Wilderness survival is especially important if you are a person who likes the outdoors. Sometimes, circumstances can take a turn for the unexpected and the best way to survive is to be prepared by mastering some very necessary skills.

Be able to tell direction. Navigation skills can lead you in the right direction and get you out of the wilderness, literally. Have a compass with you and know how to read it.

Try learning the more advanced ways of finding direction. These are skills taught by experienced outdoorsmen who can teach you how to tell direction even when the sun isn?t shining, or observing prevailing winds or by looking at ?indicators? on rocks, melting snow, trees and shrubs.

If you are able to do these things, then you will never have to worry even if you dropped the compass.

Learn to find shelter. Caves, overhanging cliffs, boulders, even fallen trees can be used to protect yourself from the elements. Know what you need to build a proper structure that can keep away the sun, wind, rain and even snow. Be able to build a shelter from the only available materials in your environment.

Build a fire. The importance of a fire cannot be emphasized enough. A fire can keep you warm, light up your area, cook food and discourage animals from coming close.

Look for food and a source of water. Be able to tell which plants are edible and which are not. Also, know how to handle plants that you have to crack, such as coconuts. You might also need to learn how to fish or track and trap animals and prepare them for cooking.

You can also learn the skill of telling which source of water is safe to drink. For safety, be able to find some way to heat water to sterilize it.

Learn basic first aid so you?ll know what to do in case of injuries or sickness.

Learn how to make weapons or equipment using whatever is available ? rocks, branches, leaves or vines. They will come in handy as substitutes for a knife, club, hammer or yes, even a pillow.

Learn the skill of knowing what to do when you encounter a wild animal. Sometimes, running away or climbing a tree is not the best solution.

Keep a level head so you can think straight and not make mistakes. Remember that the wilderness is not your enemy. You just need to work with it in order to survive.

Did you know that you can die because of dehydration due to the heat of the desert in as little as a few hours? And did you know that you can survive not eating any food as long as you drink water for how many weeks?

It?s a fact. Water constitutes a big portion of our body. And so it can dictate whether we can or cannot survive any condition without it ? water. So how do you find it when you?re stranded somewhere you are not that familiar with? Here are some tips when looking for sources of water:

In the Wild
It is much easier for us to find water if we are lost in rainforests. The presence of vegetation means the presence of water. Look where trees are growing more profusely or for a spot of lush grass. A puddle of water or even a river of water could be nearby if you find these indications of water?s presence.

Somewhere Cold
If you got stranded at the North Pole or in Siberia, what are your options if you run out of water? Snow, of course! But one word of caution is to never try to melt snow in your mouth. It will cause further dehydration as it will consume your body?s heat and it can also chaff your skin and crack your lips.

In the Desert
Sahara and Antarctica (the biggest desert in the world) lovers may find it not that cool (pun intended) to get lost in the desert bit it still could happen - no matter how familiar you think you are familiar with the desert. Oases don?t abound but lucky you if you find one. Dry steam beds can deceive you. They can actually have water when dug. If you discover damp soil or mud you?re on the right track. If not, don?t waste your energy, look somewhere else. Look where animals are flocking, make sure it?s not a carcass they?re feasting on though. Where life is, water is!

From all those sources of water, it can?t still be safe to just drink any water you find. Filtering and treating it to make sure that it?s clean enough for consumption should be your priority, too. So, don?t forget to always take with you a water purification tablet or at least filter the water with whatever sources you can filter it with. Of course, boiling it can be of great help too.

You may be an adventurer who frequents the outdoors, goes hiking up the world?s tallest mountains, swims underneath the vast oceans, and visits the icy areas of the globe. Maybe you think about the soldier who lives in the jungle out of necessity, sent out on a reconnaissance mission taking weeks and months of his life. Have you ever wondered how people like these survive the various dangers the world has to offer?

Soldiers, particularly those highest trained, are schooled on how to survive when out in the field, regardless of the climate or environment they are in. Adventurers know some basic survival skills such as lighting a fire, building shelters, etc. One thing is common with both ? they underwent some form of survival training before embarking on their journey.

Benefits of survival training

You never know when the survival skills will come in handy or when they will be needed, so one benefit of survival training is that it prepares you for what may be a possibility. You may need a fire one night to use as a light or to keep warm, and you don?t have matches, but you can make one thanks to survival training.

