Guide 01Navigation
What to do when you realize you’re lost
Use STOP, protect your last known location, and avoid the common urge to “just keep moving.”
Read the lost-person guide →Read it. Practice it. Remember it.
Calm skills for hard moments.
A practical reference library for navigation, rescue signaling, severe weather, shelter, water, and outdoor decisions. Each guide explains the skill, its limits, and a safe way to practice before you need it.
Manual
01
Primary-source guidanceClear stop conditionsPractice before pressureUpdated September 14, 2026
Start here
Three decisions worth rehearsing
These guides begin with the actions that preserve options: stop, make yourself findable, and move to genuinely safer shelter when weather closes in.
Guide 02Rescue
Signal for help without wasting energy
Build a simple signaling plan around sound, light, visibility, and your phone.
Read the signaling guide →Guide 03Weather
Lightning: make the safe-shelter decision
Know which shelters reduce risk, which do not, and when it is safer to wait.
Read the lightning guide →15-minute drill
Make your whistle automatic.
Practice in a safe place where you will not be mistaken for someone needing rescue.
- Attach a pea-less whistle where either hand can reach it.
- Tell your partner this is a practice drill.
- Practice three clear blasts, then pause and listen.
- Test whether the whistle can be reached under a rain shell or pack strap.
- Add it to your pre-trip gear check.
Research standard
Start with accountable sources
Outdoor advice changes with conditions. Our guides favor current public-agency guidance and link readers to the original material.