Scenario-based training: You are injured in the wilderness

lots of good points in this thread so far, and good idea brian. i have thought about this some, but your situation is beyond what i had in mind.

i would say assuming i'm in such a bad place, i would do what i could to get to a safe place if i wasn't already in one. if there are trails nearby, i would try to get to them so that someone would eventually come across me. i could probably drag myself a good distance...i have dealt with a fair amount of pain in the past, in several different conditions (voluntary and involuntary :rolleyes: ) so i think that i can say without ego that i might be able to deal with it.

once in a safer place, i would wrap up in either my poncho tarp, my heavy duty space blanket-tarp, or a space blanket, or a combo if i had more than one on me. i always have at least one, often two or three. i would do what i could to build up some insulation of dry leaves under me...might be tricky though with one arm. starting a fire would be tricky for me, with only one hand. i guess i have enough fatwood and PJCB to get a fire going even if i can't make a good nest of shavings and intermediate kindling to get it going...

no cell phone, so calling is out of the question...
 
So if you were going out alone did you leave a note of where and how long til when you would return. i know alot of folks like ferrorods but this is a good reason to always have a latgher or 2 and a roll of some type of tape, duct or electrical. do you have hiking/walking stick make splints or use to reach and drag some more sticks for splints or fire closer to you and use it to sweep leaves, stick /stand it up to hold up a tarp. trash bag, space blanket for a makeshift tent if it was raining.


How far back to a vehicle or camp / home?

Did you pack some water and food with you? I am a big guy so a couple of quarts of water I might still have and I am a snacker

If you have to or think you can set a broken bone yourself i hope you like pain. cause putting a break back in places hurts.

say your prayers, think postive and if you are lucky enough to have defaulted student loans those leeches will find you.


pat
 
I would get on the cell phone that I always carry and since I have the verizon network I get more bars then any other network :):):)

For real, if the cell didn't work I would have to use he saw on my SAK because I would be able to deply it with one hand and the aid of my teeth. This is assuming that I have no use of the other hand at all. I'd cut up as much wood as I can, build as good as shelter as I can and and start a fire.

Since there is no leaves on the trees there should be plenty on the ground to make some smoke signals depending on the density of the forrest.

I know splinting two legs together is not ideal, but in this case it would work. I'd also have to tie up the bad arm in a sling. I carry advil so I'd be able to manage pain a bit with a little advil.

If there is a trail anywhere near by or an opening in the trees I would try to drag myself as close as possible prior to starting all the above exercises.

Also, I'd have to fashion up a spear of some sort to keep away the four legged creatures that may want to take advantage of me.

At that point I would have to wait for help to arrive. Someone always knows my general whereabouts and when to expect me back. In many cases someone will know the exact trail I am on.

Usually I have my dog with me when I am hiking alone so I'm not sure what she would do if I were unable to go any further. She would most likely stay by my side and not know what to do. I also carry a pencil and paper, so maybe I may be able to write a note with my location in the hopes that my dog is found by someone else, I could tuck the note in the dogs collar and hope for the best.

Great topic Brian.

Like Theonew said though, my experience in the NE has proven that I can get a cell signal just about anywhere. I keep my cell protected in my pack so whatever caused my injuries probably won't harm my phone. I know what the arguement is though - "Don't rely on a phone" That's why I provided the explanation above.
 
siguy said:
no cell phone, so calling is out of the question...
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Simon, if you don't want to commit to a monthly contract, you could pick up a phone for very little money and get a pay-as-you-go plan and just never use up those minutes. Actually even without any type of plan, I think, though I'm not sure, that a 911 call will still go through. Just a thought.
 
theonew said:
Simon, if you don't want to commit to a monthly contract, you could pick up a phone for very little money and get a pay-as-you-go plan and just never use up those minutes. Actually even without any type of plan, I think, though I'm not sure, that a 911 call will still go through. Just a thought.
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Yup, you can get a cheapo prepaid at 7-11 or any verizon store that requires very little $ to pay into it.

