- 2 days ago
In Arizona (S2E8), Ed enters the Sonoran Desert under brutal heat and surging monsoons. Temperatures exceed 40 °C, flash floods threaten, and dangers like rattlesnakes and mountain lions lurk. Finding water becomes the toughest task while balancing risk and pace. Ed draws from Indigenous desert survival knowledge, improvising traps and water collection techniques.
See desert survival at its harshest: solar heat, water scarcity, predator avoidance, and monsoon-driven floods.
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Ed Stafford, Ed Stafford S1E4, Ed Bares All, Survival reflections, 60 days survival, Lessons learned, Survival psychology, Ed Stafford interview, Extreme survival summary, Discovery Channel series, Marooned reflections, Island experiment, Survival insights, Mental resilience, Survival story, Ed Stafford conclusion
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Ed Stafford, Ed Stafford Marooned, Marooned with Ed Stafford, Naked and Marooned, Ed Stafford full episodes, Discovery Channel survival, Extreme survival documentary, Survival challenge, Solo survival, 10 day survival, Bushcraft, Primitive survival, Real survival show, Ed Stafford documentary, Wilderness survival, Adventure documentary, Remote wilderness, Survival skills, Solo survival challenge, Nature survival, Outdoor adventure,
Ed Stafford Stranded, Olorua Island, Island survival, No tools survival, Deserted island challenge, Pacific island survival, Survival alone, Primitive survival skills, Shelter building, Give Me Shelter, Rainy season survival, Fijian island challenge, Primitive shelter techniques, Survival rain protection, Shelter construction, Fire making survival, Bushcraft shelter,
Swimming with Sharks, Raft building, Goat hunting, Shark fishing, Primitive fishing, Island foraging, Ocean survival, Raft survival, Spearfishing, Solo island survival, Ed Bares All, 60 days survival, Survival reflections, Survival psychology, Lessons learned, Mental resilience, Survival insights, Survival experiment,
Botswana survival, Okavango Delta, Wetland survival, Flood survival, Predator threats, Crocodile danger, Hippo territory, Africa bushcraft, Botswana challenge, Survival in Africa, Ed Stafford Marooned Botswana,
Venezuela survival, Gran Sabana, Rainforest challenge, Flooded jungle, Tropical survival, Wild protein foraging, Humid environment, Jungle foraging, Jungle survival, South America survival, Rainforest food hunt, Survival humidity, Jungle bushcraft, Ed Stafford Marooned Venezuela,
Australia survival, Western Australia, Coastal survival, Heat challenge, Crocodile fishing, Tide fishing, Blistered feet, Outback survival, Desert coast survival, Primitive fishing, Ocean challenge, Extreme dehydration, Ed Stafford Marooned Australia,
Romania survival, Carpathian Mountains, Mountain wilderness, Bear threats, Cold nights, Forest foraging, Cold weather survival, European wilderness, Fire starting in cold, Mountain camping, Survival challenge Romania, Ed Stafford Marooned
See desert survival at its harshest: solar heat, water scarcity, predator avoidance, and monsoon-driven floods.
