Archive for September 2013

One of the most common questions that I am asked during one of my wilderness first aid or wilderness survival courses, or during a lecture, is the the following:  “Is it okay during a survival situation to drink one’s urine?” This definitely is a good question for several reasons, most of all, since it is being asked within the context of helping to stave off dehydration, the idea appears to make sense.  After all, as one may reason, if one is dehydrated, one needs water, so one shouldn’t waste it, even if it is one’s own bodily waste product.  More to the point, however, so many people ask the question because they have seen it discussed and done so many times on so-called reality television programs.  This wouldn’t be so bad except that there are people who, during a wilderness emergency, actually have resorted to drinking their urine. So, what […]

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It seems that stories about the struggle to survive and overcome great odds in the unforgiving wilderness rarely endure.  Sure, an account may effect big headlines in the newspapers, and people may actively chatter about it amongst themselves with particular emphasis on the gory details, but even this quickly fades and people just as quickly forget.  While many know the basic facts about the Donner Party, few seem to know the real details, much of it inspiring, and fewer still seem to know anything about the U.S.S. Indianapolis.  This is a shame … For them, and for us. However, the story about the death of Christopher McCandless, who in 1992 slowly starved in an isolated bus near Denali National Park long endures.  Many of us, of course, read the accounts that Jon Krakauer wrote, first in Outside in 1993, and later in his 1996 book, Into the Wild.  And, certainly, the […]

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I am usually very reluctant to make the effort to see, or to recommend to others, a movie that is “survival” themed.  That’s because most are usually junk in that they are based more on entirely contrived drama than actual fact or reality.  However, I just watched the trailer for a movie that is to be released in October that I might just have to see. All is Lost is an American film about a man who becomes lost alone at sea after his sail boat sinks soon after being struck by an adrift commercial shipping container.  The film appears to be unique in that there is very little dialogue and the only cast member is actor, Robert Redford.  There isn’t even a soccer ball named Wilson! Anyway, check out the official trailer below. If anyone is interested in seeing it too, just let me know … I’ll even buy the […]

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