You are lost in the woods and the weather is going to get bad. What do you need to survive until rescue arrives?

Most of us have never seriously given the idea of being lost in the woods a second thought. Getting lost can happen to even the best and most experienced of us. Imagine being out and having bad weather hitting. Instead of stopping for a while, you continue on. Soon the weather turns worse and you become disoriented. I use the term disoriented because no true outdoors person is ever lost. With the weather, you being disoriented, what do you do next?

Your first step is to stop, take a look around and decide then what needs to be done. Calm down. You will need four things to survive: Shelter, Fire, Water, and Food in that order.

Shelter - The main thing that you need is shelter to protect you from the elements. SHELTER is the means by which you protect your body from excess exposure from the sun, cold, wind, rain or snow. Anything that takes away or adds to your overall body temperature can be your enemy. The easiest shelter to make is a Debris Hut.

Fire - You need fire to keep warm, purify water, cook food, and to signal rescuers. It will also keep predators at a distance. You should always carry at least two ways to start a fire at all times in the wilderness. A small fire provides more heat than a large one and should be built in a teepee shape. This provides the most efficient burning of the wood and gives off the most heat. Using a reflector (space blanket, tarp, or sheet of plastic) with your fire will help keep you and your shelter warm and cozy all night. Your fire should be between your reflector and your shelter.

Water - You can live for weeks without food, but only a couple days without water. You can purchase different types of water purification devices or you can if possible boil all water 10 minutes plus one minute for every 1000 feet above sea level. Strain water through your handkerchief to remove large particles. Never wait until you are without water to collect it. Have some poly zip bags to collect and store water. Know how to gather and purify water. Never drink straight out of a stream or river as you stand a 99% chance of contracting Giardia. There are very few streams around these days that aren't infested with it. You need to bring the water to a full, rolling boil for at least five minutes to be safe, with some experts recommending an even longer time. The down side to boiling your drinking water is that it removes the oxygen and the water ends up tasting flat. You can improve its quality by pouring it back and forth between two containers to put oxygen back in, or simply shake it up.

Above all, be cautious and use common sense when choosing where to gather your water. Do the plants surrounding it look healthy? Are there dead animals nearby that might have contaminated it? Don't collect any water that looks stagnant. Generally, water that is further upstream will be cleaner than that downstream, but there are no guarantees. Don't automatically go for the fasting rushing water, as fast water carries more sediment. You can avoid picking up a lot of sediment by making sure you dunk your water bottle completely under the water. This will avoid all the dirt and debris that floats on the surface. With so many ways to purify water, there should be something for everyone and no reason to ever take chances drinking untreated water.

Food - Learn your edible plants now before you venture into the wilderness and how and when they can be collected and how to prepare them for eating. Never eat anything that you cannot identify. Some plants are so poisonous that a tiny bite can kill you. Learn ways to capture small animals; such as birds, squirrels, and rabbits and how to prepare them.

Next time we will begin covering each of these essentials of survival separately in more detail.