Poison Ivy: “Leaves of Three, Let It Be” ©

 

Eastern poison ivy, photograph by the author.

Because of COVID-19 and the schools being closed, Boy Scout Troops can’t meet, and so for my readers who are Boy Scouts in the United States, this article can help you with the plant identification requirements for First Class.  When I was a Scoutmaster, this was the first plant I taught the scouts.  For other plant identification articles go HERE – Author’s Note

I was walking through Stiglmeier Park, in Cheektowaga, New York, on Memorial Day, and it occurred to me that “April showers, bring May flowers” and poison ivy!  The poison ivy was everywhere!

And speaking of everywhere, poison ivy is found throughout the United States and Canada, except in Alaska and Hawaii: poison ivy also does not grow well in the desert, in the rainforests or above 4,000 feet (1,220 meters)¹.  There are two types of poison ivy that are found across this vast range: eastern poison ivy, or toxicodendron radicans (L.), to use its scientific name, and western poison ivy, also known as, toxicodendron rydbergii. 

 

Distribution of eastern poison ivy, toxicodendron radicans (L.), from United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Eastern Poison Ivy”.

 

Distribution of western poison ivy, toxicodendron rydbergii, United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Western Poison Ivy”.

  

Insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles welcome poison ivy plants, as some can eat poison ivy, some find the little white berries delicious and some use the plant as shelter.  Black bears, raccoons, and white-tailed deer all browse on poison ivy, eating the leaves, the stems and the berries². 

 

An excerpt from An Illustrated Guide to Northeastern Forest Trees, page 6.

However, humans consider it to be a noxious weed, since most people are allergic to the clear, resinous oil, called urushiol (pronounced u-ROO-she-ol), which is found in the leaves, stems and roots, of the ivy.  Urushiol oil is sticky, and it will contaminate everything that touches the plant, your skin, clothes, tools, shoes, and jewelry.  If you touch something that has been contaminated with urushiol oil, and then touch your skin, you will end up with a rash,  Urushiol oil will even stick to your pet’s fur, once I got a bad case of poison ivy rash from petting my cat, who had walked through a patch of poison ivy!

 

Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis on the arms after 72 hours from contact with poison ivy, July 16, 2009, photograph by Larsonja, Wikipedia

A poison ivy rash is a case of contact dermatitis, or in plain English, an allergic reaction to the urushiol resin.  According to the Mayo Clinic, your skin must come into direct contact with the urushiol oil to develop a rash.  If the rash is in a straight line across your skin, that means that you brushed up against some poison ivy.  However, if your rash is more spread out, you probably encountered the urushiol oil from your clothing or a tool or your pet.  A poison ivy rash is not contagious, and you can’t catch it from someone else, unless they still have the plant’s oil on their skin or clothes.

A rash usually develops within 12 to 48 hours of exposure to urushiol oil and can last two to three weeks.  Doctor Eric Weiss writes in A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, that your risk of developing a rash increases with every exposure to poison ivy and urushiol oil.  He also writes that the rash “starts as red, itchy bumps, followed by blisters that may become crusted”.  The more urushiol oil that you encounter, the more severe will be the allergic reaction and the sooner a rash will develop.  The rash will appear later in areas where the urushiol oil was less concentrated.  This is the reason for the misconception that the oozing, poison ivy blister fluid spreads the rash; however, blister-fluid will not spread the rash! 

It is not a good idea to scratch the blisters though, as it can lead to secondary skin infections and according to Dr. Weiss will increase the itchy feeling!

According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms are:

·       Redness

·       Itching

·       Swelling

·       Blisters

·       Difficulty breathing, if you've inhaled the smoke from burning poison ivy

And you should see a doctor if

·       The reaction is severe or widespread

·       You inhaled the smoke from burning poison ivy and are having difficulty breathing

·       Your skin continues to swell

·       The rash affects your eyes, mouth, or genitals

·       Blisters are oozing pus

·       You develop a fever greater than 100 F (37.8 C)

·       The rash doesn't get better within a few weeks

Dr. Weiss, in his A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, states that if left untreated the rash will generally clear up on its own in about two weeks.  He suggests that oral antihistamines, like Benadryl®, when 25 to 50 mg are taken every four to six hours, will help to relive the itchy sensation, though it might leave you drowsy.  Also, and from past experience I agree whole-heartedly with this, calamine lotion and over-the-counter steroid creams, like a 1% hydrocortisone cream, are not highly effective.

