Tree-Pit Snow Shelter

If you are in a cold, snow-covered area where evergreen trees grow and you have a digging tool, you can make a tree-pit shelter (Figure 5-12).

To make this shelter —

• Find a tree with bushy branches that provides overhead cover.

• Dig out the snow around the tree trunk until you reach the depth and diameter you desire, or until you reach the ground.

• Pack the snow around the top and the inside of the hole to provide support.

• Find and cut other evergreen boughs. Place them over the top of the pit to give you additional overhead cover. Place evergreen boughs in the bottom of the pit for insulation.

See Chapter 15 for other arctic or cold weather shelters.

Beach Shade Shelter

This shelter protects you from the sun, wind, rain, and heat. It is easy to make using natural materials.

To make this shelter (Figure 5-13) —

• Find and collect driftwood or other natural material to use as support beams and as a digging tool.

• Select a site that is above the high water mark.

• Scrape or dig out a trench running north to south so that it receives the least amount of sunlight. Make the trench long and wide enough for you to lie down comfortably.

• Mound soil on three sides of the trench. The higher the mound, the more space inside the shelter.

• Lay support beams (driftwood or other natural material) that span the trench on top of the mound to form the framework for a roof.

• Enlarge the shelter's entrance by digging out more sand in front of it.

• Use natural materials such as grass or leaves to form a bed inside the shelter.

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