One of the few upsides of surviving on the bare minimum is the absence of "modern" distractions, giving Les time for reflection on life in the wild. He's pretty diligent about recording the hardship and wonder he finds "out there" and during his brief returns to civilization, Les posts dispatches on his blog.
Here are some excerpts from Survivorman's latest round of wilderness challenges in the Kalahari Desert.
And don't miss this episode on the Discovery Channel! Check the Schedule
Kalahari Desert
Day 2 -- Nighttime
Wow!
That’s really all I can say! 65°C (149°F) in the sun on the sand and 42° C (107.6°F) in the shade! I sat in the shade and the temperature I took on the sand was only two feet away from where I hid.
That! Was intense. Most of the day I sat in the small amount of shade of a camel thorn tree and tried not to overheat. Heat cramps, exhaustion or stroke would end this survival ordeal pretty quickly. It honestly felt like being in a slow cooker -- it was unbelievable. There is no running around in the desert or jumping from dune to dune or rock to rock at these temperatures -- that would be suicide. Even the Bushmen of the Kalahari sit still during the day -- and there’s a reason for that.
I tried to do the odd thing to keep my mind occupied. I made a fire bundle for transporting fire if I can get it. I made a pronged spearhead for hunting birds and snakes. I made some slit goggles like they do to prevent snow blindness – the glare of the sun off the sand is dangerous.
In between each activity I could only lie still and hope that I was not flirting with heat exhaustion or dehydration. The clouds finally moved in late in the day and I could see thunderstorms in the distance. But they would not be for me. I was desperate to feel the clouds open up and empty their rain upon me – but no such luck...
For the full story, go to Les Stroud's Official Blog.
Les reports on his experiences in Ecuador's Amazon jungle.
Amazonia
Day 3 -- A New Home
There is an abandoned old waorani hut down river that my guides had pointed out as we passed its location. My challenge is to survive out here and eventually make my way down river back to the tiny village...
The hut is still here and still standing though it is crawling with army ants. It has a lot of leaks but it’s big – about twenty by twenty with no end walls and a thatched palm leaf roof. There was even some left over firewood, damp but not wet...
The hut is full of roosting bats who seem to enjoy peeing on me, but this fire should help to keep them away. It should also help to ward off snakes and jaguars. So, here comes the night. I’m closer to the village now but this makes me more nervous. There are typically more jaguar close to a village because they come in for the dogs and chickens…and visiting tv producers...
In truth, I am in a very vulnerable area. It is surrounded with salt licks which is where the Tapir love to hang out; the principal food of the jaguar...
Tonight, I sleep on leaves on the ground, which is not so good. For all intensive purposes I am still quite out in the open of the jungle and vulnerable to snakes, spiders, ants, scorpions, various creepy crawlies, peccaries and jaguars. There are even caterpillars here that can kill a person with one touch. I’ll remake my platform tomorrow. It’s getting quite dark now and all the sounds are new. I will have to get used to them all over again...
For the full story, go to Les Stroud's Official Blog.
Les reports on winter survival in Labrador.
Labrador
Day 1 -- Dog Sledding
The dogs will have to pull me many miles beside the ocean and through the Labrador trails that the locals, mostly Inuit, use. I’m out in the middle of nowhere halfway between a small town called North West River and another called Rigolet. The dogs are beautiful, but a lot of work. Running them alone can be exhausting and even dangerous...
With each other they are not at all unlike a pack of wolves, even killing their own in a display of dominance and positioning. I have, on many occasions while sledding in my past, had to jump in to the middle of a five dog, dog fight with my fists and boots swinging to break up the fight...
At the end of the day I had my greatest challenge with them. Though I bellowed and yelled at the leader, a pale-faced sweetheart named Chimo, I couldn’t get her to run towards the shore. I had to do it twenty feet at a time with her always wanting to turn back towards the safety crew many miles away...
And then the worst happened. Chance – the young up and coming male got loose from his neck line, turned behind him and got in a three dog fight with the big brothers, my wheel dogs (closest to the sled – the main pulling position) Jack and Guluk. Guluk is Chances father. While Chimo kept the rest of the line the dogs are attached to tight (thankfully she didn’t turn back on me into the dog team) I was able to jump into the fight before any blood was spilled. By the time I got it all straightened out I was dripping with sweat, late in the day. Not good...
For the full story, go to Les Stroud's Official Blog.
Les reports on a trek across an arid African savannah.
African Plains
Day 4 -- Lion Country
Well the drizzle finally stopped and I made my way deep into lion territory. From here on in the guides in this reserve are trying to keep an eye out for me. They have been expecting me to pass through here by now… they know where the majority of lions are during the day, 80% of the time...
Nighttime is something else altogether. They are quite concerned about me being out here on my own. So… somewhere out there are stationed my safety crew with rifles ready. I have a loud air horn like you might use at a hockey game. If they hear it they will come running – hopefully not too late...
At least I’ve had some sustenance this evening. I picked a bunch of marula fruit and caught a small crab in a stream. My snares did nothing last night but I’ve set them again at this location so hopefully I will have a substantial meal by morning...
I’ve built a palace compared to my usual shelters but it feels horribly inadequate in the face of a large lion or a few buffalo. It’s the square tarp I made – set up like an “A”-frame and surrounded by Acacia thorn trees – the thorns are not barrier to the lions – only a deterrent – a slight one at that! I don’t see myself sleeping much tonight. Usually someone does watch while the other sleeps but of course – I’m alone and unfortunately the crackling of the fire is making it hard to hear the noises in the bush. Maybe that’s a good thing… I’ve got 10 hours of darkness to wait out – it’s going to be a long night...
For the full story, go to Les Stroud's Official Blog.