“It’ll never happen to me.” How many times have we said this to ourselves? According to Les Stroud, or as many people know him – ‘Survivorman’ – this sort of mentality is what gets us into trouble in the first place.
“The biggest mistake is going to be lack of preparedness,” Stroud said down the line from a coffee shop in Toronto. “That’s what gets us there in the first place. If we were prepared, everything would be different.”
Stroud is widely known across North America as the host of the hit TV series “Survivorman,” a show where he voluntarily strands himself in remote locations and puts himself into “survival situations” for a week.
In one episode, Stroud deposited himself on an island pretending to be a victim of a plane crash who had broken his arm. He managed to survive the whole week hunting, building shelter and making his way to safety with the use of only one hand.
“The irony of it is, I put myself voluntarily into these situations in making the show and in doing my training,” Stroud explained. “I created these situations time and time again, to put myself to the test.”
So Stroud decided to write his first book entitled “Survive!” in order to help people get rid of all the “bunk” that came with older how-to books. “I just thought there needs to be a modern and updated version,” he said. “A version that gets rid of all the … superfluous stuff.”
“Survive!” is an everything-you-need-to-know introduction to survival skills ranging from tips on the psychological aspects of survival, to how you can create a still to turn your own urine into drinkable water.
The book also stresses why it’s more important to trust your own instincts rather than completely relying on your guide.
“It’s good to trust your guide, but don’t rely on him, you need to rely on yourself and be prepared for whatever might happen,” Stroud warned. “If you’re in a camping situation and your guide gets appendicitis and goes out and faints, what are you gonna do now?”
Stroud also demonstrates how everyday items like duct tape can be used to build shelter and bandage wounds. Other items like an orange garbage bag (to use as a signal) or a tin can (to collect water) can prove to be life-savers as well.
The book mixes advice, photos, and real-life stories of people who have had to endure tough decisions from leaving their family out in the blistering cold to sawing off their arm to escape. Stroud says even the non-adventurer can learn something from “Survive!”
“There’s lessons for life survival in there as well.” Stroud said. “So, does it go beyond the person who’s never going to camp? It definitely does. You’re going to be able to pull life lessons out if you peruse it no matter what.”
One lesson stays consistent throughout the book, and that’s the importance of keeping calm, relying on yourself and always staying prepared.
“Make sure you know your escape route,” Stroud said. “Just don’t panic, at all costs, don’t panic. That’s where we lose it.”
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On the Net:
http://www.survivorman.ca
