WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’VE LOST IN A FOREST
Have you ever thought about getting lost in a forest, alone by yourself, without anything or anyone familiar around you? Just dark, humid forest with spine shivering noises all around you?
Thought of getting lost is definitely a nightmare to most of us. Whether you’ve lost with your loyal companies or just on by yourself, this is definitely not a thing that can be taken easily especially when our life or death depends on our action by that moment. Some people might find it lucky to be found sooner after they had lost. Some other ones, however, are unlucky.
Getting lost in a wood is not a death sentence, at least not yet if you know how to manage yourself on planning to survive and escape for the sake of your life. These tips might help you give a decent view on how to prepare yourself in case you’re gotten into the serious bad scenario when you’re out strolling into woods or simply taking a hike.
CONTROL YOURSELF
If you happen to find everything seems alienating you then its time to take a deep breath and round up to the next stage of preparation. Encourage yourself that everything is going to be okay. Good mental is a key to endurance that you will definitely need to survive out there. Giving a boost of confidence will also make you much more focused on staying alive and safe. Consider the forest as nothing but common place you’ll find anywhere, like roads on the back of grandmother’s house, or new local park on the corner of the city.
After you’ve managed your emotional state upon your current situation, its time to get to know your environments. Get used to the weather, atmosphere and the temperature. Increase your awareness and feel the nature. It is not as hostile as you thought. Strengthen your senses by focusing on smells, sounds, visions and temperature. Be acquaintance to the forest so you don’t feel like an outsider to her.
PREPARE YOUR SUPPLIES
Alright, it’s time to be a real survivor. Open your bag and pour out everything you have on the ground. Examine the remaining supplies you have and put it on the certain categories. Basic needs as foods shouldn’t be put together with hunting knife or battery. Calculate how long you can go with these supplies. Create the planning to use the food and water as much efficient as you could. Now, take a look at your equipment which are not less important than basic needs. If you have flashlights and few batteries left, plan on when you should use them. Same thing also goes for matches.
Once you get to know your supplies and equipment and put them on certain categories, its time to pack them into your backpack or carrier. Basic needs should be put in safest place on your bag while equipment like hunting knife or raincoat must have the easiest access. Electric and non-waterproof equipment like flashlights, matches or paper books must be put in place where water could not reach.
If you’re, somehow, made a greatest mistake every traveler could ever done by not bringing anything at all, then you will endure much more difficulties out there. Though the next tips will cover that mistake, always bring the supplies whenever you’re going out into woods, whether it’s just a short walk or camping for days.
Now, if you are that one unlucky, unprepared traveler who brings nothing when goes strolling into woods, then you must endure yourself to Look for back up supplies and equipment in the woods. Forest has almost everything you need if you know how to get it. Animals and edible plants and fruits flourish among the forest roof and floor. Get the easiest one you could get. Berries could be the first choice. Animals like frogs, birds, hares or snakes also can be eaten for the sake of your survival (Watch for the bright colorful animals which are usually pretty poisonous and lethal. If its a frog, don’t eat it). Water can be find inside trees’ roots, large and cup-like leaves, trunks or even puddle. Some plantations like thick vines, bamboo and cacti also consist drinkable water that can be sourced by cutting and mashing it. You can also get the water from collecting the rainfalls if the weather is on your side. For medical kit, you can cut the hanging roots so you can use it as tourniquet in case something happens. Some leaves like Aloe Vera, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus are also can be used to heal wounds.
Now, you must Ensure your safety with defense equipment. You can compile huge branches of leaves together to create natural raincoat. Few stones also possess the sharp ends that can be used to cut things. If you happen to find none, you can create one by smashing and grinding two rocks together until it sharps enough to cut things up. The hanging roots on trees can also be used as rope to tie up your ‘handmade flakes’ on stick to create a spear.
Unlike what is portrayed on movies, wild animals like boars, wolves or mountain lions are actually pretty avoidance to humans unless when they’re threatened or extremely starving. However, its important to know how to defense yourself from these animals. A lot of animals are afraid of loud noises so screaming or smashing two rocks as loud as you could will scare most of predators. Wolves usually hunt in pack and actually scared of something tall so you better stand up high or even raise up the branch to make yourself appear taller, keep in mind that you should not facing the same wolf to avoid one of them to get to close behind you. Scream to make yourself dominant and they will think twice from attacking you.
