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Deep Survival
Several people in the comments to my last post expressed interest in the "how to not die in a crisis" part of Deep Survival, so I figured I'd make a separate post about that.
Most of the book consists of case studies of people in life-threatening crises (hikers stranded in the wilderness, sailors capsized along with their boat, plane crash victims), with discussion of what they did and why, in terms of both neurology and human social behavior, they did it. Some of them survived; some didn't. What's different about the ones who did? The last couple chapters of the book are a distilled version of everything that's gone before, with some conclusions -- so I'm doing nothing but skimming the surface of a fairly complex book in a really superficial fashion. I don't really have time to go into it in any depth - buy the book! *g* - but here are a few of the high points.
He breaks it down into two parts: not getting into a life-threatening crisis in the first place, and surviving if you do. He also emphasizes that luck plays a huge role -- you can do everything "right" and still die, or do everything "wrong" and live. (And one thing he points out at the very end is that life itself is dangerous -- you can avoid "risk" and then die in a car crash on the way to the store. The way he's chosen to live his life is by taking known risks but doing it sensibly.) Having said that, the more of these things you're able to do, the more likely you are to live:
Avoiding disaster:
• Educate yourself beforehand (so: if you're going hiking, read up on the area you're hiking and check a weather report; if you're going swimming at an unfamiliar beach, ask the lifeguard about hazards; stuff like that).
• Have a plan, but don't be so rigid that you can't adapt your plan (or make a new plan) if conditions change.
• Don't rush; take your time to do things correctly.
• Be humble; don't assume that just because you've done it before, you can do it effortlessly this time. (One of the points the book makes is that a lot of people get in trouble in hiking/mountaineering situations because they are experts, and therefore get careless and overconfident. "Rambo is the first to go.")
• When in doubt, don't do it. (The author has a particularly affecting story here about how he was booked on American Airlines Flight 191, but bailed at the last minute because he'd been working on a story about safety failures of DC-10 aircraft and didn't feel comfortable flying on one. The plane crashed, killing everyone on board, including many of his colleagues.)
All of the above sounds like nothing more than common sense. But in the vast majority of Gonzales's "outdoor enthusiast stranded in the wilderness" horror stories, the hiker/mountain climber/sailor/swimmer failed to do one or more of these things. You can get away with cutting corners or failing to take adequate precautions in a lot of cases. Most people do at one point or another, and get away with it. But then there's that one time that you don't get away with it, and that's the one that matters.
If disaster happens:
• "Perceive and believe"; in other words, take in your surroundings as they really are, don't get stuck on your preconceptions. Be open-minded and realistic. Notice details.
• Stay calm, and keep a sense of humor.
• Think, analyze and plan. Set up routines to break huge, seemingly impossible tasks into small tasks (you're not walking a hundred miles on a broken leg, you're taking one step and then another, or you're setting up camp tonight and breaking that down, etc, etc ...).
• Don't hesitate to take action, including risky action if you have to, but try to take the correct action for the situation ("be bold and cautious" is how he puts it).
• Celebrate your successes.
• Be grateful for what you have, and help those around you if you can. This isn't just a platitude; his research indicates that people who are most likely to survive are those who aren't just focused on themselves, but try to rescue other people in trouble with them, and think about loved ones back home to give them strength to go on.
• Play: sing, recite poetry, basically give your brain a break from the tough survival stuff by letting it do something fun. (He points out that the more you have to draw upon - the richer your inner life before you get in crisis - the more you'll have to play with once all the trappings of civilization are snatched away.)
• See and appreciate the beauty around you. Again, not just a platitude: people who survive are people who are able to enjoy what they're doing when they can.
• Believe that you will live and succeed.
• Surrender: accept your chances of dying, accept the pain of your injuries, and then put it away and go on.
• Do whatever is necessary.
• Never give up.
This entry is also posted at http://friendshipper.dreamwidth.org/367253.html with
comments.
Most of the book consists of case studies of people in life-threatening crises (hikers stranded in the wilderness, sailors capsized along with their boat, plane crash victims), with discussion of what they did and why, in terms of both neurology and human social behavior, they did it. Some of them survived; some didn't. What's different about the ones who did? The last couple chapters of the book are a distilled version of everything that's gone before, with some conclusions -- so I'm doing nothing but skimming the surface of a fairly complex book in a really superficial fashion. I don't really have time to go into it in any depth - buy the book! *g* - but here are a few of the high points.
He breaks it down into two parts: not getting into a life-threatening crisis in the first place, and surviving if you do. He also emphasizes that luck plays a huge role -- you can do everything "right" and still die, or do everything "wrong" and live. (And one thing he points out at the very end is that life itself is dangerous -- you can avoid "risk" and then die in a car crash on the way to the store. The way he's chosen to live his life is by taking known risks but doing it sensibly.) Having said that, the more of these things you're able to do, the more likely you are to live:
Avoiding disaster:
• Educate yourself beforehand (so: if you're going hiking, read up on the area you're hiking and check a weather report; if you're going swimming at an unfamiliar beach, ask the lifeguard about hazards; stuff like that).
• Have a plan, but don't be so rigid that you can't adapt your plan (or make a new plan) if conditions change.
• Don't rush; take your time to do things correctly.
• Be humble; don't assume that just because you've done it before, you can do it effortlessly this time. (One of the points the book makes is that a lot of people get in trouble in hiking/mountaineering situations because they are experts, and therefore get careless and overconfident. "Rambo is the first to go.")
