Wilderness Survival Camp

If a villain drops our protagonist into the wilderness, what would our heroine do to survive? This question and a love for camaraderie propelled 13 brave Northern California Sisters in Crime members to a Wilderness Survival Camp.

DSCN0411We met our fearless leader Dan, a consultant to various reality television shows, in the redwood forest of a private vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The first rule for survival is: Don’t Panic. Air is our most essential element. We can live for only a few minutes without it. Adrenaline sucks up oxygen. Lack of oxygen can make our limbs go numb and our brain lose perspective. Perfectly outfitted hikers have been found dead in the wilderness because they became disoriented, forgetting where they set their pack or the direction back to their shelter.

After some deep breathing, the sacred order for survival is:

  1. shelter   2. water   3. fire   4. food

Before our training, I thought water was the most important concern, but a person can go for days without water. Exposure, not dehydration, is the leading cause of death in the wilderness. Shelter allows one to thermo regulate, which conserves water, and protects against heat or cold.

Dan divided us into three teams, and after a brief lesson set us off to build shelters given the materials at hand. Some simple rules: create plenty of insulation under and around theDSCN0420 body, and create a small area of dead air space for one’s body heat to warm. In other words, the shelter should be a snug fit. Here’s what my team built. Dan tested the shelter by
standing on top of it. All three teams built “tents” that withstood his test.

Next we tackled finding water, easy in our spot with a river flowing below us. But even in the desert water exists. Look for the lowest point, signs of vegetation, and animal tracks. Animals have to drink! Even butterflies and bees need water. You can collect water by running your shirt through dew points.

If you have a choice, choose running water over still water, and water that supports algae and tadpoles over water that appears devoid of life.

Boil if possible. We learned how to rock boil water even without a pot. That brings us to fire.

DSCN0433 7.54.56 PMMaking friction fire is an arduous task, involving many steps. Nonetheless, a couple of my sisters did create fire before our camp ended, lifting them to goddess status. DSCN0434

Most of us left vowing to carry matches–everywhere. One participant already reported back that the TSA allows a single book.

This was a rewarding experience even if not a single detail finds its way into one of my mysteries. I came home exhausted, but in the way one does after a day in the sun and outdoors with a lot of good friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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