Here are some of Sarah's precious tricks & tips from over 20 years of hiking experience. These texts are precious and are of course Sarah Marquis' property
Discover 35 tips from Sarah
#1
We have several types of vision.
In a darkened environment it's impossible to see clearly when using frontal vision – the one we use during the day.
At night use a very simple technique: lateral vision
This consists of looking beside what it is you would like to see... in other words it means looking to the right to see in front of you.
NIGHT-TIME...
Night-time is your ally.
It's a friend that helps you go by unnoticed, hunt and avoid heat.
You can't see in the dark but nobody (human) can see you.

#2
Don't use any type of lamp because it cuts you off from your surroundings.
When limited to the small circle of light produced by a cap lamp, perception is often modified which can cause navigational errors.
Also, this causes a « mono-language » with the biotope... you forget to use your auditory system.

#3
Something to know
Hiking at night takes 1/3 more concentration and effort.
Don't make fire at night or you will be sighted.
Use flashlights the least possible... someone may see you and this is not the idea.
Your sense of hearing will be your eyes in the dark.
I would even advise you to close your eyes for maximal concentration.
People who can't see don't use images. They develop their senses of touch, smell and hearing to reconstruct a scene.

#4 Sense of hearing
Your ears are your eyes.

#5
It's hard to see what's going on when your out in the wilderness. Unfortunately this kind of surrounding has become very unusual to us.
Our auditory system can “draw a sketch” of anything, even movements in a dense forest.
Images are reconstructed in segments, like in film editing: one for the sound and one for the image. In the end the scene is faithfully reconstructed.

#6 Learning to listen
Our auditory perception is very limited in our urban world.
But when you are in a natural or protected environment you get to count on your sense of hearing as much as your eyesight.

#7 The warning bird
There will always be a bird to announce your presence in the wilderness... it's his job, like a town crier!
Before you know it you will be stuck with an intruder label.
But on the other hand you will hear the bird announce any other intruders. If you know how to open your ears nature will speak to you. This is valid both ways.

#8
Learning to forget all surrounding sounds to listen to what's going on kilometres away is possible. It's a question of practice, interest and most of all emergencies!!!
Or the opposite, forget the distant sounds to concentrate on a faint but close sound.
Have some fun dissecting a sound field. This exercise requires concentration and determination. It can change your approach to a natural or urban surrounding and can make it easier for you to cut yourself off from noise.

#9
Then comes the sounds of the body: the blood running through your veins, it's rhythm, an inappropriate change in your heart beat... All rhythm changes will be noticed by the apprentice-doctor you are obligated to become when confronted with survival in the wilderness.

#10 Hunting
Conscious courage!
If every person who eats meat meat was capable of looking onto the eyes of the animal and killing it, I'm sure their would be a lot more vegetarians and that the overproduction  and soil impoverishment problems wouldn't exist.

#11
Respect for our surroundings. Water, nature... they are the necessary lung to human survival.
Did you know that we can live, do sports and maintain great health while eating only plant life?
I'm a living, breathing example that it works... don't look any further... eat wholesomely.
No more terrible “good” products (polluted, sweetened, etc.).
The body is the mind's temple. (unknown author)

#12
Something to know
You are and will be your best personal adviser. Your instincts will guide you very well... Use all of your senses, not just your eyesight!!!
Check origin, quality and colour of food.
Does it smell OK to you?
Tomatoes that don't smell like tomatoes are not good tomatoes...
Apples that don't smell like apples but that look like apples are not apples... they're chemicals!!!

#13 Colour codes
Nature's colour codes are quite easy to understand. Red is not a good sign... don't touch!!! (90% of the time: when in doubt refrain)
Example: fly agaric! Toxic!

#14 Smells
The bad smell of a plant, mushroom, etc. generally announces that it isn't edible!!!

