His pack was gone, he kayaked alone, and
he had nothing on him except for a generic survival bracelet and some wet cash. He
knew how to make a shelter, he knew how
to start a fire, and he knew his way around
most of the territory, but Kevin had never planned on becoming injured. He only
noticed he was in pain once he’d tried to
lift his weight up off of the rock. It was his
left leg. Kevin was nearly 15 miles upriver
from where he’d planned to settle in for the
night, which was a campsite much closer
to civilization. As he looked around, in the
shades of midnight blue and black that
matched the steady bruising appearing on
his ankle, Kevin was disgusted with himself. His vision was blurry, his sense of direction was all over the place, and he never
should have gone alone to begin with.
He would not, however, fall victim to depression and fear. His skillset would be
worth nothing if he failed to keep his composure, and he knew that. Kevin closed his
eyes and decided to wait until dawn before moving again. As of now, there wasn’t
much he could do anyway. He’d take the
rest of nightfall to come up with a plan. So,
Kevin remained still and listened to the
crickets, mentally preparing himself for
the difficult tasks that would come with
the soon-rising sun.
54 Fall 2016 Adventure Outdoors
There are some things that you just can’t
prepare for, no matter how much gear you
pack, or what background knowledge you
have. The great outdoors is wonderful for
exploring, meditating, and reaching your
peak level of inner fulfillment, but it is
also dangerous. From wild animals, to bad
weather, to simply getting lost or hurt,
there are plenty of sticky situations you
may find yourself in.
Survival kits are excellent to have on
your person, but what happens if you lose
them? GPS tracking devices and electronic maps are great, but what if they get
ruined in a fall? Danger causes people to
panic, and even a trained solider or warrior can become utterly useless if they do
not strengthen their psychological skill set.
You need to be able to evolve your panic
into a resolution, with quick decisions and
logical critical thinking skills.
If you lose hope, you
lose the will to survive.
The Military Survival, Evasion, and Recovery Manual is a great resource to brush
up on for tips and tricks on what plants to
eat, how to build shelters, as well as how to
hunt and fish. The manual even includes
instructions for dressing a wound and
skinning a squirrel. One thing that the handbook also includes, that is of the upmost importance, is the “Will to Survive” chapter.
This specific chapter goes into detail about
how you should prepare your mind, just as
much as you prepare your body.
There is no telling what could happen when
you’re out in the wilderness, and though
you may not be in the middle of a warzone,
it can feel like that in the heat of the moment, so having this manual, or any other
tried and true survival guide on hand is
definitely going to help you. Just remember,
knowledge comes second to outlook. You
must believe that you’re going to be rescued,
found, or make your way to safety. This is
why people have survived unthinkable situations with little-to-no knowledge on how
to do anything besides remain a sitting duck.
Your brain is either going
to quickly become your
most essential tool to
survive, or your
biggest enemy
against staying alive.