In Gary Paulsen’s novel Hatchet, Brian doesn’t exactly sign up for a wilderness vacation. One plane crash later, he finds himself face-to-face with mosquitoes, wild animals, hunger, and the fact that the remote Canadian forest doesn’t come with Wi-Fi. What gets him through? Ingenuity, grit, and a lot of trial and error.
The good news for us? We can enjoy Brian’s story from the safety of our classrooms (air conditioning, anyone?) while learning a little about survival and how to connect it to reading, writing, and problem-solving.
To help students dig deeper into Brian’s survival skills, I’ve created a flip organizer with nine areas for students to record key survival strategies. An answer key is included so you’ll know if your students are on the right track, or if they’re trying to convince you that “eating candy bars from my backpack” counts as wilderness survival.
10 Fascinating Survival in the Wilderness Facts with Classroom Twists!
Survival in the Wilderness Organizer
Before diving into the facts, let’s channel our inner Brian. This flipbook-style organizer helps students track nine key areas of survival from the novel. It’s easy to assemble, discussion-friendly, and comes with a full answer key because wandering through wilderness facts without a guide is how hypothermia starts.
Would you like a printable version of the facts listed below? You can get them here.
1. Water
- Humans need eight cups of water each day.
- A person can survive three to five days without water.
- Sixteen drops of bleach will treat one gallon of water.
💡 Classroom Connection: Have students write a “water diary” from Brian’s perspective. Each entry should describe his thirst level and how he might find or purify water. (Bonus points for adding sensory details.)
2. Food
- A person can survive about 30 days without food.
- Insects are high in protein—yes, bugs really are brain food!
💡 Writing Prompt: Imagine Brian invites you over for dinner in the woods. Write the menu. How would you describe those “delicious” roasted grasshoppers so your guests don’t run away?
3. Temperature
- Hypothermia can begin when the body drops just two degrees.
- Body heat escapes 25x faster in water than in air.
- Cricket chirps can help you tell the temperature (add 37 to the number of chirps in 15 seconds).
💡 Mini-Lesson Idea: Students write a simile comparing Brian’s shivering body to something else: “Brian shook like ________.” Collect their answers for a figurative language display.
4. Distress Signals
- Three is the universal number for distress (three shouts, three whistle blows, three fires).
💡 Quick Write: Create a distress poem. Each line must repeat the word “Help!” three times in different ways.
5. S.T.O.P.
Sit. Think. Observe. Plan. The first 10 minutes after realizing you’re lost are critical.
💡 Activity: Give students a short survival scenario (ex: “You’re hiking and realize the trail is gone!”). They must write a paragraph applying S.T.O.P. to the situation.
6. Ten Essential Items
Maps, compass, flashlight, food, water, matches… (and no, Brian didn’t exactly pack these ahead of time).
💡 Creative Writing: Have students create a “Top Ten List” of survival items they wish Brian had. Encourage humor—maybe Brian really needed bug spray or a solar-powered pizza oven.
7. Rescue Incidents
- An estimated 50,000 search and rescue missions happen annually in the U.S.
- Yosemite alone sees 4,661 lost hikers per year, which translates to 13 per day.
- The most common rescue targets: hikers (48%) and boaters (21%)
8. Rescue Expenses
- Average SAR operation costs ~$895
- Some rescues exceed $200,000, especially helicopter missions in remote parks
- Teach a math extension: Calculate the cost of rescuing a group of 5 hikers over 3 days
9. Most Common Types of Rescues
- Hiking: 48%
- Boating: 21%
- Day hikers are most vulnerable, especially those who start around 2–3 pm on weekends
10. Types of Accidents
- about 20% of SAR missions result in fatalities
- most common causes:
- hiking: 22.8%
- suicides: 12.1%
- swimming & Boating: 10.1% each
Challenge students to write a “How To” survival in the wilderness guide for future stranded travelers. Their guide must include:
- a strong introduction (hook the reader—why should they trust you?).
- at least three survival tips from the fact list.
- a closing paragraph that convinces the reader they’ll make it out alive.
Pair this with the Hatchet organizer and you’ll have both comprehension and creativity working side by side.
📚 Sources & Citations
The survival statistics and insights in this post were originally compiled from a mix of expert interviews, government reports, and educational resources. Over time, some links have gone dark, but the titles are preserved below for transparency and context. Active sources are linked; inactive ones are listed without URLs.
✅ Currently Active Sources:
- Survival Dispatch – Statistics of Getting Lost and Found
- National Geographic – Hiker Survival Tips
- 2022 NPS Wilderness Report
📁 Archived or Unlinked Sources:
- 31 Random Survival Number Facts
- Survival Facts
- How to Survive in the Woods
- Near-Fatal Accidents
- Grand Teton National Park Tallies Single-Year Record
- Economic Impact of Search-and-Rescue Operations
- Dead Men Walking: Search and Rescue in US National Parks
- Charley Shimanski – Mountain Rescue Essentials (used with permission)
See the product that inspired this post.
Check out the Hatchet Novel Study, including vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing prompts, and language arts skills. This unit also includes some activities that will bring the novel to life in the classroom.
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I would like this information on Hatchet. This is one of the novels that I teach my 6th graders.
Thank you,
Bridget
I love this graphic organizer for our interactive notebooks! Thank you for sharing!
So hiking is really the most dangerous activity! Although you can really prepare for many survival situations.. unlike in case of swimming… mmm surprising!
Author
Here’s the statistical link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19737043
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Frei Klavier
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