It’s a situation that even you and I could easily find ourselves in…
If your vehicle breaks down and you’re now stranded in the middle of nowhere with no help on the way… if you just happened follow a “disappearing” path on a remote hiking trail… or maybe you turn around while out hunting to notice that you don’t recognize where you are anymore.
This is where your mind, your body, and your skills will be tested for your ability to stay alive.
But when it happens to your child or grandchild, knowing that they are out there – somewhere – possibly hurt (or worse) as the temperatures drop and with no gear or other means to stay alive, well… as a father and grandfather myself, this is one of my worst nightmares!
This happened to one family on a camping trip and proves that…
Yes, Even Children Can Learn To Be “Warrior-Ready” When Facing A Crisis!
Here’s How A 10-Year Old Boy Managed To Survive Being Lost In The Wild By Using Dad’s Genius “Bag Of Survival Tricks”…
“I went too far away.”
10-year old Malachi Bradley looked up and realized that he had no clue where he was anymore.
Camping with his family in the remote mountains near Paul Lake about 200 miles east of Salt Lake City, he had headed out on his own to search for wild mushrooms to bring back to their campsite, when he had suddenly realized that his intense focus on scouring the forest floor had taken his attention off of how far he had gone, and in which direction he had traveled.
Figuring he wasn’t too far away, the young boy tried looking for a road so he could flag down a driver for help, but the area where he and his family were camping was too remote and he soon realized his search was futile.
Fortunately, Malachi’s dad, Danny Bradley, had taught him a few tricks about surviving in the wild that may have saved his son’s life…
The Survival Secrets Of A Warrior-Ready Father To His Warrior-Ready Kid…
Young Malachi had been wandering through the forest for hours and knew that he couldn’t count on being rescued.
It was up to him, and him alone, to keep himself safe and alive against all that Mother Nature had to throw at him.
Here are some of the tricks Malachi learned from his father that helped him get back to his family safe and sound…
The Hidden Dangers Of “Wild Water”
Thirsty from wandering in search of a way back, Malachi eventually came upon a small river to drink from.
But his father had taught him that, no matter how “clean” water in the wild may look, it can still be laced with harmful parasites and bacteria that can make you horrifyingly sick if you consume it directly from the source.
Fortunately, Malachi remembered his father teaching him how to filter water in the wild to make it safer to drink.
Taking off his jacket, he poured water from the river into the hood and used the fabric as an improvised filter to clean the water as much as possible before drinking.
Any type of cloth can work the same way – a short, bandana, sock, etc. – but it’s not a fail-safe purifier.
Still… it was good enough for Malachi to re-hydrate and gain back his energy to carry on.
Improvised Shelter Resourcefulness
As night fell, temperatures dipped into the 30s and the wind was making it feel even colder.
Malachi began shivering and knew he needed to find shelter to warm himself up and possibly protect him from bad weather.
“There’s just a ton of giant rocks, so I hid between four of them so the wind wouldn’t hit me too much,” Malachi later told reporters.
To stay warm, his father had taught him how to use his body as a heat source, so he wrapped his T-shirt around his legs and crouched down inside his jacket, pulling his arms and head inside to create a makeshift “shelter” that trapped his body heat.
His resourcefulness paid off and he was warm enough to get through the night.
Unfortunately, it also threw off infrared heat detectors used by the dozens of search and rescue teams scouring the forest on horses, ATVs, and in the air, as they were unable to spot the young boy in the dense terrain.
Malachi’s Return (And A Hard Lesson Learned)
In the morning, Malachi woke to the sound of a police helicopter flying overhead.
He knew the rescue searchers wouldn’t be able to see him through the trees, so he began walking to a clearing in the forest where he’d have a better chance of flagging down help from above.
Malachi stayed most of the day in the middle of the open space, waving at aircraft as they searched overhead.
His persistence paid off, and eventually his signaling caught the eye of a helicopter that coordinated picking him up to bring him back safe and sound to his family once again.
Following his return, it was determined that Malachi had wandered a total of 5 miles from his campsite.
He now realizes that he would have been better served to simply stay in place once he realized he was lost so that searchers wouldn’t have to cover such a wide area, but he “thought” he could find his way back on his own… instead wandering further and further away from his family’s campsite.
I’m sure his lessons will get passed on to his own children when he grows up and…
His Resourcefulness (Mixed With Dad’s “Wilderness Wisdom” And A Little Luck!) Got Him Home In One Piece, But Here’s…
The One Survival Secret Malachi’s Dad Missed That Can Mean The Difference Between Life And Death When Lost And Stranded In The Wild…
Malachi’s dad, Danny Bradley, sure showed his ability to prepare his children to be self-reliant in the face of danger – and fortunately, the temperatures didn’t dip lower and there were no storms that hit the area.
If they had, this story could have had an entirely different (tragic) ending.
I remember when my own son, Tristan, was Malachi’s age, he interviewed Survivorman, Les Stroud, on what gear he would advise taking on a hiking or camping trip.
