- 6 days ago
A Journey Into Mexico's Most Ruthless Wilderness! Man, Woman, Wild S1 E1 |
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00:00What happens when you drop a husband and wife into some of the most remote places on the planet?
00:15We're about to find out.
00:21This time, we'll be stranded in the middle of a desolate Mexican desert.
00:25We're about to learn just how fast and easy this terrain can beat you down and take you out.
00:35Fortunately, my husband Mike is a survival expert, and he's ex-Special Forces.
00:41He survived in some of the most dangerous places in the world.
00:44Look, my next mission might just be my toughest.
00:47You need to learn how to handle snakes.
00:49Get your hand...
00:49Meet my wife, Ruth.
00:51Is it cooked?
00:52Yeah, it's cooked.
00:53Eat it.
00:54She's an experienced news anchor and an accomplished field journalist.
00:58And now I'm determined to learn everything I can about survival.
01:02Got it.
01:02Here's what we're going to do.
01:03Mike's going to teach me how to stay alive in the wild.
01:06Look at that.
01:07It's like a little volcano.
01:08My military skills will go a long way, but there's no field manual for surviving with a spouse.
01:14Oh, my goodness.
01:15There's nothing there.
01:16Oh.
01:16Oh.
01:16Oh.
01:16Oh.
01:17Oh.
01:17Oh.
01:17Oh.
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01:23Oh.
01:24Oh.
01:25The Chihuahua Desert in northern Mexico is 800 miles long and 250 miles wide.
01:31It flows into the Sonoran Desert to the north, making it the largest desert in North America.
01:37This time, we've lost our way on a routine day hike,
01:40and now we're stranded in a truly forbidding environment.
01:45Okay, we best get moving.
01:47You just got to move real slow, real careful.
01:50Typically, it can be a few days before a search and rescue operation would come looking for us.
01:55So, we've arranged for a rescue chopper to fly in this vicinity and try to extract us after four days.
02:01Until then, we have to survive on our own with nothing but the clothes on our backs, our knives, no canteen, and no water.
02:12Okay, so realistically, what are we up against here?
02:15I mean, thirst comes straight to my mind.
02:17That's a fact. We're up against the heat of the day, the cold of the night.
02:20Food is going to be a problem.
02:23Shelter is going to be a problem. Ain't a lot to build with out here.
02:26Fire is definitely going to be a problem to keep us warm at night.
02:28But the big thing, from the first day to the last day, and every step in between, is going to be water.
02:33We've got to start hydrating.
02:34Out here, water is life.
02:37First thing we need to do is assess our situation by getting to a good vantage point, and then let's make a plan.
02:43So, climb up that rattled, snaky, crevicey, hideous rock.
02:46That's right.
02:48The first thing to do is assess our situation.
02:51So, we'll get to higher ground so we can get an overview of our surroundings, and then make a plan for our movement.
02:56I really want to throw some rocks at it, just because snakes hear vibrations.
03:00Can you throw some rocks at it?
03:01Go ahead. We'll throw some rocks at it.
03:01I'm scared of the cracks.
03:03Go ahead.
03:06Shoot, snakes.
03:09He's laughing at me.
03:11Go over there.
03:11You'll be really sad if I get bitten.
03:13I will be, but...
03:14Yeah, well, don't worry about them.
03:15See, there could be rattlesnakes.
03:17He mocked me, and he laughed at me, but it's a genuine concern.
03:19Mexico has a dozen species of rattlesnakes, and they bite nearly 600 people each year.
03:25Since most bites happen when people step on snakes, it's a good idea to wear thick-soled high boots in the desert.
03:33Okay.
03:35Now, up here, take a look around.
03:37What do you see?
03:38Just an arid dust bowl.
03:41The Chihuahuan is called the Rain Shadow Desert, because it sits in the middle of two massive mountain ranges.
03:47The moisture from the ocean never gets here.
03:50That makes it extremely dry and uninhabitable.
03:53For our purposes, what we have to do is look at the overall terrain.
03:56Now we see the flow of the ravines down there.
03:59That tells us when it does rain, that's kind of where it goes.
04:02So what we want to do is look in those places and see if there's anything green.
04:06Like an oasis?
04:06They're pseudo-oasis.
04:07There's green there.
04:09That's right.
04:09That's that patch.
04:10That's right. You see the trees there together.
04:12Maybe there's some kind of depression that's holding a little bit of moisture so that those things can grow.
04:16There could be water there, so that's where we're heading.
04:19All right, let's go.
04:21Here in the Chihuahuan Desert, daytime temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity levels as low as 10%.
04:28This means dehydration and sun exposure will be a major threat to us.
04:33In fact, this arid wasteland has claimed more than 5,000 lives over the last 15 years.
04:40That's not confidence instilling.
04:44The key component to survival in the desert is to conserve water.
04:49So pace yourself, move slow, save your sweat, and hydrate every chance you get.
04:54So the first thing we're going to be doing is looking for some barrel cacti and other plants that we can get water from.
04:59So, you see there's lots of them around here. Let's find a good one.
05:03Okay, right over here is a big one. Let's go take a look.
