Survival Guide: Find water

Water is everything. Staying hydrated should always be your first priority; this is true whether you're stranded in the middle of the wilderness or standing in line at the grocery store.

In favorable conditions, a human can live without water for three to five days. In fact, that time frame is the reason I chose to stagger the publishing of these survival guides by four days.

You should drink about two liters of water per day (2 L ≈ .5 gal) under normal circumstances. In more strenuous situations, you should intake four to six liters per day; "strenuous" describes anything outside tolerable temperatures (21°C ≈ 70°F) or stress levels (physical or mental). Basically, drink 2 liters when you're feeling average; more if you're not feeling average.

Situations threatening our survival are among the most stressful situations we can face. Those would generally be the very same situations in which finding water to consume would be challenging at best. In this article I will present a variety of means you can attempt when trying to locate water in the wilderness.

STREAMS, RIVERS, AND LAKES

- Water flows down. Find streams and rivers in valleys and flood plains.
- Collect flowing water, as opposed to stagnant water. Not too fast, though, as that stirs up sediment.
- Look for reeds, like cattails, which grow in marshy conditions.
- Watch for birds at dawn and dusk. They tend to hunt around bodies of water during those times.

ICE AND SNOW

- Collect undisturbed ice and snow from your surroundings.
- Snow-melt and glaciers are common sources of water flow. Follow upstream to look for these sources.
- Avoid consuming water while it is still frozen.

GROUNDWATER

- Trees with thick roots tend to grow near good sources of groundwater. (e.g. willows, cottonwoods, and many other deciduous trees).
- Moisture is easier to find at the base of cliffs or beneath rocks.
- Once you find damp soil, dig into it with a stick or rock. Dig deep to where water begins to fill the hole. (The surrounding soil acts as a basic filter.)
- There may be underground water next to stagnant pools. Avoid the pool itself, using "filtered" water around it. (See "filtration" below.)
- Gather water using the "distillation" process below.

RAINWATER AND DEW

- Collect moisture from the air and foliage with (or wearing) absorbent cloth like cotton.
- Use leaves and water resistant materials to funnel rainwater into a centralized location.

Once you think you've gathered enough water, you can attempt to purify it using the methods below. It's important that you purify the water before consumption.

BOILING

STEP 1: Enclose (but don't seal) your water within a container.
STEP 2: Heat the water to a "rolling boil". (Meaning, big wavy air bubbles.)
STEP 3: Allow the water to boil for a minimum of 5 minutes, 10 minutes is safer.
STEP 4: Let the water cool and condense in the container.

CHEMICAL TREATMENT

There are many chemical treatments available for purchase (such as iodine). If you have no other options, you can even use a very tiny dose of bleach as a chemical treatment. In my opinion, no chemical treatment (aka poison) should be consumed regularly.

STEP 1: Carefully drop a single dose of the chemical into your water container.
STEP 2: Tightly seal your container.
STEP 3: Shake well.
STEP 4: Wait at least 20 minutes.
STEP 5: Carefully unseal your container; avoid dropping any foreign material (or untreated water) into it.

FILTRATION

If you don't have access to consumer available filters, you may have to make your own using the method below. Filtration is an essential step in the treatment of water and, therefore, I encourage you to use all or some of these steps no matter how you gathered your water.

STEP 1: Layer cloth, sand, and pebbles over (or between two) container(s).
STEP 2: Pour the water repeatedly through the layers until it runs clear.

DISTILLATION

STEP 1: Dig a hole that is about 25 cm (10 in) deep. It needs to be as wide as your collection container. (The hole should fit two containers, if distilling already collected water.)
STEP 2: Place your empty container in the hole right-side-up. (If distilling collected water, also place the container containing the water in the hole right-side-up alongside the other.)
STEP 3: Open the container(s).
STEP 4: Cover the hole with thin flexible plastic, like plastic wrap or a bit of trash bag.
STEP 5: Seal the edges around the hole by weighing down the plastic.
STEP 6: Make a small puncture in the plastic above the empty container.
STEP 7: Place a small rock nearly atop the hole, making the plastic stretch into a funnel shape.
STEP 8: The sun will evaporate the water. It will then condense on the plastic and run down the funnel and into the collection container. (This process can take hours.)

My personal purification preference is to combine the methods above when necessary and possible:
GATHER, FILTER, DISTILL, BOIL, TREAT.

