Man vs. Wild: Guatemala

One of the worst parts about hiking downhill is how rough it is on your knees and legs. Leaning back into the steep terrain puts less strain on your leg muscles, and your lower center of gravity helps with your balance.

Pound for pound (or perhaps gram for gram), a nice-sized insect actually has more protein than any mammal, including the cow.

Protein is necessary to survive, and, especially in a survival scenario, it gives you a great deal of food energy. This is why insects, while not necessarily filling, are a great thing to put on the menu if you're looking to make it out of the jungle alive.

There are more than 1,400 varieties of edible insects, and although there are no hard-and-fast rules, you should generally stay away from insects with bright colors, pungent odors, hair or stingers.

If you're able to find a river, then you'll be guaranteed some open terrain you won't have to hack through. But be careful — the river also follows the path of least resistance, and that means the occasional steep drop-off.

Listen up for louder water for a clue that a waterfall is ahead. If that's the case, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for a good place to alter your direction and find a safer route.

Jungle vine is incredibly strong. If you need to do some climbing, look for a vine at least the width of your thumb. But if you're securing the vine to a tree, make sure you don't bend it too tightly or the friction will cause the vine to weaken.

Caves look different when you're going in than when you're coming out. Make sure you turn around and look behind you every 20 feet so you remember what it looks like from that direction, making mental notes of any natural markers. Look for things that stand out, like oddly shaped rocks or formations on the cave wall.

There are insects all over the jungle, crawling up vines, munching on fresh vegetation, and in and around rivers and streams. But if you really want to hit the jackpot, look for a rotting log.

The insides of rotting wood are generally filled with protein-packed insect larvae. If you hit it big and find a nice stash of grubs in a rotted log, eat some and then pack as many as you can for more food energy later on. Survival is all about seizing your opportunities when you can.

Bats will be flying around and they do carry rabies, but they're not likely to pay any attention to you. Jaguars can climb trees, but if you get high enough, you're probably clear of danger. Your real threat high in a tree is snakes.

In Guatemala, pit vipers like to hang out in the tall trees, and if you're bitten, within two hours you'll be dead. The green pit viper uses hemotoxic venom, which attacks red blood cells, leading to organ and tissue failure, and your eventual, painful death.

Wild heart of palm is an excellent source of carbohydrates in the jungle. You won't want to eat the tough outer leaves, so cut them away for the soft interior. Heart of palm is actually pretty tasty, and it's served as a delicacy in restaurants.

The good thing about consuming carbs in the wild is that it provides a steady, slow release of energy that you can sustain for longer than you can by eating proteins.