Thank you for supporting our channel
Ed Stafford, Ed Stafford S1E4, Ed Bares All, Survival reflections, 60 days survival, Lessons learned, Survival psychology, Ed Stafford interview, Extreme survival summary, Discovery Channel series, Marooned reflections, Island experiment, Survival insights, Mental resilience, Survival story, Ed Stafford conclusion
Thank you for supporting our channel
Ed Stafford, Ed Stafford Marooned, Marooned with Ed Stafford, Naked and Marooned, Ed Stafford full episodes, Discovery Channel survival, Extreme survival documentary, Survival challenge, Solo survival, 10 day survival, Bushcraft, Primitive survival, Real survival show, Ed Stafford documentary, Wilderness survival, Adventure documentary, Remote wilderness, Survival skills, Solo survival challenge, Nature survival, Outdoor adventure,
Ed Stafford Stranded, Olorua Island, Island survival, No tools survival, Deserted island challenge, Pacific island survival, Survival alone, Primitive survival skills, Shelter building, Give Me Shelter, Rainy season survival, Fijian island challenge, Primitive shelter techniques, Survival rain protection, Shelter construction, Fire making survival, Bushcraft shelter,
Swimming with Sharks, Raft building, Goat hunting, Shark fishing, Primitive fishing, Island foraging, Ocean survival, Raft survival, Spearfishing, Solo island survival, Ed Bares All, 60 days survival, Survival reflections, Survival psychology, Lessons learned, Mental resilience, Survival insights, Survival experiment,
Botswana survival, Okavango Delta, Wetland survival, Flood survival, Predator threats, Crocodile danger, Hippo territory, Africa bushcraft, Botswana challenge, Survival in Africa, Ed Stafford Marooned Botswana,
Venezuela survival, Gran Sabana, Rainforest challenge, Flooded jungle, Tropical survival, Wild protein foraging, Humid environment, Jungle foraging, Jungle survival, South America survival, Rainforest food hunt, Survival humidity, Jungle bushcraft, Ed Stafford Marooned Venezuela,
Australia survival, Western Australia, Coastal survival, Heat challenge, Crocodile fishing, Tide fishing, Blistered feet, Outback survival, Desert coast survival, Primitive fishing, Ocean challenge, Extreme dehydration, Ed Stafford Marooned Australia,
Romania survival, Carpathian Mountains, Mountain wilderness, Bear threats, Cold nights, Forest foraging, Cold weather survival, European wilderness, Fire starting in cold, Mountain camping, Survival challenge Romania, Ed Stafford Marooned
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TravelTranscript
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.
05:17How?
05:18Pretty unwalkable.
05:19I'm literally just dashing from spot of shade to spot of shade because the sand in between
05:35us is so hot.
05:38I can't hang around too long with things like food, but this tree here is a mesquite, and he's got beans.
05:53That's sweet. When you chew into them, the pith, it's very, very sweet.
05:59It gives a great energy. Very, very good news.
06:13This food source is a great early find, but already the temperature and lack of water is taking its toll.
06:20The energy required to carry the bag barefooted at the riverbed, which has been baked by the Arizona sun all day long, is extraordinary.
06:38I'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.
06:55I really, really, really need to try and get some sort of moisture in my mouth.
07:02I need to get out of the sun. I really need to get out of the sun.
07:06Cooking.
07:13It 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 any more, searching for a camp.
07:27I'm...
07:27The 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 rain's 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. This 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 fibres are just a perfect and quick material in order to make a very, very quick skirt loop.
08:13Basic little skirt, obligatory wiggle.
08:33Okay.
08:34Oh, what a relief.
08:42Sun's gone.
08:44Oh, I'm so happy the sun's gone.
08:47I've now got three hours of daylight left.
08:50Once 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.
09:00Okay, 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 plow kit.
09:14The Sotol flower stem is perfect for fire by friction.
09:30This time, I'm using the fire plow method, where I'll be quickly pushing one piece of Sotol against another.
09:37This time, I'm using the fire plow kit.
10:07Making fire always gives me a boost.
10:19That is quite remarkable.
10:24But I still haven't found water.
10:27However, there's an old desert trick that indigenous people used, which should just about get me through my first night.
10:33This cactus here, it's called Choya.
10:39This fruit contains quite a lot of moisture.
10:43I don't know whether you can focus on that, but that...
10:45It's so fantastic.
10:52It's cold and wet.
10:55Like a slimy cucumber.
10:58But it's extraordinarily refreshing, because I've not drank anything since I've been dropped off.
11:08But this is working.
11:15This is working.
11:17What a relief.
11:19It's not a major water source, but it's a prime desert survival aid.
11:34It's night one.
11:35I'm exposed.
11:36I'm semi-naked.
11:37I'm in the middle of the Sonora Desert.
11:39I'm exhausted.
