According to Frey, the weather in late August and early September was such that, as long as one was properly clothed, one could remain in the desert for an extended period of time. The next factor to consider is water. If Sanderson didn’t bring enough water with him, he had to find some.
“My primary instructor would always say that your main goals are going to be getting enough drinking water and getting enough sleep at night so that you make good decisions and stay viable,” Frey said. “The area around, I’m not sure how good the water would be to drink without it being boiled.”
When trying to stay hidden in the woods, someone who has found an area that is not well traveled may be able to do so if the weather holds and there is enough water. The more experienced they are in desert survival, the longer they can remain undetected.
“I volunteered for a while with the RCMP in search and rescue,” Frey said. “You have to go through every bush, every bush, every bog and it’s a big challenge and it takes your energy very quickly. You’re always looking for something out of the ordinary.”
Between the James Smith Cree Nation and Regina, where Sanderson was reportedly spotted hours after the first reports of the stabbings arrived, the terrain changes to a wider prairie. But as flat as the prairie often looks, there are still places to hide if you know where to look.
“Years ago there was a young man who tried to go from Regina who got lost and ended up dying and wasn’t found for many months,” Frey said. “It was on the flat plains of Regina. There are enough slopes, hollows and small rocks of wood that a person, if they did not attract attention to themselves, could easily hide there.
Frey added that in this scenario, someone could see people coming a long distance away and could use that to their advantage to hide, but if there was a plane or helicopter in the air, that would change things. He also said that if you don’t have experience living in the forest at night, the sounds the bushes and animals make there can make your imagination run wild and keep you awake.
“A lot of this stuff, survival and concealment, comes down to your mental fitness and your ability to cope,” Frey said.
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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP
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