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Survivorman- Rocky Mountains

Standing 7,000 feet above sea level in below-freezing temperatures on the summit of a mountain in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains, Les Stroud is already overcome by the biting wind, freezing rain, and high altitude of the environment he must survive in for the next seven days.

Stroud must get off the summit and down to less extreme conditions, but right away he encounters a dangerous obstacle- a glacier. Fresh snow has hidden all the potential crevasses, and he has no companion to tie onto for safety. One step at a time, he tests the ground in front of him with his walking pole and slowly makes his way across one mile of glacier. “By far one of the spookiest things I’ve done,” he says.

 
He spends his first night under a boulder on top of rocks. While uncomfortable, he is at least protected from the driving rain and wind. Hypothermia is a major risk in this type of survival situation, so Stroud recommends contracting and relaxing all your muscles repeatedly to get the blood flowing.

 Furthermore, Stroud cautions, sleeping under the overhang of a rock is usually safe for one night but shouldn’t be considered for a longer-term shelter. With the weather constantly changing, pieces chip off all the time, and it only takes one rock to the head to end your survival mission permanently.

 The next morning Stroud finds some mountain blueberries to munch on. 

A handful of berries for energy and snow for hydration do little in the way of keeping his body temperature up and his energy high. A few days later, Stroud finds some wild huckleberries and paintbrush flowers to eat, and later a mushroom. He warns, however, only eat mushrooms if you are absolutely positive that it is an edible species- one poisonous mushroom will kill you.

 By day four, Stroud finally makes it to the mountain valley and has a chance to unpack his supplies. He managed to make it over the slippery rocks above the tree line without twisting an ankle- one injury could devastate his chances of survival.

 Since he is simulating the experience of a lost high-altitude hiker, his supplies include an ice ax, crampons and carabiners, an old pack, a video camera, cassette tape and tripod, an emergency blanket, and a multitool.

Finally at a good stopping point, Stroud decides to get a fire going and build a shelter to protect him from the constant rain. He pulls apart the tripod, and along with a few branches, he builds a frame. 

He covers the ground in branches to keep him off the damp sand of the river’s shore, and he spreads the emergency blanket, some tree boughs, and his raincoat over the top. To hold the blanket on, he opens up the cassette and uses the tape inside as string. The shelter keeps him dry and provides a bit of residual warmth.

 The rain has been pouring for so many days that his shelter at the edge of the river is being threatened by flood. Luckily, it lightens up after a day, and Stroud finally has the chance to try to start a fire.

 
To get a fire going, he gathers some Old Man’s Beard moss, but he cannot find any dry wood. He uses his ice axe to scrape off the damp layers of Cedar trees’ bark and get to the dry wood underneath. 

Opening up the video camera, he finds little piece of dry paper. 

Stroud plans to use the camera’s lens to start the fire, but he must wait for rain to cease. When the sun comes out, he stands for 45 minutes before the tinder gets hot enough to make a flame.

 
Next, he tries to catch some game to have some protein to eat. Using a forked branch, whittled down with his multitool, and the elastic from the old pack, he makes a slingshot. He is in grouse territory so he sets off hunting, sure to mark his way by breaking branches along the trail. He eventually ends up in a marsh, where he sees moose tracks and decides it would be safest to leave. He has also come across bear tracks (grizzly and black), and cougars wander the area as well.

 Deep in the forest, Stroud has heard a few helicopters pass overhead in the last few days, but the forest is so dense, a lost hiker has little hope of being seen by a rescue mission while in the cover of the trees.

 On day seven, Stroud has his eye out for his rescue crew. As soon as he sees the helicopter, he turns makes signal fire. Wet spruce boughs on a hot fire produce smoke. His crew sees the smoke signal and drops down to pick him up. Still soaked to the bone and barely sidestepping hypothermia, Stroud can’t wait to get home and thaw out.

One Response to “Survivorman- Rocky Mountains”

1. Shasta Baumgardt Says:
   March 5th, 2010 at 2:56 am

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