11:41I'm exhausted.
11:42I'm absolutely exhausted.
11:43Invariably, I'm dehydrated.
11:45Those Choya don't hydrate you like drinking water.
11:47And if I don't find a proper water source soon, I could take a serious tumble at my very first desert hurdle.
12:02I'm Ed Stafford, and I've barely survived my first night in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, as I'm yet to find a proper source of water.
12:13Good morning.
12:17What an amazing place to wake up, surrounded by beautiful mountains that are just touching the sun before I can see it.
12:41I've already made fire and discovered at least one desert food source.
12:45And now, I can get to know my surroundings properly.
12:52This is very cool.
12:53Right at my feet, that circle that is literally carved into the rock.
13:01Probably hundreds and hundreds of years' worth of people grinding and grinding and grinding at the local seeds in order to make flour.
13:14That's extraordinary.
13:15And as I look around me, there's more, look, one down there, one over there, one over there.
13:21This place was clearly well inhabited.
13:32There must have been a village here.
13:33Who ever made these grinding holes is long gone, which 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.
13:53That denotes a gully where at some level there is some water.
14:00Over there, there's a similar gully, over there, there's a similar gully.
14:07This morning's job is to, um, is to search for water.
14:11Normally, I drink three litres of water a day.
14:18I probably need to double that in this heat to prevent dehydration and loss of concentration.
14:27And I need to find it before it gets too hot.
14:34The gully's are thick, packed with vegetation.
14:39Almost impenetrable.
14:41The large trees grow here because there's water present.
14:46And the dense shrubs show that water must be near the surface because they only have short roots.
14:53But gully one is dry.
14:57That, I'm afraid, is disappointing.
15:01Okay.
15:02I'm going to move around to the next gully.
15:11I can't relax.
15:16It's the dryness of my mouth.
15:18It's not allowing me to enjoy that.
15:21I need to be careful in here for rattlesnakes and things, but the gully floor is just dry.
15:47Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely bone dry.
15:55Okay, I'm going to have to, I'm going to have to acknowledge that this, this gully is dry.
16:03And, um, I need to go and find, exploring another gully.
16:09The sun's almost above the mountain, and my first two searches are unsuccessful.
16:18Just one more gully to go.
16:21This gully's a bit wider, and there's a huge amount of insects in it.
16:38Bees and wasps, but there isn't buzzing around.
16:44Better feeling about this one.
16:48Come on.
16:51Okay, there's something here.
16:54I think I've found myself a pretty ugly water source, but that's water.
17:02I've never been surrounded by this many wasps and bees.
17:21This is a nerve-wracking drink of water.
17:24I have no way of purifying this, and it could be harboring disease, but I'm so dehydrated that I'll risk drinking from this spring in order to quench my thirst.
17:36That feels good.
17:46That feels so good.
17:50Okay, next priority.
17:52Got fire.
17:54Got water.
17:57The sun is now my 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.
18:11Grinding them up will give me my very own Factor 20.
18:15That paste there is very useful.
18:22It's literally a rock clay paste.
18:35So I'm literally going to cover myself in it.
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, and I've seen a desert fruit that might actually get me close to that, if I can get my hands on it.
19:10This big cactus here is a saguaro.
19:14This is good news for me, because the saguaro contain a fruit that's edible and very sweet.
19:22These saguaro cacti don't grow their first arm until they're at least 50 years old.
19:30Some of these plants could easily be 200 years old.
19:36They're up to 15 meters tall, and I'm well under 2 meters, so I'm going to have to improvise to get a good harvest.
19:44That is quite an extraordinary natural food.
20:12And it's abundant.
20:14And now I've got my stick, I'm going to pick loads of it.
20:17So, that's my next cactus.
20:26The quantity is phenomenal.
20:31These delicious fruits are highly calorific, due to their mix of sugary carbohydrates and seeds, which are a great source of fat.
20:41Dried out, they should last me through the week.
20:44Yeah.
