Wilderness Survival

You'll want to know wilderness survival if you wander the backcountry. And you probably do wander the backcountry, or plan to, which is why you're on this site to learn about land navigation. 

What I'm talking about here is not long-term wilderness survival, where you make your own arrowheads, build your own cabin, cure your own meat, and so on. I'm talking about surviving for a few days until you can get help. 

Most (98%) survival situations are over in 72 hours--one way or the other. Either the subject lives or dies. And most of the time, if the subject dies, it's from hypothermia, hyperthermia, or dehydration.

In this day of helicopters, GPS, and radio, hardly anyone is lost long enough to die of starvation--which takes about three weeks. In fact, here's a simple little idea to keep in mind: It takes about three minutes to die from lack of oxygen, about three hours to die from hypo- or hyper-thermia, about three days to die from lack of water, and three weeks to die from lack of food.

What that idea tells you is that if you're not seriously ill or injured, and you can get air (e.g. you're not drowning) you'll probably live if you don't get too cold, too hot, or too dehydrated.

Surviving the Wilds of Florida

My book, Surviving the Wilds of Florida, tells you how to do just that--how not to get too cold, too hot, or too dehydrated. Plus, it tells you a whole lot more. I'm a Floridian, and my favorite wilderness is the Big Cypress Swamp, down in South Florida, essentially part of the Everglades. 

While this book is geared towards surviving in Florida, the principles of survival are the same everywhere. The techniques vary, but the principles are the same. 

You'll want, for example, to protect yourself from extremes of the weather. That will involve shelter, and fire. And you'll want to find water, and treat it so you can safely drink it. 

This book's main purpose is to give you knowledge that will make you safer in the backcountry. In a wilderness distress situation, you don't want to make a mistake that can cost your life. 

Illustrated in full color, this book presents the fundamentals of wilderness survival in a clear and logical manner.