How to Survive the Wilderness With Just a Knife
Survival in a temperate environment is easy if you know how to. In the woods one can die from a number of different things. However, by simply having the knowledge and exploiting what you know, the woods can become a home and a new reality. By having a simple blade, one can fashion his own tools and his own means for survival.
Note: Before considering any of the information below, recognize that temperature defines precedence in the wilderness. If the temperature gets below 40 degrees at night consider fire your most important prerequisite. However if the temperature rises to greater than 90 degrees during the day, consider moving and working at night and sleeping under cover during the day.
Steps
1
Find Water. First things first, you are stranded somewhere in a temperate wilderness during late morning, the worst case is that you do not know where you are. That is not a problem. You don't know where you are, but you know where you want to go...downhill. This is because water is held stringently by the laws of gravity and you want water first as you can only survive three days without it. Move to the lowest point you can find.
2
Make friends with trees. On your way downhill, educate yourself of three different trees.
White Birch. Look for a white tree with a paper-like material coming from it. This is an important tree, it's called the White Birch. Not only is the inner bark edible, but the outer bark can be used as a waterproof container (if it doesn't have any holes in it). Also, most people don't know this but you can cut a hole in the tree and get a spicy sweet sap a lot like a maple. Some other useful attributes are a follows:
One can cook soup in birch bark as it will not burn with liquid inside it.
Birch bark can be used as temporary rope
Birch bark, the white papery layer, makes excellent tinder for fire lighting
The white birch can be carved into a good walking stick.
Birch bark has been used in the making of native canoes.
American Basswood The second tree you should know is called a Basswood. This tree is really easy to recognize. It has grey, sometimes veiny bark and some of the largest heart-shaped leaves to boot. Do not get this tree confused with a moose maple, which has leaves with three points. This tree is important, as it is going to be your source of rope, snares, straps and ultimately your backpack. You will start to see this tree as you get closer to water, it's thirstier than you are and can also be a source of water if you don't feel daft sucking on the side of a tree.
Common Maple. The third and final tree you need to know is the common Maple. This is going to be your walking stick as well as your protection. It is a very hard wood with a clean grey-looking bark. Now picture a Canadian flag in your head, that is a maple leaf. If you don't know what a Canadian flag looks like, suggestion is to pick up a book and find out before you go into the woods.
3
Cut some Basswood bark. If there is no water, move to the base of a hill or a mountain where a stream or river will most likely run near its base. This is where that tree lesson will come in handy.
Find a Basswood. As stated above, they love water and high banks.
Use your knife to cut a horizontal line all the way around the trunk. Do this at the bottom and about four feet above that.
Now cut one straight vertical line from the top line to the bottom one.
Observe that the top line looks like a T where the two lines meet. This T is where you will dig your two thumbnails into the tree.
Now gently pull these two flaps away from the white wood below. You should now have a curved floppy rectangle.
Now the easy part:
Cut this strip into as many smaller vertical strips as you can. Ideally they should be about 1⁄4 inch (0.6 cm) wide.
Now flip these strips over to reveal a wet shiny layer. This the layer you will use for the rope.
Carefully pull the green outer bark away from this thin sheet of wood. Observe that the green part will be significantly thicker than the thin material that you want.
Wrap these thin strips around themselves so that they each make a ring about 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter.
Use your green junk to wrap up about three quarters of your new rope.
Place this wide jumble of rope around your wrist so it will be out of the way.
Use the other 1/4 of your rope to make shoulder straps, a belt, and most importantly a bicep strap to go on your upper arm for your knife.
All your green bark scrap should be saved and strapped to you otherwise, using your new lashing or other strips of bark.
After all that work you will most likely be thirsty. Luckily all you have to do is go downhill to get some much-deserved water.
4
Go mudding. While you're getting some water, there is a very important step that will save you a lot of grief latter. While you're near water, it is important for you to cover yourself in a thin sheet of blue clay or dirt if n