If for some reason you find yourself stranded in the woods, it can be a pretty overwhelming and scary situation, but there are things you can do to stay alive and well until rescue finds you (or you find rescue) and get yourself out of the predicament.
This article will focus on general tips which are essentially for survival in the wild or the woods, and in our opinion, everyone should at least have this general knowledge because you never know when you may need to use it and it may just prove to be the difference between life and death.
Before we begin, if there is one tip which is most often forgotten in such articles, it is to remain calm and think on your feet. There is no point in panicking, you will only make matters worse for yourself and it will cloud your judgment and ability to think – both of which are very much required if you want to get out alive.
If you feel overwhelmed, just take a few deep breaths, talk to yourself and assure yourself that you are strong and that everything is going to be ok. Get to work using the tips listed below, and you will be fine. Remember, the human body is capable of some remarkable things and you are much stronger than you think.
Shelter
In order to survive, shelter is imperative. It will keep you safe from weather, especially during night time. Sorting out some form of shelter should be your first priority, and you need to get to work ASAP because you only have until the sun sets.
One of the easiest and quickest ways to build a little makeshift roof over your head is by bending a sapling over and securing it in that position using ropes and vines. Once the sapling is in place, you can then amass branches from other trees and plants and cover the sapling with layers of these branches in order to create a pretty thick covering for your roof.
If you are in snowy conditions, it will relieve you to know that snow is an excellent natural insulator, and all you need to do is dig a hole in deep snow and sleep at the bottom of it.
Water
The human body can survive for a fairly long time without food, but water is something you need to find immediately. If there is no natural water source nearby, then you will have to look for small pools of water, or dig holes in the ground in order to collect rain water, or use large leaves to capture water or wring out the dew water already in them.
In you happen to have a plastic bag or film, then you can cover the insides of the hole you have dug with the plastic so as to keep the water from mixing with the dirt.
You can only go 3-4 days without water, so remember it should be priority right after building or finding some shelter.
Fire
Fire is going to be your best friend in the woods, it will help you stay warm, fight away wild predators, cook meat or food and also to treat water in order to make it consumable.
There are tried and tested ways in which you can start and fire and keep it going for hours on end (provided it is not raining). There are many fire starting techniques including stones, sun rays, sticks, etc.
In fact, you can start a fire with just two sticks, but it takes perseverance and patience. It helps immensely if you have done it at least once before.
Food
You need nutrition for energy and to stay healthy, especially if your survival episode is going to be longer than a couple of days. While some food sources might want to make you throw up, this is a life and death situation and you just need to find it in you to stomach it. Fish, frogs, crawfish, snakes, rabbits, squirrels,are all excellent sources of protein and you can use your fire to cook them to make it a little it easier to swallow.
Remember that you will need weaponry to be able to hunt or trap such animals, you can make spears, knives, and so on just using the wood from the trees around you and a sharp stone to shape them the way you want. You can also just use stones itself.