By Mike Dishnow, Wisconsin

A simple outdoor excursion that will quickly bring you in touch with the basic needs universal to humanity uses three tenants: food, water and shelter.

PROVISIONS ALLOWED
Provisions allowed on this overnight trip include the clothes on your body plus these supplies: matches or other fire spark such as a magnesium stick plus zip lock bag; tea bags or small packets instant coffee plus zip lock bag; one large contractor size garbage bag; one empty metal coffee can with improvised wire handle, plus a plastic or metal drinking cup; and one folding pocket knife such as a Buck Hunting folding knife.

THE TEST
Find a forested acreage near a body of water— either lake or river will do. Secondary growth and brush should be present, as well as larger trees. A fully mature pine forest is not suitable. A mixture of tree varieties and sizes is best.

It will be necessary to harvest some branches and/ or small growth so consider this when choosing a location. Permission from the land owner is essential.

You must draw your drinking water from the lake or river. It is absolutely necessary to boil this water until it is safe to drink. You may flavor it with tea or coffee.

Your overnight shelter will be constructed from materials at hand. You will be building a debris hut or as I like to refer to it as, a squirrel nest. It is best to have a team hut with multiple occupants to take advantage of shared body heat. You may use the garbage bag as insulation or ground cloth to stay dry.

Enter the forest, find a suitable location and build your debris huts for the night. Spend the night in the huts.

The next morning organize a long hike and finish it before ending your outing. This should be arduous enough to tire you out.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lessons experienced will be simple, but very profound:

• You will become thirsty enough to drink the boiled water without reticence. It will not matter to you if dirt or debris is in the water.

• Sleeping will be difficult and you will wish you were warmer. You will wish you had been wiser in your choice of clothes. Your shyness will evaporate quickly as you become colder in the night.

• You will become hungry and wish you had food. The hike on the following day will exacerbate your hunger and you will tire more quickly.

• Without fuel (food) your energy level decreases quickly. You will find that concern over cleanliness, your morning shower, and your favorite morning music or show will all be absent. Your mind will be focused on food, water and warmth. Your basic survival needs for food, water and shelter will come, and remain, in the forefront quickly.

It is an interesting experience. You will never fully appreciate this by reading a survival book or passing a paper and pencil test. Experiencing hunger, thirst and being cold is the ultimate experiential lesson.

I experienced this first in the U.S. Marine Corps and later in a four-season survival course in Alaska. These lessons, learned in my relative youth, are still vivid several decades later.