Hypothetical survival situation: Lost in the woods, sprained ankle, one altoids kit.

Liam Ryan

Liam Ryan

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Sep 26, 2005
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OK time for a hypothetical. I know most people know what that word means but everytime I see one of these situations posted there's one or two or 10 people that say they would not have gotten into the situation because of X or Y or what gear they actually would have had that would have made the situation a walk in the park.
Good for you! Now, everyone else, here's the situation.
You are on a day hike in a new spot that is unfamiliar to you, and it's a nice fall day, 20 celsius during the day (not sure farenheit) and drops to about 8 at night.
For gear, you are traveling light, a fixed blade or folder, water bottle, a snack, and an altoids tin survival kit full of what ever you can fit in it and realistically wrap around it. No cel coverage out here, either.

Suddenly what you thought was the return path doesn't look like it should, where's the stream you crossed a while back? It should be here by now. Sunset is in about 1 hour and you were planning to be back at the car just in time for that, but looks like that may not happen.

You feel that little bit of panic creep up your spine and start to hurry up a small hill to gauge your surroundings and you slip on a loos rock, rolling your ankle badly. (old football injury)

Now here you are, clutching your ankle that can take not too much weight, and you have some decisions to make.

Whats in your kit that can save your butt, and what precautions have you taken before you left to let people know where you were going? Say you were out here for 2 or 3 nights, how would you get food? Can you signal for help?
 
Step one, pull out thermometer from tin and check the temperature in fahrenhright because despite taking 20 credit hour of chemistry in college you still have no idea what 20 degrees celcius means.

Next, realize that no one is going to look for you for at least two days because you have no social life.

Step 3. Man up and walk/ crawl/ hop/ carve a splint and get out of there. A compound fracture would be different but you can deal with a sprained ankle. If you get lost, stop, make a fire with the small lighter and lint in the tin. Prepare to last out the night and get out of there in the morning.
 
Well, water freezes at 0, boils at 100, so it's about 1/5th boiling water warm. :D
Almost too convenient, that old metric system, isn't it?
 
On a day hike? If I'm in a serious need I'll start a fire and put a lot of green shit on it
 
Quick shelter, a bed of leaves or needles, a lean to cover from some branches to trap warmth and keep any rain off my head. Then a small fire using the magstriker in my tin. Before the sun is fully lost.blow the whistle a few times as well. Gather more fuel and worry about water and getting out when there is light to see. Easy to miss a dropoff in the dark. Stay warm al night And id keep my boots on. Next day water is a priority, i cary a canteen with the metal cup to boil water in.or use the chemical tabs make a crutch if its the foots that bad.whistle blow again. Food is last on my list unless its opportunity food. Work on getting your bearings. If your staying there improve shelterTake your time and do not panic. Day 3 spend more time looking for food , worms grubs around here tree meat and pine needles. Snares from laces if you feel tou need more food and have time to stay local. Whistle more. Rinse and repeat.
 
Gotta say,
1) wouldn't panic.
2) Sprained ankle won't stop me from hobbling my @#$ to my car and going home
3) Everything depends on where I am, what's around me, and what I can do.

Environment dictates a lot.

I wouldn't even worry about food unless I've come to the realization I'm stuck out there for several(more than 2-3) days. My primary concern would be getting out, warmth and hydration.

sooo.... topo map, compass, ferro rod, and water tabs?
 
Right now I don't have a altoid kit as such set up, but I do have an otter 1000 with:
Mirror, Fox 40 slim, Mini flashlight , sliver-grippers, peanut lighter, wetfire, small firesteel, cotton/beeswax tinder, small zipties, small safety pins and a Vic pioneer settler, AH1, and about 5 yards of 2mm cord. So basically two fire methods, two signal methods, and two sharp things.

Lets just say that I'm in the Canadian rockies since that's where I've been the most. There are two options:
First one, in the case of imminent danger, such as no circulation in foot, possible break and possible compartment syndrome, all bets are off. Before I loose light I'll try to get some wood together and get a fire going in a safe area, hopefully out in the open where I'll be seen with it. Fire watch should be able to locate the fire, and hopefully I'll get a flyover or SAR instead of a bucket of water, although if I'm off track in a little used area, depending on the time of year, instead of SAR I might get a Buffalo, and I'm told that's really not fun. Plus signaling with a whistle and mirror as possible.

If I'm not in real danger, I'll try to find a sheltered spot to hole up for the night, and see how things are in the morning. Best to not risk things in the dark. In the morning I'll see how the foot feels, get the boot laced up tight, find a walking stick, and sort out the direction.


