When you are planning for your next camping tent or hiking trip, typically you find yourself going through a checklist. Making sure you have your camping tent, backpack, pocketknife, food and even more items depending on the type of trip you are going on. The one thing some people do not do before their trip is re-familiarizing themselves with simple survival tips. Most of these tips could be the difference between life and death.
Before going out on your hike to explore the nature around you, make sure you have scanned your surroundings. Be aware of any mountains, hills, or any other major landmarks around you and the camping tent site. When beginning your hike try to stay around a valley, river or mountainside if possible. Just by doing this it will help keep you going in the same direction. The next step seems simple enough, keep track of time. Make sure you are aware of the time when you leave your campsite. By doing this you will know what rate you are hiking at and then by the time you reach your destination you know exactly how far you are from the camp site. If you have a GPS make sure it is in good condition and you are very familiar with all its settings.
If by chance of you do get lost the first, do not panic! This will not solve the situation and will cause you to lose energy that could be used towards other things. Sit down regain your thoughts. Think back and try to retrace your steps. Ask yourself, what direction did I come from? Can I get back? How long have I been lost? Once you have come up with a game plan try to find a place high where you can see your surroundings, search for a river, familiar areas or even signs of civilization. You are probably asking yourself, should I stay or should I keep moving? In order to answer this question, you want to make sure that you have a shelter to protect yourself. Next if no one is aware of your camping tent trip then it may take awhile before they begin a search. Look around and see if a signal could be seen from your location. If most of these cannot be answered then it is probably in your best interest to keep moving.
A good rule of thumb is walk away from the mountains, because most likely they may lead you to a road or trail. As you are walking try to leave hints and signals along the way. This will give anyone who could be searching for you hints and signals. Leaving parts of clothing, make arrows out of sticks or rocks are great ways to let searches know what direction you are heading in. This will also help them know you are still alive.
If you know that there will be people searching for you, hurry and find a safe and obvious place where you could have the best chances of a rescue. Try to find a shining or flashy object that could be seen if held against the light. This could be seen for sure by an airplane or a helicopter. Move the mirror or object back and forth so that the reflection could be noticed easily. Another life saving technique is building a fire. There are two types of fire to build for different times of the day. During the daylight make a smoky type fire using wet, damp and green materials. At night make a bright blazing fire using all dry materials. Most people try to yell and scream but end up losing their voice. Instead of using our voice try banging pots and pans they will really echo, much louder than your voice. If you had a whistle that would be even better.
No matter how many precautions someone can take there is always the possibility of getting lost or turned around. Always make sure you are aware of the places you are going and someone knows the details of your trip. There are always more outdoor survival tips you can take on your journey and this article just names a few. Always make sure you are prepared for your camping tent or hiking adventures.
Kristina C. Camping is my life and a great way to spend quality time with my family.
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Great post for very useful tips for hiking. Thanks for sharing.
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