The best way to prevent poison ivy, and this is coming from someone who is really allergic to it, is to never, ever come in contact with it!  Which means that you have to learn to identify the plants and always be on a lookout for them, you have to be careful about letting your pets roam through areas where poison ivy grows and you have to be careful about what you burn, that vine with fuzzy roots, should never, ever go into the fire!  Also, where protective clothing when you are out in areas where there is poison ivy, you should wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and closed-toe shoes.

 

An old saying that can help you identify poison ivy, graphics by the author.

“Leaves of three, let them be”.  As the first line of the saying says, the first thing that you should look for, is a plant with three leaves.  Also, many times, but not always, the leaves look like mittens with “thumbs”; sometimes the “thumb” is on the left, sometimes on the right and sometime on both side of the leaf.

 

An example of “thumbs” on poison ivy leaves, notice that most of the leaves have “thumbs” but not all do.  Photograph and graphic by the author.

“Berries white, run in fright”.  In the fall, the fruit of a poison ivy plant can be seen as a spray of white berries.  Also, in the fall, the leaves of a poison ivy turn bright red.

 

Poison ivy growing up a tree, photograph by the author.

“Hairy vine, no friend of mine”.  Sometimes, poison ivy grows along the ground, like in the pictures above, however sometimes it grows as a vine up along the trunks of trees.  When that happens, even when there are no leaves, you can tell it is a poison ivy vine because of the hairy roots of the vine

 

Poison-ivy vine located in Mount Airy, NC, October 22, 2005, photograph by Melissa Wilkins, Wikipedia.

Here are some other things to look for which will help you to identify poison ivy

 

Graphic by the author.

So, what should you do if you think that you have been exposed to poison ivy?  Just like with COVID-19, you need to wash any part of you that might have been in contact with poison ivy, with plenty of soap and water; and warm water is better than cold water, unless cold water is all that you have.  Scrub under your fingernails too, as this will help to keep the rash from spreading.  And since the urushiol oil binds to you skin within 30 minutes³, you need to wash it off as soon as you can.  If you can’t, for whatever reason, wash it off within 30 minutes, the Mayo Clinic says that even washing after an hour has passed, will help reduce the severity of the rash⁴.  You will also need to wash any clothes, shoes, shoelaces or outdoor tools and gear that might have come into contact with the poison ivy, since the urushiol oils can stay active and potent for years⁵.  The best way to wash contaminated clothes, according to the Mayo Clinic, is with a washing machine.  If you suspect that your clothes have urushiol oil on them, handle them carefully so that you don’t transfer the oil to yourself, your other clothes, your appliances, furniture, etc.  Also, if you suspect that your pet might have encountered poison ivy, give them a bath, to remove the urushiol oils from their fur, so that it doesn’t spread to you.  Always wear long rubber gloves when you bathe them, if you think they might be contaminated.

So next time you are out and about in the wilderness, keep in mind that the spring weather is bringing out more than flowers and steer clear of the poison ivy!

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!

Notes

¹ Eric A Weiss, MD, A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, 3^rd Edition, page 135-136

² Tara Wildlife, “Wildlife Value of Poison Ivy”, December 21, 2016,

³ Eric A Weiss, MD, A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, 3^rd Edition, page 135-136

⁴ So just remember soap and water are your friends!  And either a small bar of travel-sized soap, in a Ziploc® bag, or a bottle of biodegradable, phosphate free, pH neutral, liquid soap -- like Sea To Summit Wilderness Wash, should always be included in your first-aid kit when you adventure in the wilderness.

⁵ Mayo Clinic Staff, “Poison ivy rash”,

Sources

Mayo Clinic Staff, “Poison ivy rash”, [Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), © 1998-2020] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/poison-ivy/symptoms-causes/syc-20376485, accessed May 28, 2020

Nelson, Tina and Lanza, Janet; An Illustrated Guide to Northeastern Forest Trees, [Marginal Media, Bioguide No. 4, 1983]

Tara Wildlife, “Wildlife Value of Poison Ivy”, December 21, 2016, [Tara Wildlife, © 2020], http://www.tarawildlife.com/wildlife-value-poison-ivy/, accessed May 28, 2020

United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Eastern Poison Ivy”, https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=TORA2, accessed May 27, 2020

United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Western Poison Ivy”, https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=TORY, accessed May 27, 2020

Weiss, Eric A, MD, A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, 3^rd Edition [Adventure Medical Kits, Oakland, CA, 2005], page 135-136

Wikipedia, “Toxicodendron radicans”, May 29, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans, accessed May 27, 2020

The Elusive Cazenovia Park Bank Beaver

Individual Aid and Survival Kit, Circa 1963, Part One ©

 

“Individual Aid and Survival Kit” carriers, concept one, from “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”, which can be found HERE.

