The Woodsman's Journal Online

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Could You Survive...You Need Shelter Now!©

Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

You’re miles from your base camp on an open hillside. The wind is kicking up and there are dark clouds gusting in from the west of you, heading your way. It’s already started to rain.

You need shelter, NOW! What are you going to do?

A) Look for an area close to water and fuel.

B) Seek out a site that is large enough and level enough for you to lie down comfortably, with available materials nearby for constructing a shelter.

C) Look for a cave on the mountainside.

D) Make do with the available terrain and seek protection immediately.

The storm is blowing in fast and bringing rain with it and the ‘Rule of Three’ should be your guide as to which of the four options to choose. Since you can survive for only three hours without shelter from the elements and fire, and of these two, fire takes a back seat to shelter; if the rain is coming down hard, your fire is dead anyways.

It is all about staying 98.6^oF (37^o C), and to do this you need to keep your first layer of protection, your clothes dry, or you risk hypothermia.

Rain and wind can be a killer, water conducts heat 25 times faster than air, combine that with wind and wind-chill and you have a problem (for more on the effect of wind and wet, read “Being Wet Kills, Fast!©”, HERE and “Hypothermia, It Can Happen Any Time, Anywhere ©” HERE).

Hypothermia means “low heat” and it can happen anytime your core body heat is lost faster than you can replace it. It strikes anytime, anywhere, indoors, or out, even in relatively warm 50^oF (10^oC) temperatures! Hypothermia is common in the winter, however, according to Princeton University, it occurs most often during the spring and fall.

Since you are on a hillside, looking for water means descending towards a valley and lower elevations, that can take time, and if the storm is coming in fast you might not have time.

Do you remember seeing a cave or rock shelter, or easily gathered fuel wood nearby? If the answer is ‘no’ to both questions, then you could get caught by the storm while you search. The hillside you are on is open, with no shelter for the wind or rain, stopping here means getting soaked. Getting drenched by the storm means getting wet and chilled, and that increases your chances of hypothermia by 25 times.

The best answer is ‘B’, unless you know there is a cave or a rock shelter nearby, if so, then ‘C’ becomes the best answer. Both answers, A’ and ‘D’, are not good choices.

If you answered ‘B’, your survival score is 75%. There are no higher scores in wilderness survival because survival is never an assured thing. If you chose ‘A’ or ‘C’ then your survival score is 50%, since you could get soaked descending to find water, searching for fuel, or looking for a rock shelter, and getting wet risks hypothermia and death. Choosing ‘D’ means getting soaked and being exposed to the full force of the wind, if you chose this answer, your survival score is 25%. But just like there is no guaranteed success, there is no assured failure either. Much of life, or death for that matter, comes down to luck, either good or bad. That is why in scenario ‘D’, searchers will either find your dead, scavenged corpse or, if you’re lucky, then they’ll find you suffering from hypothermia in time to save you.

I hope that if you are ever in a situation like this, that this will help you make the right choice.

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Emergency Shelter ©”, where we will talk about how to camp in the winter wilderness and stay warm and safe.

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource! To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE. Thank you and Happy Trails!

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site. I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

Airforce Survival School, Fairchild AFB; “Could You Survive”, Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 13, 1977, page 22, https://books.google.com/books?id=__lLAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=%22could+you+survive%22&article_id=3746,2800258&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqisikv6eTAxU1mokEHfm0NbUQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=%22could%20you%20survive%22&f=false, accessed march 28, 2026

Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, CG 473, September 1975, https://archive.org/details/pocketguidetocol00inte/page/6/mode/2up, accessed March 28, 2026

Environmental Health and Safety, “Cold Stress Facts”, [© 2022 The Trustees of Princeton University], https://ehs.princeton.edu/workplace-construction/occupational-health/heat-cold-stress/cold-stress-facts, accessed March 28, 2026

Warren, Elizabeth G., SSGT.; “Hypothermia Missing in the Atlantic”, Flying Safety, November 1983, pages 12-15, https://www.safety.af.mil/Portals/71/documents/Magazines/FSM/1980s/198311%20-%20FlyingSafetyMagazine.pdf, accessed March 28, 2026

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Surviving on Short Rations©

As we talked about last week, food is not necessary for short-term survival in the wilderness, but it will make the entire process much more comfortable. What is really critical is shelter and keeping your body at 98.6^o F (37^o C).

You can survive longer than you think, provided you can maintain 98.6^o F (37^o C), have access to fresh drinking water, and DON’T give up!

