Survival in Nature

[TheViking]

Hi...

Just thought I'd share some thoughts...

In this weekend i was on trip with Round Table (as you may know, cause i believe its worldwide) and we did a lot of things, including carving, barbecueing, baking twistbread etc. etc. I was the 'oldest' kid this time, so I was responsible for making twistbread-sticks and the fire (which suited me great!). :biggthump

The fire was going and we were sitting there a few guys and kids, baking twistbread when I looked at my/our lawyer. (He's an absolute great guy with eyes sharp as a hawk! Definately the type you don't want to heavy-argue with!) He's a hunter and knows a lot. He also knows something on survival/bushcraft/nature. BUT, I don't know how much! But then the thought hit me! I'd rather want this guy with me, stuck in the wild than any other person.

We all know that what counts, when stuck out there is the will to survive and I believe that if him and I got stuck out there we would make it anyway. We would to with RM or Lofty etc., but I don't think it's that difficult to survive out there as many survival books, point out... We don't need a 24 page chapter on how many kinds of tinder what's out there... We would find out. Shelter............ no problem. If we had spruce we would make it.

These are the 3 rules of survival that I've read in a book by an ex-danish SAS.
1. Keep your eyes open.
2. Save your energy.
3. Use your imagination.
Read them again and 'taste' on them... You really don't need more to survive IMO.

Your thoughts....? :biggthump

 

[SquirrelBoy]

I think its all about improvisation - making do with what you have to hand.

The time we need our gear the most will probably be the time we will be without it. IMHO we need to train our minds to be inventive, to see the use in things that are there.

If you dont have a shovel or a 2ft long woodsaw to carve out a snow hole use your mug, snowboard or ski.

I think the danger comes when your stuck outdoors for more than a few days. This will be the test of knowledge to live with nature, esp if weather conditions are bad.

 

[TheViking]

I think its all about improvisation - making do with what you have to hand.

IMHO we need to train our minds to be inventive, to see the use in things that are there.

I believe it's under the 3'rd rule. :biggthump

But what do you all (yes, i know there's a little quite here right now, but...) think? Is it important to be stuck (asuming you were) with someone you know and trust or one that knows everything? (RM, Lofty... (no doubt these guys are friendly))

 

[SquirrelBoy]

Sorry Andy I didnt really answer the question :roll:

To me ANYONE would be better than no-one. I think it would improve my morale if it wasnt just me there. You`d have someone to talk to, help and of course combine experience.

It would be great if RM or Lofty were there too but I wonder if you would give over resonsibility to another and not think for yourself. That said I carry a little Lofty SAS Survival book with me, so I guess he`s always there :rolmao:

 

[TheViking]

It would be great if RM or Lofty were there too but I wonder if you would give over resonsibility to another and not think for yourself.

That leads to my motto: Sapere Aude...
It would be more exiting with a friend (in this case my lawyer) than with a survival expert, cause he would probably just do much of the work and all the time tell you what to do next. You can laugh with friends too, and a good laugh in the wild, when having a fire, is the best IMO! :biggthump

But it's gonna be great when all the other guys come home from the meetup and hear their opinion too on this. Adi? Tony? Stuart? Ed? Kath? :?: Goin' once.... goin' twice....??

 

[Ed]

I agree with the points above.... Having an expert with you will ease your mental stress (they will know how to cope with this) but you may become too reliant on them.... having a good friend with you will boost morale and you will help each other through....


Ed

 

[jamesdevine]

There is another side to this. I was on a trip some time ago and the weather turned bad. A younger member of the group got cold wet etc. and they were none to comfortable. One of the group was an old friend that I had been on many outings with in the past and I always thought of him as an experience and confident outdoors man but he total paniced and was determined to call out the mountain rescue.

People react differently to difficulty and stress in different ways and at different times. In my opinion having the knowledge and confidence in yourself would be more important you can always paint a face on rock and call it BOB.


