At the other extreme, new technologies are making survival easier
and involve little more than pushing a button and waiting for rescue. PLBs
and EPIRBs, cell phones and BlackBerries, and the new SPOT messenger
technology have all made wilderness travel safer than ever.
In my research, I discovered that many survival publications are filled
with outdated or untested skills and methods that may not help at all if you
are in real jeopardy. Throughout the writing process, I always put myself
in the position of an inexperienced person, lost and alone, and in need of
basic survival knowledge that would keep him or her alive.
In my TV show, I like to throw in the occasional advanced survival skill.
But that’s just for fun, and this book is not about having fun. It’s about sur
viving. That’s why I have stuck to the most essential, trusted, and universal
skills—skills that have kept me alive in the farflung corners of the globe.
So, if this book is in your hands because you are in trouble, don’t
panic: calm down and assess your situation. Skim the book to the chapters
that pertain to you. Make a plan. I sincerely hope there is something here
that will improve your knowledge base and provide you with some practi
cal ideas . . . even if it means ripping out some of the pages to start a fire!
You will survive. And perhaps like mine, your story can be told
someday.
(^350) | Survive!