Part of the reason why I like hiking is because it puts me in a place where I'm at least slightly physically, mentally, and emotionally stressed.  I'm in the middle of the wilderness, putting my body through a pretty intense and extended workout, and I'm forced to think about the basic necessities like food, water, and shelter.  The type of hiking I do isn't as hardcore as that last statement makes it sound, but the general idea is there. 

After watching shows like Survivorman and Man vs. Wild (pretty much the same show), I realized my interest in hiking is because I have an interest in survival.  Not survival as in "How am I gonna get through this busy day with a stressful job and all these bills?" but more like "How can I get through this life-or-death situation using the resources that are available to me in nature?"  The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced these skills are borderline essential.  When watching any of these shows, I think about how long I'd make it before I'd be screwed.  It's usually in the first few minutes of the show, as the guy realizes he's in the middle of the wilderness, so he starts preparing a shelter and making a fire.  I understand how to make a fire by rubbing sticks together, but it's quite difficult when you actually try it.  This is an essential survival skill.  Without it, you're pretty much doomed. 

The reason survival skills are useful during hiking trips is obvious:  It's incredibly easy to get lost or attacked by a stupid wild animal.  But aside from hiking, I think survival skills are important for a bunch of other people too.  Natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis happen sometimes.  It's sad to see people lose their lives not because they get swept away into the sea, but because they don't know how to take care of themselves in a stressful and disastrous situation.  City-dwelling people will inevitably be the first to die simply because of their geographic location, but also because of their reliance on convenience.  Let's say Greenland melted and the earth's oceans rose by 20 feet.  The first to be immediately affected would be some of the biggest cities in America:  Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.  And as mass chaos ensued, the true survivors would emerge.  As everyone is running to the convenience store, buying batteries and milk and threatening to sue the city for negligence, the true survivors would be figuring out how to actually get out of the immediate situation, where to find food and shelter, and how to live through the stressful and life-threatening situation.  With the way our nation is, this kind of natural disaster probably wouldn't be very disastrous, what with the warning systems, the emergency rescue people, and the benefit concerts put on by rock stars.  But it couldn't hurt to know how to start a fire and purify your own drinking water. #nature