- 1 week ago
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00:00This time on Marooned, I'm in Arizona at the hottest, driest time of year.
00:07Can't risk it. Absolutely burn dry.
00:11Nice.
00:13My menu includes one of the weirdest things I've ever eaten.
00:18Roast beef, Yorkshire puddings.
00:21Wow!
00:22And I'm in for a shock as the weather changes and monsoon rains bring storms to the desert.
00:30I'm Ed Stafford.
00:33I've walked the length of the Amazon and survived on a desert island with only a camera to film my adventure.
00:40Now, I've set myself a new challenge to prove I can make it in some of the world's toughest environments.
00:48Oh, my God.
00:50Using only what I find around me.
00:53Boy, he had a kidney and a bit of liver.
00:55I'll be left completely alone for ten days with nothing.
00:59Words cannot describe how I feel right now.
01:02No film crew.
01:03No food.
01:04No water.
01:05The sun is directly overhead.
01:07It's boiling hot.
01:08Not even a knife.
01:10Right, come on, Ed.
01:11Go and move on.
01:12This time, it's about more than survival.
01:14I want to see if I can thrive.
01:16Yes!
01:17Anywhere.
01:18This is crazy.
01:31This is madness.
01:32It is so hot.
01:34It's about 107 degrees, Sonora Desert, Arizona.
01:39I'm being dropped off in a remote location in the foothills of some mountains.
01:43As soon as I hit the ground, I'm going to need to find water and shade.
01:47Water and shade.
01:48Okay.
01:49Just want to get in there now.
01:50Let's go.
01:51I'm in the Arizona wilderness in the USA, just 45 kilometers from the Mexican border.
02:03This corner of North America is sparsely populated because once you step outside the cities, this
02:08is one of the hottest, driest places on earth.
02:13These mountains are a notorious crossing point for illegal immigrants coming from South
02:18America.
02:19Each year, over 400 people die trying to make that journey here.
02:25But people have lived here for at least 12,000 years.
02:30Now, it's my turn to try living in this most challenging of all the environments I've
02:35tackled, and see if I can follow in their footsteps.
02:54It's quite unnerving.
02:56You can just hear the helicopter disappearing off into the distance now.
03:00And that's the last I will see and hear of any people, any human contact for the next
03:0610 days.
03:07All I've got with me is an emergency first aid kit and satellite phone to call for help
03:14in a major disaster.
03:16And then my camera kit as I'm filming everything myself.
03:19But I have nothing to help me survive.
03:22I have no food.
03:23I have no water.
03:24I have no shoes.
03:25I have no clothes.
03:26I have nothing to sleep in or on.
03:28I don't have a knife.
03:33One thing I've got this time is what Mike, Native American, gave to me.
03:45Before coming in, I spent time with a local Tohono O'odham elder, Mike.
03:50His tribe has thrived here in the past.
03:52Me crack in half, but it won't crumble.
03:54He showed me some local survival tricks, blessed me with a native song, and gave me a traditional
04:01good luck pendant.
04:03All right, good luck, sir.
04:07This symbol is a vortex.
04:10And what he said is, this is what warriors used to paint on their shields and fend off
04:15negative energy and protect me.
04:17And every bit of protection I'm very, very grateful for.
04:22Very grateful for.
04:23So I'm wearing this.
04:25And beside of me, there's an arroyo or a riverbed.
04:38It's dry.
04:39But if I follow that up, I'm hoping that nestled into that mountainside is my greatest chance
04:46of finding some sort of water and hydration.
04:50At this time of year, daytime temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees.
05:00Five different types of rattlesnake call the desert home, each one loaded with deadly venom.
05:07And flash floods are a major risk here, as the monsoon season is about to strike, which
05:13can see up to 100 millimeters of rainfall in a single day.
05:17and� basHI.
05:30And with the fact that I'm walking down into this mountainside.
05:32I'm literally just dashing from spot of shade to spot of shade, because the sand in between
05:35is so hot.
05:40I can't hang around too long with things like food, but this tree here is a mesquite, and these have got beans.
05:53That's sweet. When you chew into them, the pith.