If I was here in Australia, winter conditions (which could match the temp range as well) I would be thinking along the same lines, but where I am, the fire risk could be too high to risk lighting a fire.
I that case it would be a case of huddling up, hoping the bugs stay away and wait for morning. As well, whistle signals.

Once I'm sure that the search has started, probably on second morning, I'll be doing my best to get a signal of some sort going. That's what everyone is going to expect from me.

With a trashed ankle priorities are going to be shelter, or as much as is possible. Signaling, again as much as is possible. Limiting movement is going to be important as I'll want to conserve any water I have left, and try to collect any I can, but it would have to be easy water, as any activity is going to be using up water faster than normal.

The thing that seems to show up time and time again is that people either are unable to signal, or they are not reported missing for several days. So to prevent that, making sure someone knows generally where you are going, even if its just where you are parking your car. Having more than one method of signaling, so that aerial search is effective. Maybe we just don't hear about the short searches that happen, but I suspect the main thing that draws searches out is people doing lots of wandering, or being in places that have limited SAR resources.
 
I actually sorta had the same situation. Maybe 10 years ago was hiking with an ex GF when she fell badly breaking her leg. I used the cell phone to call for help then 5 hours later in the pitch of black the FD showed up to carry her off the "expert" trail using a stretcher. I wasn't really sure as to our exact location but did have a map therefore was able to give them my best guess. I picked it up at the trail head on a lark as didn't really expect any trouble or need with an afternoon hike on clearly marked trails.:( I could hear the sirens so wasn't that far from the packing lot but far enough for what seemed like forever to get help. I didn't have an altoids kit but did have that trail map, headlamp, poncho, a cell phone, water, snacks and an entire bucket of worry. I could have used a whistle as it would have helped them find us a little faster in the dark. I could hear them but our voices didn't really carry as far as I would have wanted. After that I have a whistle in my Altoids plus other packs.
 
I don't have a tin kit, but in the spirit of the thread:

I know I'd try to make a crutch to walk out with first.

If that fails 1] sound, 2] smell, 3] sight. Wind the dog whistle to a pitch that wont infuriate him and get blowing. Set fire to something. Apart from smoke they stink. And that stink carries a long way. Once it is dark I always have at least one torch I can try to annoy someone with.

When I go to places this wouldn't work I am better prepared. This is a fairly straight forward, common, and realistic scenario that can be overcome with simple solutions.
 
baldtaco-II said:
This is a fairly straight forward, common, and realistic scenario that can be overcome with simple solutions.
Click to expand...

That is the idea, but it can still end badly.
Say there's a button compass in your kit, or you even have a full size one and know how to use it, do you know which direction it is to your car?
Say you can hobble out, how positive are you you are going the right way? Depending on how remote the area is and how bad the injury is, you could be out there for a long time, but a few simple precautions could save your hide. Make a facebook post saying where you are headed, for example. Let your mom know, leave a note on your widshield, pay attention to your surroundings and look for landmarks.
 
1. Sit down and don't do anything for 5-10 minutes. I like to do that in situations like this as long as there's nothing imminently threatening. It helps me get past the initial, "Oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die" panic that my brain likes to do.
2. Figure out if I'm well and truly lost, or if I just lost my bearings for a second and gave into the aforementioned panic.
3. Now that adrenaline has worn off a bit, assess my injury. Ankle sprains aren't all created equal and I need to know if the ankle can bear weight without buckling, how much the injury restricts range of motion, basically if I can walk out of there or if I'm stuck where I'm at. This will also depend on the terrain I've hiked to get there.
4. Address the injury. The areas where I hike I can, at minimum, cut a walking stick if not a crutch. Depending on the severity of the injury, I may also wrap the ankle with tape to give it more support.
5. Think about the trail I was hiking. Was it well maintained? How many other hikers did I see there before my injury? If it's an easily accessible, well maintained trail with a decent amount of traffic someone may very well come across me before I can take many steps on my own. Of course, if that is the case then I can probably take my crutch/walking stick and just limp along the trail until I get cell service back.
6. Decide if I'm going to try to hobble out on my own or set up a fire/use my signal mirror/beacon mode on my flashlight/use my rescue whistle to try to get help.
 
Liam Ryan said:
That is the idea, but it can still end badly.
Say there's a button compass in your kit, or you even have a full size one and know how to use it, do you know which direction it is to your car?
Say you can hobble out, how positive are you you are going the right way? Depending on how remote the area is and how bad the injury is, you could be out there for a long time, but a few simple precautions could save your hide. Make a facebook post saying where you are headed, for example. Let your mom know, leave a note on your widshield, pay attention to your surroundings and look for landmarks.
Click to expand...

I get where you're coming from.

I have a clear line between lost as an inconvenience and lost as in peril.

