You’re lost. But you’ve found a river. Bargain. But now what? You have water so you won’t die of thirst. And as the theory goes, you’ll last:
· 3 Minutes without air (oxygen) or in icy water
· 3 Hours without shelter in a harsh environment
· 3 Days without water
· 3 Weeks without food
Three weeks without food is a long time - and your body needs energy from food sources and hydration from water to function properly. Your body can start showing the symptoms of starvation after a day-or-two without food or water. Specifically, it starts to function differently in order to reduce the amount of energy it burns. Eventually, starvation leads to death.
If your body doesn’t have access to food for 8 to 12 hours, its glucose storage is depleted. So your body will begin to convert glycogen from your liver and muscles into glucose. After your glucose and glycogen are depleted, your body will begin to use amino acids to provide energy. After this (3 days) the body starts to break down your fat … But your brain can’t function optimally with these reduced energy levels and so its normal functions will become impaired. You will get lethargic and not even want to go searching for food. You’ll feel dizzy when you stand up. And you’ll start to lose muscle condition so you won’t be able to do normal tasks.
So, you’re not the Bush tucker Man and you don’t know how to identify plants. But you can still take control of your situation. After all, in this scenario – you’ve found a river. So you have a ready source of water – and with some improvisation and a decent survival kit, you should be able to make it safe to drink. So, now to think about food. In this case, let’s think about the food that comes to you…
Did you know that shrimp aren’t just found on the sea floor? They’re also found in Australian freshwater rivers - as are small bait fish, yabbies, freshwater mussels. It’s all starting to sound like a Jambalaya!
So how do you catch freshwater shrimp? Simples …
It may surprise you to learn that – if given half a chance – freshwater shrimp will eat the dead skin off your weary feet as you soak them in the water. So, if you’ve got the capacity to make an improvised net out of your shirt, then you’re only an arms’ length (or leg’s length!) from a tasty snack. As for fresh water mussels, you may find them in the sand banks of shallow water. Then use the shrimp and mussel scraps as bait to entice fish and yabbies into a simple fish trap.
If you’re looking for inspiration as to how to do this: consider using a discarded PET bottle as a fish trap. Disgusting as it is that the human species leaves its rubbish lying around – even in relatively remote bushland – it probably means that you’re not far from a bottle to use as a trap. Think outside the box, and you might find enough rubbish to fashion a makeshift fishing lure for the bigger fish.
So the next time you’re in trouble, stop and assess your situation.It may not be as dire as it first appeared.Then, as the unofficial motto for the United States Marine Corps says – ‘Adapt, Improvise and Overcome’.
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