There’s a reason many people love to venture into the deep quiet and mystery of the woods.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden:
But that fascination with the wooded wild does not always translate into safety, and in the end, you do want to come out alive. You must be prepared for a wilderness adventure by developing the essential survival skills that will see you through the length of the trip.
Are you considering a trip into the wild? Would you call your survival skills a little less than perfect? Have you always wanted to learn how to endure the elements and come out on the other side stronger and more resilient?
Then, follow our guide featuring the top “10 Things You Need To Know About Bushcraft.” Bushcraft is a colloquial term for “wilderness skills.” You don’t have to be a Boy or Girl Scout to master bushcraft — but you do need to be committed to practicing these skills and preparing for the terrain that awaits you.
It’s time. Bushcraft 101 starts now:
1. Become an Amateur Botanist
A big part of surviving in the woods is knowing what resources you have freely around you that can help you. That’s where your homework comes in. You’ll need to study the plants, trees, fungi and other natural resources of the forest ahead of time.
By doing this, you’ll know if you can eat that wildflower, make a salad out of those plants and forage those ground mushrooms. You’ll also know the plants you can’t touch or eat: Don’t eat the poison ivy! It will take a little time to get good at identifying plants, but your goal is to become an amateur botanist in the process. Invest in a plant field guide to use as your cheat sheet.
2. Study Animal Tracks
Another important part of your homework for Bushcraft 101 is going to be to study animal tracks. There are many types of animals in the woods — some of which can be very dangerous to you — so it’s important to know whether you are trailing a black bear or a friendly deer.
This also is a great opportunity to invest in a pocket field guide that will help you identify the tracks you see in the dirt, sand, and snow.
3. Study the Night Sky
Your course and your navigation will change as the night approaches. It’s easy to get lost if you are hiking during the night, so being able to navigate your path using the sky as your guide is key. Study the constellations so that you can orient yourself.
Bring along a compass that lights up in the darkness. Use these in tandem, and you’ll be able to set yourself back on the right path — no matter where the night leads you.
4. Develop a Mental Tracking System
During the day, develop your own personal mental tracking system. That means taking note of your steps from one landmark to other. You can use your smartphone or a pedometer to help you in this process.
You also can do an old-fashioned technique of marking your territory. Bring along colorful strips of fabric or ribbon, and tie them to branches and trees along the way. If you get lost, you can follow the ribbons back home.
5. Master Lighting a Fire in Undesirable Situations
Staying warm is key to survival in the woods, and part of learning bushcraft means that you’ll know how to light a fire in some of the most undesirable situations. To that end, prepare ahead. Pack a lighter and matches that will strike anywhere.
As you are trekking through the woods, collect kindling that is dry and dense. You may find that it rains five miles down the path, and you’ll be thankful you collected that dry wood as you went along your way.
6. Learn to Chop Wood
If you’re at a campsite for a longer period of time, you may want to have an axe with you. This makes collecting and preparing dry, hearty firewood much easier. You’ll need kindling to start a fire, but you’ll need more substantial pieces of wood to grow the fire and to keep it going in the night.
So purchase an axe, and then practice chopping wood in your spare time ahead of your trip. Chopping wood is a strenuous activity that requires strength and concentration, so it’s a bushcraft skill that is very important to develop over time. Build up your stamina before you’re out in the wild.
7. Learn to Fish with Simple Materials
Sometimes you’ll have the opportunity to diversity your camping diet with something more substantial than plants and nuts. If you find yourself near water, then consider trying to catch fish. Sometimes you can catch fish and crabs with a simple fishing net.
That’s lightweight to pack and very helpful. You also can make your own fishing rod using fishing hooks, fishing line, and a strong branch.
8. Turn Water Into…
Well, maybe you can’t turn water into wine. But you can expand your water supply by learning how to melt snow in order to turn it into water. Bushcraft skills are about adapting and using what you have around you to get what you need.
Melting snow is a perfect example of this. Just make sure that you are prepared to purify that newly formed water. You can pack water purification tablets and add them to the water to help protect your water supply and better protect against getting sick from waterborne bacteria.
9. Protect Your Food in a Tree Bundle
Critters and wood animals love your food, so rig a system to put all of your perishables into a pack or bundle that you can hang from a high branch on a tree. It’s important to get the food off the ground and away from your tent, as animals are likely to approach you because of your proximity to a food supply.
You don’t want to be a bear’s dinner, so be safe with your food supply by getting off the ground and in the trees. Even if an animal goes after your food bundle high in the trees, at least the animal will not be near you.
10. Build an Emergency Shelter
Finally, know how to build shelter no matter what the conditions may be. If it is raining, learn how to hang a hammock with a tarp roof to keep you dry. Learn how to set up a tent in the dark (Don’t forget your headlamp).
Know how to build a snow shelter should you encounter an unexpected snowstorm. Plus, always remember to keep you heating source outside of your emergency shelter. You must do this to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.
To get some practice, trying setting up an emergency shelter in your backyard that might address each of these extreme conditions. Knowing how you will proceed will help you go into action when the time comes to seek dry, safe shelter in a hurry.
