The first thing to do after getting lost in the forest is to calm down. The second is to start looking for human habitation. But just walking through the woods without making out the roads is a surefire way to get lost even more. So you need to set up a temporary camp and use it as a starting point, leaving footprints in the trees, so that if necessary, return to the beginning of the search. The camp will help you survive the days that are necessary for organizing search and rescue operations. What should be in the camp? Hut, fire and drinking water. With a hut and a fire, everything is clear, but where in the forest to get water?
Instructions
Step 1
Much depends on the type of forest. If the forest is deciduous and moist, and the soil in it is grassy, then finding water will not be difficult. In such forests, streams and springs are not uncommon. In most cases, just listening is enough to hear the sound of a bubbling stream nearby.
Step 2
If you are in a coniferous and dry forest with sandy soil, things will be more difficult. However, there is also a way out. It should be remembered that water always flows. And where does it flow? That's right - down. Head in the direction the incline is going. Seeing any descent, move along it. You have to walk along the lowlands and valleys, choosing the same places that the water would have chosen. Look for traces of dry streams and rain erosion on the ground. After a while, you will be convinced that it is not so difficult to find traces of the paths along which water once flowed. Eventually, after a few hours, you will inevitably come out to a stream or river.
Step 3
If you luckily have a hunting knife (or even a shovel) at hand, you can do even easier. You do not have to go far along the lowlands, you can go down into the first deep ravine and dig a hole at the bottom. It can be shallow - half a meter is enough for a mug or two of water to collect in it. Drinking it, however, should be done with caution. It is better to boil such water or add a few grains of potassium permanganate from a first-aid kit to it.
Step 4
If you have a piece of polyethylene with you to cover your tent, consider yourself lucky. Polyethylene is a wonderful tool for collecting the best and purest water - rain and dew. It should be stretched over several poles so that it forms something like a drain to one of the corners. Wrap the edges of the plastic sheet up and fix with split sticks. Bring the bottom corner into any container: a canister, a flask or a mug. If it rains, you will have no shortage of water. But even in clear weather, in the morning, 150-200 grams of dew will collect on the polyethylene.
