Wilderness medicine

Could you survive The Oregon Trail? An emergency medicine doctor offers tips on how to not die in the great outdoors

<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/756359/original/file-20260826-50-tp5r6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&rect=0%2C0%2C2121%2C1414&q=45&auto=format&w=1050&h=700&fit=crop" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You might not die of dysentery on the trail these days, but there is still plenty of danger outdoors.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/city-of-rocks-idaho-royalty-free-image/1218117306">Different_Brian/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you grew up in the United States in the 1980s or ’90s, chances are you remember <a href="https://www.visitoregon.com/the-oregon-trail-game-online/">The Oregon Trail</a>. For many like me, it was our first computer game and our first introduction to wilderness survival. We hunted buffalo, forded rivers, broke wagon wheels and, of course, <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/23567-dysentery">learned about