I'm Bear Grylls. (WHOOPS)
I'm gonna show you what it takes to get out alive
from some of the most dangerous places on earth.
Whoo!
I've got to make it through a week of challenges...
..in the sort of places you wouldn't last a day
without the right survival skills.
Now I'm in Montana, known as Big Sky Country.
It's a vast wilderness largely untouched by man.
This is where the fun starts.
In this unforgiving territory, I've drawn all my survival skills
as I face off with steep gullies, perilous ravines
and torrential waterfalls.
From its huge mountains to the vast plains,
challenges don't come any tougher.
Ahh!
I'm 9,500 feet up on what's known as the backbone of America.
This is Montana.
I'm about to paraglide into one of the harshest areas in the country.
All of these are the Rocky Mountains and they run for 3,000 miles,
from Canada all the way down to New Mexico.
This land of extremes
is one of the harshest regions in the United States.
In this type of terrain, nothing is easy.
Got strong winds. Pretty borderline for paragliding.
There's no doubt that this is gonna be an exciting flight.
OK, let's get in the air.
Whoo!
Just awesome!
One of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world!
But there's no time to enjoy the view...
Whoo-ha!
..I've got to concentrate.
I can feel quite a lot of turbulence...
..under the canopy.
Before I even hit the ground,
the terrain throws up its first challenge -
there are no safe landing zones below.
There's just trees, forests and rocky cliffs.
Probably my best bet is to aim for... aim for that lake down there.
I'm always nervous during water landings.
Last time I did a high altitude one,
almost drowned, wrapped in the lines.
This time I'm gonna disconnect from the chute before impact.
But the lake is flat calm and the reflection on the water
is making it impossible to judge my altitude.
OK, getting close to moment of impact.
Only just got out of that in time.
Got a mad effect on the water when there's so little wind.
Looks, literally, just like mirrored glass.
And what that means, you can't judge any height.
You know, you can't tell whether you're 60 foot up or just six foot.
Man, that's cold as well.
I need to get moving -
the body loses heat 25 times faster in water than in air.
But I want to retrieve my chute.
In a survival situation like this,
you can't afford to leave anything behind.
I'm already just feeling all my muscles tightening up
from the cold water.
Let me get this out.
(PANTS)
The water was cold, but so is the air.
Even in early fall, it can drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
But get to low ground and the temperature rises significantly.
I need to gather anything of use from my paragliding kit
and get off this high ground.
My clothes can dry out as I go.
Right, let's go.
Now to find a route off the mountain and fast.
As I break out of the tree line, I'm confronted with a huge scree slope.
This may be a risky route to take,
but with the right technique it's at least fast.
Free running could be one of the fastest ways down a mountain.
You wanna keep a low centre of gravity, soft knees,
and let all of the momentum of these stones do the hard work for you.
We're at the bottom. You know something, it's definitely warmer.
Let's get going.
You can walk here for days and see no evidence of civilisation.
This area wasn't even mapped until the early 20th century.
In remote regions, it's often a good plan to follow streams and rivers
as they offer the quickest route to low ground.
While water always follows a path of least resistance...
..tracking their path can be a real challenge.
Got to be steady. Steady.
Ahh.
There's a lot of water going down this.
And it's a long, long way down.
Hang on.
(CLUNK)
Yeah, probably about 70-80 foot at least.
It's also dangerously steep.
Descending the sheer rock face would just be suicide.
I could climb down the tree which is wedged into the falls,
but it won't get me all the way to the bottom.
I need to make something to get me down the rest of the way.
Learning to improvise is key in any survival situation.
I'm gonna use a cord from my paraglider,
the forest will provide the rest.
And that's probably gonna be long enough.
All I'm doing is making like an improvised, makeshift rope ladder.
And we used to use these sort of things loads in the Special Forces,
just lightweight, thin wire rope ladders
for getting up difficult, awkward places.
To make the rungs, use green and bendy branches.
Dry wood is too brittle and will snap under my weight.
And I'll just put a clove hitch in the end very simply, like that.
Stick it through and it's gonna bite on itself.
And, yeah, it's probably not the prettiest ladder in the world,
but it's gonna get me down that last bit of the waterfall.
OK.
Before I can use my ladder, I need to get down the tree trunk.
Easier said than done.
Also just hate this first bit, going over the edge.
Kind of just wanna get into it.
OK.
Often it's only once you begin a climb
that the true nature of the challenge becomes clear.
Hoping this log's gonna stay wedged in there.
It could start sliding down in this amount of water.
Looks like it's supporting quite a weight.
As I descend the log, it becomes more unstable
and the force of the water's getting stronger all the time.