05:05Okay, this right here is a nice-sized barrel cactus.
05:10How do you know that this particular one isn't some vile, hallucinogenic, diarrhea-making, poisonous thing?
05:17Granted, everything out here is thorny and wants to poke you. That's true.
05:20But this looks nice and natural and symmetric.
05:22It looks evil with spikes.
05:23Well, I'm going to show you.
05:25Ooh, there we go.
05:28See, that one looks like it's rotted out.
05:30This right here is going to give us no love.
05:33Oh.
05:33Look at that. That's a big, sad face.
05:36And I've already expended some energy.
05:38I'm breathing a little bit.
05:40I even work so much, I got a little sweat going, and that's wrong.
05:42That really sucks.
05:44Here we go.
05:54Oh, yeah.
05:56Yep.
05:57This one just feels a lot better.
06:00Ah, that's so easily in.
06:03That's the difference of what a good one looks like compared to, you know, that dried-up dead one we had.
06:09But you can see how nice and soft and easy that cuts.
06:12Mm-hmm.
06:13All right, so give that a taste.
06:18Mm.
06:19It's like a juicy, raw potato.
06:22There you go.
06:23It's really important to suck this and spit it out.
06:26You don't eat it, do you, if you haven't got any water to wash it down with?
06:29If the body doesn't have water to digest the food, it starts sucking the water out of the bloodstream,
06:34and that makes you dehydrated that much quicker.
06:36I was really tempted to swallow this mouthful because I'm so hungry.
06:39Not now.
06:40So you're going to have to do about six cacti a day just to keep the minimal amount of fluids going in you.
06:45Survival ain't rocket science.
06:48Out here, if you want to stay alive, you've got to hydrate.
06:51So we're going to have to keep hunting cactus all day long.
06:55We also have to get out of the blazing sun.
06:57So we've got to keep moving towards that oasis.
07:01Let's go this way.
07:04Yeah!
07:04Wow, the earth suddenly just gives way here.
07:14Miles of dry riverbeds crisscross the desert floor.
07:17They can be a great place to look for water because if it did rain here recently,
07:21there might be some moisture down there.
07:24All right, let's go.
07:25You'd like to go first, don't you?
07:27You were saying something mocky, smiley way.
07:29No, good luck.
07:31Looks amazing, this place.
07:33Yeah.
07:34You can see where water's washed all these trees down here.
07:37They're all bent.
07:38Yeah, all the way up that high.
07:40Look, it's taken away all the soil that that root would have been in.
07:44Is it water in here?
07:45Under here?
07:46Well, it would look like it.
07:47Just blow this mud.
07:49All right, just more mud.
07:50And then there's rocks start to hit rock down there.
07:54So if we'd come here maybe a week, even two weeks after the last flash flood,
07:59this might have been a place to get some water, but we're too late.
08:02There's a dry well.
08:04Even though it hasn't rained since we've been here and it's not likely to rain,
08:07this is somewhere that you would never, ever sleep.
08:10Because a flash flood could come, like, raging down here within minutes.
08:15I mean, it could be raining over there and you not see it.
08:17And more people around the world drown in the desert than die of thirst.
08:21Did you know that's interesting?
08:22No, I didn't.
08:22That's pretty dang crazy.
08:24Yeah.
08:24Well, so we ain't camping down here.
08:26We need to get out of this death trap.
08:30We've been on the move for most of the day.
08:32And now the oasis that was set out for is just within reach.
08:36I'm hoping it will provide us with some water
08:37and be a good location to make camp for the night.
08:42So basically, I mean, what kind of shelter?
08:43I mean, am I going to be up above the ground?
08:45I don't like the idea of sleeping on the ground where rattlesnakes slither.
08:52I have to get used to it, sweetie.
08:54No, seriously.
08:55Seriously.
08:55If I ain't got trees to get us up off the ground,
08:58and it's a lot of work to build a shelter up off the ground,
09:00we're just going to sleep on the dirt floor.
09:03I'm going to sleep on top of him.
09:04That's okay.
09:05We can manage that.
09:08Okay.
09:10All day walking.
09:11Finally get to this oasis.
09:13Let's see what we got.
09:13All right.
09:15All right.
09:20Look, there's big flakes of dried out.
09:26That's the antithesis of an oasis.
09:28There's nothing.
09:32There ain't much of an oasis.
09:33I got an idea.
09:37What we're going to try to do is dig a hole and see if we can find some mud.
09:43Okay.
09:44This is a risk because I'm expending a lot of energy to dig this hole.
09:50When I can't find a water source, I look under trees or rocks in low-lying areas.
09:56If there's some damp soil or mud, I can extract the moisture from it.
09:59I'm fixing to say...
10:06There's nothing.
10:08I think you're right.
10:09If you dig 12 inches and you see some moisture, I'd be willing to dig another foot.
10:15If it's just bone dry like this, best to just stop.
10:19That's a dry well.
10:21The truth is our situation is looking pretty grim.
10:24Our attempts to find water have failed.
10:26And all we've had today is a little bit of cactus juice.
10:30We're in a desperate need of fluid.
10:32So I'm going to have to take some extreme measures in order to get some.