LOOK FOR SHELTER
Once you’re ready with your supplies and defenses, plan yourself whether you want to Stay or stroll by continue looking for nearby village or staying in woods waiting for help. Both are actually understandable depending on your circumstances. If you see a village nearby the mountain hills, you can walk down to get there. If you happen to find river nearby, follow the course of the river down the mountain or valley for the village is usually near the river bank. If you happen to find no river or can’t even hear any river sound from miles, then you can look for emergency shelter to wait for the rescue team to come. It is very important to tell someone that you’re going out on the forest on previous days, whether it’s your family, friend or forest ranger so they will send a rescue team once realizing that you’re appeared to be gone from radar.
Now, if you decided to build a shelter and wait, look for the Safest area for shelter placements. Avoid the fragile hills or any other area that prone to landslide. If you bring maps, identify your current location with compass. If you don’t have any, you can make a comparison method on surrounding topography which match the map. After you’ve found your location, look for the place on map with the widest and largest contour for leveler ground. Avoid building the shelter near the river because wild animals usually come from the forest to get the drink or hunt nearby the river. Avoid building your shelter to tall to avoid strong wind to collapse it and do not put your door facing the wind directions so cold air don’t blow in. The common wood shelter is called bivouac and can be made from natural resources like branches and leaves. It is also can be made from raincoat if you’re happen to bring any. Make the bivouac as dense as possible so it will trap the heat inside so you’re not freezing at night. It will also give you a good dry shelter when its raining.
Once your bivouac is done, its time to gather additional supplies to prolong your survival. You can repeat the previous tips of gathering foods and water from animals and plantations. You can hunt the fish or creating traps as well. Make the fireplace near your bivouac by compiling the dry branches and leaves so you wont freeze and animal wont get close to your shelter at night.
Know, that your shelter is safe and sound, don’t be blinded by the cozy looks of it. Nature is unpredictable place and anything could happen anytime. Plan your emergency escape to face the unexpected like animal attack or natural disaster like a landslide or volcano eruption. Always place your supplies and equipment in easiest position to access. Put your carrier or backpack in a steady position (wide open) so you can put your supplies in there as fast as you could when emergency situation happens. Whenever you’re asleep, always place your weapons close to your reach in case a wild animal attack.
THE ESCAPE PLAN
Don’t stop right there with your cozy and warm shelter for your main purpose is not living in the forest but to escape from there. First, you must Understand your topography and a possible sightseeing place for you to monitor your location for sign of rescue team. If you have maps, look for the highest spot on nearby area (smallest contour circle indicates the highest point). High places or trees that catch the whole horizon view will make a perfect spot for you. Rescue team usually moves when sun rises and stop at night for camping, this camp generates fires and lights that would give away their locations so you can approach them if its possible.
After you understand your topography. You can help the them to find you by Leaving the signals or signs near your shelter to tell them that you are nearby by carving the trees, tying up your clothes or anything that looks distinct enough to surroundings or just create a huge sign of arrow pointing on your shelter. Another way is to give a smoke signal like Indians. To do this, your fire must be big enough to generate lot of smokes and put the smoke on place that can be seen from every direction, such as high grounds. If you want to give more precise message through Morse code, you can control the smoke’s release with cloth or anything to create S.O.S message (be aware that this fire could also start forest fire if you don’t control it, always make sure it is far from trees and make the ‘safety circle’ by digging up trench around it so it doesn’t struck the surrounding grasses).
To let rescue team knows your location, you must put enough dedication and consistency to do this almost everyday without reducing much of your resources. Again, this is for the sake of survival. It is not the nature that will kill you, but the impatience and careless action.
"There are all these moments you think you won't survive. And then you survive." - David Levithan
I’m going to say that surviving in the forest requires decent planning and calculations that is executed by discipline and patience which are the inner keys to ensure our survival planning goes well. The reason is nothing but our life and death matters will absolutely depend on our actions. Use the resources as effective and efficient as possible and do not lose the glimpse of hope that you will get home tomorrow.
Komentar
Posting Komentar