Sometimes, even after purification, the water may not be as clear as you are accustomed. This is due to the sediments in the water (aka "hard water"). Your body will be most accustomed to consuming the water in your primary region, so you may notice some discomfort as any remaining bacteria or sediment in the water may not be what your body normally processes.

Remember, staying hydrated should always be your first priority!

Survival Guide: Find shelter

In the Survival Guide about finding North, I touched on the importance of finding shelter. In other previous articles I've also mentioned how weather conditions interfering with those techniques are most likely conditions in which your focus should be on finding refuge in the immediate area. Today I will present some thoughts and techniques in finding and/or building shelter for yourself in a variety of conditions. Almost all of what I've written here comes from the knowledge I gained in the Boy Scouts of America, especially the Wilderness Survival merit badge.

The most important thing about shelter is it's location. Said a different way for emphasis, the place in which you are going to try to stay safe needs to already be safe.

- Avoid natural disasters. Consider what types of issues may occur in your region. For example, if you're sheltering yourself from rain, it would be wise to stay out of areas where flooding may occur. If on a mountain, you would want to avoid areas of avalanche or rock slides. Also, remember that heat rises; if you're trying to stay warm, stay out of the valleys.
- Avoid harm and injury. Don't place yourself under trees which look like they may fall. Take care and caution as you move materials. Don't take shelter in or near plants which may be poisonous.
- Do not wander. Pick a location quickly, preferably one where you can find building materials (if needed) in the immediate area. As I've said previously, you risk injury and death, decrease the odds of rescue, and increase your panic when you are lost.
- Try to use the shelter of your natural surroundings first. Only build a shelter if environmental conditions threaten your survival.
- Avoid wildlife. Don't make your shelter on or near the home of creatures, especially ants. Don't claim another creature's home as your own. (Meaning, check for vacancy before you occupy.) Don't make your shelter along a "game trail" or anywhere predators may be hunting (e.g. near a body of water, grazing areas, etc.).
- Don't build a trap for yourself. Use sturdy building materials, but only items which you can lift alone. Make a safe haven NOT a death trap.

Making sure to follow those guidelines, let's look at some options for shelters presented by environmental conditions.

SNOW OR SAND

STEP 1: Decide if you want to make a cave or a trench. Trenches take less work to dig, but require more materials to make cover. (NOTE: You may not be able to dig a cave in loose sand or snow and, therefore, should choose to dig a trench.)
STEP 2: Gather your materials. You will need dry leaves and debris for insulation. You should also find a large stick or branch for digging, rather than your hands and risk frostbite or blistering. If building a trench, you will need to find branches (or canvas) to place over the trench for cover.
STEP 3: Dig a tight fit. Make only enough room for yourself and a bit of insulation.
STEP 4: If digging a cave, dig your entrance at a very small incline before digging parallel to the ground for the remainder of the space. If making a trench place branches over the trench and anchor them down (on the sides) with snow or sand.
STEP 5: Poke an air hole diagonally down into your shelter; a few centimeters in diameter. Keep it open, but not blocked, with sticks if you can.
STEP 6: Insulate. Stuff as much insulation as you can find into your trench or cave. Stuff some in between your clothing layers as well. (You are wearing layers, right?)
STEP 7: Burrow feet-first into your shelter.

FOREST OR JUNGLE

STEP 1: Firmly lean (and secure) a large branch against a log, stump, or rock. The branch must be longer than you are tall. This is called the "ridge pole" of the structure we are building, you should lean it so that one end is on the ground and the other is against the prop.
STEP 2: Lean sticks and branches around the ridge pole (called the ribbing), extending diagonally from the ground to the ridge pole. Make sure you have just enough room inside for yourself and some insulation; no more, no less.
STEP 3: Place and weave smaller sticks and branches over the ribbing.
STEP 4: Cover the weave with leaves and debris. Place additional material over the debris if you need to anchor it to your shelter.
STEP 5: Insulate. As the instructions above, stuff as much dry insulation as you can find into your shelter. Stuff some in between your clothing layers as well. (You are wearing layers, right?)
STEP 6: Burrow feet-first into your shelter from the tall side.