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY OVER ROARING WATER)
Get onto the ledge. Follow me.
The tree trunk has served its purpose. Now to get my ladder out.
The log is too unstable to secure my ladder to.
I need to find another anchor point.
I might be able to just secure the ladder around this.
Just wrap it with a bit of this Kevlar line.
If I can wedge this between two rocks it should make a solid anchor point.
Come on.
Fingers are so cold.
Tying this thing in the water with my eyes closed.
And again it feels like my fingers are not working properly.
The knot tied, now to jam the rock into the crevice.
OK, look, nice and strong in there.
OK. Time to get on it.
The end is in sight, but this ordeal is far from over.
Well, I'm out of rungs.
I'm still 15 foot up.
The force of the water and the cold are starting to take their toll.
I can't hang around.
BEAR: I'm in the Rockies hanging off a rope ladder in a freezing waterfall
and there's only one way to go.
I've still got a bit of distance to the bottom.
Problem is I don't know how deep that water is.
I'll have to do like a belly flop but on my back,
and that way I don't go too deep.
This isn't much fun.
That's why.
Landing flat is painful but effective.
This water is barely waist deep.
We're down safely.
But...very, very cold.
I need to get warm.
That freezing water took its toll.
The human body temperature is normally around 98.6 degrees.
If it falls just two degrees below that,
you find yourself in serious trouble.
Just stop. Stop, put down the camera and get warm.
I need to build a fire and quickly.
It's just a mix of dried grasses, old man's beard
and then lots of this thistle fluff.
Let's use this fire striker to get this going.
Really cold in that river.
Proper cold.
Learnt in my life to dread it.
Very nice.
Freezing cold and wet, your body burns up to twice as many calories.
Once dry, it's time to go on the hunt for food.
This area is teeming with grasshoppers.
If you find yourself in need of a quick energy boost,
these can be a welcome sight.
You can eat these just like this,
grab the head, twist it and pull...
..and the guts come out like that with the head.
And then take the legs off as well.
And the rest of it's fine to eat.
To get a decent meal, you need to eat around 30 of these,
but three is better than nothing.
There's a lot of pine resin in here.
Native Americans would use this, mix it with charcoal, makes glue.
Put it on wounds to seal them.
Even use it as an accelerant for the fire,
mix it in with their tinder, it will burn really, really hot.
That's gonna be useful for me.
As I descend through the forest,
I'm still confronted with another challenge.
Just a massive lake.
But also a massive obstacle.
OK, let's go this way.
A vital key to survival is adapting things you find
and using them to your advantage.
(GRUNTS)
An old canoe has been sunk in the lake and left.
See if I can get this thing out.
(GRUNTS)
Completely wedged in the mud, though.
I'm thinking if I can get this out...
..and patch up whatever sort of nick it's in,
it's gonna be a much more efficient way of trying to cross this lake.
Using the cord and the karabiners from my paraglider,
I make a 3-to-1 hoist
which should help me to get the canoe onto the shore.
So then, this is going from the boat to the shore,
back to the boat and then around me.
And that is three times the pulling power.
I'm hardly actually putting any strain on this.
Alright, just throw out all this mud and gunk.
Actually, look, you can see where it's leaking out here.
Yeah, it's got a hole there.
Let's turn this over.
But, actually, I'll probably use some of the parachute canopy to plug that.
I've got a quick and easy fix to seal this hole.
And then, look, I'll just jam this under here
and the weight of that is gonna act as, like, a plug.
If I sit on the metal bar,
it should press down on the material, creating a reasonable seal.
Well, that's the plan.
Yeah, that's gonna be good.
In fact, do you know what,
the remains of this paraglider
and a bit of breeze that there is out in the lake,
there's no reason why I shouldn't make
something much cooler to cross this with.
Yeah, hang on. Let's give this a go.
I'm gonna try and make a kite.
First job is to modify the shape of the chute
and attach the control lines.
Leaves stuffed into each corner create a solid point to secure them.
At the end of this, just put a clove hitch in it.
One turn, two turn
and then in front of themselves.
The good thing about this is it'll tighten on itself
and that then can't come undone.
The lines are in place,
next I fashion a makeshift control bar to help manoeuvre the kite.
And with the kite positioned downwind just off the shoreline,
it's time to get it airborne.
Well, let's see if we can try and get this launched in the water.
The wind is up and the line's tight.
Give it a pull.
But the first two attempts don't work.
On my third try, I catch it just right.
Success.
There we go.
Up it goes. Whoa.
Whoa.
That was more luck than anything.
And this is a much more efficient way to cross a lake
than trying to paddle for miles.
