Look out for widow makers before you establish a shelter
When looking for a place to put up your shelter, keep the four W’s in mind:
1) Water
Save time and calories going back and forth for water by selecting a location near a water source.
2) Wood
Look for a spot with a lot of good deadfall. Downed hardwoods are great. Trees and wood are excellent fuel to sustain your fire.
3) Wind
Look for a place out of the wind to prevent convection heat loss. The thicker the forest that you are in the better, because that will act as a natural windbreak.
4) Widow makers
Widow makers are dead trees or dead limbs above where you’re going to build your shelter. If a wind picks up and that tree falls on you, you’re dealing with an injury rather than just a survival situation. When you’re injured, you require more water and calorie intake to survive.
