Has anyone been in a real survival situation?

[John Fenna]

Over the years - several!
Most started with personal stupidity (I am a slow learner!) so I will not go into detail, but tey ranged from getting lost in a whiteout on the Welsh mountains to incapacitating injury in the wilds of the Pennines, hypothermia to hyperthermia to severe illness in remotest Ghana with my comms down due to a busted solar recharger......
Pass me a bottle of whiskey or rum by the campfire and I will tell you some of the details......
I am older and wiser now and have not been in a bad situation for some time now!

 

[BOD]

Hang On,

Apart from dboles and John Fenna, most of what I am reading seems to be about having avoided (although narrowly) a survival situation thorough skill, common sense and, in some cases, good luck.

For which you are to be congratulated.

But since when is getting lost or temporarily stranded a survival situation unless impending hypothermia is an issue?

Scott (of the Antarctic) was in a survival situation. Amundsen's party was not when they got lost in a blizzard.

Or is my understanding of what amounts to a survival situation faulty? (says he who has never been in a survival situation)

 

[andy_e]

That's a good question BOD, having never been in a survival situation myself, I don't know how I would define one but I guess I'd start with:

A situation where death is possible, even probable, rescue is necessary or where knowledge, skill and luck have to be called into play in order to ensure survival.

Just to pick out one example, plenty of people die because they don't know how to deal with being snowed in their cars. If you survive that predicament then in what way is it not a survival situation?

I suppose it's possible to be in a survival situation in the middle of a city - having had the good fortune never to have been homeless I can't imagine what it's like but I reckon there are plenty of times where simply surviving is difficult.

I disagree on one point though, both Amundsen's and Scott's parties were both in survival situations. However, only one of those parties had the knowledge, skill and luck to make it through.

 

[weaver]

I went to New York City once.

 

[John Fenna]

I was once called up by the BBC to give advice, as a "Survival Expert", to the poor folk of East Anglia on how to survive the terrible ordeal of 2" of snow falling and the whole area grinding to a halt.....thereby anyone over the age of 20 living in East Anglia has been in a Survival Situation - listening to me waffle on for 10mins about Surviving the cold for 12hours while in a car or house......!
A "Survival Situation" is to me one where you might die if you do not have the skills/knowledge to cope with unforseen problems arising. This means that one mans "Survival Situation" will be another mans holiday and each person will find differing things life threatening....

 

[In Wood]

I have been in many “tricky” situations, some of my own doing some caused by others, I have been in live threatening situations but I would not say I have been in what I would call a survival situation.

I have had a broken ankle, on my own in the middle of no-where but I did not call that a survival situation, I had all the right kit, knowledge and if you like bl00dy minded attitude and if needed I could call the ERS out, but I managed to get back to my vehicle and drive to hospital.

I have been under fire in the middle of a hostile environment, but had training, kit and troop members with me, life or death at times but not a survival situation in my eyes.

I have been without a job with a family to support, I have been in work with family to support, life itself can some times be about survival, but not what I would class a “Survival Situation”.

As others have already said here, what some would call extreme training or even a get away back to basics others may call a survival situation.

I think for those of us on here it would need to be a pretty big event to call it a real life survival situation, ship wreck or plane crash in foreign climbs to qualify. But maybe I am wrong, being stuck up the Cairngorm’s in a white out without the correct kit or knowledge could quickly turn into a survival situation for many, but I feel as many on here would, that would be a test of knowledge and skills if it were to happen to us. Not that we would ever venture there without the correct kit and knowledge. Part of Survival is also avoiding the risk. If I saw the white out heading in I would take appropriate measures as I am sure most of us would.

Sorry I have prattled on too long, I guess what I am trying to say is it is the totally unforeseen, unprepared for, major event that knocks you for six that has to happen to qualify as a real survival situation.

 

[Wayland]

I was is a survival situation in the middle of London when a couple of neds with a knife tried to mug me.

I survived, but at least one of them must have needed a hospital.

Apart from that it's just the usual things like being stuck in snow for a couple of days and the like.

I carry a comprehensive vehicle kit all year round and supplement it with extra chocolate in Winter.

 

[firecrest]

Hang On,

Apart from dboles and John Fenna, most of what I am reading seems to be about having avoided (although narrowly) a survival situation thorough skill, common sense and, in some cases, good luck.

For which you are to be congratulated.

But since when is getting lost or temporarily stranded a survival situation unless impending hypothermia is an issue?