So, did you ever wonder what survival supplies were issued to the Special Forces during the Vietnam War?  Did you ever wonder what these soldiers thought of the survival supplies that Uncle Sam issued? 

No?  Well maybe you are wondering about it now that I have mentioned it.  And anyways, more to the point what is in your survival kit today and how does it compare to what these soldiers carried during the 1960s and 70s.

 

“Individual Aid and Survival Kit” carriers, concept two, from “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”.

Discussion and development of a “Individual Aid and Survival Kit” for the Special Forces and other special warfare soldiers began in 1963.  The goal of the kit, in the words of the designers, was “...to provide minimum essential self-aid and survival articles for a period of ten days, when supplemented with foraged foods”¹.

The designers felt that the kits “...must be small enough to encourage its constant wear in order to insure its ready availability in time of emergency” and “...if possible, volume should not exceed 44 cubic inches (721 cubic centimeters), and additionally, that they should “...have a medical, utility and operational”² function.  To do this the kit would have to be built in two sections, or as the report calls them, “components”.  Each of these two sections were to be put inside a durable water-proof liner bag, inside a rugged container.  The “Individual Aid Kit”, or operational portion, was to be issued empty, so that it could be customized by the user to suit local needs and it was intended to provide two to five days of support and supplies.  The “Survival Kit”, which included medical supplies, survival tools and a survival booklet, was sealed to “...discourage premature consumption”³ of its contents and to protect it from weather, before being put inside its water-proof liner and outer container.  The entire “Individual Aid and Survival Kit”, less any items intended for the “operational” portion of the kit, was to have weighed no more 24 ounces (680 grams). 

The designers also felt that it was important that the two components of the “Individual Aid and Survival Kit” should be able to be attached to a belt and worn either at the small of the back, across the chest, or slung from the shoulder.  Alternatively, they should be able to be detached from the belt, separated, and attached to pack straps or carried elsewhere on the soldier’s body. 

Additionally, the durable water-proof liner bag was intended to be used as an emergency water carrier.

The designers also had the following advice to potential manufactures of the “Individual Aid and Survival Kit”:

“Matches, irrespective of type, are not desired.  A small, simple, all-weather fire-making device is desired.”

“Space provisions must be made in the kit for a durable map, approximately 28” x 21”, (folded size approximately 2½” x 4” x ¼”)”, in metric measurements this would be about 71 cm x 53 cm and when folded it would be approximately 6 cm x 10 cm x .6 cm.

“A durable survival pamphlet must be included in the kit.”

 

“Individual Aid and Survival Kit” carriers, concept four, the medical and survival container, including a list of components, from “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”.

The list of components from “Individual Aid and Survival Kit” carriers, concept four, the medical and survival container, from “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”

“The medical component should include as a minimum:”

        “A chemical means of water purification in sufficient quantity to provide the user potable drinking water for a ten day period, assuming an average consumption of two quarts (1.9 liters) per day.”

        “Analgesics for relief of minor aches, pains, and fevers.”

        “A capability for the treatment of minor cuts, abrasions, burns, and blisters.”

        “Remedies and/or suppressants for major prevalent diseases endemic to areas outside of CONUS (Continental United States—Author’s Note).”

“Individual Aid and Survival Kit” carriers, concept four, the operational container, from “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”.

“The utility component should include as a minimum:

        “A capability for the user to kill, snare, or other-wise catch small game and fish.”

        “A tool for cutting vines, palm fronds, or foliage for construction of a shelter.”

        “A small compass for land navigation.”

        “A simple sewing kit.”

        “Signalling devices to attract attention of rescue aircraft or parties.  Consideration should be given to a simple reflecting surface for daylight signalling.”

        “A small, sharp, cutting blade.”

