If a catastrophe strikes and electricity and running water are eliminated, I’m a goner. I’ll admit it. I rely too heavily on today’s technology and convenience.

I’ve always known I’m helpless in the wild. I think it became apparent during a three-day, two-night camping trip around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Going to the ocean, visiting the rain forest, sight seeing, that was fine. But when night hit and we had to set up camp in the middle of nowhere...ugh. Building a fire, boiling water, no showers, out in the open with no ceiling, floor or walls, it was just too much for a 12-year-old girl.

Not much has changed since then. Last year during the Fourth of July weekend, I camped with a friend and her family in the Beartooth Mountains, the first time since that family trip. Again, three days and two nights. Sure, I slept in a camper and ate prepared food. But it still had the same concept: too much nature. I’m a big fan of the Discovery Channel’s survival shows. You know, the ones that show how to survive in extreme situations. There’s “Dual Survival,” “Man vs. Wild” and my favorite, “Man Woman Wild.” These people know how to make it out there in the wilderness. They make fire out of sticks and stones, build shelters out of twigs and branches, drink their own urine and fish using spears or their bare hands.

And so it occurred to me. Like so many Americans, there is no way I’ll ever be able to survive if my electricity, heat and water disappear. I like my fridge, stove, TV, bathtub and bed, thank you very much.

The last time I took a survival class was in middle school. We were taught how to use compasses, how to build different types of shelters and fires. Oddly enough, none of it has stuck. I wonder if there is a survival class offered here in Richland County? I haven’t heard of one, but if there is, that would be fun to take...as long as there’s no camping involved.

Louisa Barber is a reporter for the Sidney Herald. She can be reached at 406-433-2403 | reporter@sidneyherald.com