7 Deadly Enemies of Survival

Whether you're "out there," lost in the wilderness - or in your every-day life,
you face enemies and they may not be what you think. Rattle snakes?
Bears? Your boss? No! Here are the 7 Enemies of Survival. We can teach
you how to deal with these.

  1. FEAR AND ANXIETY
  2. COLD AND HEAT
  3. THIRST
  4. BOREDOM AND LONELINESS
  5. FATIGUE
  6. HUNGER
  7. PAIN AND INJURY

Keep Trying: Never Ever Give Up!!!!!!

  S - Size up the situation
  U - Use all your senses...............undue haste .................makes waste
  R - Remember where you are
  V - Vanquish Fear and Panic
   I - Improvise
  V - Value Living
  A - Act like the natives
  L - Live by your wits and continue to ......................learn more

If you or a companion seems to be suffering from hypothermia, remove all
wet clothing and replace with dry clothes. Wear a hat, and wrap up. DO NOT SLEEP!

Drink water and nibble on small snacks as you travel.

Modern survival items: Cell phone, GPS, knife, solar blanket, sponge

  • The best way to clean up any mess is with a sponge. Beside being ultra light it absorbs and cleans up rear or wounds or clothes or living space or food or games etc. I "PERSONALLY" valuate it as 3rd most important after the solar blanket & the #1 Swiss army knife.
  • Even though mountain water looks sparkling clean, it is important that water from springs, lakes, ponds, and streams be properly treated before drinking. One inexpensive method is to boil water at a rolling boil for five minutes. Filters should filter down to 1 micron.
  • Pay attention to your body -- if you start to experience muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, weakness, and exhaustion, you may be experiencing the first steps of heat related illness. Find a cool place to rest, and cool with wet towels or clothing. Rest, and drink a half-glass of water every half hour. Avoid drinks with sugars, caffeine, and alcohol, and do not take salt tablets.
  • White, puffy clouds may turn into thunderstorms. If caught in a storm, stay away from high ridges and take cover in a valley or ravine. Stay away from tall trees and be careful about flash flooding. A group of people should separate, each standing a few yards away from each other.

Animal Safety

  • Bears: Do not approach bears, and most especially cubs! With black bears, as a rule, you should fight back and behave aggressively, and play dead with Grizzlies. When bears approach your camp, make as much noise as possible and wave your arms in the air. Often you will be able to frighten the bear off this way.
  • Mountain Lions: Keep all members of your party close to you. Make yourself seem as large as possible and fight back as aggressively as you can. Do not run!

Remember the "3 Ws" (wicking, warmth, and wind) of layering. The

layer next to your skin should be polypropylene, which wicks away moisture.
Next, pull on a fleece layer to trap body-warmed air. Finally, zip on a tightly
woven, breathable, windproof layer that lets moisture out but keeps warmth in.

WILD PLANT EDIBILITY RULES

  1. Never eat large quantities of an unknown food without first testing it.
  2. When in doubt, chew a berry or small portion of a plant to taste possible bitterness or astringency. Spit it out.
  3. When cooking facilities are available, cook the plant 5-15 minutes. Take a teaspoonful of the plant and hold it in your mouth five minutes.If no burning sensation is noted, then swallow it. Wait 8 hours. If there are no ill effects such as nausea, cramps or diarrhea, eat more, and wait another 8 hours. If no ill effects are noted, the plant should be edible.
  4. Cook all plant foods when in doubt of their edibility. Cooking, however, does not always destroy toxicity.
  5. When cooking facilities are not available, it is generally considered safe to try foods that you observe being eaten by birds and mammals. However, this does not always hold true, as birds will eat baneberries, etc.
  6. Never eat a wild mushroom without positive identification. Cooking does not dissipate the poisonous properties of mushrooms. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL!
  7. Avoid eating an unknown plant with a milky juice. There are some edible plants, however, with milky juice, such as dandelion, wild lettuce, milkweed, figs, papaya, etc.
  8. Most blue and black berries are edible, red berries are sometimes edible, and white berries are never edible.

EDIBILITY RULE - MEMORY TOOL

  • If it's blue - it's good for you.
  • If it's red - use your head.
  • If it's white - do not bite.

This page is taken from Varisty Training at Round Table