Cold? Just stuff it

Thank you for publishing a wilderness survival article (“Surviving the Night Shift” [March 1]). I would add a couple of points from my experience in teaching survival classes in the Frazier Park area the last 18 years.

Pine needles and leaves can be used for insulation, either for a basic shelter or, more simply, stuffed inside the shirt and pants. Carrying a light windbreaker would facilitate this, or a plastic garbage bag can be stuffed with debris to form a blanket. Insulation can get you through a cold night even without a fire. (Remember that several huge forest fires in California were started from campfires or flares.)

Second, focus on your highest priority -- staying warm and dry. Other concerns such as predators or ticks should properly fade into the background. Tick bites can be treated later, and mountain lions do not hunt by seeking out sleeping survivalists.

Jim Lowery

Frazier Park