1
00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,360
I'm Bear Grylls.
Whoo!

2
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,080
I'm gonna show you
what it takes to get out alive

3
00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,320
from some of the most dangerous
places on earth.

4
00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:23,320
I've got to make it through a week
of challenges

5
00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,400
in the sort of places
you wouldn't last a day

6
00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,420
without the right survival skills.

7
00:00:30,380 --> 00:00:33,240
This time I'm in the wilds
of southern Utah,

8
00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,320
where I'll be tackling
treacherous canyons...

9
00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:37,420
(GROANS)

10
00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,180
..climbing down
dizzying rock features...

11
00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:43,240
Getting a bit tricky here.

12
00:00:44,180 --> 00:00:46,400
..and pursuing the fastest of prey.

13
00:00:48,300 --> 00:00:51,200
This is gonna be
one crazy red rock ride.

14
00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,200
PILOT: Copy that, and we're
probably about a minute out.

15
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,220
Right side looks good.

16
00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,220
This is southern Utah,
known as red rock country,

17
00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:18,160
after the epic landscape
of the Colorado plateau.

18
00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,300
With an average elevation
of over 6,000 feet,

19
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,400
it's one of the highest states
in the US.

20
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:25,260
Just a little higher...

21
00:01:26,460 --> 00:01:28,240
Maybe we'll go taller.

22
00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:31,380
Southern Utah is tough terrain -

23
00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:35,200
endless slot canyons,
hard rock pinnacles

24
00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,200
and hundreds of square miles
of arid desert.

25
00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:41,160
It's high, dry and hostile.

26
00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,140
Advise on our altitude.

27
00:01:43,300 --> 00:01:46,360
Up here, mountain lions
and black bears roam,

28
00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,180
and lower down, deadly rattlers
like the Mojave green,

29
00:01:50,260 --> 00:01:52,220
one of the most venomous snakes
in the US.

30
00:01:52,260 --> 00:01:55,340
This is really one of
the last great US wildernesses

31
00:01:55,420 --> 00:01:57,380
to be explored and mapped.

32
00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,360
It was bandit country
and a hiding place

33
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,040
for the likes of Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid.

34
00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,120
It was the Wild
West at its wildest.

35
00:02:07,260 --> 00:02:11,020
Hey, you know what, these
conditions, we can't go with plan A.

36
00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,160
My plan was to parachute in,
but there's a problem -

37
00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,440
a powerful crosswind that could blow
me off course and onto hard rock.

38
00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:20,420
But I've come up with a plan B.

39
00:02:21,460 --> 00:02:25,000
Stand-by for further
instructions. OK.

40
00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:27,460
Guys, I'm gonna try something
I've never done before.

41
00:02:28,180 --> 00:02:31,140
This is going to require
pinpoint accuracy from the pilot

42
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,100
and split-second timing from me
to get right.

43
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,000
OK, let's do it, guys.

44
00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,240
Let's give it a go. OK.

45
00:02:39,380 --> 00:02:41,480
We've located a stretch
of level ground.

46
00:02:42,020 --> 00:02:43,180
We're going in.

47
00:02:44,260 --> 00:02:47,300
I'll tell you what, let's check it
out and take it around.

48
00:02:48,140 --> 00:02:49,220
Alright.

49
00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,400
The pilot will bring the plane down
as low and slow as it will go.

50
00:02:53,460 --> 00:02:56,020
And then I'm gonna
lower myself out.

51
00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,160
The plane isn't gonna stop.

52
00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,340
As soon as I'm confident
I'm gonna go for it.

53
00:03:03,380 --> 00:03:06,300
But make no mistake,
this is dangerous.

54
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,340
I'm at the mercy of the furious
prop wash from the plane's engines

55
00:03:23,380 --> 00:03:26,400
and terrifyingly close
to the thundering rear wheel.

56
00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,260
But I'm down and in one piece.

57
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,400
Smoking trousers!

58
00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:50,180
Oh, fair to say that I've got
one red-hot backside.

59
00:03:51,060 --> 00:03:54,120
Just got completely shredded.

60
00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,020
OK, let's get going.

61
00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,280
I've landed high
on the mighty Colorado Plateau

62
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:08,020
which covers large parts of Utah,
Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.

63
00:04:09,340 --> 00:04:11,320
To the south lies the Grand Canyon

64
00:04:11,420 --> 00:04:15,140
and in between, some of
the wildest terrain in the US.

65
00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,060
Wow, what a vista.

66
00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,020
It's a long way down there.

