Hiker lost for 5 days survived off berries and bugs

If you get lost in the wilderness for 5 days, do you think you’ll last that long? :scream:

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Well done that man. So glad he got out.

The key is of course not to get lost. I always carry two compasses, located in different parts of my kit - you have to know how to use them, its not complicated. And everyone in the party needs to always know where you are and the direction out. After that, if you’re not injured, thirst and cold are the big dangers. Even if I’m out for a few hours I’ve always got overnight kit and supplies on my back.

Depends a lot on the time of year. Actually, most fatalities from being lost in the wilderness occur through falls (e.g. trying to climb to higher terrain to get a direction) and drowning rather than from hunger or thirst. Hypothermia is another major problem. Death from attacks from wild animals such as wolves, bears, snakes, etc are also possible but do not occur that frequently in such situations.

Psychology, it is panic that can cause a big problem. As this man said, one big mistake is moving around if people know where you last were positioned. You cannot move that far by foot per day and that defines a search area quite tightly.

Actually a diet of berries and bugs is quite nutritious even if the bug bit is not so appetising. There are a number of companies being formed to develop insect food as a means of meeting future food demand from the global exploding population level:

ENTOMOPHAGY

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If I got lost in the wild, I’d be done for in half a day!!

It sounds from your Username that you are half-expecting it to happen! :smiley:

Don’t worry - we will send out the BP rescue team! :+1:

@falstaff is in charge of dehydration recovery…

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damn, Idk. I mean I’ve fasted for a week straight plenty of times, so I might be able to survive. Need some water at least though LOL

Realistically speaking where I live it would be hard to get lost for so long, but I think I would survive about 3-4 days if I had access to water and warm clothing to spend the nights.
But man, glad that guy made it!

It wildly depends on the time of year/conditions/altitude. It’s easy to survive on your couch, you know ))

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makes perfect sense LOL

Basically, if you ever get lost in the wild just stay calm. If you see a bug – eat eat. If you sea a bear - pet it. Follow these tips and you will be fine :slight_smile:

Smart man. I’m guessing you hike a lot?

Personally, have you tried eating bugs? :open_mouth:

Holy crap, 1 week!!! That’s crazy!

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I know someone that has fasted for longer than that LOL it’s actually not that bad

No, i am afraid that i am a total coward about that. The nearest i have got to that was snails in France.

I’ve actually been reading up on this and want to try it but mostly because there’s an app for it :rofl: They say fasting really improves one’s focus and promotes autophagy. Have you heard of Dr. Jason Fung?

I’ve unfortunately had fried crickets once as part of a blind taste test project. That’s probably the extent of what I’ll try (not that I would have done that voluntarily). I don’t think we’re living at a time where we’d need to start eating bugs yet so I will remain grateful I can exclude them from my diet. :joy:

It is absolutely incredible that he managed to survive because it is not an easy thing to remain completely lost for so long, it is an extreme situation that many cannot leave and most go crazy when living similar situations.

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Hakuna Matata saves lives.

I hate mosquitoes. It is impossible that i will go into the wilderness in the 1st place. If i get lost in the wilderness, i will head in one direction until i hit the road or river. I will also watch the sky and observe where the birds fly to and follow the birds. The land where birds go to must be habitable.

Makes sense but then I wouldn’t know what to do when I do end up going there. What do I eat, how do I set up my “tent” plus a million other logistical questions I wouldn’t know to deal with because like you it is also impossible for me to even think about going into the wilderness :sweat_smile:

One can last for five days without food but dehydration and exposure can be fatal much earlier. I am glad this guy made it.

Interesting thread :sunglasses: And thanks to @anon46773462 for the vote of confidence :smile:

Trouble is that the stuff I make has an effect rather similar to Huxley’s “Soma” and may not be entirely approved of by the Medics for the purpose of recovery as hoped.

However, it is quite possible to drink water from “the wild” given a few caveats. Depending on where you are - for example I would suspect that the water from the lake manxx pictures so frequently to make us jealous - could probably be drunk straight from the lake without ill-effects. I have a boat on a lowland river which passes through a number of towns and sometimes swim in the river. Have done since I was a kid and that river (as with all others in the uk) is immensely cleaner than it was back in the '60’s thanks mainly to the actions of the “Anglers Co-operative Association” in the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s. The Thames for example now has FISH in it !

However I digress - I do swallow water from the river accidentally and always have - but would not feel confident with actually drinking it deliberately. I do “Push limits” with these things and do eat all sorts of “Wild food” and odd looking mushrooms and when “Playing out” like this I carry a “Millbank Bag” (British Army filtration Bag) which will, hung from a tree branch filter river water and remove all sediment and some of the larger bacterial contaminants - they are pretty cheap at around £10 - Well that is stage 1 - After filtration, boiling the water would render it completely safe - unless there are Chemical contaminants in it - which is fairly unlikely in the types of areas you would be likely to get lost in.

Reading on yes I do eat fish and animals / birds legally gathered from the wild. I do not eat insects from the wild since around me insects need all the help they can get due to dreadful hedge-cutting and “open space management” = mainly by those “Local Authorities and Highways AUthorities” who actually KNOW and completely ignore the Law on such matters.

I will at some point try “Swan mussles” from the river with some nervousness, but One thing I am determined to eat this year are Snails !

I have researched and we have NO Poisonous snails in the uk (Good starting point) I actually like “L’escargots” we are served with in restaurants in butter and garlic and we have largish snails in this country which may or may not be the same species - They cluster in the winter in various “Safe places” and I expect I can gather them with ease. This year I am determined to give them a try !

A few years ago I bought some smaller “Stripey snails” in spain from a market and have also noticed in the uk in winter we have very similar looking snails - which climb trees and form large congregations to hibernate in winter - th0ugh what possible survival advantage this would offer I have no idea, gathering them also seems very easy, so I might try them too.

(Slugs are “Shelless snails” and some grow very large - but at the moment - THAT is a bit “A-Level” for me - Why ? I can’t even begin to explain ! )

Anyone else going to give snails a whirl ? - Or better still - any of our European members who DO gather snails from teh wild, perhaps give us some tips ? :smiley: