Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzalez is a book that I think everyone who ventures into the backcountry should read. It focuses on the psychology of people who have survived deadly experiences in an effort to identify what helps people survive and what contributes to people dying. Much of what he discusses essentially says that the right mindset can help you survive otherwise deadly experiences.
Gonzalez uses a lot of examples from pilots, but he also uses a lot of examples from backcountry users. I’ve read this book several times because I think it can help you focus on the right mindset if you ever find yourself in a life or death situation in the backcountry.
I highly recommend this book as a way to get you to think about how to survive a deadly experience before you’re faced with the problem.