67
00:04:25,260 --> 00:04:28,100
Just a crazy landscape.

68
00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:31,380
And what you get is this mix
of hard and soft rock

69
00:04:31,420 --> 00:04:35,180
and it creates all these
totem pole-like pinnacles.

70
00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:40,200
These rock hoodoos can be 10 storeys
high and dangerously unstable.

71
00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,040
See that slope over there,
with all the snow on it?

72
00:04:44,140 --> 00:04:47,120
It's probably gonna be
north-facing - sees the least sun -

73
00:04:47,260 --> 00:04:50,180
which means north
is gonna be over here.

74
00:04:52,060 --> 00:04:55,360
I've got my bearings and now
I'm heading south to lose altitude.

75
00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,380
Up here it's cold,
with low oxygen and low humidity.

76
00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,480
This can quickly lead to fatigue,
thirst and, at night, hypothermia.

77
00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,400
It's not that way.

78
00:05:16,380 --> 00:05:18,220
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

79
00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,140
OK, it's a bit more precarious
than I thought, this.

80
00:05:23,340 --> 00:05:25,020
Tightly packed.

81
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:28,400
I need to get something
just to help me go down this.

82
00:05:30,380 --> 00:05:34,280
Even something like this
can help you.

83
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,080
It just gives you some leverage to
push your body out from the slope.

84
00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:43,100
The temptation is when it gets steep
and you get scared, is you tuck in

85
00:05:43,180 --> 00:05:46,120
and that's when your feet
drop out from under you.

86
00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,080
You want to be out from the slope,
put your weight on it

87
00:05:49,180 --> 00:05:50,480
and descend like this.

88
00:05:51,060 --> 00:05:54,060
And it's just an alpine technique
they use on steep snow and ice.

89
00:05:54,260 --> 00:05:56,480
To be honest,
this is pretty similar.

90
00:05:57,140 --> 00:05:58,100
OK, come on.

91
00:06:00,380 --> 00:06:03,340
This technique requires confidence
and a little practice,

92
00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:06,400
but ultimately
it's efficient and fast.

93
00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,020
Yeah, it's much better on
the ridges here - it's softer.

94
00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,000
Down in the gullies,
that's all really compacted.

95
00:06:25,380 --> 00:06:27,200
Let's keep on going down this.

96
00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,480
At this speed I'm soon down
to the next section of the descent.

97
00:06:36,060 --> 00:06:38,040
Now there's loose scree underfoot.

98
00:06:41,020 --> 00:06:43,080
Keep zigzagging across this.

99
00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:46,060
We don't wanna be bringing a whole
load of rocks on top of each other.

100
00:06:46,100 --> 00:06:47,340
Follow my line.

101
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:52,420
An angled descent reduces the chance
of injury from dislodged rocks.

102
00:06:58,340 --> 00:07:04,180
Look, that's the last of these
spires and then we're out of them.

103
00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,180
Let's get down to the trees.

104
00:07:07,420 --> 00:07:11,420
That's where we're gonna find
food and water.

105
00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,020
Pine forest like this
is classic bear territory.

106
00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:22,440
I've got to proceed with caution.

107
00:07:23,060 --> 00:07:25,060
But it's also
a rich hunting ground,

108
00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,040
a place full of resources with
everything you need to survive.

109
00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:35,420
Little bits of pine resin.

110
00:07:36,020 --> 00:07:37,340
There should be more.

111
00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,180
Yeah, look, there's more
up higher there.

112
00:07:40,260 --> 00:07:44,240
Where branches have broken off,
the tree will ooze out resin.

113
00:07:46,220 --> 00:07:48,100
Try and get up to that.

114
00:07:49,140 --> 00:07:52,360
In winter this area can see
up to 15 feet of snow,

115
00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,260
leading to significant damage to
the lower branches of these pines.

116
00:07:59,100 --> 00:08:02,140
Take a bit of that and that's gonna
help with fire-lighting.

117
00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,060
There's loads of other things
you can use pine resin for -

118
00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,480
it can act as a glue,
even to seal wounds.

119
00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,160
OK, that'll do.

120
00:08:13,260 --> 00:08:14,400
Keep going.

121
00:08:16,020 --> 00:08:20,060
Lower down, the pine forest gives
way to parched earth territory

122
00:08:20,140 --> 00:08:22,340
and with it,
its own animal dangers.

123
00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,400
There are mountain lions
in this area,

124
00:08:28,020 --> 00:08:29,480
and one of the dangers of them

125
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,340
is they're very bright
but also opportunistic hunters.