IN A VEHICLE

STEP 1: Crack a window on the side facing away from the wind.
STEP 2: Start your car for only brief periods to provide heat (or cooling). 10 minutes for every hour is a good guideline. Do NOT sleep while the engine is running.
STEP 3: Keep your light on when the engine is running. (For the possibility of rescue.)
STEP 4: Check your tailpipe occasionally to ensure that it is clear of obstructions.
STEP 5: Keep your blood flowing by moving around, if trying to stay warm. Stretch out and spread your limbs, if trying to stay cool.

Please keep in mind that there are many ways to make shelters in the wilderness; those listed here are only a small selection. Any option you consider in finding shelter for yourself should protect you from the elements and keep you safe from injury and illness for at least one night (or day).

Survival Guide: Predict the weather

In previous Survival Guides, I've mentioned the importance of finding shelter when weather conditions are not in a state allowing you to employ other survival techniques. In this article I'm going to present some ideas on how to try to predict the weather using only an observation of your surroundings. Much of the information I present below is found in a WikiHow article on "How to Predict the Weather Without a Forecast". I will attempt to summarize some of the information presented there, but I encourage you to read the original article.

OBSERVE THE PLANTS

- Take a deep breath. Plants release more particle matter in low pressure, which means that their scent is stronger. (e.g. flowers smell better, trees are more pungent, etc.) Low pressure systems indicate the approach of moisture soon.
- Look for signs of humidity. Leaves will curl and pine cones will be closed in high humidity. Humidity tends to precede heavy rain.

NOTE THE COLOR OF THE SKY

- "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." Fronts tend to move West to East, so a red sky at sunset (looking West) indicates dry air moving toward you. Therefore, a red sky at sunrise (looking East) would indicate dry air moving away (moist air moving in).
- Look for a rainbow at sunrise or sunset. A rainbow might indicate the location of moisture. A rainbow in the West at sunrise likely means moisture is on the way (remember, West to East). A rainbow in the East at sunset means moisture is moving away from you.

FEEL THE WIND AND WATCH THE CLOUDS
This area of observation might take some preparatory study. (More information on "Forecasting the Weather using the Clouds" [WikiHow])

- Feel which way the wind is blowing. Winds pulling in from the East may indicate an approaching low pressure system coming from the West. Winds pushing out from the West may indicate a low pressure system moving away toward the East.
- Clouds going in different directions show signs of circular air currents which might produce hail.
- Towering fluffy clouds (Cumulonimbus) play a significant role in severe weather. Watch for their development and location in the sky.
- Streamers in the high sky (Cirrus) indicate bad weather within the next 2 days.
- Scaly clouds (Altocumulus) also indicate bad weather within the next 2 days.
- Heavy cloud cover on a Winter night keeps in the heat, so you can expect warm weather the next day.

OBSERVE THE OTHER ANIMALS
Some animals change their behavior with the weather. Here are some of the most notable.

- How high are the birds flying? If they're staying close to the ground, it could indicate a storm is coming.
- Bees and butterflies take refuge when foul weather is approaching.
- Ants like to reinforce their hills before a rain.
- Livestock (e.g. cows, sheep, etc.) tends to huddle together before severe weather.
- Frogs get louder as rain is coming into the area.

It is important for your survival that you ALWAYS be wary of your surroundings. Find shelter as soon as possible, when you suspect bad weather. A bad situation will only get worse, even life-threatening, if you "get caught in the rain".

7 billion "typical" humans

In an article published at midnight (UTC) on January 1st, I drew attention to the fact that this year (2011) the human population of our planet will reach 7 billion.

As part of their seven-part series on the subject of "Population 7 Billion", National Geographic took a look at "The Face of 7 Billion" [National Geographic] to study the "typical" human.

["The Face of 7 Billion" - National Geographic]

Right now is the date and time of the midpoint (182.5 days) of this year (2011-07-01 12:00:00 UTC). Inspired by the statistics National Geographic presented, I want to gather my own and add some detail to what we understand of our humanity.

PRIMARY LANGUAGE

Mandarin Chinese (845 million): 12.43%
Spanish (329 million): 4.84%
English (328 million): 4.82%
Arabic (221 million): 3.25%
Hindi (182 million): 2.68%
Bengali (181 million): 2.66%
Portuguese (178 million): 2.62%
Russian (144 million): 2.12%
Japanese (122 million): 1.79%
German (3 million): 0.04%
sum of all others: ≈ 62.75%

According to a statistical study by Ethnologue, over 62 percent of the human population doesn't recognize one of the top 10 languages as their primary language. Our ability to communicate with words is something which makes us somewhat unique among other animals. Even so, the breadth our diversity is clearly evident in this first statistic.

