44 Outdoor Survival Your time frame witerrain, number of sdistances, so it maytwo hours to six or fatigue. Make sure yvolunteers and endthan you began wit>> Individual search tein a line, close enoucan see and talk towalk forward. Call tperson, and listen fedges of the placesNote and flag any cfound, but leave thprocess until the encleared (meaning nbeen located). >> Maintain one leadeas the Incident Comwill keep track of sesearch areas, and dwell as make sure efed and rested.
ill be determined by searchers, resources, and y vary anywhere from even eight. Beware of you do not overtax your d up with more problems th. eams should spread out ugh together so they o each other as they the name of the missing for responses. Mark the s you have searched. clues you may have em in place. Repeat this ntire search area can be no sign of the person has er back in camp to serve mmander. This person earch teams, determine devise action plans, as everyone is adequately
Chapter Three Survival Threats You’ve tried everything: wmap, climbed to a high pofind yourself lost or separathe time you have to “survuntil help arrives. What Can Kill You? When people die in the result of trauma, drowningheat, or heart attacks. We the reality of the matter is to get you. Trauma: According tobases maintained by the groups, unroped falls aredeath in the backcountry.ness—hikers edging too clping on gravel, climbing aor crossing steep snowfian ice ax. Use extra cauare possible and would cand never climb up anythyou can climb back downmanual, so we will not g
45 ritten travel plans, carried a oint, left notes, and still you ated from your group. This is vive” or take care of yourself wilderness, it is usually a g, exposure to either cold or worry about starvation, but that that isn’t what is going o search-and-rescue data national parks and rescue e the number one cause of Most result from carelessose to an overlook and slipa rock face they shouldn’t, elds without crampons or ution in places where falls cause grave injury or death, hing unless you are certain . This book is not a first-aid o into detail about how to
46 Outdoor Survival deal with injuries in the wknowing how to deal withlives. Take a basic first-aidout on a camping trip. You loved one die because you nduct artificial respiration oFive will introduce you to a fcies you should understandDrowning: Drowning isfatalities in the backcountryof ways: Hikers fall crossingboats in the middle of lakewaves; anglers slip off rivewhitewater; and people falzen lakes in the spring. If you plan to travel in thlearn to evaluate water hazaan icy lake. Moving water capery, and footing difficult inice can be rotten on alpine lcross where a stream’s gradis smooth, or the river bottoif you plan to cross ice, pickenough to sustain your weighazards. If you were to fallraging whitewater or over aable to swim to safety? Logs or logjams and bocrossings, but be careful. Th
ilderness, but remember, an emergency can save d course before you head don’t want to watch your never learned how to conor stop bleeding. Chapter few key first-aid emergend before you go camping. s the number two cause of y. It can happen in all sorts g rivers; canoeists flip their es due to high winds and er banks and tumble into l through ice crossing froe backcountry, you should ards, whether it’s a river or an be pushy, boulders slipn mountain streams, and lakes, so look for places to dient is mellow, the water om is gravel or sand, and k a place where it is thick ght. Look downstream for l, are you likely to go into a waterfall? Or will you be ulders can make good dry hey are often slippery and
can add the risk of a fall ftial of drowning. Look for boulders, and remember,price to pay for a safe crosRiver-crossing techniqto face upstream with a to serve as a third point oyour feet across the streathis way. It also allows youditions prove more difficumay want to have your tyou to form a line. This wa kind of human eddy, eason those behind. Other pechain to provide some staFast-moving water abstrong for most people toestimate its power—if yoanother place to cross. If yyourself over onto your baUse your arms and handand your feet to push off oboulders as you move witha calm spot, flip over ontto the side of the river to cate crossing rivers with tunhooked so they can jettia fall. You are certainly mowhich will make it easier to
Survival Threats 47 from a height to the poten broad, dry logs or large flat having wet feet is a small ssing. ques vary. Many people like large stick in front of them of contact. You can shuffle m and lean into the current u to backtrack easily if conlt than you anticipated. You teammates line up behind way the front person acts as sing the push of the current ople hold hands in a human ability during a crossing. bove knee height is often too cross safely. Do not underou have concerns, look for you do fall into the river, flip ck, feet facing downstream. ds to keep yourself upright obstacles such as rocks and h the current. When you see to your stomach and swim safety. Many people advothe hip belts of their packs ison the pack in the event of ore agile without your pack, o swim for shore, but a pack
