How to survive in a forest

If you are ever going to be stranded somewhere then the best place you can hope for would be a forest. They are normally in quite temperate zones and don’t usually experience extreme weather unless you’re unlucky enough to get stuck in the middle of winter of course. The reason they make the best terrain type to get stranded in, if there ever was a “best” place to get stranded in, is because of the huge amount of building materials, firewood, and high chances of finding food and water.

Just because they have a lot to offer doesn’t mean they don’t come without their own dangers, and learning to avoid them will be key to your survival. Here are a few things to keep in mind should you ever find yourself lost in a forest.

Stop and think

Whenever someone gets lost in a forest it’s normally because they were paying too much attention to the scenery and didn’t realize they walked down one side path too many, only realizing they have no idea where they are until it’s too late. As soon as you realize you are lost just remember the S.T.O.P technique.

• Stop – The first thing to do is stop and take a deep breath, even if it’s just for 30 seconds. When people panic they make rash decisions and often end up making their situation worse, so just spare a little time to get over the initial panic of realizing you are lost.

• Think – Try to remember how you got lost, can you remember which path connects to the one you are on, and how about the path before that? Can you remember which way the sun was shining through the trees when you started your walk and which direction is it shining now considering how far the sun has moved during your walk? How long have you been walking for and how long since the last time you knew where you were? can you remember seeing a stream, road, or hill you may be able to get back to? Ask yourself these questions to help figure out your location.

• Observe – Listen for the sound of running water or vehicles in the distance, and the locations of anything that may be useful, like a large clearing or high point where you can get your bearings.

• Plan – Depending on how many questions you can answer and where exactly you are in the world will depend on your plan. But a good example would be you can remember walking close to a stream about an hour ago which is in the same direction as a hill you can see in the distance, heading towards the stream and following it would be plan A, but in the event you come across a path you recognize and think you can follow it out the woods this will be the new plan, with retreating back to following the stream as a backup.

Don’t travel at night

Even if you are sure you’re going in the right direction there’s a high chance you could have an accident in the dark, turning what should have been sitting around a fire until dawn and walking out safely into a genuine life-threatening situation. Slippery ground, sudden drops, fallen trees, swampy areas, and a million things to trip over aren’t worth risking as a badly sprained ankle will hurt your chances of survival more than anything you could gain from making an extra mile or two during the night.

Learn how to make a fire and shelter

Making a fire is quite straightforward, but in the event the wood is wet you’ll need a knife to make a feather stick to get it going. Any kind of dried grass, thin twigs, reeds, or anything very dry will work well as tinder, but just make sure you gather enough wood to last the night before it gets dark.

(The feather stick, an excellent choice for starting fires from wet wood)

As for shelter, we’ll assume you get stranded without a knife and axe, so a basic shelter will be the only option. The best one you can easily build is the single slope shelter with a long fire in front, just make sure you build it at the correct angle with the wind hitting the slope and not the open side. As for thatching, you can use anything available, like dried leaves, ferns, reeds, or just a ton of small sticks scattered over the slope to block the wind.

Learn how to find food and water

Forests normally aren’t difficult to find water in, but finding a clean source may be another matter. The best you can hope for is a stream or spring, but if you find one try to find out what’s up-stream from it as the cleanest looking mountain streams could be toilets for a herd of sheep further up the slope. When you find water it’s always advised that you filter it through some cloth and boil it. If a flowing source of water isn’t available then find a strong stick and dig a hole in an area where the ground vegetation is greenest, some water should collect in the bottom, though it will be quite muddy and should definitely be filtered and boiled.

As for food, this one is a little more tricky since eating the wrong thing could end your survival adventure on the spot. It’s worth studying wild foods in-depth but there are a few things that almost anyone can recognise. Nuts and common berries like blackberries are always a safe bet, and nettles quickly waved through a flame will wilt all the stinging needles and make them safe to eat. Wild food should always be studied before you go out and gather some, but just remember that if you aren’t 100% sure of what something is, then don’t eat it.

Follow water

If you come across a stream of any size then follow it as it’s almost guaranteed to lead you to safety. Eventually, it will come out into a river or lake and this is exactly where you’ll find someone to help you. Even if you come across a small fishing hut then you’ve already found the means to increase your chances of survival.

Prepare

It goes without saying that your best chances of survival are if you’re prepared to be stranded. A knife, hatchet, piece of tarp, and flint and fire steel can easily fit into a small backpack and will help you keep warm, make shelter, and create safe drinking water. Taking something like a life straw will give you the ability to create up to two weeks’ worth of safe drinking water, and freeze-dried food and ration blocks are very lightweight and will keep you going long enough to get out of your situation.

Try and signal help

The obvious choice would be to phone for help, but in the event your phone is damaged or dead then you’ll have to get creative. During the day create smoky fires by adding wet grass or leaves to them, and if possible try to fan it so the smoke rises in bursts like the stereotypical Indian smoke signals which will help it to get noticed more. Writing out messages in sticks in clearings and places visible to the air will help rescue crews reach you sooner, but remember to keep it short, such as your last name with the word “lost” or “help” and an arrow pointing in whichever direction you walked in next. If you have anything reflective or are stranded in a car, rip off a wing mirror and use it to signal for help from elevated positions, the signal for SOS using a mirror is 3 flashes of equal length.