This is the third in a series of eleven articles on
the top ten wilderness survival skills, things you should know before you go
into the wilderness. To read the
previous article go HERE
– Author’s Note
The Number
Three, Top Ten Wilderness Survival Skill: Attitude
having the proper attitude to realize that it CAN happen to you, and to be realistic and know your limitations, so that you can anticipate and deal with any wilderness emergency. And a good attitude is something that you must cultivate if ever you are “misplaced” in the wilderness, because if you have a bad attitude, then you are truly “lost”!
An excerpt from Northern Survival, by the Minister of Supply and Services.
It can
happen to you...
It
CAN happen to you, although most people choose to ignore this reality, and believe
that it can’t happen to them, that being “misplaced” or having an emergency is
something that happens to the other guy.
However, emergencies just happen and anyone that has spent any time in
the wilderness, and is honest with themselves, will tell you that they have
been “misplaced” a time or two. Even the
great woodsman Daniel Boone once famously said that “I have never been lost, but I was once bewildered for three days”
1 (for more about this read “Being Bewildered and Bending the Map©”, HERE).
But
since it CAN happen to you, you have to be prepared for when it does.
An excerpt from the AF Manual 64-3, Survival: Training Edition, page 1-4.
The
belief that it can’t happen to you leads directly to carelessness. Carelessness following an emergency in the
wilderness usually involves not anticipating and preparing for the
unexpected. Some careless errors that you
might slip into include, wasting resources, supplies or opportunities by not
preparing in advance, perhaps by not building a shelter before the storm
arrives, by not building signals before you hear the rescue plane, by delaying
setting up camp or not turning back on the trail until it is getting dark, or
by not sleeping and resting when you have the chance.
Another
problem with the attitude that it can’t happen to me, is that when it does, and
you are unprepared and maybe have made a careless mistake or two, you are going
to become scared. Being scared is okay,
it can help focus you, however sliding into panic is not okay. Remember PANIC KILLS! So don’t panic because panic never fixes
anything it only makes everything worse.
So, resist panic, sit down and calm down, take a couple of deep tactical
breathes and follow the S.T.O.P. steps.
A photograph of the BSA “If You Become Lost” card, by the Author.
So
be honest with yourself and admit that it can happen to you and be careful,
take precautions, prepare ahead of time for life’s emergencies and DON’T PANIC!
For
more on dealing with fear during a wilderness emergency read “What Are You
Scared Of?! ©”, HERE,
and “The O in S. T. O. P. ©”, HERE.
An excerpt from Northern Survival, by the Minister of Supply and Services.
Be
Realistic...Know Your Limitations
As
Clint Eastwood’s character Dirty Harry Callahan, muttered at the end of the
1973 film Magnum Force, “A man’s got to know his limitations”! In a wilderness emergency or a survival
situation, overestimating your personal abilities and skills, or your physical
abilities and stamina can turn a bad situation into a worse one, so always be
realistic about your abilities. If you
have to rest, rest! If you can’t walk
out because of injuries, then stay put!
So,
remember that it CAN happen to you, know your limitations, and not only expect
the unexpected, but be a Boy Scout and follow the motto of “Be Prepared”
and prepare for and anticipate the unexpected.
A Boy Scout Second Class rank badge, photograph by the Author.
For
more on the mental aspects of survival in the wilderness, or anywhere really,
read “The Trinity of Trouble©”, HERE, or “Getting Lost And What To Do About It”, Circa 1915”, HERE.
Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Deadman's Finger Fungus...Oooh
Scary!©”, where we will talk about Deadman’s Finger fungus and the upcoming
Zombie Apocalypse.
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
Margaret E. White, Editor, A Sketch of Chester Harding, Artist: Drawn By His
Own Hand, p. 48
Sources
Department Of The Air
Force, Survival: Training Edition, AF Manual 64-3, [Headquarters, US Air
Force, Washington, DC, August 15, 1969], https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5Qaea-Z580phmhBGIWOpEb9sVNVKFl2eMbPyfv7ki4p2Zoy6cs7h1CmdXQI0ydjG07PWu6RRNYLtLVCYuecTw2NN4WTAEhAOzNk4TNnzUHc7kP7tsTOrDJ3VK9NEK-NneCrLSICyuWFBMNPcX5ktcJp_VvkWOiUDKjo0k-2FChV7srDVmZ9PH_OOSrcXbuyb5IIy2fCYgUQoVWwECShqfJU9zjSSbvFyxx_xE8Rtx_HUmvwls2pzM2AWkIUgXEGChXtpZx3Mo,
accessed 12/12/2018
Minister of Supply and Services, Northern Survival,
[Fitzhenry
& Whiteside Limited, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, 1979]
White, Margaret E., Editor; A Sketch of Chester Harding, Artist: Drawn
By His Own Hand, (Houghton, Mifflin and Company, New York [1890]) p 47-48
reprinted in https://books.google.com/books?id=zgROAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=%22he+had+a+very+large+progeny%22+%22chester+harding%22&source=bl&ots=I9y_v-yRI2&sig=qxwqKUR9y42naWBjhoArGJi2P5U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj4goGi7czdAhXEnOAKHWvECaoQ6AEwAHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22he%20had%20a%20very%20large%20progeny%22%20%22chester%20harding%22&f=false, accessed 9/21/2018
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