126
00:08:33,460 --> 00:08:37,280
Mountain lions, or cougars,
are stalk-and-ambush predators.

127
00:08:37,380 --> 00:08:41,360
Almost invariably whenever
there have been attacks on humans

128
00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,000
the lions approach from behind

129
00:08:44,060 --> 00:08:46,280
and completely without warning,
having tracked them.

130
00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:51,420
And even this sort of terrain is
classic for mountain lion attack,

131
00:08:52,020 --> 00:08:53,480
where they can drop down
and use their body weight

132
00:08:54,020 --> 00:08:56,160
to pin you, go for your throat.

133
00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,160
And a good little tip,
if you've got dark glasses on -

134
00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:02,240
stick them on
the back of your head,

135
00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,140
and it looks like then you've got
eyes in the back of your head

136
00:09:05,180 --> 00:09:06,460
and that's gonna help deter them.

137
00:09:10,180 --> 00:09:14,180
But your most immediate problem
here is a lack of collectible water.

138
00:09:15,340 --> 00:09:18,340
Just all bone-dry, this.

139
00:09:18,380 --> 00:09:20,260
Look at it.

140
00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,100
It's a mix of clay and sand
that's been made wet by the rain

141
00:09:24,140 --> 00:09:27,160
and then dried out, expanded
and just cracked.

142
00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,200
But if we're gonna find water
it's gonna be down.

143
00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,060
There's no time to waste,

144
00:09:35,100 --> 00:09:38,020
and this dry shale makes for
a speedy descent.

145
00:09:39,260 --> 00:09:40,440
But on terrain like this

146
00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,480
there's a danger of picking up
just too much speed.

147
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,300
(GROANS)

148
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,400
(GROANS)

149
00:10:15,180 --> 00:10:19,460
I'm in southern Utah, suspended 100
feet above a narrow rock canyon.

150
00:10:20,220 --> 00:10:22,420
Get my foot on here. Stay up.

151
00:10:22,460 --> 00:10:24,400
Whew.

152
00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:28,320
Oh, I hate that feeling.

153
00:10:28,460 --> 00:10:32,220
Man alive.
OK, let me come back here.

154
00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,420
That's the danger of loose sand
on hard rock.

155
00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:43,220
OK, let's find a way down to this.

156
00:10:44,140 --> 00:10:46,260
I've spotted a stream
in the canyon below.

157
00:10:46,340 --> 00:10:49,140
Now I've got to find a way down
to collect water.

158
00:10:51,180 --> 00:10:54,100
No, that's all just
sheer down there.

159
00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:58,440
Might be able to work our way down
this bit.

160
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,180
It's quite committing, though.

161
00:11:02,220 --> 00:11:04,080
It's a long way to the bottom,

162
00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,380
especially when it's all loose
like this.

163
00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:11,000
At first things
don't look promising.

164
00:11:11,140 --> 00:11:15,140
It really is a funnel of doom
down there, look.

165
00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,140
The rock is brittle and treacherous
underfoot,

166
00:11:22,180 --> 00:11:25,200
which means there's a real danger
of slipping clean off this face.

167
00:11:25,300 --> 00:11:27,140
Whoa.

168
00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,180
It's an awkward little bit
to get around.

169
00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:43,300
Just out of...out of
comfortable reach.

170
00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,460
Bad consequences of falling here
as well.

171
00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,080
It's now or never. Here goes.

172
00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,060
One step closer,
but this ledge is exposed,

173
00:12:00,100 --> 00:12:02,280
lying 100 feet above
the canyon floor.

174
00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,240
Look at my feet
and don't look down.

175
00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,000
Like so much of climbing, though,
you don't have to rush it.

176
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,460
Take your time,
be confident with each step.

177
00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:20,220
And finally, some reward
for my efforts.

178
00:12:21,420 --> 00:12:23,380
Gonna chimney down
behind this flake.

179
00:12:23,420 --> 00:12:25,300
There's a whole gap down here.

180
00:12:28,020 --> 00:12:30,460
But this descent
has still got a way to go.

181
00:12:33,260 --> 00:12:37,220
This rock ramp lies at 45 degrees
and it's covered in dust,

182
00:12:37,260 --> 00:12:39,340
making it as slippery as ice.

183
00:12:40,220 --> 00:12:42,180
(COUGHS)

184
00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,060
Gonna shift my way down this.

185
00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,020
I've got to push against the rock
with all my force

186
00:12:49,060 --> 00:12:50,420
to get any sort of traction.

