Going outdoors to hunt alone without letting anyone know where you’re heading to or at least informing someone approximately how much time you’re going to be gone is ultimately risky. The trouble with this is that when you go missing, no one’s going to look for you or it might take days before they deploy the search party. Worst case scenario is no one’s ever gonna come looking for you. In these situations that are oddly to happen, there’s only one way out and that is to find your way back to civilization.

21 Essential Tips For Survival In The Wilderness Or Outdoors

Finding Your Way Back To Civilization

One of the first few things you need to do when trying to navigate your way back to civilization is assess the direction. If you don’t have a map and compass with you, this might prove to be quite a bit of a challenge. But, nature has a lot of natural compasses to offer which may be of great help when in short of survival items. Follow these 21 tips for survival and eventually find your way back home!

1. Stay Calm

Knowing the skills and having the right knowledge of survival isn’t enough to get you back to civilization. Mindset is everything when in distress.

2. Plan

Setting your goals is key to survival in the wild. Walking about aimlessly is futile and will definitely lead to your demise.

3. Stay With the Group

In case you’re stranded with a bunch of people or with a partner, it is best not to stray away from them and make markings for directions going back to camp.

4. H.H.A.L.T.T.

Knowing when to stop and take the time to recover your energy is important. Remember to halt when hungry, hurt, angry, lonely, tired, or thirsty!

5. Take Inventory

Taking your things out of your backpack and making a list of them is very helpful. This way, you can budget the remaining goods in your bag and it also helps you assess what you lack.

6. Poisonous Plants

If you encounter a really edible looking mushroom, DON’T EAT IT. Unless you have deep knowledge of mushrooms, it is best not to touch them and the same goes for all other plants. Avoid unnecessary contact with plants because some of them might actually be poisonous.

7. Shelter

If you can’t find your way back before nightfall, you better make yourself some shelter. A small shelter is most preferable so that the heat that your body produces circulate inside the shelter.

8. Heat Transfer

The ground sucks up your body heat and so sleeping on the floor directly is not advisable. Sleeping on an elevated area will keep you from the water on the ground in wet weather.

9. Bears

When camping in bear territories, it is best to take all safety precautions with your food supply so as not to attract bears.

10. Mountain Lions

In case you encounter a mountain lion, the best practice is to slowly back away as much as possible. Running will trigger their predator instinct and chase after you. But if you’re far away and they don’t seem to have noticed you, then better not disturb them in their natural habitat to avoid being in a perilous situation.

11. Bee Stings

When in the wild and bees are present, it is more likely that you’d die from a bee sting’s allergic reaction than from a big animal attack.

12. Water

Your body will not last very long without water so being able to find a source of potable water is very important.

13. Fire

Finding your way back may take more than just a day so you better be able to make fire with your equipment or with materials lying on the ground.

14. Keep Yourself Dry

There’s an old saying that says “Stay dry, stay alive”, and it didn’t stay in our literature for no reason. Water, especially in very cold weather can lead to hypothermia in just minutes!

15. Water Crossing

Water can be lethal depending on the weather. Getting yourself dipped on a stream in cold areas may cause hypothermia. Drowning in the rapids is another deadly example so be very careful when trying to cross the river.

16. North Star

If the odds are in your favor and you’re located in the north hemisphere, you should be able to see the north star at the Handle of the Small Dipper located between the constellations Cassiopea and the Big Dipper.

17. Magnetized Needle

A magnetized needle will be able to tell you where the north and south is by letting it float on the water with the help of a leaf or a cork. In the absence of a magnet, a silk or wool cloth will suffice by rubbing it from tip to tip about a hundred times.

18. Stick and Stone Method

Even sticks and stones can actually help you determine the north, south, east, and west with a little help from Mr. Sunshine and the shadows these sticks cast!

19. Signaling For Help

Having a mirror or any reflective material may come in handy for visual signaling even in far distances.

20. Hostile Areas

Be careful of straying off into hostile areas. Although this is very unlikely to happen, there’s nothing to lose by being careful.

21. Contact With Civilization

When you finally arrive at a village or any other settlement, be friendly and courteous to the locals. You have a lot to gain and very little to lose if you treat the locals with respect.

Navigating could be the least of your problems when trying to get back to civilization. Thriving in outdoor environment is the primary goal and trying to find your way back is just second. However, you don’t want to be stuck in the woods forever. The importance of getting back home goes hand in hand with your wilderness survival skills.

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