05:58It's very, very sweet.
06:02It gives a good energy.
06:07Very, very good news.
06:10This food source is a great early find, but already the temperature and lack of water is taking its toll.
06:23The energy required to carry the bag barefooted at the riverbed, which has been baked by the Arizona sun all day long, is extraordinary.
06:34I'm worried that if I don't find some kind of fluid in the next three hours, I'll start to suffer in this heat,
06:44and making important survival decisions will become increasingly harder.
06:50My mouth is so parched now.
06:54I really, really, really need to try and get some sort of moisture in my mouth.
07:02I need to get out of the sun.
07:04I really need to get out of the sun.
07:06I'm cooking.
07:07It may seem a risky decision, as I've not quite made it to the hills, but I'm going to stop right here for the night.
07:20I don't want to use any more energy or sweat anymore, searching for a camp.
07:28The sun is so hot, I'm absolutely shattered already.
07:32Absolutely shattered.
07:33I'm not worried about flash floods, but they are at the back of my mind, if the rains come later on in my time here.
07:42But for tonight, I'm not worried about that.
07:48And this place feels good, you know?
07:51That's the other thing.
07:51This place feels nice.
07:53It's not a major survival priority, but while I'm conserving energy and waiting for the sun to set,
08:01I'll use this tiny patch of shade to make myself some clothes.
08:04This here is agave, and these sort of fibers are just a perfect and quick material in order to make a very, very quick skirt loop.
08:23Basic little skirt, obligatory wiggle.
08:34Okay.
08:39Oh, what a relief.
08:42Sun's gone.
08:44I'm so happy the sun's gone.
08:47I've now got three hours of daylight left.
08:49Once it's completely dark, I'll be at the mercy of whatever else calls this canyon home.
08:55So I need a fire for protection.
08:57With everything being so dry, it should be easy to start.
09:01Okay, the plant that I'm going to go and get is that long, thin one over there called Sotol.
09:07And that's a perfect height and thickness and dryness to make myself a little fire plough kit.
09:14The Sotol flower stem is perfect for fire by friction.
09:30This time, I'm using the fire plough method, where I'll be quickly pushing one piece of Sotol against another.
09:37That's a perfect height.
09:54This time, I'm using the fire plough, but I've still got two of them personally.
09:57This time, I'm doing it for the It This Thief Dolls, which I see through the L diret pulsing over there.
10:02This time left through the Pazol.
10:03making fire always gives me a boost that is quite remarkable but I still haven't
10:25found water however there's no desert trick that indigenous people used which
10:31should just about get me through my first night this guy just here a good choice these fruit
10:40contain quite a lot of moisture whether you can focus on that but that was so fantastic
10:51it's cool and wet like a slimy cucumber
10:58but it's extraordinarily refreshing because I've not drank anything since I've been dropped
11:08off but this is working this is working what a relief it's not a major water source
11:21but it's a prime desert survival aid
11:24it's night one I'm exposed I'm semi-naked I'm in the middle of the Sonora desert
11:39I'm exhausted I'm absolutely exhausted invariably I'm dehydrated those joy
11:45don't hydrate you like drinking water and if I don't find a proper water source soon I could
11:52take a serious tumble at my very first desert hurdle
11:56I'm Ed Stafford and I've barely survived my first night in the Sonoran desert in Arizona
12:08as I'm yet to find a proper source of water
12:11good morning
12:14it's day two
12:19what an amazing place to wake up
12:26surrounded by
12:30beautiful mountains that are just touching the sun
12:35before I can see it
12:37I've already made fire and discovered at least one desert food source
12:45and now I can get to know my surroundings properly
12:49this is very cool
12:53right at my feet that circle
12:55that is literally
12:57carved into the rock
13:01probably hundreds and hundreds of years worth of people
13:08grinding and grinding and grinding at the local seeds in order to make flour
13:13that's extraordinary
13:15and as I look around me there's more look
13:18one down there
13:19one over there
13:21one over there
13:22this is extraordinary
13:23one over there
13:25one over there
13:25this place was clearly well inhabited