#15
Smell and scrunch the plant you would like to use. Apply a little bit to the inside of your wrist where the skin is very thin... wait for a possible reaction. If the skin reddens or you get a prickly sensation, do not eat it!!!
Observe animal droppings. They contain precious information.
Affix a date to tracks and droppings by checking their freshness. Use your sense of touch and sense of smell... (this is the only way to implicate all your senses).
Be aware of any disharmony in your surroundings. This is how you will discover where game comes through. Don't look for tracks. Look for a sign, for disturbance in the natural order of things!!!
Touch the bark... Feel!!
You must be able to list and identify all the smells in your surrounding environment.

#16
Living up to your survival process
1. Always have a big bladed knife handy... not in your bag!!!
2. Be conscious of the risks
3. Weigh the risks
4. Take risks proportionately
Step beyond your personal comfort zone... take the first step.
You are the only one that can make one decision instead of another... it's about timing, letting go, faith...

#17
Your worst enemy will always be... yourself.

#18
If you are able to strip down and discover who you are inside, you will be ready to understand the biotope you are in.

#19
Water hunting (drinkable)
We are made up of more than 60% water and so water is essential to our bodies.
- Water hunting with your sense of smell
- Water hunting with your sense of hearing
- Water hunting with your eyesight (reading the land)

#20
Find it and choose it.
Prioritize running water.
Take a sniff to see if it smells good.
Avoid stagnant water.
Avoid green algae or foam floating on the surface.
Check what's growing around the water (healthy land or pollution) and under the water (clay, peat bog, rocks covered in green algae).
Always check what's higher up the river... check as far as you possibly can.
If there isn't very much water use a steel straw (lie down on the ground and use the straw to drink out of a puddle).
If there is a lot of foam floating on the surface, carefully stick the straw underneath and suck. This will avoid dirtying the water by moving the foam around which will propagate the bacteria on the surface.
Filter water using a clean sock, a piece of material or a hat... this will capture 1/3 of the possible pollution.

#21 Without water
To begin there is a considerable amount of insects, lizards, etc. that live without ever actually drinking water.
They absorb the water they need through their food. This option must not be forgotten.
Aboriginal trick:
Put a small flat pebble or a green 2cm long piece of branch (peeled) under your tongue for the day. This will allow humidity to circulate inside your mouth. You will be able to swallow if you make the effort.

#22
If you can't find any water you're going to have to think about walking during the night (you don't sweat as much).

#23
If you can feel the taste of water in your mouth than you are in extreme need of water...
Pinch some skin on the top of your forearm and watch how fast it goes back to it's initial position. If your skin stays folded then you are in an emergency situation.

#24
You are your best doctor...
Know how to observe yourself, how to auto-analyze.
Believe in yourself, anticipate, broaden your out-look.
When nothing is working choose another angle of approach.
If you are too stubborn you may miss an elephant!!!
Never forget than you are the only one that can choose your tomorrow.
Everything is possible but you have to believe 100%.

#25 – The tent
Why not to pitch your tent near water
You'd think you should pitch your tent near the water if there is any, but unfortunately you are not the only one that appreciates the presence of water. Other animals like pumas, bears, crocodiles and snakes have the same idea as you. The reason is that water allows a rich and diverse biotope where for example frogs live. They are snakes' favourite food!!!
Therefore you can eat near the water, wash yourself and gather water for the next day before setting up camp at least a kilometre away. This way you will avoid many bad encounters, an excessive amount of condensation on your tent and unwanted winged creatures. But most of all you will avoid any problems with the water level which can change at any given time... even when you're sleeping!

#26
Why position your tent facing East?
The sun rises in the East and if you are like me you will enjoy zipping open your tent door and watching the sunrise while staying in the warmth of your sleeping bag. But more importantly your tent has to be dry before you fold it up. So having your tent well exposed to the sun will maximize the drying.

