Survivorman- Plane Crash
Even experienced bush pilots have found Temagami region of northern Ontario deadly, and this time, it is up to Les Stroud to demonstrate that surviving a plane crash in this bitter, sub-zero environment is possible. Stroud’s only supplies are the broken-down plane, a wool blanket, an ax, and a survival saw (to test out). To make the situation more real, he plans to survive with his left arm immobilized, as if broken in the crash.
In an environment this cold (temperatures dip to -18° F), a fire is crucial to survival. Stroud gathers some cedar and birch bark for tinder and soaks a rag in gasoline from the plane. He puts the rag in the tinder and uses wires to connect the rag to the plane’s battery.
The tinder explodes into flames, creating a hot fire to fight hypothermia.
At the edge of a lake, the plane is the best shelter for the moment.
He uses scrap metal to cover up the openings to keep the biting wind out. Despite his shelter and fire, he can barely sleep for 15 minutes at a time. During the afternoons, if the sun is out, he tries to catch up on a bit of sleep. This is a rare occurrence, however, as the snow and frozen rain continue almost unremittingly.
While out gathering firewood, Stroud sets snares with electrical wiring to catch snowshoe hares. After several days, he finally has caught one. By pulling the fur off like a sock (inside out), you can create a fur-lined mitten or sock to stay warm. He cooks the rabbit over the fire and enjoys his one and only meal.
Rabbits make excellent survival food, but eating only these snowshoe hares can lead to “rabbit poisoning,” Stroud warns. Rabbit are completely lean, and a diet without fat can lead to protein poisoning.
By day four, Stroud gives up on the sling. He is so cold, exhausted, and hungry, that all he wants to do is get out of there. He prepares to leave the wreckage behind and aim for safety. Using a piece of metal from the plane and some electrical wiring, he fashions a sled to carry all his things. The snow has turned into frozen rain, however, so he must wait out the weather before he can leave.
In the meantime, Stroud devises a plan to take the fire with him. He folds some metal over tufts of cotton from the plane seats and puts it in the fire to char. Blackening, but not burning, the cotton creates, in essence, a very thin piece of coal. When Stroud settles down at his next rest stop, all he needs is a spark and the cotton will ignite into flames.
On day five, Stroud is finally able to leave behind the plane wreckage. As the sun begins to set, he has a choice: spend his energy building a shelter or spend his energy gathering wood and making a fire. He chooses the latter. Birch bark, Stroud says, burns well wet or dry so he gathers lots of birch branches. He discovers, however, that the survival saw is worthless- is snapped right away, so he must rely on his ax.
At a stream along the way, Stroud tested several rocks on his ax until he found one that made a spark. Using that rock now, with the birch branches and charred cotton below, Stroud creates a fire with the spark made from hitting the ax with the rock.
On his sixth day of traveling, Stroud sees some faint snowmobile tracks. The fresh snow has barely left them exposed, but he is able to follow them. He walks through the night. At dawn on day seven, Stroud knows he is about a day’s walk from safety.
The rescue helicopter finds him before he makes it to civilization.
Stroud puts his thumb out for a ride, and as the helicopter descends, he drops to the ground and makes a snow angel. Climbing into the helicopter, Stroud says, “This is one frozen Canadian boy happy to go home!”
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One Response to “Survivorman- Plane Crash”
May 28th, 2008 at 10:42 am
That show is just simply amazing, I think it’s incredible what that guy can bare. Personally, I’d be phoning home within minutes of some of his adventures. My show would be called Survi…Oh nevermind.