13:31there must have been a village here
13:33whoever made these grinding holes is long gone
13:38which suggests there's no longer the resources here to survive
13:42and the number one survival priority is water
13:46if you look up there you can see a very distinct line of dark green trees
13:52that denotes
13:54a gully
13:56where at some level
13:58there is some water
14:00over there
14:03there's a similar gully
14:05over there there's a similar gully
14:06this morning's job is to
14:08search for water
14:11normally
14:15I drink three litres of water a day
14:18I probably need to double that in this heat
14:21to prevent dehydration
14:23and loss of concentration
14:24and I need to find it
14:29before it gets too hot
14:30look at the gully's there
14:36thick packed with vegetation
14:38almost impenetrable
14:41the large trees grow here
14:44because there's water present
14:46and the dense shrubs show that water must be near the surface
14:49because they only have short roots
14:52but gully one is dry
14:55that I'm afraid is disappointing
15:00I'm going to move around
15:03to the next gully
15:05I can't relax
15:16the dryness of my mouth
15:18is not allowing me
15:19to enjoy
15:20that
15:21need to be careful in here for rattle snakes and things
15:43but
15:43the gully floor is just dry
15:47absolutely bone dry
15:51okay I'm going to have to
15:57I'm going to have to acknowledge that this
16:01this gully is dry
16:03and I'm going to need to go and find
16:07exploring another gully
16:09the sun's almost above the mountain
16:15and my first two searches are unsuccessful
16:18just one more gully to go
16:21this gully's a bit wider
16:35and there's a huge amount of insects in here
16:38bees and waffs
16:40the gully isn't buzzing around
16:41better feeling about this one
16:45come on
16:49okay there's something here
16:53I think I've found myself a pretty ugly water source
17:01but that's water
17:02I've never been surrounded by this many wasps and bees
17:17this is a nerve-wracking drink of water
17:24I have no way of purifying this
17:28and it could be harboring disease
17:30but I'm so dehydrated
17:32that I'll risk drinking from this spring
17:35in order to quench my thirst
17:36that feels good
17:46that feels so good
17:47okay next priority
17:52got fire
17:53got water
17:54sun is now
17:59my main concern actually rather than food
18:02I need to have a way of staying out in the sun without getting burnt
18:05and I know that the mineral rich rocks littering the canyon will help
18:09grinding them up will give me my very own factor 20
18:14that paste there
18:18is very useful
18:22it's literally a rock clay paste
18:24so I'm literally going to cover myself in
18:39this natural sunblock means I can now focus on my diet
18:59ideally I'd consume about 3,000 calories a day to keep active
19:05and I've seen a desert fruit that might actually get me close to that
19:08if I can get my hands on it
19:10this big cactus here is a saguaro
19:13this is good news for me because the saguaro contain a fruit
19:19it's edible and very sweet
19:22these saguaro cacti don't grow their first arm
19:26until they're at least 50 years old
19:28some of these plants could easily be 200 years old
19:34they're up to 15 meters tall
19:39and I'm well under 2 meters
19:41so I'm going to have to improvise to get a good harvest
19:44that is quite an extraordinary natural food
20:10and it's abundant
20:14and now I've got my stick
20:15I'm going to pick loads of it
20:16so that's my next cactus
20:18the quantity is phenomenal
20:28these delicious fruits are highly calorific
20:33due to their mix of sugary carbohydrates and seeds
20:37which are a great source of fat
20:39dried out they should last me through the week
20:441, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
20:50No, 14.
20:53Perfect.
21:10It's been a good day today, and the fact that I found water couldn't be more necessary, obviously.
21:16And I need to think about shelter.
21:18The weather could change at any moment, and I need some shade during the day,
21:22so I'm going to build some kind of structure around my camp.
21:25So that's what I'm going to do tomorrow morning,
21:27and hopefully get the majority of the work done before it gets stinking hot.
21:48Good morning.
21:56Another beautiful morning.
21:59Quite interestingly, there's clouds there in the sky on the horizon.
22:03There haven't been any clouds at all so far, so that could mean the mark of the start of different weather.
