ADVENTURE
According to the doctor , there are physiological changes that can lead to poor decision-making . Upon the realization that you ’ re lost , your heart rate elevates rapidly and blood is disproportionally sent to the large muscle groups , creating an urge to run — when the best thing to do at first is to just stay put . “ People who watch survival shows on TV or YouTube have no idea of what wilderness survival is like ,” Dr . Ferri cautions .
In creating TV programs such as The Alone Show in the UK , crews shoot up to 100 hours of footage for a one-hour program , often taking unnecessary risks to ramp up the drama . “ The biggest problem with survival shows is that they ’ re entertaining ,” Zawalsky says . “ Survival , in a practical sense , is boring .” For example , a popular myth of being lost in the wilderness is the idea of rationing food . But , ideally , someone who ’ s lost should eat when hungry as starvation can lead to lethargy , fatigue and depression .
When he teaches a group of novices how to survive in remote locations , Zawalsky focuses on getting the mind back to a rational place , a place where it first assesses and analyzes , before it takes any action . For anyone interested in taking wilderness survival courses , he also cautions against running before walking .
Since people tend to overestimate their own abilities , he advises newcomers to start with a basic instructional course inside a classroom before venturing outside , then moving on to an outdoor class that takes place in the summer . This way , you ’ ll have a solid foundation of survival skills that will serve you well , in the event you one day get lost . “ Survival shouldn ’ t be miserable ,” Zawalsky says . “ Building a shelter and a small fire is actually not so bad .”
“ PEOPLE WHO WATCH SURVIVAL SHOWS ... HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT WILDERNESS SURVIVAL IS LIKE .”
WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SCHOOLS
CANADA WEST MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
NORTH VANCOUVER , BRITISH COLUMBIA For under $ 300 , outdoor enthusiasts can take a two-day Wilderness Survival trip into one of the many forested wilderness locations in the vicinity . Instruction begins in the classroom , covering the basics from pre-trip planning to navigation and survival psychology . Out in the field , participants will build a shelter and spend a night in the wild . For the more experienced and the more daring , the Mountain School offers a weeklong wilderness adventure from Squamish to Whistler . [ themountainschool . com ]
REDBEARD ÉCOLE DE SURVIE
SAINT-SYLVESTRE , QUÉBEC
This comprehensive school offers courses for the layperson , as well as for military and police personnel . Military-style boot-camp survival is for a rare sort of individual , but the school ’ s instructors can teach anyone the basics of wilderness survival starting at just $ 70 . [ redbeardsurvival . ca ]
NUNAVIK ARCTIC SURVIVAL TRAINING CENTER
PUVIRNITUQ , NUNAVIK
The pre-eminent adventure travel and survival training provider in the Arctic is wholly owned and managed by Inuit First Nations . Given the extreme weather conditions in the Arctic , the location ’ s offerings aren ’ t for the feint of heart . The six-day Basic Winter Survival Course departs from Montréal and employs an Inuit-Canadian Military hybrid approach to Arctic survival . [ nastc . ca ]
28 six star magazine Photo : tourismsquamish . com