20:46One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, fifteen, fourteen.
20:53Perfect.
20:54It's been a good day today and the fact that I found water
21:12couldn't be more necessary obviously
21:16and I need to think about shelter
21:18the weather could change at any moment
21:20and I need some shade during the day
21:22so I'm going to build some kind of structure
21:25around my camp
21:25so that's what I'm going to do tomorrow morning
21:28and hopefully get the majority of the work done
21:30before it gets stinking hot
21:52good morning
21:56another beautiful morning
21:59quite interestingly there's clouds there in the sky on the horizon
22:04there haven't been any clouds at all so far
22:06so that could mean the mark of the start of different weather
22:13if the weather is changing
22:18I need to make the most of these first few hours of relative cool
22:22and get building my shelter
22:25the thorny stems of the Ocotillo plant
22:33were traditionally used by Tohono O'odham
22:36for shelter building
22:37as they're flexible and strong
22:39they're easy to bend
22:44and stay rigid
22:45so it will be the frame for my shelter
22:47and I'm using a covering of desert broom
22:50which attaches to the thorns
22:52for thatching
22:53in the end
23:04this actually took me all day to make
23:07and although I'm tired
23:09I'm three days into my challenge
23:10and I still feel pretty good about things
23:13so we've got the shelter finished
23:16today which is good
23:17and it keeps the worst of the heat of the day off
23:20which is exactly what it's there for
23:23tomorrow
23:25I'm going to start trapping
23:26I'm eating in abundance
23:30but man cannot live on carbs alone
23:33so tomorrow I'm going to start trapping
23:36and there is quite an abundant amount of animals here
23:39but catching dinner could be the least of my worries
23:48as the weather takes a nasty turn
23:50it is getting heavier
23:52I'm Ed Stafford
24:01and I'm battling against the extremes
24:03of Arizona's Sonoran Desert
24:05I've just bedded down for the night
24:08in my shelter
24:09and the weather's starting to change
24:11it's rain
24:14it is rain
24:15all the stuff inside the shelter
24:19the ground outside is wet
24:22it's getting heavier
24:24it is getting heavier
24:26a major downpour in the mountains
24:35could cause rivers of water
24:37to rush down the canyon
24:38and over my camp
24:39with no advance warning
24:41spelling the end of my desert adventure
24:44and maybe even the end of me
24:47morning
24:58all quiet on the western front
25:01or rather the eastern front
25:04it's calm
25:06slightly
25:07slightly dappled overhead
25:09exhausted
25:16the clouds show that the monsoon is approaching
25:20and there are raindrops occasionally falling
25:22but I've been spared a flash flood
25:25and the rain has actually left me a bit of a surprise
25:28I've noticed that
25:40quite a lot of these mortars
25:43are full of rain water
25:46so I thought I'll get myself a little bit of hollow tube
25:49which is just a bit of dry reed
25:51and suck myself up some fresh water
25:55might as well put a lid on it
26:03reduce the amount of evaporation
26:06and keep drinking rain water
26:09for certainly the morning
26:11now for my first trap
26:16most animals in the canyon
26:21must visit the same water source
26:23that I'm using
26:24so I'm setting a snare trap across the path to it
26:27and blocking off other routes
26:28as an animal pushes its way through this narrow entrance
26:33the snare tightens around its neck
26:38and this is the only way in to the water
26:47the rest of my traps are traditional Paiute of deadfalls
26:51which 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
27:11and keeps everything finely balanced
27:13mouse comes in
27:15takes this prickly pair
27:16dislodges this very very delicate stick here
27:21she allows this arm to fly up in the air
27:23and the stone fall and kill it
27:26five traps set
27:34that's a pretty good day isn't it really
27:35try and do the same tomorrow
27:38and then I've got ten traps out
27:39quite a good probable chance
27:42of actually catching something then
27:43it's now day six
27:54and I'm getting a lot of calories from cactus fruit
27:57but no traps have worked yet
27:59and my body is craving meat
