Outdoor Safety Handbook PDF
Preview Outdoor Safety Handbook
OUTDOOR SAFETY HANDBOOK OUTDOOR SAFETY HANDBOOK Buck Tilton illustrations by Roberto Sabas STACKPOLE BOOKS Copyright © 2006 by Buck Tilton Published by STACKPOLE BOOKS 5067 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 www.stackpolebooks.com All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to: Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg PA 17055. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First edition Cover design by Wendy A. Reynolds Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tilton, Buck. Outdoor safety handbook / Buck Tilton ; illustrations by Roberto Sabas.—1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-3256-7 ISBN-10: 0-8117-3256-8 1. Wilderness survival—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Survival skills—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Outdoor recreation—Safety measures—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Sabas, Roberto. II. Title. GV200.5.T54 2006 613.6'9—dc22 2005022314 eISBN: 9780811752404 Contents Introduction xi GETTING LOST AND SURVIVAL What To Do If You . . . 3 Plan to Go Into the Wilderness 4 Get Lost in the Woods 5 Get Lost in the Mountains 6 Get Lost in the Desert 7 Must Sleep on the Ground 8 Need Emergency Shelter in the Woods 10 Need Emergency Shelter in Snow 12 Run Out of Water 14 Need to Disinfect Water 15 Find Water But Can’t Disinfect It 16 Need to Build a Fire 18 Run Out of Food 19 Need to Signal for Help 20 Need to Use a Signal Mirror 22 Get Stuck in Your Vehicle in Cold Weather WEATHER AND EXPOSURE What To Do If You . . . 25 Get Chilled in Cold Weather 26 Need to Dry Wet Clothes 28 Need to Thaw and Dry Frozen Clothes 29 Get Numb Fingers or Toes in the Cold 31 Get Caught in a Blizzard 32 Must Cross Avalanche-Prone Terrain 33 Get Caught in an Avalanche 34 Must Cross a Deep Snowfield 36 Get Caught in a Lightning Storm 38 Camp in the Rain 39 Must Cross Moving Water 40 Must Cross a Frozen Lake 41 Must Cross a Frozen River 43 Fall Through Thin Ice 44 Must Cross Swampy Land 45 Fall Out of a Moving Boat 46 Fall Out of a Moving Raft 48 Capsize Your Boat 50 Ground Your Boat WILD CREATURES What To Do If You . . . 53 Hike in Bear Country 55 Encounter a Bear 56 Encounter a Mountain Lion 58 Encounter a Moose 59 Are Bitten by a Small Mammal 60 Encounter a Porcupine 62 Encounter a Skunk 63 Are Bothered by Mice 64 Find a Dead Animal 65 Hike in Rattlesnake Country 66 Fish in Cottonmouth Country 68 Get Bitten by a Poisonous Snake 69 Get Bitten by a Spider 70 Get Bitten by a Tick 72 Get Stung by a Scorpion 73 Encounter Bees or Wasps 74 Are Bothered by Biting Insects 75 Get Bitten by a Mosquito 76 Get Stung by a Jellyfish INJURIES AND ILLNESS What To Do If You . . . 79 Get Frostbite 80 Get Heat Exhaustion 81 Get Heatstroke 82 Get Diarrhea 83 Are Poisoned by Wild Food 84 Come in Contact with Poison Ivy 86 Get Stuck by Cactus Spines 87 Get a Splinter 88 Get Snagged by a Fishhook 90 Get Snagged by a Fishhook in the Eye 91 Get Something Loose in Your Eye 92 Get a Cut 94 Get a Puncture Wound 95 Are Accidentally Shot 96 Catch Yourself on Fire 98 Get an Infected Wound 99 Get Sunburn 100 Get Windburn 101 Get Snow Blindness 102 Get a Blister 104 Get a Toothache 105 Twist Your Ankle 107 Break an Arm or Leg 108 Get a Nosebleed ANNOYANCES AND TROUBLE What To Do If You . . . 111 Have to Go to the Bathroom 112 Break a Shoestring 114 Lose Your Toothbrush 115 Lose Your Compass 116 Break or Lose Your Sunglasses 118 Drop Your Camera in Water 119 Drop Your Binoculars in Water 120 Need to Hitchhike 121 Encounter Suspicious People 122 Are Threatened or Mugged Resources 123 Index 125 About the Author 131 Introduction Haste makes waste. Sometimes, in fact, you need to go slow in order to go fast. What I mean is this: rushing into action often results in less-than-the-best action. And on the flip side, taking a few minutes to choose the best action can save you hours or days in the long run. In a critical situation, or in a situation that might become critical, choosing less-than-the-best action can result not only in wasted time but also in loss of comfort, loss of limb, even loss of life. That’s what this little book is all about—choosing the best course of action in an outdoor emergency. In some cases—not all, of course, but some—you’ll have enough time to refer to this book if you’ve packed it along. I strongly recommend, however, that you read the whole book before you go into the wilderness. There will be many circumstances in which proper preparation before leaving home will greatly improve your performance in the field. And you’ll have things other than reading on your mind if a black bear is staring hungrily into your face. In all situations, may you walk in peace and safety and enjoy the journey. GETTING LOST AND SURVIVAL
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