An example is Amanda Eller, who became disoriented and lost on May 8^th, 2019, in Maui's Makawao Forest Reserve after a short hike, before being found on May 24^th by a volunteer helicopter crew, She was lost for a total of 17 days, wearing only yoga pants, a tank top and sneakers, she did not have a cell phone, surviving by eating berries and bugs and drinking stream water, despite losing her shoes and later fracturing the tibia (shinbone) in her lower leg in a 20-foot fall, before being found. Later she said, “It did come down to life and death and I had to choose and I chose life. I wasn't going to take the easy way out”. During her ordeal Eller lost between 15 and 20 pounds, looking visibly thinner.

Another example is Tiffany Slaton, a 28 year old hiker, who became lost in the California’s eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, for 24 days from April 20^th, 2025, and wasn’t found until May 14^th. She was had been at Huntington Lake on April 20^th and headed by electric bicycle toward Mono Hot Springs that day; it wasn’t until April 22^nd that she considered herself lost. Early in her journey, she fell from a cliff injuring both of her legs. She’d started out with a bicycle, a tent, two sleeping bags and food, but she ended up losing all her equipment, leaving her with only her cell phone, a lighter, a knife and some snacks. She survived by subsisting on wild leeks, made tea each day with manzanita, pine needles and boiled snow (for more on pine needle tea, read “Scurvy, Native Americans and the Tree of Life©” HERE). She survived the 13th snowstorm because she found a cabin, that the owner had left unlocked, so that someone who was lost could seek shelter and increase their chances of surviving the outdoor elements and harsh weather. She found the cabin on May 13th and had only been there for eight hours before being found by the cabin’s owner. About her ordeal Slaton said, “The worst thing you can do in an emergency situation is panic”. By the time she was rescued, Slaton had endured 13 snowstorms and dropped 10 pounds (4.5 kgs) from the ordeal.

Each pound of fat equals two days of fuel...

Both ladies were ‘lost’, having been ‘misplaced’ for longer than 72 hours, both lost weight, and both refused to give up. Also, both women, had access to, and drank plenty of water, which is key to survival.

Amanda Eller started out with no food and survived for 17 days, losing between 15 to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kgs), about a pound a day on average. Tiffany Slaton started out with food for five days, she was lost for 24 days and lost 10 pounds (4.5 kgs). However Slaton had horticulture training, and she was able to forage for wild leeks (also known as ramps) which offer 54 calories per cup (90 grams), and a protein: fat: carbohydrate ratio of 7%:0%:93%.

Interestingly, according to The Physiological Basis for Various Constituents in Survival Rations, 1957, both Ms. Eller and Ms. Slaton, were lost in “cold environments, below the zone of thermal neutrality (75^o -85^o F) [24^o to 29^o C]”, which according to the NIH is the range of ambient temperatures where humans can maintain their normal core body temperature solely through regulating dry heat loss (via blood flow) without needing to increase metabolic heat production or trigger evaporative cooling like sweating. It is the range where the body is most comfortable, with the least energy expenditure.

The Physiological Basis for Various Constituents in Survival Rations, 1957, recommended an all-purpose, any-environment survival ration of 2,000 calories a day, with a protein: fat: carbohydrate ratio of 15%:33%:52%, and with three quarts (2.8 liters) of water in hot environments, and never less than one quart (.95 liters) of potable water, to minimize the body’s deterioration.

So if ever you are ‘misplaced’ or ‘lost’, you can survive on short rations, you’re just going to lose some of the extra weight that you, like most of us have. Research has shown that 1 pound (0.45 kg) of fat is equal to about 3,500 calories of energy, and burning this amount of body fat provides the body with almost half a quart or 14.5 ounces (416.5 grams) of metabolic water.

You will be able to live four to five days without “acute discomfort”, and even seven days, with only limited changes in your sleep patterns, mental sharpness, and attitude. You might want to talk about food and recipes, a lot though!