        “An insect repellent for user needs for a ten day period.”

 

A period hemostat, surgical scalpels and safety pins from a 1960s era surgical kit, also fishing hooks, snare wire and an antique US Military canteen and cup and Marine Corp knife, all from the author’s collection, photograph by the author.

So, what did the Special Forces soldiers think of the military “Individual Aid and Survival Kit”, after it was delivered to them for field testing?  Major Charlie W. Brewington, Commander of Detachment B-22, 5^th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1^st Special Forces, wrote an evaluation of this kit, in Annex H of “374659, Employment Of A Special Forces Group (U)”, found HERE.  During the evaluation of this kit, the 5^th SFG also evaluated the survival kit issued to Army Aviation personnel in Vietnam and the prototype kit that they created and recommended was made up of the best parts of the two kits.  It was concluded that “...personnel in a survival situation will have a canteen and a cup and a sheath knife” and therefore these items do not need to be included in a survival kit.  Additionally, since soldiers in such a situation will be expected to live off the land, the inclusion of rations in the survival kit was not necessary.

The survival kit that the 5^th SFG evaluated, as shown in Concept Number 4, as part of its medical component, was to include 25 Tetracycline or Oxytetracycline tablets, both of which are antibiotics used to treat malaria, anthrax and various infections caused by microorganisms, such as gram positive and negative bacteria, chlamydiae, mycoplasmata, protozoans and rickettsiae.  The 25 Spensin tablets were anti-diarrheal medicine, like modern loperamide tablets.  The kit was designed to include APC (aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine) plus codeine phosphate as a painkiller, the kit that the 5^th SFG evaluated contained 10 tablets of 65 mg Darvon to treat mild to moderate pain.  The kit also included 10 Dexedrine tablets (dextroamphetamine sulfate) which during special warfare military operations have practical applications, but during civilian emergencies in the wilderness are not necessary.

The conclusions of the 5^th Special Forces Group was that the kit, with its two packets, was too bulky to be easily carried day in and day out and that it needed to be tailored more to the hot-wet environment in which the soldiers were operating.  They felt that the outer nylon carrier and inner durable water-proof liner bag worked, however they felt that all of the pills should be packaged in plastic vials and the salves and ointments should be packaged in plastic squeeze bottles to eliminate the possibility of breakage.  Apparently, just like with many of the medicines packaged in the 1960s and 70s, the bottles were glass and the tubes were aluminum foil.

The 5^th Special Forces Group recommended the addition of the following items to the survival kit:

        One 4-inch (10 cm) hacksaw blade to replace the chain saw that the designers suggested, as it was not of sufficient “...strength to withstand prolonged use.”⁵

        One bottle of Benzalkonium Chloride tincture as a topical, anti-microbial wound wash (for information on Benzalkonium Chloride, read “Alcohol Prep Pads...BZK Towelettes…Hand Wipes…Wound Wipes...What?! ©”, HERE), in addition to the 1½ ounce bottle of Betadine solution.

        One vial of eight Chloroquine Phosphate tablets to prevent and treat malaria.

        One vial of twelve, 10-grain (648 milligrams) salt tablets which can be used to replace salt lost due to sweating.⁶ 

        One 1½ ounce plastic squeeze bottle of a fungicidal ointment.

        Additionally, they increased the number of bouillon cubes from three to four.

The 5^th Special Forces Group also recommended that the bug repellent include in the kit (which was probably a DEET product) be replaced with a less pungent one, as the smell could lead to eventual capture.  They did suggest the inclusion of a mosquito head net.  And since they didn’t mention the hemostat, it is possible that that item was eliminated, but maybe not.

So, what is in your personal individual aid and survival kit?  How does it compare to the ones that the 5^th SFG evaluated?

 

The author’s “Individual Aid and Survival Kit”, photograph by the author.

