ANTRIM CO., MI -- Nobody enters the woods expecting to get lost.
But every year, hundreds of people become disoriented and can't find their way out.
Could you survive a night in the wilderness?
Survival experts say it could happen to anyone. You could be out hunting, looking for mushrooms, or even just taking a hike, and you could become lost in the woods. The question is what would you do to survive?
A backpack, a pair of hiking boots, and probably, a little bit of courage.
The idea is to take basic hiking supplies and basic survival gear - no tent, nobody else, just myself - to see how I will survive. I left the beaten path at five.
"It’s kind of weird, you take everything for granted, like a television, or a couch, right now, I’m sitting on a broken log that's still moist from this morning's rain,” I say.
I’ve been camping before, but I’ve never "roughed it,” and tonight is going to be rough. It was 65 degrees when I started hiking, but I know when the sun goes down, it'll be brisk. Before I went into the woods, I talked with survival expert Mike Stock.
“You need to get on it. You need to figure out where to build your shelter," Stock said.
"Tonight, this tree right here is going to be home. Notice how is has a nice little crevice. As I make my lean-to, this right here will come in handy," I say when standing next to a V-shaped tree.
Stock said it's better to wait out the night than go wondering in the woods when you're lost. So I start my shelter. I have to collect a lot of wood for my home and for the fire I’ll make later.
It's 6:30 and I start the construction. I’m using an A-frame technique. I put a longer, thicker stick in the tree's crevice and start using timber to build the shelter's walls. I didn't get enough wood, so I have to collect more which is frustrating, but it started to fall in place.
“The most important thing is this bag is this kit right here, my survival kit, inside, this thing right here could be very instrumental. It's called a survival blanket,” I explain.
Drooping the blanket over the top of the shelter is designed to keep in the heat. I’m using dead leaves and mud to fill in any obvious holes. The shelter is a five-star hotel at this point and I'm pretty excited.
“I need to go back out and find wood for a campfire, I used too much here!"
A fire is a necessity, not just for warmth, but for cooking and peace of mind. In my survival pack, I have a lighter and a little bit of dryer lint, which is an excellent fire-starter. It took me a little time to get the fire going, but once the embers became hot, fire has never looked so beautiful.
“Smoke in the eyes even, it's a payoff," I explain.
“If you are alone in the woods and you light that fire, you're not alone anymore," Stock said.
The fire is giving me the psychological protections as the sun sets and the moon shines.
“It's scary that I’m going to be here all night, by myself, in country that is not mine."
I hear a lot of sounds as I wind down and it is also getting cold.
“I've got a good fire going; I think I’m going to catch a few minutes of sleep."
It seems like every few minutes, I wake up, and hear something that sounds like it's close-by. The forest floor feels like I’m sleeping on an up-right two-by-four. At 4:30 a.m., with no blanket and the crisp air creeping into the shelter, I wake up.
“It's freezing outside, I’m cold, I can't get comfortable, you got to have will, will to live right now, I know the sun's coming up in an hour and a half, can't wait," I explain.
I don't sleep much after waking up at 4:30, but it is kind of a calming feeling to see the stars disappear to the morning sky.
“Now that the sun's back up, and I’m freezing, and I can't sleep anymore, I’m going to pack up and try to find my way back. It was fun. I survived the wild!"
And headed out of the wild, Andrew, the winner.
Before I went out, I talked to Mike Stock, a survival expert at Northern Michigan College. He told me when you find yourself in a survival situation, you need to have five things, three essential.
Number one, you have to have the will to live. Without that, there’s no reason to try to make it through the night.
Number two, you need shelter. Especially in Northern Michigan, where during the day it could be 70 degrees but at night could dip to 30 degrees, you need a place to protect you from the elements of wind and rain and help protect you from hypothermia.
Number three, you need fire. A fire can give you heat, light, and piece of mind. Mike Stock explained to me it’s like when you go to a bonfire, and everyone sits around the fire, just staring at it, listening to it. It’s almost like you have somebody there.
Number four, you need water. Stock said water is number four because you can typically live a couple days without having it. He says if you expect to spend one night in the woods, you’d be ok until the next day.
And number five, you need food. Stock says this is a distant number five, because the human body can survive weeks without eating.
For a website all about surviving in the wilderness, CLICK HERE.
For more Survival Tips, CLICK HERE.
