The Accident Prone Outdoorsman

Author and Instructor Peter Kummerfeldt conducts outdoor safety skills seminars for his company OutdoorSafe . he writes: The tendency to hold optimistic opinions of our ability seems to be a part of human nature. No one wants to be “average,” we want to believe that we are “better than average.” The belief that “I will never find myself in a survival situation” compounds the problem… we read the reports, see the mistakes, and increasingly believe that accidents only happen to the foolhardy, the incompetent, and the accident prone – the other guy! Is it possible that all of those that people who get in trouble in the outdoors are fool hardy, incompetent and accident prone?

I think not! The cold hard reality is that we all make mistakes and anyone of us could find ourselves in a survival situation at any time especially if we approach our outdoor activities with arrogant over-confidence. What kinds of situations am I talking about that produce most mistakes?

There are many but they generally involve some combination of the following ingredients: a tired cold, dehydrated person, a desire to continue when continuing on is ill advised, inclement weather, inadequate clothing, inexperience, lack of training and the overwhelming desire to be reunited with family members and other loved ones. Look for these ingredients as they creep into your activities and be aware that they can dramatically impact your ability to function safely in the outdoors.

Surviving a crisis begins with the realization and acceptance of the fact that “somewhere, sometime you might end up spending an unplanned night out” and if you accept that premise then it follows that you would want to make that night out as comfortable as possible. You must prepare. You must consider a worst-case scenario. You must evaluate the risks and ask yourself if you are sufficiently prepared to cope with those risks. Play the “what if game” as in “What if I get lost and have to spend a night or two out?”

Preparation does not guarantee that you will survive but it won’t hurt your chances of surviving a life threatening event.

I also like how Kummerfeldt expands on avoiding panic when lost – “Sit down. Get off your feet. You can’t walk if you’re sitting on your butt!. Have a drink of water. Eat something. Sit there for thirty minutes allowing the adrenaline to subside."

Peter’s book Surviving a Wilderness Emergency is on my reading list.

Surviving a Wilderness Emergency available at Amazon.