10:35I got another plan.
10:37I got to go to bathroom.
10:39Okay.
10:40Nope.
10:40That's not what I'm saying.
10:42What I'm saying is...
10:44I got to go to bathroom.
10:46That's fluid.
10:48That's good drinking fluid.
10:50We can't let that go to waste.
10:52So what I'm going to do is I'm going to make a little bowl out of a barrel cacti.
10:57And then I'm going to...
10:57You want me to drink your pee?
11:00I was going to share it with you.
11:01I thought that's pretty nice.
11:03I thought it was going to...
11:03I've heard.
11:04I've heard of this survival technique.
11:05He's going to drink his own.
11:07That's acceptable somehow.
11:09I want to drink your pee.
11:10Somehow I find it acceptable that you're sharing it with me.
11:14So...
11:15But we're just...
11:15Let's...
11:18Hold on a minute.
11:19Y'all excuse me.
11:21Do the do.
11:24That's dark, yellow, and frothy.
11:26God, I'm in the throat.
11:27I can't do it.
11:31Ruth and I are stranded in one of the world's harshest desert environments, where we've gone
11:36the whole day with only a small amount of cactus juice and no water.
11:40It's forcing me to try something a little bit unconventional.
11:44Urine, the first pass, is completely safe.
11:48But after that, it's going to be way too concentrated to drink.
11:51So, we can't waste this.
11:53We've got to drink it.
11:54A healthy person's urine is mostly water, and it's sterile.
11:57So the first time you go, you can safely drink it and recycle that precious fluid.
12:01Just remember, when you're in the sand or on the sea, if you want to live, drink your pee.
12:07I can't guarantee it's not going to make me gag and throw up.
12:10And that is a risk, because if you end up throwing up, not only did you waste the urine,
12:14but you just lost more fluid than you were putting in.
12:17Oh, God.
12:17But it'll be all right.
12:18That's why we've got to drink it fresh, because the problem is, once you let it sit,
12:22then it's going to become full of bacteria very, very quickly.
12:26Now, if you all excuse me.
12:28Do the do.
12:29Yeah, hold it down there for me.
12:37I ain't going to have no problem with it.
12:38It's your urine.
12:39I could drink my own somehow.
12:41It's the idea of drinking someone else's pee.
12:44It's finished.
12:45God, I'm in the throat.
12:47That's not clear.
12:48It's not bad.
12:49That's dark, yellow, and frothy.
12:51That's probably already too dangerous, isn't it?
12:52Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.
12:57That is frigging delicious.
12:58That's really aggling pretty darn good.
13:01You're a freak.
13:03You're an absolute freak.
13:04No, I'm telling you, it's got no taste now because of the potato from the cactus.
13:09I'm thoroughly impressed.
13:11I'm feeling faint.
13:11I'm going to be sick.
13:12I haven't even done it yet.
13:13Are you kidding?
13:14I don't feel particularly well.
13:18There you go.
13:20Try that.
13:20I'm telling you, it's not that bad.
13:23Mind ever matter.
13:23Mind ever matter.
13:24It's my husband's pee with a bit sroting it.
13:28Hang on.
13:31Seriously, is it seriously a good thing to do?
13:33Yes, it is the right thing to do, and it's the only thing to do.
13:35You're not just saying it to be sensational to laugh at me.
13:38It's actually a proper thing to do.
13:39Well, you know me well enough.
13:41If I say it, I mean it.
13:43I can't do it.
13:44It's not that bad.
13:52Are you kidding?
13:53Don't drop it.
13:54Baby, don't.
13:55Hold that in now.
13:56You need that.
13:56Don't.
13:58Ruth.
13:59Oh, I feel afraid.
14:00I've got your wee all over my chin.
14:06Stayed in.
14:07Stayed in.
14:07Did it.
14:08Want some more?
14:09No.
14:10I'm sorry.
14:11I can't let this go to waste, sir.
14:13It smelled exactly like when I followed him into the bathroom in the morning.
14:17Early morning pee.
14:19There's a little too much information there missing.
14:22It's a fact.
14:22I'm a little worried that Ruth didn't drink enough urine to properly hydrate.
14:30With no drinkable water and only a tiny bit of cactus juice, her body is very low on fluids,
14:35and that could lead to trouble.
14:40All right, sweetie.
14:40The sun's starting to set, so we're going to have to make ourselves a hooch.
14:43We've got to build some kind of place to sleep tonight.
14:45I'm thinking about sleeping right up here on the rim.
14:48That way, we're up on solid dry ground.
14:51You focus on gathering up all the soft things you can around us, and that's going to be
14:56our mattress.
14:57And what I'll focus on is putting the roof over our head by gathering up all the strong
15:01branches I can and building us a little lean-to.
15:04In the desert, the air is so dry it doesn't hold in the heat.
15:08And when the sun drops at night, so does the temperature.
15:11It could drop as much as 80 degrees.
15:13So tonight, Ruth and I could see temperatures dip down to near freezing.
15:21This thing, you've started building it already.
15:23Yes.
15:23But I haven't cleaned it underneath.
15:24There could be spiders in it.
