Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival
When you are tired and on a switchback trail one that zigzags up a steep hill it may seem like you can save time by going straight up the hill instead But once you leave a trail it can be surprisingly hard to find your way back to it Hike only on marked trails and avoid shortcuts that lead you off them You follow a false trail Well worn animal paths often look like trails made by and for humans It's easy to veer off onto an animal trail by mistake and be unable to find your way back to the people path How can you make sure that you stay on track One way is to mark your trail as you hike into the wilderness so you can follow your markings when you hike back out To show where you've been you can put a small rock on top of a big rock or place two sticks together on the trail so that they point like an arrow to show your direc tion You can also tie brightly colored flagging tape which can be bought at most hardware and outdoor equipment stores to branches or rocks to mark your path The test is to look back and make sure that you can always spot the last marking as you go along that way you'll know that you will be able to spot them when you return along the trail If you use flagging tape be sure to remove it as you walk back No one wants a messy forest The trail is rocky and there aren't any footprints to help you stay on the path How can you tell that you haven't veered off the trail if you have to travel over rocks Some trails are marked with ducks which are little piles of rocks that show you where the trail is One rock on top of another means go straight ahead a small rock to the right of a big rock means turn right and a little rock to the left of a big rock means turn left If a rocky trail isn't marked you can make your own ducks tie some flagging tape to a rock or mark your way with branch arrows You go exploring and end up in a place that is totally unfa miliar to you As you go along try to pick out landmarks that you can look for when you head back Of course if you bring a GPS Global Positioning System with you you'll always be able to tell where you are See chapter 10 p 172 for infor
mation on navigating via GPS You have to leave the trail in order to get around some thing that s in the way In the spring streams of rainwater or melted snow may block sections of a trail Big trees and boulders may fall across the path If you have to leave the trail to get around an obstacle such as these you could wind up off track Pay attention to what your trail looks like and when you get back to it on the other side of the obstacle make sure it looks the same You don't want to end up on an animal track or a different trail by mistake You leave the trail to go swimming fishing or exploring Everyone has left a trail to watch wildlife go fishing or inves tigate something interesting If you do keep track of the path you take and be sure to return to the trail the same way you left it You become dehydrated When you are exercising and you don't drink enough fluids you can quickly become dehydrated which means your body has lost too much water to stay healthy This happens most frequently in hot or even warm weather but it can happen at any time Dehydration can make you too weak and sick to get back home on your own To pre vent this bring extra water and don't forget to drink it You deliberately go off on your own Kids sometimes get mad at their parents a brother or sister or a friend and just take off without paying attention to where they're going The secret to being a smart adventurer is to be prepared for any of these possibilities and to know how to take care of your self if something unexpected happens WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET LOST Realizing you are lost is a really scary feeling and most people make it worse by becoming angry frightened sad or ashamed instead of taking control of the situation Your biggest survival tool is your brain So stop blaming yourself or others and don't waste valuable time Stay calm You will be found probably soon You are going to survive and you need to get to work to make your situation better Remember your main job now is to stay healthy and protected until you are located If you find your self panicking or running in circles just take a deep breath and say to yourself
STOP S is for Stop If there are many hours left before sunset and you can clearly see your tracks just follow them back to safe ty But if you don't have enough time to get back before sun set or if you have no idea how to get back stop moving The more you move around the longer it will take others to find you Also stop panicking It is normal to be scared and upset but you are the only one who can make things better so stay calm Remember that you know how to make a shelter and take care of yourself Tell yourself that you will be OK until you really believe it even if you have to say it a hundred times You will make it You are a survivor T is for Think After you take a couple of deep breaths start thinking Who knows where you are What's around you that can make your situation better Is there something in your pack or pockets that will help How many hours are left until dark Are you in a good spot to set up a shelter What is the weather like What kind of shelter can you build 0 is for Observe Look around you Is there a meadow with high grass nearby Meadow grass makes soft bedding Is there a lot of snow Maybe you can dig into a snowbank to make a snow cave Listen and look for water you will need it to sur vive Also look for a wide open spot that you can use to signal for help LP is for Plan Decide what to do and in what order What do you need to do first Are you in a safe spot If there is a thunderstorm and you're high up on a mountain or hill you need to get to lower ground as soon as you can Be sure to stay away from big boulders and tall trees that are standing by themselves lightning is most likely to strike there Do you need to build a shelter to help protect yourself from bad weather Do you need to make a fire to stay warm If so these tasks should be at or near the top of your to do list Plan where you will look for shelter building materials and firewood You always need more firewood than you expect so plan to col
lect more than you think you will need Do you have water Finding a supply is also important if you have forgotten to bring extra and the weather is hot However do not wander around looking for water especially if you know someone will be coming to find you What can you do to help people find you Is there an open space where you can signal an airplane or helicopter Can you build a signal fire safely or are you surrounded by flammable grass Are there rocks that you can use to make an X in the snow or in a field HELP IS ON THE WAY If you go missing the first thing your parents or guardians will probably do is notify the police or a park ranger These officials will call in a SAR or search and rescue team These dedicated searchers help to find kids and adults who may be lost injured or caught in bad weather Oftentimes they are trained in wilder ness survival skills such as first aid navigation and knot tying Search and rescue teams may include park rangers deputy sheriffs and volunteers who live in the area Some team mem bers work as ground pounders who travel on foot to find lost people while others serve as ATV all terrain vehicle drivers searching back roads and trails Mounted searchers ride horses that have been specially trained to work with search dogs and to not be spooked by things like ATVs chainsaws tents sirens helicopters or blowing flagging tape And search and rescue pilots may fly helicopters and airplanes in order to search from the sky Essential to search and rescue are K 9 teams made up of
