This article is part of the Science in Sci-fi, Fact in Fantasy blog series. Each week, we tackle one of the scientific or technological concepts pervasive in sci-fi (space travel, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, etc.) with input from an expert. Please join the mailing list to be notified every time new content is posted.
The Expert: Rebecca Mowry
Today’s expert is wildlife biologist Rebecca Mowry. Over the past 10 years, she’s spent countless hours in the field with wolves, woodpeckers, mountain lions, river otters, and a big salamander called a hellbender. Here’s how I know she’s the real deal: yesterday at work her pickup got stuck somewhere and had to be towed out; she came home covered in mud. We’ve had fascinating conversations about deer and predators and the evolution of migration patterns. You should follow her on Twitter.
The Hard Facts of Wilderness Survival
Well, things have changed since my last post in Dan’s series – I made a leap across the country from Texas to Montana, and now work as a biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in the Bitterroot Valley (near Missoula). I like to joke that my move was 1400 miles and 100°F – it was 90°F when I left Texas, and -10°F when I arrived in Montana!
And that’s the focus of this post: wilderness survival, and how it changes – or doesn’t change – depending on where you are. I’ve had the unique experiences of hiking and backpacking in a wide variety of western ecosystems, from the remote desert of Texas’s Big Bend National Park to the rugged, cold mountains of Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. Dan himself has a pretty thorough understanding of Midwestern hardwood forests, which I sorely lack! But I hear there are ticks, lots of ticks. So wear some DEET, I guess.
In this post, I’m out to tackle some “myths” and general holes of knowledge regarding wilderness survival. I’ll try to steer away from the more generic ones you’ve heard over and over again – make sure you have tools to build a fire, build a shelter, etc. etc., things that are of course critical no matter where you are – and touch on some information that isn’t so well known.
1. There’s nothing in the desert. Nothing!
I might have hated the desert when I first got there, thinking it was a vast, hot, empty wasteland, but it didn’t take long for me to realize how wrong I was.
Mule deer in the desert of Pecos County, Texas.
While there are a few “wastelands” in North America – parts of the Great Basin in Utah/Nevada come to mind – in general, deserts are full of life. During the heat of the day, yes, there’s not much there. But just wait for the sun to set and the desert comes alive with insects, arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, even large mammals. Granted, most of them want to bite, stick, or sting you, and many are venomous, which makes sense, when you think about it – if you’ve gone through the trouble of adapting to so harsh an environment, you’re not going to give up your place in it without a fight.
And if you want to see an even more dramatic change than day to night, go to the desert just after it rains. The Southwestern deserts – including the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas, where I lived – usually get most of their precipitation in the form of summer monsoons. And let me tell you, the desert really comes alive. This year, West Texas had a crazy wet winter, resulting in a spring of green plants and colorful wildflowers that, in my opinion, rivals any other ecosystem any day of the year.
Desert bighorn sheep at Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, south of Alpine, Texas.
The point of all this is: if your characters get lost in the desert with no hope of survival, all is not lost. If they’re truly desperate and not completely incapable, they can hunt mule deer, pronghorn antelope, jackrabbits, and any number of meaty birds like doves and quail. They must watch out for rattlesnakes and scorpions and the occasional mountain lion, and they must, of course, find water. I’ll get to that in a moment. They will probably need to travel at night and rest under shelter during the day, or the sun will scorch them. If you really are interested in learning about all the ways a desert can kill you – and how you can avoid it – go read Death in Big Bend by Laurence Parent.
| Click to Tweet Wilderness survival with wildlife biologist @beckoftheyukon: http://bit.ly/1cqIxvy Myth #1: There’s nothing in the desert. #ScienceInSF |
2. If you’re dehydrated, you’ll know it.
I am particularly vulnerable to this. I freaked out the guys on my 37-mile trip through Big Bend when I told them, at the end of each day, that I’d drunk all my water and still not gone to the bathroom in upwards of 14 hours. They were really worried about me. I didn’t feel bad, and I rather liked not having to worry about doing my business around three guys – but it was almost certainly not good for my kidneys. In Big Bend, rangers recommend drinking 2 gallons of water each day. I was probably draining my 3-liter Camelbak and 1-liter Nalgene bottle, and no more – that’s just over 1 gallon. If you’re drinking enough water, you should be going to the bathroom, and your urine should be clear or pale yellow.
Water cache in Big Bend National Park.
Dehydration is serious business. One of the guys on my trip had gotten lost on that trail before. He got so dehydrated that his judgment was impaired, making a bad situation even worse, and it was pure luck that some other hikers found him and took him to safety. It doesn’t just happen in the desert, either; many a time, while I worked on a mountain lion job in Colorado, I’d come home from a full day of hiking and realize I hadn’t urinated a single time. Another time, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I took a “short cut” – without bringing any water with me – and ended up freaking myself out so bad, I was convinced a mountain lion was stalking me. That equals panic, that equals bad decisions, and that means exacerbating the dehydration.
