Survival

Here's how to get out of the middle when motherly instincts kick in.

Why do we bonk at 14,000 feet?

It's all fun and games 'til someone gets a tent pole in the eye.

How much H2O do you really need on the trail?

Rodents can be real pests in campsites. Use this trick to stay rodent-free the whole trip long.

Preventing sunburn is as simple as brushing your teeth.

Calculate real mileage by accounting for slope in the mountains, and you'll avoid getting into camp after dark.

Do your foot troubles warrant an expert's opinion? Take this quiz to find out.

Tips to take with you when the snow flies.

A wilderness guide to proper care and maintenance of the family jewels.

Guide to common bugs in the backcountry.

When illness or injury strikes, the medicine you need is in the plants alongside the trail and at your feet.

Jon provides first-hand advice for ultralight beginners.

Here's what I keep in my first-aid kit to battle the itchiest rash known to medical science.

This homemade rock sack will help you hang your food bag faster and better.

How America's tragedy affected one New Jersey hiker.

If disaster leaves you deep in the backcountry without any means to disinfect drinking water, what do you do? Follow these methods to stay hydrated without getting sick.

What to do if the berries you munched weren't safe after all.

When our firstborn son left us, the word "burial" was never uttered.

On your next tropical dip, beware of water-borne bacteria.

A little motion brings the heat back.

You can freeze to death and still live to tell about it.

Do you know your backcountry poisonous threats?

You can add another disease to those you might get from ticks: ehrlichiosis.

Quick Tips to Prevent, Recognize, and Treat Hypothermia.

Unless you're partial to polluted water, don't fill your bottle during or just after a major storm.

Why two commonly held lightning-safety beliefs could get you fried, plus expert advice.

Check out Jeff Rennicke's author page.

There are scads of bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- so don't forget these tips.

Ah, spring, the season of the blessed bloom-and maddening mosquitoes. If you don't like slathering yourself in DEET, then you'd better learn how to avoid the pests.

Another bug-beating option.

Other tips to beat the most annoying backcountry biters.

Cold can harm in subtle and quick ways, so it pays to be prepared.

After hours of searching through ice chunks and piles of snow on Shishapangma Mountain, searchers have called off an avalanche rescue mission to find American climbers Alex Lowe and Dave Bridges.

How to find emergency water in the backcountry.

Make your own backcountry survival kit.

How to signal for help if you get lost.

To all the techno-weenies with your space-age outdoor gear, Cody Lundin has some advice: For that day when your butt's on the line, you better know how to get primitive.

Missing for more than a month in the Australian Outback, American tourist Robert Bogucki was found alive and amazingly coherent yesterday in the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia.

After you've spent a cold, drizzly, miserable night searching for a lost or injured hiker, sometimes a few simple words of thanks make it all worthwhile.

Pretend Your Leg Is A Jelly Roll.

When faced with a large, testy animal, it pays to know whether it's saying, "Hi there" or "I'm about to shred your lungs."

Stay away from mice out on the trail, and you'll stay away from disease-carrying ticks.

Believe it or not, poison ivy isn't all bad -- but it's still best avoided. Here's how.

A homemade bear bag will make sure your provisions stay safe from hungry critters.

Your odds of surviving, much less enjoying, a -30°F night in the woods rate right up there with a snowball's chance in you-know-where. That is, unless you make friends with a guy they call The Iceman.

If the thought of a spider bite or bee sting makes your skin crawl, then preventing a painful encounter is the key.

Your partner just disappeared under an icy torrent. Quick, do you know what to do next?

Keep your food away from hungry bears.