Hiking and Wilderness Survival Tips

Disclaimer: I am not attempting to pass the information in this article as my own. Any information included within this article was learned during a weekend Wilderness Survival seminar at Mountain Shepherd Survival school, and lectured by Dina Bennett who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the writing of this article, although they may not agree with all of the interpretations/conclusions of this writing. If you have any further questions or interests in Dina’s work, please visit www.mountainshepherd.com.

The beauty of learning is that we all do so in our very own ways. What I might take out of something, the next person may interpret in a completely different manner. I may pay fewer attention to certain topics during which somebody else may be fully engaged. Maybe you sneezed, or coughed, or had to leave to take a bathroom break and missed a few parts. Regardless, information is important. The more you know, the more you can use that knowledge, apply it to your life, and in this case; survive a situation that the ill-informed may not be able to. So here I am, recycling that information in hopes that I can help to prevent such horrible experiences in your life, or your friends and family, or whoever’s virtual hands this article might land.

The all-too familiar story on the news is the young couple, family, adventurous female drives up to a trail for the day. Maybe they’re there to watch the sunset, camp out for a few days, play around on the water, or simply just wanted to get out of their head and go for a walk. Somebody steps off of the trail to pee, or missteps and takes the wrong path when the trail comes to a fork. They lose their way, try to find it, and seemingly never do. This person usually has not come prepared. Little to no water, no form of shelter, nothing to keep them warm, cook food, boil water, no flashlight, etc. The person struggles to keep themselves going, but they fall victim to a poor mental state, ultimately giving up, and we all know how it ends. It’s terrifying, it’s sad, but it’s so easy to avoid if these people had had the right information.

I find myself looking back after this week in Virginia, thinking back to all of the times where my “short day hike” in which I only brought a bottle of water and my car keys along for the ride could have so easily gone south. It would have been SO easy for me to become one of those people. It’s scary to me, that I was so ignorant as to just how easy it is to become one of them. No matter how well you know the area, the woods are the woods, and all you have to do is close your eyes and turn around three times.

So lets dive in..

There are seven main points to consider when you find yourself in a life-or-death situation. They are as follows:

POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE (PMA)
This one hits home for me because not only does this apply to a wilderness survival situation, but to every day life. Positive mental attitude is so important; and is so easily driven away by stress. Think about it; In college students who allow themselves to stress over exams or quizzes, etc tend to perform much more poorly on the exams themselves when they take the test in this state of mind. Stress can bring you down, cloud your judgement, cause you to become forgetful, and so much more. We find ourselves lost and the brain just starts going a mile a minute; “Oh my god I don’t have a flashlight, I can’t see in the dark!” “What was that scary noise? Definitely not a leaf, it MUST be a bear”, “Oh god, I’m all alone, I’m going to die alone”. When this is going on, what are you not doing? Thinking logically about how the hell you’re going to get yourself out of this situation. So what should you do? Take a second, step back, and take a deep breath. Think logically; remember what you have brought with you, look around, gather resources, make a game plan. Look for a place to build shelter before dark, check your water reservoirs and make sure you have plenty, DRINK YOUR WATER, look for things to make a signal for help, mark your steps so you know where you have and haven’t been, and most importantly, keep your mind busy. The easiest way to fall victim to stress and the prevailing loop of frantic thoughts is by not doing anything and becoming paralyzed by your fear.

We brought glow sticks on our night hike to Dragon’s Tooth to light the way and keep us positive!
First Aid
A first aid kit is important to have with you on any type of hike. Always check your first aid kit before you depart and make sure to include any first aid supplies that cater to the type of trip you are taking so that you are prepared for any shortcoming that falls into your lap. Cheap first aid kits are available pretty much anywhere and you can always add to them if need be (in fact, this is recommended).
Shelter
Learning how to build a shelter with minimal supplies is a very good skill to obtain. If you find yourself lost in the woods, remember that sleep is important for the mind and making good decisions, so don’t discount sleep ever. Two great supplies to have for this that are light and fit easily into any day pack are paracord rope and a tarp. Dina’s class taught us how to build multiple shelters using just these two pieces of equipment. Each shelter was efficient and kept out cold and rain to allow for a safe place to sleep.
Fire
We all know that in order to build a proper fire you need three things: oxygen, heat, and fuel. So when planning for a hike, make sure to bring all of the above. Fire is important for many things in a survival situation; safe drinking water, food, warmth, and so much more. Before you venture out into the wild, I highly suggest learning how to build a strong fire and bringing the proper equipment to do so. I keep plenty of fuel and a flint/steel kit in my day pack just in case.

