Gary L. Benton: Vitamins, Minerals, and Survival
 

A few years ago, when I had first entered the military, I had the chance to read a copy of a survival journal written by a man that was discovered dead. The rescue team had brought out all of his gear, and then turned the journal over to the Air Force. The Air Force had copied the journal and distributed it to various sections to assist in survival training. There were many lessons to be learned from the dead man’s situation. The key to his death, or seemed to me anyway, was nutrition.

Most of us know little about nutrition, because many of are not very interested in the subject to start with. Generally, we have nutritious meals (or at least they are available), we take multi-vitamins, and we (as a country) may be a bit over weight. But, what do we, as hunters, fishermen, campers, and backpackers, know about survival nutrition? I suggest we know (and may not even care) much about the subject.

The man with the journal had died in World War II, and was not discovered until sometime in the 1950’s. His journal was not printed and distributed until the early 1970’s. While less was known about nutrition during the writer’s lifetime, there were things known that could have saved his life. However, I think, like most of us, he was neither interested nor very knowledgeable of the subject. In other words, he was typical of many outdoorsmen and women.

The dead man’s aircraft had crash-landed on a frozen lake up north (Alaska perhaps). I can’t remember exactly where he went down, and it is not very important where it happened, because his situation could be relived in many states or countries. The thing to keep in mind, his crash site was remote.

As I read his journal, I discovered a man with the guts and determination needed to survive. He was an experienced outdoorsman, with years of hunting behind him. He had also been trained, to a small extent, by the military. His journal showed a man of discipline, as well as a deep "will to survive." Then, you are most likely asking, why did he die?

His journal indicated that while there was no big game in the woods around the lake, it was heavily populated by rabbits. He wrote of eating rabbits regularly, and then as time passed, describing how he was losing weight. Eventually his writing stopped completely. His last entry, if I remember correctly, was of his confusion of starving to death as he ate rabbit after rabbit. I remember one old grizzled survival instructor who commented about the victim, "He starved to death on a full stomach."

The instructor went on to say that the man might have survived, he had the guts, if he had only known more about nutrition, "A rabbit is a lean critter. Not much fat on ‘em and a man in a survival situation needs fat and oils. See, that man was only eating the lean flesh of the animal. He discarded the other parts that may have kept him alive. If he had eaten the contents of the rabbit’s stomach, which contains essentially green leafy grasses, (vitamins B, C, E), the rabbits eyes (which contain salt), along with the liver, heart, and kidneys (which contain vitamin A), as well as other vitamins, he might have made it. I suspect he just plain didn’t know about it. Or, he didn’t like the idea of eating a critter’s innards. Keep in mind, in a prolong survival situation protein along won’t keep you alive."

Over the years I have done a lot of thinking about what the man had written, reliving his fear of death, as well as what the sergeant had said. I have done a little research on nutrition and while I cannot even remotely claim to be an expert, I have found some basic facts we should all keep in mind about vitamins.

First, I suggest all of us carry a small container of good quality multivitamins in our survival kits. They are light and easy to carry. Keep them in the original bottle, because it protects them from sunlight, which can decrease their effectiveness, and it keeps them dry. But, what are the basic essential vitamins for us if we are in a survival situation and do not have vitamins along. Many professionals and "armchair" survival "experts" may disagree, but this is a group of vitamins I think we should be concerned about.

Vitamin A, (retinol). We get this vitamin from milk products, animal fat, carrots, and leafy green vegetables. Why do we need this vitamin? It helps keep your vision working well, your immune system up and working, and assists in the functioning of most major organs. Where do you find it? From animal fats, contents of the stomach of plant eating animals, wild green plants in the field.

Vitamin B complex, (B1, B2, B3, B5, and B12). All meats, green plants (vegetables), dairy products, gains and cereals (you can get them elsewhere as well, but they are not a source readily available to most survivors, i.e., brewers yeast). Why do we need this vitamin? They are needed for the nervous system, maintaining healthy skin, the cell production process, digestive process, respiration, bone marrow production, and to assist our metabolism. Where do you find it? Once again, by eating green leafy plants (try dandelions or banana leaf), the flesh of wild animals (including the stomach contents if the environment does not allow you to forage for fresh green veggies), pine nuts, walnuts, and perhaps even wild grains or rice.

