The Importance of Site Selection
THE FIRST DECISION YOU’LL MAKE with regard to a shelter—no matter
how long you think you’ll need it—is where to put it. Even if you have
all the right materials, building your shelter in the wrong place could
be a fatal mistake.
The first time I made a survival film, I flew to a beautiful area in
Ontario known as Wabakimi. I built my shelter in a spot I figured would
work both for filming and survival: close to a smooth rock outcropping on
a small remote lake. It worked great . . . for a few nights. Then the wind
turned on me and my shelter became a wind tunnel. I spent one entire
night pacing on the outcropping and doing pushups to try to avoid hypo
thermia. My poor choice of shelter location was the reason I had to endure
that horrible night. Well, that and the fact that I hadn’t been diligent in
ensuring that my shelter was sealed off and had a tightfitting door!
What do you need to consider in selecting a site? First, choose a spot
that is relatively flat and free of loose rocks. And as my buddy and premier
desert survival expert David Holladay says, always remember the five W’s:
widowmakers, water, wigglies, wind, and wood.
I spent one long and miserable night in the “wind tunnel” shelter in the Wabakimi area
of northern Ontario.(^144) | Survive!