Lost in the Mountains – Got Water?
Water, shelter and food are the essentials for survival when getting lost in the mountain. You can live for three weeks or more without food and a maximum of three days without water. It is therefore extremely important that a hiker should be familiar with techniques to provide these essentials if faced with a survival situation.
If you become lost without enough water to get you by, conserve your body fluids by moving only in the cool of the day, talking as little as possible and keeping your mouth closed. Study the surrounding terrain and look for clues to water sources such as dense reeds or thickly marked, converging game trails. Allot of movement by animals especially birds during sunrise and sunset could indicate the direction in which the water can be found.
Dig beneath the surface of dry river beds especially near the base of big rocks and cliffs where an abnormal amount of vegetation is growing. Many of the water securing techniques of the bush man can teach modern man to survive in extreme situations. For example, if you found water by digging a hole near a dry river bed, then preserve that whole and filter the water using reeds. You can then drink the water with less sand in it and there will always be a regular supply of clean water.
During the raining seasons, make sure you dig a hole and cover it with a poncho or plastic bag in order to catch the rain water. The possibility of having to resort to the extreme while hiking as described above is unlikely. However, the possibility that a hiker can get sick from drinking water found on trails (hepatitis and amoeba) is increasing. All water that you find that does not originate from High Mountain sources should be sterilized by boiling for at least 3 minutes or by adding a water purification tablet.
The use if tincture or iodine is the simplest and most effective way to sterilize water. You simply add 5 drops to one liter of clean water, and 10 drops if the water is cloudy, and then letting it stand for thirty minutes before drinking. The water will be cleaned of the entero-viruses, bacteria, and there spores, algae and protozoan’s and their cysts.
The tincture or iodine method is superior to other common chemicals used to sterilize water, such as commercial tincture or chlorine solution. The chlorine does not kill cysts causing amoebic dysentery nor some other parasites causing infective diarrhea. Also remember that water contaminated with bilharzias must be boiled as cercariae (snail parasites) can easily pass through a simple sand filter or strainer. Always remember to carry water purification tablets with you when you go for a hike and remember these tips if you ever find yourself lost while hiking in the mountains.
Greg enjoys hiking in the beautiful mountains of the Cape Peninsula. He also enjoys creating websites about products he has purchased and giving a fair and honest review on them for potential buyers. Here’s his latest website about the Celtic knot necklace and the Celtic Necklace in general
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