The Top Ten Wilderness Survival Skills...Number Three©

 

 

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

 

The number three, top ten wilderness survival skill on my list is
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