Troop 116

Wilderness Survival Priority 1: STOP

The STOP principal is the first thing you should do in any wilderness survival situation

S.T.O.P. is actually an acronym for how you should react when something goes wrong in the wilderness—which usually means someone gets hurt, or you realize you are lost, or you see a bad storm coming.

  1. Stop
  2. Think
  3. Observe
  4. Plan

Stop

The instant something goes wrong, stop immediately.

The worst thing you can do is panic and start running around or attempt to "retrace your steps." That's the best way to get even more lost or to waste valuable time that would be better spent dealing with the actual problem (first aid, approaching storm, etc.).

Simply stop moving, take a deep breath, and think about what to do next.

(Caveat: If you are above the tree line and suddenly see a storm coming—storms can sneak up on you quickly in the mountains—get down below the nearest tree line as fast as is safely possibly, then stop and do the rest of this assessment.)

Think

You head is your most useful tool you have in the wilderness. (I know: shocking.) Determine your problem, then determine how to deal with it.

First up: See if you can figure out where you are.

Get out the map and compass and try to orient yourself using the local landscape (mountains, ridges, streams, etc.).

Have everyone go over the last place they remember where knew where they were (trail marker or unmistakable landmark).

Don't go anywhere yet. Just try to figure out the plan.

Observe

Observe not only your surroundings but also your group.

Take inventory: What gear do you have?

Think about the next few steps on this list.

Plan

Once you know everything above, you can continue to plan.

How to get un-lost

Notice I wrote up above that you need to "continue" to plan. That is because the first part of any "get un-lost" plan happened well before you leave on the trip when you file a written trip plan with someone back home, and also let the local ranger know your plans.

The best way to get un-lost is to have others back in civilization who will:

  1. Realize that you are lost (which will happen as soon as you are overdue coming off the trail), and
  2. Know where it was you were supposed to be so a rescue party has a reasonable chance of finding you.

That last bit is important.

You are never closer to where you are supposed to be than the moment you realize you are lost.

If you are really and truly lost, the worst thing you can do is to keep on moving.

Unless you have a distinct trail or road to follow back (or footprints in the snow), chances are you will only get more lost.

Also, trails can be deceiving. They twist and turn; other trails constantly branch off—some marked trails, others unmarked bushwhacks, still others game trails left by animals. That means many of these wilderness paths (bushwhacks and animal tracks) won't even show up on your map. If you are lost it is usually because, through inattention, you accidentally started following a trail other than the one you were meant to be on. If you are already on the wrong trail, following it "back" will not get you any less lost.

If you are reasonably sure that you merely overshot a turn or took the wrong fork a short ways back, send a scouting party back to check on it. (But remember the triple buddy system: never fewer than 3 people in any group; that way if one person gets injured, one can stay to provide first aid while the third goes for help.)

Look at it this way: a compass has 360 degrees, right? If you just set off randomly from the point where you are lost without a clear sense of where you need to go, you have one chance you're now headed in the right direction—and 359 chances you're going the wrong way.

So stay put. Most people lost in the wilderness are found with 24 hours. Focus on surviving until then.

 

Survival Step 2: First Aid »

 

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SKILL   •   POWER   •   PRIDE

Note: The first aid and survival tips provided on this site are informational only. Please seek advice from a medical professional or trained wilderness first aid expert for current best practices and techniques.