Find shelter fast

Use what is already there — thick trees, rock overhangs, dry hollows — to get out of the wind and rain.

easy⏳ an hourtradition — not yet hand-tested

Wind and rain kill faster than hunger or thirst. A wet body in moving air can get dangerously cold in about three hours, even when the air is well above freezing — 10 °C (50 °F) is cold enough to do it. So before you look for water, food, or anything else, get something solid between you and the weather.

The good news: you do not have to build anything yet. The land has already built shelters. Your job in this first hour is to find one and make it a little better.

You need

• Daylight — at least one hour before dark. Searching by feel in the dark leads to falls and bad choices.
• Ten minutes of calm looking — panic makes people walk past good shelter. Stand still, turn a full circle, and really look.
• A sense of where the wind comes from — face around until you feel it evenly on both cheeks; now you know which way to hide from.
• A landmark — a big rock, an odd tree — so you can find your spot again if you step away.

Steps

1. Stop early. Hold your hand flat at arm's length between the sun and the horizon. Each hand's width is roughly one hour of daylight. If the sun is within two hands of the horizon, stop travelling and start looking.
2. Get out of the wind first. Move to the side of a hill, ridge, big rock, or dense woods that faces away from the wind — this sheltered side is called the lee side. Out of the wind, the same air feels several degrees warmer.
3. Scan for ready-made roofs. Look for, in rough order of comfort:
   • A rock overhang — a ledge of stone sticking out like a porch roof.
   • A thick evergreen tree — spruce or fir with branches sweeping near the ground; the space under it is often dry even in rain.
   • A big fallen tree — the trunk blocks wind, and a tipped-up root plate makes a ready wall.
   • A dense thicket or a dry hollow — any dip or cluster of bushes that breaks the wind.
4. Check it before you trust it.
   • Look up: no dead branches or leaning dead trees overhead. Loose dead limbs are called widowmakers for a reason.
   • Look down: no watermarks, no smooth gravel channel — signs that water flows here when it rains.
   • Look and sniff for animals: droppings, bones, a strong musky smell mean the home is taken. Choose elsewhere.
5. Test it. Crouch in the spot for a few minutes. Do you feel wind? Do drips land on you? If yes, keep looking or shift a metre or two.
6. Improve it a little. Lean fallen branches against the windy side to thicken the wall. Throw dry leaves or evergreen boughs on the floor so you are not sitting on bare ground.
7. Commit and mark it. Note your landmark, and stop wandering. A found shelter you improve beats a perfect one you never reach.

Watch out

• Dry stream beds and narrow gullies flood fast — rain that fell far away can arrive as a wall of water. Shelter beside them, never in them.
• Valley bottoms are cold traps. Cold air sinks at night and pools in low ground; a spot partway up a slope can be several degrees warmer. Aim for the middle of a slope, out of the wind.
• Caves and deep overhangs may be occupied. Stay near the mouth, make some noise before entering, and back out if you smell animal.
• A lone tall tree in a storm attracts lightning. In thunder, choose low, dense woods instead.
• Walking after dark causes twisted ankles and lost bearings. A poor shelter reached in daylight beats a good one you hunt for at night.

How it works

Your body constantly warms a thin layer of air around it. Wind strips that warm layer away and replaces it with cold air, over and over — that is wind chill. Rain is worse: wet clothes pass your heat to the outside many times faster than dry ones. A shelter simply keeps the wind off and the rain out, so the warmth you make stays with you.