Overnight Survival: What To Do When You Are Lost In The Wilderness
Getting lost in the woods is a very real possibility. You hear about it happening to someone every year. The stories with happy endings usually have a few things in common: Luck, smarts, and advanced preparation for such emergencies.
A hike in the wilderness can be peaceful and relaxing. The Pacific Northwest offers plenty of places to escape the stress of daily life, including vast stretches of wilderness and deep forests. However, the further you wander from civilization, the greater the chances of getting lost, which can turn your peaceful stroll into a struggle to survive.
Getting lost in the woods is a very real possibility. You hear about it happening to someone every year. The stories with happy endings usually have a few things in common: Luck, smarts, and advanced preparation for such emergencies.
If you plan to go adventuring in the woods this year, plan for the possibility of becoming lost. The five most important things you'll need in such situations are fire, shelter, food, water, and first aid. Here, we'll take a look at some of the most important emergency gear to bring on wilderness hikes, and how to use it to survive.
Sending Signals With Your LED Flashlight:
Often, hikers who only plan to be out during the day forget or just plain neglect to bring a light. However, an LED light could be your most important piece of survival equipment. It will not only allow you to see in the dark, but could also be used to send an emergency signal if need be. In many cases, lost hikers have been spotted by rescue teams solely by the light from their LED flashlights.
A high-quality LED flashlight is an excellent choice for an emergency light. That's because an LED flashlight shines a powerful, focused beam that can be seen from a far greater distance away than a traditional incandescent light. Moreover, LED flashlights last much longer than their incandescent counterparts, due to LED technology's significantly greater energy efficiency.
Send emergency signals: To send an emergency signal with your LED flashlight, try to get to a spot where you can be seen from a long distance from the ground, as well as from above. Switch the light on and off to signal three bursts of light in a row. Use the light sparingly to preserve the battery life. Do this periodically throughout the night, and of course flash your LED flashlight immediately if you see or hear anyone in the distance.
Creating Fire and Shelter With Your Folding Knife:
A folding knife is another universal emergency tool. You can use a knife to cut branches for building a shelter, to shave bark off of a tree to use as tinder, and in many other situations where you might need to make something from what you have in your surroundings.
A multi-tool is a good choice for a folding knife. With a folding knife, you not only have your blade, but also other useful tools. A saw blade, scissors, and wire cutters are a few examples of the tools available on multi-tools.
Build a fire: To build a fire in the wilderness, the bare minimum you will need include tinder, fuel, oxygen, and some way to make a spark. Some of the common mistakes made when trying to build a fire are using poor tinder, failing to protect the spark from the wind, or smothering a weak flame with fuel that is too large.
Some good sources of tinder include paper, dry grass, dry bark, wood shavings, or cloth lint. You can use your folding knife to cut fine strips of bark or shave wood off of a branch. Once you've got some tinder, you can use your saw blade or knife to cut small kindling from smaller branches. Have some larger pieces of wood ready to add to the fire after you've got it going strong.
Construct a teepee-shape with your tinder, with the driest pieces on the bottom. Next you'll need a spark or flame of some sort. This is why you should always carry an emergency kit with waterproof matches, flint and steel, or at least a cigarette lighter when hiking. Strike sparks into the tinder, making sure to shelter it from wind. Once you've managed to create a flame, carefully add small pieces of kindling to bring the fire to life.
Build a shelter: There are many ways to build an emergency shelter in the wilderness. You can prop up branches to create a lean-to or wigwam. Bark, tree boughs, thick grasses and tarps can all be used as covering. One of the easiest ways to create a shelter in the woods is to find a fallen tree, enlarge the natural trench beneath it, and line it with bark and/or boughs. A folding knife or multi-tool will once again prove to be extremely handy for gathering the supplies and cutting rope for lashing branches together.
Essential Emergency Kit Items Checklist
Here are some items you should be sure to bring along when hiking:
First-aid kit Tarp Folding knife or multi-tool Water bottle and container for boiling water Survival blanket Compass and map Whistle Rope or cord Waterproof matches, lighter or flint and steel Extra food and clothing LED flashlight or headlamp
With a good LED flashlight, a multi-tool and/or folding knife, and a first aid kit, nearly anyone can survive a night or two in the wilderness. Be prepared the next time you go on a hike, even if it's just a daytime jaunt. Should disaster strike, you'll be glad you were ready.
About The Author:Want to find the latest and greatest LED flashlight technology? Visit the Coast website to discover more emergency lighting innovations.
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