Once you realize you are lost, STOP MOVING. Survival is about conserving energy. Search and Rescue cannot find a moving target.

• Location: Do not build in dry riverbeds (flash floods) or beneath dead trees ("widowmakers"). Seek natural windbreaks like large boulders or dense pine clusters.
• The Lean-To: Find a sturdy fallen log or a low horizontal branch. Lean sturdy sticks against it at a 45-degree angle.
• Insulation is Life: The ground will steal your body heat faster than the air. You need a mattress. Pile 2 to 3 feet of dry pine needles or dead leaves inside your shelter to sleep on.

Fire requires three things: Oxygen, Heat, and Fuel. Gather 3 sizes of wood before you strike a spark:

1. Tinder: Extremely dry pine needles, dead grass, or the papery inner bark of dead trees. Needs to be the size of a softball.
2. Kindling: Twigs the thickness of a pencil. You need two handfuls.
3. Fuel: Branches the thickness of your wrist or larger.

The Teepee Method: Place your tinder bundle in the center. Lean the kindling twigs over the tinder like a tent to allow oxygen flow. Light the tinder from the upwind side so the breeze blows the flame into the wood.

Rule of 3s: You can survive 3 DAYS without water. Do not panic and drink stagnant water on day one.

• Source: Flowing water (streams, rivers) is vastly safer than stagnant ponds. Rainwater and snowmelt caught directly in containers is generally safe.
• Boiling (100% Safe): Bring water to a rolling boil for 1 full minute (3 minutes at high altitude). This kills all bacteria and parasites.
• Desperation Filtering: If you have no fire and must drink stream water, dig a small hole 2 feet away from the stream edge. Let seep water fill the hole. The soil acts as a basic mechanical filter (though it does not kill bacteria).

Rule of 3s: You can survive 3 WEEKS without food. Hunger is deeply uncomfortable, but it will not kill you quickly.

• DO NOT FORAGE: Unless you are an absolute expert, do not eat wild berries, mushrooms, or random plants. Severe diarrhea from toxic plants will dehydrate and kill you in 24 hours. Starvation takes weeks.
• Pine Needle Tea: If you need a morale boost, steep fresh, green pine needles (from spruce, pine, or fir) in hot water. It provides hydration and a massive dose of Vitamin C. (Avoid Yew and Ponderosa Pine).
• Drink water to curb extreme stomach pangs. Conserve your energy.

If you have a Baofeng, Walkie-Talkie, or HAM Radio, try these channels:

• FRS/GMRS Ch 1: 462.5625 MHz (Standard emergency channel)
• FRS/GMRS Ch 20: 462.6750 MHz (Secondary emergency)
• VHF Marine Ch 16: 156.800 MHz (Distress)
• HAM Radio Call: Broadcast "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY" on any active repeater.

• Black Bear: Stand your ground, make yourself look big, yell aggressively. DO NOT run or climb a tree.
• Brown/Grizzly Bear: Do not make eye contact. Back away slowly. If attacked, play dead (protect neck/stomach).
• Mountain Lion: Maintain intense eye contact. Make yourself look massive. Throw rocks. If it attacks, fight back aggressively.

The Stick Method:

1. Place a 3ft stick straight up in flat ground.
2. Mark the exact tip of the stick's shadow with a rock.
3. Wait 15-20 minutes.
4. Mark the new position of the shadow's tip with a second rock.
5. Draw a straight line connecting rock 1 to rock 2. This line runs West to East. (Rock 1 is West, Rock 2 is East).

Having a panic attack in the woods? You are physically safe. Do the 5-4-3-2-1 method out loud:

• Name 5 things you can see around you.
• Name 4 things you can physically feel (the dirt, your jacket).
• Name 3 things you can hear (wind, birds).
• Name 2 things you can smell.
• Name 1 good thing about yourself.

Drink water. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, out for 4. It will pass.