Vitamin C, is found in fresh fruits, vegetables. Remember that citrus fruits and tomatoes have high levels of vitamin C. Why do we need this vitamin? It helps to build healthy tissues, tendons, and assists in absorbing iron. It is essential for healthy teeth and gums as well as for healing wounds or fractures (which may be experienced by survivors). Where do you find it? If you are lucky enough to attempt survival in a jungle, then citrus fruits may not be much of a problem. One source I use in mountains or in general locations is pine needles. The needles on pine boughs can be brewed to make a rough tasting tea. While not that tasty, it does the job of providing vitamin C as well as keeping the drinker warm.

Vitamin D, can be found in eggs, dairy products, and fish with fatty flesh (tuna, salmon, sardines, oysters, and others). Why do we need this vitamin? It assists in the building of bones and cartilage. Also, it is used to regulate the absorption of phosphorus and calcium in the body. Where do you find it? During your searches for food look for bird nests. While the eggs you find will not belong to a chicken, they will serve the same purpose as far as vitamin D is concerned. As far as I know, all eggs are eatable and should be eaten if available.
Additionally, set fish traps, make a dip net for smaller fish and try your hand at fishing. There may not be much of a problem procuring salmon if you are along streams and rives they run on. Thousands of salmon move on our nations waterways each year. If you catch too many of them, make a drying rack and save them for future needs.

Vitamin E, is in rice and green leafy vegetables. Why do we need this vitamin? This is one of the least understood vitamins, but it is known to assist in the prevention of muscular dystrophy. So, it seems this vitamin may be associated with muscular functioning. Where do you find it? Look for wild rice. Surprisingly, it is out there. Remember, rice grows in wet locations so check long the banks of small ponds or lakes. You may get lucky and find a source. Keep in mind to constantly search for sources of food and vitamins around your survival site.

Vitamin K, is produced by our intestinal tract. It can also be found in egg yolks, leafy green plants, fish liver oils, and other sources. Why do we need this vitamin? It assists in the clotting of blood. The last problem a survivor needs is the inability to clot a bleeding injury. Where do you find it? Look for eggs as we suggested earlier, search for various green leafy plants, and it need be, build up the courage to eat the contents of an animal’s stomach. The contents of the stomach can be added to soups without affecting most people very much, especially if you don’t tell them or they don’t ask.

Other Considerations are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and minerals.

Carbohydrates are found in a variety of food sources. They are found in sugars, honey, fruits, roots and tubers (cook these well) as well as in cereals. Why do we need them? They are excellent sources of energy and help prevent the nausea often caused by the breakdown of body fats in the body. Where do you find it? Look for bees (honey), wild apples, cattail roots, or even wild potatoes. Cattails will most likely be the easiest to find.

Fats are an excellent source of energy and are found in most animal and fish. Additionally, some plants may contain fats, as well as eggs and nuts. While some "survival experts" suggest fats can be found in fungi (mushrooms) I do not recommend eating them. They are not easy to identify by most people and overall, have very little nutrition. They have the disadvantage possibly of being poison if the survivor is unsure of its identity. Why do we need them? Fats give us our energy in a concentrated form. A key consideration here is the availability of water. Fats take water to digest, so make sure you have sufficient water when you ingest fats. Where do you find them? Animal fats are the easiest way. Keep in mind, wild game has less fat than farm animals. Also, during the winter months or early spring, wild animals may contain less fat. In the fall, after eating well all summer, wild game is usually the fatter.

Proteins are found in meat, eggs, fish, nuts, and grains. While also found in dairy products, you are unlikely to find a cow in a survival situation. Why do we need them? They supply amino acids, which are necessary for good health. Where do you find them? Attempt to locate wild eggs, fish often, gather nuts and grains if possible, and eat wild meat.

Minerals, minerals are need for good overall health. Some, not all, of the minerals we need are sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine, magnesium, and sulfur. Why do we need them? They all play a role in maintaining good overall health. Where do you find them? Salt water may be boilded to produce sodium, or the eyes of the animals you kill will contain salt. Other minerals will be in the foods you eat and it should not be a problem as long as you eat a variety of foods.

While all of this information may seem overwhelming to you, you are most likely getting most of these vitamins and other things during the course of a day. We are just not aware of what is in most of our meals. Those of us who take a good quality multi-vitamin daily are getting our requirements of both vitamins and minerals.

