Trifter

So imagine this; You’re trapped in Hell’s Canyon, between the borders of Idaho and Oregon. You are in the deepest river gorge in the USA, and there’s 18 inches of snow around you. There’s 300 km2 of wilderness and woodland around you. What are you going to do? For starters your best bet is to head down the mountain and go across the Snake River. But first you need to get down from the top of the mountain. This can be extremely hard, and the snow and ice makes passage extremely difficult, but with the right knowledge you should be out in no time.

First of all start making your way down as fast as you can, and then when you reach an un master able place, you can try cutting down a tree branch, and using this to steady yourself and swing yourself down cliffs, allowing you to move easier and much faster down the steep sides of the mountain. On your way down look out for animals carcasses which have been killed and left by other animals such as Coyotes. Check the flesh, it may be rotten, in which case eating it is not such a good idea, but you could take the bones and eat the bone marrow, which is a great protein source.

As you are on your way down you may also happen to come across some small tributary streams. To get across these use you long tree/stick that you cut down earlier and secure it in the river bed, then pole vault across to the other side of the river. Make sure that the pole will not slip at all, or you will be swimming in the river.

After you have made your way down to the river valley, you need to think about how you are going to get across the Snake River. The currents here can be very fast, and you will need to think about the best place to try and cross the river. This would be at a place where the river is moving less fast and there is less white water and lots of smooth glide. Before you go in the water, take off some of your clothes , and seal them in a water tight bad which you can use. This then means that when you get wet you still have some dry clothes.

As you wade into the river try to avoid hydraulics, if you get into one of these, the power of the water will force you against the rocks, and you will not be able to escape. Equally dangerous is the white water sections. You will be tossed about, and if you do get into one of these make sure you do get as many breaths whenever possible. Try to get yourself into an area where you can smooth glide to the side of the river and climb out. As soon as you are out of the water try to dry off, and put on some of your drier clothes, and keep moving to warm yourself up.

If you hours of daylight are drawing to a close you need to think about setting up a camp. Look for a good spot to start. Try to go somewhere near to water, so you have a source of both food and water.This would ideally be a hole in the cave so that you are already protected on 3 sides, and you just need to make protection for the entrance. Take some of the willow branches and weave them together to create a form of wall. From this try to weave in some more grass for better wind protection.

The next step is keeping yourself warm. To do this you need to start a fire. Look for a ponderosa pine tree and collect the wood off there. Also look for some resin, because this is highly flammable, and will combust on contact with a spark, and if you have a cut you can use this resin to seal it up, preventing infection from getting inside. Your next problem is getting food. Ideally as the water level in the river lowered there should be some shallow pools where fish will be trapped. Take three stick and sharpen them into points, then join them together as a harpoon to catch the fish. To see the fish you will need a torch. To make one of these you need to hollow a deep cross on the end of a long stick, and fill the cross with dry twigs and resin. The fish should hopefully be attracted to this light and make them easier to catch.

Once you’ve caught the fish place it on top of some leaves on the fire and place some more leaves over that and leave it to cook. When you’re down by the river collect some water in a plastic bottle, and make a tripod out of sticks. From this tripod dangle the water bottle over the fire to boil. This will sterilise the water. The pressure of the water inside the bottle will cause the water to boil faster.

Once you have left this camp try to head up and over the top of the mountain. On your way try to grab some bright-pack berries. These should taste like peanut butter and are quite crunchy. They contain loads of sugar and are a great energy source.

When you are going over the ice you may find a flat plain of ice, but beware this may be a frozen lake. If you have to cross the lake, remember that the ice is thickest in the middle, and you should try to minimise your pressure on the ground.  Take your rucksack out and put it in front of you and crawl on your hands and knees to spread weight.

If you are very unlucky and the ice breaks you need to remember to wriggle your way out of the ice. Once you have got out remember you have 5 minutes before hypothermia sets in, and what you do in the few minutes after you climb out of the water could be life or death.

Try to make a fire as soon as you are on steady ground. Making a fire is key, and you should try and use some lichen which will ignite very quickly. Warm up your fingers, as if you cannot move them you won’t be able to light a match and stay alive. Take off your wet clothes and leave them by the fire to dry. You need to keep the blood in your hands flowing. To do this, swing your arms in curricular motions. When you are in a survival situation you need to remember to keep moving and to think fast.

Once you’re nice and dry and warm, you’re going to need to continue to progress over and out of the valley. Be careful as you make your way onto the snowy ground once more, the thick snow can be deceiving. As you come to a vertical ridge trying to climb it can seem impossible, but just look for good places with lots of handholds, for example a gully. Hold onto the rocks and try to pull yourself up it. Avoid using ice as a handhold. If you can try to evacuate some of the lose powder snow and get better access to the rocks. Look at the rocks and feel about to try and find good solid handholds. If you get up and there is just ice and no other handholds then try using your knife and cutting out a step in the ice with it.

So now you have got over the top you need to make it down to the tree line. If you can, make a toboggan. This can be made of something shiny, such as the inside liner or a rucksack. This is a much faster way, and uses less energy.

There may be trees blocking the forest floor. If so you should climb over them. If you cross a small freshwater river, look out for muscles. If you see any, make sure you catch them, and then you can cook them and eat them. If the ground is wet you can try hollowing out a bit of a tree trunk of a fallen tree. Find a blister pine, put your knife into the bark and resin should flow out. This is a form of accelerate. On the fire cook the muscles in water and eat them. As you are sitting try to catch your breath, asses your situation and make your plans.

As you are going down through the forest try to look out for kills, as many hunters may go here to hunt deer. If there is any sign of a trail make sure you take it, and don’t be afraid to take your time, it could save your life. Hopefully these tips will help you to survive a trip into Hells Canyon