Title: How to Survive in the Wilderness
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience how to survive in the wilderness until they are
able to signal a rescue team in case a wilderness survival situation ever occurs.
Introduction
I. Attention Getter: It is a cool November afternoon and you and a friend decide to go on
a hike. You have both been hiking in the area before, but have never considered a
preparedness plan. You decide to hike off of the main trail and end up lost deep in the
woods, and now the sun is setting.
II. Speaker Credibility: According to the article “Lost”, found on the Alabama Virtual
Library’s Gale Power Search, more than 1,000 hikers and backpackers go missing every
year in our national parks alone. Most are found within hours, but in remote areas or
situations where it takes longer to initiate a rescue, basic skills can make the difference
between getting home safely and suffering a serious—or even fatal—injury.
II. Listener-Relevance Link: If you were stranded in the wilderness would you be a
survivor or an unprepared victim?
IV. Preview of Points: So today, we are going to explore how you can be a survivor
rather than an unprepared victim by briefly discussing how to prepare yourself for an
expedition into the wilderness, basic survival skills while on an expedition in the
wilderness, and signaling for help in a wilderness survival situation.
Body
I. First, let’s talk about how you need to prepare for an expedition into the wilderness.
A. As said by Robert Koester in the article “Lost”, staying aware is the most
important thing you can do to avoid becoming lost. Always pay attention to your
surroundings and landmarks around you, and don’t forget to tell someone where you are
going before you take off on your adventure. So, get a map of the area you are going to
visit and study it carefully so you can get a feel for the land before you go. Do some
research on the territory and gain as much knowledge as possible.
B. According to the article “The Survivor”, found on the Alabama Virtual
Library’s Gale Power Search, the drive to get back home has proven to be the number
one factor in many survival stories. Recall what you have to live for and do not imagine
the gruesome things that can happen. Your body instinctively responds to what the mind
imagines, so always maintain a positive mindset. This is testified by Dustin in the article
“A Test of Survival on the Buffalo River”, found on the Alabama Virtual Library’s Gale
Power Search. Dustin, a seventeen year-old boy, was in a kayaking accident while
paddling with his grandfather. They got separated and he had to survive in the wild for 36
hours on his own before a rescue team spotted him. He says, “I’d been taught, never give
up. You may break physically, but as long as you don’t break mentally you can do
anything.”
C. Knowing the area well and having a positive state of mind are important
factors to survival, but having several key items can completely change your journey and
even determine life or death. According to the article “Motorcycle Adventure Touring
Info”, found on the Cycle World website on the Adventure Touring Survival Tips
webpage, trash bags are your wilderness get-out-of-jail-free cards. Trash bags can be
used as a poncho, ground cloth, or sleeping bag. Stuff a trash bag with leaves and it
serves as a mattress or quilt. Weatherproof matches, flashlights, rope, tarp, a knife, a
compass, a map, water purification, and first aid kit are also important necessities.
II. Now that we know how to prepare for a wilderness excursion, let’s look at some basic
survival skills while in the wilderness.
A. The average person can last for three days without water and weeks without
food, but it is best not to wait until you run out before you look for more. The
article “Looking for Water”, found on the Wilderness Survival Skills website
on the How to Find Water webpage, advises that you first look for surface
water such as streams, rivers, and lakes. If you are not sure about the water
quality, purify it. If there is no surface water in the area look for valleys, rock
crevices, damp ground, green vegetation, insects, and animal tracks which are
all good indicators of nearby water.
B. According to the article “Wilderness Survival Food”, found on the same
website on the Survival Food webpage, plants are the most appropriate diet at
the first stage of a survival situation as they are easily accessible and contain
the necessary carbohydrates. However, your most vital nutritional needs in a
survival situation are protein and fat. Most insects are rich in both, just be
wary of poisonous bugs or plants. Try to find a stream where you can easily
catch fish and set up traps to catch animals, instead of wasting energy hunting.
You can also look for bird’s nests or holes for eggs to cook, so you will need
to know how to properly build a fire.
B. To know how to make a fire is one of the most fundamental wilderness skills.
According to the article “How to Make a Fire”, found on the Wilderness Survival Skills
website on the How to Make a Fire webpage, a fire can fulfill several needs. It can be
used to keep you warm and dry, cook food, purify water, sterilize bandages, and keep
insects and dangerous animals away. Select a suitable location for your fire, sheltered
from wind and away from dry vegetation, on solid ground or a layer of stones. Build up
your fire gradually, beginning with tinder. Various things such as paper, cotton, leaves,
grass, bark, tree resin, and even dryer lint are good for tinder. Once your fire gets going,
you can progress to small branches and then finally large pieces of wood.
C. Building a shelter is an absolute priority if you face a survival situation. If
people may be looking for you, make sure your shelter is easily visible. The article
“Building a Survival Shelter”, found on the Wilderness Survival Skills website on the
Survival Shelter webpage, says that you should look for natural formations such as caves,
rocky crevices, and large trees with low-hanging limbs that could provide shelter. If no
natural formation is available, you will have to build your own using a large fallen tree
for your main support beam and placing smaller branches against both sides. You will
then cover the framework with materials, such as dry leaves and mud, about three inches
thick then layer more branches and materials over it. Tarp will come in handy when
building your shelter.
III. Now that we know the basics of preparing yourself for a wilderness expedition and
survival skills while in the wilderness, we will discuss how to signal for help in a
wilderness survival situation.
A. According to the article “Signaling for Help”, found on the Wilderness
Survival Skills website on the Signaling for Help webpage, you should select a signal site
close to your shelter with good visibility such as a clearing, hilltop, or lakeshore for best
results. The SOS signal is the best known international distress signal. The code for SOS
is three short, three long, and three short signals. The article recommends constructing the
code with rocks or logs separated into threes, or using strobe or flashlights. On a sunny
day, a mirror can be used as a good signaling device by sweeping the horizon and
reflecting the sun’s rays—any shiny object on hand will work.
B. The most noticeable signal is your fire, according to the previously cited
article, as it is easily seen at night and during the day. The smoke can be seen for many
miles and burning a live tree can put off massive amounts of smoke. This article says that
you should build three fires in a triangular position with about 100 feet between them.
Three fires are an internationally recognized distress signal. Almost any signal repeated
three times will serve as a distress signal.
Conclusion
I. Review of Points: In conclusion, hopefully, we have discovered how you can be a
survivor rather than an unprepared victim by discussing how to prepare yourself for an
expedition into the wilderness, basic survival skills while on an expedition in the
wilderness, and signaling for help in a wilderness survival situation.
II. Clincher: So, if you were to find yourself lost in the wilderness, would you be a
survivor or an unprepared victim?