Hills and Plains Survival Guide

If you need to find your bearings on a sunny day, you can find north, east, south and west by using the shadow and stick method. Find a stick, insert it into the ground and you'll see that it casts a nice shadow. Mark where the end of the shadow is and leave the stick for 15 minutes. Mark the next point and that will create an east-west line.

You should always have an idea of overall geography in your head whenever you hike anywhere. For example, in Sierra Nevada, Bear knows that the desert is east of the mountains and that therefore his best bet is to head west.

Dew collects on leaves and pine needles overnight, so if you're desperately in need of water, this can be a lifesaver.

If you are clever enough to successfully hunt food to cook, remember to dispose of leftovers, lest you attract any black bears in the area.

The manzanita bush, which is indigenous to the Sierra Nevada, is a great food source in the wild. The Mono Indians collected their fruits, which they dried or used for drinks. If you come across the bush, chew the outer bit of the fruit then spit out the hard seeds. The fruit is high in vitamin C.

If you can't swim well but you need to cross a large body of water, you can use your trousers as a flotation device. Remove them, tie off the legs and fill them with air. Raise the trousers over your head in the water and they will act like a temporary life jacket.

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