The line between life and death can, in some cases, be truly very thin. Too little experience, unfamiliarity with the terrain, or an unforeseen situation can turn an innocent trip into nature into a drama in which you may be fighting for your bare life. Well, and because good advice is never enough, we will try to follow up on Part 1. Today we bring you a look at another 3 survival myths, which, however, would rather complicate your life in a real situation than actually help you.
Myth 1 – Without a compass, you can navigate by the moss on trees.
Don't have a compass with you? According to this advice, when moving through unfamiliar terrain, you should be able to easily orient yourself by moss and thus effortlessly find your way out of a "natural maze". Moss is supposedly said to grow only on the north side of tree trunks. But how much truth is there really to this claim?
Mosses actually remember quite a lot. They were on Earth before dinosaurs and can be found on cold Arctic coasts, in the tropics, and in the northernmost regions. These seemingly fragile organisms are excellent at deceiving with their appearance and can survive in deserts where the sun scorches, or in other extreme conditions. Naturally, they also thrive in our temperate latitudes.
Don't worry, we don't want to burden you with biology or geography. With the previous lines, we only wanted to suggest that if our myth were true, we could use it to orient ourselves in nature anywhere in the world. But as usual, the truth is always a little different. So if someone tries to convince you that they found their way home thanks to moss, take it with a grain of salt and some reservation. It might not have been quite like that, and the reason is simple.
Moss does indeed preferentially grow on the north side of trunks. However, this is not a 100% guarantee that can always be used to navigate in the terrain. The north side is usually more humid, and moss thrives there, but the growth of moss can be influenced by other factors. For example, the presence of a nearby tree can create optimal conditions in the form of ideal humidity, air circulation, and sunlight. The result? A tree trunk can be covered with moss from several cardinal directions. So that's not the way to go. Neither figuratively nor in real life. Unfortunately, it is just another myth that belongs in the category of false ones.
Myth 2 – If the ice doesn't break under me at the edge of the shore, it will hold me everywhere.
While wandering through snowy nature, you might want to shorten your route across a frozen river or lake. However, if you want to avoid a fatal mistake or don't want to compete with polar bears, you need to realize that ice can have a different thickness at the edge of the shore than somewhere in the middle of the river. And even if the ice held you up somewhere 2 meters from the shore, that still isn't a guarantee of safely getting to the other side.
Remember that not only cracks or ice floes signal weak ice. Also pay attention if there is a continuous layer of snow on the watercourse or water surface. The reason is simple. Snow on ice, even during severe frosts, could have significantly affected the growth of its thickness. In simpler terms, the thickness of the ice will most likely not be uniform, and it can easily happen that after a few steps you could end up in ice-cold water.
Similarly, you should not succumb to the false illusion of sufficient ice thickness at the narrowest points and bends of a watercourse. From this point of view, in flowing streams the critical points are also places with fast current or, in larger bodies of water, places that suddenly transition into greater depths. In these cases too, the ice is weaker and somewhat thinner. So what is the conclusion? Do not rely on this widespread myth and know that caution is never excessive.
Myth 3 – For frostbite, rubbing with snow is good, and for hypothermia, rapid warming is good.
All it takes is a strong northerly wind, sub-zero temperatures, forgotten gloves, civilization out of reach, and frostbite on the hands is often almost a certainty. Something similar, perhaps only with a different combination of other causes, and severe hypothermia is a reality too. So what should be done in these cases? Should you trust the myths, or is something completely different needed after all?
As you may already suspect, the second part of the question hides the correct answer. You must not rub frostbite on the hands, or on the nose or face, with snow. Such first aid would do more harm than good, and rubbing with snow would at the very least risk damaging the skin. It is therefore best to gradually warm the affected area. Whether you or another person has frostbite, it helps at first to place the hands under the armpits. Afterward, transport to a warm place is necessary, and lukewarm compresses also help. However, we would like to emphasize this: only lukewarm compresses. Never use a hot compress or hot water on frostbite.
For hypothermia, two methods of help are distinguished, depending on whether the hypothermia occurred suddenly or gradually. Help for gradual hypothermia cannot in any case rely on the advice given in the myth. It is only logical that if the body has been cooling down over several hours, then the warming must also be gradual and slower. A hypothermic body must not suffer a shock. It helps to transport the person to a warm place, wrap them in a blanket, and give warm, not overly hot, drinks.
If someone falls through the ice or falls into cold water, it is necessary to quickly pull them out, remove the wet clothes, change into dry clothing and give warm drinks. So if we want to be objective, it must be said that under these circumstances the myth is not so far from the truth, and faster warming does have its justification.
TIP: If you are interested in the topic of myths but for some reason missed our previous article, we would like to draw your attention to 3 survival myths that could kill you (Part 1).