48 Outdoor Survival can also protect your back aIf you plan to travel tanticipate having to cross aand practice your crossing tsetting. There’s nothing likecurrent against your body trespect for the power of waHypo- or hyperthermadapt well to temperature freezing conditions, you can(too little heat) in a matter oheat stroke) can be equallyinjuries due to trauma, mitthe elements is going to be Find a way to get out ofand wet outside, you need relatively warm and dry. If tand the sun is beating downget out of the sun or at leapart of the day. Dehydration exacerbatheat and cold stress but is country fatalities. You can gout water unless temperatuwhile water is important, it thing that causes you problsituations. That said, if you are truyou are going to need wat
and help you float. hrough areas where you a lot of big rivers, get out techniques in a controlled e feeling the push of the to help you gain a healthy ater. mia: Our bodies do not extremes. In cold, wet, or n succumb to hypothermia of hours. Hyperthermia (or y lethal. After dealing with tigating your exposure to your number one priority. f the elements. If it is cold to figure out how to stay the temperatures are high n on you, look for a way to ast rest during the hottest tes the problems of both rarely the cause of backgo three to five days withures are extremely hot, so is not going to be the first lems in most backcountry uly lost and far from help, ter. Dehydration can lead
to decreased mental andmake you more susceptibUnfortunately, there are swise to drink the water wwith cattle, farm runoff, campsite upstream, for eprobably disinfect your wdon’t worry, drink. Chanceeven if it isn’t, it usually takup to a couple of weeks bsymptoms of waterborne ibe home and have accessany problem occurs. In theable to function having fluYou cannot tell from appearancyour best bet is to treat all wateyou are in a survival situation, whydration.
Trailside Navigation 49 physical performance and ble to injury, heat, and cold. some places where it is not without purification—places sewage, or a heavily used example. Here you should water. But in an emergency, es are the water is okay, and kes anywhere from few days before you’ll show signs and llnesses. By then you should s to doctors and medicine if e meantime, you’ll be better uids in your system. ces if water is safe to drink, so er in the wilderness. However, if water treatment is secondary to
50 Outdoor Survival Heart attacks: Statistone of the leading causes country. Middle-aged men wing shape but try to recaptuattacking a big hike or peak cmost susceptible to this riskyour exposure is through lifehealthy weight and a goodavoid habits that predisposas smoking; make sure youtrolled; and watch your exactivities appropriate for yoAnd be honest with yourselthat of a person at risk for should be very careful aboutrip you tackle. Hunger: Food is the leacan survive weeks withouthungry can make you uncoble—you will be fine in the sthings to eat.
tically, heart attacks are of fatalities in the backwho haven’t stayed in hikure their youthful glory by climb seem to be the ones k. The main way to reduce estyle choices: Maintain a d level of physical fitness; se you to problems, such ur blood pressure is conertion levels by choosing ur fitness, age, and ability. f: Does your profile fit into heart attacks? If so, you ut the type of backcountry ast of your worries. People t food, so although going mfortable—okay, miserashort term if you run out of
Chapter Four Survival Skills Fires Jack London’s short story “most gripping tales of outI haven’t read it in probastill remember the tensioners his wood and preparesonly hope for survival—ondoused by snow falling fcan be tricky to build in thwind, snow, lack of flamefrustrating or even futile. Flame The need for a reliable sson that many people ada plastic bag in their pockyour lighter dry and it hfluid inside, you don’t havyou can start a fire in a drivmatch. If you are more of amake sure you carry themand again, it’s always a gyour body somewhere in cyour backpack.
51 “To Build a Fire” is one of the door adventures of all time. bly twenty years, but I can n building as the man gaths to light his one match—his nly to have the feeble flame from the tree above. Fires e outdoors: Wet wood, rain, —all can make your efforts ource of flame is one readvocate carrying a lighter in ket at all times. If you keep as an adequate supply of ve to worry about whether ving rainstorm with a single a purist and prefer matches, m in a waterproof container, good idea to keep them on case you get separated from
Outdoor Survival Tinder If you have some kind of flamsuccess is ensuring that yousustain a flame until biggerfire. When it’s wet and coldcan become more difficult.dead sticks on the ground, for a week, that stuff is goinlight. To find dry wood in thto be a bit more creative. coniferous trees. Often thestill attached to the trunk tstorms and work well as tinand shrubs; you may find dedry here as well. If you have a knife, youtinder. I’ve tried a couple of is to take a large dead brancthe sides until you begin tothe protected core inside. Yor four cups of shavings—mreally wet—to get a fire goin
me starter, the key to your u have sufficient tinder to sticks have time to catch d outside, gathering wood Usually, you just look for but if it has been raining ng to be soggy and slow to hese conditions, you need Look around the base of ere will be dead branches hat stay dry in most rainder. Or look under bushes eadwood that is relatively u can make your own dry different techniques. One ch and just whittle away at create dry shavings from You’ll need at least three maybe more if the wood is ng, so don’t stop too soon.