RELIGION

Christianity (2.1 billion): 30.88%
Islam (1.5 billion): 22.06%
Hinduism (900 million): 13.24%
Irreligious/agnostic (theistic) (550 million): 8.09%
Atheistic (550 million): 8.09%
Chinese traditional religion (394 million): 5.79%
Buddhism (376 million): 5.53%
Animist religions (300 million): 4.41%
African traditional/diasporic religions (100 million): 1.47%
Sikhism (23 million): 0.34%
sum of all others: ≈ 0.1%

In 2005, Adherents.com listed "Major Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents". As you can see in my summary, no one religion is in the majority. In fact, if we combine the irreligious and atheistic, we see that those who are not religious and/or are atheistic rank 3rd among the beliefs of humanity.

WATER AND SANITATION

Lack access to safe drinking water (1.1 billion): 17.74%

and/or

Lack access to basic sanitation (2.6 billion): 41.93%

The numbers above are from a UNICEF (UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund) estimate in 2005. Thanks almost entirely to humanitarian efforts throughout the years, especially by the UN*, those percentages have gone down. Today, almost 90% of humanity has access to safe drinking water, but that remaining 10% is still serious as it constitutes nearly 700 million people in our world of 7 billion.

LITERACY

Age 15 and over can read and write: 82%

Much of the human population is literate, which is very important considering the impact that education has on the other demographics I've listed. That said, it's worth noting that "over two-thirds of the world's ... illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan)" [CIA World Factbook].

If we seek to balance our relationship with our planet, as I suggested in January, we need to also open our minds to the diversity and beauty of what it means to be human and check our "resolve to becoming an organism who seeks the balance of a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with Earth and the other approximately 6,999,999,999 people on it." ["2011: The year of 7 billion" - INDY Blog]

---

* To be honest, I think the United Nations deserves far more recognition for all it does in the way of improving the lives of humans all over Earth. The organization and the people who truly drive its efforts are nothing like the portrayal in minds and media: the bureaucratic soap-box for arrogant and selfish politicians.

Survival Guide: Tell time using the stars

Whenever technology is not immediately available, I try to tell time using the stars. When I say stars I mean either the one closest to us (aka the Sun) or those further away. In today's survival guide, I'm going to show you how to estimate the time using only the stars and a bit of math.

(As I have mentioned in previous Survival Guides, if you are unable to use the techniques below due to weather conditions, I strongly suggest that you be less concerned with the current time and focus instead on quickly finding shelter nearby.)

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

STEP 1: Find the star Polaris (North Star) and the constellation Ursa Major (Big Dipper). [help]
STEP 2: Imagine a straight line from Polaris drawn through the two stars of Ursa Major which are furthest away from its tail.
STEP 3: Imagine that the line is the hour hand of a clock with Polaris at its center. Estimate what time the hand falls on. For example:

If the line to the two stars is perfectly level to the right, that would be 3:00.
If the line is midway between the bottom and level at right, that would be roughly 4:30.

STEP 4: Add an hour for every month that has passed since March 7th and the current month's 7th. Or subtract an hour for each month between this month's 7th and the approaching Marth 7th.
(For additional accuracy you can add or subtract two minutes for each day before or after the seventh of each month.)

Some examples:
- At midnight on March 7th, our hour hand is also at midnight. So, this is our zero date (in the Northern Hemisphere).
- November 7th is eight months after March 7th, so 8 hours are added to our STEP 3 time.
- January 2nd is two months and five days before our zero date, so we subtract two hours and ten (5*2) minutes from our STEP 3 time.
- March 10th is three days after March 7th so we add six (3*2) minutes to the STEP 3 time.

STEP 5: Double the STEP 4 time. (e.g. 3:00 * 2 = 6:00, 4:30 * 2 = 9:00, 7:45 * 2 = 15:30)
STEP 6: Subtract the STEP 5 time from 24. (Subtract it from 48, if it is initially larger than 24.)
STEP 7: This is the estimated current time. You may choose to make local adjustments (e.g. AM/PM, daylight saving time, timezones, etc.)

