Wednesday's Genius or Gimmick · Recalibrate Outdoors

Wednesday's Genius or Gimmick

If we're being honest, we all had that 1 "survival skill' we heard in a movie, that we believed was true until we became more experienced: which one was yours?

1. Follow a river downstream if you're lost

The theory: water leads to towns. The reality: it often leads to gorges, cliffs, and worse terrain than where you started. SAR pros usually say stay put instead.

2. Cotton kills

Wet cotton loses insulation and stays wet, so hypothermia risk goes up. True in cold, wet conditions — a little less relevant on a dry summer day hike.

3. Suck the venom out of a snakebite

Straight out of old Westerns. Doctors have been saying for decades this does nothing and can make things worse. Get help. Don't do this.