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

Ding, Jaimie; “Missing hiker survived for weeks in California wilderness by foraging and drinking melted snow”, May 17, 2025, [© 2026 The Associated Press], https://apnews.com/article/california-missing-hiker-mountains-snow-fresno-9ede4b951c577c96d0fed3915b257cfd, accessed March 21, 2026

Flowers, Viola; “Hiker missing for 3 weeks details her survival journey in California mountains”, May 17, 2025, [© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC], https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hiker-missing-3-weeks-details-survival-journey-tiffany-slaton-rcna207298, accessed March 21, 2026

Fresno County Sheriff’s Office; “Rescued Hiker Shares Details of Her Incredible Journey in the Sierra Mountains”, https://www.fresnosheriff.org/media-relations/rescued-hiker-shares-details-of-her-incredible-journey-in-the-sierra-mountains.html, accessed March 21, 2026

Gibson, Robert C.; “Food not necessary for survival”, Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 12, 1977, https://books.google.com/books?id=nJxfAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA16&dq=%22food+not+necessary%22&article_id=5524,3212411&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqy_37mq-TAxUa1fACHb-fOv0Q6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22food%20not%20necessary%22&f=false, accessed March 21, 2026

Mikstas, Christine, RD, LD; “Health Benefits of Leeks”, WebMD, December 13, 2024, https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-leeks, accessed March 21, 2026

Reynolds, Eric; “Burning Calories for Heat ©”, December 10, 2023, https://thewoodsmansjournalonline.blogspot.com/2023/12/burning-calories-for-heat.html, accessed March 21, 2026

Unknown; “D.C. Trio Hungrily Emerges After Wilderness Survival Test”, The Free Lance-Star, September 6, 1958, https://books.google.com/books?id=m9NNAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=%22copter+unloaded%22&article_id=5573,4585464&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiN3Z685a6TAxW8kIkEHdbmKocQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22copter%20unloaded%22&f=false, accessed March 21, 2026

Unknown; “Lost Maui hiker Amanda Eller reflects on her 17-day fight for survival: ‘I chose life’ ”, May 27, 2019, [© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc.], https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amanda-eller-maui-hiker-discusses-her-17-day-fight-for-survival/, accessed March 21, 2026

Wikimedia; “Ail des bois.jpg”, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ail_des_bois.jpg, accessed March 21, 2026

Zimmer, Jessica; “Trekker offers wilderness advice”, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, November 7, 2005, https://books.google.com/books?id=bu4hAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA29&dq=survival+after+wilderness&article_id=6898,3656629&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMtfDH5K6TAxUb1vACHbmjHLEQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=survival%20after%20wilderness&f=false, accessed March 21, 2026

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Lost, Starvation and Losing Weight©

Because I got sick of my doctor yammering on about high triglycerides, I put myself on a low carb diet, 100 net carbs or less per day. It’s been four and half months and I’ve lost 20 pounds (9 kgs) eating essentially a higher protein and fat, lower calorie diet. This diet got me thinking about being lost in the wilderness, starvation and losing weight.

Everyone thinks that the biggest problem you’ll have if you are lost in the wilderness, is starvation. Statistically if one becomes lost in the wild parts of North America, it is likely that at most you’ll only miss a couple of meals, since across the American National Park system, 85% of lost individuals are found within 12 hours, and 97% are located within 24 hours.

If you are JUST “misplaced” it’s unlikely that you’re going to starve to death, however if you’re “lost”, that’s a different story entirely (for the difference between “misplaced” and “lost” read “You Are Never Lost, Only Misplaced…©” HERE, “You Are Only As Lost As You Think You Are ©, HERE and “Being Bewildered and Bending the Map ©”, HERE).

If you are truly “lost”, if it’s been more than three days, if the search has been called off, or no one knows you are missing, then starving to death is a possibility in the wilderness, depending on the season and your skill at foraging. For example Geraldine Largay became lost in the Maine forest, she survived for at least 26 days before dying of starvation and exposure (for more read “Should I Stay, or Should I Go, and the 72-Hour Rule©” HERE). And Christopher McCandless died in August 1992, in the Alaska wilderness after surviving for 113 days, mostly upon squirrels, birds, roots and possibly, poisonous, seeds.

It was estimated by the AMA in 1963 that you could survive for nine to ten weeks without having anything to eat. Without eating, your body first starts out burning stored carbohydrates and sugars, before switching to using stored fat deposits, these typically will last for approximately five to six weeks (for more living off your spare tire read “Burning Calories for Heat ©, HERE). After that, your body will begin to eat its own muscle mass. The amount of body weight that can be lost and survived is high, with some survivors having lost up to 60% of their original body weight.

