What would I have to do right here, right now?

by Kevin Reeve

Last night I played a game I play with myself all the time. It was late and I was rolling the garbage cans out to the road.  The night before it had snowed about an inch, and all day it had rained/sleeted.  Now it was snowing again, half sleet, very wet.  The wind was blowing, gusting to 20 mph.  The outside temp was in the mid twenties and falling.  As I walked to the street, I asked myself the question I consider near in importance to the Sacred Question.  I asked, if I were to walk into the woods right now, throw myself into a survival situation with just what I am wearing, what would I do?  Are my skills good enough to survive the night? 

I made a very realistic assessment of the situation.  The news was not good. I had  a folding knife, a piece of jute and two lighters.  I knew where the thick debris was, and in the dark could make a shelter that would probably keep me alive (cold wet and miserable no doubt, but alive).  The wind kicked up early this morning, and the rain/sleet/snow stopped.  However, in spite of the literally hundreds and hundreds of fires I have built in my life, I knew that realistically, getting anything to burn, even with a lighter would be the challenge of my life. I started thinking about where I would find anything dry enough to burn.  Fortunately, I had about two feet of jute in my pocket left over from an earlier bow drill demonstration.  But even with dry tinder, and a lighter, I know that in these conditions, just getting fire will be very very difficult.   If I had to add finding the wood and carving a bow drill set, well, I know how long it would take me.  I hope I could stay warm long enough.

So I stood there in the street, and role played for about ten minutes.  Even wearing my King of the Mountain coat, by the time I turned back towards the house, I was chilled.  I paused again and gave thanks that I was NOT being forced into a survival situation right now.  The warmth of the wood stove and other such niceties made me very grateful for the relative peace and prosperity I enjoy.

Survival in a group is much easier than alone, provided you have a functional team.  But nothing stresses a team more than being out of your element, your comfort zone.  The only solution to this is experience.  I say over and over that Scout class and actually many of the advanced classes are as much about the dynamics of the team as they are about the content of the class.  BOTH ARE VITAL!!!