Coping in Remote Areas
Planning and preparation should keep you from having an outdoor misadventure. If something does go wrong—your vehicle breaks down, you run out of gas in a remote area, or you’re injured and can’t travel—switch into survival mode.
You now have three priorities: shelter, fire, and signal. After addressing these priorities, you can focus on water and food. If you’re lost in a thick fog don’t waste valuable time and energy traveling around aimlessly. Instead, stay calm and go into survival mode, especially after dark. Build a shelter and a fire. |
Rules of Survival
- Tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to return.
- Don’t travel alone.
- Take enough food and water to last for at least two days in an emergency.
- Bring a map and compass, and always orient yourself before leaving.
- Wear layered clothing.
- Don’t panic if you become lost.
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Preparing a Shelter 
- Start preparing your camp well before dark. Look for a natural shelter, such as a rock overhang or a thick stand of evergreens. The site should be dry and well-drained and should offer protection from the wind. Ideally, it also should be near water and plenty of firewood.
- If no natural shelter is available, build a lean-to.
- Lean branches against a horizontal support to form a frame for a roof.
- Orient the opening of the lean-to away from the wind.
- Cover the frame with evergreen branches to block out wind or precipitation (or use a tarp if you brought one). Leaves and twigs are another option.
- For additional protection, add side walls to the lean-to and insulate the floor with evergreen branches or leaves.
- Place your ORV close to the shelter’s opening to act as a wind break. Make sure it does not block the heat from your fire.
REMEMBER – In dry terrain or heavily wooded areas, you should consider the necessity of building a fire. In emergencies or cold weather, particularly at night, a fire may be critical. At other times, a fire may not be necessary.
Starting a Fire Safely
- Be extremely careful to avoid starting a fire that can spread to surrounding grass.
- Clear an area of bare dirt around the fire as a firebreak.
- Place rocks around the fire to help contain it.
- Watch out for flying ash and sparks.
- Never leave a fire unattended.
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A tepee of larger sticks enclosing the kindling is a good way to start a fire. |
- Select a site where the fire’s heat will radiate into the shelter. Your sleeping area should be located between the shelter wall and the fire.
- If there is snow on the ground, build the fire on a platform of green logs or rocks.
- Gather everything you need before starting the fire. Pile downed wood ranging from small twigs to fuel logs next to the fire site.
- Collect more fuel than you think you can use; you may need it.
- Pile fine twigs, grass, or bark shavings loosely as a base. If you can’t find downed wood or dry kindling, shave dry wood from the inside of tree bark.
- Place slightly larger sticks on the kindling until the pile is about 10 inches high.
- If there’s a breeze, light one end of the kindling so that the flame is blown toward the rest of the fuel. Otherwise, light the kindling in the middle of the base.
- As the flames spread to the larger twigs, slowly add more wood to the blaze. Add larger pieces as the fire grows.
REMEMBER – When you leave the area, extinguish the fire completely. Smother it with dirt or snow. Do not leave it burning. People who assume that a fire will always burn itself out have been responsible for destroying many acres of land.
Signaling for Help
- If you can’t continue and have to wait for rescue, prepare help signals as soon as possible.
- The international emergency sign for distress is three of any signal:
- Three fires evenly spaced
- Three blasts on a whistle
- Three flashes with a mirror
- If you’re near an open space, walk a large “X” in the grass, sand, or snow. If possible, outline it with rocks or branches. Do whatever you can to make it easier to see from a distance.
Drinking Enough Water
- Even in cool weather, you need two to four quarts of water a day. Under most conditions, humans can only last about three days without water.
- Pure drinking water is rare, even in the most remote regions. Clear mountain streams often are contaminated by Giardia lamblia, a parasite that causes serious intestinal sickness in humans.
- The best way to purify water is by boiling. Chemical purifiers such as iodide or chlorine and filter systems can be used, but some may not be satisfactory. Never make survival problems worse by drinking unsafe water.
Finding Food
- Humans can go for two weeks or more without food. Although the need for food is not that urgent, you’ll be more comfortable and clear-headed if you eat.
- As a general rule, anything that birds and mammals eat will be safe and will have some nutritional value.
- Before you head into a remote area, it’s a good idea to read up on what’s edible in that region.
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