Skills that everyone should have. Part 1: Finding water

Well as you can probably figure from the title of this post you are about to learn a skill you should have. This is a weekly installment of The World According To Mr. K where I'll teach you something different every week. This week you are going to learn about water; how to find it and why it is important.

We all need water no matter what, we need to keep our bodies hydrated. Without water we begin to shut down. Headaches, nausea, depression, disorientation, poor judgement, and even hallucinations are just some of the effects of dehydration on the body. Most people say that you should consume about 4 liters or one gallon of water a day. This is in the most ideal of situations and in fact most Americans are considered chronically dehydrated because we consume more soda, coffee, lattes, alcohol, and other liquids over water. In a situation where you don't have water you can begin to feel the more severe effects of dehydration in as little as a day. Granted some people have lasted as much as ten days without water but there are few of us out there who could pull this off and not be permanently harmed.

What does this have to do with anything? Well in a situation where water supplies could become scarce you will need to know what to expect and what you need to have in order to continue on living. Water shortages are already happening all over the country and in a post-oil economy we could see much larger spread water shortages. And don't forget that water supplies are easy targets and terrorists both foreign and domestic have in the past targeted water supplies.

So how do I find water in an emergency? What do I need to know to prepare for such an event? Well its pretty easy to prepare for the even of water shortages. Stocking up on water or putting together a large scale rainwater catchment system are easy enough, the latter will be discussed as part of a agricultural posting in the future. But being able to find water is equally as important.

Knowing your local area is the easiest way to find water. If you live near water sources such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, etc., you are in luck. It is easy enough to collect water in a pot of bucket, boil it or otherwise purify it and use it for drinking. Beyond common sense some less obvious ways to find primary water sources include watching the sky, following animal paths, observing insect populations, follow birds (especially water foul), observe changes in vegetation, and use snow, ice, and slush.

Observing the sky can lend you more than just a nice view of clouds, it can inform you of the relationship between clouds and the color of the sky and large water sources. Now this skill is something that takes practice and I myself am no expert however I do understand the basics of this method of water location. By noticing the changes in color of the sky a skilled observer can see that the sky directly over a water source often is much bluer than the rest of the sky. This is because the sky is reflecting the water source. Also looking for early morning clouds and mist are easy ways of finding water sources as low lying clouds often hang directly over water sources. If you ever have looked over a pond or lake at 5:30am in the summer or spring you know what I mean!

Following animal trails is also a useful way of finding water. Now this is by no means a sure fire way of finding water BUT animals need water too. Any hunter, trapper or skilled woodsman knows that if you were to plot animal trails on a topographical map the intersections of these trails forms a V which often will point in the direction of a water or food source. Following these paths takes skill and patience, I suggest talking with a seasoned hunter or trapper before looking for game trails because you will likely not know what you are looking for.

Insects can also point the way towards water. I you do any hiking during mosquito season you understand this very well even though you might not know it can save your life. Beyond swarming insects like mosquitoes, bees are never very far from water and may be a good indicator that water is near by, usually within a mile or two. Ants also need water and will sometime find it in trees. If you see some ants around a damp log or hole in a tree there is a decent chance that you will find some water in these locations.

Birds love water, especially grain eating birds and water foul. Anyone from the northeast that owns property with a pond or lake on it likely have a flock of geese that stop by every fall for a few weeks. But simply following birds is not enough to find water. You need to know that birds are likely nearest to water early in the day or late in the afternoon/evening. This is because like us they sleep, only they often congregate at or near water sources to nest and sleep. If you follow the flight paths of these birds in the early morning go to where they are coming from, of in the evening where they are going to. Good luck and remember to filter that water before drinking it. Birds are to careful where they urinate or defecate, and you don't want giardia.

Finding water by watching the changes in vegetation is also very straight forward and almost obvious. To find water by looking at plants look for denser, greener vegetation thatn the norm. If you are finding a very heavily vegetated area look around your probably close. You might have to dig even but you are close.

Well folks I hope that his have been some what educational for you. At the very least you now know something you didn't. My next installment of Skills will be about more complex ways of finding water where there isn't an obvious source.