When in the field, and forced to procure food, make sure any plants you harvest are known by you to be safe to eat. You may find almost any of the vegetables and fruits in the wild that are for purchase at your local market. Remember to wash them, but do not soak them in water (prolong soaking can reduce the vitamin content). I suggest boiling them in soups or stews to retain most of the vitamins that would otherwise be lost. While the idea of eating some of the foods survivors are at times forced to eat may be repulsive to some, what is the option?

It has been less than 100 years since the link between foods and diseases has been identified to some degree. British biochemist Fredrick Hopkins, in 1906, proved in his studies the association between vitamins (though not called that yet) and the human body. He found a "missing link". His research indicated that a body not only needed proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, water, and fats to develop, but it also needed what he called "accessory factors." Further research by others has shown these "accessory factors" were in fact what we today call vitamins.

Primitive man had no knowledge of vitamins, but his instincts were fairly good. Often, after the killing of a buffalo or large game, he would eat parts of the liver or other internal organs raw, almost immediately. I have read of explorers who did the same and they described a deep "animal like craving" for the bloody meal.

Additionally, Native American ate most parts of the game they killed. Were they merely being thrifty with the game they killed or did the act serve some other unknown urge? I think this urge to eat most of killed game was a body’s need for life saving essential vitamins and minerals.
If you are ever faced with a true life and death survival situation, remember this article. Keep in mind to constantly be looking for a variety of foods, thus a variety of vitamins and minerals. Eat plenty of green leafy plants (if you can safely identify the plant), gather eggs, nuts, pine needles and other sources of food. Set out fish traps. Consider eating the parts of an animal you would not usually consider a "prime cut." Survival is not for the weak of heart. Those who do what ever is needed still have no assurance of survival. Nonetheless, the will to survive, continuous hard work, and constantly procuring sources of food can increase your chances of survival. Take care and I hope to see you in the field.



Have you ever looked around as you walked in the woods and wondered what you could eat if you were really hungry? Many wild plants are edible, but do you know which ones? If you are like most people, you didn’t identify much that you knew for sure you could eat. It is to the advantage of all hunters, fishermen, campers and others, to know what is good to eat and how to determine a plants edibility if you are unsure. Any of us who spend any time in the outdoors could one day find ourselves lost, or in a survival situation. Then, our knowledge, or lack of knowledge, of plant life could mean the difference between life and death. Many of the elements of a health diet are found in plant foods.

While many plants are good to eat, there are ways to identify those that you want to stay away from. Any plant with umbrella shaped flowers on it, beans, peas, bulbs, plants that have a milky sap, or plants that irritate your skin, should be avoided. Additionally, stay away from any fungi, unless you know beyond a doubt it is safe to eat. But, even then, fungi add very little in the way of nutrition to your diet. I suggest you spend you time procuring better, more nutritional, items for your outdoor menu. Fungi are not worth the risk you can take eating them.

Well, what do you do when you cannot identify a single safe plant to eat? I suppose that will happen more often than not. If you can avoid them, do not eat unknown plants. However, in a survival situation it is often a matter of eating or going hungry. If you decide to eat a plant you are unsure of, there is no better (and proven) method of determining the edibility of plants than using the US Army’s Taste Test (along with my comments).

Test only one part of the plant at a time. Comment: By eating more than one part you will not be able to determine (if you get ill) what part is safe to eat. Key in one only one part.

Break the plant down into base constituents: leaves, steams, roots, etc. Comment: Once again, it makes identification of safe and unsafe parts of the plant. Not all parts of a plant may be safe to eat.

Smell the plant for strong or acid odors. Comment: Avoid any plant with a strong or acid odor because the plant is considered unsafe to eat.

Do not eat for eight hours before starting the test. Comment: This is so you can be sure, if you get ill, it was the plant that caused it.

At first, put a small sample of the plant on the inside of your elbow or on your wrist. Wait 15 minutes and check to see if you had a reaction. Comment: A general rule is if the plant causes a reaction on your skin, it is not safe to eat.

During the test period, remember to take nothing orally except pure water and the tested plant. Comment: It you eat or drink anything besides pure water, the test is not valid. And, you will have to start over. It may have been another food that caused an ill effect.

Select a very small piece of the plant to be tested. Comment: Always use a very small piece of the test plant to start with. If the plant makes you ill, the less you test with the less the suffering may be.

Put the selected piece of the plant up against your lip and test for burning or itching. Comment: If the plant causes any burning, itching or numbness to your lips, DO NOT continue the test. Wash your lips to remove any residue from the plant.