187
00:12:51,140 --> 00:12:53,080
Jam a foot on each wall

188
00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,360
and just push like opposing forces

189
00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:00,460
and just slowly wedge my way down.

190
00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,460
Almost doing the splits here.

191
00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,340
I'm making progress, but this
rock face doesn't get any easier.

192
00:13:08,420 --> 00:13:10,340
Pretty vertical, this next bit.

193
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,440
One foot wedged in here,
hand wedged in the crack,

194
00:13:14,060 --> 00:13:16,260
and just slowly edge my way
down this.

195
00:13:16,460 --> 00:13:20,320
Just a few more feet and one
last hand-hold and I'm down.

196
00:13:21,180 --> 00:13:24,000
Whew! OK, down.

197
00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:29,240
Now to collect what I came for.

198
00:13:29,460 --> 00:13:32,420
The problem is a lot of this water
is really silty.

199
00:13:33,060 --> 00:13:34,300
Look at the colour of that.

200
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,980
Try and drink that straight off

201
00:13:38,260 --> 00:13:41,220
and that silt and sediment
could easily make you sick,

202
00:13:41,260 --> 00:13:43,280
and that's just gonna
dehydrate you further.

203
00:13:44,180 --> 00:13:47,360
A simple way of getting rid of the
sediment is just to filter it.

204
00:13:47,460 --> 00:13:49,140
And you can use anything for that -

205
00:13:49,300 --> 00:13:54,140
T-shirt, hat, and if you haven't
got that, even your sock.

206
00:13:54,460 --> 00:13:56,400
(GROANS)

207
00:13:57,220 --> 00:14:00,140
Any water-permeable fabric
will act like a sieve

208
00:14:00,220 --> 00:14:02,140
by removing particles
from the liquid,

209
00:14:02,260 --> 00:14:06,080
but, ideally, even filtered water
should be boiled before drinking.

210
00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,300
Look, that's coming out
nice and clear now.

211
00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:14,380
Probably not gonna make it
smell very nice, though.

212
00:14:15,420 --> 00:14:19,000
OK, sock on
and then we're on our way again.

213
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,000
I'm following the water downstream
to lose altitude

214
00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,100
and hopefully find
a larger watercourse.

215
00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,280
Not only got water
down here but also

216
00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,420
I've got some
shade, which is nice.

217
00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,120
Out of that beating sun.

218
00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:42,020
It's also pretty easy going.
Making some good progress.

219
00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,080
But narrow, water-carved canyons

220
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,280
like this hold
potential dangers too.

221
00:14:48,460 --> 00:14:51,120
Flash floods
caused by rainfall upstream

222
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,980
can occur any time
and without warning.

223
00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,020
I know of 12 tourists
who were caught in a flash flood

224
00:14:59,060 --> 00:15:01,280
in one of these slot canyons
in southern Utah.

225
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,400
And it hadn't even been raining,
and they were down in there,

226
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:06,080
and the first thing they knew,

227
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,160
they just got
hit by this wall of

228
00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,980
brown water full of
boulders and logs

229
00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,340
and 11 of the 12 were killed.

230
00:15:13,980 --> 00:15:16,120
And the lesson is
never get complacent.

231
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,000
Just 'cause you haven't seen rain

232
00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:20,300
doesn't mean you can't be hit
by flash flood.

233
00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,300
Rain upstream will flow
straight down through here,

234
00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:26,040
and that's a concern.

235
00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,000
The canyon is narrowing
and the walls are getting steeper.

236
00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:31,440
Now, this is the sort of place

237
00:15:31,980 --> 00:15:34,240
you wouldn't want to be caught
in a flash flood.

238
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:39,260
You truly have no escape route
up these.

239
00:15:40,300 --> 00:15:42,240
Keep moving a bit faster.

240
00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:46,160
Going downstream isn't working.

241
00:15:46,260 --> 00:15:49,280
There are no obvious ways out
and the canyon's getting deeper.

242
00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:53,080
So I'm changing direction
and heading up a small side canyon.

243
00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,220
Now I'm battling gravity
and the flow of water,

244
00:15:56,260 --> 00:15:58,300
and it's considerably harder work.

245
00:16:00,460 --> 00:16:04,080
There's no way
we're gonna get up this bit.

246
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,240
Keep moving up.

247
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,980
But I'm gaining height and
the canyon walls are getting lower.

248
00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,320
This is a possible way out.

249
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,460
It's just an awkward one, this.

250
00:16:18,380 --> 00:16:22,260
This wet rock is super slippery
and there are no good holds.

