Do you think you would be able to survive on your own?

[NatureGal]

Under the circumstances where you wouldn't have any family or friends with you, and were stranded in the wilderness without any food or water on hand until you find some, do you think you would you think you could survive? You would be stranded in the wilderness for one week.

Myself, I'm not sure. If I already had food and water on hand, probably. But not having any on hand and having to try to find some to start out with, probably not.

 

[Theo]

Yes, I probably would. Would I like it? No. Would I be nice and comfortable? Probably not but I would survive.

 

[Barney]

I think that one week would be pretty doable considering my experience. It would also depend on the environment. In some places it is almost impossible to find water.

 

[Grandpa]

Depends on a lot of things including seasons, water supplies, weather and altitude. I could survive quite well in most of the areas I frequent. In fact my doctor and bathroom scales would be quite happy if I spent a week on minimum rations.:tinysmile_twink_t2:

Getting caught out in the dead of winter in this area? No way unless I had a lot of survival gear and even then it would be miserable. Summertime would just be an inconvenience though. Would I do it just to show I could? Again, no way. It might just be an inconvenience but it could also be deadly. I will continue to take steps to assure I don't have to prove that I could.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[ppine]

It depends on the conditions. It would be mostly uncomfortable and hard work.

Go out some time without any food for 3 days and tell us all about it. We are used to having it easy and for some it is hard to imagine no food, no water, and no equipment. Good luck.
edit-
Lots of people die of "exposure" when lost. There is the cumulative effect of many days in a row on the body. With no food the internal furnace goes out. The internal body temperature slowly declines. With a lack of food and water, and cold conditions the human brain starts to lose its ability to make decisions. The margin for error past about 48-72 hours gets to be razor thin. Many people panic just from being alone for a few days.

Nearly everyone underestimates the hardship of being out there alone for a week with minimal everything.

I saw a re-enactment program of a young couple on vacation at a tropical lodge. They wandered off and got lost. Within 3 days they decided to commit suicide.

Most outdoor people suffer from over-confidence when in these types of situations. It quickly fades.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

A week with no food is not life-threatening in warm weather. In cold weather it's much tougher and more dangerous. You'll need water pretty quick especially in hot weather.

Like everyone else said- it would depend on circumstances and conditions. You do what you can and that's that.

 

[Hikenhunter]

I hope I never have to prove it but I am confident that I could survive a week in the places that I spent most of my time. I would be helpless in the desert and in open areas of the north and midwest in the winter, other than that I think I would be ok for a week in most other places but not much more than a week.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Whenever I'm afield, I carry some (good, but minimal) survival gear in my Get Home Bag, so there is always some food and water handy.

What happens after those provisions are gone remains to be seen.

 

[AK Hunter]

I'm good at getting by with what I have on hand, I'm inventive, & most of all I don't panic easily. As long as I have time to put my brain to the challenge I think I could get by a week or so stranded.

 

[charley]

I would not worry about food. I usually carry a little but I don't think trying to get food in the wild is worth the effort. I think I know enough about getting drinkable water in most conditions to survive. Lots of weather conditions that would be more difficult.

 

[ppine]

Charley,
When was the last time you were really hungry?

 

[JimW67]

I would love the challenge of such a situation as long as it is not winter. One week is probably much longer than I could imagine in such a situation, though it has always been a personal dream to experience living off the land. I would gladly grow a beard like Jeremiah Johnson!

 

[pauldude000]

Under the circumstances where you wouldn't have any family or friends with you, and were stranded in the wilderness without any food or water on hand until you find some, do you think you would you think you could survive? You would be stranded in the wilderness for one week.

Myself, I'm not sure. If I already had food and water on hand, probably. But not having any on hand and having to try to find some to start out with, probably not.

The answer is yes. Without the mythos (set of beliefs or assumptions), stigmas, and often complete hogwash which surrounds wilderness survival, it is not rocket science.

There is a ton of information a person has to learn by heart, and numerous skills that they have to acquire and practice until they are proficient, but survival is eminently doable.

Mankind as a species survived from caves to houses, which states a lot. The "impossible" stigma is pure hogwash, and it has always been.

However, for most people in modern society wilderness survival is indeed an impossible task concerning long term survival (a month or more).

Most anyone could survive a week, unless they did something truly and monumentally stupid.

The cause of death for anyone is because of a lack of information and/or common sense, not the lack of a supporting civilization.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Probably could. Although I'm rarely afield anymore...I'm never without my Get Home Bag...which carries, among other things...a limited amount of food, plus a means of getting more. (Talking about the Northeast now).

 

[Charlotte]

I don't know how well I would survive on my own. I know quite a bit of survival techniques but it doesn't always matter. My biggest issue would be that I don't know how to hunt on my own. It take a lot of guidance from my husband for me to hunt successfully. If I had a fishing pole and a lure as well as a lake, I'd probably survive for a while.

 

[bsmit212]

I like to think I would but there really is no telling until you are out there

 

[dinosaur]

I've already done it. Could I still do it? I don't know. And, by the way, Grandpa, you are as usual, absolutely correct.

 

[Laserwalk]

Im not really sure if i could do this. I believe i could do it, but my emotional stability would get hurt very much.

 

[oldsarge]

http://www.history.com/shows/alone

This shows finale is this airing Thursday 8-20-15. I like this show because it clearly shows that if you don't have your wits about you.....you will fail.

Unlike most survival shows, this one is a competition with a $500.000 purse. Not counting Survivor, which really isn't surviving at all but a neat social experiment. What I enjoy most from the show is the mental stress involved with being alone. I know there are some (Dick Proenneke for one) who live that way for years on end, truly a different and mentally strong bread of human being. This show displays the intellectual side of survival.

 

[Gunny Webb]

I remember thinking when this show came on the guy with the best sense of humor will win. But the guy that built the round house looked like he had it, until he built a guitar and proceeded to lose his mind. Sam should have been gone, but he's not thinking clearly enough to tap out.
Pretty good show. Come on guy from Georgia!