In not a single one of my experiences did I feel thirsty. Especially when it’s cold or cloudy, it’s hard to remember that you’re still sweating, you’re still expending energy, and you still need to drink water.
In the desert, water can be found in springs (there are a good many of them in Big Bend Ranch State Park, for example), tinajas or huecos (little eroded pools in the rocks, which hold precipitation and can sustain life for miles around), and ephemeral creeks and washes. But if you (or your characters) are purposely taking a trip to the desert, the biggest priority should be making sure you bring enough water. (On our 37-mile trip, we cached 10 gallons beforehand.) It’s a myth that you can eat cactus to survive; most of the time, the acidity will make you very sick and probably dehydrate you further. So if you eat some, don’t eat too much.
In the forest, it’s a lot easier to find water. You should still bring a filter, though. Giardia is a serious and very unpleasant protozoan parasite found in most water bodies, rivers, and creeks, even in the backcountry.
| Click to Tweet Wilderness survival w/ wildlife biologist @beckoftheyukon: http://bit.ly/1cqIxvy Myth #2: If you’re dehydrated, you’ll know it. #ScienceInSF |
3. If you’re lost, don’t worry. Rescue planes can easily see you.
I wouldn’t count on that. For both Southwestern deserts and woodlands.
I’ve been on enough aerial wolf, elk, and deer surveys by now to be able to tell you it is really hard to spot stuff in the trees. Biologists usually try to do their surveys in the early morning and late evening, in order to maximize the likelihood that the wildlife will be standing out in the open, feeding. I’ve counted an elk herd only to fly over it 10 minutes later, after the animals have taken cover in the trees, and – presto chango! – the elk are invisible.
A shot from a survey plane in the West Texas desert. Find the pronghorn!
And the problem with deserts is that a) during the day, you’d better be taking cover to keep the sun from killing you and b) there are a lot of yuccas and shrubs and bushes scattered haphazardly about that would make it very difficult to find a human. We surveyed pronghorn in those environments and counted a lot of “yucca-lopes”, and missed who knows how many pronghorn because we thought they were yuccas.
And these are animals that are literally right below us. Try searching an enormous area for a single lost human.
Montana wolves. We’d never have seen them without the white one.
So if you’re lost, hoping for rescue from above, your best bet would be to get out in the open and find some way to attract attention. Bright clothing, fire, spelling a message in white rocks, waving your arms around – whatever it takes. That’s where the mirror comes in handy – flash the sun’s reflection in the pilot’s eyes and he’s bound to notice eventually.
| Click to Tweet Don’t worry, the rescue planes will see you! Wilderness survival myths w/ biologist @beckoftheyukon: http://bit.ly/1cqIxvy #ScienceInSF |
Better yet, carry a SPOT unit. Every Montana FWP pilot uses one in case we’re forced to land in the backcountry.
By the way, here’s a hint I learned from author Jon Krakauer: Remember that lots of people “get lost” for fun, on purpose, and don’t need help to get back. If a plane flies over you, waving one arm means I’m okay. Waving two means I need help.
Bonus Myth: Cotton is nice and warm and great for wilderness trips.
No, no, no! Remember this: cotton is rotten!
The thing about cotton is that yes, it’s nice and warm and dry – but only when it’s nice and warm and dry outside. When cotton gets wet and cold, you better hope you’ve got a fire or a warm shelter to get back to. Go for wool for your socks and underclothes. Wool is slower to dry, it’s true, but if it gets wet, it holds onto your body heat. So you’ll be wet, but warm.
Cotton does dry quickly, so it can be good for hot days when you’re sweating a lot, but I always recommend keeping a set of wool thermals and socks in case bad weather or an unexpected temperature drop comes your way. Most people know the experience of getting all hot and sweaty in a cotton shirt on a cold day, then freezing your butt off once you’ve rested because your clothes are wet.
I usually wear a quick-dry outer shell (pants, shirt, and/or jacket) with warm wool underclothes. And I NEVER wear cotton socks when I’m hiking, not ever.
Wilderness Survival, In Conclusion
Your best insurance against getting trouble in the wilderness is to be prepared, always tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to get back, and remember that you are never in control.
Overpack. Bring too many extra clothes. Bring too much water. Bring stuff you might not need. Within reason, of course, but it’s better to have something and not need it than the other way around.
National parks require all backcountry hikers to get a permit, which usually includes information on where you’re going and when you expect to be back. This permit may save your life if you get lost. This type of thing is good to do wherever you’re going, not just in a national park.
And you’re not in control, no matter how much preparation you’ve made. But the more you prepare, the more likely you can handle whatever Mother Nature may throw at you. I’m a biologist; I love Mother Nature, as do many of my fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
A canyon in western Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains
But no matter where we go, that love must always be accompanied by a healthy dose of respect. For our own sake.
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[…] to every aspect of hiking, climbing, and survival. Other relevant posts in this series include wilderness survival by wildlife biologist Rebecca Mowry and what the woods are really like by our generous host Dan […]