251
00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:26,220
Just gotta use your knees,
split them,

252
00:16:26,380 --> 00:16:29,420
and use that to prise your way up.

253
00:16:33,340 --> 00:16:36,160
And finally I'm out of that hole.

254
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:38,980
That's the exit of the canyon.

255
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,340
Safe to say we found water.

256
00:16:54,260 --> 00:16:57,240
I'm in southern Utah,
in the American Wild West.

257
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:00,120
I've landed high

258
00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,220
and tackled treacherous canyons
and hard rock ravines.

259
00:17:05,420 --> 00:17:09,140
Now I'm moving through mixed forest
and high chaparral.

260
00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,060
Look, there's a little plantain.

261
00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:14,400
See this guy?

262
00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:18,000
The Plantago herb has
antibacterial properties.

263
00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,060
This stuff became known by Native
Americans as white man's footprints,

264
00:17:22,100 --> 00:17:24,960
'cause it grows
in this compacted, sun-baked ground

265
00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,160
and they'd often find it in the
trail that the wagons would leave

266
00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,040
as the pioneers headed west.

267
00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:32,340
But good plant to take with you.

268
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,280
More than 60,000 Mormon pioneers

269
00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,000
made the arduous
journey west to Utah

270
00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:39,380
in the mid-19th century.

271
00:17:40,300 --> 00:17:42,120
The remains of an old cabin.

272
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:44,120
Some founded large settlements,

273
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:45,440
others carved out solitary

274
00:17:45,980 --> 00:17:48,100
homesteads in
Utah's vast wilderness.

275
00:17:48,180 --> 00:17:51,000
Wow, check this out through here!
Look.

276
00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,080
Probably an old pioneer's hut.

277
00:17:56,380 --> 00:18:01,140
But doesn't look like anyone's
lived here for a long time.

278
00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:04,980
A lot of work
has gone into making this.

279
00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:07,040
It's all done with hand tools.

280
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,080
You can tell, look -
see the axe, chipping marks?

281
00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,060
If you come across
a place like this,

282
00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:16,220
there's so much here
for the survivor.

283
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,220
You know, look, even an old bit
of barbed wire like that,

284
00:18:20,380 --> 00:18:23,100
masses of things
you can use that for.

285
00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,100
With a bit of work, this will make
a good overnight shelter.

286
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:31,080
But before that,
there's food to consider.

287
00:18:32,380 --> 00:18:35,080
This cabin will have been built
near a water source,

288
00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:36,980
a priority for any settler.

289
00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,160
And that's gonna be a good place
to look for something to eat.

290
00:18:40,340 --> 00:18:42,180
Good little lake here.

291
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,000
And this is gonna be perfect
for a bit of fishing.

292
00:18:46,980 --> 00:18:48,340
Probably spring-fed.

293
00:18:49,020 --> 00:18:51,140
More than likely gonna have fish
in this.

294
00:18:51,260 --> 00:18:55,140
Trout, bass and bluegill
are native to this area.

295
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,400
Actually, look, there's lots
of willow all along here.

296
00:19:02,180 --> 00:19:06,420
Gives me an idea of how I can make
a simple fish trap that I can leave

297
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,440
so I don't have to sit
fishing myself for hours.

298
00:19:10,060 --> 00:19:11,300
OK, let's use this.

299
00:19:13,220 --> 00:19:15,200
Willow is great for fishing.

300
00:19:16,180 --> 00:19:21,000
It's long and very flexible -
bendy for a fishing rod.

301
00:19:21,980 --> 00:19:25,240
And willows are generally found
growing close to water.

302
00:19:26,220 --> 00:19:29,000
I'm just gonna make a really
simple trigger mechanism...

303
00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,320
..for the fishing rod
so I can leave it -

304
00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:35,180
it's gonna be under tension -

305
00:19:35,260 --> 00:19:37,160
until anything takes the bait.

306
00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:40,260
The trigger requires
two short wooden

307
00:19:40,300 --> 00:19:42,320
arms with notches
carved into them.

308
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:44,960
It's fiddly work
and needs patience.

309
00:19:49,140 --> 00:19:53,040
And that notch,
the trigger fits in like that.

310
00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:56,980
It can go under tension
until anything releases it.

311
00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,040
For fishing line I can use
the inner strand from my para cord,

312
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:02,380
something I always carry with me.

313
00:20:03,060 --> 00:20:05,960
It'll pull out nice and easy,

314
00:20:06,140 --> 00:20:09,020
and that makes
perfect fishing line.

