Strictly speaking, wilderness survival means enduring in the wild without proper shelter. But as more people embrace outdoor life and nature, its definition has expanded greatly, transitioning into a “civilian application” stage, placing more emphasis on how we, as everyday individuals, can engage with nature and uncover the exciting unknowns of the world. Here, the editor at Trail Explorer will introduce some basic wilderness survival knowledge, hoping it will be helpful.
In the wild, the living environment is extremely harsh, and various disasters can strike unexpectedly. For those in survival situations, it is crucial to promptly understand the predicament you're in, notify others, and seek rescue. When in distress, it's important to use various means to establish contact with others. The signals you send out must be sufficient to attract attention.
I. Types of Signals
Depending on your own situation and the surrounding environmental conditions, different types of distress signals can be used. Generally speaking, repeating an action three times symbolizes a request for assistance.
The types of signals include:
[Smoke and Fire Signals]
Fire is a highly effective means of communication. In a survival situation, depending on your circumstances: to ensure reliability, during the day you can add moss, green twigs, or rubber to the fire to produce thick smoke; at night, use dry wood to make the fire burn brightly and rise higher.
Creating three fires in a triangle is an internationally recognized distress signal. Ideally, the fires should be spaced equally apart. This arrangement also makes them easier to light. If fuel is scarce, or if you’re seriously injured, too hungry, or too weak to manage three fires, lighting just one is acceptable.
It’s not possible to keep all signal fires burning all day, but they should be ready at any time, with fuel kept dry so that you can ignite them quickly if any aircraft passes by.
The fuel for the fire should be easy to ignite and burn rapidly, as some opportunities may be fleeting. Birch bark is an excellent fuel choice.
Gasoline can be used, but do not pour it directly onto the fire. Instead, soak some cloth in gasoline to create a wick, place it on top of the fuel pile, move the gasoline container to a safe location, and then ignite it. If the fire begins to die down after ignition, ensure that any additional gasoline is added only to fuel that is free of sparks or embers.
During the day, smoke serves as an excellent locator, so add materials to your fire that produce smoke. Thick smoke rising against the sky creates a strong contrast and is easily noticeable.
At night or in dense green forests, bright-colored smoke is highly visible. Adding green grass, leaves, moss, or ferns can generate smoke. In fact, anything damp will produce smoke—damp straw mats or cushions can smolder for a long time while keeping insects at bay.
Black smoke is most visible in snowy or desert areas; rubber and gasoline can produce black smoke.
If weather conditions limit smoke to low altitudes, intensify the fire so that rising warm air currents carry the smoke higher.
[Ground-to-Air Signals]
The following letters are internationally recognized emergency distress signals. The word “FILL” can help you remember the main ones. A single vertical stick or “1” is the most important and simplest to create. Each signal should be 10 meters long and 3 meters wide, with 3 meters between each.
[Body Signals]
When a search aircraft is nearby, body signals can be used to convey your distress.
[Flag Signals]
Tie a flag or brightly colored piece of cloth to a stick. When waving it, make long strokes to the left and short strokes to the right, exaggerating the movements and tracing a figure-eight pattern.
If you are relatively close to the observer, a simple back-and-forth motion is enough: make one long stroke to the left and one short stroke to the right, with the left stroke lasting slightly longer.
[Sound Signals]
If you’re within close range, shout loudly: three short blasts, three long blasts, then three short blasts again; repeat after a one-minute interval.
[Reflective Signals]
Using sunlight and a reflective surface such as a mirror, you can send out light signals. Any shiny material can be used, such as a can lid, glass, a piece of metal, or, ideally, a mirror. A steady reflection will produce a consistent line and dot pattern—this is a form of Morse code. Even if you don’t know Morse code, random reflections may still attract attention. At the very least, you should know how to signal SOS.
A reflected light beam can be noticed even from great distances, even if you don’t know the exact location of the target you’re trying to contact—so it’s worth trying. Just glance up at the sky; if you see an aircraft approaching, quickly reflect the light. Be cautious, as this light may blind the rescuers, so stop reflecting immediately once you’re sure you’ve been spotted.
II. How to Use Signals for Rescue
If you need rescue, you can seek help in several ways:
[Build a fire]
Light three fires in a row, preferably with equal spacing between them. During the day, smoke can be used — place green grass or other smoke-producing materials on the fire, adding them about six times per minute. At night, keep the fire burning brightly.
[Sound signals]
Send out distress signals within a not-too-far distance. You can shout loudly or use other objects to create noise, such as hitting trees with an axe or stick.
[Use a mirror]
Using reflected light signals is an effective method. Reflective items you can use include metal signal mirrors, can lids, glass shards, eyeglasses, signal reflectors, and so on.
[Make marks on the ground]
On relatively open ground, such as grasslands, beaches, or snowfields, you can create ground markings. For example, cut patterns into the grass or tread patterns into the snow; you can also arrange branches, seaweed, or similar materials into certain shapes to establish contact with aircraft. You may also use internationally standardized ground-to-air symbols for communication.
Remember these words: SOS (distress), SEND (send), DOCTOR (doctor), HELP (help), INJURY (injury), TRAPPED (trapped), LOST (lost), WATER (water)
[Leave a message]
When leaving a dangerous area, leave some signal markers in case rescuers find them. Ground signals can inform rescuers of your current or previous location, and direction markers can help them trace your path. Keep placing markers along the way. This not only allows rescuers to follow your trail but also prevents you from getting lost if you want to return — if you lose your bearings or can’t find the route you intended, these markers can serve as a guide.
Directional indicators include:
(a) Arrange rocks or stone fragments into an arrow shape;
(b) Prop a stick between tree branches, with the top pointing in the direction of travel;
(c) Tie a knot in the middle or upper part of a bunch of grass, bending the top to indicate the direction of movement;
(d) Place a forked branch on the ground, using the fork to point in the direction of travel;
(e) Build a cairn of small stones, and place a single small stone next to it pointing in the direction of travel;
(f) Carve an arrow-shaped groove into a tree trunk to show the direction of movement;
(g) Two crossed sticks or stones mean “no entry” or “this way is blocked.”
(h) Three rocks, sticks, or piles of brush arranged together convey a clear signal meaning danger or emergency.
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