Essential Survival Items You Need When Nature Journaling on the Trail

Last summer, my son and I went out on the forest trails several times here in North Carolina. We took a backpack with water for us and his dog, Ladybug, and a few essential survival items. I kept a sketchbook with me for nature journaling, but mostly ended up taking pictures to journal from after we got back. We didn’t plan on hiking too far, so I didn’t put much in the pack. 

Now, after watching several videos from David Paulides and the Canam Missing 411 project, as well as Les Stroud’s Survivorman videos, I wish we had thought out the backpack a little better. 

Luckily, we didn’t have any mishaps except for the time the Ladybug’s collar broke and she ran to another dog on the trail. We had good fortune that the dogs did not fight and we had a harness on her that we could clip the leash back on to.  But in December, we walked at a local ballpark, and I fell and broke my wrist. If this had happened on one of the trails a few months before, it would have been much more serious. 

We should have been better prepared on those trails. I was not used to the terrain here and my arthritic knees had a hard time. I was used to prairie and wide-open spaces with hard, dry soil. Here, the trails were covered in pine needles that were slick when dry, but also could be slick from wet algae. 

The pine needles and leaves hid tree roots that were easy to stumble on or roll an ankle. For a long time, my mind could not penetrate the “wall of green” and everything looked the same, and I kept thinking that it would be so easy to get lost out there on some of the more heavily forested trails. 

I lost my sense of direction several times. Back on the prairie, it was easy to figure out north, south, east, and west. Here, I couldn’t even depend on the wind direction because the forest changed how the wind moved all around us. Trails and creeks meandered this way and that, and I could never figure out which direction I was facing at any given moment unless I checked with the compass. Sound carried differently. Step a few feet into the trees, and the sound of running water disappeared and the vibe or energy changed. 

I’m still new to nature journaling as I’ve always just kept a written journal, but if I were to be going out on the trails again, I would definitely prepare by having more essential items for survival in my backpack. I have a tendency to really focus in on something interesting and want to keep going and not watch the time.

I did keep several things in the pack that were essential, but after watching both David Paulides and Les Stroud, I know I was way unprepared should anything serious have happened last year. 

I’m also still learning my skills from Tristan Gooley’s books on natural navigation and nature awareness. But, having that survival backpack, even for a short hike, would make me better prepared next time while I am learning those skills. 

Check out the videos below to learn what to keep in your backpack the next time you go out to nature journal, even if you think it’s going to be a short walk. You really never know how those trips are going to turn out, whether it’s going farther than you planned, or the weather changing on you. Have fun and keep journaling with nature!

Missing 411 David Paulides Presents safety equipment needed for hiking in National Parks & Forests

In most of David Paulides’ videos, he shares his investigations into odd and strange cases of people who go missing in national parks. There are many similarities in the cases and in this video discusses the importance of several items to have in addition to the importance of a personal locator beacon. After this last year of wandering around in forests, I will definitely be looking into this. 

Essential Survival Items List

Check the weather before you leave- Vitally Important.

If in bear country- carry bear spray

Map- Hard copy and trail guide GPS

Compass (and a book to learn how to use)

Emergency Blanket

Firestarter– waterproof matches, Bic lighter

Dryer Lint (Fire Starter)

Emergency Locator Beacon

SAT Phone

Knife

Twine

Headlamp or Flashlight

Whistle

Warm Cap

SH!T KIT

First Aid Supplies – Bleed Stopper – Band aids

Energy Bars

Extra Water and LifeStraw

Tell Someone where you are going and when you’ll be back

Survivorman | Masterclass | Survival Kits | Les Stroud

 In this video by Les Stroud, he takes apart several popular survival kits and tells what works and doesn’t work in those kits. And what to replace them with. 

The next time you go out nature journaling, be sure to have the essential survival items you need for your area with you, even if it is only for a short hike. You never know what is going to happen on the trail. 

Suggested Reading:

Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive by Les Stroud

David Paulides / Canam Missing 411 website – (don’t buy his books on Amazon, they are overpriced. Buy them through his website and support his efforts to solve these strange missing 411 cases)

The Tristan Gooley Collection: How to Read Nature, How to Read Water, and The Natural Navigator (Natural Navigation)

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