If there isn"t any adverse effect then one should chew a very small amount of the plant for five minutes and see if there is any adverse effect. If, after this, one still feels fine then swallow the plant and wait eight hours. If one is still feeling okay then eat a small handful and wait another eight hours. If nothing happens then it is okay for one to eat the plant sparingly. .

             Some other tips for finding edible food include avoiding all plants with white sap, tiny hairs, umbrella shaped flowers and white or green berries. In addition, one should stay away from mushrooms and fungi, plants with bulb roots and fruits from plants with shiny leaves. Aggregate berries such as raspberries are always edible, as are single fruits on a stem. With this information one can find food and pass step one of surviving. However, it is very important that if a water source is not available one should not eat because water is required for digestion (Equipped).

             Step two to surviving is finding shelter. Maurice and Maralyn did not have an adequate shelter, but they had a raft and were lucky enough to have clothes and be in a warm area (Bailey 48). Exposure to heat or cold can result in death in only three hours. Consequently, finding a shelter or constructing one out of the resources around you is vital. One example of this is the married couple and their young child found themselves stranded in a snow bank. Before going out to seek help the man built his wife and child a cave in the snow. Without this cave, the man"s family would have almost certainly died (Survival). Regardless of the scenario, a shelter is needed and should be constructed in a safe environment. One should avoid camping in meadows because of the mosquitoes and one should be cautious of animal shelters. A simple shelter, called the Tube Tent, can be built out of some rope and a sheet of plastic. However, Tube Tents do not provide very sufficient shelter (Hart 44).