22:13If the weather is changing, I need to make the most of these first few hours of relative cool,
22:22and get building my shelter.
22:31The thorny stems of the Ocotillo plant were traditionally used by Tohono O'odham for shelter building,
22:37as they're flexible and strong.
22:42They're easy to bend and stay rigid, so it will be the frame for my shelter.
22:48And I'm using a covering of desert broom, which attaches to the thorns for thatching.
22:53In the end, this actually took me all day to make.
23:07And although I'm tired, I'm three days into my challenge, and I still feel pretty good about things.
23:14So we've got the shelter finished today, which is good.
23:17And it keeps the worst of the heat of the day off, which is exactly what it's there for.
23:22Tomorrow, I'm going to start trapping.
23:29I'm eating in abundance, but a man cannot live on carbs alone.
23:33So tomorrow, I'm going to start trapping, and there is quite an abundant amount of animals here.
23:45But catching dinner could be the least of my worries, as the weather takes a nasty turn.
23:50It is getting heavier.
24:00I'm Ed Stafford, and I'm battling against the extremes of Arizona's Sonoran Desert.
24:06I've just bedded down for the night in my shelter, and the weather's starting to change.
24:11It's rain. It is rain.
24:14It is rain.
24:15All my stuff inside the shelter.
24:19The ground outside is wet.
24:22It's getting heavier.
24:24It is getting heavier.
24:26It is getting heavier.
24:33A major downpour in the mountains could cause rivers of water to rush down the canyon, and over my camp with no advance warning.
24:41A warning, spelling the end of my desert adventure, and maybe even the end of me.
24:47A warning, all quiet on the western front, or rather the eastern front.
25:04It's calm.
25:06Slightly, slightly dappled overhead.
25:15Exhausted.
25:16The clouds show that the monsoon is approaching, and there are raindrops occasionally falling.
25:22But I've been spared a flash flood, and the rain has actually left me a bit of a surprise.
25:28I've noticed that quite a lot of these mortars are full of rain water, so I thought I'd get myself a little bit of hollow tube,
25:50which is just a bit of dry reed, and suck myself up some fresh water.
25:56It's a bit of dry water.
26:01Might as well put a lid on it, eh?
26:03Reduce the amount of evaporation, and keep me drinking rain water for certainly the morning.
26:14Now, for my first trap.
26:20Most animals in the canyon must visit the same water source that I'm using.
26:24So I'm setting a snare trap across the path to it, and blocking off other routes.
26:31As an animal pushes its way through this narrow entrance, the snare tightens around its neck.
26:38And this is the only way in to the water.
26:40The rest of my traps are traditional Paiute deadfalls, which have been used in the desert for hundreds of years.
26:54Two balanced sticks keep a heavy flat stone propped up.
27:05They're held under tension by a piece of cordage.
27:08A third trigger stick holds the bait and keeps everything finely balanced.
27:13Mouse comes in, takes his prickly pair, dislodges this very, very delicate stick here.
27:21She allows this arm to fly up in the air, and the stone fall and kill it.
27:26Five traps set, that's a pretty good day, isn't it, really?
27:35Try and do the same tomorrow, and then I've got ten traps out.
27:39Quite a good probable chance of actually catching something then.
27:43It's now day six, and I'm getting a lot of calories from cactus fruit.
27:57But no traps have worked yet, and my body is craving meat.
28:07That is really buffling.
28:09That stone I put as a lid over the fresh water, the rain water that it collected in the mortar hole in the rock.
28:21And I put it over to stop it evaporating, and something has flipped it over.
28:28Something has turned it to try and get.
28:30But that must have been something quite big to move that rock.
28:33And I'm only that far away from my fire just there.
28:45How weird.
28:45It must have been something fairly big in the night has come, flipped over that rock.
28:55It's a bit weird, eh?
28:56Just doing my morning trap run, i.e. looking round, looking round the traps.
29:11That one is still very much set.
29:16Let's go and check the others.
29:17Let's go and check the others.
29:28And this one's still set.
29:31Whatever's moving that stone seems to be outfoxing me.
