hikermor, I am sorry we are having this apparent failure of communication, but as a geezer I have learned to just move on when it does not work.

Geezers should know what they need to survive, do their best to redundantly secure those resources, and trust themselves to judge how much of those resources to share with others, if any. Harsh decisions and apparent cruelty, as well as dealing with survivor guilt, may become the norm in extreme survival challenges. Geezers have usually had to learn some mental toughness and dealt with the negative judgments of others.

Probably geezers have already begun limiting their exposure to risk, but in a survival emergency this should become a reflex and habit. Do what must be done in as low key a manner as possible, no more. Limit movement, visibility, noise, and all the other "look-at-me" signatures.

Develop what-to-do plans for when things fail, as many layers deep as you can afford and figure out. Do what-ifs on ETS that assume the unfair and the unfortunate have happened.