I always wanted to be a boyscout, but was never a boy. I went to an alternative K-12 school where the rite of passage into the high school was something called the Wilderness trip, which you and your homeroom class embarked upon in the Colorado Rockies with the supplies on your back and nothing more. I got booted out of that school for being mean before I could lead the wilderness trip (you could be a student leader after having taken the trip yourself, if I didn’t mention [and I didn't]). I planned on making a similar excursion for my 18th birthday, alone, but failed to do so. Maybe I’ll make it up there for my 19th, eh?

If you’re really interested in learning wilderness skills, you should practice them in a safe non-life threatening environment first. Wanna learn to start a fire without tools? Awesome. Staking your life on your ability to start a fire without tools when you’ve never done it before… Definitely in the “not-at-all-awesome” category.

Also triple emphasis on what Jake said. You need a buddy. Preferably a buddy who as a buddy who has a buddy. (This means you can split up to go for help or supplies without leaving one group defenseless or helpless) Sure we outdoorsy survival types love to be able to say we could make it on our own, but honestly human beings are social creatures for a reason — our chances of survival are *MUCH* higher in groups. Seriously. I don’t feel safe going out for more than a day hike without at least a buddy (and even then only on established routes and telling people where I’m going to be and when I’ll check in next).

And that’s to say nothing of my survival skills. I’m an eagle scout who actually *taught* the wilderness survival, orienteering and pioneering (that’s knot tying and structure creation for you non-BSAers) for two years and one summer hiked up every mountain and trackless peak within 50 miles of anglefire NM. I have successfully started a fire in the rain with no matches and have comfortably gone 3 days only with the supplies I could carry in cargo pant pockets. (well and a tomato soup can and my water bottle).

But… where to learn… My suggestion: Get some books. The army field survival guide is a good starting place as are the aforementioned boy scout manuals. Wikipedia has some really useful information — particularly if you are looking for specific information about the native flora around you. Youtube also has some pretty good resources (although there are quite a few “apocalypse jocks” out there who are completely off their rockers) in particular the pathfinder school (you may remember the host from the discovery show “dual survival.” yep they grabbed him from youtube)

And then: practice! Go camping and try your hand at one or two survival techniques each trip. Be safe, and always have a back up plan or two. Remember — the best resource you have in any situation is always between your ears, and have fun!