Day Six....Water The Good and The Bad

So you made it thru the night safely and you have everything ready to alert searchers from the air and on the ground but now you find you have no more water in your water bottle.  And you are thirsty.....

There is a creek or lake close by and you can see it from your tree.  Oh you are thirsty and you really want some of that clear cold liquid....But is it ok to drink the water?

Well, we know you have always been taught  NOT to drink the water in the mountains and this is true.....HOWEVER.....for this time and this time only, we give you permission to drink from the creek or lake.

You see we need water, and without water humans especially, will only survive on an average of three days, So, it is time to LISTEN Very Carefully again, because water is wonderful, but also terribly dangerous, especially when you are tired and scared cause you are lost and alone.

(I need to put a little note here, thanks to Sarge and his moms comment.  Yes it is true you will get very very sick by drinking the mountain waters, even if it looks clear and clean.  But if you don't drink, you can die.  If you do drink and get the little nasty bug, it takes five to seven days to affect you....to make you sick....and by then you will be found, home safe and sound.....and you can go to the doctor and get treated for it.)

So Are You Listening? 

You can see your water from your tree and you want to go and get a drink but how you go to the water can be the difference between just getting a drink or getting hurt......

So lets do this one step at a time.

STEP ONE:
Go to the water but be sure to STOP when you are about 10 feet from the waters edge. 

STEP TWO:
Now you need to get on your hands and knees.  Then you can crawl a few feet closer but STOP moving forward on your hands and knees when you are about five feet away.

STEP THREE:
Now you need to lay flat on your stomach and crawl the last few feet to the point that you can reach the water with your hands if you stretch.

STEP FOUR:
Reach forward and scoop the water into your hands, then bring the water to your mouth and drink the wonderful fluid to your hearts delight.

Even if, like in the picture above, it is just a small creek.....PLEASE approach it the way we just taught you.  People have drowned in shallower water than what you see here.

Example:  If you went to the water just walking and slipped and fell face first into the water.......well.....you get the idea......

ONE FINAL STEP

BE SURE TO BACK AWAY FROM THE WATER THE SAME WAY YOU CAME IN.......  DONT STAND UP UNTIL YOU ARE 10 FEET FROM THE WATER. 

Whew.....this is the scariest thing for us to teach you because it is sooooo important.  So Please remember this.

So there is only One more day and we are done...

Thanks for coming back.  See you tomorrow

Bert