You can also make a kyou peel back shavings frobut leave one end attacheof dry flakes of wood attThese broom twigs make Wood In addition to your pile oassortment of sticks of vpinky size—and move up you have plenty of little sttient and drop a large log owill undoubtedly douse it focus your wood gatherishrubs if it is wet out. If thof protection, it may not bBuilding Your Fire I learned how to build a forty years ago. We used tiny twigs and surround itLincoln Log-type structurestill use this basic pattern tit allows adequate airflow your fire that ensures the Start your tipi with a braground surrounded by a mtwigs against this central shaped structure. Build yo
Survival Skills 53 kind of “broom twig,” where om a branch with your knife ed so you end up with a lot ached to the central stem. great fire starters. f dry tinder, you’ll need an varying sizes. Start small— to larger pieces. Make sure uff, though. If you get impaon your flickering flame, you before you’ve begun. Again, ng under trees, rocks, and he wood has had some kind be too saturated. fire in Girl Scouts probably to make a central tipi from with a log cabin (kind of a e) made from larger sticks. I today. The advantage is that and gives some structure to wood is touched by flame. anched twig stuck into the mound of shavings. Lean your pole until you have a coneour log cabin on the outside,
54 Outdoor Survival and light the shavings. Oncsticks across the top from siincreasing the size of the sticlished. Within a few minutesful blaze to warm your handTechnology If you are lost with your backthe previous advice and douwhite gas to get it going. Ththe most pure, but it is verplace your twigs on a lit stBe careful, playing with firegas is particularly hazardo
ce your tipi is burning, lay de to side of the log cabin, cks as your fire gets estabs you should have a cheerds and your spirit. kpack, by all means ignore use your wood with a little his technique may not be ry effective. You can also tove to get them burning. e is dangerous, and white us. I’ve seen people fling
burning bottles of fuel in aand grass in an instant. Tpour some gas on the woand place it well away frstrike a match. Remember, white gasbottle does happen to catcand smother the flames wEthics In an emergency situatienvironmental concerns. and don’t worry about scYou should not abuse traging bonfire anytime yolife-threatening scenario, conscience next time you dirty campsites and trashShelters Getting out of the elementin the wilderness. In some Colorado Plateau in southform alcoves or overhangter and protection from rparts of the world are lessout, and you may need towith a protected shelter.
Survival Skills 55 a panic, thereby lighting duff To prevent such accidents, ood, recap your fuel bottle, om the fire site before you will not explode. If your fuel ch fire, place it on the ground, with a metal cook pot. on, your safety preempts Build a fire if you need to, corched rocks or fire scars. his privilege by building a our socks get wet, but in a a fire is justified. Ease your go camping by cleaning up ed fire rings. ts is often critical to survival parts of the world—say, the heastern Utah—cliffs often s where you can seek shelain, wind, and snow. Other s conducive to an easy hide improvise a bit to come up
56
Natural Shelters Overhangs, boulders, and ters from the elements, bshelters that can fill thastands of trees with low-much of the rain or snowinto thick bushes to get sohowever, that you are invisin the trees, so take care presence nearby in case seyou are resting.