I kind of got to sit right out in front here
so I can jam my feet in to brace myself.
And it doesn't feel like I'm moving very fast through the water,
but the wind must be at least 10 miles an hour
to keep this kite flying,
and that's much faster than I'd be able to paddle.
Whoo-ha!
Come on, wind, keep going. Don't die on me.
The wind's dropping, but that's not my only problem.
This canoe is definitely starting to fill up with water.
Probably about half full at the moment,
but I'm hoping it's gonna hang out until I reach the shore over there.
It's also becoming much less stable in the water.
I'm fighting a battle on each front here,
trying to keep the kite up and the boat...and the boat level.
Oh!
(SPITS)
We were so close to shore as well.
BEAR: I've capsized my canoe in a giant freezing lake.
Now I've got to swim for the shore.
If it wasn't for the capsize, this would've been a perfect plan.
Well, that would've saved you, I reckon,
probably about 20 miles trying to walk around all of that shoreline.
The downside is that I'm cold and the sun's getting low in the sky.
Now I need to get moving and get warm.
OK.
Montana is known as Big Sky Country,
and once you're out in the open it's easy to see why.
The sun's getting low and the temperature's starting to drop fast.
Time to leave this exposed plain and head into the trees to find shelter.
With light fading, I catch a glimpse of human habitation.
An old deserted building of some sort.
Might be a good place just to try and get shelter and get warm and dry.
And quite eerie in there.
Old homesteads like this litter the landscape.
Many were abandoned in the 19th century as people migrated West.
Oh, come on. Oh, there we go.
Nicely.
My first priority is fire.
Once warm, I can explore the building.
I feel a bit more human with that.
It's got dark fast
and this part of the Rockies sees massive temperature changes.
Now, this is very welcome.
You know, if I make some sort of torch
and this derelict building works out,
no reason why I can't make shelter in there.
A live aspen branch is perfect for my torch as the green wood won't burn.
Now all I need do is split the top of this one way and then the other...
..and then you get four prongs like that
and you stuff it with loads of dead twigs.
Jam a bit of this pine resin in as well.
It's gonna help it burn.
OK. Let's go have a look in this place.
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
As I start the search, I hear the sound of distant thunder.
There's a storm on the way.
Man, look at that wind suddenly coming in.
But the storm is not my only problem.
Look at that, those are bear claw marks.
And you can see it's just been ripping down there.
There's probably bears that have been trashing all of this.
This region has a large population of grizzlies
who are considered by some experts
to be the most aggressive species of bear.
At least we get some protection from bears up here.
Doesn't feel very stable, though.
It's dry up here in the attic, but it's far from cosy.
And this willow is great for sleeping on, it's good and springy.
It's like nature's mattress.
Reaching up on their hind legs, a grizzly could get me from here.
What I need is an early warning system.
I'm gonna use para cord to make a trip-wire
which will run right across the doors and windows.
But, you know, that'll do.
I've tied an old pitchfork to the wire
and put a section of stovepipe on the ground.
This is just gonna act as like... like a trip-wire,
so if anything comes in through the windows or the doors,
it's gonna trigger this...
..and knock all of that tin
and I'm gonna know all about it.
See, the weather's definitely worsening outside,
which means it's even more likely that animals are gonna be seeking
a bit of refuge in here.
Get back up into that loft.
With bears in the neighbourhood, cooking in camp is risky.
Their sense of smell is seven times stronger than a bloodhound
and they can follow the scent of a rotting carcass
for more than two miles.
OK.
(CLANGING AND CLATTERING)
I can hear a noise below.
In a situation like this, you can't afford to take any chances.
I need to check this out.
(CLATTERING CONTINUES)
Something just came through the window downstairs.
All of those tin cans have gone.
There. There, look. There, look. In the corner.
What is that?
It's only a raccoon.
The noise from the torch drives him back out,
but he's triggered my warning system.
I need to get down there to reset it.
Hang on, that's on fire down there.
With the fire extinguished, I reset the trip-wire
and get back up into the rafters.
Here, let me pass you that. You got it?
Fire and a raccoon.
I just want to get... a bit sleep again.
Easier said than done.
BEAR: I'm in an old deserted homestead
in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.
Morning in the Rockies after a thunderstorm -
it's about the most spectacular place you'll ever see.
Just beautiful.
And a nice time just to warm up before getting going.
And also try and freshen up a bit.
Out in the wild, washing and personal admin
are not only important for your hygiene,
but they serve as a morale booster and help to lift the spirits.
I've got some of this alder branch.
It's like nature's toothbrush.
You'd recognise this because it's the only deciduous tree,
it's got these little cones on it here.