Scott (of the Antarctic) was in a survival situation. Amundsen's party was not when they got lost in a blizzard.

Or is my understanding of what amounts to a survival situation faulty? (says he who has never been in a survival situation)

it would be great if we all had really cool stories of spending 3 weeks in the arctic eating nothing but shoe leather for survival, but I guess most peoples lives , including my own are a bit more mundane. Besides, if we DID all have crazy stories, it wouldnt really be great because it would indicate we were all a bunch of ill-prepaired ejjits, or people with exepctionally bad luck!
Besides I guess the people with the really really good survival stories are still stranded on their desert islands planning how to build a boat good enough to get off them, or still trekking their way home through the jungle on one remaining leg.

 

[malcolmc]

Hang On,

Apart from ... But since when is getting lost or temporarily stranded a survival situation unless impending hypothermia is an issue?
... understanding of what amounts to a survival situation faulty? (says he who has never been in a survival situation)

I appreciate what you say, but impending hypothermia can be an issue even in the UK in summer. If I haven’t been able to achieve my plan ‘A’ what will concentrate my mind wonderfully is the knowledge that some people haven’t survived by underestimating just how cold it can get under a clear sky in the early hours. I will perceive such a situation as threatening my survival and go for plan ‘B’; which is falling back on the sort of skills described on this site.

True it’s a bit mundane but I rather like it that way.

One of thing that makes me a bit uneasy is the way most of the public seem to think there is no risk to travelling in isolated areas in the UK. Most of the time they get away with it and, to my way of thinking, that breeds complacency (of which, of course, I’m not immune myself).

 

[Aaron]

I was once trapped in a stately home retreat for the weekend with a bunch of Christian evangelists. If that isnt a survival situation, I dont know what is!

 

[commandocal]

Haha Aaron

I made a thread about this ages ago somewhere on where your skills came in useful in a real situation.
good stories people.

Cal

 

[Mike Ameling]

First I guess I should ignore those various situations in ... um ... "man made" conflicts in exotic locales. That's "intentional" stuff. Survival has a different meaning in them.

And I guess I also should not mention all the various planned and improptu camping trips. Nothing like camping out with min gear in a 20 below zero (F) blizzard to test your gear/training/knowledge and Resolve! It was worse camping out in near freezing temps for several days with constant rain/sleet/snow .

Plus all those encounters with tornadoes and floods just require NOT PANICing, and a little thought. But it does lead to some of the worst "survival" situations I have been in - dealing with those clueless jerk "know-it-all and you have to do exactly like I tell you" idiots - that somehow manage to LUCK OUT and survive to then plaster their faces all over the news! (ONE Example: "We have to form a human chain and wade across this chest-high flooded fast-flowing street from this multi-story building over to that two-story building over there. Now get in line and MOVE IT! We gotta go NOW!" With all the appropriate doom/death/gloom wording to panic people. Well, the only real reason to do that was for HIM to get over to that BAR for some free booze! And not considered "looting" because it was a "survival situation". He and several of his new buddies wanted to kill me for not helping them out! I calmly explained what would happen to them if they didn't leave me and the others alone. They were last seen bobbing in the water several blocks away before the water joined the river.)

And numerous other bad survival situations where surviving the other people was the main problem, not the actual conditions involved.

The other "worst" survival situations I have been in have been in big cities - encounters with the local "wild life". But ruthless application of force quickly tamed those "wild animals" - some permanently. Planned survival.

And many stories of saving people from themselves instead of letting them suffer the consequences of their own bad choices. It's sad to say, but many people deserve to die - especially when the refuse to learn and expect everybody else to look out for them.

Just a few humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[BOD]

OK.

Now I know what we are talking about.

Survival situation = a stuff up and a possible risk of injury or death. I am a master of the stuff up!

No land stories that merit a mention.

A squall and total white out when in a 15’ catamaran in the world’s second busiest shipping lanes with a crew who is incapacitated by hypothermia (a solo trans ocean Australian to boot!). Very real risk of total annihilation by supertanker / freighter or like.

In a capsized small catamaran, with 6 year old child as crew, pushed from the sea by unexpected storm into a jungle river with a bleeding foot. Child rescued by riverine gunboat but stay on to wait for a tow. Survived but maybe staying on in fading light and bleeding foot with real crocodiles lurking somewhere wasn’t that smart. But the skipper must stay with the ship , no?

Do other people’s stuff ups count? If so heading out in big seas at dangerous speeds to bring them back safe.