I was reading a book recently with a big section about bugging out into the wilderness. The problem with such a book is how general it has to be. Of course we need the basics: water, food, and shelter. A big issue is that your strategies will vary greatly depending on the local environment.
For example I have a pretty fair idea on how to survive in the Great North Woods. I’ve lived here all my life and spent a lot of time in the woods. My dad started teaching me how to survive here from the time I could walk. That gave me a good background to build upon.
I also spent enough time in Florida to at least learn the basics. My lovely wife and I spent many days staying with locals who showed us how they survived in the woods. One of the difficulties about Florida is that it’s really about three or four different environments. The skills needed for the north central region are different from the requirements of the Everglades.
Personally, I know my desert skills are not up to the task. My basic survival knowledge is good, but it’s the little things that can kill you. I don’t even know how much I don’t know. Nobody ever taught me the skills. Frankly, it’s not the sort of place I’d want to bug out to if I had any other choice at all.
What it comes down to is that books are good, but there’s no substitute for local knowledge.
-Sixbears
Desert survival is a special kind of headache.
ReplyDeleteLittle and often NO water. No trees means no shade and very little to build a shelter with. The wind blows most of the time. And you dehydrate very quickly even if it isn't all that hot because the relative humidity is almost always less than 30% and frequently single digits.
I am a water person, no doubt about it. There's a reason desert populations in the past were so low.
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