I dislike cell phones and talking on a cell phone, but I would go nowhere without it this day and age.
 
myright said:
Usually I have my dog with me when I am hiking alone so I'm not sure what she would do if I were unable to go any further. She would most likely stay by my side and not know what to do.
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There's no doubt in my mind that my dog would never leave my side while I'm still alive and would most likely stay with my corpse until it just got too stinky to bear.

I've never really thought about this though and I'm glad you brought it up. I'm going to look into training him to actually leave me and go get help in an emergency. I have taught him to bark on command so that might possibly be of some use perhaps.
 
theonew said:
There's no doubt in my mind that my dog would never leave my side while I'm still alive and would most likely stay with my corpse until it just got too stinky to bear.

I've never really thought about this though and I'm glad you brought it up. I'm going to look into training him to actually leave me and go get help in an emergency. I have taught him to bark on command so that might possibly be of some use perhaps.
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I have thought about training my dog to bark on command in the hopes that it keeps her from barking at random things outside the house.

In this scenario a barking dog could prove invaluable.
 
myright said:
I have thought about training my dog to bark on command in the hopes that it keeps her from barking at random things outside the house.
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That's exactly why I trained my dog to bark on command. Once he learned that I taught him to stop barking with another command, which was the ultimate objective. "Speak" and "No Speak" :D
 
Two broken legs, and an unusable arm and hand? I'm assuming I fell out of a tree or down a high, steep embankment or something. I'd probably get out my phone and frs/gmrs radio and try to call somebody first. Maybe make a fire with what's around me to both keep me warm and send a smoke signal. At least I'll know that, when I'm late getting back, others back home will be making phone calls and sending people out to find me. And they'll know the general area I'm in.

But to be honest, this is why I don't really do solo trips anymore. I'm older, in worse shape, and wiser.

So knock on wood, this particular scenario wouldn't happen.
 
First order of business for me is to splint my legs, preferably where the splints stretch from my waist to below my feet so that I can move without as much pain by removing the weight from the legs at all.

Second is a thorough damage assessment. How bad is it really? Sometimes shock sets in quick and I need to know how bad I am. Is there blood, compound frac, etc?

Third for me is fire. With all the leaves on the ground, I have ample supply of leaves to pile up a debris shelter and can hopefully get a fire started. I would probably find some way to make a bow drill, the socket would fit in between the teeth. Not the best idea, but it would work.

Fourth. Water. I need to rig a drip system or find some way to keep a supply of water. Screw purification at the moment, I'll deal with the runs if they come. First concern is not dying.

Fifth. Signal. After my basic needs have been met, I will construct a large, leafy fire to make alot of smoke. Throwing greener limbs on it as it gets bigger.

Finally, food. I would rig smallish snares as I think that would be easiest to deal with when they are tripped. Anything bigger than rabbit or squirrel might be tough to handle with one hand.

PeACE
Dougo
 
This is one of those territorial things. Growing up, the desert survival classes put signaling above EVERYTHING, including water.

I try to modify this approach for the regions described, but truth is my experience base in the weird half of the country (east of the rockies, that is) is mostly northern Virginia and south along the coastal regions. I've hiked a bit in summer in PA, I guess.

That 1-3 mile visibility window instead of the 35+ miles would be a killer on signalling, yknow?
 
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Hmmmm... this scenario seems a bit familiar to me. Let's see, Deciduous area- check, 2 broken legs- check, all by myself- check.

Ok, so I was in a farmers field, I knew that people would be looking for me, and I had the use of both hands. So what did I do? I stayed put, checked myself over for other injuries- My left outside ankle was part way down my foot, and I was sure that the other foot was in the same shape. No compound fractures, no nerve damage, no other broken bones.

I pulled in my parachute, using it as a pillow (see my avatar). I took off my pack for extra mobility, rolled onto one side and put my legs together as a form of self splint, and waited with my arm in the air for somebody to get me. After a while ~20 minutes, I was wondering where everybody was and what happened to the rest of the group. I took stock of what I had on me, Ontario Model 1 RAT folder, lighter and chapstick.

