New Thread; defining survival situations.

[Sarge47]

What defines a survival situation from that of, say, just an uncomfortable night in the woods? There is no doubt in my mind that there are some people in this forum that are more than qualified to survive in the wilderness no matter what, than others. Their knowledge of outdoor skills, edible plants, the ability to make primitive weapons among other things would, in all likelihood, get them home again safely.

But is that a true survival situation? What if they were lost at sea, clinging to a piece of wreckage in shark infested waters. Or if they were in the wilderness, but with a group of "know-nothing nim-rods"? (fast becoming my favorite phrase.) Now a lot of their survival gear could become community property for the collective good of the group. Remember, a survival situation is not a "cool extreme sport", it is a matter of life & death. And I think I've seen only one or two people mention the one piece of survival equipment none of us are ever without. Anyone know what that is?

[Rocky789]

Im just going to make a quick guess and say its our brain, its also a lot of our own instincts which makes us have that want to live and survive. Its the most important thing to have, its what lets us see a rotten and fallen down log as a source of shelter and see snails, earthworms, and ants as a source of food when we would normally not even consider it. I think I said in another post that we all must break down certain barriers when we really are in those kinds of real life situations and if we dont we wont be able to survive.

[Sarge47]

Im just going to make a quick guess and say its our brain, its also a lot of our own instincts which makes us have that want to live and survive. Its the most important thing to have, its what lets us see a rotten and fallen down log as a source of shelter and see snails, earthworms, and ants as a source of food when we would normally not even consider it. I think I said in another post that we all must break down certain barriers when we really are in those kinds of real life situations and if we dont we wont be able to survive.

100% correct, Rocky, It's the nature of mankind to strive to live that's endowed in all of us. Call it the instinct of "self-preservation" or what have you & it starts with a positive mind-set. A lot of minds, though, are not set on positive, but rather negative. Now can you answer the other question, what constitutes a survival situation and what if you, for example, were taken out of your element? I'm going to post more on this later that may shock a lot of you!

[Rocky789]

It really depends on my location and of course on the situation if I were to go in depth I would say I could do well almost anywhere along the middle atlantic coast or appalachian mountains even when others depended on me for their survival, but anywhere else and I might run into some trouble.
I guess if I were to make a general answer to your question I would say that what constitutes as a survival situation is one where you really are in a position where your own survival, life, and well being is at stake, the main thing I think of when presented with that situation is to make sure that every action I do will increase my chance at staying at 98.6F not only at this specific second but also the next one after it. As long as I am at 98.6F and know I try my hardest to make sure it will stay that way I know that my chances are good and I should make it out of that situation. In most cases if you were smart before you left to experience nature you will make sure that someone is out there that knows what general area you are in and your expected time to return is, this usually guarantees that someone is out there looking for you so in those situations survival is just staying someplace where you believe they will find you until they do and a place where you can survive until they do, and if they dont then it means getting out on your own. There really are a lot of aspects to your question that can be explored but I hope I did it a little justice with my answers.

[owl_girl]

I’d define a survival situation as a life threatening situation were your able to make choices that could affect your outcome. It don’t have to be based on lack of food, shelter, and water, for example an animal attack or getting out of a burning building.

[Sarge47]

I’d define a survival situation as a life threatening situation were your able to make choices that could affect your outcome. It don’t have to be based on lack of food, shelter, and water, for example an animal attack or getting out of a burning building.

Right on, Owl Girl! If we're really prepared for one area, we may get hit with another we're not expecting. Are we really in a "survival" situation if we're prepared for it? I don't think so, however, that, in my opinion, is better than just surviving. I call it "Conquest"! What if we're in that group I mentioned earlier and things go different than what you've trained for?

[owl_girl]

I agree its not exactly a survival situation if your prepared, but that’s the point of being prepared, to avoid it becoming a survival situation.

[Sarge47]

I agree its not exactly a survival situation if your prepared, but that’s the point of being prepared, to avoid it becoming a survival situation.

It's like that old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" That's why I'm always training my mind first & foremost. Learn to think positive!

[owl_girl]

It's like that old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" That's why I'm always training my mind first & foremost. Learn to think positive!
That’s a good saying.

