In our continuing adventure, we are going to look again at one of the most important aspects of survival. As before you may think you have planned for every contingency, maybe you have if you are at home. What if you are traveling? What if you win an all-expense-paid trip for two, or while traveling for work, vacation, or even just a family reunion the plane, train, or car has problems? Or if God forbid you do happen to find yourself lost on Gilligan’s Island?
3. Food and Water
Food and water are one of if not the greatest demands on your ability to survive. You can live for somewhere around 3 days, 72 hours without water, depending on the environment. Obviously, heat and sweating will put a greater demand on your body. Try to limit sweating, not your water intake. When I went through desert training at Twenty-nine Palms, CA. A U.S.Marine base they taught us something that has stayed with me all these years. Almost every single time a dead body has been found in the surrounding area of a desert environment when the body was discovered the person had a canteen, and almost every time they had water in it. Water in a canteen does you no good. Don’t try to ration water. Drink until you are reasonably hydrated, the simplest way to tell is the color of your urine, it should be clear. While we are on the subject, never under any circumstances should you drink urine. you do not have the ability to remove the salt, and other toxins. DO NOT DRINK URINE.!!! Try to limit physical exertion for cool hours, or at night if you can.
Always, be on the lookout for water. Do not wait till you are out, if you don’t have more water than you can carry, you are out. Boil all water for at least 10 minutes, and you should add one minute for every 1000 feet of elevation above sea level, you can strain dirt and other large particles by pouring water thru a cloth, having coffee filters with you is even better. There are also products you can purchase “LifeStraw” is one. They are relatively cheap portable water filters. Most of them will not remove lead, but if you are drinking from a stream, puddle, river, or other water sources what is the chance that water was piped in thru lead-soldered copper tubing? Bacteria and parasites are a far greater concern than a little lead.
Food. You can live without food for 30 days or more, it will not be pleasant, and you will not be at your best, but you can survive. If you can try to always carry or pack energy bars, or candy bars with you. I’m sure we all have heard the saying “Snickers satisfies.” If you run out of food or you can’t find it, never eat anything you can’t identify. Some animals such as deer can eat the Japanese yew berry, with no ill side effects, you try it you will get sick or perhaps die if consumed in great enough quantities improperly. Never assume because any animal can eat it you can. know what you are consuming.
Having adequate food and water can be the difference between an unplanned for camping trip or a real threat in an emergency. To both you, and those of your loved ones. As Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