Les didn’t skip a beat… “A way to make a fire” was at the very top of his list.
If Malachi had been able to start a fire, he could not only have kept warm and dry, but just 5 miles from his campsite, he would have been spotted much sooner by rescue teams and back home sleeping soundly in his tent.
Now, Malachi may not be old enough to carry a lighter around with him, but he’s certainly old enough to learn how to start a fire with flint and steel, or some other improvised means that he could carry on him during hiking and camping trips.
For you, it just makes good sense to have a “fire kit” as a back-up in your bugout bag, vehicle glove box, or – if you’re hiking or camping – in a cargo pocket of your pants.
And it doesn’t hurt to know how to make a fire using only items you can find in your environment.
But Even Experienced Hiker, Campers, And Hunters VASTLY Overestimate Their Ability To Make A “Wild” Fire
Here’s The Truth About Building A Survival Fire-Making Kit That Gets You Warm, Dry, And Signals For Help In The Shortest Time Possible…
Look… rubbing two sticks together to get a flame looks easy in the movies and “survival reality shows”… but I can tell you from experience that it’s virtually impossible for the untrained fire-builder.
That’s why simply carrying a standard Bic lighter as part of your everyday carry (EDC) is the easiest way to prepare for a fast flame.
However, I tell people that – while a simple lighter is an easy way to “check the box” in your fire-builder kit list – I don’t suggest making it part of your vehicle or bugout bag survival gear.
The truth is, these types of lighters – as well as the fancy “survival matches” – run out of fuel pretty quickly and you don’t know how bad the weather and fire-building conditions may be.
If you’re trying to start a fire and there’s any wind or rain, or you’re dealing with wet wood, you could quickly find yourself out of fuel (or matches) and then back to frantically rubbing sticks together in frustration.
A better option for your fire-building kit is something that’s not going to “run out”, like “flint and steel” or a ferro rod.
This combination has always been a mainstay in any fire-building kit because they’re so cheap and reliable – but again, a word of caution…
This is another one of those cheap “check the box” mistakes so many preppers make because you really need a longer piece of flint to create enough sparks to reliably get a flame going quickly.
We were issued these in the military as “survival gear” and they came embedded in a block of magnesium that could be shaved off to help get the fire going, so if you have one of these in your kit, I do recommend having some kind of accelerant to give you a hand.
For me, the best option I found to carry with me is a combo “instant fire” kit that includes one of those new “Tesla” survival lighters.
These new lighters are amazing life-savers as they use an electrical current instead of an actual flame to start a fire, so it’s not going to blow out in the wind like other methods do and it will actually even stay “lit” under running water, so you have more “insurance” against the rain.
(Bonus Tip: The batteries on these rechargeable lighters last an incredibly long time, but I also suggest pairing it with a small solar-powered charger like I do. This basically gives you “infinity flames” at your disposal and so you don’t have to worry about conserving fuel, weather conditions, etc.)
In the end, your survival all comes down to you keeping a level-head and being resourceful with whatever options you have available to stay alive while first responders are searching for you, or to plan a practical way to get home to safety .
When camping with our kids, we always wore a whistle (heavy duty, not toy) around the neck, and taught them that 3 blasts means “help”.
Great advice Rebecca! And very empowering for your children to have a way that they can take control of getting help in an emergency!
Whistles are wonderful; but a second and/or third whistle needs to be at the campsite (one for the lost one, one for the designated searcher, and one for anyone should the searcher be away from the campsite or when there is too much noise at the campsite (chainsaws, loud music, engagement in a game, etc.). Once communication goes “3 whistle blasts” back and forth, then the searcher and the child can start walking towards the whistle blasts. And a parent wearing a whistle will reassure the child and reinforce the value of the communication strategy.
Families can play whistle games arriving at a new campsite, such as a “level field” blindfold game for two people (both blindfolded), each having a whistle and blowing it regularly as they walk toward each other. ” A spotter” would have to blow his whistle when the blindfolded ones get too close together to avoid a collision. All kids will love that game; and the kids will remember to use the strategy when they get lost–a confidence builder; and heck, a parent could get lost also. Everyone should carry a whistle. It is likely that two different brand whistles will make different sounds. That may help a parent identify which child is lost–that could be important such as for straying kids about 5-year’s old. Do they get the loudest whistle? Or the highest pitch whistle?
Whistles can be taken to crowded activities: fireworks, ball-games, even major Christmas shopping days in a store. In a crowd (like at a football game), even soft blasts every two breaths can help both members re-find themselves and greatly reduce anxiety that can cause mistakes.
Consider also “the worst of the worst”–a predator in the woods who sees the child. If a child whistles, a predator will pause and look around to see if anyone heard. If a parent whistles back, a predator will likely back off and leave, because now a two-person communication is going on and it is likely the searcher will be running toward the child that closes the distance gap and makes predatory behavior far more hazardous.