• When in doubt, don't do it. (The author has a particularly affecting story here about how he was booked on American Airlines Flight 191, but bailed at the last minute because he'd been working on a story about safety failures of DC-10 aircraft and didn't feel comfortable flying on one. The plane crashed, killing everyone on board, including many of his colleagues.)
All of the above sounds like nothing more than common sense. But in the vast majority of Gonzales's "outdoor enthusiast stranded in the wilderness" horror stories, the hiker/mountain climber/sailor/swimmer failed to do one or more of these things. You can get away with cutting corners or failing to take adequate precautions in a lot of cases. Most people do at one point or another, and get away with it. But then there's that one time that you don't get away with it, and that's the one that matters.
If disaster happens:
• "Perceive and believe"; in other words, take in your surroundings as they really are, don't get stuck on your preconceptions. Be open-minded and realistic. Notice details.
• Stay calm, and keep a sense of humor.
• Think, analyze and plan. Set up routines to break huge, seemingly impossible tasks into small tasks (you're not walking a hundred miles on a broken leg, you're taking one step and then another, or you're setting up camp tonight and breaking that down, etc, etc ...).
• Don't hesitate to take action, including risky action if you have to, but try to take the correct action for the situation ("be bold and cautious" is how he puts it).
• Celebrate your successes.
• Be grateful for what you have, and help those around you if you can. This isn't just a platitude; his research indicates that people who are most likely to survive are those who aren't just focused on themselves, but try to rescue other people in trouble with them, and think about loved ones back home to give them strength to go on.
• Play: sing, recite poetry, basically give your brain a break from the tough survival stuff by letting it do something fun. (He points out that the more you have to draw upon - the richer your inner life before you get in crisis - the more you'll have to play with once all the trappings of civilization are snatched away.)
• See and appreciate the beauty around you. Again, not just a platitude: people who survive are people who are able to enjoy what they're doing when they can.
• Believe that you will live and succeed.
• Surrender: accept your chances of dying, accept the pain of your injuries, and then put it away and go on.
• Do whatever is necessary.
• Never give up.
This entry is also posted at http://friendshipper.dreamwidth.org/367253.html with
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... though I think living in Alaska makes you do that in general. When I lived in Illinois (and had a white-collar office job), I had a reputation in the office for being the person with the well-stocked trunk. If anyone needed a screwdriver or jumper cables, they went to me. For my own part, I was amazed that anyone would drive around without a fully stocked toolbox, jumper cables, road flares and a tow strap in their trunk! *g*
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It is true that living in Alaska does make you very aware of potential dangers, and forces you to be prepared for anything. Even in summer we travel with blankets, winter coats and boots in the truck...we always have emergency supplies on hand at home (fresh water, propane stove, candles, emergency radio etc) and seriously, how can ANYONE function without a handy supply of zip-ties, clamps, blue tarps, bungie-cords and duct tape?????
You saw how us traveling artist-carnies function. When the apocalypse comes, we'll be the perfect group to rebuild civilization out of, um...see the above list.
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haha ... apparently mine is too. Actually, I think Alaska in general tends to be that way, as soon as you get out of the safety zone of the big towns. There are just a lot of things that can go wrong up here.
You saw how us traveling artist-carnies function. When the apocalypse comes, we'll be the perfect group to rebuild civilization out of, um...see the above list.
I agree! :D And I loved getting a peek at the behind-the-scenes, backstage at the fair, so to speak. There is a part of me that has always wanted to drift rootless and fancy-free, living out of the back of a truck. There is also a MUCH LARGER part of me that likes having studio space, reliable Internet and a garden, however.
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Three have fallen to their deaths by insisting on sitting on a precarious edge and then falling over to the area below, at least 80 feet to rocks below.........
The waters, even in the summer, can be very cold around here but people insist on diving in and often drown due to severe hypothermia.......
There are constant warnings but they just ignore it........
Or how about those who go mountain climbing on Mt. Hood, insufficient clothing and no tracking device, 'we didn't think we would need it because we were just going for the day'
Many are loss, I suspect as a result of falls into crevices, which are
famous on Hood........they are never found later
Mt. Hood is one of the most unpredictable mountains in North America.
It is also unforgiving to the idiot who goes unprepared.
Or how about those who drive off onto logging roads during winter and
then there is a huge search required.........
Out in the Columbia gorge area, they insist on going
off trail and later need rescue........which is very dangerous due to the very steep terrain.
There are warnings to stay on the trail, but these people just ignore it totally.
I find it all ANNOYING because of the lack of common sense.
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Basically ... I do see what you're saying, and yet, I think we've all been in situations where we jumped into them without knowing enough about what we were getting ourselves into. It's just that most of us got out without injury or the need for help. But not everyone does. And I think that the mental framework needed to prepare for a wilderness excursion doesn't come naturally to people who don't grow up around it. They have to learn. Just like people who grow up in the country don't know how to protect themselves when they go to the city, or to another country where things work very differently. Some people come with a more fully stocked mental toolbox (more common sense, I guess you could say) and can pick it up readily, while others have a steeper learning curve.
I guess that I'm not really disagreeing with you so much as saying that the steps you have to take to protect yourself from harm in a wilderness setting are not really that evident if you're used to a different sort of survival situation.
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