in the bottom half of your emergency blanket, and wrap it tightly around you. Also fold it over your head and stick your face out. Make sure there are no openings except for your face to keep all the warm air in. When you go in the woods, always bring a whistle and an emergency blanket. You should also bring food and water. Sometimes searchers use dogs to pick up scents, so if you hear a dog barking, or people calling, blow your whistle. The “help me” call is the blow of your whistle three times, then stop, then three times again, then stop, again and again.
in the wind. I think I might need a larger size. It is hard to hold onto the lower parts when you are trying to get the top part over your head. I enjoyed learning how to stay safe in the woods. I hope now that you will also know how to stay safe. You can contact Lakehead Search and Rescue to book the Hug a Tree training. hat@lsru.com
The last thing we did was go out and actually try these things in the forest. I found a good tree that wasn’t too tall because if there is lightning it might hit your tree. Then I built a nest. I found out that you have to make the nest much thicker than you think because when you sit on it, it crushes down. I also made signals out of sticks, but my dog likes to chew sticks and dragged them away. When I tried to wrap myself up in the emergency blanket, it was hard to keep it around me because it kept on flying open
Hug A Tree
Lakehead Search and Rescue’s Steps to Staying Safe in the Woods By Kate Haering (age 9 )
W
hat could be a worse feeling than getting lost? The answer is nothing! But if you know what to do, it might not be as scary. Raija Tilus is a volunteer for Lakehead Search and Rescue, and she told me how to stay safe and help searchers find me if I do ever get lost. The first thing we did was look at what Tilus had in her pack. She had a GPS, food, a compass, a radio, and a mini first aid kit. Inside the mini kit was a small candle, a flint to light a fire, dental floss to use for tying, matches, bandages, and water purification tablets. Also in her pack were socks, long underwear, and a triangular bandage. She also
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The Walleye
wears a whistle, which is used to get the attention of searchers if she becomes lost. Next, we watched a video about a kid that gets lost and found by the search and rescue people. Tilus says that if you get lost, don’t panic. Find a tree that will protect you from the weather and stay put. It is very important to stay in one place because it makes it easier for the searchers to find you. To stay dry, build a “nest.” To do this you gather sticks and twigs and also stuff to stay comfy such as grass, moss, and Balsam branches. After you build your nest, make big signals like “SOS” or an arrow on the ground in an open space nearby, to signal searchers in the sky. Then, you sit cross legged
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