The best way to ensure that you get rescued if you get lost when traveling outdoors is to tell someone who is not traveling with you where you are going to be, and when you expect to get back. If you should not return at the prescribed time, that person will be able to alert the authorities and a search will begin.

Should you find yourself stranded in the outdoors, the key to your rescue is your ability to create good signals for potential rescuers to see. The first thing you should do is light a fire. A large fire creates a signal in the daylight and darkness of night. At night, choose kindling for your fire tat does not create a lot of smoke. Create three fires in the outline of a triangle, because if these are seen from the air they will be recognized as the symbol for distress, and will be less likely to be mistaken for a simple campfire. When choosing the location for your fire, make sure it is an open location without a lot of foliage blocking the view. Also, have water on hand should the fire spread beyond your control. A raging forest fire would endanger your life and make rescue impossible.

If there is an isolated tree nearby, you can create a tree torch by setting it on fire. If it is a pitch-bearing tree, you simply have to ignite the tree. If it is not pitch bearing, pile dry kindling around the tree and ignite it. The kindling fire will spread to the foliage of the tree. Keep your tree torch burning by adding to it as it consumes the tree.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 8:44 am and is filed under Uncategorized.