Building a fire and a shelter are two of the first things you should do when you’re stranded in the wilderness (“How To”). You should try to accomplish this before night time falls to ensure that you’ll have warmth and protection throughout the night.
How to Build a Campfire
Fire is an important part of life. Whether you’re safe at home or stranded in the wilderness, you will need fire for warmth, light, cooking, and protection (Vaux). Building a campfire is then one of the first things that you should do when you’re stranded in the wilderness. Aside from the benefits previously mentioned, a campfire can also serve as a way for rescuers to find you.
Materials:
Match or Lighter
Magnifying glass or a pair of eyeglasses
Magnesium and a block of flint
Two dry sticks
Dry leaves or twigs
1. Build a spark by performing any of the following steps:
Use a match or a lighter to light a pile of dry leaves or twigs.
Use a magnifying glass or a pair of eyeglasses to concentrate the sun’s rays on a pile of leaves or twigs.
Figure 1 Building a spark with a magnifying glass (Fotolia)
Strike a chunk of magnesium against a block of flint.
Figure 2 Building a spark with magnesium and flint ("Survival Magnesium")
Rub two dry sticks together really fast.
Figure 3 Building a spark by rubbing two sticks ("Starting a Fire")
2. Build a fire.
Be sure to build a fire at least ten feet away from flammable objects such as bushes or trees.
a. Make a slack and small pile of kindling with materials that easily combust. Examples are dry leaves, napkins, and paper.
b. Build a small pyramid of dry twigs and sticks above and around the kindling pile.
c. Keep adding logs and larger sticks as the fire continues to intensify.
Be careful not to smother the flames as you add the logs.
Figure 4 Adding logs to the fire (Ariel)
How to Build a Shelter
You need to build a shelter for protection from the elements like the wind and rain, especially during the night. It will also help make you a bit more comfortable as you wait for rescue to arrive.
Materials
Branches
Pine needles
Leaves
1. Cut branches from the underside of the trees.
2. Assemble the branches into a makeshift tent.
You can use heavier branches to make a frame.
3. Make sure that the frame is anchored well into the ground.
Figure 5 Making a makeshift tent (Rempe)
4. Lay pine needles on the ground to have a comfortable bed. You can also use large leaves for roofing.
Now that you have built a fire and a shelter, you should now start to get oriented with your
surroundings and start to look for food.
Works Cited
Ariel, Roshana. “How to Build a Fire: The Art of Fire Design.” rightlivingsite.com. Right
Living Site, n.d. Web. 18 Jun 2012
Fotolia. “magnifying glass make fire © saidin b jusoh #39570125.” fotolia.com. Fotolia, 2012.
Web. 18 Jun 2012
“How To: Survive in the Wilderness.” askmen.com. IGN Entertainment, 2012. Web. 18 Jun
2012 < http://www.askmen.com/money/how_to_150/158_how_to.html>.
Rempe, Stephanie. “How to Make Survival Shelter out of Sticks.” ehow.com. Demand Media,
Inc., 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 18 Jun 2012
“Start a Fire.” flickr.com. Yahoo!, 2012. Web. 18 Jun 2012
“Survival Magnesium Flint Stone Fire Starter Lighter Kit.” wikecamera.ivoire-blog.com. Ivoire
Blog, 9 Jun 2011. Web. 18 Jun 2012
Vaux, Robert. “Why is Fire so Important to Survive?.” ehow.com. Demand Media, Inc., 2012.
Web. 18 Jun 2012 < http://www.ehow.com/facts_5498625_fire-important-survival.html>.
