We all know Coloradan's are ALL about the great outdoors! Here are some tips and tricks to help you survive a little better in the wilderness.
Visual guides courtesy of
The Art of Manliness
1.
Winter is coming... and no not the ones that involve murderous half-dead ice warlords. There are several ice-drowning related deaths in the United States a year. Don't become the statistic and follow this guide to help save your buns if you fall through the ice.
2.
This tip is
especially helpful (and life saving) if you're above tree line. You need to keep in mind that without any trees,
you are the tallest conductor on a mountain if a storm starts to roll in. Reduce your risk by squatting down, touching your heels and keeping your head down (like pictured). Though the
best survival tip to avoid getting struck by lightening on a hike is to make sure you get up early enough to miss the afternoon storms.
3.
Trapped in the jungle Indiana Jones style? Fashion yourself a torch with the shirt off your back and a stick! If you don't have any convenient fuel lying around, tree sap is also a great flammable option. Though this tip should only be used in dire situations as to not cause a forest fire.
4.
Pretty key especially in bear country. The biggest tip is while you're hiking to simply sing, talk, and generally make noise to keep bears at bay. Also don't forget to keep your food up high in a bear bag at your campsite to prevent late-night visitors.
5.
This one is part survival, part just plain fun. Learning how to tie and execute a proper rope swing will not only amp-up the fun on your lake trip, but also make sure you don't kill yourself! Use this perfect knot, and steps to ensure your best rope swing yet!
6.
*Story Time* When I was about six or seven my brother, father and I went on a little fishing trip with another family friend and our father. Long story short; my brother casts out, family friend was walking behind him, family friend got hooked in the neck. Yeah, ouch. My dad used this exact trick to get the hook out despite all the screaming and freaking out. Overall 10/10 tip.
7.
So you may think this doesn't seem like an extremely important survival tip, or even a "survival" tip at all. You may think, "Oh, well just pull it out!" Well if you think that you're DEAD WRONG. From someone who got Lyme disease as a child, I can't stress tick prevention and extraction enough, because the risks are huge. Any-who, proper tick extraction is so important. You want to make sure the ticks head is completely pulled out from you skin and that you properly dispose of the parasite.
DO NOT burn the tick (especially on your skin...) this could release harmful fluids and junk into the air or your skin.
8.
If you ever find yourself stuck in the woods in your best tunic, and in dire need of some girding, heres a handy dandy step-by-step diagram on how to properly gird your loins.
There you have it. Some handy dandy survival tips to make sure you have a great and safe outdoors adventure. Tell us some of your useful outdoors tips and tricks below!