29:36Not one of my traps has bagged me a protein fix yet.
29:39This one has sprung, but there's nothing in it.
29:58I feel pretty defeated.
29:59And on top of my trap failure, the weather's getting unbearable as the monsoon's approaching.
30:09It's getting hotter and hotter.
30:12I need to find some shade.
30:14Wow, look at that.
30:28See these marks in the ceiling?
30:30I don't want to touch it.
30:33These paintings are probably thousands of years old.
30:39You can see the very distinct deer.
30:44This is a cave where, clearly, Native American Indians have spent a lot of time.
30:55They must have done.
30:56They must have sat here on a rock out of the sun.
31:02This is just the boost I need.
31:05And I'm going to channel my own native spirits inspired by this ancient art.
31:14I'm just mixing up some colour palettes here because I've been inspired by the rock paintings above me.
31:25And I've decided in order to make my traps work and call in the animals that I want to trap in my traps,
31:32I'm going to paint them on a rock.
31:33Obviously, I'm not going to paint them in this cave.
31:36I think that would be sacrilege.
31:38I'm going to draw myself a rabbit because that's what I want to trap.
31:43Rabbit for supper would be nice.
31:45It's possible that early people painted animals in a bid to steal their souls and help them with hunting.
31:59The deer paintings here hint that this was a good hunting ground.
32:04I hope it still is.
32:05If it's a rabbit that's been drinking the water I've been saving, then this could take me a step closer to bagging it.
32:16That's my rabbit.
32:19I'm quite happy with it. I'm quite happy with that.
32:22Let's just hope it brings a rabbit into one of my traps.
32:26That would be really cool.
32:27Now, imbued with the spirits of the Native Americans, my idea is to use the rabbit's need for water as a basis for another trap.
32:44I'm going to put my biggest stone that I've got, a really heavy one, over this so it's triggered,
32:50so that if a rabbit comes and sticks his head in, it'll move the trigger stick.
32:55Bosh! Get hammered by the hammer stone.
33:12This rabbit is going to be caught, you know.
33:15This rabbit that was painted on the stone is going to be caught.
33:21So close.
33:33That trap is lethal.
33:35It's going to work. It's going to work. It's going to work.
33:43Hey.
33:45Jot ten set.
33:46I just hope that I'm not the only thing this trap draws blood from.
33:58It's now my last full day in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.
34:02So far, I've survived well on fruits and plants.
34:07But I'm hoping this ancient landscape has more to give before my adventure is over.
34:12Good morning. My trap, I can see from over there, has fallen down, but I'm suspecting. I am suspecting it has nothing in it. I can't see a little bunny tower hanging out.
34:29Oh, my God!
34:30There's a skunk in there! There's a skunk in there!
34:39Ah! It's alive, though!
34:42It's alive, though!
34:43Oh, my goodness! It just squirted out stuff at me.
34:50That is extraordinary!
34:52The trap worked! The trap worked!
34:55The skunk's defense spray puts most attackers off and can be smelt over a kilometer away.
35:03But this one's been injured in my trap, so I need to dispatch it quickly.
35:12One dead skunk!
35:14Ahem!
35:16Breakfast!
35:19It looks like the Tohono O'odham spirits may well have been on my side.
35:24And maybe my cave painting had some kind of effect.
35:27I don't like killing things.
35:32This is a survival situation. I'm hunting for food.
35:38This is how meat comes about. Meat comes about through animals.
35:42I know that sounds so obvious, but I'm a meat-eater.
35:46I think if you do eat meat, then killing it is actually part of the cycle of life.
35:52It's part of being an omnivore.
35:53Ah!
35:58Okay, that's where the glands are. In its tail.
36:03That's minging.
36:04I just saw it in the tail.
36:06And you see that yellow stuff?
36:08Ah!
36:10That is so minging.
36:16That is what it looks like when it's gutted.
36:19Right, I'm gonna clean it, give it a little bit of wash, spit-roast it, and then wash myself. Crikey, this disgusting.
36:29Flame-grilled skunk.
36:40Pretty cool.
36:41I want to have a proper meal. I want to celebrate this.