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

STEP 1: Find the Southern Cross constellation and the pole (imaginary southern point). [help]
STEP 2: Imagine a straight line from the pole drawn through the two stars of the long bar of the Southern Cross.
STEP 3: Imagine that the line is the hour hand of a clock with the pole at its center. Estimate what time the hand falls on. For example:

If the line to the two stars is perfectly level to the right, that would be 3:00.
If the line is midway between the bottom and level at right, that would be roughly 4:30.

STEP 4: Add two hours for every month that has passed since March 29th and the current month's 29th. Or subtract two hours for each month between this month's 29th and the approaching Marth 29th.
(For additional accuracy you can add or subtract four minutes for each day before or after the twenty-ninth of each month.)

Some examples:
- At midnight on March 29th, our hour hand is also at midnight. So, this is our zero date (in the Southern Hemisphere).
- March 19th is ten days before March 29th, so we subtract forty (10*4) minutes from the STEP 3 time.

- June 29th is three months after March 29th, so we add six (3*2) hours to the STEP 3 time.
STEP 5: Double the STEP 4 time. (e.g. 3:00 * 2 = 6:00, 4:30 * 2 = 9:00, 7:45 * 2 = 15:30)
STEP 6: Subtract the STEP 5 time from 24. (Subtract it from 48, if it is initially larger than 24.)
STEP 7: This is the estimated current time. You may choose to make local adjustments (e.g. AM/PM, daylight saving time, timezones, etc.)

Discerning the time from the stars can be a useful skill in non-emergency situations, though it may not be of high importance in circumstances where your survival is threatened. However, it can be a welcomed distraction when needed to keep yourself calm while facing a mentally stressful situation while trying to survive in the wild.

Happy Tau Day

Three months and fourteen days ago, I wrote an article in celebration of "Half Tau Day" (better known to many as "Pi Day"). In that article I began to point out the benefits of using Tau (τ) or 2*pi (2π) in Mathematics.

Today, in full celebration of Tau Day, I would like to present more about the benefits of adjusting our established norms for a more comfortable digestion of Math. (A great deal of the information I will present here is processed from "The Tau Manifesto" website. I encourage you to take a more detailed look at the information there, if what I present here intrigues you.)

The constant of 2π is wide-spread in use throughout Mathematics, especially in Trigonometry and Calculus. This commonality occurs simply because of the relationship between circles and their radii.

Pi (π) exists because it is the ratio between a circle's diameter and its circumference. It has been stated (and sometimes argued) that "it is easier to measure a circle by its diameter than its radius". That may be so, but most formulas involving circles use its radius (e.g. area, angles, fractions, etc.); some charts and real world applications use radius as well, such as "pie graphs" and even slice the real-world application of slicing a piece of pie. Which means that the diameter would have to be divided after measurement anyway, especially if you want to measure more than circumference.

So, why not use a variable based on the ratio between a circle's radius and its circumference in the first place?

Circumference:

C = τ r

Area:

A = (τ/2) r²

Volume (of a sphere):

V = 2/3 τ r³

There may be some formulas which may seem more useful with π. Personally, I have no objection. Afterall, a meter is just 100 centimeters, yet we choose to use both "m" and "cm" everyday. I think π and τ should coexist in Mathematics in the common goal of providing a consistently easy and logical understanding of the concepts. (Meaning, let's make Math easy and fun for students.)

Keeping the students as the priority, certain "weird math" gets discarded. For example, did you know that a full pi radian angle is only 180°. If I were to use only pi to cut you a slice of pie that means you would only get half of what you asked for because a circle is really 2π. Using τ you would have access to the full 360°.

All-in-all, I want the focus in learning to be on the learner not the establishment. I encourage you to challenge yourself, question your logic, and most of all keep your eyes open and focused on new horizons.

Happy Tau Day! Now, go enjoy TWO pies!

Survival Guide: Find North

Regardless of whether your life is in immediate danger, it's important to always know where you are, at least in relation to where you came from or where you're going. One of the easiest ways to sense your relational location, is to know how to find North (and South and East and West).

There are a few ways we can find North, but environmental conditions will affect which ones you can use in any given situation. (As will also be true with future guides, if you can't use any of the methods listed below for whatever reason -- especially weather conditions. Find shelter nearby and stay there. Seriously.)

Once you're facing North, remember: South is behind you, East is on your right, and West is on your left.