This was my firewood pile when Dina taught us how to start and keep a fire going!
Signaling
Knowing how to get the proper attention and seek the help of anybody in a survival situation is a great quality to have. This can be done through the use of brightly colored fabrics (fuschia in particular), whistles, and mirror signaling. I have to add however, that one of the easiest ways to prevent getting stuck out in the middle of the woods overnight is to simply just TELL someone that you are going there. Let them know when you arrive, and when you plan to return. It’s as easy as shooting someone a quick text, phone call, or sharing your location. (I mean we’ve got the technology, we should probably use it, right?)
Water
The human body can survive without water for 3 days, and food for 3 weeks, so these are on the bottom of the list of survival priorities (although still important). Always make sure to bring plenty of water no matter how short of a hike you plan to take. I brought 2L with me for all of the day hikes we did in Catawba. I also recommend getting your hands on some form of water filtration device such as a Lifestraw. This can filter out the Giardia commonly found in any US natural water source, although when traveling international there are other viruses to consider and you may need to do a bit more research on filtration devices that can tame these types of organisms. Point blank, never put yourself in a situation where you can’t get the hydration you need to keep going.
Food
Food is such a tricky one to cover. I think this one can easily be avoided by simply making sure to bring snacks along with you on your hike. Having something to munch on when you feel hungry will help, but as mentioned before, we are very capable of surviving without food for a pretty long time. There are certain bugs that are edible, plants, and berries, however all of these come with many risks, so do your research before you dive in. Dina shared so much helpful information in regards to what may be safe to eat and what might not be. However, even she mentioned the many risks that come with doing so.

I wish I had more time to touch on all of the things I know I have missed, but there is only so much one can include in an informative blog post. Mountain Shepherd offered up some very important and practical advice. If you are ever interested in taking a course like I did last week, I highly recommend checking out the website. They offer classes for middle school girls, women, and so much more. The workshops are very hands on, and Dina is so informative, helpful, and willing to answer any questions that you may have. I too am completely open to any questions people might have about my experience, so if you’d like to speak further feel free to shoot me an e-mail at retracethesesteps@gmail.com! I feel confident that I’ve said enough to put any of my readers in a much better position should you so unfortunately find yourself needing any of this. Check out the video at the bottom of the post for highlights of my trip!

Point blank guys: Just be safe out there. You are NOT invincible. This could and does happen to any average joe!!

To wrap this up, let me show you what I have in my daypack!

Two 2-Liter water bottles ($10 at Target)
Buck Knife $40
Paracord (can be found at Michael’s)
Tarp
Headlamp $20 REI
Extra AAA Batteries
First Aid Kit
Compact Mirror
Snacks!
Flint and Steel Kit $14 Amazon
Dryer lint and toilet paper tubes!
Chapstick
Portable phone charging bank
Lifestraw
And it’s still growing!

I hope you take what you need from this, and that maybe it saves someone’s life someday. Knowledge is the fruit of life. Be prepared and know how to survive in a time of desperate need. Happy Hiking y’all!

If you enjoyed this post, keep an eye out for upcoming articles. I will be venturing out to Denver, CO in 10 days, Spending the night in the Georgia Aquarium in 17, visiting Hunt Valley, MD, and I have a special treat in store for Halloween.

Lastly, if you are a giving person and enjoy helping those in need, allow me to tell you about two awesome companies that are doing all that they can to help provide support to children in underserved countries.

beyondBeanie is an excellent group who makes hats, scarves, bags, and bracelets (and they’re adorable too)! For every hat purchase, 5 children will receive a meal, and for every bracelet purchased, a child will receive a dental visit. I can help you out with an extra 25% off of your purchase if you use my code GEMP25 at checkout. Give back!

Serengetee is another great corporation that supports families and artisans in other countries. They purchase fabric from all over the world to offer support, and make awesome t-shirts, backpacks, hats, stickers and more. Use my code GEMPKO for 25% off!

Christmas is just around the corner 😉

Please follow and like us: