Opening Chat

Have you ever fantasized about surviving alone in the wilderness while scrolling through short videos on your comfortable couch? As someone from the post-90s generation who just experienced 72 hours of wilderness survival training, I can't wait to share this unforgettable experience. To be honest, before participating in the training, I was like most young people, thinking wilderness survival was just something to talk about while watching reality shows. Only when I was actually in the wilderness did I realize that reality was completely different from imagination.

I remember the first night, lying in my crudely built shelter, listening to the symphony of insects all around, and gazing at the starry sky, I suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of tranquility. This feeling was completely different from our usual camping photo-ops - it made me truly feel connected to nature.

Pre-Trip Preparation

"What do you think is the most dangerous thing if you get lost in the wilderness?" This was the first question my instructor asked me before training. Honestly, images of wolves, tigers, leopards, and snakes immediately came to my mind - aren't these the most intuitive sources of fear for us urban youth? However, the instructor's answer surprised me: "The most dangerous thing is that no one knows where you are."

This answer really broke my understanding. Now, every time I plan an outdoor activity, I make detailed route plans in advance. Not only do I send the route map to at least two reliable friends, but I also mark the expected time points. Sometimes friends tease me for being too cautious, but I think this caution is being responsible for life.

Besides sharing the route, pre-trip preparation includes understanding the terrain, climate characteristics, and wildlife distribution of the destination. I spend a lot of time searching online for other hikers' experiences and even posting questions on relevant forums. These preparations may be tedious, but they're all for ensuring safety.

Another particularly important point is understanding local communication conditions. Although we're in the 5G era, signal coverage is still a big issue in the wilderness. I download offline maps in advance and purchase satellite phones or survival beacons. These might seem like overkill, but they can really save lives when needed.

The Way of Equipment

When it comes to equipment, my motto is "quality over quantity." I remember when I first started preparing equipment, I was like a "gear junkie," wanting to bring everything I saw, resulting in a backpack as heavy as a mountain. After several real experiences, my survival pack is much more streamlined now.

A portable water bottle is essential, preferably made of stainless steel so it can be used for boiling water. A multi-tool knife is the Swiss Army knife of wilderness survival - I chose one with saw teeth that can be used to cut small branches. The lighter should be windproof, as regular lighters often won't work in windy outdoor conditions. Emergency blankets may look like plastic sheets, but their warming effect is amazing. A whistle is used to send distress signals when lost, as its sound carries much further than human shouting. A portable water filter straw is my safety guarantee for drinking water in the wilderness.

Interestingly, some ordinary items from daily life can also be very useful in the wilderness. For example, a Coke bottle, with both ends cut off, is perfect for securing wooden sticks. Plastic bags can be used to collect dew or rainwater. Chewing gum wrappers can be used for reflective rescue signals. I've even seen people use sanitary pads as emergency bandages - quite creative.

Hair ties are particularly magical - they can be used to bind items, make traps, and even secure shelter frames. Band-aids, besides covering wounds, can be used to seal food packaging. These clever uses of everyday items make me marvel at human wisdom.

Navigation and Survival

Getting lost in the wilderness is many people's nightmare, but it's not scary if you master the right methods. The most crucial principle is: once you realize you're lost, stop immediately and don't continue wandering around.

I remember my instructor telling me about a real case: In 2023, in a certain mountainous area, a hiker about my age got lost and, anxious to get home, wandered everywhere, ending up getting further away. When they finally found him, he was 15 kilometers away from his original location. If he had stayed calm and waited for rescue, the search team might have found him a day earlier.

This case reminds me of how modern young people handle situations. We often rush to find solutions when encountering problems, running around everywhere, but ignore the importance of calming down to think. Sometimes, stopping and waiting for help is actually the wisest choice.

There are many ways to determine direction in the wilderness. For example, using the sun's position - in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and is in the south at noon. You can also find direction using a watch - point the hour hand at the sun, and the line bisecting the angle between the hour hand and 12 o'clock points south in reverse. At night, you can determine direction using the North Star - after finding the Big Dipper, extend the distance between the last two stars of the ladle handle by five times to find the North Star's position.

Resource Acquisition

In the wilderness, safe drinking water is more important than food. People can survive three weeks without food, but only three days without water. I learned several methods for obtaining safe drinking water during training.

The simplest is solar water purification: put relatively clear water in a transparent plastic bottle and expose it to sunlight for over 6 hours. UV rays can kill most harmful bacteria - this method is simple but effective. However, note that if the water is turbid, it needs to be filtered first.

Making a simple filter isn't difficult - you can use two containers and cotton cloth, filtering layer by layer in the order of "fine sand-coarse sand-gravel-charcoal." This reminds me of how my grandmother used to filter rice water when I was young - ancient wisdom still applies in the wilderness.

Besides rivers and lakes, dew is also an important water source. Dew collected from plant leaves in the morning, or water vapor collected by placing plastic bags over tree branches, are good choices. During rainy days, you can collect rainwater using waterproof sheets.

As for food, although going without food for 72 hours won't be life-threatening, you still need to replenish some energy to maintain strength. In the wilderness, the easiest food sources are wild fruits and insects. But be especially careful - if you can't confirm safety, it's better to go hungry than eat wild plants randomly.

Shelter Building

A suitable shelter can make wilderness survival much easier. My favorite is the A-frame shelter, which is not only simple to build but also particularly sturdy.

First, choose a suitable location with slightly elevated terrain to avoid water accumulation. Then find a solid branch as the main beam, support both ends with other branches to form an "A" shaped frame. Then cover the frame with waterproof sheets or plenty of branches and leaves. Remember to maintain a certain slope so rain can naturally flow away.

During construction, I found details particularly important. For example, the shelter opening should face away from the prevailing wind direction to avoid cold wind blowing directly in. The ground should preferably be covered with a layer of dry leaves or branches to isolate ground moisture. If conditions allow, it's best to dig a small drainage ditch in front of the shelter to prevent water accumulation during rain.

Once during heavy rain, a shelter I built this way not only perfectly blocked the rainwater but also let it automatically flow away due to the proper slope. That night, listening to the rain hitting the waterproof sheet, I felt particularly warm and safe.

Insights Gained

These 72 hours of wilderness survival gave me many unexpected gains. The biggest realization is: in the face of nature, humans are both insignificant and great. Insignificant because we become so vulnerable without the protection of modern civilization; great because we can overcome various difficulties with wisdom and courage.

Many principles of wilderness survival apply equally to real life. For example, advance planning - isn't this what we often say about "preparation leads to success"? The concept of streamlined equipment actually teaches us how to distinguish between real needs and false desires. And knowing when to seek help tells us that in this society, no one is an island.

In the wilderness, every decision could be related to survival, which taught me to think more carefully about problems. Meanwhile, that calmness and composure when facing difficulties gradually became part of my character traits. Looking back now, those days and nights spent in the wilderness not only taught me survival skills but also gave me more reverence for life.

I often feel that in this fast-paced urban life, aren't we engaging in another form of "survival"? When facing work pressure, emotional confusion, and life uncertainty, the wisdom learned in the wilderness often provides good inspiration.

So, if you're also interested in wilderness survival, try participating in professional training. This will not only teach you practical skills but more importantly help you rediscover yourself and understand this world. During this process, you'll definitely have unexpected gains.

After all, the most exciting stories often happen when we step out of our comfort zone. And these 72 hours in the wilderness were just such an unforgettable experience for me.

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.