Survival Skills 57 caves can all serve as shelbut there are other natural at function as well. Dense -hanging limbs often keep w away. You can also crawl ome protection. Remember, sible once you burrow down to leave some sign of your earchers visit the area while
58 Outdoor Survival Tarp If you have a poncho or a some string, you may be abthe rain off. Grab a pebblener of your tarp. Wrap the and tie your string around itmake guylines for your shelto trees or rocks to set up abest bet is to rig it at a steeside so the tarp serves mora flat roof. Tree-Branch Lean-To In forested areas you can crlimbs to serve as a shelter.dead branches—about the ster and 4 feet long or more. tree, and lean the branches like space beneath. Try to place grass or leaves in betwSnow Shelters Snow is a good insulator sculpted into elaborate shkeeping the elements at bayter or up high enough in thter year-round snow, a shoequipment for just this reas
ground cloth, as well as ble to rig up a tarp to keep e, and place it in the cor pebble up like a present t. Do this in each corner to lter. Then attach the lines a wind block of sorts. Your ep angle on the windward re like a sloping wall than reate a lean-to from dead . Gather a bunch of large size of your arm in diame Find a boulder or downed up to create a small cave overlap the branches, or ween to fill in the spaces. and can be carved and helters that are great for y. If you are out in the winhe mountains to encounvel is an integral piece of son. You can build a snow
Survival Skills 59
60 Outdoor Survival cave or other form of shethat protects you from the wand cold. Temperatures isnow cave usually hover raround freezing, which will balmy if it’s below zero outsYou can still take advtage of snow’s insulating perties without a shovel. Yshelter won’t be as comfable, but it will help. Hollowa shallow trough in the swith your hands, line the tom with a sleeping pad, or pine boughs—anything tothen climb in and cover yAgain, you’ll need to improvtarp, tree limbs, blocks of swill help keep you warm. You can also use tree wtures that form around the bto provide you with some psnow. As with a trench sheltto keep you off the ground a
elter wind in a right feel side. vanropYour fortw out now botbackpack, spare clothes, o keep you off the snow— yourself with something. vise. Anything can work—a snow, even your backpack wells—the moatlike strucbase of trees in the snow— protection from wind and ter, you’ll need something and to cover you up.
Chapter Five Basic Wilderness FThis book is not a first-aseek training if you intendderness. That said, there are critical for everyonewilderness. First and foremost isToo often people comproeffort to save someone elinjured or sick person, stodetermine if it is safe for not to help could be oneations you ever face, but no one. Initial Assessment In any first-aid scenario—ibegins with an initial assesof the ABCs of first aid—timmediate threats to lifelation, cervical spine. Youthat your patient’s ABCs abreathing, and that his or the time you “look, listen, aheartbeat, bleeding, and o
61 First Aid id manual, and you should d to spend time in the wil are some basic skills that e planning a trip into the s the safety of the rescuer. omise their own safety in an se. Before you approach an op and survey the scene to you to approach. Deciding e of the most difficult situ creating two victims helps llness, injury, mystery—care ssment. You may have heard this acronym addresses the e: airway, breathing, circuur first priority is to ensure are stable: that he or she is her heart is beating. This is and feel” for breath sounds, other signs of trauma. If any
62 Outdoor Survival of an individual’s ABCs is costop and fix the problem imyou have just minutes beforheartbeat, the same. To addmust have training in cardio(CPR) and artificial breathto clear an airway and to stknow how to avoid adding fcord injury. The ABCs have been exE. D stands for disability anobvious deformities resultinfor both exposure and envremind you to look at or expyou conduct your assessmmiss anything. Environmenaware that the environmenin and of itself. Is your pating cold water or lying in dexposed to rockfall or avalators may also demand immStabilize Your Patient Once you have determined tyou need to make your patdifference between wildemedicine is the time it takespital. At the very best you mhours, but it is more likely t
ompromised, you need to mmediately. No air means re your patient will die; no dress these problems you opulmonary resuscitation ing. You must know how top bleeding. You need to urther damage to a spinal xpanded to include D and nd clues you in to look for ng from trauma. E stands vironment and serves to pose the patient’s body as ent to ensure you do not nt just reminds you to be nt may be life threatening tient submerged in freezdirect sun? Are you both anche hazard? These facmediate attention. that the ABCDEs are okay, ient comfortable. The big rness and front-country s to get a patient to a hosmay get help in a matter of that you will need to care
for an individual for a dayhim or her out of the backStabilize your patienthe can talk to you, let him position. If he cannot, restvomits. Put him on some from the ground; cover hwarm clothing. If the patible of feeding himself, givetor the individual’s vital sigyou have enough people inone to remain with your help. If there are just two odecision. Can you leave yodo you need to stay put toof communication devicebeacon can help in this kinSecondary Survey After your patient is stablgo through a more thorouinjury. The more informaters, the better. Ask questtory of the present illnessate, when she last had a billness began, what her ptaken any medications or chronic illnesses that ma
Basic Wilderness First Aid 63 y or two before you can get kcountry. t in a position of comfort. If help you figure out the best t him on his side in case he kind of pad to protect him him with a sleeping bag or ent is conscious and capae him food and water. Monigns, and go for help. Ideally, n your group to allow somepatient while others go for of you, you are faced with a our patient to seek aid? Or o provide care? Some form such as a personal locator nd of situation. le and resting, take time to ugh history of his illness or tion you can relay to rescuions about everything: his or injury, what your patient bowel movement, when the ain is like, whether she has illegal drugs, if she has any ay have contributed to her
64 Outdoor Survival current condition—anythingdetermine what is going onYou should also condexam to make sure you hSometimes one injury or proit’s important to double chehead and move down to hfeel. Be systematic.
