OBSERVATION
Having the talent and skill to observe your surroundings and
understand potential uses for materials
(natural and man-made) can go a long way to increase your potential for survival in the wilderness. Keep a
constant awareness of your surroundings.
Evaluate your options for
survival and observe the weather, terrain, available supplies and equipment, your
personal capabilities and the abilities of your companions if any. Consulting with your companions regarding your options
may present additional observations that you may not have considered. Taking time to constantly observe your
surroundings and situation can save lots of time and effort that may otherwise
compound your situation.
First observe you immediate condition and surroundings. If there are immediate dangers present, then
do what is necessary to address these situations. While there are often materials provided in
nature that may be useful, perhaps you or a member of your group already have
something on you that may be useful.
While you may observe that there is wood and tinder for making a fire
and maybe some stones that can be used to make a spark needed for a fire, if
somebody in your group has a lighter in their pocket or survival kit then maybe
keep the stones for later use if needed but use the lighter for now. While you may observe natural materials that
may be useful for stopping a bleeding wound, first use items from an available
first aid kit when available. While
you may observe some obsidian stones around which are very useful for making
knives, if you already have knives with you
or within your group, then you may be able to forego making obsidian
knives. There is generally not much
point looking for items provided by nature if you already have a suitable tool
for the job. Still, it is always good
to make mental note of items in your surroundings that may be useful or that
may present problems.
Perhaps your observations will dictate that finding shelter
is an immediate priority or perhaps
shelter will be secondary to giving first aid in medical situations. Maybe nighttime is coming soon and you find
yourself in an unfamiliar area and it is best to stay put for the night, make
yourself as comfortable as possible and look for better options when you have
daylight to help in your observations.
One fun activity you might try and it is easy to do - if you are hiking or even driving down the
road, look at the area you are in and observe items (natural and manmade), then
along with your observations determine
at least three ways an item may be useful in a wilderness survival
situation.
While observation goes hand in hand in many ways with the
prior blog “THINK” it should involve using all your different senses as much as
possible along with your thinking.
Thinking is good but observation can be a tremendous support that your
thinking is heading in the right direction.
You may be lost and thinking to go in a certain direction for help but
if you happen to smell bacon cooking, it may be worthwhile to follow your nose
and perhaps find some campers who are cooking breakfast and who are not
lost. Taking time to look, listen, feel
or even taste depending on the situation will help your observations which will
greatly improve your success in the next big step – PLAN.
