The Survivor's Mind
By David Cronenwett
Copyright 2006
Wilderness survival means many things to many people. Some live in mortal fear of such an episode while others seem to wish for it. There are individuals with militaristic fantasies and those who merely want to be prepared for a backcountry emergency. Outdoor survival is also a booming industry with a lot of incorrect information floating around. Before mentioning the skills and equipment needed for outdoor living and survival, we should understand the most important but overlooked factor of all, survivor psychology.
In the strictest sense, survival is defined as an episode that could kill you if corrective action is not taken. Being lost or spending an unexpected night in the woods is not automatically a survival situation. But there is the potential that it or other scenarios could become one and frequently the determining factor is your mind. Day-trippers are the biggest group of wilderness users who become the object of a search and rescue (SAR) operation, at over 80%. This is because most have a mental state of "just being out for the day" and often, they're in a familiar area which can lead to carelessness and disorientation.
Another issue leading to emergency situations is injury. Even the best-trained and equipped outdoors-person is at an extreme disadvantage with an injury; ever try swinging an ax with a broken finger? Fortunately, our goal for basic, short-term survival is simple; to keep calm, maintain a body temperature of 98.6, get some sleep and stay hydrated while awaiting rescue. This last point implies that someone knew where to look for you.
In the lower-48 states, most searches are successful within 72 hours. However, those who perish in the backcountry usually do so within 36 hours of their "survival episode". Why? The best explanation is that the victims succumb to ?panic-induced hypothermia?. That is, some individuals become so upset at their mishap that they literally give up the will to live. Though hard to believe, SAR reports often recall deaths of people with more than adequate equipment, food and water. The mind therefore, clearly dies before the body.
If you are lost in the woods, you must calm yourself by sitting down, breathing deep and thinking through your situation. Sing, talk out loud to loved ones, or say a prayer. If you are unable to suppress panic, you should stop and make camp on the spot. Often, we become lost at dusk and there is an irrepressible urge to travel onward. If we give in to the desire to continue, nightfall will make fire lighting and shelter building much more difficult. The last thing you should be doing is stumbling through the forest in the dark, flashlight or not, risking injury and becoming more upset. In the morning, you may find that navigating out is easy. If you are hopelessly lost however (and have left word with a responsible individual), search and rescue should find you within 2-4 days. On the other hand, if no one knows where you are, you may be forced to walk out.
You must have the faith that you will make it, the humility to give yourself to the situation and the resolve to improve your circumstances. Pushy-types are the first to complain and emotionally collapse during difficult survival courses. They attempt to force their will on the wilderness and refuse to accept discomfort. Some fall into irretrievable passivity, depression or anger, precisely what leads to mistakes, injury and that "panic-induced hypothermia" So, our first step towards becoming a survivor is to honestly examine our inner selves. If you know you are prone to irrationality, anger, depression or controlling behavior, work on ways to manage it, since it is often the first and sometimes the only thing that leads to death in the wilderness.
David Cronenwett has studied primitive living and wilderness skills as student and staff at Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Boulder, Utah and with master woodsman Mors Kochanski in north-central Alberta. David has taught outdoor survival and bushcraft seminars for the University of Montana and other organizations throughout the region. He is proprietor of Wilderness Arts Institute (www.wilderness-arts.com) and currently lives in Choteau, Montana. He can be reached at dcronenwett@wilderness-arts.com
or 406-590-8070.
The Survivor's Mind
By David Cronenwett
Copyright 2006
Wilderness survival means many things to many people. Some live in mortal fear of such an episode while others seem to wish for it. There are individuals with militaristic fantasies and those who merely want to be prepared for a backcountry emergency. Outdoor survival is also a booming industry with a lot of incorrect information floating around. Before mentioning the skills and equipment needed for outdoor living and survival, we should understand the most important but overlooked factor of all, survivor psychology.
In the strictest sense, survival is defined as an episode that could kill you if corrective action is not taken. Being lost or spending an unexpected night in the woods is not automatically a survival situation. But there is the potential that it or other scenarios could become one and frequently the determining factor is your mind. Day-trippers are the biggest group of wilderness users who become the object of a search and rescue (SAR) operation, at over 80%. This is because most have a mental state of "just being out for the day" and often, they're in a familiar area which can lead to carelessness and disorientation.
Another issue leading to emergency situations is injury. Even the best-trained and equipped outdoors-person is at an extreme disadvantage with an injury; ever try swinging an ax with a broken finger? Fortunately, our goal for basic, short-term survival is simple; to keep calm, maintain a body temperature of 98.6, get some sleep and stay hydrated while awaiting rescue. This last point implies that someone knew where to look for you.
In the lower-48 states, most searches are successful within 72 hours. However, those who perish in the backcountry usually do so within 36 hours of their "survival episode". Why? The best explanation is that the victims succumb to ?panic-induced hypothermia?. That is, some individuals become so upset at their mishap that they literally give up the will to live. Though hard to believe, SAR reports often recall deaths of people with more than adequate equipment, food and water. The mind therefore, clearly dies before the body.
If you are lost in the woods, you must calm yourself by sitting down, breathing deep and thinking through your situation. Sing, talk out loud to loved ones, or say a prayer. If you are unable to suppress panic, you should stop and make camp on the spot. Often, we become lost at dusk and there is an irrepressible urge to travel onward. If we give in to the desire to continue, nightfall will make fire lighting and shelter building much more difficult. The last thing you should be doing is stumbling through the forest in the dark, flashlight or not, risking injury and becoming more upset. In the morning, you may find that navigating out is easy. If you are hopelessly lost however (and have left word with a responsible individual), search and rescue should find you within 2-4 days. On the other hand, if no one knows where you are, you may be forced to walk out.
You must have the faith that you will make it, the humility to give yourself to the situation and the resolve to improve your circumstances. Pushy-types are the first to complain and emotionally collapse during difficult survival courses. They attempt to force their will on the wilderness and refuse to accept discomfort. Some fall into irretrievable passivity, depression or anger, precisely what leads to mistakes, injury and that "panic-induced hypothermia" So, our first step towards becoming a survivor is to honestly examine our inner selves. If you know you are prone to irrationality, anger, depression or controlling behavior, work on ways to manage it, since it is often the first and sometimes the only thing that leads to death in the wilderness.
David Cronenwett has studied primitive living and wilderness skills as student and staff at Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Boulder, Utah and with master woodsman Mors Kochanski in north-central Alberta. David has taught outdoor survival and bushcraft seminars for the University of Montana and other organizations throughout the region. He is proprietor of Wilderness Arts Institute (www.wilderness-arts.com) and currently lives in Choteau, Montana. He can be reached at dcronenwett@wilderness-arts.com
or 406-590-8070.