When to stay put...when to walk out?

[Recurve Bowyer]

I was reading through the "Les quits in Kalahari" thread and this question came to my mind. Surviving a situation is all about making decisions. When is it better to stay put and when is it better to try to find help? I know this is completely relative to a situation. What are some situations when one is better than the other? Thinking about this now will help make an informed situation if anyone here is in a true survival situation.

[MCBushbaby]

Well you have to take in the possibilities...

1) does anyone know you're missing?
2) how far are you into the bush? how far off-track? does anyone know where you are?
3) is anyone coming to find you?

and then

4) can you survive at your present (or near-present) position? note, survive does not equal endure. enduring a situtation means you are going to sit their and use up all your resources while obtaining no new ones for the duration of your supply life.
5) can you walk out? even if you do not know where you are, do you know if you walk 50 miles due south you can hit a highway or common river?
6) is the weather and other natural conditions permitting for a trek out? If you're stuck on an ice berg, probably not... if you're anywhere on iceland, probably.

If you are the survivor of a crashed plane or the misplaced member of a tourist hiking trip, someone will be looking for you within the day. Set up a signal fire in the open and keep a good supply of green pine bowsfor smoke.

If you decided to go out hiking/camping in Denali without leaving an itinerary with the park service.. and you get lost.. then you better believe you have to huff it out because the first three points are moot.

I think I saw the Les Stroud Survivorman Kalahari episode (the one where he was 'stranded' with a broken 4x4?). Sounds like A) he didn't know where he was so it would be a bad idea to start wandering the desert and B) he was enduring the situation. It's very, very hard to acquire anything in the desert so he was just living off what he had in the truck. Same with the arctic episode... he just walked and used up his supplies until he found that random seal hunter. It's not quite 'survival' but more along the lines of enduring a situation.

[owl_girl]

If I was in the desert with a vehicle I’d stay put because someone would know I was out there and send help if I went missing and a vehicle is easier to spot from air then a human. I’d also light a signal fire and maybe put a tier on it to get black smoke.

[Sarge47]

As I've posted earlier on there was one episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive: The Science of Survival" that Les Stroud was the "expert" on. (Sorry, but Bear Grylls was not, to the best of my knowledge, on any of these.) He followed an earlier story about the couple with a baby who tried to hike out, leaving their Pick-up stuck in the snow, but having to come back to it later. His point was that the vehicle was shelter and to leave it was wrong, unless you absolutely had no choice. Then he 1st stripped it of everything usable before abandoning it. Very interesting program.

[trax]

If you were with a vehicle or an airplane..that's a lot easier to spot from the air than a person is.

The point about enduring...personally, I'm pretty good at making myself comfortable in most "wild" environments, so in most situations I'd sit tight. One should consider the energy gained vs. energy expelled. If I'm staying in one area, I will start to look at ways of gathering food resources while expending the least amount of energy I can and staying as close to my site as possible. Then, if it looks like no one's coming, I might be better prepared to have to start hiking. (Or I might be dead because I vastly overestimated my own skills, and then it doesn't matter to me, lol)

[owl_girl]

As I've posted earlier on there was one episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive: The Science of Survival" that Les Stroud was the "expert" on. (Sorry, but Bear Grylls was not, to the best of my knowledge, on any of these.) He followed an earlier story about the couple with a baby who tried to hike out, leaving their Pick-up stuck in the snow, but having to come back to it later. His point was that the vehicle was shelter and to leave it was wrong, unless you absolutely had no choice. Then he 1st stripped it of everything usable before abandoning it. Very interesting program.

I saw that episode. They also made a movie about that couple a long time ago called Snowbound.

[carcajou garou]

A lot of good points, I think a lot of it would depend on the skill level, physical shape as well as any injuries of the individuals that are stranded. Plus the immediate resourses at hand and being able to replinish those resourses as trax said with the minimum energy expended.
On a personal level if an itenerary has been left staying put would be the best choice, but lacking such a schedual and being able to reasonably make your way out would be an option to consider.
As some have mention being part of a plane/train/crash or major disaster search/rescue units would be on the way so staying put unless safety conditions prevent it would be a good choice.
I have been involved in a train wreck that produced no injuries just vehicle and cargo damage, we just waited it out and within hours rescue units came and soon we were on our way, that was an easy one, passengers and crew were on either end of the derailment and their wagons stayed on track, quite amazing.

[owl_girl]

I’ve seen documentaries people tried to walk back through the desert after their car broke down and they died from heat and dehydration after one day of being in the desert even though they had a bottle of water with. Not all deserts are that extreme, some are dryer than others some are cooler then others.

If I was in another scenario with a vehicle or plane I’d still try to say but if I decided I needed to go I’d leave a note saying which direction I went and what my plans are such as if I’m following the river.

[Fog_Harbor]

...It's not quite 'survival' but more along the lines of enduring a situation.

Isn't that exactly what survival is about?

[MCBushbaby]

Isn't that exactly what survival is about?

Technically, but survival means you are finding food, water, making a shelter... generally allowing you to live for a longer time than simply your supplies would allow you. Enduring means you are in a situation where you cannot acquire the basics (by lack of resources or by lack of knowledge) and are just using your packed-in supplies until they deplete. I suppose the definition of each is in the eye of the beholder, but this is the generally accepted notion amongst the woodmen in my area.

[sam30248]

depends on the situration you are in natural, man made,