The two spent a grim night by the campfire, hoping that the
bleeding would slow down and that someone in the area would spot
the smoke. As his father dozed, Jonathan took it upon himself to wake
up every few minutes and check on his dad, to “make sure he was
snoring.”
At daybreak, with no help in sight and his father’s condition
worsening, Jonathan set out for help, knowing full well that he’d be
crossing the heart of bear country. Despite the danger, he traveled
on foot for over three miles before eventually stumbling upon other
campers, who were able to help him and his father to a hospital.
Jonathan’s poise under frightening circumstances helps show
that survival isn’t about macho gestures but about staying calm and
using your head. Gerry Clement, a proud father whose life was saved
by his son’s good judgment, says his boy was “an absolute hero.”simmering level. They use anger to fuel their will to live: they’re angry
with the person responsible for getting them into the situation and want
to get back at them. There’s the story of Hugh Glass, an early American
fur trapper whose two travel companions left him to die after a grizzly
bear attack. Fueled by his hatred of the men who abandoned him, Glass
traveled some 200 miles (322 km)—with a broken leg—to safety.
Loneliness, Boredom, and Depression
Let’s face it, if you’re alone in the wilderness doing nothing for days on
end, it can get very, very boring in no time at all. Boredom can then bring
on negative, introspective thoughts, which in turn can lead to depression.
When people feel depressed, they start to give up. Their focus shifts
from improving their situation to convincing themselves that there is noth
ing to be done. The problem with these two emotional states, and depres
sion in particular, is that they are insidious—they creep up on you. Add to
the mix the fact that you’re probably hungry and tired, maybe injured and
scared, and it’s easy to see how depression can take hold. Don’t let it, for it
will only eat away at your will to live.
Remember that it’s normal to feel miserable in a survival situation,
especially during the first few days. Your success in defeating this misery
(^50) | Survive!