After three minutes, if there is no reaction, place the selected piece of the plant and place it on your tongue. Hold it there for 15 minutes. DO NOT SWALLOW. Comment: While this step sounds easy, I know from experience, it is difficult to do when you are hungry. But, remember, at this point you do not want to swallow an untested plant yet.

If there is no reaction, chew the piece thoroughly and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Once again, DO NOT SWALLOW. Comment: Once again, this is difficult step for someone when they are hungry. Pay close attention to any burning, itching or numbness while chewing the plant.

If there is not irritation at all during this time, swallow the piece of plant. Comment:Be honest about this step. If you have experienced any reaction or irritation during the test up to this step, DO NOT swallow the plant.

Wait eight hours. If you have any effects from the plant, induce vomiting and rink plenty of water. Comment: It is difficult to wait when you are very hungry. However, this is necessary to insure the plant is safe to eat. If you do become ill, flush the system by drinking plenty of water. You may experience diarrhea or stomach cramps from a bad plant.

If you do not experience any ill effects, eat one half of a cup of the same plant prepared the same way. Wait another eight hours; if no ill effects are suffered the plant, as prepared, is safe to eat. Comment: The key here is to always prepare the plant the way you tested it. If you decide to fix it another way, then start the test all over again. Some foods may be safe when eaten cooked but not safe if eaten raw. So, always prepare a plant in a way that you know is safe.

Survival is never easy. We often are forced to make decisions and take chances that can have terrible results if we are wrong. Just by picking up fungi or an unknown plant and eating it, you could die. Survival is no joke and it is extremely dangerous to attempt eating plants you are unsure of. However, hunger is often a constant companion to a survival, but it does not have to be. Many unknown plants are safe to eat and now you have a basic idea of which ones. Always use common sense and the US Army’s Taste Test. It could very well save your life.


When I was in the military and involved with search and rescue training, I often saw messages or reports pertaining to survivors and non-survivors. These cases were both civilians and military personnel. I was amazed while reading both types of correspondence. (We received this information to hopefully improve our survival training program). I read about people who had lots of gear, plenty of food and water, and they still did not make it. Or, on the other side of the coin, those who survived with little more than literally the shirt on their backs. Why the difference? Well, it is not that simple. There were many factors that contributed in both cases. There are many variables to consider when reading about survival situations. Nonetheless, in most of the reports I read the difference was usually survival psychology.

Take the case of the civilian pilot in Alaska that experienced aircraft problems and put his plane down on a frozen lake. The temperature was about minus twenty. When rescuers arrived at the site they were able to determined what happen easily. The pilot, now dead, had left a note. I cannot remember most of the note, but it read something similar to; "I cannot survive in this temperature. I am a dead man. I am going to smoke a cigarette and then end it all." It was very unfortunate. The aircraft controller had seen the aircraft go off radar and had been able to communicate with the pilot just before he landed on the lake. Once on the lake the pilot had shut down his aircraft power and the controller was unable tell him that help was on the way. When the rescuer team arrived, they found two cigarette butts, a .38 caliber pistol in the pilots right hand, and blood not yet frozen on the side of his head. He had not even left the cockpit of the aircraft. Why? Why would a man take his life without a fight? I suggest he gave in to panic. He was not prepared mentally to face the situation.

I also read once about a man who crawled for more than 100 miles across the Arizona desert to safety. His car had broken down on a rural road and he attempted a shortcut to safety. It was over 100 degrees during the five days of his travels. He was burned black from the sun, very dehydrated, and near death when he walked out. He stated he was determined to be with his family again and used this determination to keep himself moving. Doctors and survival experts were surprised of his survival. The man should have by all rights died. He had done everything wrong (traveling during the heat of the day, not covering up exposed parts of his body, and not being properly prepared) and yet he made it. Now, I don't recommend you attempt that for obvious reasons, but it does show how human determination can aid your survival efforts.

So, what is the big difference in the two stories above? I propose it is frame of mind. One, the non-survivor, gave up before the battle even started. The other, the survivor, was determined to live. Of course pure determination may not keep you alive, but it sure adds to the odds. Lets discuss the steps you can take to stay alive when you realize you are in a survival situation.

