In a survival situation, you may not be able to hop in your car and leisurely turn on your GPS gadget to help you navigate to a different location. Instead, you have to figure out how to get from point A to point B on your own.
You may not be able to take a main highway or road because it could be compromised and considered unsafe. So how would you navigate through the wilderness or other location that you are unfamiliar with?
The first thing you want to do is learn how to navigate using a compass. This will tell you the exact direction you are traveling in – North, South, East or West – so that you can get to where you're going.
A compass is very small and can easily fit in your bug out bag. You want to make sure everyone in your family has one and that they know how to use it. This is a skill that is easily practiced.
You may also want to figure out other ways of navigating such as with an analog watch or by simply looking at the position of the sun and stars to help you find your way during the day or at night.
Another thing you want to do in addition to learning the skill of navigation is know how to signal for help whenever you need to. You may not have a convenient flare to send up into the sky whenever a rescue operation is taking place.
You need to know how to create a fire that will generate enough smoke to be noticed. You may or may not have any materials to help you start the fire, so you will have to learn how to do it from scratch.
You can also use the sun and a reflecting material to catch the attention of rescue teams. You may want to take some time to learn Morse code so that you can send out an SOS signal that lets people know you need help.
There are some products you can have on hand, such as a whistle or flare, that can easily be carried in your bug out bag and used to signal for assistance if and when you need it.
Don't forget that if you are in an open space, such as a beach or field, you can use things like large rocks or branches to spell out a message for rescue teams that may be flying overhead looking for survivors.
Until Next Time
Dominus Owen Markham
The Nord Skov
Living Off Grid