[survival scout]

I disagree a survival situation is any time you have to think and work because every move counts on if you live or die even if your prepared you must still work in order to survive mabey you are prepared and have snare wire you must still work to find where to set it up in order to not starve

[FVR]

A survival situation can be as easy as falling out of a tree stand and breaking your leg. Yup, survival mode.

But give me a break, if you go diddy bobbing in the woods and get lost and have to stay the night, not! If you can't stay the night in the woods, then you should not be in the woods. Anyone can stay a night in the woods and survive, chances are the next day you will be found. If this is the case, stay home and play on the computer and live in your little fantasy world.

I have never been in "survival mode" thank God. I hope to never be in "survival mode." But if it comes, I hope that I can be the man I think I am.

[Sarge47]

I disagree a survival situation is any time you have to think and work because every move counts on if you live or die even if your prepared you must still work in order to survive mabey you are prepared and have snare wire you must still work to find where to set it up in order to not starve

What if you come too and find that one of your legs now has multiple compound fractures and you're far away from home with no one near? What if your in a group and your survival kit has just been confiscated as "community property"?

[wareagle69]

always be prepared................

can't say it enough,

[rusty_oxydado]

Late October-November 75, BLM found my shanty and gave me an hour to get my things out before they burned my place.
Major bug out, mid winter just a few days before heavy snow.
I had plenty supplies, but no shelter, freezing nights, and no dry fuel for heat.
It was a rough winter, I didn't die.

[Fog_Harbor]

Well, for what it's worth, I think the difference would be that a survival situation is what you DIDN'T plan for. If you weren't PLANNING on spending a night in the woods, it could very well be a survival situation (Most cases of hypothermia occur between 30 and 50 degrees F). or if you planned the night in the woods, and the weather changed unexpectedly.

Survival is life-or-death, all the rest is just practice.

[klkak]

A survival situation can be as easy as falling out of a tree stand and breaking your leg. Yup, survival mode.

I agree. September 27, 2006. AKS and I were hunting moose here in Alaska. We were well over 20 miles from the nearest road and a great deal further from any kind of help. The weather was in the 40's and raining. We were both very well equipped for the elements. Prepared to spend the night out if we had no choice".

I made a bad decision and tumbled down a hill and received a severely broken leg for my efforts.

Suddenly we are in a survival situation.

AKS used his years of wilderness experience and military first aid training to treat my injury's and prepare me for what could be a long wait for help. He then made the decision to go for help because I could not be moved.

Now I was totally alone, in shock and in a great deal of pain. Very vulnerable situation. It was now up to me to survive. I had to have the will to survive. The drive, the determination, the mind set.

All of AKS's efforts up to that point and the response of the rescue personnel would have been in vain if I gave in to the pain and shock.

We were prepared with equipment.
We were prepared with training.
We were prepared because we had conditioned our minds.
We were prepared because we were determined not to give up and die.

I don't know if I would have survived if AKS's wasn't with me. I do know I would have given it one hell of a try.

[chiye tanka]

I comend you sir, I don't think it could be said any better.
It would have been easy for you to just quit, but that is what seperates those who can and those who won't even try.
Glad to see you made it out.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

What if you come too and find that one of your legs now has multiple compound fractures and you're far away from home with no one near? What if your in a group and your survival kit has just been confiscated as "community property"?

exelent point sarge, having to surrender your personal equip. makes you feel
Isolated. If I had to do that I would, and I would try to replace those things with a natural substitute.(And I would share those too).

[Jason_Montana]

Or if they were in the wilderness, but with a group of "know-nothing nim-rods"? (fast becoming my favorite phrase.)

I think I've mentioned this before on here...but it is interesting anyway.

A history lesson about the word Nimrod....
Most people think of a Nimrod as someone "silly or foolish", but,
Nimrod was in fact a Biblical figure -- the great-grandson of Noah. He was a king who declared himself the "mightiest one on the earth," founded the great city of Babylon, and presided over the construction of the mythical Tower of Babel. Nimrod was also a renowned hunter, whatever the prey, and his name became synonymous with a skilled hunter

The more current definition originated with the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Ol' Bugs used the term in its original sense to refer to his nemisis, the goofy hunter Elmer Fudd, whom he called a "poor little Nimrod." Over time, however, the "hunter" meaning got dropped, and the "goofy connotation stuck.

