Rec and Sports

How To Master the Wilderness and Survive

Outdoor survival is an essential skill for all adventurers.  Situations can always take a turn for the worst and knowing how to survive often depends on learning some very necessary skills and having an outdoor survival kit at your disposal.

9 Outdoor Survival Skills You Must Know

1. Know which direction is north.  Navigation skills can lead you in the right direction and get you out of the wilderness, literally.Never venture out without a compass.

2. Advanced navigation skills are necessary for anyone serious about outdoor survival.  These are skills taught by experienced outdoorsmen who can teach you how to tell direction even when the sun isn’t shining, or observing prevailing winds or by looking at ‘indicators’ on rocks, melting snow, trees and shrubs.These skills will aide you even if you happen to lose your compass.

3. Learn how to find shelter.Take note of your surroundings as there are many natural objects you can use for shelter.Learn how to build a shelter out of any available material.Learning how to build a suitable shelter out of nothing but the natural environment.

4. Knowing how to build a fire will save your life.I must stress this, fire is important.Not only will fire keep you warm and give you light, but it will also keep animals away.

5. Learn how to find water and which sources of food are available.Learn the difference between edible and poisonous plants.Knowing how to handle plants and fruits that you need to crack such as coconuts.  You might also need to learn how to fish or track and trap animals and prepare them for cooking. 

6. Learn to tell the difference between safe and unsafe water sources.  For safety, be able to find some way to heat water to sterilize it.

7. First aid, even basic first aid, is a must and can mean the difference between life and death.  First aid supplies should be first on your survival gear checklist.

8. Learn how to make tools and weapons out of the objects that exist in your environment.These are good for use as a knife, hammer, and pillows.

9. Learn the skill of knowing what to do when you encounter a wild animal.Running away and climbing a tree can make some situations more dangerous.

Remain calm, keep a level head, don’t make mistakes.Being lost in the wilderness can rattle even the most experiened adventurer.Being able to remain calm and working with the wilderness will aide in your survival.  Smarts and a good wilderness survival kit will keep you alive.