If stuck in the woods in decent weather we know that we can eat a certain family of mushroom and probably live to tell the tale. Which one is it? Do you remember?The body can get along without food for a long time. Water is a different story. If you have to drink water in the wild you want it from the deepest part of a lake or from the fastest part of a river. If you can boil it for 10 minutes then great!
We know that since we're loved, if we get lost then eventually someone will be sent out to find us. For that reason it pays to tell someone where you plan to be walking, canoeing or camping and when you plan to return. Cell phones are great but not 100% reliable.
If lost the best bet is to settle down and await rescue. Make yourself as visible as possible in the process. Get comfortable. It might take a few days.
Comfortable is easy if the weather is temperate. If you bring snow or rain or cold into the equation then it gets ticker. Today we built shelters. Our aim was to build ones that would hold up against snowfall and be still standing in the spring.
We had passed a model on our previous hike. It was round and sturdy and small. It was sort of daunting to imagine copying it.However, we're hardy types. We gave it a go. Instead of building a free standing structure, we built a lean to, using a tree as a support and a fork in it to support a second branch. We used a lot of ironwood trees. They're straight and strong.
Initially we had 2 structures going. One was a nice tall Eeyore House. The other was short and long, like a truncated longhouse. Both were very cool. The difference between them turned out to be the ease with which they could be roofed. In the end we moved the sticks from the Eeyore House over and built an uber-shelter. It made our model look a little, well, small. Cute, mind you, but small.We tested the strength of the roof by simulating snow fall using 8 year olds. We roofed over the ironwood ribs and the stick supports with fern and hemlock branches. We also found some dry white pine to add substance. We began to empathize with beavers.
We also noticed that it was in fact warmer inside the shelter. The roof was dense enough to trap heat and the walls proved an effective wind break. I wonder how many animals will use our shelter over the winter? The land on which it sits has good drainage. It is snug and situated in a fairly open area. Location, location, location. Who will decide it is prime real estate?
While gathering sticks I noticed that in terms of mushroom rot the maple, pine and ironwood looked pretty resistant. Some sticks just fell apart when I picked them up. These looked to be poplar or birch. If I had to build a shelter and my life depended on it I now know which wood I'd want as ribs.
At the end of an hour and half or so we had some pretty comfortable looking housing. It was almost tempting to try sleeping out in it. It was definitely fun to use it as a fort.
I think that for me the coolest thing about the entire build is that we just went at it and ended up with something viable. I figure that if I am lost in the woods by the time I figure out I'm going to need a shelter it will be a few hours until sunset. I wont have time to plot out all the angles. I'll want to build the way we did, fast, sturdy and strong.
The following is a link to the group that does the survival talk at Ste. Marie Among the Hurons during the First Light event.
http://www.survivalinthebushinc.com/index.html
No comments:
Post a Comment