g that may help doctors . duct a thorough physical haven’t missed anything. oblem will mask others, so eck. Start at your patient’s her toes. Look, listen, and
Finally, take your patbreaths. Remember, a nsixty to eighty beats per between twelve and twenskin color and temperatumine your patient’s leveldate, time, what happenerate, breathing rate, skin clevel of consciousness—ayour patient over time. Cand record your findings. Achange in your patient’s coHypothermia Hypothermia is one of the even death, in outdoor surbasic understanding of theknow the environmental cthermia and recognize its scan respond should the sitSimply speaking, hyptemperature. Human beiate within a limited rangea few degrees’ change onbegin to cause problemsdeadly. Any time you finstaying warm and dry, yofor hypothermia, both in y
Basic Wilderness First Aid 65 tient’s pulse and count her normal pulse ranges from minute, while we breathe nty times per minute. Check ure. Ask questions to deterl of consciousness: name, ed? These vital signs—heart color and temperature, and are good ways to monitor Check vital signs regularly, Any changes may indicate a ondition. leading causes of problems, rvival situations, so having a e illness is critical. You must onditions that lead to hyposigns and symptoms so you tuation arise. pothermia is a drop in body ngs are designed to oper of temperatures, and even n either side of normal can s. Severe changes can be nd yourself having trouble u should be on the lookout yourself and in others.
66 Outdoor Survival The first signs of hypoering, loss of fine motor fuzipping up your jacket or tyiargy. You lose motivation toferring to sit around and shthese signs become exacerchanges in personality or levof gross motor functions (iity, disorientation, strange blose consciousness. Victimare very sick; you can cause ing them too quickly. Thesehospitalization and still mayPreventing Hypothermia: Ho1. Radiation: Our bodheat as a by-produexercise—basic livinYour head represents approximately 10 percent of your body’s surface area, which is a lot of area to lose heat from. Cover up when the temperature starts dropping.
thermia are usually shivunction (you have trouble ing your shoes), and leth take care of yourself, prehiver. As your body cools, rbated, and others join in: vels of consciousness, loss nability to walk), irritabilbehavior. At its worst, you ms of severe hypothermia heart arrhythmia by move people need immediate y not survive. ow Do We Lose Heat? dies radiate or give off ct of metabolism, and ng—all the time.
2. Conduction: Temequal; that is, if yotom on a cold rocor pull heat awaybodies reach equperature. Obviousenough heat to b98.6° Fahrenheitheat to the rock t3. Convection: Movthe heat that youbody and replace4. Evaporation: Whevaporates off ouThis is a critical pture regulation caoutdoors, too muexcessive heat losHow Do You Minimize Hea1. Clothing: Since hhair or any featheto protect ourselvbest technique isbe added and subatures change, bethe Rocky Mountperatures to fall w
Basic Wilderness First Aid 67 mperatures want to be ou place your warm botck, the rock will conduct y from you until the two uilibrium or the same temsly, you cannot generate ring a slab of granite to t, so you’ll be losing a lot of hrough conduction. ving air or water displaces u are radiating from your es it with cooler air or water. hen sweat or moisture ur skin, it cools us down. art of our body’s temperaapacities, but when in the uch sweating can cause ss. at Loss? humans don’t have much ers, we rely on our clothing ves from the elements. The to dress in layers that can btracted easily as temperecause change they will. In ains it is common for temwell below freezing at night
68 Outdoor Survival and rise to 70° or hThese extremes cain the desert, so yojust about anythingThink about thwhen choosing youlayers—down or syTemperatures are constantly chanthat to your own changing exertiostantly need to add and subtract
higher during the day. an be even more dramatic u need to be prepared for g. he ways you lose heat ur clothing. Insulating nthetic parkas—help trap nging in the mountains. Add on level, and you’ll find you conlayers to stay comfortable.