People who live in town, or even out in the country, probably have a hard time imagining what its like to be in the wilderness. With so many people and homes around them its difficult to envision hundreds and hundreds of miles where there is no civilization. If that isnt enough, the inhabitants of such places are often hunters and theyre hunting you! Many people thrive on going out into the wilderness to experience, learn and survive. But, when that occasional, unexpected catastrophe happens, some of these people find themselves trapped with no way to escape. There are so many things that can happen, and so many things youll need to survive, that the outcome is often not good in these situations.
If you ever travel to an area infested with alligators or crocodiles, snakes or even piranhas, youre already on dangerous ground, and should an accident occur, you could be left stranded in the water. And, even if you manage to get out of the water, you could still be left with no way to escape your surroundings.
If youll need to come up with a way to travel through dangerous waters, after living through a catastrophe in the wild, a log may save your life. You cant just float down the river or other body of water with your feet dangling off the sides. You need to be completely out of the water. Find a log and, even though it will take some time and energy, you can turn that log into an escape plan. Its important that you work hard and fast to create the canoe unless you have an endless supply of food and water because youll burn a lot of calories making it. Its a given that youve taken certain supplies along with you on the trip. Start a fire on the ground, and keep it going. Scoop up hot ashes with a knife or other implement and lay them on a chosen, fallen log. Consider where the log is; try to choose one that has easy access to the water. Mark an area large enough to seat you, and even a companion. Place the hot coals in these areas, with the areas centered between the two ends of the log. As the hot coals burn into the log, use a knife or machete to chop away at the log. Even a pointed piece of wood works to shape the wood. As the wood burns its much easier to scrape away. It will take many hours of scooping hot coals, chopping at the log, and shaping the canoe. Shaping the seats of the canoe can be done by using a sturdy tree limb. The limb should be hardwood, not too long, and easy to hold in one hand. Sand away at the seats to shape them into scooped-out areas as they burn. These areas should sink fairly deep to create seats to hold the passenger(s). Any time you need to, pour a bit of water on an area of the log to weaken the fire in that particular area. When the seats are burned into the log, and the fire is out and cold, its ready to haul to the water. Roll it, or if possible, carry the log to the water. Test it first by pushing it into the water to make sure it will float. Step into it, one person at a time, to test that the log will hold your weight. Should the log not be able to hold your weight you have yet another option. Turn it over so that the newly-formed seats will be in the water. This will form air pockets that can help the log float. To keep it from flipping over, though, its necessary to take it back up on land, strap several, long limbs to each side of the log, to form a catamaran-type arrangement. Be sure to take a couple of sturdy limbs with you to push the canoe to safety. Source: Discovery Channels Dual Survival
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