15:25I've already cleaned it.
15:26That's not clean.
15:27Just start gathering up green stuff.
15:29No, I don't have an issue with creepy crawlers per se.
15:32Just things that can bite and maim and kill you.
15:35There's a lot of yellow flowers here.
15:41I don't need yellow flowers.
15:42You're the softest.
15:45I'm just trying to make a comfy bed.
15:47Okay, baby.
15:48All right.
15:49We'll make a comfy bed.
15:50The thing is, Mike just kind of laughed at me.
15:52But he has got a broken vertebrae in his neck from jumping out of aircraft into war zones.
15:58And sometimes at home in our soft bed, he'll wake up with no feeling in these two fingers.
16:02And I'm really concerned about that.
16:04I mean, that's a hard floor with just a few flowers on it.
16:08I'm just trying to be a good wife.
16:09Are you going to set fire to that mass there?
16:12Is that where it's going to be?
16:15Actually, there ain't going to be a fire.
16:16There ain't enough time.
16:20Okay.
16:21Because we haven't had time to gather firewood.
16:24No.
16:25Without a lighter and making fire could take hours.
16:27There's nothing.
16:27There's no point.
16:28Just...
16:30Well, I figured a fire would give us warmth, but this would give us warmth and protection.
16:35So I opted for this.
16:36Okay.
16:37So we'll see how it goes.
16:41You see that, son?
16:42We got about five minutes.
16:43Might as well go ahead and have a little seat.
16:45Start getting our coats on.
16:46I'm already starting to feel chilled right now.
16:47I got the goosebumps.
16:52That just feels heavenly.
16:53So what's the plan for tomorrow, baby?
16:55There ain't no doubt that this un-oasis ain't going to hold us for the duration.
17:00So we're going to have to basically take a gamble and strike out tomorrow and try to find something better.
17:05All right.
17:05Let's start getting ready.
17:07Sleepy time.
17:08Okay.
17:08It just amazes me, the huge disparity in temperature from the day to the night.
17:20I'm dressed up like an Eskimo now.
17:23Come 3am, I'll be freezing.
17:25Oh.
17:28Ah, I'm back.
17:29Yeah, that's good.
17:30I'll have my bed.
17:31Yeah, that's okay.
17:32Not my baby.
17:37Baby, are you asleep?
17:39I was until you started talking.
17:42How are you feeling?
17:43Awful.
17:44I'm hungry and thirsty and I'm freezing I've never been this cold
17:59Did you get any sleep last night baby you wriggled so much I think I got about
18:05Four hours every time you moved your warm body away from behind I woke up. Yeah, I'm sorry about that
18:11But our shelter was really lacking. You can stick this on now. I'm gonna get me some breakfast. Is that a deal?
18:17I'm gonna try can't promise nothing. I think I'm really too thirsty to eat, but go um go get me breakfast
18:28I'm wearing this helmet with a camera mounted on it so I can hunt alone without the camera crew coming with me and scaring away the wildlife
18:35That missed that was truly the coldest night I've ever had in my entire life ever
18:43I've still got no feeling in my little toe because I'm so cold
18:46You can really understand why
18:49ancient civilizations built huge temples to Sun gods
18:54Because the last few hours I was just praying for morning
19:01By day you're cursing it and by night you're praying for it
19:05All right
19:22All right, I'm not finding anything and I'm wasting a lot of energy than what I need later
19:27So I probably ought to start heading back
19:31Mike's back
19:33Did you get anything?
19:35No
19:37There's no breakfast, is there?
19:39No breakfast
19:41I walked up one side of the draw and then back up the other
19:45I didn't see any critters and I walked down in a draw and I didn't see any water
19:49I gotta go sit down
19:51I'm tired
19:53Even though you're gonna have some failures, don't get discouraged. You gotta keep trying
19:57Eventually you'll succeed
19:59And that is what increases your chances of getting out alive
20:03Get dressed I'm gonna start packing up our base camp okay?
20:05Okay
20:07You got your bundle?
20:09No, not yet. Can I grab my camera back? Look a mouse!
20:11That guy's just asking us to kill him
20:13Look at it
20:15Dead
20:17Yes he is
20:19We can't eat that
20:21It's too small to eat
20:23You cook that little boy
20:25You crunch them all up except the guts
20:27Since our plan is to move on to another oasis
20:29And we don't have a fire yet
20:31We won't eat this mouse now
20:33We'll save him for later
20:35What I'm trying to do is
20:37I can
20:38Yeah, just not touch him
20:39There are a lot of diseases out here
20:41You wanna be as safe as you can
20:42We'll cook his meat later
20:43And he'll be good to go
20:44I got my little kill spotted by Ruth
20:47Wrapped up in this little flower bundle
20:49And that's how I'm gonna travel with him
20:50It looks so little
20:52Doesn't seem it's gonna do us any good
20:54Life's full of stories of people who didn't make it
20:57And just a few hours later they were found
20:59So that one hour of mouse energy could be an hour that gets us through
21:03Matter of fact you got room in your bag
21:05His foot is poking out
21:06Fluids are gonna seep out of it
21:08It's gonna be a biohazard
21:09No, we ain't got no fluids
21:11Look at that
21:12I'm carrying a dead mouse in my camera bag
21:15Okay, you see how there's an other slope?
