by Les Stroud
Keep your hands and feet out of dark places such as rock crevices, heavy brush, or hollow logs. If you need to get into such places for supplies or shelter, first use a long stick to probe the area and scare out any problem critters. Indeed, any time you slam your foot down beside a crevice, crack, or hole, you’re risking a bite, because these are the places where snakes like to curl up. Bringing your foot down right beside one might be enough to get you bitten.
Close up your pants, sleeves, and necklines tightly.
Get up o? the ground when you sleep. If you have bug netting, wrap yourself in it (rather than just placing it on top of you).
Don’t leave your clothes or shoes lying around on the ground while you sleep, and always shake them out and check them before you put them back on. Most scorpion stings occur on the foot after a scorpion has spent the night in a traveler’s shoe or boot.
Wear protective clothing if possible. Most snakebites occur at the ankles, so leather boots that cover this area can help. Bug jackets and pants, as well as general mosquito netting, help fend o? most flying, biting insects.
Pay attention! Creepy crawlies are not that easy to spot, so stay alert as you move through their world. Look up. You don’t want to walk headlong into a hornets’ nest, or grab a branch that’s covered in stinging ants. Look down if you’re walking through heavy brush or tall grass.
Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. In the Amazon jungle, a Waorani man toyed with a spider by poking it with a stick. He just kept poking and poking, and eventually the spider decided it had had enough, jumped 5 feet (1.5 m) at the guy’s face, and sank his fangs right into his nose. He later told me it was one of the most painful things he’d ever experienced.
Poisonous Plants
AS THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH a bout of poison ivy can attest, coming into contact with a poisonous plant—let alone ingesting it—can be an extremely unpleasant experience. Poisoning from plants can result in anything from minor irritation to death.
An important part of your trip planning and preparation is to learn which plants you’ll encounter when you’re in the wild, especially since many edible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Also, don’t believe the following misconceptions about poisonous plants:
Misconception: “Eat what the animals eat.”
Fact: Not true. Animals sometimes eat plants that are poisonous to the rest of us.
Misconception: “If I boil the plant, the toxins will be removed.”
Fact: In some cases, boiling doesn’t remove all toxins.
Misconception: “Red…you’re dead.”
Fact: Some red plants are poisonous, but not all.
Misconception: “White…just right.”
Fact: Many white plants and berries are poisonous.
If you don’t know what a plant is, don’t touch it or eat it. Eating the wrong plant can kill you. Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, depressed heartbeat and respiration, headaches, and hallucinations are all symptoms of poisoning.
If you suspect you’ve eaten a poisonous plant, immediately induce vomiting. This will bring up some of the toxic matter, but not all. After vomiting, if you have an ample supply of water, drink as much as possible to dilute the poison.
When you have no knowledge of a plant, suspect it’s edible, and have no other choice but starvation, then you need to do an edibility test before you ingest any quantity of it. (For more on edibility tests, refer to “Food,” Chapter 8.) However, never eat mushrooms! Identifying mushrooms is a very exact science, and if you eat the wrong one, it can kill you quickly. Mushrooms offer little nutrition in return for the chance you are taking.
My friend in survival Dave Arama has this to add: “In a survival situation, and on an empty stomach, even a mildly toxic plant can kill you. With a full stomach as in our everyday lives, ingesting a mildly toxic plant will probably result in a stomach ache or in the worst-case scenario a quick visit to the hospital.”
If you suspect that your skin has come into contact with a poisonous plant, your first course of action should be to try to remove the oil by washing the area with soap and cold water. If there is no water nearby, use dirt or sand to wipe your skin (but not if blisters have already appeared there).
The toxin and the infection can be spread by touching the infected area and then touching another part of your body, so resist the urge to scratch! Bandage the infected area to prevent any other part of your body from coming in contact with the infection.
