If you become lost in the woods while hiking, it's important to remain calm and think rationally. If you're going to be spending an unplanned night outdoors, you'll need to use the resources at your disposal to help keep you alive. Basic survival skills include knowing how to start a fire, finding appropriate shelter and conserving your energy. For some, especially backcountry enthusiasts, wilderness survival is a way of life, and possessing an advanced survival skill set is essential.
Feeding Yourself
Being able to feed yourself, sometimes for a period of days or even weeks, is an advanced wilderness survival skill that requires knowledge, patience and perseverance. In many parts of the United States, there exists enough wild edibles to sustain a human being; in other parts of the country, less so. Knowing which plants are edible and which are not, however, requires specialized knowledge that few people currently possess. A person experienced in wilderness survival will know which plants, berries and roots are beneficial and which are harmful. They may also know which plants can be used for medicinal purposes. Plants, berries and roots are important staples in any wilderness diet, but humans need protein in order to remain healthy and vital. Knowing how to fashion tools, such as spears, bow and arrows and traps, can help you catch fish and small game to round out your diet. According to Tom Brown, a wilderness survival expert and author of "The Tracker," survival skills, including the ability to procure food, must be practiced before you can begin to feel comfortable in the wild, experience its rhythms and exist in harmony with all things.
Surviving Cold Weather
According to SurvivalIQ.com, one of the toughest wilderness scenarios for you to survive is a cold weather scenario. Exposure or hypothermia has, regrettably, taken the lives of many backcountry travelers--people caught unaware by rapidly changing climactic conditions, those who have fallen into frigid water or those exposed to relentless, freezing drizzle who were unable to keep their core temperatures at a safe level. To survive cold weather in the wilderness, it's important that you posses the following: knowledge of the environment, including the best locations to find shelter and combustible material, effective coping strategies and appropriate gear, including your clothing. The goal of cold weather survival is not necessarily to overcome the elements, but rather, to be able to adapt to changing conditions by being resourceful. Experienced winter campers understand the inherent risk of their endeavor, and take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety. Consider taking a wilderness survival course to learn effective coping strategies for all types of winter conditions, including blizzards, snap freezes and freezing rain.
Wilderness First Aid
Wilderness first aid is an advanced survival skill that can save your life or the life of your backcountry companions. Wilderness first aid focuses on treatments that can be performed in remote areas, where conventional medical assistance is difficult or impossible to obtain. Common conditions treated by wilderness first aid include fractures, soft tissue wounds, altitude sickness, hypothermia, heat exhaustion or stroke and bites from insects or animals. According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, being a competent outdoor leader means possessing wilderness first aid skills to handle backcountry emergencies. If you're a member of a party entering the backcountry, you should have at least one person in your group who is trained and certified in wilderness first aid, and you should carry a location-specific first aid kit. Wilderness First Responder courses are offered by several organizations in the United States, including the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
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