21:18Yeah
21:19And it's a little bit more green
21:20About as green as where we are
21:21We're gonna start walking that general direction
21:23And the first bit of cacti that we find
21:27That we can hydrate
21:28We're gonna hydrate
21:29And then we're gonna get over there
21:30Your lips have gone all wrinkled
21:31His lips are so beautiful
21:33He's got the most wonderful fat lush lips
21:35There's no fluid in them
21:40Go
21:42Since our first oasis was a dry well
21:44We need to search for another spot that could provide us with some water and a better shelter
21:51We're in dire straits already
21:53And if we don't get water soon
21:54We just might not make it out of this place
21:57My head is exploding and I feel nauseous
22:02This is getting serious
22:04This is really bad
22:05I might need help
22:06I think Ruth is on the verge of a heat stroke
22:08This is only our second day in the desert
22:17And the barren terrain has proven to be a major challenge
22:20Our first oasis was dry as a bone
22:23So now our desperate search for water continues
22:25Yeah, we need another dose of fluid
22:30Let's get what we gotta do and then we'll hydrate some more
22:34Okay, look, here we go
22:39Here's some shade
22:40So we can sit here and chop some of these
22:42Sit in the shade and eat them up, okay?
22:44Ooh, these do look juicy
22:49This is what I call a desert cucumber
22:51Because it looks a lot like a cucumber
22:53But a bit spiky
22:54Once you get past the needles though
22:56The flesh is even juicier than the barrel cactus
22:59I don't believe there's enough fluid
23:01Honey, you see these little things are everywhere
23:03But you literally have to stop, chop, suck
23:07Stop, chop, suck
23:09I really want to say something positive
23:11But this is just miserable living
23:13And it ain't really living
23:14It ain't
23:15It's existing
23:16Barely existing
23:17Survival
23:18Survival is not fun
23:20If it is fun, you're camping
23:22Alright
23:23Saddle up, move out
23:28Look how pronounced this path is
23:30This is purely from rabbits and other small animals
23:33That's why they call it a game trail
23:34If you find a game trail
23:36Follow it
23:37Because it's either going to lead you to the game's home
23:39Where you can eat them
23:41Or to possible water
23:43So that's what we're going to do
23:44We're going to follow this little game trail
23:46And hope
23:53Such a throbbing headache
23:55And my thoughts aren't coming as clearly as normal
23:59Roos headache is definitely a late stage of dehydration
24:02When the amount of fluid leaving your body is more than you're taking in
24:05A headache is a sure sign that something is wrong
24:10Look, palm tree type things
24:12Yeah, it's a big, giant spot of green
24:16Let's go explore that little area and see if we can find a little wet spot we can try to dig in
24:21Let's go around this way
24:26Just look at the floor
24:27There's, I mean, there's no indication of anything
24:29That ground is looking bone dry
24:32Damn it
24:34We struck out once again
24:37Finding water here is turning out to be much more difficult than I expected
24:41So far, we've only had a minimal amount of fluids from the cactus we found and some urine
24:46Now, our bodies are starting to feel the effects of no water, no food, lack of good sleep, and exposure to the harsh elements
24:54My head is killing me
24:57Yeah
24:58I think we're gonna just go down in here and hang out in the shade
25:01And try to stay out of this midday sun
25:03Cause it's putting a zap on us fast
25:06Oh, the mouse
25:13I bet it's only 10.30
25:15It feels like noon
25:17Now get a rest
25:19Then slowly pick around for all the cacti
25:30Headaches so bad
25:31Yeah
25:32Oh, the symptoms are on my head
25:33The sun and my hand is burning
25:35On a military operation, we wouldn't deploy to the desert without at least five liters of water per man per day
25:41Now, Ruth and I have been out here with nothing, and I'm starting to get concerned about her
25:49My head is exploding, and I feel nauseous
25:53I'm very weak
25:55We're gonna hold right here, okay?
25:57We're not moving anywhere else today
25:59We're not gonna do anything else today
26:01Ow, it just hurts so much
26:05Just massive, massive headache
26:07It's like a migraine type thing
26:10This is really bad
26:12I might need help
26:13Are you okay?
26:14Ruth is on the verge of a heat stroke
26:16Her body's cooling mechanism is shutting down
26:18And if not treated right away, she could suffer brain damage, organ failure, or die
26:24Ruth and I come to remote locations to learn to survive and test ourselves
26:30But this mission has turned ugly
26:32And now we're facing a real-life medical emergency
26:35So my only choice now is to have the crew calling their medic from their base camp about a mile away
26:41Medical, medical, medical
26:44Go ahead for medical
26:45We got a problem down here, Ruth
26:46Seems to be in pretty bad shape
26:47If you could get your stuff and come down here as quick as you can
26:51Roger that, I'm on my way
26:57Rick?