All you got to do, chew the end...
..to rough it up a bit...like that,
then use that to really get in your teeth and give them a clean.
And then I got a bit of this mullein
that's also known as cowboy loo paper.
Really velvety soft leaves. Perfect.
But you are not getting a demo of that one.
In the light of day, this homestead seems a lot more inviting.
But it's time to move on.
Feels kind of weird leaving this old homestead.
You know, there's something... homely about it
that kind of half suggests that there should be people nearby
even though it's really dilapidated.
On the outskirts of the homestead,
I find an old telegraph pole.
This would usually offer the survivor a glimmer of hope.
But out here, signs of civilisation mean nothing.
Normally, this wouldn't be a bad thing to follow.
But, you know, out here, look, it just doesn't lead anywhere.
Just goes straight back into the ground.
There's bound to be some difficult terrain ahead
and this stuff is too good to leave behind.
Not as good as rope, a lot of this wire.
But it's better than nothing. See if we can get this down.
Just watch yourself, eh.
It's so rotten. Look. Better watch out.
(POLE CREAKS)
I'm collecting 50 foot of cable. It's strong and remarkably light.
Now to get out of the trees and back onto open ground.
I need to get my bearings and head towards the plains.
You can see a very clear animal track we're on here.
And it's probably used by deer, elk, maybe even bear as well.
Also, generally they're gonna follow the path of least resistance.
So, if you're trying to work your way through difficult terrain,
it's a good thing to follow.
Let's pick up the pace a bit here.
An old deer antler.
Always worth taking.
The trail is taking me back into the mountains.
I need to leave it behind, but that means crossing tough ground.
I arrive at a gully.
At first, it's a simple scramble,
but soon the slope gets steeper and the descent much more of a challenge.
But I wanna get down.
In the valley bottom is an opening - it's a mineshaft.
I wanna check it out.
Lower down the slope is covered with loose scree.
(ROCKS CLATTER)
(GRUNTS)
Yeow.
Yiper.
That's a bit faster than I intended.
Check this out, though.
Looking at the state of it,
it's obvious this mine hasn't been used for years.
I've still got some pine resin and a half-burnt torch.
It's worth taking a look inside.
There could be valuable resources in there.
Now, you got to be so careful with old mine shafts like this,
you know, they can be super unstable and dangerous.
OK, let's go.
Be careful not to knock this.
God only knows how much of the mountain that's holding up.
There is debris everywhere.
This mine is more dangerous than I first thought.
It's just crazy.
You can see the whole of the roof has just collapsed
on top of all those beams.
You would not wanna be on the other side of that.
Let's have a quick just scout around and get out of here.
I find some rusty chain on some freestanding timber.
I check above to make sure
it's not attached to the supporting roof beams.
That's probably worth taking.
See if we can get this off.
Hang on. No, no, no, no.
Not good.
(PANTS)
That was close. But this could come in handy.
(COUGHS)
Daylight.
Soon the adrenaline stops pumping.
I didn't notice quite how much this finger was bleeding
when I caught it going into the mine.
I'm trying to use a bit of this pine resin
just to put over the cut and seal it.
The last thing I want is for that to get infected out here.
That's gonna help cover it, seal it from any nasties.
OK. Let's keep going.
As I travel towards the valley bottom,
I'm reminded of how extreme this place can be.
There's a deep ravine ahead.
At 150 foot deep, it's a formidable obstacle.
The rock on the cliff looks far too unstable to attempt a down climb.
But I've got a plan.
If I somehow make, like, a grappling hook,
throw that into the tree and get the wire across,
and make a zip line from here to there and then just climb down that.
Oh, boy, this is where the fun starts.
BEAR: I'm in Montana, faced with a deep ravine
and I need to find a way across.
I plan to use my cable to create a zip line from the cliff
to a tree that I can then climb down.
But first, I've got to get the cable over there.
And this antler's gonna be good to use just because it's...it's light -
it's got to be thrown probably about 50 foot to that tree.
Strong. It's got these natural hooks on it.
And that's what I'm gonna use as a grappling bit of it.
It's actually...
..very strong this.
But it's gonna need to be.
The cable's too heavy to throw it straight across.
Instead, I'm gonna throw the grappling hook first
with just a loop of para cord attached,
then I can pull the cable into place.
Here we go.
Bullseye.
Yee-hoo.
It's gonna be caught around that branch.
The grapple's in place. Now to pull the cable through.
OK, that's working nicely.
Almost back. Yep.
Bumper.
The cable's locked in place and I've got my zip line.
But the angle of the line is very steep.
