The 5 most important things I’ve learned from survival stories
Featured on this site are dozens of survival stories that cover all possible types of terrain and situations, but every single one of them has major things in common, and those things often make the difference between people making it home safely or dying in the middle of a jungle or up a mountain somewhere. It often isn’t a case of being prepared and having the right gear, but more often bad personal decisions throughout their ordeal. The following are the most common things that get people into trouble and how easy they would be to avoid.
1) They didn’t tell anyone where they were going
(Aron Ralston returning to the place where he had to cut his own arm off)
Most people have heard the story of Aron Ralston, the guy who had to cut off his own arm after getting it trapped by a boulder, later made into a movie called 127 Hours. He was so confident in his abilities that he didn’t tell a single person where he was going or when he’d get back, leading to him falling into a small ravine and getting his arm stuck under a boulder. If he’d told someone where he was going and when he’d be back, after not checking in they would have alerted the authorities and a search would have been mounted, leading to the possibility they would have found him before he hacked his arm off with a pen-knife.
Another good example is the story of Victoria Grover who went hiking alone to a very remote area of Utah and didn’t tell the lodge she was staying at where she was going. She ended up breaking her leg and had to spend 5 days alone in the desert.
The moral of the story is that if no one knows that you’re missing, then no one is going to be looking for you.
2) Don’t get over-confident
In 2006, Tommy Hendricks and Matthew Smith decided to go hiking up the Mount of the holy cross in Eagle County, Colorado. After making base camp below a steep-sided gully, they thought it would be quicker to leave their equipment there while they nipped up to the peak, thinking they could easily make it back before dark.
After getting stuck in a snowstorm without any kind of tent or sleeping bag they spent the next 2 days wandering around on frostbitten toes and not having any idea which was the right direction. After thinking they were going to die they finally caught sight of a rescue plane and their lives were saved, and all because they told someone where they were going, but their overconfidence got them into that situation in the first place.
Another good example of overconfidence is Eric LeMarque, who decided to climb a mountain when the local guides started ushering people off. Since he was already halfway up and he “thought he’d be fine” he continued to climb and eventually made the top, which is when he realized he was horribly lost in the thick snowstorm that set in. After spending 8 days walking around a mountain he was finally rescued, but it cost him both of his lower legs.
“Just believe you think you can, you will never be able to control nature and can’t guarantee not having an accident”
3) Bring enough supplies
I’ve read of survival stories where people went out into the wilderness with nothing more than sweets and a couple of sandwiches, with one person going into the desert with nothing but a burrito and a can of Pepsi.
If you’re going somewhere that you may get stuck in, then at least bring enough stuff to save yourself in the event of an emergency. This doesn’t just go for food and water either, with some of the most basic and useful pieces of equipment being considered “unnecessary” by many a foolish hiker.
As with the story above of the 2 boys who got stuck up a mountain, they only had a regular lighter with them, which became waterlogged and they had to survive the whole 2 days without warmth. The amount of space that a pack of fireproof matches takes up or a couple of days’ worth of survival block rations is not going to stop you from taking everything else.
Unless you want to end up sitting in the Arctic Circle with nothing more than a box of fish like Bob Gauchie, or walking for 6 days in the desert with no food and only a small bottle of water at hand like Ed Rosenthal, then pack enough supplies for what “might” happen.
4) Know your terrain
If you’re going to trek through the desert then it would be a good idea to know exactly what that desert contains. How hot does it get? Where are the water sources? and what animals should i watch out for are but a few of the things you should research before you leave.
(One of the four who got stranded up Ben Nevis after trying to climb it with no knowledge of how cold it can get)
Knowing what you’re going to run into will help you be prepared for it. The amount of times I’ve heard of people getting stuck in the Arctic with nothing but a jacket because they didn’t think they’d get stuck there comes up more times than you’d imagine. Even terrain in your home country can kill you if you’re not prepared for it, like the four friends who randomly decided to climb Ben Nevis one day in nothing more than tracksuits and trainers. They were seperated near the top in a blizzard and almost died, but luckily one of them was able to send word to local rescuers through an app on his phone.
5) Learn to survive
Learning some basic survival skills can, and most probably will save your life in the event of an emergency. Learning how to make shelter and find food and water should be the priorities, followed shortly by learning how to make fire and craft things you may need.
(A photo of the Donner and Reed party during the early days of their journey)
One of the most famous examples of not knowing how to find food is the Donner party. This group of mid-19th century travelers got stranded up a mountain over winter next to a lake, and after food ran out they started to eat each other. The thing about this story is that they couldn’t find any food where they were, as none of them were familiar with lake fishing. If at least one of them had known that you can fish in lakes, and how to make a fish trap out of sticks, there may have been a few more survivors than there were.