26:59Hold on
27:00Rick, there's some more
27:01Oh, I hit
27:04Okay, try this
27:06Need to get in your system right now
27:08It has electrolytes in it
27:10It has sugar, salt, and potassium in it
27:12It's going to rehydrate you
27:13Try to drink as much as you can
27:15So little sips
27:16Give it a minute
27:17Let it settle
27:18Little sips
27:19But you gotta keep putting it in
27:21I'm cold actually
27:22Yeah, I'm cold
27:23Yeah
27:24One of the strangest things about overheating
27:26Is it tricks your body to feeling like it's cold
27:29And that's definitely a sign of heat stroke
27:31When you're suffering from heat stroke
27:33Your heart pumps blood to your extremities
27:35And you feel cold when you're actually overheated
27:38I'm cold, I'm just getting cold
27:41The pulse is really rapid and sporadic
27:45Hey, we need to get on the satellite phone
27:47Make sure there's a medevac chopper standby
27:49Watching Ruth suffer like this is killing me
27:52But my military experience has taught me
27:54To remain calm in life and death situations
27:57If I were to show just how worried I really am
28:00It could cause Ruth to panic
28:02Making a bad situation worse
28:04It's cold
28:09Don't breathe fast
28:10No, I'm gonna be safe
28:17As a result of severe dehydration
28:19Ruth is suffering from a heat stroke
28:21I'm so concerned for her safety
28:23I made the decision to bring in the crew medic
28:27You're not gonna be sick
28:29No, I'm gonna be sick
28:30Give it to her
28:31Okay
28:32Try not to breathe in deep
28:33Breathe in deep
28:34Just breathe in deep
28:35Just hold your breath
28:36Don't breathe fast
28:37No, I'm gonna be sick
28:38Okay
28:48Now, Ruth's lost all the fluid she took in
28:50We gotta get her rehydrated
28:52And reduce her core temperature immediately
28:57I think we wanna get that medevac chopper
29:03Yeah, we're all right
29:04Oh
29:05You sure?
29:07Yeah
29:08You gotta really try to keep drinking?
29:09Yeah
29:15Mike, her heart rate was 115, 120
29:17Really rapid
29:18Back down to 60, 75 right now
29:20She's doing much better now
29:21She's doing much better now
29:22Her core temperature has cooled down
29:23And she's out of immediate danger
29:25But Mike, you gotta keep her warm tonight
29:28I really don't like this desert
29:30It is one of the toughest places to survive
29:33I was gonna say it's got some kind of savage beauty
29:35But it's just savage
29:37Since Ruth's vital signs have stabilized
29:44And Rick the medic has given her the okay
29:46She wants to continue the mission
29:48Now that Rick has returned to the crew base camp
29:50We're all on our own again
29:52Back into survival mode
29:54Hey, baby
29:57Yeah
29:58How you doing?
29:59I feel absolutely dreadful
30:01The idea of another cold night
30:04I can't bear it
30:06So I got a sleeping bag from one of the crew, okay?
30:09Your safety
30:10Oh, I really failed then
30:11No, baby, no, baby
30:13Your safety's the most important thing
30:15Your health is the most important thing
30:16We're gonna keep driving on the best that we can
30:18But I can't do that if you go down, alright?
30:21Okay
30:22Okay
30:23Thank you
30:25I can just get warm and sleep
30:28I think I can stick it out
30:29For now we'll just keep you covered up then, okay?
30:31Yeah, thank you
30:32Alright
30:35So as you can see the sun's just about ready to hit the horizon
30:38So I'm really running out of time
30:39So I gotta work hard and fast to get this fire going for Ruth
30:42To keep her warm tonight
30:43So all I'm doing now is just trying to make a bit of a base platform
30:46That will allow air to get in there
30:48I went out and found myself a little bird nest
30:50A dead bird nest tend to be one of the best kind of tinder balls you can get
30:54I'm gonna use the most basic method there is for getting a fire
30:57It's called the fire plow
30:59By plowing one stick into another
31:01The friction will generate heat
31:03And that will create an ember
31:06Smell it
31:12That's a lot of work
31:20Okay, I'm starting to hit my wall
31:37I got strength
31:38I'm gonna give this one last go
31:39Okay, alright
31:40Alright, I think that's it
31:41Okay
31:42Okay, alright
31:43Alright, I think that's it
31:48Okay
31:49Okay
31:50There we go
31:51Shhh
31:52Way more, buddy
31:53Come on, baby
31:54Come on, baby
31:55There we go
31:56Oh, this is such a precious moment
31:59Can't tell you the number of times I've got a little excited and put the dang things right out
32:06No
32:07This is a happy, happy moment
32:08And I spent well over an hour and a half just trying to get this fire to work
32:09I'm gathering up all the firewood I can so I can keep it warm
32:10We're gonna scape the firewood
32:11We're gonna scape the firewood
32:12We're gonna scape the firewood
32:13We're gonna scape the firewood
32:14Okay
32:15There we go
32:16Okay
32:17There we go
32:18Okay
32:19There we go
32:20Shhh
32:21Way more, buddy
32:22Come on, baby
32:23Come on, baby
32:24Come on, baby
32:25There we go
32:26This is such a precious moment
32:27Well over an hour and a half just trying to get this fire to work
32:31I'm gathering up all the firewood I can so I can keep Ruth warm
32:35We're gonna skip shelter
32:38And hope that the fire is enough to keep us warm tonight
32:40Even now, Ruth's body will struggle to regulate normal temperature
32:44So my hope is with a fire and a sleeping bag
32:47I can keep her core body temperature stabilized during the night
32:50And I'm proud she's willing to stick it out and soldier on
32:53I brought Ruth out here so it's my responsibility to make sure I get her back home
32:59It's okay, baby
33:00It's okay
33:02Come over here and check this out
33:04What have you got?
