Walking Out: Self-Rescue
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What you will learn
- 1Explain why the first choice when lost is to stop and stay put
- 2Name the times when an adult may decide to walk out
- 3Describe how a group follows a handrail toward roads and help
- 4Leave signs that show which way the group went
Mini Lesson
In Grade 3 you learned the most important rule when lost: stop and stay put. That is still the first choice, almost every time. Searchers find people who stay in one place much more easily. But sometimes staying is not possible. Then the adult may decide to walk out, and this lesson shows how a group does it safely together.
🌿 The Wild Way (stay put first)
- STOP FIRST: when you are lost, use S.T.O.P. (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan), stay calm and stay put. Signal and wait for help.
- WHEN STAYING IS NOT POSSIBLE: the adult may decide to walk out if no one knows where you are and no help is coming.
- WHEN THE PLACE IS UNSAFE: the adult may also move the group if the spot is unsafe, like rising water or a storm on high ground.
- THE ADULT DECIDES AND LEADS: you never decide to walk out and never go alone. The adult leads the whole way.
- A PLAN WITH THE MAP: before moving, the adult studies the map and picks a direction toward a road, a trail or a town.
How the group walks out
- FOLLOW A HANDRAIL: follow something long and easy to stay beside, like a trail, a stream bank or a ridge leading downhill toward roads.
- BESIDE THE STREAM, NOT IN IT: walk along the bank, never in the water. Stay well back from steep drops and waterfalls.
- LEAVE SIGNS: leave a note at your last spot with the time and direction, and make trail markers, like arrows of sticks or stones, as you go.
- DAYLIGHT ONLY: move in daylight. Stop well before dark and set up for the night.
- REST, DRINK, STAY TOGETHER: take short rests, drink water, and keep the group close enough to see each other.
- KEEP SIGNALING: blow three whistle blasts often as you walk, and stop to listen for an answer.
The default when lost is always STOP and stay put. Walking out is only for when the adult decides staying is not possible. Never set off alone, never split up, and never walk in a stream or near an edge. If you can reach help, the adult calls your local emergency number.
Words to know
self-rescue
When a group gets itself out of danger, led by the adult, instead of waiting to be found.
e.g. Self-rescue is only for when staying put is not possible.
stay put
To stay in one place instead of moving around.
e.g. When we got lost, we stopped and stayed put first.
handrail
A long feature, like a trail, stream bank or ridge, that you can follow without getting lost.
e.g. The adult used the stream bank as a handrail.
direction
The way something is pointing or moving.
e.g. Our note showed the time and the direction we walked.
trail marker
A sign you leave, like a stick arrow, to show the way you went.
e.g. We left a trail marker at every fork.
daylight
The light of the day, between sunrise and sunset.
e.g. We only walked in daylight and stopped before dark.
🧠 Survivor’s Trick: at every turn or fork, make a big arrow of sticks or stones pointing the way you went. If searchers find your first note, the arrows lead them straight to you - and if you need to go back, they lead you too.
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