This quarter of my book covers chapters 2 and 3. These chapters were about surviving in the mountains in summer, and sub-zero terrain. These chapters, being relatively specific, were not nearly as exciting as the first chapter.
The first point Bear Grylls makes about mountains, is that they are vulnerable to extreme weather no matter what the season. Might find yourself on a warm sunny mountainside, but that can quickly escalate into a freezing, windy place. Therefore, if you are in an emergency situation on a mountain, is go down. At the base of most mountains you will usually find an abundance of nature, and probably a source a fresh water. One interesting point he makes about finding a shelter is that although caves are common and seem like a good place to live; other creatures, such as bears and snakes, have already thought of that, so they should be avoided. Water is critical in any survival situation, this book points out that there are alternatives for water if you can't find any on the surface. Collecting dew, or gathering water from plants, or making a still. As far as food goes, Grylls suggests observing the wildlife. If deer or squirrels can eat a certain plant or nut, although it might not taste great, it is probably edible. Lastly, If you find a main waterway, such as a river, follow it, they usually lead to civilization.
Then when it comes to sub-zero temperatures, things get tricky. Cold weather is extremely dangerously, and hypothermia can kill in a matter of hours. One element that is surprisingly helpful, and usually bountiful, is snow. It is very easy to turn snow into a source of hydration. But, you should not eat the snow directly, you must melt it. Eating snow will burn precious calories while lowering your body temperature. Another overlooked fact of snow is its insulating qualities. Snow shelters can be an easy way to make an effective shelter. One thing to be careful of when traveling is avalanches, to avoid them travel in the morning before the snow has been heated by the sun and when the threat of avalanches will be less.
Survival is about thinking smart, not just sweating hard.
This sounds like it was a pretty interesting read. Maybe it wasn't as exciting as the previous chapters because it's probably unrealistic that Minnesotans will ever encounter dangers of climbing a mountain.. But I like the information you covered about what to do in that situation!
ReplyDeleteThese are all very good ideas for survival, and this author seems extremely resourceful! His tips about the base of the mountain, snow insulating, and such are really important, and something not everyone would know. Definitely keep reading this book! :)
ReplyDeleteI thought there were a lot of great tips on here about survival. Like Niki said, it's probably not realistic that you would ever have to deal with the dangers of climbing a mountain...well maybe someday! But it still was cool to read about it, and I didn't know that you shouldn't eat snow! Your posts about this book have been great so far...keep up the good work!
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