We all love to relax in nature, wallow in a green meadow and breathe the forest air. But the forest should not be underestimated. Of course, it’s not worth being afraid, frightened, and even more so depriving yourself of the pleasure of picking ripe forest blueberries, but you really need to show respect and prepare for the forest. We have collected IMPORTANT information about how to behave in the forest if you get lost, what to take with you and how to get the most out of your walk!
What to take with?
Fully charged phone. If possible, take an external battery with you – a power bank. And refrain from playing tanks in nature – you can play the phone at home, but you need to relax in nature, and save battery on your phone. Don’t forget about rechargeable led flashlights;
Water supply at the rate of 1 liter per person. Water must be shared between all participants – everyone should have their own bottle. It is impossible for one person to have the entire supply of water: if one is lost, then the second will simply be left without water. You can’t drink water from forest springs – it’s unsafe. But if this happened and you were left without water, then look for running water and springs;
From food, take something small but nutritious with you: chocolate, chocolate bars, cereal bars, dried fruits, nuts. You can’t drink and eat everything at once, water and food must be stretched, if you get lost, it’s not known how quickly they can find you.
Whistle. Not all of us are opera singers with piercing voices. So from a loud cry, you can easily break your voice, and lose your strength, but you need to save your strength as much as possible: if you are lost, then it is not known when they can find you. So we take a whistle – we save strength and save our voice. Lost your whistle?
Bright clothes. We leave our unrealistically cool brutal camouflage at home. But in the forest we remember and apply “the brighter, the better.” Bright and acid shades are clearly visible from the height of a helicopter, in any season we avoid white and pastel shades. In autumn we choose blue colors, in winter – any bright shades, except for white and pastels, in spring and summer – red and orange.
Torch. The flashlight on the phone is very gluttonous, and we need to save energy! So we take with us an ordinary hand-held flashlight, and even better a headlamp – it will free you both hands;
Raincoat. Usually it all starts with the words: “Oh, why do I need an umbrella?” And now you are already standing wet up to your ears: it is dripping from your head, squelching in your boots. And getting caught in the rain in the forest is an even less pleasant event, and getting lost in the forest and getting caught in the rain is even worse. So carefully fold your favorite raincoat and boldly take it with you;
Matches or lighter. Wrap them in a bag first so they don’t get wet. Everyone remembers the rule “matches are not toys”? So do not indulge, but use carefully and wisely.
What to do if you got lost?
If you realize that you are lost, then it’s time to use the first item on the list
Call the lifeguards first! There is no need to call all relatives in a row, and even more so to shoot a story for Instagram – we save energy as much as possible so that it is enough at the most crucial moment;
– Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. We calmly examine everything and listen to the surrounding sounds. The barking of dogs, the voices of people, the sounds of running machinery, the railway can suggest the direction of movement;
– Move in one direction. When you come to a road or clearing, go along it. At the fork, we choose a more trodden path;
– Is there a stream nearby? Then move downstream. The stream will surely lead to the river, and the river to the people;
– A tall tree can help, which you can climb and inspect the surroundings from a height. But we evaluate our capabilities objectively! If you can really climb a tree and go down without injury, then we climb in and watch, otherwise there is no need to play Tarzan out of yourself;
– From time to time we blow the whistle (did you take it?). If there is no whistle, then we knock on wood with a stick – these sounds are clearly audible over long distances;
– If you are sure that they will look for you (did you tell your family and friends where you were going?), then stop We stay in one place, collect dry branches and kindle a fire. We only do it according to all safety rules so as not to harm the forest;
– If you saw a trail, then first you need to determine if it is animal. Running away from wild animals is only fun in comedies. Therefore, we check: do the branches of the bushes close in the area of your chest? If yes, then we bypass this path – it is animal!
– You can only move during the day, when it is light and you can see everything around. Is it getting dark? So we need to arrange accommodation for ourselves: we collect dry branches, cones, bark to make a fire, we clean the territory of the fire (it should be clean for 1-1.5 meters around the fire, we remove everything that can easily ignite), stock up on water;
– We go to sleep strictly sideways to the fire. If you sleep by the fire, then you should not be afraid of the attack of animals – they themselves are afraid of people and fire;
– If you saw an animal in the distance, then quietly and calmly walk around it, while maintaining the greatest possible distance – you are not in the Mimiishki cartoon, so you are unlikely to be met with pies and apricot compote;
– When meeting with the cubs of wild animals, do not rush at them with cries of “oh, what a sweetheart!” and try to hug / stroke him, and even more so take him home with you! Their loving mother will obviously not be delighted with such an idea.