Aside from the dangers of touching and eating unknown plants, there is another little-known way that plants can be harmful: if you burn them. People have experienced life-threatening health issues from burning piles of poison ivy and inadvertently breathing the smoke.
Plants can prove hazardous through more than just their poisons, too. Many are covered in spikes, spines, barbs, or thorns that can cause excruciating pain that, if left unattended, can result in festering wounds. One unfortunate hiker who was walking carelessly through the desert tripped and held out his hand to break his fall. He landed on a saguaro cactus, and a 4-inch (10-cm) spine went right through his palm and out the other side.
Some plants can be hazardous because of the insects they host. Certain plants and insects help each other out. For example, there is a bush in the Amazon jungle that is home to a very protective type of ant. Get too close to the bush and the ants will actually jump out and attack you. Grab the bush and all bets are off. For this reason, wear gloves when possible and tuck your pants into your socks whenever you travel in creepy-crawly country, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.
Don’t overlook the importance of footwear as protective clothing. One time in Arizona, I stopped in the middle of a hike because of excruciating pain on the top of one foot. It turned out to be a teddy-bear cactus making its way through my leather boots. The only scorpion sting I ever got was while wearing sandals in the desert. The scorpion also stung me on my index finger as I pulled it off my foot (and the numbness lingered for nearly two years).
Lack of Sleep
IT MAY SEEM BENIGN IN THE CONTEXT OF HUGE WEATHER EVENTS, predators, and deadly plants, but lack of sleep may well pose a more significant threat than any of these other hazards. Though it takes significant sleep deprivation to kill a human, the risk from it lies in how it affects your ability to function in the wild. Lack of sleep has been shown to adversely affect brain function, growth, healing, and general ability.
We tend to sleep poorly in survival situations, but it is important to try to get as much sleep as possible. Sleep keeps you fresh, alert, and well-functioning, and it cuts down on your energy requirements when you are awake.
As survival instructor Dave Arama likes to say, “If you don’t have to walk, sit down, and if you don’t have to sit down, lie down.” To that I add that if you don’t have to be awake (particularly to signal for rescue), sleep. My most restful naps happen at around 2 p.m., during the warmth of the day. It’s the wrong time to sleep if you want to be rescued, but when sleeping at night is often so difficult, I’ll take what I can get to keep my sanity.
Starvation
HUMAN BEINGS CERTAINLY NEED FOOD TO SURVIVE, but most of us overestimate the significance of food in a survival situation. This, I’ve found, is one of the greatest risks you’ll encounter regarding food in the wild: thinking you need three meals a day to function properly.
The truth is, you can survive for a very long time without food, sometimes as long as a month. You won’t be functioning very well after the first couple of weeks, but you won’t necessarily die, either.
While making my survival films, the primary issue I face due to not eating is lack of energy. I work for 20 minutes, then have to sit down and rest for the same amount of time. Then I work again for another 20 minutes until I am exhausted and need to rest again. This continues until I somehow get something to eat. See “Food,” Chapter 8, for more information.
Dehydration
THE DECISION AS TO WHE
THER TO DRINK UNPURIFIED WATER comes down to a question of risk. Can drinking unpurified water kill you? Definitely. But with a few exceptions, it can take a week or more before the effects of drinking bad water are felt. Dehydration, on the other hand, will kill you more quickly; after only three to four days your ability to function well is reduced.
Clearly, your first choice should be for clean or filtered water. But if you have no other choice, drink the unpurified water and hope that you can reach safety in time to deal with the water-borne illnesses you may have contracted as a result.
Use some common sense when you see a tainted water source. Can you get to other water? Is it contaminated with something you think could be deadly, or is it just dirty? Remember, sparkling clean water can hide some pretty nasty diseases too. See “Water,” Chapter 5, for more information.
Cold Weather
WHILE FILMING A SPECIAL FOR THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL on surviving in Alaska, I had the distinct pleasure of jumping through an ice hole cut in an Alaskan lake and spending 13 minutes immersed in frigid water with one of the world’s renowned experts in the study of cold on the human body. I asked my friend Gordon Giesbrecht, PhD, professor of thermophysiology, to pen the following sections on hypothermia and frostbite.