Here is where this survival scenario comes in. I would probably do what I was considering in this case. I was ready to start a small, contained fire in the field in order to signal my "rescuers". If I was in a similar situation where I knew that people were around, I would do the same- start a controlled smoky fire to signal. I actually thought about what would have happened to me had I been in the wilds and realized that I would most likely be screwed. With the damage I did to myself moving would have been bad- any motion and I would have severely damaged myself further. I could have managed to crawl along the ground to hopeful safety, but it would not have been fun in both the long and short term. Food collection would have been horrid, as would water collection. If this was a no rescue situation I would not be writing about it right now- my survival would have been dependent on if I would have starved to death or died of dehydration.

We can plan all we want for a situation like this, and I am kind of glad that I was in a controlled one, but we must remember that nature is a cruel mistress that does not care what happens to us, and until you are in a situation where your mobility is greatly curtailed you cannot realistically figure out what you can and cannot do. Try and get around without your legs from the fire to your tent next time you are out, without damaging your "broken" ankles. I am sure you will be surprised.

But this is just my opinion and hopefully nobody ever has to experience this in a true wilderness situation.
 
One great way to train for this is to tape your legs together and one arm to your side and try doing skills with one hand. You'd be surprised at how hard it is to do these things even without pain. But, like any other scenrario, dirttime and training will give you that familiar "I've been here before" feeling to a degree if it ever happens.

I made this one particularly hard because I believe you can CREATE ways to handle it, which is why we are discussing SURVIVAL, not laying there, giving up, and dying. The idea is to think about your options now to replace the "give up and die" method. :D
 
When I was 6, we visited my unlce at the academy in colorado, he blindfolded myself and my brothyer and had us go find the bathroom and take a leak. HILARIOUS- but useful. I've periodically repeated this and exposed other people to it. Stuff like this is very useful.

Maybe Mike Savage should come spend a week with our housemates' autistic daughter! (Which is a whole other dimesnion to bugging out plans)
 
off topic a tad...I know a story of survival but not...we recovery an Aircraft peeps lived and before recovery ...Bears got 'em..Broken backs in the wild are deadly......
 
these threads are awesome brian...:thumbup: there has been some great responses so far..

i would definately stay put and not leave the general area.. i then would try and gather some wood for a fire and/or signal.. that way i would be able to be warm all night... not only does fire keep you warm, it calms the mind a bit and would definately put me at ease temporarily.. it also keeps most unwanted critters away...
 
Thanks, guys. I'm glad you like the threads. We have a lot of focused threads on equipment, and sometimes individual skills, but it's practical application of the combined skills that is the key to all of this. Also, it gets us thinking out of the box in order to create innovative ways or at least apply the known ones in a synergystic way.
 
Brian Jones said:
I made this one particularly hard because I believe you can CREATE ways to handle it, which is why we are discussing SURVIVAL, not laying there, giving up, and dying. The idea is to think about your options now to replace the "give up and die" method. :D
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I agree with you there. We have to do as much as possible to ensure that we are found alive. I hope that my post did not give the idea that I would have given up, however it is important to realize your limitations and chances in a case like this, which are many and little respectively. Have you tied up your legs and arm like you suggest? What actions were you able to perform and what were the surprises that you found? Did you find that you wanted to cheat a lot and use your body parts as if they were not "hurt"? (not sarcastic at all I am really interested in your findings- just wanted to clarify as this is print only).
 
yes, I have tried it, and yes you need to make sure, by constantly monitoring yourself, that you're not cheating because there is no pian in the practice.

I found I had to use my teeth and mouth as another "hand" and even then, everything is difficult. Making a spear? Could be done, but you have to stabilize the wood with something so the knife slices the wood, etc. It's really tricky. Just trying to make and mount a splint on yourself is very difficult.

But it's not impossible. I've been through real-life scenarios where i had to move for a couple weeks with an 80 lb pack on with a fractured/chipped hip. I am constantly amazed at how one can move through the immediate pain and crisis when you have no choice and a will to live.

I've seen it in others too, and it's nothing special - it's built into our DNA. I wasn;t trying to criticize anyone for their posts about lying down. I'm just trying to encourage exploration to see if it can be done.
 
First, after having a good cry(get it out of your system), crawl around (as best as one can), and get the materiuals to get a signal fire going. Signals rescuers, and keeps predatory animals away
 
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