You've been lost in the wilderness
for over 24 hours when you finally
come across
a body of freshwater.
You're so dehydrated that you start
chugging as much water as possible.
But little do you know that life-threatening
bacteria infest this water?
What should you have done differently?
If you’re a subscriber, you probably know
more about survival
than an average person.
But maybe you need a refresher course.
Even with the latest and greatest
technology available, national parks
in the United States
had more than 65,000 search and rescue
missions
between the years 1992 and 2007.
Approximately 40% of them involved
lost groups or individuals.
While 93% of search and rescue efforts
end within 24 hours, you want yours
to end with you being alive.
So what should you not do?
Fire is essential to surviving.
It can keep you warm during a cold night,
help you purify water, cook food,
ward off predators and signal for help.
When setting out on an adventure,
you should carry
an ignition source
and know how to start a fire.
Here are some tips.
Use the driest materials possible.
Instead of using live tree material
or green material on the ground,
look for dry, dead branches or dry grass.
If you want to make a smoke signal,
start a fire with dry material
then add green vegetation.
Use small materials
as smaller fibers are easier to light.
The best way to start a fire
is to start small and make it bigger.
If you don’t have matches or a lighter,
you will need to be creative.
You can use glasses
to focus light into a concentrated beam
or clear ice if you are in a cold climate.
Make the best temporary shelter you can,
and do it the first time around.
You won’t know how long
you might need it.
Here are some tips
to avoid cutting corners.
If you need to make a shelter quickly,
lean it against an existing structure.
This could be a wall, fallen tree
or rock face.
If there is no structure nearby,
build a round lodge.
It's commonly called a teepee.
Lean a large number of materials
together, creating a larger structure.
It provides more protection
because it encircles you.
This will require more time and materials.
But it will be a better structure
that can protect you, your gear and more.
Just don’t build your shelter
too close to water,
or you might get washed away
in a flood.
If you are venturing into the wilderness,
you should know where you are going
and what the route is like.
And you should know how to get back
to civilization.
If you don’t know how to use a compass
or lack basic navigation skills,
getting lost can be a big problem.
Here are some tips to help you
get to safety.
Get to the high ground.
If there is a hill nearby,
climb it and try to identify which way
you need to go.
For example, you might be able to see
where the parking lot is.
Use the Sun.
The Sun moves from east to west.
This is better than nothing,
and it will help you determine
which direction you are going.
To find the east,
plant a stick into the ground
and mark where its shadow is.
Wait for a few minutes,
then see which direction
the shadow has moved. This is east.
Being in a survival scenario
when someone has an injury
makes everything harder.
Using basic first aid skills
can make the difference between
life and death, especially if you don’t know
when you will be rescued.
Here are some tips for handling
basic injuries.
Close wounds as soon as possible.
Having an open wound invites bacteria
into your body,
which can cause serious infections.
Even a small cut
can lead to grave complications.
It is best to clean the wound with alcohol
and seal it with a bandage or a cloth.
If the wound doesn’t stop bleeding
in an emergency,
you can burn the wound closed.
Use tourniquets only when necessary.
They can be incredibly helpful
but only use them as a last resort.
The tight binding could
make you lose a limb.
Brace a broken bone, and bind the injury
so it doesn’t get worse.
You can create a brace using
a tree branch
and some cloth or a rope.
Don’t try to reset a broken bone
unless you are a medical professional,
or you could make things worse.
Having clean drinking water
is essential in any survival situation.
You can have basic and temporary
shelters that work and survive for weeks
without food.
But if you don’t have water,
you can only survive for a couple of days.
If it is hot and you are on the move,
your survival time is even less.
It is essential to remember these tips
so you can find safe water.
Water runs downhill,
so listen for it flowing.
Don’t trust stagnant water.
You could get diseases like malaria
and dengue fever if you drink
standing water.
Instead, drink strongly flowing water.
It is always good to boil water to purify it,
even with flowing water.
That avoids getting a parasite
or infectious disease,
which could make your situation
much worse in the long-term.
As long as you don’t make these five
critical mistakes,
you should survive getting lost
in the wilderness.
But remember, you're not alone out there.
You might be able to survive
the environment,
but what about all the creatures
who want to attack you?
Do you know which animals
you have to worry about the most?
Find out here on How to Survive.