36:42And so I'm just off out to collect mesquite pods and that very sweet pith that's in the middle of the mesquite beans.
36:59I'm gonna grind it up in the mortar holes that are in the rock, just as Native Americans would have done, in the hope of getting some flour out of it.
37:13Then I'll remove the seeds and I'll remove the pods and just get left with the mushed-up pulp.
37:20That's exactly what these mortars were designed for.
37:24So if I can get enough flour, add water and turn it into a damper so that I've gotten myself a proper meal.
37:33This damper is similar to the dough that Native Americans would have made from mesquite pods.
37:38I've got enough for five small balls and even a saguaro fruit pie.
37:45Okay, all we need to do is pop that in the oven at Gas Mark 5 for 40 minutes and it will be a perfectly baked saguaro mesquite pie.
38:01It's such a feast. I'm so excited.
38:05Wonderful.
38:08And for the skunk.
38:16Do you know what?
38:18That tastes really good.
38:29Roast beef, Yorkshire puddings.
38:31Who would have thought a skunk could taste so good?
38:41It's time for pudding.
38:42I can't believe I'm eating a hot saguaro fruit pie in the middle of the Sonora Desert.
38:55It's just decadence. It's absolute decadence.
39:10And food's not the only gift my canyon offers up.
39:13It's feasible.
39:14And we may get a bit more rain.
39:19Wow.
39:20Did you see that?
39:21Whoa.
39:22It's raining.
39:23It's raining.
39:24It's raining.
39:25It's raining.
39:26The heavens have opened.
39:29Hit the refresh button.
39:30Rain comes.
39:31Right.
39:32Let's not get the camera right there.
39:33Let's not get the camera right there.
39:34Whoo.
39:35It's raining.
39:36It's raining.
39:37It's raining.
39:38It's raining.
39:39The heavens have opened.
39:40Hit the refresh button.
39:41Rain comes.
39:42Oh.
39:43Right.
39:44Let's not get the camera right there.
39:47Whoo.
39:48It's raining.
39:49Proper rain.
39:57Proper proper downfall.
39:58Oh.
40:01Oh, Oh, oh.
40:06Oh, oh.
40:07Oh.
40:08Oh oh, oh, oh.
40:10It is amazing and refreshing, but the wind getting up, and actually it's quite cold.
40:22So I'm going to go and sit in the cave.
40:26A nice start.
40:40This life-giving rain is why so many animals survive here, and what enabled ancient indigenous people to thrive here.
40:51They would have been tied to the annual monsoon season, but now my time's almost over, allowing me one last moment of reflection.
41:02We're not cavemen anymore.
41:05We're not our ancestors. We've moved on, we've changed.
41:08You know, is there a romantic bit of me that just wants to live in the wild now?
41:14No. No.
41:18If I'm really honest, what's really natural to me is to go home, and open the fridge door, and eat, and give my fiancé a big hug.
41:32What really matters, what really matters, is family and friends, and going home.
41:38Home is, quite literally, where your heart is.
41:45Have a wonderful year of the chill.
41:47Have a fly.
41:48Have a great day, Father.
41:57I'm, quite honestly, GH!
42:02Who knows why,ков' What am I looking for?
42:05What so far are we going?
42:06Where have we going?
42:06Where should we go?
42:06Where would the big?
42:07Why are we going?
42:07Where'd we going?
42:08Where to go!
42:09Where could people go?
42:10That's all right.
42:11Have faith!
42:12tract
42:12Maybeette's a wonderfulthood may check to know.
42:13Good morning. It's day ten.
42:23That means I'm going home.
42:27I'm going home.
42:43It's all over. It is all over.
42:49Time to go back and rejoin the human race.
43:05Here comes the helicopter.
43:09I'm out of here.
43:13Ten days in the Sonoran Desert. Over. Done.
43:25To come to the Sonoran Desert and told to film yourself for the next ten days
43:30and survive with nothing but in your bare hands,
43:35you really have to experience it to believe it. You really do.
43:38This place really has allowed me to thrive beyond everywhere else.
43:43I think it's been absolutely amazing.
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