For example, Ralph Flores and Helen Klaben, who survived a plane crash in the Yukon wilderness in February 1963. They had four cans of sardines, two cans of tuna fish, two cans of fruit cocktail, part of a bottle of vitamins, enough food for two people to eat two meals a day for ten days, before their food was gone. Over their 49-day ordeal, Ralph dropped from 178 pounds (80 kgs) to 120 pounds (54 kgs), about 33% of his pre-accident weight, and Helen lost 40 pounds (18 kgs), 29% of her normal weight, dropping to a weight of 100 pounds (45 kgs). Just like wild animals living in the wilderness, survivors who lack food cannibalize their fat stores to survive, particularly during cold weather when the body needs to work harder just to maintain 98.6^o F.

During the first 72 hours of being “misplaced”, the most probable cause of death isn’t malnutrition, but rather hypothermia and dying of exposure. Even after 72 hours, not keeping a temperature of 98.6^o F (37^o C) is the true wilderness killer.

One of the things that helped Ralph Flores and Helen Klaben to survive the below-freezing Yukon winter temperatures, and no food was their limited movement due to injuries, the fact that at the time of the crash they were a little bit overweight and that they both drank a lot of water.

The Victoria Advocate, as part of its 10 Commandments for Wilderness Survival, had some particularly good suggestions for surviving a limited food emergency, see below.

I hope that you are never in a situation where you must survive a low or no food emergency, but if you do, I hope this article helps. Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Surviving on Short Rations” for more on being lost in the wilderness, losing weight and surviving on short rations.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Sources

CP; “Face World Publicity Glare”, Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, March 27, 1963, page 1, https://books.google.com/books?id=STRgAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=Saskatoon+Star-Phoenix+March+27,+1963&article_id=7273,3746548&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0g9nrwKCTAxXMEmIAHWshNuwQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=Saskatoon%20Star-Phoenix%20March%2027%2C%201963&f=false, accessed March 12, 2026

Hamblin, Dara Jane and Jarvis, Wilbur; “Girl Behind a frozen Scream”, LIFE April 12, 1963, https://books.google.com/books?id=VkkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=%22Ralph+flores%22+yukon+journal&source=bl&ots=35ZUM4iatv&sig=ACfU3U1BmH4xLcRk1ULyfoyS1OmitfnbHQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjV_u2NhqrqAhVCYTUKHXvDDmMQ6AEwCHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Ralph%20flores%22%20yukon%20journal&f=false, accessed March 14, 2026

Oates, Bob; “10 Commandments for Wilderness Survival”, The Victoria Advocate, July 20, 1976, page 9, https://books.google.com/books?id=DBlZAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA102&dq=10+commandments+of+wilderness+survival&article_id=6901,3794394&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjcw8Db6puTAxWpvokEHXK6O5MQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=10%20commandments%20of%20wilderness%20survival&f=false, accessed March 12, 2026

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/how-backcountry-search-and-rescue-works/, accessed March 14, 2026

Rare Historical Photos; “Into the Wild: The Real Story of Chris McCandless Through Rare Photos”, https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/chris-mccandless-photos/, accessed March 14, 2026

Unknown; “Severe weather leads to minimal losses”, McCook Daily Gazette, February 9, 1996, page 11, https://books.google.com/books?id=fdcgAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5&dq=wilderness+survival+starvation+calories&article_id=4649,3491634&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiOt6qF3J-TAxWTlYkEHbwQHmE4ChDoAXoECAgQAw#v=onepage&q&f=false, accessed March 14, 2026

Unknown; “Hey, I'm Alive”, The Whitehorse Star, March 1963, https://www.whitehorsestar.com/History/hey-im-alivepart-2#:~:text=In%20Whitehorse%20hospital%20it%20was,California%2C%20and%20his%20six%20children, accessed March 14, 2026

UPI; St. Joseph Gazette, March 29, 1963, page 10,

https://books.google.com/books?id=JVxiAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10&dq=%22interesting+facts+about+body%22&article_id=959,4733292&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQ_fTUqZKNAxWqvokEHUaOAIoQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=%22interesting%20facts%20about%20body%22&f=false, accessed March 12, 2026

About Me

I live near Buffalo, New York and have more than 25 years of experience in the outdoors. I enjoy being in the wilderness, paddling a canoe or exploring the woods, when I am not researching survival, woodcraft, camping skills or life on the Old Northwest Frontier of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I am a published author and I have been a guide for Birchbark Expeditions and an Outdoor Skills trainer for the Boy Scouts since 2014. I am also a martial artist, having studied several different combat arts over the past 30 years. Currently, I am the author of The Woodsman’s Journal Online and BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.

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Sunday, March 29, 2026

Could You Survive...You Need Shelter Now!©

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Surviving on Short Rations©

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Lost, Starvation and Losing Weight©

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