Survival Skills: Tell Someone

This survival tip is short and sweet.

Remember the story about the guy who had to cut his arm off because it was pinned by a shifting boulder? You’d better believe he remembers it. That man was Aron Ralston, he was all by himself, and no one knew where he went.

Some of the worst historic and contemporary survival stories could have been mere inconveniences, had the survivors told someone where they were going and when they were planning to return. Tell a responsible friend or family member all the details of your wilderness trip. Better yet, write it all down for them. Tell them exactly where you’re planning to go, where you’ll park your vehicle, what route you’ll take in the wilderness, and when you expect to return. This way, if you don’t make it back on time, a local search and rescue team can be mobilized quickly. Fast deployment means they will have a much better chance of a happy rescue, not a grim-faced body recovery mission. When the searchers know where to look, most search and rescue missions have a happy outcome and a quick resolution.

Written by Tim MacWelch First draft published on bugout.com