Fox News has a short article about 13 survival myths (actually, there are only 6 myths discussed at Fox News' site--you have to go to the Active Times to get all 13). The article is essentially a brief look at why you shouldn't rely on survival shows to show you how to survive. From the article:
Tim Smith, the founder of Jack Mountain Bushcraft School in the Maine North Woods, is also quick to teach his students this distinction [between primitive living and survival].
“Survival is very romanticized,” says Smith. “It’s not about being the toughest or most experienced; it’s about keeping out of those situations.”
Survival, according to Nester, Smith and Shane Hobel of Mountain Scout Survival School in upstate New York, is a matter of getting your priorities straight. (Shelter, water, and a clear mind are at the top of your list, by the way.)Some of the myths discussed are: (1) you need to immediately start looking for food (a person can survive weeks without food); (2) you can rely on field guides to identify safe sources of food (if you don't know what it is, don't eat it); (3) shelter means having a roof over your head (concentrate on building an insulating bed first); (4) you should suck the venom out of a snake bite (good way to infect the wound and get venom in your own mouth); (5) you can outrun a bear (no you can't); (6) you can get water from a barrel cactus (actually, only one species is non-toxic); (7) a solar still can get you water in a desert (except you will use more water in sweat building one); (8) you can drink your own urine to stave off dehydration (no, it may push your body over the edge); (9) you need to ration your water (you should drink up to avoid dehydration); (10) you cell phone/GPS can save you (except when its broken or there is no service); (11) you may suddenly find yourself in a survival situation (reality is, you probably got there by a series of bad situations). The remaining two are about how difficult it is to start a fire under bad conditions, but how easy it is with the right tools and favorable conditions.
Over the years, I've watched Les Stroud's "Survivorman" series and Bear Grylls' "Man Vs. Wild" series, along with episodes from several other series. These series, with the exception of Discovery Channel's "Naked" series, start the survival episode on a normal outdoors activity that goes wrong, leaving the victim stranded ill-prepared in a wilderness setting.
ReplyDeleteI personally like Les Stroud's series the best. He actually films (video) each episode by himself, and his actions are very conservative in terms of risk versus reward. On the other hand Bear Grylls has a crew of people traveling with him who are capable of aiding him if he gets hurt doing something stupid - he does many crazy stupid things that, while entertaining, have a high risk of injury. Stroud is trying to educate people while Grylls is trying to entertain people.
Of the thirteen myths, several sound like they came from old TV shows, and a few I've never heard of before.
Myth 1: Food is a top priority. Everything I've read and seen suggests that looking for food is a continuous ongoing activity - always keep your eyes open for food opportunities - once you realize you are in trouble. Finding water is a higher priority.
Myth 2: Field guides to identify food. I've never heard anyone suggest that throwing a few wild edibles field guides in one's back pack is a substitute for experience. The behind the scenes preparation for both Stroud's and Grylls' shows, and even the "Naked" shows, involve training with local experts familiar with wild edibles, the wildlife, and other aspects of the region.
Myth 3: A roof over your head. The "roof" is frequently a lean-to to reflect heat from a fire and to shelter from wind and precipitation. Insulating a bed is situation specific. Sometimes, building a platform to get off the ground to avoid biting insects and other vermin is appropriate.
Myth 4: Sucking the venom out of a snake bite. This was taught decades ago when I was in Boy Scouts. It is no longer taught.
Myth 5: Outrunning a bear. Never heard of that one.
Myth 6: Water from a barrel cactus. I remember seeing that on TV as a kid. Some of the survival shows have occasionally obtained water from other varieties of cactus.
Myth 7: Solar stills. They have been demonstrated on the shows, but those shows have also shown they usually produce very little water.
Myth 8: Drinking urine. Grylls did it once. But, collecting urine and then pouring it on clothing to aid cooling, as Grylls did in another episode, under extreme heat conditions does make sense.
Myth 9: Rationing water. Again, this sounds like old advice from decades ago.
Myth 10: Cell phone/GPS. There are occasional news reports where people in the wilds near a population center were able to use their cell phones to summon help. The only time I saw a GPS receiver on one of the survival shows, the batteries were dead.
Myth 11: Suddenly finding yourself in a survival situation. The survival TV shows use a bad situation combined with inadequate preparation as the set-up for the show. Weather related emergencies can leave you stranded in your home without utilities, or force you to evacuate from your home. While not as extreme as the TV show survival scenarios, many of the same skills may find use to make the emergency less unpleasant.
Myths 12 and 13: Starting fires. The wilderness survival shows demonstrate the primitive fire starting skills to show that it is possible. They are usually careful to enumerate the prerequisites, such as plenty of dry tinder no matter how you plan to start the fire - whether with primitive or modern means - and having favorable weather conditions (think micro climates, too). I think it goes without saying that experience is critical to success or failure.
Re: Myth 5--I'd never heard of that one either, until watching "Man vs. Wild." There is a Grylls episode where he is in Romania, came across a bear, and advised running away from it.
DeleteAh, I forgot about that. The Romania episode was otherwise pretty interesting.
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