Hiking, Camping, and Bushcraft
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Introduction
Survival skills for the wilderness do not have to be difficult or something that only survivalists, hunters, or military people should learn. Those of us that go into the wilderness from National Parks, National Monuments, forests, and much more need to also have some of these skills in case of an emergency. These skills also known as primitive skills are ideas and concepts our own ancestors used to use on a daily basis.
The good news is that today these are written down and we have additional tools to augment what we can do if we happen to get injured, lost, or other unknown issues that might arrive on a hiking or camping trip. These skills should be learned and practiced while on your remote travels.
From Bandelier to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest there are numerous amount of skills you can decide to learn as you experience the great outdoors. This article is going to give you some ideas on survival skills, different websites, books, and videos to consider for your review. Please take the time to visit the links because they will grow your knowledge of the skillset needed for a situation you could not have planned for.
Table of contents
Wilderness Survival Skills
I think we should cover the basics of food, water, and shelter. I am going to cover this from a modern standpoint, and how we can merge primitive skills into the use of modern equipment. I’m not coming from this from the angle of us becoming feral people or feral humans like I recently discussed in another article. I have also in the past written about travel tips, and these still apply because our world is a complex one with the remote wilderness, small towns, cities, and sometimes one man’s trash is another treasure. A good website to start with is the survivalblog.com Bookshelf click here for the list.
Wilderness Survival & Food
We will start with food, and I personally think camping food ideas are the best place to start, and then if your situation does not improve then move deeper into the wilderness survival skills like learning about berries, roots, and others that we can survive on. The one thing to remember is that wilderness food survival is difficult for vegetarians. This blog post by wilderness-survival.net (click here) has a great overview of various animals’ food sources. Before you go consider making a list of possible situations that you might have to deal with.
Then reconsider the supplies, books, and guides you might need if any of these situations arrived. The article Surviving in the Wild: 19 Common Edible Plants (click here ). The differences in plants are critical sometimes there are similarities between plants that are poisonous. So carry a small plant guide to keep with you at all times, and make sure it is for the area you are in. I normally goto to the visitor center and find an area plant guide to keep on hand.
Wilderness Survival And Water
Finding water is one thing, but filtering that water so it doesn’t make you sick is another. Water is critical, and being able to purify it can be critical. Having a contained heat source, or the ability to boil water is really important. I do use water fresh when I see it falling down over moss or when moving quickly. This needs to be considered carefully because having any form of diarrhea can be a serious issue when already dehydrated.
Wilderness Survival And Shelter
Learning to make simple structures, and the use modern tents can involve several new skills. These skills are easy to learn and you may already have some of them just by hiking and camping already. When exploring the great outdoors what you have in your mind can be your greatest asset. Make sure to plan each trip, and to build up your mental knowledge of the information you can use in an emergency. Keep a small emergency guide with you in a cargo pocket along with a small survival kit. You cannot assume that in an emergency you will have your backpack.
Books on Survival Skills
I’m a big fan of various wilderness survival books and grab different books as we travel along to different parks. I find various books in second-hand stores, online, and within the gift stores of National Parks. I think it’s worth reiterating this link survivalblog.com Bookshelf click here for the list. where I have found books to order online. Used books are a great option so goodwill can be your friend.
Some of these books are prepping in nature but may offer the information you want or need depending on your particular situation. Most of us here are outdoors type of people and enjoy traveling around the world visiting different parks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s imperative we as an outdoorsman, and adventurers learn the skills, and information necessary to survive the outdoors we love so much. The order of food, water, and shelter really is determined by what your unique situation might be. Whether we are building something or gathering to survive it’s the skills of our ancestors that allow us to survive different situations we were not expecting.
It’s preparation, and learning that allow us to remain ahead of any dangerous situation, and allows us to be prepared mentally or physically. So as you begin to plan your outdoor adventure; let’s make sure you are prepared to survive the unexpected with survival skills for the unexpected.