Panic is a real killer. When you actually realize you are going to have to survive, keep you head about yourself. Stop. Find a place that offers you temporary shelter and think things out. Do not go stomping around in the woods looking for your way out. Stop. Consider the, who, what, when, and where of your situation. Who knows where you are? Did you, as I always recommend, tell someone about your trip? This should always be done, even if you know the area very well. Tell a any person (a boss, friend, wife, husband, etc.) the what, when and where of your trip. They should know what type of trip it is (fishing, hunting, hiking, or travel), when you left and when you will return (i.e., I will leave on Tuesday morning and will return seven days later on Tuesday evening), and where your trip is to be (to the Knockemstiff National Forest or to Lake Swampy). Make sure if you change your trip in any way to call or contact the person you informed. Many rescues are started each year because of a change in plans and no notification. If you have handled the who, what, when and where of your trip, rescue should be fast.

Get your thoughts organized. Unless you are suicidal, this step is a must. Take an inventory of what you have on hand. This step serves two purposes. First, it calms you down. The time it takes to inventory your gear will assist in deescalating your panic. Second, most of us carry a lot of "junk" as well as needed items with us and this is a time to see exactly what you have. All items on you can be used toward survival.

Keep busy. An active mind is less likely to dwell on the situation as hopeless. Notice I wrote hopeless and not helpless. In a helpless situation, there is no help. While you very well may feel helpless, you can help yourself. But, in a hopeless situation there is no hope. I think you always have hope, as long as you are breathing. Keeping that hope is what makes a survival situation develop into a story of success. Concentrate on the little successes you experience and let the failures slide off. And, don't start feeling sorry for yourself. See, the more little successes you have the better you will feel. Start with something small, like a fire and a shelter.

Find a shelter and start a fire. Yep, even if you don't need either. Why? Well, once again for two reasons. The first is to keep you busy as I stated above. The second is they may be needed later when you are too exhausted or weak to make them. Additionally, there is a deep primal need for safety satisfied when you have shelter and fire. Ever notice how comforting a campfire is at night? The fire may not even be needed, so the comfort is usually just psychological. Anywho, get a fire going, construct a shelter, and sit for a bit.

Oh, I almost forgot, avoid alcohol when in a survival situation. If dulls your thinking processes and that is one thing you don't need (additionally alcohol dehydrates) . Second, avoid cola's, coffee, and tea if you do not have a sufficient water supply. They can aid in your dehydration.

Now comes the difficult part, waiting for rescue. You noticed, I hope, I wrote waiting for rescue. Yep, I meant it. Let them find you. Nothing is more frustrating to search and rescue crews than looking for a person meandering somewhere in the woods. It is really like looking for a needle in a haystack and may lead to your death. Stay where you are. Once you realize you are lost and have establish a survival camp stay there. Being rescued is often compared to looking for someone in the mall. If you wonder around looking for them, they are more difficult to find. But, if you plant yourself on a bench in the mall walk way, they will come by sooner or later. Wondering blind in the bush just uses up energy that you cannot afford to lose. Stay put.

The only exception to this is when you realize exactly where you are and know beyond any doubt how to walk out. If you do decide to leave a survival site, leave a note stating when you left (date/time), where you were headed (location you are attempting to get to), when you expect to get there, your heading (compass heading if you can), your physical condition (broken bones, cuts, overall general condition) and your full name. Make sure you post your note where it can easily be seen and in a water proof container/bag. This info will aid the rescue team greatly. Remember, I recommend you leave the survival site ONLY if you are sure of where you are and know how to safely get out.

Well, now you are in a more prolonged survival situation what comes next? Well, first stay off of your pity pot. Don't dwell on how rough you have it. Don't play the "poor little me" mind game with yourself. Make things happen. Let's look at what you really need to survive. First, you need air and water. Hopefully the air thingy is taken care of for you (if not, the next steps are not very important to you). Next, water is a primary concern. Purify all water not brought from home or purchased for your trip. All water. Even if the stream looks like a dream photo from the cover page of an environmentalist magazine. Much of our waters in North America are polluted or have "critters" (micro organisms). Don't take a chance.