#27
Why you should never pitch your tent when it's dark out or at night fall
Because you aren't in control of your surroundings at night.
Example:
One day when I was in Australia I walked 35km to get to a specific spot near some water. When I reached it I was so tired that all I could think about was the comfort of my sleeping bag. It was already getting dark so I  pitched my tent as fast as I could and fell right to sleep. About 2 hours later I was startled awake by a long sausage slithering up my spine under my sleeping bag... luckily there was the tent between me and it. I had pitched my tent on a snake hole.
It was hunting hour and the snake had been determined to get out how ever it could. I opened my tent to watch it slither away... it was a tiger snake... big, black, slimy scales and dangerous.

#28
Why make a ditches around your tent?
If the weather is unstable you have to anticipate. It's much easier to dig the ditches while it's still light out than to get up and do it in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. Being wet is the worst for a hiker because you never know when you will dry off completely.
The ditches around your tent are for evacuating water. They will keep the water from running under the tent and flooding you.
How to do it?
Dig a five cm ditch around your tent guiding the water away from your living area. Make sure the water can't get under your tent. Tent floors are not waterproof... even if it said so on the box! Always have a tarp for under the tent. It can also be used to protect your bag from the rain during the day.

#29
Why you should avoid stepping out of your tent barefoot at night to pee.
In 2000 I crossed the USA from Canada to Mexico: 4 260km on foot.
One evening when it was getting dark I set up my tent the best I could in a plain where there was very little protection from the wind. The black sky announced rain. By the time my tent was set up it was dark out. All I had left to do was empty my bladder. I took a few steps away from my tent without a flashlight and squatted. Just as I began to pee I saw something black run through my legs. This didn't stop me from finishing but I was full of curiosity when I got back to my tent. After giving it some thought the mysterious thing seemed to be pretty big... but I was unable to imagine what it could have been. So I went back to where it had happened with my cap lamp on.
I was very surprised to see dozens and dozens of glowing eyes all around my tent and into the distance.
I went a little closer and discovered dozens of trapdoor spiders... everywhere...

#30 Moving around in the wilderness
There aren't many animals that are as tall as humans, so to understand and see what's going on you are going to have to crouch down and take a look...
Lift your eyes, look where you walk... branches on the ground indicate activity happening up in the trees.
Be as quiet as possible. Listen to the rhythm of the life around you. Be on the look out for any disharmony... a way of finding animal tracks.
Often you don't know what you're going to see.

#31 Life savers
- Shake out your shoes before putting them on.
- Memorize your topographic map.
- Always check your water bottle lids twice and if possible keep the bottles in a plastic bag so if there is a leek you won't waste any water.
- Always wear a hat.
- Go by unnoticed if possible
- Get used to hiking at night and use your cap lamp the least possible.
- Don't swim in water where you can't see the bottom
You always get a warning from nature... but you have to know how to listen.

#32 The mind
The hardest thing about hiking and survival is to keep your mind in the present moment. If you are able to bring your level of consciousness into the now, the right movements and actions will follow.

#33 How to make fire without wood
Well, when there is nothing but sand and a few little twigs you have to dig and find some old salt bush roots. Then you must open your mind and do some recycling. This is how for the first time I ended up using animal dropping to warm up and to cook. When I was in Australia I always had a couple of dried, flat cow patties in the bottom of my bag. It burns really well but makes a lot of pungent smoke that makes your eyes prickle...
This technique is commonly used in Nepal, South America, Africa, Mongolia, etc.

#34
In the wilderness we hear before we see.

#35
Going out into the wilderness is a way of touching base with the solid foundations that make us the « sublime mammals » that we are.

#36
by: Big Bill Neidjie
I feel with my body,
with my blood.
I feel the land through it's trees.
You feel the wind when it blows.
Same for the land, you feel it.
You can see it.
This sensation allows existence.
When you sleep you dream.
Grass, trees, same thing.
They grow with your body, with your feelings.
Water is your blood.
Water!
You can't live without water...

Let your soul touch the earth... go walking.
- Sarah Marquis-

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