Another benefit is that it teaches you how to make the most of the environment you are in, regardless of what it is. For example, you are in the jungle. Survival training will teach you how to hunt for food and water, how to cook the food, as well as build a shelter made of trees ? which would be difficult to do if not properly trained.

Additionally, survival training will teach you how to adapt to terrain. If trapped on an island, you will know what to do with the resources the island has to offer. It is different when you are trapped near the top of a mountain, since you have to know how to properly climb down from it.

How to be trained

There are quite a number of survival training schools available that are open free of charge to anyone, not to mention certain military camps where this training is a requirement. If you are simply an adventurer, you would have to enroll in this form of school or hire an expert to teach you. If you are in the military or aspiring to be, it is not much of a problem since this is required especially if you?re to be sent out to the field.

Survival training would be very helpful in certain situations. If you frequently adventure, the training would be a great asset and is highly recommended.

Accidents can happen any time. They can occur in a party where the person has slipped on a wet substance on the floor or when the individual trips on a rock while hiking on a camping trip.

These things are unfortunate but people should be ready to administer first aid when it happens. But what happens if there is no first aid? If the proper resources are not available, the individual has to improvise to stop the bleeding and clean the wound so infection will not set in.

The best things to use when there is no first aid kit around is a piece of cloth, belt, shoe lace and sticks from broken trees. These materials can be used to make a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and make a sling for a broken shoulder.

A snakebite is the worse thing that can happen to anyone on a camping trip. If there are venomous ones in the area, the best thing to do is to clean the wound using some water and try sucking the venom out.

This may be dangerous should it be swallowed by the one administering the first aid. If it is done properly, the bite mark can be closed by touching it with the tip of a heated blade. The people may not have the proper equipment to aid the victim but this can be enough to get the individual to a medical facility.

If the weather is cold and the individual feels the chills despite using a blanket or staying near the fire, it is best to warm-up some hot chocolate or coffee. A bottle of booze may also help but this is one item that should not be with you, especially if there are minors within the camping group.

Those who go on camping trips often know that some bruising or scrapes will always occur due to the uneven terrain. These are just minor injuries that can heal over time but it is still advisable to wash them with water to prevent infection.

Should there be any splinters or cactus spines, these should be removed using a pair of clippers or scissors. Putting a flashlight over the wound will make it easy for the person to remove anything that is there.

Administering first aid without a kit can be done on a victim. Though a doctor may be able to do a better job with the proper equipment, this will have to do given the circumstances until the patient is taken to a hospital or clinic for better treatment.

More than ten years ago, Scott Grady, an American Air Force Pilot was shot down behind enemy lines. This happened somewhere over Bosnia when the United States started flying missions to stop the genocide that was happening in that part of the world.

Equipped with a small packet of water, some biscuits, a radio, map and gun, he was able to evade enemy soldiers until US marines were able to extract the pilot him from the hot zone.

This is one story where a person is able to survive in the wilderness under extreme conditions without the proper equipment and minimum of supplies.

Not everyone will be able to experience what this individual went through but something similar may happen if a camper does not have the adequate gear needed to go camping.

A group of hikers who plan to go up a mountain and come down may get lost on the way back. This might also occur if the time it took to go up was longer than planned making it impossible to return before dark.

When this happens, there is only one thing to do; assess the situation rather than panic since this doesn?t do any good.

Most hikers carry only a canteen and some food. This means there won?t be adequate shelter such as a tent. They should improvise by looking for an old cabin or finding a cave.

If they are not that lucky, then the group should find a clearing close to a river or stream to be able to replenish the water supply: or if necessary make some makeshift fishing rods or spears to obtain food to eat.

The hikers must start a fire. This is to keep everyone warm and in order to cook dinner. Gathering some old leaves and sticks and placing these together will make it easy to light using a match or with a lighter.

The ground will not be as soft as the bed a person may have at home. The backpack will have to be used as a pillow and the jacket as a blanket until the sun comes up the following day so that they can go home.

Surviving the wilderness with few supplies will be challenging for those who did not plan on spending the night in the forest. People must use the resources available to stay safe and warm until dawn breaks to see the trail going down the mountain.

Camping is usually a pleasurable pastime to enjoy the great outdoors. However, being far from civilization can raise the risks of danger. One of the most feared types of danger during camping are wild animal attacks.