["Cardinal direction" - Wikipedia]

DAY-TIME, SHADOWS CLEARLY VISIBLE

STEP 1: Stab a stick into the ground so it's pointing straight up.
STEP 2: Mark the tip of its shadow with a small distinguishable object.
STEP 3: Wait a bit.
STEP 4: Mark the tip of the shadow with another small distinguishable object.
STEP 5: Stand with your left foot at the first object and your right foot at the second object. (Not enough room to do that with both feet? Repeat Steps 3 and 4.)
STEP 6: Look straight ahead. That's North.

NIGHT-TIME, SHADOWS CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM A BRIGHT MOON

(Use the same method as described above for the Sun.)

NIGHT-TIME, STARS CLEARLY VISIBLE

STEP 1: Find this constellation...

Northern Hemisphere: Ursa Minor (Little Dipper) [Wikipedia]
Equator: Orion [Wikipedia]
Southern Hemisphere: Southern Cross [Wikipedia]

STEP 2: Locate a specific area in the sky...

Northern Hemisphere: The tip of Ursa Minor's tail (the end of the Dipper handle) is Polaris (the North star).
Equator: Find Orion's raised arm, belt, and his legs.
Southern Hemisphere: Imagine a line from the long end of the cross about four times the long width. Imagine a point at the end of that line.

STEP 3: Position yourself.

Northern Hemisphere: Face Polaris.
Equator: Position yourself so Orion's feet are "behind" you and his raised arm is "forward".
Southern Hemisphere: Face directly away from that imaginary point.

STEP 4: Look straight ahead. That's North.

SUNRISE OR MOONRISE

STEP 1: Position yourself so that the rise is at your right.
STEP 2: Look straight ahead. That's mostly North.

SUNSET OR MOONSET

STEP 1: Position yourself so that the set is at your left.
STEP 2: Look straight ahead. That's mostly North.

COOL, MOIST CLIMATE

STEP 1: Find a tree or rock which is -- or usually is -- casting a large shadow.
STEP 2: Locate the side with the most moss, moisture, or snow.
STEP 3: Position yourself...

Northern Hemisphere: Face away from the located side.
Southern Hemisphere: Face the located side.

STEP 4: Look straight ahead. That's mostly North.

ANYTIME, CLOUDY WITH SOME WIND

STEP 1: Watch the cloud movement. Fronts generally move West to East.
STEP 2: Position yourself so that clouds are coming toward your left and away from your right.
STEP 3: Look straight ahead. That's probably North.

As I stated briefly before listing these techniques, it is very important that you find shelter in the immediate area and not wander. I will try to discuss this more in a future survival guide, so to keep it simple here: you risk injury and death, decrease the odds of rescue, and increase your panic when you are lost. So, if you don't know where you need to go, stay put until you do or until you're found.

Survival Guide: Tell time using the Sun or Moon

The June solstice occurred today (2011-06-21) at 17:16 UTC. A solstice is when "the Sun's apparent position in the sky reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes" ["Solstice" - Wikipedia]. For the Northern Hemisphere of our planet, that means it is the middle of traditional Summer. For the Southern Hemisphere, the middle of traditional Winter. Knowledge of today's solstice will be useful in the first of the survival guide series when "telling time using only the Sun or Moon".

CAUTION: Daylight saving time can cause confusion in some of the calculations, so I recommend ignoring DST entirely until you have the final times you are seeking. Only then should you try to adjust it according to the strange daylight "saving" time system or make any adjustments based on your preferences or location.

ESTIMATE DAY LENGTH

The length of the day depends almost entirely on Latitude. (Your location North or South of the Equator.)
- At the Equator, the day is always twelve (12) hours and the night is also twelve.
- During the equinox (mid-Spring and mid-Autumn), the day is roughly twelve (12) hours, regardless of Latitude.
- During the solstice (mid-Summer and mid-Winter), the day is roughly fourteen (14) hours (Summer) or ten (10) hours (Winter) at the "midpoint" between the equator and a pole.
- During the solstice, the day is either all hours (Summer) or non-existent (Winter) at the poles.

I try to remember those as the "10, 12, 14 facts" - 10 in the Winter, 12 in the Spring, 14 in the Summer.

You can roughly guess how long the day is at your location using the "10, 12, 14 facts" I listed above and a rough guess at your Latitude. (Keep in mind the days are longer closer to the pole in Summer and shorter closer to the pole in Winter. Also, remember the "10, 12, 14 facts" apply best at the approximate "midpoint" between a pole and the equator.)