Hypothermia
When people play in the wilderness, one danger they commonly recognize is hypothermia, the lowering of the body’s core temperature from its normal level of 98.6°F (37°C) to 95°F (35°C) or lower.
The onset of hypothermia is slow and usually undetected by the victim. Even in ice water it may take 30 minutes or more to become hypothermic. In cold air, it takes hours or even days.
If you are stranded in a cold air environment, the cold/wet/wind triad can be deadly. Many folks set off on a pleasant day with minimal extra clothing and supplies, only to be overtaken by wind and rain. These conditions can be deadly if you don’t have a day pack with some extra clothing. Traveling partners need to watch each other for signs of hypothermia, which can be described as the “umbles”: grumbles, fumbles, stumbles, and tumbles. Change in personality, loss of fine and gross motor movement, and shivering are potential signs that you are too cold. Get into a shelter, rest, and ingest high-calorie drinks and foods until you feel better.
Frostbite
Frostbite is the freezing of tissue. Mild frostbite involves freezing superficial layers—skin—while severe frostbite involves freezing flesh below the skin. Obviously, the deeper the freezing, the more damage is done.
Water within tissues freezes and forms ice crystals, and these sharp fragments damage the tissue (one reason why you should never rub the site of frostbite). The major problem resulting from frostbite is the destruction of capillaries. These small vessels are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and nutrients between the blood and tissue. Once tissue is thawed, the frostbitten area can become flushed as blood flow returns to it. But because the capillaries have been destroyed, the blood cannot provide life-giving oxygen.
Our advice to outdoors enthusiasts is this: Never accept numbness. As nerves get progressively colder, sensations progress from cold, to pain, to numbness, to nothing. Numbness is a warning that tissue is nearing the freezing point. At that point, you must get the numb body part out of the cold or add insulation. Simply putting your hands in your armpits can all but guarantee that they won’t freeze. If your fingers freeze even when they are in your armpits, your biggest problem isn’t frostbite.
“Professor Popsicle” Gordon Giesbrecht and I spent nearly 13 long minutes submerged in the frigid waters of a remote Alaskan lake to test my body’s reaction to hypothermia.
Region-Specific Hazards
Arid Regions, Deserts, and Canyons
By far the worst danger in the world’s warmer and drier regions is the sun, but it’s not the only hazard. You will also find yourself exposed to poisonous creepy crawlies, thorn-covered plants and cacti, contaminated water, and eye irritation from the constant dust and blowing sand.
Extreme heat can affect you in several serious ways. Heat cramps and heat exhaustion are caused by a shortage of water and salt in the body. Symptoms include headache, profuse sweating, weakness, dizziness, irritability, cramps, and sometimes even mental confusion. If you experience any of these symptoms, get into the shade to cool off. Sprinkling water on your body may also help.
Heat stroke is more severe than heat exhaustion and begins to impede the body’s natural ability to cool itself. If not treated quickly, it can lead to death. Symptoms include hot, dry skin and a visible lack of sweat, as well as headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, and vomiting. If you suspect heat stroke, get into the shade and pour water on your body if possible (even if the water is contaminated). Consume water every few minutes, but only in small quantities; large amounts will bring on vomiting.
My most dangerous survival moment occured in the Kalahari Desert. Two days of drinking hot water and having the sun and wind suck the moisture out of me brought me frighteningly close to heat stroke. It was 117°F (47°C) in the shade and 142°F (61°C) in the sun. By midnight I actually had the sensation that I was getting hotter, though the sun had long since disappeared. Only careful attention to staying immobile and constantly wiping my neck and head with a damp bandana kept me alive. Heat stroke can hit you fast and can kill.