315
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,060
And then for the hook,

316
00:20:11,340 --> 00:20:15,160
I've got this little bit of
barbed wire, found up by the cabin,

317
00:20:15,420 --> 00:20:17,240
and that will do the job nicely.

318
00:20:17,340 --> 00:20:20,020
And now for the delicate part
of the construction.

319
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:24,280
That fits under there
and that's then under tension.

320
00:20:24,980 --> 00:20:28,080
I'll attach the fishing wire
to that end, cast it out,

321
00:20:28,180 --> 00:20:31,140
anything catches it,
it dislodges this...

322
00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:36,220
..and that then pulls the hook into
the fish's mouth and it's caught.

323
00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:40,320
OK, find some bait, and then we'll
set that and we're good to go.

324
00:20:43,220 --> 00:20:46,220
Lake and river banks
are often teeming with life.

325
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,420
Had to get to his head quickly -
otherwise they end up biting you.

326
00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:02,340
A little garter snake just
swimming through the water there.

327
00:21:02,380 --> 00:21:03,420
Just spotted him.

328
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:08,200
If there's snake in here, there's
probably gonna be fish as well.

329
00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:13,220
But that is gonna be
at least some dinner.

330
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,160
And snake guts make
perfect fishing bait.

331
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:20,320
The line's set.

332
00:21:20,380 --> 00:21:24,080
Now to head back to base and sort
out bedding for the night ahead.

333
00:21:26,380 --> 00:21:31,020
Really, I wanna make myself some
sort of bed that's off the ground.

334
00:21:31,140 --> 00:21:33,300
One of the dangers of old cabins
like this,

335
00:21:33,380 --> 00:21:35,300
it's gonna be a magnet for snakes,

336
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,060
especially under
all of these floorboards.

337
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:43,200
They're looking for the same thing
as me - warmth and shelter.

338
00:21:44,180 --> 00:21:48,040
But with a couple of these
I can get myself off the ground.

339
00:21:48,220 --> 00:21:50,200
The floorboards
will make for a solid

340
00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:52,240
if none too comfortable
bed platform.

341
00:21:53,180 --> 00:21:54,960
That's gonna be wide enough there.

342
00:21:55,380 --> 00:21:57,260
I can jam one end into the wall,

343
00:21:57,300 --> 00:22:00,020
and I've found just the thing
to suspend the other.

344
00:22:00,220 --> 00:22:02,060
Actually, look, it's got a noose
on the end.

345
00:22:02,180 --> 00:22:04,120
Would have been a lasso, that.

346
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:06,960
Even with the resources
close at hand,

347
00:22:07,020 --> 00:22:08,360
this is still a tricky build.

348
00:22:09,060 --> 00:22:12,260
It's one of those times
when you need more than two hands.

349
00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:14,040
Just get that in.

350
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:17,160
But this is a quick assembly -

351
00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,340
a little crude, perhaps,
but effective.

352
00:22:22,380 --> 00:22:25,400
OK, so that's a good bed platform
off the ground.

353
00:22:26,340 --> 00:22:29,160
Maybe fill in some of these gaps
as well,

354
00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:31,400
keep any rainwater off me.

355
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,220
Another hitch in that to make sure
this bed doesn't collapse.

356
00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:39,440
And with bed and shelter sorted,

357
00:22:39,980 --> 00:22:42,380
it's back to the fish trap
I set two hours ago.

358
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,160
It has triggered...

359
00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:50,340
..but the line looks quite slack.

360
00:22:50,980 --> 00:22:52,300
So it might just
have been the wind.

361
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,100
We can reset it
and give it another go.

362
00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:01,980
Ooh, hang on.
Oh, look, we've got something.

363
00:23:03,220 --> 00:23:05,160
I thought it was just slack
in the wind,

364
00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:07,960
but actually it was caught
around all those reeds.

365
00:23:08,260 --> 00:23:10,120
That's a little bass fish.

366
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:13,360
And that's a great catch.

367
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,960
That means I've got a snake
and some fish.

368
00:23:20,340 --> 00:23:22,280
So tonight, I eat.

369
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,000
But first I need fire.

370
00:23:27,060 --> 00:23:31,180
Then we use this old trough
as a fire base,

371
00:23:31,220 --> 00:23:33,100
but also as a bit of a wind-guard.

372
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,080
Break up some of this pine resin
into this tinder bundle.

373
00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:52,220
The wood is dry
and quickly takes a spark.

374
00:23:52,380 --> 00:23:54,020
There we go.

