"Count on Yourself" by Chris Douglass

When you are in a life or death survival situation sometimes you will not have someone there to rescue you. In those moments don’t give up or just sit there and not do anything, there is still hope. The only thing you need to know is the five basic survival skills to stay live. If you do these five skills correctly you will save your life when a survival situation happens.

Before you go anywhere make sure you carry a backpack with items that will help you in a survival situation. The following things is what I have in my backpack.

• Waterproof lighter/matches/flint
• Metal cup
• Gloves
• Cold Gear like coats, heavy shirts, and heavy socks.
• Knife, saw, hatchet
• First Aid kit

The first skill is fire, it is the most important skill you need to know without it you will live in darkness, will not be able to drink water, you will not keep warm if it is cold, and you will be more likely to be attack by animals. There is a many ways to start a fire but I will tell you a one that will never fail you if you do it probably. You take something metal like a knife or even another rock against a rock or striking stone into your pile of wood kindling or shaving. If you do it right you will get embers that then blow on them or fan them with something which can make that ember into a flame of fire.

The second skill which is very important to know when you are in a life or death survival situation is how to make shelter. Without this skill you will be open to the elements, be an easier target for wildlife, and you will also not be able to keep warm from the weather. There are many styles of shelters you can make but the simplest form of shelter you can make is called a lean-to. To build this shelter you will need to first find tree or trees that have a low branch that is strong. Then find or cut a thick piece of wood about 4 or more inches in diameter that will be your canter beam. Then you built the foundation of the lean-to now to make the roof. You can use branches that have leafs on them or pieces of wood or a tarp. If it is colder you can make your roof thicker with another layer of cover. If you learn how to do this skill and build a good shelter you will make your life easier in a survival situation and save your life.

The third skill is signaling because if you don’t do that then you want to be lost which is not a bad thing when you want to be. There are two types of signals they are ground level or close by and far way signal. Smoke from your fire is a great way to signal for far way help. A signaling method for ground level are sign that would not be normal in nature like moving rocks in an arrow to point in the direction you are going or make marks in trees to show other you have been at that spot.

The fourth skill is food and water which falls under the energy category. Yet these are to hard things to find and get when you are out in the wilderness. It is very important to find food and water because it will save your life. For water you want to find a running water source like a river which will be the cleanest out there because the flow with a combo with the rocks allows it to not get thing that can kill you. Get some water and put it in a metal cup or metal container and boil it to make clean water that you can drink. To find food the best bet is to look around water source because animals and plants which you can eat need water too. You want foods that are high in proteins and carbohydrates; fish is a great source of protein and carbohydrates also it will make your brain work better too. So you can knock out two birds with one stone if you find a river because you can get water and food.

The fifth skill and the one skill you really don’t want to use when you are in a survival situation is first aid. But it is a skill you still need to know because the wilderness is a nasty place to get hurt; there is really no outside help for a couple of hours or more and if you don’t treat it you will make it harder for you to survive. Cuts and little things could turn to worst things like broken legs if not taken care of. So in your First Aid kit to carry band aids to cover cuts and things like that, a big roll of ace band aid to wrap sprains body parts and other things like that, hydrogen peroxide wipes to clean cuts. If you do come to use this skill I hope you now know what to have on you to save your life when a situation like this happens.

Another tip that can save your life is having good common sense. If you do one thing wrong that is a bad choice it could cost your life. One thing most people don’t think of when they first know they are lost is stop and ask this question: The question is, in the area I am in right now has all of the five skills but most important wood, water, food, and cover. If yes you need to stay in that area if you are lost for more than a day. If you answer no, you need to find an area with those four things around it, if you are lost for more than a day. By having good common sense you will keep yourself alive longer to be saved or find your way out.

There are a billion situations that could happen when you are lost but what I have told you will help you in all situations. The biggest thing that you need to do is believe in yourself that you can save yourself because you are the one that you have to count on all the time. By mastering and know the five skills and have good common sense you will increase your chances of surviving in a life or death situation greatly.