Wilderness Survival

In this activity we will take a look at skills to survive in the wilderness such as, shelter building, trail identification, water safety, and survival tools. Get ready to go outside and explore!

Survival Tools

So, let's dive right in! How do you survive in the wilderness? In the video below we will talk about some tools that are commonly taken on backpacking trips that help us set up camp but they are also good to have if we ever get lost or stranded. As you watch this video, make a list to see how many of these items you have in your own home!

Shelter

When you are lost we have to be prepared for anything to happen and that includes change of weather, predators, and the chance that it might be a while before someone finds us. *Screams Internally*

In our "Rules of 3 for Survival", shelter building comes at the 3 hour mark. A shelter is a vital part of survival and can provide many useful resources. It can provide a roof over our head, a blockade from the weather elements, a headquarters when we are mapping the area. Shelters can also be a place where we can hide from predators such as bears, coyotes, and bobcats.

So, when choosing a spot for your shelter you will want to make sure you have the following:

  • Dry area

  • Flat area

  • Not right next to a body of water.

  • Not underneath any cliffs, falling rocks, or dead limbs which could fall on you

  • Is readily visible or very well hidden (depending on whether you want to be found or not...but in this case...YOU WANT TO BE FOUND!)

Below are some examples of different types of shelters. Which one do you think you would like to build when you come to camp?

Lean To Shelter

Pros

  • Easy and fast to make

  • With addition of a “bed” and wind screen, it can be suitable as a long-term shelter

Cons

  • Not very warm by itself; will need to make a fire and preferably also a wind screen/fire reflector

  • Wind can get in from the sides

  • Not very camouflaged


Tipi Shelter

Pros

  • Easy to build

  • Good for larger groups of people

Cons

  • Requires lots of long branches

  • Not suitable for high winds

  • Doesn’t trap body heat as well as some shelter designs

  • Fire won’t warm inside the shelter

  • Will need to use leafy branches for covering as leafs and brush tend to blow away


Fallen Tree Shelter

Pros

  • Easy and fast to make

  • With addition of a “bed” and wind screen, it can be suitable as a long-term shelter

Cons

  • Not very warm by itself; will need to make a fire and preferably also a wind screen/fire reflector

  • Wind can get in from the sides

  • Not very camouflaged


H20

We all know it - we all need it - so, let's talk about it. Water is a necessity for humans to survive! In our "Rules of 3 for Survival" it comes at the three-day mark. Did you know your body can go three days without water? I know, I am just as surprised as you. When we take a look at our everyday lives, most of us have easy access to water. We have a water bottles, we ask our teacher to go to water fountain, or we get water from our sink. But, if we are lost in the wilderness we will not have that same level of access. After a few hours our bodies will start to go into "survival mode". This is kind of similar to how when your phone is close to dying it asks you if you want to put your phone in "energy saver mode" so that its battery can last longer.

So what happens when we are lost? Let's continue with our "backpacking trip" and our search for water. We can look for bigger bodies of water like lakes, rivers, ponds, or maybe even streams. These are all great choices!

Once we have found water, can we start drinking right away from those sources? NOOOOOOO! In those bodies of water are millions of different bacteria and other micro-organisms that can get us sick - very sick. Plus, if it is a water source that has fish or other aquatic animals, they use the bathroom in the water adding to the bacteria count - yuck. We have to make sure the water is safe to drink. There are many different methods that can purify the water, but the cheapest and most reassuring way is to boil the water to kill those different bacteria and virus'.

I bet you are wondering, "Well, what if there isn't a large body of water?" There are other methods that survivalist use to find water in areas where there are no bodies of water to pull from.

As you watch the video to the left, think about what other items you could use to get water the same way if you did not have the items used in the video?

Food

Man-oh-man I love some food! But do you think in a survival setting we would be able to eat as much as we do in our everyday non-lost lives? We could, but then we would run out of food faster and have to find or hunt for more - using even more energy - and making us even hungrier!

For the purpose of time, let's say we ran out of food. Did you know that your body can go up to three weeks without food? I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! Our body will begin to break down our existing body fat and even certain muscles to keep producing energy. To ensure you have enough energy and body mass, here are some different "wild" foods that you may eat in a survival situation!

Insects

(the crunchy ones not the fuzzy ones)

Worms

(slimy yet satisfying)

Fish

(fish can be friends and food)

Plants

(but ONLY if you are 100% sure it's edible)

I went to buy a camouflage tent the other day.

I couldn’t find any.

Review and Reflection

You have successfully survived being lost in the woods! Who would have thought we could do so much with so few tools and resources. It is remarkable how our bodies can survive in extreme conditions and respond to so man variables. Always remember, when you strip away the electronics, houses, vehicles, and other advancements from everyday life we become predators and prey just like our animal brethren.

Based on what you did today, consider the following questions and share your answers with anyone who will listen!

  1. Why would you need different survival tools for different areas in the world?

  2. Could yo build the same type of shelter in the tundra that we build here at camp?

  3. How would our world be if machinery and electricity were not invented?

Quick Quiz

The hard part of surviving is done for the day - now you can tackle this easy-peasy quiz. You will be great!

About the Author

Dingo*

Dingo joined the Boy Scouts of America at a young age and found his love for the outdoors and the beach there. He eventually earned his Eagle Scout rank and became a vigil member. After Dingo graduated high school, he attend Old Dominion University all the way in Virginia Beach, VA! Dingo's favorite season is summer because of all the fun exciting things he would plan for his summer campers when he directed a camp for Virginia Beach. After he graduated with a BA in Music, Dingo became a K-12 Music teacher! After spending a few years teaching, Dingo wanted to get back into the camp setting and found Nuhop to be an exciting place for a new adventure. So he decided to pack it and head to Ohio! His favorite activities are high ropes course, and canoeing!

*The Nuhop Outdoor Education Staff use "nature names" when working with students. The reason for these nature names is twofold: first it gives them a built-in conversation starter with students, and second, it provides them a level of personal privacy when working with over 4000 students in a given year.