Re: Survival in woods

Back in high school I was part of a European division of Boy Scouts. We had some tough exercises if you stuck around for the top tier group. One of the final ones involved being blind-folded and driven out, then hiked into the woods, left behind with a map, compass, a few basic provisions including a water canteen, and a fully charged walkie talkie. You had three days to figure out where you were and find your way back to a final waypoint, which was marked on the map, and radio in your position. Of course initially you had no idea where they left you. The walkie talkie also acted as a safety backup in case someone got really lost. This was in the woods of northern Ontario near Algonquin Provincial Park so bears were an issue. It was hard but obviously less stressful than being lost outright as you always knew there was a backup plan if things went south but the thing that frightened me most were not the bears, various animals noises during the night, but the snapping turtles.

Great memories from adventures we shared up there. I really miss the 3-4 week canoe treks. I have never cursed beavers like I did back then as they built so many dams along the rivers that portaging was half the battle.