[hopeak]

klkak, I see there were two different airplane crashes in roughly the same spot last night, back in the back of KNIK, on the Lake George arm. I think that country does not like humans.

We crashed a super cub back there (Near Lake George) on a lake (That White Out glacier flows into) ice in November, sunk the plane up to the wing. We got it out and flew back to Birchwood Airport, with my lower half hanging out the door. We got two very expensive Mt. Goats on the trip.

My neighbor Roger Sullivan died back there in a PA-18-150 crash.

I have crashed near Lake George four times, no that country does not ilke humans to come visiting.

[crashdive123]

Hey Kevin....you've got to stop breaking things my friend.

[klkak]

klkak, I see there were two different airplane crashes in roughly the same spot last night, back in the back of KNIK, on the Lake George arm. I think that country does not like humans.

We crashed a super cub back there (Near Lake George) on a lake (That White Out glacier flows into) ice in November, sunk the plane up to the wing. We got it out and flew back to Birchwood Airport, with my lower half hanging out the door. We got two very expensive Mt. Goats on the trip.

My neighbor Roger Sullivan died back there in a PA-18-150 crash.

I hadn't heard about the crashes last night. It is a place where you can't be to careful. It's one of those places up here where the only way in or out is by air. It just so happens it is also one of the easiest routs for small aircraft to get to PWS.

[klkak]

Hey Kevin....you've got to stop breaking things my friend.

That incident was the first time I'd every broken a major bone.

[klkak]

klkak, I see there were two different airplane crashes in roughly the same spot last night, back in the back of KNIK, on the Lake George arm. I think that country does not like humans.

We crashed a super cub back there (Near Lake George) on a lake (That White Out glacier flows into) ice in November, sunk the plane up to the wing. We got it out and flew back to Birchwood Airport, with my lower half hanging out the door. We got two very expensive Mt. Goats on the trip.

My neighbor Roger Sullivan died back there in a PA-18-150 crash.

I have crashed near Lake George four times, no that country does not like humans to come visiting.

I went to ADN.com to read the stories. Sounds like some very lucky guys.

I found something on the front page that is right up this forums alley. A knife poll. here's the link.
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/131146

[Aurelius95]

Last Saturday, my wife and I went to the Chattahoochee River, about 4 river miles south of the dam. We walked through calf-high water to a large rock outcrop and sat down for reading and hanging out. We enjoyed watching the kayakers and tubers float by and the fly fisherman near us. The Chattahoochee is 52 degrees or so due to where the water comes from when it's released (the bottom of the lake).

From where we were, we could not hear the alarm that goes off when they release water. Not sure how long it takes to get to where we were, but when I looked up from my book, I realized the water was rising fast! We quickly put on our sandals and headed back to shore. The water was now mid-thigh and moving quickly.

I was thinking to myself that it could have become a survival situation if we were farther from shore, or it was colder outside, or the river was deeper, or faster. A lot of ifs, but it only takes the wrong one to make things vastly different. Clearly, it's best to be prepared and to have mental acuity.

[ledzeppie]

IMO a survival situation is simply any time that your life is seriously threatened.

[AKS]

I like this thread. Everyone is staying on topic for a change.
But what really constitutes a "survival" situation? I don't think it depends on the individual at all. I believe that any situation that puts someone's life at risk is a survival situation . I like to be prepared/trained for any situation but that doesn't make an unexpected night in the Alaskan woods any less of a survival situation for me than it would be for my fat city friends.(Ok...not all my city friends are fat) I am just more likely to survive it because I know what to do if that happened to me.
Ok, being in the wilderness is not something all of us get to do as often as we would like. What if you are driving to work and the driver of an oncoming vehicle has a stroke and pulls over into your lane? You have just been put into a survival situation. Yes...brains, training and experience might get out, but the situation determined that it was a survival one, not how well you prepared for it.