Camping in the wilderness can be a rewarding, safe experience. Nonetheless, it takes some preparation. It is possible to get lost and hurt while camping. You should make sure you know how to handle yourself if you get lost in the wilderness, what to bring with you, and how to plan and prepare so that if you do get lost, you are found quickly and safely.
Considerations
If you get lost in the wilderness, stay calm and rational. Also, remember to eat, if you have food, and drink to stay hydrated. You should do everything you can to make yourself noticeable—so you can be rescued—but you shouldn't do risky things that could wind up causing an injury. Try to stay in one spot, if it's safe and feasible, and let your rescuers come to you.
Exposure Kit
Always carry an exposure kit, which should contain those things necessary to keep you alive in the outdoors in poor conditions. It should include, for example, a lighter, waterproof, strike-anywhere matches, a compass and a copy of the map of your route, a pocketknife, a headlamp, water purification supplies and a thermal blanket if you'll be someplace cold or wet where hypothermia is a concern.
First-Aid Kit
A good first-aid kit is a must for wilderness survival. At a minimum it should include: an antibiotic ointment to cover skin abrasions, band-aids, sterile gauze for cleaning and dressing wounds, alcohol- or soap-soaked sponges to clean wounds, elastic wrap for stabilizing dislocated or broken bones and joints, tweezers for removing splinters, some sort of painkiller, antihistamine to counter the effects of bug bites and poison ivy and an antidiarrheal medicine. Importantly, not only should all of these things be in your first-aid kit; you should know how to use them.
Prevention/Solution
Of course, the best thing would be to entirely avoid situations where you get lost or hurt in the wilderness. The best way to do this while camping is to make a detailed plan and stick to it. Give a copy of your plan to a close friend who can send in help if you don't re-emerge from the wilderness when you plan to. Carry a map and compass and to know how to use them.
Preparation
Wilderness survival classes will prepare you for the possibility of getting lost in the wilderness while camping. These classes will give you a hands-on look at the skills necessary to survive, and they'll give you a more complete list of tools you'll want to have with you while camping, just in case you get lost. See the Resources Section for links to several of these programs.
References
- "The National Outdoor Leadership School's Wilderness Guide"; Mark Harvey; 1999
- "Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities"; James A. Wilkenson, M.D.; 2001
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