375
00:23:55,140 --> 00:23:57,060
Don't wanna smother it.

376
00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,040
Nice dry brush on top of it.

377
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,120
And let it build up those three
essential ingredients of a fire -

378
00:24:04,260 --> 00:24:07,340
oxygen, heat and fuel.

379
00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:14,000
We can just put as a frying pan
on there.

380
00:24:14,180 --> 00:24:18,020
While the food is cooking, a chance
to put the final touches to my camp.

381
00:24:21,220 --> 00:24:24,060
Get a load of this
stuff as bedding.

382
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:30,040
These grasses will provide warmth
and a degree of comfort.

383
00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:38,000
Just gonna give me a couple of
inches of insulation to sleep on.

384
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,140
OK, that'll do.

385
00:24:42,340 --> 00:24:44,960
OK, this is gonna be done now.

386
00:24:45,980 --> 00:24:48,000
Easier said than done
getting it off, though.

387
00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:51,380
Roasting hot pan
and nicely cooked fish.

388
00:24:55,380 --> 00:24:58,200
And that just looks incredible.

389
00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:01,160
Good nutrition, good protein,

390
00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,000
lots of good fats
and minerals and vitamins in that.

391
00:25:06,180 --> 00:25:08,160
Really good-sized meal, this,

392
00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:11,280
and I didn't even have to
be there to catch it.

393
00:25:12,220 --> 00:25:14,400
Fresh food and the great outdoors.

394
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:16,420
There's simply nothing better.

395
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:21,360
You can see why somebody a long
time ago decided to stay here

396
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:25,320
and try and make a life
in this incredible landscape.

397
00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:32,040
In the Wild West
days, southern Utah,

398
00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:33,960
a lot of it, was bandit country,

399
00:25:34,260 --> 00:25:37,440
which meant outlaws would use
these sort of places to hide away

400
00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,080
for months, sometimes even years.

401
00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:42,360
But to do that
they needed incredible skills

402
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:44,960
to be able to live off the land.

403
00:25:45,140 --> 00:25:47,300
But the difference between them
and the survivor

404
00:25:47,340 --> 00:25:49,240
was that their goal was
to stay hidden.

405
00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:54,020
The survivor's goal is to stay
alive long enough to be found.

406
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,240
I've just spent a night in
the wilds of southern Utah.

407
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:21,380
Breakfast is the small garter snake
I caught at the lake.

408
00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:26,280
This is a good way of cooking him -
really kills any bacteria.

409
00:26:26,940 --> 00:26:29,000
Been bubbling away
for about 10 minutes.

410
00:26:29,260 --> 00:26:31,060
That's good to eat now.

411
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,400
But snake is an acquired taste
at the best of times.

412
00:26:35,180 --> 00:26:38,000
And some people say
that snake tastes like chicken,

413
00:26:38,420 --> 00:26:41,020
but I don't know what sort
of chicken they're eating.

414
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,040
It's bony, sinewy...

415
00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:47,100
..and not very like chicken.

416
00:26:51,100 --> 00:26:52,360
Time to get moving.

417
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,080
An isolated cabin is one thing,

418
00:26:56,180 --> 00:26:58,120
but most of the population
in this region

419
00:26:58,160 --> 00:26:59,940
live at lower altitudes,

420
00:27:00,020 --> 00:27:03,040
so the best chance of finding
people is to head down.

421
00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,940
But that's easier said than done
in a place like this.

422
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,020
Careful on this edge, look.
All of this is horrible.

423
00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:12,340
Just breaks off.

424
00:27:13,380 --> 00:27:16,000
I want to find a way off
this high, windy ridge,

425
00:27:16,100 --> 00:27:19,020
but I've only got the lasso rope
I found at the cabin.

426
00:27:20,980 --> 00:27:22,980
There's a little ledge down here.

427
00:27:26,220 --> 00:27:28,360
You see that? About 40 foot down.

428
00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:33,400
Probably got enough rope actually
to reach that ledge with the lasso.

429
00:27:36,140 --> 00:27:38,300
Otherwise it's gonna be probably

430
00:27:38,340 --> 00:27:41,240
about 150 foot to
the bottom of this,

431
00:27:41,420 --> 00:27:44,140
which I definitely
don't have enough for.

432
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,960
And so I can retrieve my lasso rope
from the bottom,

433
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,040
a bit of simple ingenuity.

434
00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,160
Short little bit of
wood like that...

435
00:27:56,980 --> 00:27:59,340
..round that noose of the lasso.