The Altoids kit type things that I may have about my person are for inconveniences. If I were in any doubt about the consequences I wouldn't be pratting about with a few bits like that.

The other night when I was out on the tredder I even had a down jacket in a compression sack strapped to my hydration pack in case I overdid the vodka and ended up confused in a hedge.
 
A low of 8 Celsius at night is still well above freezing.

If your ankle "can't take too much weight" then that means it can take some weight. And a sprained ankle that can take some weight is an ankle you can move on, even if you have to quickly fashion some sort of cane/crutch. As others have said, take a few minutes to collect your thoughts, pay attention to where the sun is in the sky in relation to the time of day, and use that to guesstimate cardinal directions. Don't resign yourself to spending the night out - pop the 800mg. of ibuprofen you have in your Altoids kit (right?) and start moving with the hour of daylight you have left.

The stream is key for two reasons:

1) Remember which way the stream was flowing when you crossed it, and that the stream is going to be in some sort of valley or depression in the terrain (obviously). These two details will help in locating the stream with the hour of daylight you have left. Knowing which way the stream was flowing when you first crossed it, and thus the orientation of the valley it is flowing through, will allow you to relate that to the direction you initially started hiking from. If you can figure this out, you will be at least partially oriented, rather than completely disoriented.

2) If the air temps are what you describe, then that means the stream is at least cool, if not cold (depending on the source). Cool water can significantly help reduce the swelling in the ankle. Stop and elevate the ankle and cool it down. Then keep moving.

And remember - you're never really lost if you've been paying attention the whole time. Make it a habit.
 
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Very good smithhammer, and lots of good points from others too.
Personally I would probably look for a good spot to lay low for the night, moving as little as possible, just try to get comfy and get a fire going with plenty of wood within crawling distance if possible. Keep the foot elevated and leave the boot on, try and fashion a walking stick/crutch, and head out early in the morning.
Moving slow you are not getting back to the car by nightfall even if you knew the way, and in that state gathering firewood and finding a good spot won't be easy in the dark, even with a flashlight.
 
Fire for the night, walk out during the day. :)

(As for metric, I think metric for temperature, and imperial for weight and height..)
 
Liam Ryan said:
Very good smithhammer, and lots of good points from others too.
Personally I would probably look for a good spot to lay low for the night, moving as little as possible, just try to get comfy and get a fire going with plenty of wood within crawling distance if possible. Keep the foot elevated and leave the boot on, try and fashion a walking stick/crutch, and head out early in the morning.
Moving slow you are not getting back to the car by nightfall even if you knew the way, and in that state gathering firewood and finding a good spot won't be easy in the dark, even with a flashlight.
Click to expand...


Yeah, obviously there are some key factors that would influence the decision to hike out or not, such as how far from the car are you? 2 miles? 10 miles? How much elevation gain? If it's the latter and you only have an hour of daylight left, it's probably a better call to stay put and get comfortable for the night.

But scenarios like this are a good reason for why I always carry a headlamp/flashlight in my pack, even if I'm just supposedly going on a day hike.
 
Smithhammer said:
But scenarios like this are a good reason for why I always carry a headlamp/flashlight in my pack, even if I'm just supposedly going on a day hike.
Click to expand...

Yep. :)
I remember hiking out of a wooded area at night as a teenager, leading a group of other teens met in the woods, with only a Zippo for light.
We made it, but it was tricky crossing a log over a creek with nothing but a lighter for illumination (especially as not everyone was exactly sober...)

Nowadays I always have a flashlight with me.
And a knife.
(and a lighter, cord, water, etc.)
 
For you metric phobic folk
20 to 8 = 68 to 46
8/46 is cool but not life threatening with a jacket and poncho

You have left you departure and arrival with two friends
Both of them have each others phone number
You have not called in by the evening
They will be concerned by the morning, and as agreed they will contact authorities

A double situation:
You are misplaced (not lost)
You have hurt your ankle

One hour before dusk and longer than an hours walk out
Never navigate at night if you are misplaced
Stop
Set up camp
Rest

In the morning
Map and Compass
You have misplaced yourself
Go thru the standard map reading analasis of finding where you could last identify yourself on the map
Without going deeper can you get yourself out?
Are you actually lost?
Very unlikely

Ankle injury
Can you walk on it with a splint and crutch?
How slow?
You went on a day hike
Half a day in and half a day out
So you now have a full unfit day for what was a fit half a day
You should have time

No to either of the above
You cannot risk moving becuase you will get more lost
Or you are injured enough not to be able to walk
Stay put and burn a green smoky signal fire
Your friends will call the the local authorities as you are late
You know this means a full 24 hour delay from no contact
Wait
 
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