How To Survive If You’re Lost in the Woods
- August 5, 2008
- 12,938 Views
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
Voice Over Artist
Gina Limbrick
Music (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6)
Edison Music Corp
Music (track 2)
Matt Wiggers
Music (track 3)
Todd Mazierski
Getting out of the wilderness alive is a matter of knowing what to do—and what not to do.
You Will Need
- Water
- Shelter
Step 1: Stay where you are
As soon as you realize you are lost, stay where you are. It’s much more difficult for rescuers to find you if you’re on the move.
Step 2: Remain together
If you’re with others, remain together.
Step 3: Follow the acronym STOP
Follow the acronym STOP: SIT down to collect your thoughts; THINK before you do anything or walk anywhere; OBSERVE what’s around you, and listen carefully for noises that indicate people or roads nearby; PREPARE for a long wait by gathering whatever items will keep you safe and comfortable, like wood and kindling if you have a way to start a fire.
If you can start a campfire, start three of them in a straight line or triangle. The universal distress signals are three gunshots, three blasts of a whistle, three fires, or three flashes of a mirror or reflective object.
Step 4: Drink up
If you have water with you, drink it whenever you feel thirsty. You may be tempted to make it last as long as possible, but it will do you more good in your body now.
Step 5: Find a water source
Find a clean water source in case your ordeal extends more than a day. If you’re at a high altitude, the running water in a stream is usually okay to drink—but snow is not, unless you melt it first, because it will make you too cold. Look for places that rainwater gathers, like in rock crevices. Pay attention to birds; they like to circle water.
Breathing through your nose will help you stay hydrated longer.
Step 6: Don’t eat anything
Don’t eat any wild plants, berries, mushrooms, and so on. You’re better off hungry than poisoned.
Step 7: Seek shelter
Look around for shelter, but don’t wander too far searching for the perfect spot. Get out of the sun—sitting under a tree or rock overhang will do just fine—but don’t hide from people looking for you!
Step 8: Build a bed
Use the time that you’re waiting for rescuers to gather braches or pine needles to sleep on when the temperature drops; you’ll stay warmer than if you were on the cold ground. And gather whatever is around — leaves, more branches — to place on top of you to further insulate you from the cold.
Curl up in the fetal position to conserve heat. If you’re with a group, huddle together.
Step 9: Conserve your energy
Conserve your energy. Don’t put so much energy into building a shelter or making an SOS sign out of rocks that you dehydrate yourself more quickly.
Step 10: Make noise
Make noise. It will help rescuers zero in on you and scare away animals.
In 1998, a lost fourteen-year-old snowboarder survived for six days in the San Gabriel Mountains before being found by rescuers.
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Comments (15)
easy to follow video. informative and fun to watch. Thank you.
over 3 years ago by howtofilm
Thanks guys. Tres helpful. And I loved the teddy bear. Looks just like mine.
over 3 years ago by Dynamic
I think that most of the video was great until you got to the part about water. Water from any river source should first be boiled if at all possible and allowed to cool before drinking. Drinking contaminated water is one of the leading causes of death in survival situations. As stated in the book ";Build the Perfect Survival Kit"; by John D. McCann, ";The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 1,000,000 people will become sick each year from consuming contaminated water."; Also stated in the book, ";it is estimated by some that 90% of the world's freshwater is contaminated."; Before one decides to drink from a water source that birds and other animals partake and most likely eliminate in, one should consider reading up on the different water based parasites that can inhabit the drinking water. Two examples are the parasites ";Giardia intestinallis"; ( more information is provided here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/Giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm )
and Cryptosporidium (more information here: http://www.cdc.gov/crypto/ ).
Both of these parasites can and have been know to kill because of poor planning and improper water purification practices. It is safer to drink rain water run-off from leaves and to always boil water in the wild.
over 3 years ago by chilbert007
good.
over 3 years ago by cmemove
Helpful, informative and entertaining.
Thanks,
petergsimon
over 3 years ago by petergsimon
Very helpful &; informative...too bad this wasn't around for the Blair Witch Project maybe it could've helped them, lol.
over 3 years ago by tyquann
I like the teddy bear.
11 months ago by popcorngirl94
good to know, thanks
over 2 years ago by notesbuddy
many points
over 2 years ago by rainielle
Omg, the lost snowboarder died after his rescue. I googled to read on the miracle rescue but he died a few days after the rescue. Not a very optimistic thing to put in the video.
over 2 years ago by viruswitch
Was that a pickle you ate off the tree.
11 months ago by popcorngirl94
You both look weird.
11 months ago by popcorngirl94
Weird water botle.
11 months ago by popcorngirl94
Ha, a regular Bear Grylls. An informative script well shot.
over 2 years ago by MKF
I learnd my lesson.
11 months ago by popcorngirl94
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