How to Use a Signal Mirror

Using a signal mirror is a handy way to call for help from a distance.  You might have tried something similar if you've used the shiny surface of a watch to reflect light in another person's eyes.  The same principle applies here: you direct the sun's light - reflecting off your mirror - to a specific location.  Maybe you're trying to signal an aircraft, or people on the ground, or maybe you're just aiming for the horizon, hoping someone will catch the signal.  In any case, Search and Rescue teams, those trained in the military, pilots, scouts, etc. are taught that a signal mirror is used to indicate distress and will recognize what your seemingly haphazard flashing means.

An official signal mirror is especially handy because it has a hole in the middle that allows you to see your target and see where your reflection (a bright spot in the viewer) will land, helping you to line the two up.  If you don't have an official signal mirror, don't fret.  Almost any shiny surface will work (like the little mirror on this whistle, or the shiny blade on this knife), but the shinier the better.

Here are some mirror signaling facts and tips:

• A mirror's reflection can be seen more than 20 miles away.  In ideal conditions, pilots have even reported seeing mirror signals just under 100 miles away!  But your best chance of catching someone's attention is within 15.  
• Try and keep your fingers away from the mirror's face to avoid cutting out any of your reflective power.  Also make sure no part of your mirror is shaded.
• A mirror made out of plastic is slightly dimmer and will scratch much easier than those made out of glass.  Keep it protected so you don't diminish its reflective surface.
• You should never shine the sun's light in someone's face at close range or it could damage their eyesight.  That being said, you should still practice using a signal mirror before you actually need it.  Direct the light towards inanimate objects to give yourself a feel for how it works.
• If you don't have a mirror with a viewer, hold out your hand as a guide.  Put your fingers out in a "v" shape and set the sight of your target right in the center of your fingers.  Aim your reflection to the center of the "v" (you'll see the light on your hand) but try and keep as little of the reflection on your fingers as possible.  The more light reflecting out, the more likely it will be seen.
• Most signals are seen from the air or from someplace high.  Aim for 
• To send a specific message, practice morse code!  A fast pass over your target makes a "dot" and a slow pass over your target makes a "dash."  Morse code can be transferred to a number of different mediums, but that is for another post.
• Here are two videos to give you an idea of what a signal from a mirror looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu4iJykziak&feature=youtu.be - at 11 miles away, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JtfpaMiUqQ&feature=youtu.be - at 22 miles away.  Can you spot the signals?

5 Ways to Build a Fire Without Matches

Although I've always thought it would be the coolest feat to start a fire without matches, I don't know that I've ever been successful.  But with this post I am recommitting to try again on our next camping trip until it works!  You never know when you will be caught without matches (or perhaps your matches have been soaked in the rain?) and need to start a fire.  It is an incredibly handy skill to have.

You should begin by collecting some good tinder.  Look for dried leaves or grass or moss that will catch fire quickly.  Make sure it is very dry.  Bundle together your tinder into a tinder nest and encircle it with dry leaves.  Char cloth (cloth turned into charcoal) is also exceptionally handy for catching sparks and smoldering slowly so you can start your fire. This is what will catch your spark to get the fire going.  Gather wood of various sizes that you can use to build your fire once you have a flame.  Start with long, toothpick-thin pieces to begin with followed by longer, pencil-thick pieces, and up to branches as thick as your arm.  If possible, try and build your fire up off of direct contact with the ground since it may be damp.  From here you can choose one of the following methods to start your fire:

1. Flint and Steel - One of the nice things about using the flint and steel method is that you can create a spark under a wide range of situations, including in the rain, the wind, the dark, etc.  If you don't have the traditional flint available, you can also substitute for quartzite (a light white, gray, or pink rock with a texture similar to sandstone yet harder than steel) or use a ferrocerium rod.  Strike the flint hard and fast with your steel (the back of a steel knife blade works great too) to create sparks.  Aim the sparks into your tinder nest and blow on it gently to ignite a flame.  If using char cloth, aim your sparks into the cloth place in the center of your tinder before blowing.
2. Batteries - If you have batteries available, they can be an easy source for sparks.  An extremely easy method involves taking a 9-volt battery and rubbing the two terminals over steel wool (the finer the better).  On a similar vein, by attaching a wire to each of the terminals in a car or boat battery, you can touch them together to create sparks and light tinder.  Just proceed cautiously.
3. Fire Piston - Fire pistons have been used for a very long time to start fires.  There are a number of models and styles to choose from.  The main idea is that a fire piston rapidly compresses and heats air to create a small "coal" that will then light your tinder.  Some people have great success with their fire pistons, and others have a hard time getting consistent results.  These are also a great solution in rainy/windy weather, but make sure you've got some really good, dry tinder.  
4. Lens - A lens is a pretty easy way to start fire.  It works by focusing the light of the sun into a small, concentrated spot in your tinder.  The only problem is that it only works when bright sun is available (not cloudy days or nighttime).  There are numerous lens possibilities.  You can use a magnifying glass, far-sighted eye glasses, a balloon, a broken light bulb, the bottom of a glass bottle.  Adding a drop of water to the glass will intensify the focus.  You can even shape ice into a lens shape and use that.  Just hold your lens at an angle and distance that will focus the sun's light into the smallest dot possible while still being circular.  It doesn't take much.  
5. Friction - And finally, there is friction.  This may be the most demanding method of starting a fire without matches.  It takes a lot of patience, elbow grease, and persistence but will make you feel like a real wilderness survival expert when you do.  You'll need to create a fireboard and drill, as well as a socket and bow if using the bow-drill method.  You could also make a fire plow.  The basic idea for both is to keep your stick moving very quickly with your hands or the bow until friction builds up, black powder is collected and heated to create an ember, and then that ember is added to your tinder to start a flame.  It sounds like a lot of work, but a task worthy of true admiration in the end.  I want to give it a try.

Finding North with a Watch and the Sun

This is a cool trick I learned from watching the very first episode of Man vs. Wild.  I was curious to see if it really worked so I tried it out, and it does!  Of course, if you're in an emergency situation without an analog watch, you'll just have to find a different system (like maybe...a compass?).

Here's what you do if you are in the northern hemisphere:

1. Hold your watch flat like you would a compass.
2. Point the smaller, hour hand in the direction of the sun.
3. Find the midway angle between 12 and the hour hand.  This gives you your north/south line to follow.  If it happens to be during Daylight Savings, find the midway angle between 1 and the hour hand instead.
4. North will be in the direction away from the sun.  South is towards the sun.

If you are in the southern hemisphere, the method changes only slightly:

1. Hold the watch flat.
2. Point 12 in the direction of the sun.
3. Find the midway angle between 12 and the hour hand to get your north/south line.  This time, south is away from the sun and north is towards the sun.