You should always have a survival kit with you. These kits can be purchased commercially or made up at home. They can also vary greatly in size and weight. The kit I carry is very small (I use an old metal Bandaide box), but I have given great thought to the contents. It is just exactly what I need to survive on. I have included:

1. A good quality pen knife
2. Condoms for water storage, unlubricated.
3. Wooden matches in a water proof container
4. Flint and steel and a metal match
5. Water purification tables
6. A long strip of heavy duty aluminum foil folded up to cook with
7. Fishing kit, i.e., hooks, sinkers, and some line. Nothing fancy. It can also be used to set snares or many other uses if you are landlocked and not near the water.
8. A small commercial first aid kit (with instructions).
9. One small pack of gum and one of hard candy for emergency energy
10. A small survival pamphlet or book--keep it small and light

If you have a survival kit with you it aids in your sense of well being. With the kit and your usual camping/outdoors gear, you know you have the minimum to survive. It helps you realize the situation is not hopeless at all. Do yourself a favor and practice using your survival items before you need them. Also, know your survival and first aid booklets. All of this preplanning will make you more relaxed when you need to use the equipment.

What about food? Let's be honest here. Aren't most North Americans just a little overweight? Now, I am not saying a sudden starvation diet is healthy, but most of us could go a couple of days without food with no medical affects. And, why do most people immediately think of food when they think of survival? Keep in mind that most folks are rescued before serious hunger develops. It is psychological. If you think about it, it makes sense. Imagine a nice shelter, a warm fire, and a full stomach. Comforting isn't it? While no shelter, no fire and an empty stomach... I think you have the idea. Well, remember, people have survived for weeks without food but only days without water. You figure the priority out. (Before I forget, if you take prescription medications, always have them with you when you go outdoors. Not having them in some cases could be a killer).

Nonetheless, if it makes you feel better trap, hunt, or catch something to eat. Make sure if you eat you increase your water intake, if your water supply allows for it. Keep an eye on your urine. If if becomes darker in color, increase your water intake to avoid dehydration.

Survival is never easy. If things can go wrong they usually will. I know people can survive in temperatures as low as minus thirty and as high as 110 degrees. How do I know? I have done it during training. The key is to stay active, concentrate on the tasks at hand, build up your successes while down playing your failures, and to face each obstacle with determination to overcome. Survival psychology is simple, when you think about it before you need it. I believe with the right psychological approach to any survival situation, you too can survive.



We all hear a lot about the phrase, "the will to survive." You notice, it does not say the will to live, or the will to die, it uses the word survive. I believe the word survive is there because it is the most important word in that phrase. See, at times in real survival situations, unlike a television show I won't mention, it is easier to just live, or give up and die, than it is to survive. I suspect I may have you very confused about right now. Well, he has finally lost it, you may be thinking. Perhaps, or, have I? Consider the fact that survival is very hard work. Death or living is much easier. Anyone can die or possibly live, but how many of us can survive.

You may be asking, living it surviving, isn't it? Not exactly, because survival means you live by reasoning, determination, training, and actions. Living simply means you continue to breath until you are found. If you are in the bush long enough, without the will to survive or a lot of luck, you will move into category three, death. So, many people are considered survivors when in fact, they were just plain lucky.

The will to survive is a mental conditioning of your mind to survive no matter what man, nature, or luck throws at you. It is easy to think of survival and to say you have the will to survive, but do you really have it? The first thing to consider about survival situations it that no one wakes up in the morning and says; "I think I will be a survivor today." The trauma of suddenly finding yourself in a wilderness survival situation will require psychological acceptance. This acceptance is difficult because deep down inside you know you will now have to feed, cloth, shelter, and take care of your own medical needs. And, even the professionals fight bits of doubt when it really happens (I suspect few would admit that though). It is the ultimate reality check. A failure to accept the seriousness of your situation will, without luck, lead to death.

We as humans, I think, are driven by some deep internal motivation and natural instinct to live in groups. I suspect this was necessary part of our early evolution in order to survive. As a group we would hunt, pick foods, build shelters, take care of our medical needs, and protect ourselves. Additionally, it made it easier to select a mate. During that period any person placed out side of the group would soon perish. Perhaps that is why banishment from a group in those days was almost equal to the death sentence. Once a person was no longer part of a group, and isolated, they could only do so much alone. One of the first theories a psychology major learns in college is the need for mankind to belong (to a group or a society if you will).

The total isolation we feel when forced into a survival situation is difficult to for the unprepared to combat. Some people for the first time in their lives are honestly alone. Many of us do not even know ourselves very well. Or, deep down inside we may not even like ourselves. You would be shocked at how many people in our society do not like being alone, and actually try to avoid it. Once a person is placed in a survival situation, there are no cell phones, no computers, no friends, and no television playing to provide background noise. Survivors have commented about how "loud" this stillness in the field can be. As social beasts we all want, as well as need, to be with others. We are just social beasts. A survival situation isolates us quickly and with perhaps with a feeling of no immediate hope or help. So, how do we fight this feeling of pending doom?

