I think that the "STOP/Cuppa" strategy is similar to meditation! Really, stopping to brew a cup of hot tea when your realize you're lost is calculated to calm you down and prevent you from running thru the woods in a blind panic.

I'm curious what helped those who survive truly harrowing ordeals. Do you folks remember the woman who was stranded in the family van for over two months? IIRC she had a bag of trail mix and access to a stream. We all know that most rescues are affected within the first 72 hours...what would go thru our minds at hour 100? 200? Two weeks? Two months? A religious person might be preparing to meet their maker at that point, and an atheist reflecting on their life and preparing themselves to die in their own personal way. Both might leave some note or record to be found after their death. Would religion or lack thereof affect the chances of survival? I honestly don't know. Knowing myself I'd have succumbed to the distinctly male need to "do something" well before the beginning of the 2nd month!

How much steam does this thread have left? I sense we're already veering off into an area that makes people uncomfortable. I myself have received one PM from someone I've offended. I apologized via PM and repeat that apology here. Some people find the subject inherently offensive, and I guess that's why religion and politics are generally banished from the dinner table around Thanksgiving!

I'll bow out of this thread now, and just want to say that I have the utmost respect for all of you folks. You're all brothers and sisters in survival, and what we have in common is more important to me that the bits we disagree with.