Personally, my “survival kit”, which I carry whenever I am in the wilderness, has always been in two parts, and has been since long before I read the “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”.  My “operational kit” which contains my headlamp, a BIC ® Lighter wrapped in duct tape, bug repellent, toilet paper and sun protection lip balm, is kept in two quart-sized Ziploc® style freezer bags, one inside the other.  My operational kit also includes my personal day-to-day first aid kit, which contains band-aids, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, Benadryl®, and triple antibiotic ointment pouches, among other things.  All this weighs only 8 ounces (227 grams).  My survival kit, which is only opened in emergencies, contains the standard survival supplies, three ways to make a fire and tinder, a fishing and sewing kit, snare wire, aluminum foil, a backup flashlight, one large Reynolds® Kitchen Oven Bag, razor blades, and etc.  My survival kit also only weighs 8 ounces (227 grams), so that if you add the operational kit and my compass, which weighs in at 2 ounces (57 grams), my entire individual aid and survival kit weighs a total of 18 ounces (510 grams) and is a little less than the maximum recommended weight of 24 ounces (680 grams).

I do not carry a hemostat or as many medicines in my survival kit as was in the kit that the 5^th SFG reviewed, however soldiers in the middle of a war might have been severely wounded before becoming separated from their units.  Also, I do not carry Dexedrine since I do not have to worry about falling asleep and being surprised by the enemy if I become lost.

Hopefully, this has given you some ideas on how to build, and stock a new Individual Aid and Survival Kit or how to rebuild your current kit.

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!

Notes

¹ “AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”, page 1

² Ibid. page 1-2

³ Ibid. page 1

⁴ “374659, Employment Of A Special Forces Group (U)”, page H-6

⁵ Ibid., page H-5

⁶ Two 10-grain salt tablets, equal ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) of salt, which when combined with a quart of water (.95 liter) creates a 0.1% salt solution, which is the ideal concentration for rehydrating.  The salt tablets should be crushed before mixing them with water and should not be eaten by themselves as they can irritate the stomach and cause vomiting.

Eric A Weiss, MD, A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, 3^rd Edition

Sources

“AD 401819, Department of Army Approved Small Development Requirement for Individual Aid and Survival Kit for Special Warfare”, [Reproduced by Defense Documentation Center for Scientific and Technical Information, Cameron Station, Alexandria, Virginia, Originally by the Headquarters United States Army Combat Developments Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, April 17, 1963], https://ia902804.us.archive.org/19/items/DTIC_AD0401819/DTIC_AD0401819.pdf, accessed September 14, 2018

“374659, Employment Of A Special Forces Group (U)”, [Army Concept Team In Vietnam, April 20, 1966], https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/374659.pdf, accessed May 20 2020, page H-4 to H-6

United States Army, ST 31-91B, US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook, [Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado, March 1, 1982], pages 11-1 to 11-2

Weiss, Eric A, MD, A Comprehensive Guide To Wilderness & Travel Medicine, 3^rd Edition [Adventure Medical Kits, Oakland, CA, 2005], page 150-151

Survival Principals Are Timeless ©

 

A reproduction of “Man Stays Calm, Knows How To Find Food And Water, Can Survive In Wilderness”, Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7.  The original article can be found HERE.

The other day I was trolling through Google, searching the keywords “survival” and “wilderness”, when I stumbled upon the article above, which was about a talk that Dr. George A. Thompson¹, gave to the Rotarians of Clarkston and Lewiston, Idaho on November 5, 1968.  While reading his advice to the Rotarians, it struck me that survival principals are timeless.  Sure, gadgets and technological gizmos change, but even after 51 years, 6 months and 6 days, survival principals do not!

Dr. Thompson taught two survival principals, three survival priorities and four survival tips.  Now, I agree with his survival principals and his survival tips, which are timeless, and for the most part I agree with his survival priorities, and I will explain where I disagree and why when we get there.  So, as my youngest son always says, since there is a lot to unpack here, let’s get started.

 

Excerpts from the Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7

Dr. Thompson spoke about two survival principals, the first was “remaining calm” and the second was “being prepared”. 

 

An excerpt from the Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7

First off, let’s face the facts, people react very differently during stressful, emergency situations.  I have always taught the “¹/₃, ¹/₃, ¹/₃ Rule” which is that, during an emergency, one-third of people will remain calm and make rational decisions, one-third of people will become hysterical and panic, they might even run away, and one-third of people, will freeze, although they might regain the ability to function if they are given a task or directions.  This is your body’s natural response to danger, and it is called the fight-flight-freeze response.  Dr. Thompson’s percentages are different that mine, but that doesn’t matter, the concept is the same.

It is critical, in any emergency, to remain calm.  Panicking only makes things worse and freezing isn’t much better than panicking, when life or death decisions and actions have to be taken, immediately!