First, before you go into the field, learn what needs to be done in most survival situations. Once you are forced to survive, think then act. Stay focused on your task at hand. Lets say your first task is shelter construction (the priority of your tasks depends on the survival environment). If you have done your reading and had some training, you know what steps to take to make a good shelter for the type of environment you are in. Concentrate on making the strongest and best shelter you can with the materials you have on hand. Then, after that is done, work on another project. Stay busy. An active mind is a healthy mind.

Second, if you believe in a higher power, then it is to your advantage to pray or meditate. Do what your beliefs say you should do and as often as you need to. However, it is important to remember to have faith in your higher power, but help yourself at the same time. It is so easy to allow yourself to pass the buck to a higher power and no longer take any responsibility for you own actions. YOU are the one that must, with your higher powers help, survive. Most survivors I have talked to or read about, prayed at various points during the situation, usually asking for food or water in some form. This communication with a higher power is good because keeps your will to survive strong by giving you hope and that is good psychological support.

Third, enter a survival situation knowing you will make mistakes or use bad judgment at times. All of us will. The key here, or so I think, is being prepared. See, an experienced outdoors man will make mistakes too, but they will not be, usually, as severe as the novice. And, the inexperienced person will make not only more severe mistakes, but they will make more mistakes over all. This is due to poor knowledge or a lack of planning. Both of which can cost you your life. In any survival situation remember to think your actions out way before you act . Use simple logic and use your mind. The best tool you have to assist you in survival is not a knife, matches, or a blanket, but the human mind. If you are preoccupied with self-pity, your judgment could be cloudy.

Watch your diet and water intake. If you can procure food and water, then do so. You never know when the opportunity may disappear. Learn to constantly look for sources of food and water. How, you may be wondering, does food and water apply to the will to survive? Well, simple. Man is better prepared to survive with he has a full stomach. See, a lot of our problems seem to go away in survival, or mentally they do anyway, if we have a shelter, fire, food and water. Sure, it is mostly psychological, but it helps. There is something mentally refreshing when sit around a warm campfire, eating a meal and drinking water after a full days work at surviving. We reap the efforts of our days work by having the fire, the food and the water. It is a "warm fuzzy."

Gradually built on your successful acts and down play the losses. If you do something well, remember how you did it. Think positive about all of your accomplishments. Don't consider it luck, though part of it may have been, you were still the person responsible for the end result. Often in survival a window of opportunity opens and the survivor fails to act. Failure to act at a golden chance is all too common. Each accomplishment needs to be rewarded in your mind.

Guts and determination are also important traits for the survivor. Those individuals who are "hackers" and not quitters will usually survive. They have an attitude toward life that helps them survive. They seem to feed on challenges and successes. Often, when I was in the military, the biggest guys, strongest guys, or the smartest guys would eventually quit. It was surprising to see the one individual who everyone would have picked to be the first quitter, completed training. Often they were of normal size and intelligence. It is all a mind game. It was all about mind over the physical pain or difficulties. The human mind is the most wonderful tool you have, so use it often in the field. And remember, others have survived, and so can you!

One aspect I can speak up with some authority is nature. I don't ever remember being at any survival school where the weather was good, for the trainee anyways. Oh, it was perfect for training, maximum training as our instructors often said. So remember to prepare a shelter as soon as you can. Prepare your body for protection from severe weather, but just as important is the preparing of your mind. I have spent days isolated in shelters due to bad weather.
Loneliness, remember the first part of this article, can be a real hard task to confront. I once spent a whole day doing math problems in my head and I remember a rough two days in Alaska where I made up stories in my mind. Keep your mind exercised along with your body.

The will to survive is an attitude. It is a deep commitment to survival. I suggest, while it cannot be learned, it can be reinforced by being prepared, with knowledge, and by developing a healthy survival psychology. Remember to downplay your losses while building your successes up. Confront your difficulties head on and with determination to accomplish your task, no matter what. Keep your faith in your higher power, and keep your mind active. Stay off of your self-pity pot and do get into the "poor me" attitude.

If you have the will to survive, you will survive and not just live. You will be able to return to society knowing you, and you alone, keep yourself alive. You will know that you kept yourself alive where many others would have simply given up..and died. You will be proud of the fact you didn't just live, or even die, you were truly a survivor. The will to survive, do you have what it takes?