33:05Looks like it's probably a little baby rattler
33:07Oh, no, no, no, no
33:08There's a little rattle
33:10Okay
33:11I can hear it
33:12I can hear its rattle
33:17It's our second night in the Chihuahuan desert in northern Mexico
33:20Oh, God
33:21With the help of the medic, I'm recovering from a nearly fatal bout of heat stroke
33:25I'm still very weak
33:27But I'm determined to stick this out to the end
33:29So, here we are
33:31Night two after hideous day
33:34I'm so sick
33:35How do you feel it's gone?
33:37The hole is pretty rough
33:39We had a rough movement
33:40No breakfast
33:42Minimal water
33:43You damn near died, frankly
33:45And, uh, we're still here, so it makes it okay
33:49So, baby, what are you doing right now?
33:51I'm getting ready to have dinner
33:53It's that little mouse
33:54The little mouse from this morning
33:56Thank you for your food, little man
33:58Eat much
33:59Eat much
34:02What does it taste like?
34:03Ash, mostly
34:05Poor little fella didn't have much on him
34:07Every little bit helps, so
34:09Well, I need to sit back down, because I feel so ill
34:11And I don't feel like eating anything
34:13Especially a dead mouse
34:15Yeah, baby, rest, rest
34:17Ruth is still feeling pretty rough
34:19But hopefully, she'll get some rest
34:20And stay warm next to the fire
34:22And we'll have a better day tomorrow
34:29Okay, here we are
34:30Morning of...
34:32What day is it?
34:33Day three?
34:34Day three
34:35It's all blurring into one
34:36What's the first thing on the agenda today?
34:38Okay, my mission for today
34:40Is to go out and go hunting for some food
34:47It's very easy to get lost out here
34:49You know, always try to keep your bearings
34:53Remember rocking my hand
34:55Ready to throw
34:56Miss ready to pin it down
34:58Knife ready to finish it off
35:03Mike's not back yet
35:04And, um, I'm starting to worry
35:06Because at the end of the day
35:07He might have been bitten by a snake
35:09Or, you know
35:10More likely succumbed to sunstroke
35:12Go back this way
35:14Cancel me here
35:17Oh, look at that
35:19I walked for miles
35:20And it's right here
35:21In my own backyard
35:22Come over here and check this out
35:24Baby?
35:26Where are you?
35:27I'm over here
35:29Hey, sweetie
35:30Got a little teeny bit of chow right over here
35:33What have you got?
35:34Just a little snake
35:35Snake?
35:36Basically, he's just kind of sitting in the sun
35:37Warming up
35:38What type of snake is it?
35:39Well
35:40Looks like it's probably a little baby rattler
35:42Oh, no, no, no, no
35:44Careful, careful, careful, careful
35:46A baby rattlesnake is just as dangerous as a big rattlesnake
35:48Because they often
35:49Over
35:50Envenomate
35:51Because they don't know what they're doing
35:52Alright, he's got his tongue coming out now
35:54So he's detecting me
35:55He's warming up and saying
35:57Alright, something's not right
35:58Wait
35:59Should I stay here?
36:00Yeah, stay right there, baby
36:01Let me get this guy pinned down
36:02Now, the whole thing about snakes
36:04Control the head
36:05You control the snake
36:07There's a little rattle
36:08There's a little rattle
36:09Okay
36:10I can hear it
36:11I can hear its rattle
36:12Alright, sorry, my man
36:13You have to be eaten
36:14Careful, careful, careful
36:15Yes, yes
36:16John Stone, John, shall I help?
36:17No, no, no, no, no, no
36:18Look at him trying to get me there
36:19No, no, no
36:20Okay, he's trying to get me
36:21Aw
36:22Look at that
36:23Shall I get his head?
36:24No, baby, no, baby, no
36:25Where's the knife?
36:26No, look, he's upset
36:27I'm gonna finish him off
36:28Sorry, my man
36:29Thank you for your food
36:32Alright
36:33That's it
36:36He's done
36:38Alright
36:39To be honest
36:40That blood right there
36:41Sorry, but that's a little bit of salt, baby
36:46Little bit dirty
36:47What about things in it?
