Top 5 Creative Ways To Stay Hydrated In The Wild
Daryl Landry – Surviving in the wild is essential. When you find yourself in the wild, you have to learn survival skills. Staying hydrated is the most important factor to be considered while in the wild. There are dangers brought by dehydration. These may include headache, dizziness, confusion, and fatigue. Dehydrated eventually leads to death. A mild dehydration affects your concentration and reduces endurance. You certainly need to be alert in the wild for you to survive. A dark yellow or brown urine may indicate dehydration.
Below are top 5 creative ways to stay hydrated in the wild. In most cases, water is rarely available in the wild. You do not have to drink water all the time to stay dehydrated. The following survival mechanisms will ensure you stay hydrated until you reach areas with sufficient water.
1. Avoid Unnecessary Water Loss through Sweating
One of the main ways through which human beings lose water is through perspiration. The human body is designed to cool itself by the action of sweating. This means that you lose much water when your body temperatures go up. Under normal conditions, a typical human loses a maximum of 4 liters and a minimum of 2 liters per day. In hot conditions, a human being will lose even six liters of water in a day. A cold or a dry weather will also lead to dehydration. The several conditions of wilderness include a hot, a dry or a cold weather. You should learn to keep the temperatures of your body low in the wilderness. This means avoiding exercise in the wild at all costs. You should also stay under the shades. Most tents used in camping provide excellent shades. You can also keep your body temperatures down by wearing light clothes. This way, you will survive in the wild where water is unavailable.
2. Gathering Water
In any way drinking water is the easiest way to stay hydrated. However, water is rarely available in the wild. Despite this, you will have to find drinking water. You need to become innovative. Your creativity will save you from thirst. You can collect water from trees. Here your science becomes applicable. Trees undergo transpiration. This is the process through which plants lose water. That is why trees are considered water catchment areas. They fill up the water cycle. You need polythene bags. Choose trees which are not poisonous. You can know this by observing plants which are fed on by animals in the wild. Tie several leaves in the morning. The leaves will transpire all day long. When the temperatures drop in the evening, you can collect the transpired water in cans for use. You can also collect water early in the morning before the sunrise.
Another way you can acquire water for drinking is by squeezing water from mud. Muddy areas in the wild always suggest availability of water. You can use a piece of cloth to do this. Ensure you treat water obtained this way. This is water you can drink to stay hydrated in the wild. Animals and bird's movements can guide you to water sources. Look out for bird flights every morning and evening.
3. Purifying Water Processes
Some of the wild places contain water that is not fit for consumption. Water from rivers, pools, swamps, and oases may contain microorganisms. These may bring diseases. Becoming sick in the wilderness is one of the worst things that can happen to you. The water from these sources can be made pure. Several methods can be used to purify water. You can boil, distill or add chemicals. Ensure you pack tins and cooking pots for these activities. You can also carry a water-purifying chemical like chlorine dioxide. This is found in many trademarked water-treating agents.
4. Food and Drinks
Numerous foods contain considerable amounts of water. Fruits for instance, have a lot of water. When you find yourself in the wild where there is no water, you can make use of wild fruits. Again here, you must be able to know the edible fruits. You should not feed on any fruit you come across. If your vacation, camping or traveling involves a wild place with no water, you can carry fruits. Excellent foods that contain a lot of water include lettuce, watermelons, cucumbers and strawberries just to mention a few. You can also carry drinks in the wild. These, you can drink when you become thirsty. However, you should take care not to take drinks that will leave you more dehydrated. Some sugary drinks leave you dehydrated. You can survive several days on these without drinking water. This way of staying hydrated in the wild depends on the availability of these fruits. The way can work perfectly if your stay, hiking or travel in the wild involves a vehicle.
5. Water from Snow and Ice
Another idea of staying hydrated in the wild is by obtaining water from snow and ice. You might find yourself in a wild place with no water but snow. You can make a fire and melt snow. You may die in a polar environment while surrounded by water. What you need to know is that water requires only little heat to change from its frozen state to a liquid. Water only needs a temperature of just above 1 C to change into a liquid. Mountaineers will find this helpful. You can carry a modern stove which is fueled by Propane gas or unleaded petrol. You can also start a fire if your surroundings have trees. You can use these to melt snow and obtain water for drinking. Remember to collect clean snow for melting. Yellow snow is certainly dirty. Freshly melted snow is usually regarded to be safe for drinking. However, you should take care as disease causing germs do not die when water is frozen. The microorganisms become inactive until the ice is melted. You do not need to depend entirely on stoves and fires. Sometimes sun shines in wild polar regions. You can find trickling water from ice when the sun is up. You can collect this water for use.
The above top 5 creative ways to stay hydrated in the wild will help you. Your hiking, mountain climbing, camping, and exploration among other activities are set to change because of this information. You will have a better experience with these skills. You will never get dehydrated in the wild.
References:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_skills
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/wilderness/how-to-find-water.htm
http://www.dryadbushcraft.co.uk/bushcraft-how-to/obtaining-water-from-snow-and-ice
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/25/10-ways-to-stay-hydrated-that-aren-t-water.html
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