How to Build Hiking Shelter

Video Transcript

Hi. This is David Jackel on behalf of Expert Village. And, I'm here to talk to you about how to find shelter if you get lost while hiking. Now, if you get lost when you're hiking, you're going to need some sort of shelter to protect you from the elements. Even if it's not raining, it could start to get cold at night. And then, you're going to be in trouble. So, you want to be able to keep warm and keep water away from you and your stuff. So, when you're looking for shelter, what you want to bare in mind is that you're looking for a place to keep you warm and to keep you out of the rain. Now, when searching for shelter, it's better to find something that's already there than to actually build it. Besides the fact that it's really annoying to have to build a shelter, it also takes up a lot of energy. And, if you're hiking and you're lost, then you don't have a lot of energy to spare. You have to preserve your resources and that includes your energy. So, finding a cave or some little hole in the side of a hill is a lot better than trying to build something yourself. The side of a hill is good because at least one side is covered from the rain and from the cold and from the wind. It's not great, but it's good. A cave is better, but if you find a cave, be really careful to make sure there's nothing in the cave that you don't want there. So, we're talking about bears. We're talking about snakes or any other kind of a thing that lives in a cave that you don't want to encounter. Make sure that once you get into a cave that you explore it thoroughly. And, make sure that it's absolutely a safe place to be in. Now, how are you going to stay warm? Well, you can cover yourself with leaves. That's going to keep you warm. It's not great, but it will work. If you can't find any sort of real shelter, you can't find a hole in the side of a hill, you can't find a cave or anything like that, then, it's time to protect the most important stuff you have which is your dry clothing. Because if your clothing gets wet, no matter what you're not going to be able to stay warm. And, it can take a very long time for your clothing to dry. So, if nothing else, protect your clothing. That means digging a hole in the ground, if necessary, and covering up your clothing just so that it's kept from getting wet. But, keep looking, you will find something eventually. Even if it's not perfect, you'll find something like the side of a hill where you know you'll get some shelter from the wind or from the rain or anything like that is better than being on the exposed ground. While it's important to protect yourself from the cold and the rain, it's also important to protect yourself from too much Sun. You can get sunburned and you're also exposed to heat. So, if you are way up high, then look for some place where you're going to get some shade. Even a little bit of vegetation will do the trick.

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