Wilderness Survival

Winter in Nova Scotia offers many experiences for the outdoor enthusiast. For the lost, injured and unprepared it can also kill. This module offers participants an opportunity to test their mental and physical survival skills in a winter wilderness setting. While various presentations and skill sessions are given on the physiological and psychological aspects of winter survival (heat loss, metabolism, shelter building, signaling, rescue, "the will to live") the primary focus of the weekend is experiential. Those attending will be placed in safe but very real situations for a chance to experience first-hand the dexterity-robbing cold, hunger, inability to navigate, and the boredom and loneliness of survival. The final consolidation exercise involves the identification of each individual's strengths and weaknesses in the survival system components: human, mental, physical, environmental and equipment. This module tests a person's ability to adapt, improvise and overcome