Wild animals generally do not have the propensity to seek out and attack humans. But when people intrude on an animal?s territories, the animals can get aggressive. Here are some essential tips for survival during a wild animal attack:

Black Bears

When confronted by black bear, you should stand on ground and avoid running. Doing so would make the bear think even more that you are prey. Just move quietly and slowly away while keeping eye-to-eye contact with the bear. It would be helpful to have a Bear Pepper Spray around so that you can use it should the bear advance.

Get rid of any food, especially fresh fish. If the bear continues to attack, however be sure to keep your knapsack on to help protect your body from a possible attack. Avoid getting in between a cub and a mother bear. If you do not have pepper spray or the one you have fails, drop to the ground, protect your neck with your hands and play dead.

Grizzly Bears

Grizzly Bears are generally more aggressive than black bears, so more caution is needed when confronted by one. When a grizzly attacks, stay alert, do not run and/or make loud noises. If you have bear pepper spray use it as the bear approaches. If you have none or the one you have is broken, drop to the ground and play dead.

Grizzly bears usually just smell and nibble a little at their catch and cover it with leaves and dirt to save it for later. The bear will most likely do this to you as well, so just play dead and wait for the bear to leave.

Mountain Lions

Mountain lions are different than bears and it is best to fight back instead of playing dead when they attack. Try to kick, punch, and gouge the mountain lion?s eyes to scare it away and cause it to think of you as a strong contender instead of prey. Throw wood, rocks, and other hurtful objects but be careful when stooping down to pick objects up.

A wild animal attack may be very dangerous, but they generally will not come near you if you do not call attention to yourself. As always, it is always best to avoid than confront when it comes to wild animals.

If you are trapped in the wilderness without any food, your chance for survival is still high. Contrary to what most people believe, anybody can survive in the wilderness even without food: that is because scientifically speaking, the human body can survive life for more than a few weeks without food.

Then again, the effects of having to prolong existence in the wilderness without food can bring about psychological problems and may worsen one?s physical condition.

No food intake for several weeks may cause a person to become defenseless against viruses or other diseases, bad temper, inability to think clearly, exhaustion, and may destabilize the immune system. If prolonged, the body may develop diseases, which can even cause death.

So it is important to find some ways to sustain the body?s need for food. Here are some tips on how to survive the wilderness without any food.

1. Be sure to equip yourself with skills

In order to survive in the wilderness, it is imperative that you know the basic skills of fishing, hunting, and catching animals in order to survive. In fact, experts say that survival in the wilderness is not actually a question of survival since nature can provide man with his basic needs.

The only important thing is that the individual must know how to look for food and how to identify the edible ones.

2. Learn how to start a fire even without a match

If you know how to do this, cooking food in the wilderness will never be a problem. With fire, you can cook almost all of the edible things that you can find. You do not even have to depend on canned foods because you have nature?s ?grilled? foods.

Besides, maintaining a fire will protect you from nature?s harmful bacteria that can be found in foods. So just to be on the safe side, it is best to cook whatever edible things you can find in the wilderness before you eat them.

3. Prioritize water

As mentioned, food is not so important in order to survive in the wilderness. What matters most is to have plenty of potable water. If you are not sure of the water that you can get from the stream or river, you can always boil it before drinking.

Surveys show that almost 90% of deaths in the wilderness are caused by dehydration.

Despite the invention of machines such as cellular phones and the global positioning system or GPS, people are still getting lost in the wilderness. This proves that modern technology can?t always help in some sticky situations.

Here are some tips for those who get lost and have no idea how to get home.

1. Stay put and wait for help to arrive. Friends and family will most likely notice something is wrong when the person has not made it back after some time. This is when a search and rescue mission is initiated by others.

2. If the area where the individual is located is not visible due to the rough terrain, try to move into a clearer area. A person can use his/her clothes, a mirror or some rocks as markers, making it easier for rescuers to find the location from the air or when using a pair of binoculars.

3. Try to stay dry because the weather could get cold and anyone who is wet is at risk of developing hypothermia.

4. A person can also suffer from dehydration if the body does not absorb any water. If there is a nearby stream a person can replenish the lost liquids and maintain normal blood pressure.

5. The weather changes rapidly in the wilderness. Find shelter in a cave or under a tree. Breaking some branches or gathering some old wood can be used to make a makeshift shelter.

