Hello my friend and welcome back! In today’s post, I want to offer a few words of advice before you head out to practice your survival skills this summer. Practicing your survival skills is important, but doing it the smart way is even more important. With that said, grab yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.
To us Preppers, survival skills are extremely important and it is so important that you practice them any opportunity you get. The trouble is that every year hundreds of people either get lost or hurt themselves trying to do things that they think they know how to do while camping in the wild. They read about how to do something and then go out and try to do it, which is good, unless you are overly confident and throw caution to the wind. That is when you get in trouble and sometimes there is no one around to help.
Rule number one: “Never go camping by yourself if you can help it!” Sometimes you just need someone to roll you on the ground and put the flames out after you light your campfire. Don’t laugh, it has happened before to people who, for one reason or the other just weren’t watching what they were doing. While we’re talking about camp fires, please, please, please be careful when you build a campfire in the wilderness. We lose thousands of acres of wonderful forest each year for campfires that are either improperly built or left unattended.
Rule number two: “Always bring water with you when you leave your camp!” You can only survive three days at the most without it, and you will be on the ground from dehydration long before that happens. It’s always a good idea to carry a canteen with you at all times when in the forest camping or hiking. If you’re smart, you will get you one of those “Life Straws” and keep it on you. A canteen can only hold so much water and you need to be ready to take advantage of other sources of water if you become lost or disoriented while walking or hiking.
Rule number three: “Always keep some kind of food on you, such as a Power Bar or MRE (Meals Ready to Eat). If you do get lost, you will be very happy to have something with you to eat on the second or third day. You also need to take the time to learn which wild plants in your area are safe to eat. Just remember that if you have any doubt at all about one being safe to eat, DO NOT EAT IT!
Rule number four: “Always bring a compass and a map with you everywhere you go when in the forest.” I know many people who tell me that they have a keen sense of direction and really don’t need a compass. What many of them don’t realize is that their sense of direction is unknowingly based on the position of the Sun or distant land marks. The trouble comes when the sun is obscured by clouds or you can no longer see those landmarks for one reason or the other. Anytime you are going more than 50 yards from your campsite, you should have a compass, map, flashlight, as well as food and water. Just remember that no one ever sets out with the intention of getting lost.
Rule number five: “Learn what Poison Ivy and Poison Oak look like. As a young man, some friends and I went camping in the forest on weekend. The idea was that we would each build our own shelters in different areas from whatever the forest provided and would meet back the next morning to compare notes. It sounded good in theory, but one of our members built his using the vines from Poison Ivy to tie all of the limbs of his shelter together, and then he slept in it all night. When we met back the next morning, the poor guy was almost in tears. I have to tell you that I have never seen a case of Poison Ivy that bad and I hope I never do again. The poor fellow was pitiful! With that in mind, please take the time to learn how to spot them and not wait until you make a mistake like my friend to do so.
Well I guess that is it for today and I hope you will take the 5 rules to heart. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and stay prepared! God Bless America!
-The Sargent-