28:01that is really buffling
28:09that stone I put as a lid
28:12over the um
28:13over the fresh water
28:16the rain water that it collected
28:17in the mortar hole in the rock
28:19and I put it over to stop it evaporating
28:23and um
28:24something has flipped it over
28:28something has turned it to try and get
28:29but that must have been something quite big
28:31to move that rock
28:33and I'm only
28:38that far away from
28:40my fire just there
28:42how weird
28:45it must have been something fairly big
28:48in the night
28:48has come
28:49flipped over that rock
28:51it's a bit weird eh
28:56just doing my
29:04morning trap
29:06run
29:08i.e. looking around
29:09looking around the traps
29:11that one is still very much set
29:14let's go and check the others
29:17and this one's still set
29:29whatever's moving that stone
29:33seems to be out foxing me
29:35not one of my traps
29:37has bagged me a protein fix yet
29:39this one has sprung
29:41but there's nothing in it
29:42i feel pretty defeated
29:59and on top of my trap failure
30:04the weather's getting unbearable
30:06as the monsoon's approaching
30:08it's getting hotter
30:10and hotter
30:11i need to find some shade
30:14wow
30:25see these marks in the
30:29ceiling
30:30i don't want to touch it
30:31these
30:33paintings are probably
30:35thousands of years old
30:38you can see there
30:39a very distinct deer
30:41this is um
30:45this is a cave where
30:47clearly
30:48native american indians
30:50have um
30:52have spent a lot of time
30:54they must have done
30:56they must have sat here
30:57on a rock
30:58out of the sun
30:59this is just the boost i need
31:04and i'm going to channel
31:06my own native spirits
31:07inspired by this ancient art
31:09i'm just mixing up some
31:20colour palettes here
31:21because um
31:22i've been inspired by the
31:24rock paintings above me
31:25and i've decided in order
31:26to make my traps work
31:28and call in the animals
31:29that i want to trap in my
31:31traps
31:31i'm going to paint them
31:33on a rock
31:33obviously i'm not going to
31:35paint them in this cave
31:36i think that would be
31:37sacrilege
31:38i'm going to draw myself
31:40a rabbit
31:41because that's what i want
31:43to trap
31:43rabbit for supper would be
31:45nice
31:46it's possible that early
31:55people painted animals in a
31:56bid to steal their souls and
31:58help them with hunting
31:59the deer paintings here
32:01hint that this was a good
32:03hunting ground
32:04i hope it still is
32:06if it's a rabbit that's been
32:08drinking the water i've been
32:09saving
32:10then this could take me a step
32:12closer to bagging it
32:13that's my rabbit
32:17i'm quite happy with it
32:20i'm quite happy with that
32:21let's just hope it brings a rabbit
32:24into one of my traps
32:25that would be really cool
32:27now imbued with the spirits of the
32:37native americans
32:38my idea is to use the rabbit's need
32:40for water as a basis for another
32:42trap
32:43i'm going to put my biggest stone
32:46that i've got
32:47really heavy one
32:48over this so it's triggered so
32:51that if a rabbit comes and sticks
32:52his head in it'll move the trigger
32:54stick
32:54bosh get hammered by the hammerstone
32:58this rabbit is going to be caught
33:13you know
33:14this rabbit
33:16that was painted on the stone
33:19is going to be caught
33:19so close
33:23that trap is lethal
33:34it's going to work
33:36it's going to work
33:37it's going to work
33:38hey
33:43jot 10 set
33:46i just hope that i'm not the only thing
33:50this trap draws blood from
33:51it's now my last full day in arizona's sonoran desert
34:03so 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
34:13good morning
34:16good morning
34:16my trap
34:17i can see from over there
34:19has fallen down but
34:22i'm suspecting
34:23i am suspecting it has
34:26nothing in it
34:27i can't see
34:27a little bunny tower
34:29hanging out
34:30oh my god
34:35there's a skunk in there
34:38there's a skunk in there
34:39there's a skunk in there
34:41it's alive though
34:43oh my goodness
34:45it just squirted out stuff at me
34:47that is extraordinary
34:51the trap worked
34:53the trap worked
34:55The skunk's defense spray puts most attackers off
35:01and can be smelt over a kilometer away.
