Bark Lean-To

As our remaining wilderness areas are logged, mined, and crisscrossed by roads, I think it’s time to reconsider the phrase wilderness survival. The reference to unspoiled wilderness is becoming harder and harder to justify as these places disappear in the face of a growing, resource-hungry human population.

A more appropriate descriptive term is infrastructure-free survival. It isn’t specific to an area untouched by people, but while it could be in a city or rural setting there is no infrastructure for the survivor to take advantage of. Where it takes place doesn’t change what needs to be accomplished. The skill set remains the same, but the terminology is more grounded in the reality of fending for yourself wherever you are than a historical novel from the 1700’s.