Being prepared has two parts, taking the time before an emergency to learn how to take care of yourself in a survival situation and having basic survival tools, such as a first-aid kit, a knife and the means to start a fire, with you whenever you go out into the wilderness.  Being prepared by learning and practicing survival and first-aid skills will help you to remain calm during emergency.  People who don’t know what to do often freeze and do nothing or, worse they panic. 

 

Carry a knife and the means to start a fire, with you whenever you go out into the wilderness, photograph by the author.

In just the same way, carrying a survival kit and a first-aid kit, with you can reduce the stress of a wilderness emergency.

Oh, when it comes to learning something new, simply reading a book once isn’t learning a new skill, it just makes you an armchair adventurer.  You must read, study, learn from a qualified teacher and then practice, practice, practice, to learn a new skill². 

 

An excerpt from the Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7

 

The Rule of Threes, graphic created by the author.

Wind, wet and cold, and sometimes the Sun, are your greatest survival threats and if you don’t find shelter from the elements quickly, often you won’t have to worry about finding water and then food, because you will be dead!  Dr. Thompson is spot on when he says that your number one survival priority is to seek shelter and prevent the loss of precious body heat, and here his survival priorities mirror the Rule of Threes. 

During the winter Dr. Thompson recommends, in the case of a plane crash, that you remain at the crash site, since if the wreck is intact it is a pre-made shelter and because it easier to see a crashed plane, than a lost person from the air.  If you are going to shelter in a wrecked plane or you are sheltering on the ground in a shelter you made, always have insulation between you and the ground or the inside of the plane, as you can lose heat by conduction to both of these things. 

For information on how to build a bough bed read “Making an Emergency Bough Bed ©”, HERE, or view the video HERE.  And, personally I never go into the wilderness without carrying along two large, heavy-duty contractor grade trash bags with which to make an instant shelter from wind and weather, for more on how to make an trash-bag shelter, read “Using your poncho or a trash bag as an Emergency Shelter ©”, HERE or view the video HERE.

Speaking of survival priorities, and here is an area where I disagree with Dr. Thompson, I believe that he has his second and third priorities switched: it should be water second and food last.  During his lecture in 1968, Dr. Thompson taught that your second priority should be food, as you need food energy to maintain your heat output and that is true, however if you are not hydrated your body is unable to regulate its core temperature and move the heat to where it is needed most.  In any case you will die from dehydration long before you starve to death, and so water needs to be your second priority.

 

An excerpt from “Survival In The Open”, by John T. Flynn, M.D., page 62

Oh, and while we are talking about safeguarding precious body heat during survival emergencies, I disagree with Dr. Thompson’s statement that “...a man can die of exposure in his sleep.”  I have slept outside, without a shelter, a number of times and I have been pretty cold, and sometimes I had a fire and sometimes I didn’t.  What I have noticed is, that whenever the fire burned down or I was too cold to sleep, I shivered myself awake³.  I can say that so far, whether I was sleeping outdoors within or without a shelter or with or without a fire, I haven’t died in my sleep yet!

Dr. Thompson taught that food and water are everywhere in the wilderness if you know where to look for it and what to do with it, when you find it, and this is absolutely true.  But the devil is in the details and you have to learn what is and isn’t safe to eat and how to purify your drinking water. 

According to Eric G. Anderson, M.D., who wrote Plane Safety And Survival, there are “300,000 known species of plants, of which 120,000 are edible and only a few poisonous.”  Now, if you are interested in learning about wilderness edibles, there are plenty of books which talk about what plants you can and cannot eat, however the best way to learn this skill is to find a qualified teacher and learn from them.  Oh, and never eat mushrooms, the risk of misidentification is to great and there isn’t enough food value to make the risk worthwhile.  And as far as animal food goes, the author of Plane Safety And Survival, wrote that “Lower forms of life are easier to catch than higher, and if it moves you can eat it.” – his list of edible things includes ants, grasshoppers, lizards, snakes, and other creepy crawlies⁴.

 

Excerpts from Plane Safety And Survival, by Eric G. Anderson, M.D., page 41-43

The best way to purify water is by boiling it, in fact if you make a soup or stew of the plant and animal food that you find, you can kill any possible pathogens in your food and your water, conserves nutrients and fuel and basically have your cake and eat it too.  Boiling is the best way to purify your drinking water, because it doesn’t require scarce or sometime unavailable chemicals or gadgets, for more information on purifying your drinking water by boiling see “Water Disinfection: When is boiled, boiled enough…? ©”, HERE.

