Survival Day

Survival day (WREN) was about how to survive if you get lost in the wilderness. Search and Rescue (SAR) people taught us all about being lost, what you do to prevent it, and what to do if you are lost. To prevent being lost you would want to make a flight plan, have someone with you, and make sure that you or someone you're with has a map of the trail, or knows it well. If you do get lost, sit down, try to think and don't freak out. If it's cold, build a shelter by using your instincts - what would keep you warm? Try to build your shelter on a slope and build your fire downhill from you because hot air rises. Don't go too far uphill or you will be too hot. Doing these things could help you survive.

The SAR team taught us survival skills. First we learned how to make smoke signals. We hiked up a hill and found a good stump to light cottonballs on. Our leader rubbed vasoline all the way through a cottonball and lit it. That cottonball lasted for three and a half minutes. Then we lit a wet cottonball with vasoline on it, and that one lasted ten minutes, I couldn't believe it - it was wet and it burned longer! He showed us the match he was using. It is called a magnesium match. Magnesium matches are made of magnesium, which is flammable. On one side of the match, you can flake off pieces of magnesium and on the other side you can use it like a match box and strike a fire (Right - magnesium match).

We hiked some more and found a stump from a Ponderosa pine that had pitch in it. Our leader showed us pieces of wood with pitch in it and passed them around so we could smell them. We asked if we could each have a piece of the pitch wood. One of the leaders started chopping up the wood with her hatchet and the hatchet missed the stump and hit her ankle. The other leaders bandaged her up and one of them brought her to the hospital. We learned that you should always cut away from you.

After we lunch we learned which wood is best to start a fire. If it sounds hollow, it burns well. Ponderosa pine is the best choice and most commonly used because it burns well and it has a pitch stump. To light your fire, you start with the small pieces of wood and add the larger ones slowly.

Put together a kit for hiking or for the car. Your kit should have the following:

1. Space blanket
2. Garbage bag
3. String
4. Rain gear
5. First aid kit
6. Extra batteries
7. Flashlight (You may also want a candle.)
   
8. Colored ribbon
9. Magnesium match
10. Signal mirror
11. Duct tape
12. Paper and wooden matches
13. A metal edge (to start your fire with)
14. Saw
15. GPS and/or compass
16. Whistle
17. Non-perishable food items, chocolate
18. Water
19. Tin can
20. Iodine tablets or water filter

We also learned about cairns. A cairn is something to mark a trail, such as a pile of rocks. Cairns do not look natural because if you cannot see the trail they help you find your way.


After we learned about cairns, we were almost done. We watched a demonstration of the search and rescue dogs. Two people from our group were chosen to hide. They zigzagged to their hiding spot so the dogs had to follow their trail. The dogs found them both really fast!

Then the SAR people had to leave, so Penny divided us up into two groups and we went to build our shelters. I built my shelter in a hole in a slash pile that was left by loggers. When we were finished, we built a fire with one match. My match went out, so I had to borrow fire from someone else in our group.

All too soon we had to leave. Survival day is so much fun!