James

 

[Ed]

In my opinion having the knowledge and confidence in yourself would be more important

In a survival situation its confidence that counts... I have seen knowledgable people fall apart in stressfull situations (not in bushcraft/survival but in many fields of work) which is strange as I think my knowledge gives me that confidence.... maybe thats just me.

Ed

 

[jamesdevine]

Yep Ed is right. Personnel Confidence in your own ability would be key to your survival.

Lofty in one of books quotes the Scouts motto Be Prepared and thats a state of mind as much as anything. If I lived through a ship wreck or plane crash, car accident our what ever put me in the situation were survival skills were needed i would hope that I would shack off the shock quickly enough and focus and having someone else there would probably help, depending on their response to this trauma.

I am no phsycalogiest(sp) and this only my opinion.

James

 

[Squidders]

Lets face it... very few of us have had our confidence shaken to its foundation. I know I haven't. I've been in a few tight squeezes but never in a completely inescapable and desperate situation.

Maybe that would make an interesting new thread. :?:

 

[RovingArcher]

Like Squidders said, very few of us have been in a situation that truly puts us to the test. In fact, there are very few situations that would take us to that point, but if one such event occurs, I believe that it is our confidence in our skills and our ability to perform them under stress that keeps us alive. Just having skills won't do it and neither will having someone else along that has loads of skills. Even though you know them, they may not be trust worthy in an extreme situation. That said, I want someone with me that I can trust. Skills are nice, but if I know I can count on that person when the chips are down, that's worth all the skills on the planet. Besides, skills can be taught and learned, even under extremely stressful times and sometimes it is the teaching and the learning that keeps us sane.

First things first, because when our brain is running in circles and we are at wits end, if at all possible, it's time to put a fire together and heat up some water and brew up some tea or coffee. Nothing like a fire and cup of brew to settle us down and help clear away the fog, so that we can think things through and get a proper perspective of our situation.

 

[leon-1]

Yep Ed is right. Personnel Confidence in your own ability would be key to your survival.

Lofty in one of books quotes the Scouts motto Be Prepared and thats a state of mind as much as anything. If I lived through a ship wreck or plane crash, car accident our what ever put me in the situation were survival skills were needed i would hope that I would shack off the shock quickly enough and focus and having someone else there would probably help, depending on their response to this trauma.

I am no phsycalogiest(sp) and this only my opinion.

James

This is very true, on one of the courses that I attended they said that in general it wasn't a lack of knowledge that caused fatalities in a survival situation, but the inabillity of the human mind to accept the situation that you were in before the situation had deteriorated further and possibly irretrievably so. As a group you are more likely to either have one level headed person or through morale support of others the group will heal itself quicker.

One of the group was an old friend that I had been on many outings with in the past and I always thought of him as an experience and confident outdoors man but he total paniced and was determined to call out the mountain rescue.

James

You also mentioned the other factor that is a definite killer and that was panic or the flap factor, this can be more dangerous than not knowing enough, because it can make someone make a rash or hazardous decision that at a normal time they either would not of made or you may of got away with.

 

[jamesdevine]

This is not the first time this has happened, were someone that should have been able to handle this kind of stress (minor IMO) failed to do so. It has happened to me but lucky not in this type of stituation were others were dependant on me to keep them safe. It was only a moment of panic but it almost cost me alot it, also thought me a lot.

Having somebody with you with a level head would make things easier but as RA said often working trough the problems together is more key then have one strong mind telling everyone what to do all hands on deck in this situation. Not unless you are some sort of machine can you be uneffected by stress and fear and shock which all known can happen at anytime.

Counting to 10 (ie. catching your breath) is a good way to start. Your mind focus on something else and stops racing then you start to work through all those lessons lighting fire, shelther, water, injure treatment etc. Practise has alot to do with as well. Making fire should be second nature not easy in this era of lighters,central heating etc. I don't practis enough.

I'm going off on a big tangent here sorry guys.

James