And with a drop of 150 foot,
I wanna make sure I not only stay on the line
but that I also control my descent.
Just take a turn around the tree here
and then I can just pay that out behind me.
Then an improvised harness to keep me attached to the cable
even if I lose my balance.
So you got one long loop like this,
and then all you do, put it around yourself.
So it's like that.
Hold it there.
Reach between your legs
and pull it up.
And that then...locks in three points.
Use one of the paraglider karabiners through there.
And I've got a really good improvised harness there.
And just gonna put the rucksack on my front
to protect my chest from the wire.
Hang on.
Also gonna put my jacket around that which I value most.
That's gonna give me some protection there.
Now you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach of just nerves.
I'm never quite sure whether I love that feeling or whether I hate it.
OK.
This traverse is all about two things, balance and nerve.
And when you're nervous, it's hard to balance.
(GRUNTS)
If I just take my time,
I can keep my balance on this quite nicely.
Got my foot, I can just move it to the left or the right,
keep that balance.
And then just try not to look down,
focus on the balance and take my time.
That Kevlar's gone absolutely drum tight on this line.
But they're holding.
Oh, hang on.
Whoa!
And I'm still in a safe position here.
Ish.
But if you do come off a wire like this,
the way to get back on, an old commando technique called a regain -
you get your shoulder over, swing your leg up and then down.
(GRUNTS)
And that brings you...
..back onto the top.
(PANTS)
Let's not have that happen again.
(METAL SCRAPES)
Better stop looking down.
Whoo!
Thought my heart was gonna actually burst out of my mouth.
Although, still a long way up.
BEAR: I'm 100 foot up at the top of a pine tree in a deep ravine.
(GRUNTS)
It should be an easy climb down.
But, as is often the case,
things aren't as simple as they first seem.
Just having to monkey grip around the last bit of this.
(PANTS)
It's turned into a bit of an epic.
We jumped down. Get moving down there.
With the ravine behind me, I can cover some ground.
But first, food.
Ohh.
That is a whopper.
Whoo!
Jeepers.
But, you know, worms are great survival food.
All you need to do is squeeze them
so you get all of the gunk out of them.
And same from the other end.
There you go.
And then they're kind of good to eat.
I always kind of think, is it better to just swallow it whole or chew it?
What do you think? Is it still gonna wriggle around inside you?
Oh, better to shut up and eat it.
I'm think I'm gonna go for the swallow whole.
(SPITS)
Good calories. Energy to go.
As I drop out of the tree line onto open ground, I spot a bridge.
It's a welcome sight but no guarantee of salvation.
It looks like an old... old railway bridge of some sort.
Man, that must be 200 foot high at least.
In Montana, there are hundreds of miles of derelict track
leading to abandoned mines and ghost towns.
You can see all the concrete's falling apart up there.
My best bet, really, is to try and get on it and stick with it,
see where it goes.
(GRUNTS)
Try and pump some blood back into the hands and the arms.
You just got to be 100%
on each handhold and foothold
when you start getting this high.
You're just not human if you don't feel a flutter.
After an epic climb and only 15 foot short of the top,
I'm faced with a problem.
How on earth am I gonna get over this lip?
The concrete lip is overhanging and out of reach.
But if I can get my chain over the top and secure it,
I might be able to swing out and climb up.
Now, I need this knot to be big enough to swing out and over there...
..and to get snagged and hooked on that railing.
But my arms are just ruined after the climb.
Up!
Ahh.
That almost caught as well.
I'm balanced on one foot, holding on with one hand...
(SHOUTS)
..and trying to swing a 30-pound chain above my head.
Just needs a bit more length, then.
Ahh!
It's caught. It is caught.
OK.
It's officially time for a courage pill.
(GRUNTS AND PANTS)
I'm up.
You can still see my hands shaking.
These tracks are shiny, that means they're still in use.
I'm gonna follow them.
But beware, you can follow them for days with no sign of life.
Go straight through this tunnel.
It'll be quicker and easier than going over it as well.
Just get through.
But there's always a risk walking into a railway tunnel this narrow.
(WATER DRIPS)
Hang on, stop. Stop.
The tracks are vibrating.
There's a train coming.
(TRAIN HORN BLARES) We need to move! Come on.
Come on. Go, go, go, go, go.
Keep up with me! Run!
(HORN BLARES)
It's impossible to judge the speed of an oncoming train.
All you can do is run.
Almost there. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
(HORN BLARES)
Ahh!
We can make it!
The wilderness in Montana has proved to be a real challenge.
From the mountain peaks to the desolate plains,
it's a place that tests the mind and body in equal measure.
And my body and mind has survived.
I'm outta here.