daypack with a cotton sweatshirt, some rope, and book of paper matches in it – that was it. John laughed at all the gear I carried because he thought it would weigh me down. On our hike in, he lost his way and we got pounded by a rain storm. His ego kept pushing him on even though he was soaked, shivering, and dehydrated. Finally, I stopped and built a fire over his objections. He insisted he knew where he was and we squabbled about it until he was dry. He refused my offer of a rain jacket and got soaked again as we fought through thick brush in the growing darkness. I was just about to leave him to his own fate and make camp for myself when he spotted a glowing wall tent in the distance. We stumbled into camp an hour later, exhausted, and he said “You really can’t get lost out here; you just keep walking until you figure out where you are.” I was so frustrated with him I wanted to head back to the truck. Over the years, I’ve met many other “John” characters who have a similar approach to venturing into the woods. Unfortunately, most don’t really want to change the way they do things. Just by reading this far into it, though, I know that you have not only an interest in being safe in the wilderness, but also a desire to learn how. My hope is to give you simple, effective tips that you can use the minute you put this book down, and be able to remember for many years to come. Learning survival skills is really quite simple. You don’t need to know how to live for months as a primitive dweller making buckskins and chipping spear points in order to survive in the woods. These skills are great to know and obviously can be of tremendous help. But, they also take a long time to master, and cannot be learned simply by reading a book. In contrast, this book will focus on 1) being prepared, which means carrying survival tools into the wilderness to begin with, and 2) being able to survive and sustain for at least three days, which is the average duration of most survival situations you might encounter. And frankly, if you are prepared to make it three days, you will be able to make it for several more. There are many reasons you might get stuck, but an important adjustment to make right now is to realize: It is not a bad thing to spend an unexpected night in the woods. I’ve even had a few nights out that were downright fun! Call it extreme camping, unplanned adventure, whatever – just don’t fear it. I’ll give you an example: I was climbing around some rocky cliffs in southeastern Idaho with my best friend one fall day. We found ourselves stuck in the dark as we tried to pick through a steep canyon and get back to camp. On top of that, it was getting cold and the wind started blowing pretty hard. The safest thing to do was avoid the treacherous cliffs in the dark and camp overnight where we were – we could resume our descent in the morning. My buddy hadn’t spent an unplanned night out before and he wasn’t so sure about the idea. An hour later, we relaxed in a warm, secure shelter by a fire and stayed comfortable while the wind howled and the temperature dropped. We resumed our climb down when it got light and made it back to camp just fine. My buddy gained a lot of confidence in his abilities and now prepares for these unexpected circumstances a little differently. I hope you will see it differently, too, but you are in an advantageous position. You can gain this perspective, and the skills you need, without having to face a dire situation. This book focuses on giving you easy to learn and easy to use techniques that will get you through a survival situation. These are the building blocks of being safe in the wilderness. You are already taking the first and most critical step: preparation. So let’s get started.