35:04But this one's been injured in my trap,
35:07so I need to dispatch it quickly.
35:13One dead skunk.
35:16Breakfast!
35:19It looks like the Tohono O'odham spirits
35:22may well have been on my side.
35:25And maybe my cave painting had some kind of effect.
35:31I don't like killing things.
35:33This is a survival situation.
35:35I'm hunting for food.
35:38This is how meat comes about.
35:41Meat 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,
35:49then killing it is actually part of the cycle of life.
35:52It's part of being an omnivore.
35:55It's part of being an omnivore.
35:58It's part of being a mosquito.
35:59Okay, that's where the glands are.
36:00In its tail.
36:03That's minging.
36:04I just saw it in the tail.
36:06And you see that yellow stuff?
36:07that is so minging
36:12that is what it looks like when it's gutted
36:20right gonna clean it give it a little bit of wash
36:24spit roast it and then wash myself
36:27crikey this disgusting
36:37flame-grilled skunk pretty cool
36:46I want to have a proper meal I want to celebrate this and so I'm just off out to
36:52collect mesquite pods and that very sweet pit that's in the middle of the of the
36:58mesquite beans I'm gonna grind up in the mortar holes that are in the rock just as
37:06Native Americans would have done in the hope of getting some flour out of it
37:13then I remove the seeds and remove the pods and just get left with the with a
37:19mushed-up pulp that's exactly what these mortars were designed for so if I can
37:26get enough flour add water and turn it into a damper so that I've got myself a
37:31proper meal this damper is similar to the dough that Native Americans would have
37:36made from mesquite pods I've got enough for five small balls and even a saguaro
37:43fruit pie okay all we need to do is pop that in the oven at gas mark five for 40
37:51minutes and it will be a perfectly baked saguaro mesquite pie
37:56it's such a feast I'm so excited wonderful
38:05and for the skunk
38:12do you know what that tastes really good
38:19roast beef Yorkshire puddings
38:31who would have thought a skunk could taste so good
38:38it's time for pudding
38:41I can't believe I'm eating a hot saguaro fruit pie
38:50in the middle of the Sonora desert
38:55it's just decadence it's absolute decadence
39:00and food's not the only gift my canyon offers up
39:14it's feasible
39:16we may get a bit more rain
39:19wow did you see that
39:27it's raining
39:42it's raining the heavens have opened
39:46hit the refresh button
39:52rain comes
39:53right let's not get the camera
39:58it's raining
40:04proper rain
40:07proper proper downpour
40:10it is amazing and refreshing
40:16but the wind getting up
40:19and actually it's quite cold
40:21so we're gonna go and sit in the cave
40:23nice start
40:27this life-giving rain is why so many animals survive here
40:46and what enabled ancient indigenous people to thrive here
40:50they would have been tied to the annual monsoon season
40:55but now my time's almost over
40:58allowing me one last moment of reflection
41:01we're not cavemen anymore
41:03we're not our ancestors
41:07we've moved on
41:07we've changed
41:08you know
41:09is there a romantic bit of me that
41:11just wants to live in the wild now
41:13no
41:14no
41:15no
41:16if i'm really honest
41:20what's really natural to me
41:22is to go home
41:24and open the fridge door
41:26and eat
41:27and give my fiance a big hug
41:30what really matters
41:33what really matters
41:34is family and friends
41:36and going home
41:37home is quite literally
41:42where your heart is
41:45where your heart is
42:15Good morning. It's day ten.
42:23That means I'm going home.
42:27I'm going home.
42:45It'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.
43:15Ten 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.
43:39This place really has allowed me to thrive beyond everywhere else, I think.
43:43It's been absolutely amazing.
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