Dehydration is another risk in these regions, particularly when there’s wind. The combination of heat and wind will suck the moisture right out of your body. Seek protection from the wind as well as the sun.
The most significant weather event you’ll encounter in the desert is a sandstorm. If you have the misfortune of being caught in one, try to get downwind of a shelter. Cover your mouth and nose, and wait. Sand in some deserts can be alkaline and irritating if it finds its way into your many orifices. Breathing in the salty air that blows up from the salt “pans” in a place like the Kalahari Desert can cause serious sinus and lung irritation.
Finally, remember that mirages can and do occur in these regions and they present a hazard (they’ve also been known to occur in the Arctic). The greatest risk is that a mirage will create optical illusions of what seems to be water in the distance. These illusions can entice you to travel in a direction you otherwise wouldn’t or shouldn’t go. Be skeptical of the big lake you see in the distance.
Boreal and Other Temperate Forests
Forest fires have become more frequent in the last few decades. The upside of finding yourself close to one is that fires attract firefighters, increasing your chance of rescue. The downside is that you may die. Move in the opposite direction from the fire by determining the prevailing wind. If possible, make your way to a lake. Remember that fire travels faster uphill than downhill.
Underestimating the difficulty of travel in a forest can be a real threat as well. It might seem like your destination is only a mile away, but a mile through some types of thick forest can be hours of pure hell.
The Arctic and Polar Regions
At the top of the list for polar dangers is the weather. Blizzards have taken the lives of many very experienced Arctic travelers. Do not, under any circumstances, travel in a blizzard. If a blizzard strikes (or is imminent), return to your shelter immediately. If you don’t yet have a shelter, build one right away. If you don’t have time to do this, at least get out of the wind.
Frostbite is another ever-present danger in the world’s cold places. Proper clothing is your first line of defense in preventing frostbite, but protecting yourself from the elements—especially the wind—is equally important. See “Survival First Aid,” Chapter 13.
Snowblindness, which is essentially a sunburn on your retina, is also a real hazard in these parts. On sunny days, the sun’s rays reflect off snow and ice and come at you from all directions. Snowblindness causes excruciating pain and can leave you without proper vision for as long as three days. Protect your eyes in any way you can.
On the Sea or Open Water
As with snowblindness in the Arctic, sunblindness is a sunb
urn of the retina caused by the reflection of the sun’s rays on the water.
Seasickness is a malady that affects some people and doesn’t touch others at all. If you’re prone to it, bring seasickness medication in your first-aid kit. When you’re on the open water in a sizable vessel, staying above deck may help. Some say that looking across the horizon instead of at the waves can help. Focusing on small, dexterity-associated tasks, on the other hand, may promote seasickness.
If you do get seasick, allowing yourself to vomit may provide almost immediate relief.
Jungles
Freshwater rivers and lakes in the jungle can host a number of dangerous creatures such as alligators and crocodiles, not all of which are visible from the shore or your boat. Many of these animals have been known to attack boats and other vessels, so plan your trip carefully by avoiding proximity to them whenever possible.
You’ll find many smaller, though no less hazardous, critters along the way. The black piranha is the most dangerous freshwater fish in the world. Limited to northern South America, they are small but have very big teeth, and they travel in large schools capable of devouring a person in minutes. They are most dangerous in shallow waters during the dry season.
Electric eels—which can be 6 1/2 feet (2 m) long—are usually found in South America and are capable of generating up to 500 volts of electricity. Large freshwater turtles may seem like an easy meal, but the snapping turtles of North and South America have been known to bite the fingers and toes off unsuspecting people. Even the platypus, which is found only in Australia, has a poisonous spur on each hind foot that can inflict intensely painful wounds.
Far less dramatic but no less a hazard are falling coconuts, silly as that may sound. More people are killed in the tropics every year from falling coconuts than from shark attacks. Victims are usually at the base of a palm tree when it happens. Be careful where you decide to sleep; most of these deaths occur at night.