 

An excerpt from the Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7

I absolutely agree with Dr. Thompson on this, never, ever, ever travel alone through the wilderness, unless you have no other choice.  If you are alone and have an emergency in the wilderness, you could be flat out of luck.  You should always venture in the wild parts of the world with a buddy or two, for more information on the buddy system read “The Buddy System ©”, HERE. 

 

Newspapers, picture by the author.

An excerpt from the Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7

Newspaper is a great survival tool, if you have it,it is so much more than a firestarter, it is a fantastic insulator.  Newspaper, or even dried grass, moss, or the stuffing from car and airplane seats, can be stuffed inside your clothes to help you insulate you from the cold.

 

An excerpt from the Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7

Unless the need is great, you should not try to walk out, generally you will just become more lost and in any case it makes it much harder for searchers to find you.  However, if you have to find your own way out of the wilderness, the ridge tops are usually easier to walk along, as there will be less underbrush than in the valley bottoms.  And as far as camping at night goes, I would disagree with Dr. Thompson slightly, don’t camp in the valley bottoms, camp halfway or so, down the valley slopes, that is where it will be the warmest.

 

Thermal belt, illustration by the author.

The reason for this is that as the Sun goes down and the air on the hill tops cools, it flows downhill, this is called “katabatic drainage”, before it pools into a cold layer in the valley bottom.  Just on top of this pool of cold air is an inversion layer and a belt of warmer air, this belt of warm air is called a “thermal belt”.  Above the thermal belt the temperature again decreases with the increase in elevation, and an increase in heat loss due to reduced air density and lower moisture content.

So, remember, next time you decide to wander the wilderness, remain calm, be prepared, remember the Rule of Threes and don’t camp in valley bottoms, and most importantly have fun!

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!

Notes

¹ Dr. George A. Thompson was born on October 24, 1914 in Buckley, Washington and he died in 1997 at the age of 82.  In the early 1940s he went to Medellin, Columbia, as a missionary and teacher, returning to California in 1947.  He moved to Clarkston, Idaho in 1953.  His obituary can be found HERE.

² However, before you decide to practice any new survival skills outdoors, let’s first talk about safety.  The first time that you practice a new skill, you should do it in a controlled setting, like in your back yard or just off the trailhead within 100 yards (about 90 meters) or so of your car.  In addition, whenever you go into the wilderness you should always take a buddy with you.  This way if an accident happens, you have someone to help you and you can quickly get to help.

³ Sometimes if your fire burns low, you will have do more than just throw wood on it, you might have to blow it back to life from the hot embers!  This is why you should always keep plenty of tinder on hand.  If you are sleeping without a fire and you wake up because you are cold, it is time to do some exercises; jumping jacks, deep knee bends, walking around and around a large tree trunk, whatever it takes to warm you up and get the blood flowing again. 

⁴ Excerpts from pages 41 to 42, Plane Safety And Survival, by Eric G. Anderson, M.D.

Sources

“Man Stays Calm, Knows How To Find Food And Water, Can Survive In Wilderness”, Lewiston (Ida.) Morning Tribune, November 6, 1968, page 7, https://books.google.com/books?id=775eAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA7&dq=%22Dr.+George+A+Thompson%22&article_id=4963,1016245&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjuv-nLxKLpAhUKVs0KHaMmAAcQ6AEwAHoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=%22Dr.%20George%20A%20Thompson%22&f=false, accessed May 8, 2020

Anderson, Eric G., M.D.; Plane Safety And Survival, [Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, CA, 1978], pages 41-42

Flynn, John T., M.D., “Survival In The Open”, Flying, January 1961, Volume 68, Number 1, [Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, New York, NY], p. 62, 80-82, https://books.google.com/books?id=1ZUDOCzJUrcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Flying+Magazine+Jan+1961&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiu0OuB3eznAhWIlHIEHcs4D8AQ6AEwB3oECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=Flying%20Magazine%20Jan%201961&f=false, accessed 2/25/20

Meteorology Glossary, American Meteorological Society “Thermal Belt”, [American Meteorological Society, © 2020 ] http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Thermal_belt