CALCULATE TIME OF SUNRISE AND SUNSET

STEP 1: Find your estimated day length.
STEP 2: Divide the STEP 1 result by 2.
STEP 3: Subtract the STEP 2 result from 12 to get the time of sunrise (in hours). Add the STEP 2 result to 12 to get the time of sunset.
STEP 4 (optional): Convert to AM/PM, if you must. Personally, I think the 24hr clock is cleaner.

(Do not adjust for daylight saving time, if you intend to use these times in other calculations.)

NOTE: Knowing how to roughly estimate the sunrise and sunset times can be helpful even if you have a clock. Sometimes it's just nice to know how much time you might have remaining in your day or night.

ESTIMATE THE TIME OF MOONRISE AND MOONSET USING EARTH'S SHADOW
(We use the Earth's shadow on the Moon to estimate the Moon's rise and set times based on sunset and sunrise. Since a full Moon has no shadow on it, it needs no adjustments; a full Moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise.)

STEP 1: "Read" the Moon from its right edge to its left. The right edge is sunset, the left is sunrise.
STEP 2: Imagine that the moon is divided (from top to bottom) into a number of segments equal to the number of hours in the night.
STEP 3: Estimate how many of those segments are covered in the Earth's shadow.
STEP 4: Look at where the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. Is the shadow to the left or the right of the light?

- If the shadow's on the right, add the STEP 3 result to the time of sunset to get the time of moonrise.
- If the shadow's on the left, subtract the STEP 3 result from the time of sunrise to get the time of moonset.

STEP 5: The moon transits the sky in approximately 12 hours.

- If you know the Moon's rise time, add 12 hours to estimate the set time.
- If you know the Moon's set time, subtract 12 hours to estimate the rise time.

ESTIMATE THE TIME USING THE SUN OR MOON

STEP 1: Pick an "orb" that you can see. Sun or Moon?
STEP 2: Imagine the path of the orb across the sky. (Remember, depending on your location and the season, the orb may not ever pass directly overhead; it may only arch in some portion of the sky.)
STEP 3: Divide the path of the orb into segments of the same number as the hours of its transit. (For the Sun, this is day length in hours. For the Moon, this is 12 hours.)
STEP 4: Note the segment which the orb is currently in, counting from left (rise) to right (set).
STEP 5: Add the STEP 4 result to the rise time of the orb.
STEP 6: This is the estimated current time.

Knowing how soon dawn or dusk will occur is something which I consider a necessary life-or-death survival skill. (We'll discuss this further in future guides.) Beyond that essential skill, knowing how to tell time using only the natural environment is, at the least, a trick which can entertain a few interested friends.

Survival Guide series

I am launching a new series of blog entries intended to guide readers in a variety of survival techniques. This, so called, "Survival Guide" series is my attempt at providing readers with the type of knowledge I think is fundamental to the survival of the independent human animal when facing "extreme" situations.

Beginning tomorrow (the day of the June solstice), I will publish a new "Survival Guide" on the INDY Blog every four days until July 31st, the day before the cross-quarter day of Northern Hemisphere Autumn (Southern Hemisphere Spring). The subjects covered will range from interesting "tricks" useful anywhere to skills necessary in obtaining basic needs in challenging situations.

My knowledge of these subjects has come from various sources. I credit the most impact to my lifelong involvement with the Boy Scouts of America (from Tiger Cub all the way through to Eagle Scout and Venture Scouts). I've also always been interested in testing the limits of the human body and mind; a study of the basic needs is essential to that understanding. I will be cross-checking my techniques in the various manuals I have and with some internet resources, if I find any that offer good visuals or more detail I'll be sure to link to them in the related article.

At the least, I hope you will tuck these tips away in the back of your mind, so that you can have them should you need them.

INDY Members attach OpenIDs

In a post in April, I encouraged all current INDY Members to attach OpenID logins (e.g. Google, Twitter, etc.) to their INDY accounts. By doing so, members would not have to remember an additional username/password for the INDY website and information would be better secured.

If you are a current INDY member, please consider attaching an OpenID to your INDY account as soon as possible. For assistance with this process, please revisit the original post on the subject of OpenID.

I intend to phase out the INDY password in favor of the more secure (and memorable) OpenID authentication by 1 July 2011, so attach an OpenID now to avoid any inconvenience or interruption of your access to the INDY website.