Water · Water course
You need at least 2 liters a day even in the cold, and more in heat, after hard work or when hurt. Almost every place has water somewhere. The land, the plants and the animals all point to it.
Water is one of the first things to take care of when you are stuck outside. Your body is more than three-fourths fluid, and it loses water all day through sweat, breath and the bathroom. Heat, cold, stress and hard work all make it lose more. Even in cold places you need at least 2 quarts (2 liters) a day to keep working well.
Most places have water somewhere, even when you cannot see it. The trick is to read the clues: which way the ground slopes, which plants are growing, where animals and insects are going. These clues save you from wandering, which burns the very sweat you are trying to keep.
Finding water is only step one. Almost all of it still has to be cleaned before you drink it, so read the "Make water safe to drink" lesson next.
Water runs downhill. Walk to the bottom of slopes, into valleys and draws, and to the foot of cliffs. Springs come out where a slope meets flat ground. Water always collects in the lowest ground, so walking downhill is the most reliable way to get closer to it. A draw is a small, shallow valley, like a crease in the hillside. Low, flat ground at the bottom of a slope is where water seeps out.
Thick, bright green plants in a dry area mean water close to the surface. Cattails, willows, cottonwoods and reeds grow with their feet wet. Plants that need wet feet only grow where water sits close under the ground. A patch of thick, bright green in an otherwise brown or dry area is a sign worth walking to.
Stop, hold your breath and listen. Running water carries a long way in still air, especially at dawn and dusk. Sound travels well when the air is calm. Stop moving, stop talking and listen for a few minutes before you choose a direction.
Follow game trails downhill. Two trails that meet in a V usually point toward water. Animals drink at dawn and dusk. Grazing animals like deer usually stay near water and drink at dawn and dusk. When two trails join in a V, the point of the V usually aims toward water. Meat eaters are not good guides because they get much of their water from what they catch.
Watch the sky. Birds flying low and straight in the early morning or late afternoon are often going to water. Swarming insects, bees and ants going into a hole in a tree mean water is near. The manual says birds that feed on grain, like finches and pigeons, stay near water. When they fly straight and low they are heading to it; coming back, they hop from tree to tree because they are full. Bees seldom go more than about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from their hive, and a line of ants climbing a tree often leads to water trapped inside it. Water birds and hawks are not good guides.
A dry stream bed still holds water under the sand. Dig at the outside of a bend, at the lowest point, until the hole seeps. This is a seep hole or Indian well. Water keeps flowing under the sand after the surface dries. You did it right when the bottom of your hole slowly turns wet and starts to fill.
Check rock crevices, the crotches of big trees, and hollows after rain. Soak it up with cloth and wring it into a container. Rain and dew collect in cracks in rocks and in the fork where big branches meet. The manual says bird droppingsscat Animal droppings. Fresh, moist scat means the animal used this spot recently. Never touch it with bare hands. around a crack in dry country can mean water is in or near it. A cloth soaks up water you cannot scoop.
On a beach, dig a hole behind the first dune, deep enough that water seeps in. The top layer of fresh rain water floats on the salt water below. Skim it slowly. Fresh water is lighter than salt water, so after rain it can sit as a thin layer on top. Skim slowly so you do not stir up the salty water underneath.
Snow and ice are water too, but only after melting. Never eat snow as it is; it chills you and costs more water than it gives. Eating snow pulls heat out of your body and can give your lips and mouth a minor cold injury. Melt it first. The "Water from snow and ice" lesson shows how.
Any water you find still has to be made safe, except rain caught clean and water from inside living plants. Finding it is only half the job. Germs you cannot see live in clear water too. Plan to clean whatever you find before you drink it.
On your next walk in a park, play a "where is the water" game. Before you look at a map, guess where the nearest stream or pond is from the slope of the land, the greenest plants and the animal trails. Then check the map and see how close you were. Stay on marked trails and follow the park rules.
At dawn or dusk, sit still near a park pond for 15 minutes and watch which way birds and insects move. This builds the habit of reading clues before you walk.
You find a clear stream. Can you drink it as it is?
No, treat it first
The app checks your answers, keeps your place in the Water, and works with no signal once saved.
Before you rely on thisA learning tool, not a replacement for training. In an emergency, call 911.