316 SURVIVAL, CHAPTER 9 ________________

STAY ON THE ROADS

Vehicular rescue parties can cover more ground than those afoot. Roads provide speedy, direct access to large areas. When you leave the trail, it opens up the search area considerably. When you stay on the roads, you increase the speed and chance of being found. Stay on the obvious roads and trails.

SURVIVAL SKILLS

I acknowledge specialized survival skills could be useful, but I question the need for resorting to eating plants, making stone tools, rubbing sticks together and killing animals. I believe primitive survival schools and practices are not compatible with the environment. They lead to terrain abuse, plant destruction and dead animals. In our society, most survival trainings are experiential in nature, designed to produce bonding, rather than perfect survival techniques. It's great to teach resourcefulness, but not at the expense of Mother Nature. I'm out there a lot and virtually never go without seeing someone, somewhere, every time.

SURVIVAL PHILOSOPHY

Carry water and food. Have other supplies to accommodate reasonable emergencies, and be prepared to signal and wait for help. Primitive survival skills are a thing of the past when you consider where we travel, the numbers of other weekend travelers, the reliability of our equipment and modern communication devices. They may be an asset, but are not a necessity.

The list and random tidbits offered below are more realistic than learning how to make a deadfall trap or construct a snow cave.

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