36:49Well, I ain't too worried about reptiles
36:51And their diseases
36:52It's the mammals
36:53Salmonella, surely
36:54Well, if on the skin
36:55If we're licking the skin
36:56There you go
36:57Alright
36:58That is like human blood
36:59And he's still squirming
37:01That's a little bit of chow
37:02To go with the little rat we had last night
37:05Get his lower jaw going
37:06And that's just like a spontaneous reflex
37:08Yep, absolutely
37:09Look at that
37:10Oh, look at that
37:11That's incredible
37:12Still going
37:13A dead head can still bite you
37:14Absolutely
37:15What they have is kind of an autonomic nervous system
37:16So anything touches them anywhere along the body
37:18And they respond to it
37:19Now these things have been known to bite people
37:21And they think up to a day afterwards
37:23So the safest thing is just to bury the head
37:25Alright, mama, there's chow
37:26I'm gonna bring that home and skin it
37:28Put it on the barbie
37:30So there you go
37:32No head
37:33No guts
37:34No skin
37:35See them moving?
37:37Like some circus freak show dinner
37:39It's our third day in the desert of Mexico
37:47Surviving in this dry wasteland has taken a lot out of us
37:50But at least now we got lunch
37:53The snake's gonna be a real nice little morsel
37:55All poisonous snakes are safe to eat once you remove the head
37:59Because that's where they store the venom
38:01So you cut off the head
38:03And the rest of the meat is good to eat
38:05But like all other critters
38:07You still gotta skin them
38:08And gut them
38:09And cook them
38:10Before you can eat them
38:11Oh, now look
38:13See, now I've stimulated it
38:15Caused it
38:16That would be pain
38:18If it were alive
38:20Because I'm separating the skin
38:22From the muscle
38:23So it's just like pulling down
38:24Stocking from the ladies
38:26Now hold it tightly
38:28It's twitching
38:29Yes, it's pulling
38:30Hold it tight
38:31Now all I'm gonna do is pull
38:32And that will de-skin it
38:34And it pulls the guts out and everything
38:36If this had happened yesterday
38:37I'd have heaved my guts
38:38I'm still feeling slightly squeamish
38:40Which is pathetic
38:41There you go
38:42Wow, that seems remarkable
38:43All right, let's see if
38:44What's in his stomach
38:45Ah, looky here
38:46There's a mouse
38:47There's a little baby mouse in his stomach
38:49Look at that
38:51Oh
38:53Still, even after it's skinned
38:55It is moving in my hand
38:57Breakfast shouldn't do that
38:59And basically we're just gonna sit here
39:02For a little spell
39:03And cook him up till he's uh
39:04Nice and white
39:05Nice and white
39:06Look at that
39:07See him moving
39:08It's like some circus freak show dinner
39:11So there you go
39:12No head
39:13No guts
39:14No skin
39:15How's it smell, baby?
39:17Oh
39:19When it was raw
39:20It smelled all right
39:21Now it smells off
39:27Yep
39:28Tastes like snake
39:29How many snakes have you eaten?
39:31I don't know, probably a hundred
39:32A hundred snakes?
39:34Well we can take it off the stick now, sweetie
39:36You know
39:38Ooh, are you trying the bone?
39:39Not intentionally
39:40Hmm
39:42Yeah
39:44Rattlesnake meat is about three quarters protein
39:46And one quarter fat
39:48We probably got enough energy from that little fella
39:51To get us through the night
39:52Okay, so here we are
39:53The night of day three
39:56I'm feeling a lot better than this time last night
39:59So what's tomorrow's plan?
40:00What's the plan?
40:01We'll break camp
40:02And uh
40:03Go try to find our ride out of here
40:06The helicopter
40:07Hooray
40:08I'm already excited about the helicopter
40:11It's been a long day
40:14I'm real cold
40:15But if you get cold you can come and snuggle up with me
40:17No, no
40:18No, no, sweet dreams
40:19Love you
40:27Well this morning I am obviously still dehydrated
40:31I've got a slight headache
40:33I feel nauseous
40:34And I'm just so looking forward to getting out of here
40:39Woohoo
40:40We're going to make a movement down that valley
40:42Um
40:43Try to find a good high point to catch our helicopter
40:46Let's go break camp and find our way out of here
40:49You know I can move and I can feel bits of stabbing all around my body
40:56Cactus needles
40:57Yep
40:58I really, really want to go home
41:01I'll be happy
41:02But anything could go wrong
41:04I don't let up until I'm all the way back home
41:11Our rescue chopper knows that we're within a 20 mile area
41:14But the rescue team won't see us if we're hidden down in these little valleys
41:18So we've got to get to the highest point as quick as we can
41:21I feel weak
41:22Well, you've had a rough couple of days, sweetie
41:25That one
41:26That one
41:27That one
41:28Let's head up this hill
41:29It's a good high point where they can spot us
41:34What happened to us out here is a perfect example
41:37Of how dangerous being lost in the wild can really be
41:40Our mission to survive in this dry, hot desert for four days nearly failed
41:45Even though Ruth got taken down from dehydration
41:48I'm really proud of her for sticking it out to the end
41:51She continues to amaze me at just how tough she really is
41:55I could have died out here
42:09It was a truly frightening experience
42:11This is a brutal and unforgiving place
42:14I was stunned at how quickly things went from bad to worse
42:18Just because we didn't have any drinking water
42:20Unless you're lucky enough to have water with you
42:23Your chances of surviving in an environment like this are slim to nil
42:27To nil
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