The most important skill you can develop for surviving in the wilderness of the Midwest is calm awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Without the ability to remain calm, aware and in control of yourself, your chances of survival are greatly diminished. As soon as you realize you are lost or in a survival situation, sit down and try to relax. Calm your mind by breathing deeply and taking in your surroundings. Take stock of the resources and tools you have in your possession. Make note of any bodies of water, major landmarks and possible areas for finding shelter. You can enhance your ability to remain calm by taking progressively longer trips into the wilderness by yourself for the purpose of observation and awareness training.
Winter survival in the wilderness of the Midwest demands that you keep your body warm and dry. Avoid down sleeping bags and cotton clothing because both of those items steal heat from you once they get wet. Whenever you go to the wild, wear layers of synthetic fabrics designed to wick moisture away from your skin, combined with a layer or two of wool. If all you have are the clothes on your back, check that the clothes are designed to keep you warm even when they get wet. Keep a light set of breathable rain gear in your hiking pack to use as a rain and windproof shell over your clothes. Use birch bark to start fires in the snow and rain. Birch bark can be easily lit even after being submerged in water moments. Find protection from the elements under the boughs of large evergreen trees and lie on top of thick piles of boughs from young pine trees to insulate your body from the frozen ground.
Thunderstorms develop quickly in the midst of hot and humid Midwest summers. Keep rain gear in your hiking or survival pack at all times to keep yourself dry in the case of a sudden thunderstorm. Stay away from tall trees when you can hear thunder or see lightning. Do not stay in tents with metal poles during thunderstorms. Lie down on the ground in the lowest area you can find such as a ditch or a depression in a valley. Wait until you have not heard or seen any lightning for about 20 to 30 minutes before moving from your safe location. In case of a tornado, lie flat on your belly and keep your hands covering the back of your neck for protection. Stay far away from trees and any other large objects.
Once you've calmed your mind, made a fire and found some amount of shelter to keep yourself warm, turn your attention to food. Always keep some extra food in your hiking pack and in the pockets of your jackets and pants. Include high-calorie items such as beef jerky, energy bars or smoked fish in your emergency food stash. Pine needles from most evergreen trees in the Midwest have enough vitamins and caloric content to nourish you for a couple of days while you find your way out of the woods. Research and get experience on identifying and harvesting the most common wild edible plants in your area before you get lost in the woods. Trapping, hunting and fishing all require practice and equipment that you must carry or learn how to make before you need the skills in a survival situation.