6. If the person is injured, it is best to apply first aid. A handkerchief, belt and a stick can be made into a sling or a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

7. The challenging part of surviving the wilderness without any supplies is looking for food to eat. If there are some bushes and trees in the area, a person can check if it is bearing fruits or berries. Some insects such as crickets may also be consumed since studies have shown these creatures have nutrients that are good for the body.

It is hard to appreciate nature when the individual has to survive under such extreme circumstances. If these happen, adapt and improvise because this is the only way to survive.

When going outdoors, it is wise to remember that we are entering insect territory. It is really not up to us, so don?t feel offended if insects start biting or stinging. It?s nothing personal. They really are just looking out for themselves.

The first thing you should do when venturing for a walk outdoors is to put on an insect-repellant. These chemicals render you ?invisible? to an insect. Also, do not wear perfume or brightly colored clothes. These are very attractive to our bug friends.

Spiders. Some of the most poisonous spiders are black widows. They are easily recognizable because of their hourglass-shaped bodies with orange, red or white spots on the abdomen. Bites can cause severe pain, weakness, shivering and sweating that can last several days.

An arachnid to watch out for is the fiddleback spider, so called because of a light spot that resembles a violin on its back. It is also known as the brown recluse because it prefers dark places. Its bite can cause tissue degeneration around the site.

Other spiders to avoid are the funnelwebs and the tarantulas. A tarantula can deliver a painful bite that can cause bleeding which could lead to infection.

A spider bite is rarely fatal, except when a person is allergic to the particular toxin in its venom.

Scorpions. Most scorpions are nocturnal and they are either brown or black. To adapt to the desert, they have light green or yellow coloring. They can grow to an average of 2.5cm and some Central America giants are about 20cm. They cause a very painful sting with their jointed tails and are not to be confused with whip scorpions and vinegar roons, which have straight tails like a whip.

Bees and Wasps. Bees are easily recognizable because of their plump, hairy bodies while wasps and hornets are hairless and slender. Some bees live in colonies, while others build their homes in the ground or in wood. When a bee attacks, it leaves its stinger stuck to your skin, along with the venom sac. Wasps and hornets attack repeatedly with smooth stingers.

Ticks. Ticks like blood and can spread Lyme disease, encephalitis, Rocky Mountain fever and other dangerous diseases. However, in order for these diseases to be transmitted, the tick will need at least six hours attached to your skin. That leaves ample time to inspect your body and get rid of it.

The best defense against insects is avoidance. Most of them act out of self-preservation and not because they mean any harm. So try to remain as far away from them as possible. They are not creatures to socialize with.

Many people head into the woods to hunt, to camp or to just feel the raw beauty of nature. But just when you are in the middle of enjoying the sweet scent of the woods and having a great time - accidents can happen anytime. If you are caught with an injury in the middle of your wilderness adventure, here are some guidelines and quick tips you need to know.

Animal Bites
In the wild there are a ferocious animals that can bite anyone who intrudes their property. If you are bitten by any kind of wild animal the first thing to do is wash the infected area with clean water and soap (a germicidal soap is best) as soon as you can. Scrub the wounded area just a little. After doing so, cover the wound with a clean bandage. When you head home, be sure to see your doctor to check on the wound. He may prescribe antibiotics or a tetanus booster depending on the animal bite.

Insect Stings
Almost all kinds of insects breed in the woods. When you feel an insect sting, remove any of the insect's remains on the affected skin. Leave the place where you got the insect sting because chances are there are a lot of insects that would bite you if you stayed there any longer. If stingers are still lodged deep in your skin, remove them by using a thin and hard material (like a credit card or your fingernail) and scrape out the foreign body. Remove jewelry, like rings, if you're fingers are affected. Tight jewelry can hinder the flow of your blood. To ease the pain, you can rub a salt and water solution or a baking soda paste on the affected area.

Ankle Fracture
Trekking can cause ankle fractures. If this happens, keep your ankles elevated and try not to move it. This can help minimize the pain and the swelling. If you have cold packs in your luggage, apply them to the injured area.

Head Injury
If you acquire head bumps, apply ice packs if they are readily available. If not, you can use ice wrapped in cloth or if you have some frozen items in your backpack you can use them as a replacement for ice. You can also make your own ice pack by mixing 1/3 cup of isopropyl alcohol and 2/3-cup water in a zip lock bag.

When going into the wilderness, always remember to take along a first aid kit. This can prove to be very important if accidents and injuries happen in the middle of your trip.