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Three Essential Survival Tips for the Lost Backpacker
So you’re enjoying another fresh summer day in your extended backpacking trip, well used to the sounds of trees whistling in the wind and the sound of leaves and branches under your feet. You’re both a backpacker and a hiker these days, enjoying the feeling of the sun on your neck and having little else to worry about. Until you reach a strange new spot, look at the ground under the feet, and realize that you’ve lost the path.
What do you do now?
Here are three tips to remember if you ever get yourself into a situation in which you feel like you’re lost.
1. Get seen.
It’s tempting to continue on with your backpacking trip like you aren’t lost, as if following the woods you were walking through will somehow lead you back to the path you were on. But you need to get seen, especially if you’re in an area that has a relatively high level of human activity. You want to get seen not only to be seen but to see – many times by getting in a clearing or on a higher elevation, you’ll be able to scope out your exact situation. Sometimes, simply “getting seen” at a good vantage point can give you a reference that leads you back to where you were headed.
2. Don’t panic.
If you’re lost for the first time in your life, you might not be sure how to handle it. So the body reverts to its old fallback option: panicking. You want to avoid this. Why? The more calm, assertive, and relaxed you are, the better you’ll be able to function. As soon as you start playing doomsday scenarios in your head, you’re beginning to find ways to make those scenarios happen. So cut them off right away and ask yourself empowering questions like “okay, what’s my next step? Where can I go?” Just taking that first step can clear your mind and get you feeling calm again.
3. Believe in survival.
Survival experts across the world point to your mental attitude as being one of the most crucial elements to any survival situation. After you’ve stopped yourself from panicking, you need to take an empowering attitude that opens up your mind to the right possibilities. Do you believe you’re going to get home? If you don’t, there won’t be much sense in trying – at least to your mind. But if you do believe it, you’ll work for it, you’ll persist, and you’ll eventually find a way to make it happen. Make sure that you do – and believe that you can.
Photo Credits: andrew.petro
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What is the Best Season for Camping?
For many people, the vernal equinox is a signal that it’s time to get ready for warm weather and outdoor activities. For others, going out in the summer is the ideal time – and for others, autumn means it’s time for one last chance! But which is the best time to go out into mother nature and set up camp? Let’s take a look at the individual seasons and see.
Spring
Spring is a beautiful time of the year for many people who live in cooler areas – it means the snow is melting, birds are flying north again, and it will soon be time to turn off those heaters. Leaves are starting to bud and everything is getting greener. But for those who have gone camping too early, spring doesn’t always seem like the ideal time.
Early spring months like March and April can still be muddy and rainy, which doesn’t make for the most pleasant camping experience. Leaves from the previous autumn are still on the ground and grass hasn’t grown enough yet to provide a solid turf. However, people who go camping in spring might be able to take advantage of less traffic in both camp sites and on fishing lakes.Summer
Summer is the most popular time of the year for camping, which can actually be a disadvantage in and of itself: it means you’ll encounter the most crowds. For some, this isn’t so bad, as they enjoy the socializing that comes with going to popular camping sites or heading outdoors, but for others, it makes it harder to re-connect with nature on your own.
Summer often makes for the best weather, particularly in cooler states where summers are mild and not too humid. It’s also the best time to go swimming, as lakes warm up and feel refreshing against the sun throughout months like June, July, and August. Summer also happens to be when kids get out from school, so this is often the option best for families.
Autumn
As the months move on, summer gives way to autumn, which means cooler air, leaves falling, and school back in session. But autumn can be a great time to go camping – mild temperatures can be perfectly comfortable and lakes still need more time to cool back down to winter temperatures. For many people, going out on Labor Day is also a way to kick off the transition to autumn – or the end of summer, depending on how you look at it.
Which is the best season for camping? For many the best season is summer, but it will depend on your own individual perspective.
Photo Credits: gmutt