My dad was a WWII first-seat combat pilot that was the first USA unit to film Auschwitz-Birkenau. Flying through “flack”– bombs going off in the air made for a “rocky ride” and avoiding them led to fast steep “turn aways” in the air. When I was a kid he taught me “Never tie any string around your neck”, like for carrying a key, or a necklace. I have always obeyed that rule (still at age 72), even when as a child I didn’t understand why. It could snag on something, such as in a slip and fall, and/or result in a broken neck or serious choke; and kids can pull on it without realizing the potential hazard. It could happen in a car accident, getting thrown around. A whistle could be attached to a “pocketed wrist band” or a “home-made waist belt-pouch”; or maybe to a shoe or boot lace pouch. Or be put into a buttoned pocket, or the “blue jean” coin pocket.
Good points, but bear in mind you can get “breakaway” connectors for many different types of small cords, durable enough to hold yet breakable under stress.
A kid with enough bright-color (orange) paracord (or even strips of bright rag material) could tie a string around the biggest trees in a line of sight movement as s/he snoops around, and be told, always look back to see where the last one is; and whether it is time to tie another string. That way, s/he doesn’t have to look for a road when feeling lost. S/he could walk in a circle to see where the last tree-marker is; and getting to that one, find the next one, all the way back to camp. And if the kid ran out of string, that would be the time to head back to camp; and in rocky terrain, tie 2 or more strings and hook it on an obvious rock. Only at dusk would it be tougher without a flashlight.
A piece of steel wool and a small battery works to start a fire as well.
Great ideas for fire starters. My sister uses toilet paper tubes, lint from a dryer and candles that have been used and are short.
Chose/Test “Dryer Lint” Carefully. I tried some of mine – it just melted 🙂 and NO Smoke. NOW – “I” always carry at least 2 Bic type lighters in a pocket – Everywhere. Survival Code – “2 is 1 and 1 is none.” Now I also “always” carry a few “Real Matches” in waterproof pouch. “Been There – Done That” – For Real in the Mtns.(E TENN) and Freezing Cold and getting Dark.
Can’t hurt to try washing a few loads of “cotton only” clothes/towels. I do that, making all the lint more flammable.
If a load doesn’t contain ALL cotton, the lint goes in the trash. If it’s all cotton then it gets saved into an old plastic mayonnaise jar, them when full it gets stuffed into an old Altoids type tin with either petroleum jelly or the remnants from my wife’s lip balm stick (also a sort of petroleum product).
A compass. A good (read expensive) one. Mine is duplicate of military issue.
A signal mirror.
A magnifying glass. Powerful one.
Paracord 30’ worth.
Good belt knife in sheath.
Water filter drinking straw.
Neosporin ointment.
Gauze.
Duck tape.
I was lost in the woods once. Even a rudimentary compass would have helped. It was an overcast day and all the searching and walking neither of us knew which direction was north. We had parked in the southwest corner of the farm. There was a fence all around so it was simply follow the fence when we found it. The other fellow went north I took a better guess and went south and made the truck about an hour before he got there. Now I carry a compass and signal whistle for hunting trips.
Yes, unless you know dryer lint test it. Back when I was working we had blue cotton rags, great lint. Now I use my clothesline no lint from that. I can make charcloth from old cotton clothes.
I have several page magnifier Fresnel lenses, they collect enough sunlight to dry tender. Then focus it more intensely and ignite it. Even dead grass gets wet with dew here.
mushroom hunter here carry three compass and then we vote. no compass?i did this first, cleared a 10ft by 10ft area free of sticks and leaves so you cannot miss it and call it home base. then walked 100 steps in a straight line. nothing familiar? walk back to home base. now 90 degrees from that line do another 100 steps. nothing familiar? return to home. do the same on the other two directions. nothing? return to home base now do 300 steps on the diagonals. the first one got me out. remember if you are lost your heart will start racing. SIT DOWN. SIT DOWN. rest a couple minutes to settle down before proceeding. this method keeps you from getting more lost, allow searchers to find you because you are closer, also solves the common problem of dying very near a road. when you find the way out. your mind cannot conceive that it is right. all my care.
Probably think of more later but first off….
Carry a knife! Even an 8 or 9 year old can be taught how to effectively and safely use a knife. Morakniv make cheap knives with good steel. Their Companion and Basic are good choices for very little money.
Fire. Magnesium wool weighs practically nothing – you can carry A LOT of it. With a ferrocerium rod and striker you can start a fire even in very wet conditions with the right tinder. Just search eBay, “magnesium wool” and “ferrocerium rod” or “fire starter”.
Signaling. Carry a good signal mirror. In my opinion the best one is made by S.I. Howard Glass . Just search Amazon for “S.I. Howard Glass” and you will find it. Best carried in a hard sleeve or other container with a little padding since it is made of glass. Plastic signal mirrors are available too of varying quality, know the differences. Google “best signal mirror”.
Another good signaling item is a laser. Green is best, many out there – your mileage may vary. Some visible up to 10, 20, or 30 miles. Never point a laser directly at an aircraft – it can disorient or blind the pilot(s).