436
00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,420
And as long as the tension
on the rope is running down...

437
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:08,040
..that's gonna stay there.

438
00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:13,100
Time to put this to the test.

439
00:28:16,980 --> 00:28:18,400
This is the awkward bit.

440
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,260
It's a very exposed spot
and a very long way down.

441
00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:31,960
First there's a difficult overhang
to negotiate.

442
00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,200
And this makes getting
into position very awkward.

443
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,320
I need my right hand
to hold onto the rock

444
00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:45,200
and my left hand on this rope,

445
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,400
then just wrap my leg
a couple of times around this.

446
00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,960
Just gonna give me
that bit more friction.

447
00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:01,040
I'm starting to make some progress,
but this is a challenging descent.

448
00:29:01,140 --> 00:29:04,080
To make matters worse,
there's a powerful crosswind.

449
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:10,360
Getting a bit trickier here,
just 'cause it's steeper.

450
00:29:13,420 --> 00:29:16,360
You don't want to even contemplate
a fall here.

451
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:22,120
I'm almost there,

452
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,240
but there's one final challenge...

453
00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,940
..my rope's running out.

454
00:29:36,220 --> 00:29:38,340
And it reaches - just.

455
00:29:38,940 --> 00:29:40,040
I'm on the ledge.

456
00:29:41,020 --> 00:29:42,340
Just need to get this lasso back,

457
00:29:42,380 --> 00:29:45,080
try and flick this thing
so it pops out.

458
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:50,140
The rope is jammed, but with
a final whip-crack it's away.

459
00:29:53,340 --> 00:29:58,160
That worked nicely,
but it only just reached.

460
00:29:59,180 --> 00:30:01,280
Should be able
to shuffle along this now.

461
00:30:03,020 --> 00:30:05,400
Off the rope, this ledge
feels so precarious,

462
00:30:05,940 --> 00:30:08,060
and it's over 100
feet to the bottom.

463
00:30:13,140 --> 00:30:15,000
This brittle layered rock face

464
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,380
is still steep
and requires great caution.

465
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:23,280
Need to keep
a really low centre of gravity.

466
00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:28,200
Use all of your palms of your
hands, soles of your feet as grip.

467
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,000
This technique is all about

468
00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,360
keeping the maximum points of
contact for maximum friction.

469
00:30:37,260 --> 00:30:40,360
It doesn't look elegant, but it
can guarantee a safe descent,

470
00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:44,000
and in a situation like this,
that's all that counts.

471
00:30:48,340 --> 00:30:53,320
That was a good climb down -
committing but good.

472
00:30:57,180 --> 00:31:00,180
Now the hard rock gives way
to soft sand.

473
00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,320
This is much easier going
and I can make some fast progress.

474
00:31:11,140 --> 00:31:15,000
Temperatures in this high-altitude
desert can break 100 degrees.

475
00:31:15,260 --> 00:31:16,360
Right now it's cooler,

476
00:31:16,940 --> 00:31:19,160
but in this territory
water is always an issue,

477
00:31:19,260 --> 00:31:22,280
and a few miles of this
will burn through supplies.

478
00:31:26,060 --> 00:31:29,260
So I'm on the lookout for places
where rainwater might collect.

479
00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,000
And this red slot canyon is ideal.

480
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:46,020
It's been formed by the wear
of sediment-filled water

481
00:31:46,060 --> 00:31:48,340
rushing through
the soft southern Utah sandstone.

482
00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:50,220
Around here

483
00:31:50,260 --> 00:31:54,040
is the highest concentration of
slot canyons anywhere in the world.

484
00:32:00,380 --> 00:32:05,040
Wow! These boulders have obviously
come down and got lodged there.

485
00:32:06,060 --> 00:32:08,280
Just absolutely wedged.

486
00:32:09,180 --> 00:32:12,300
But actually, this is
the classic sort of terrain

487
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,060
that a climber a few years back
was going through

488
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:18,940
and a boulder fell,
dislodged as he was rappelling,

489
00:32:19,020 --> 00:32:22,240
and actually trapped his arm -
bam, pinned it.

490
00:32:22,380 --> 00:32:26,980
And he was stuck in this canyon
like this for five days,

491
00:32:27,980 --> 00:32:33,240
and that must have been
a truly horrendous situation

492
00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:35,080
to have been faced with.

493
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,420
Aron Ralston had to decide
whether to die of dehydration

494
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,240
or take drastic action
to free himself.

495
00:32:42,420 --> 00:32:47,340
But eventually...
he proved himself a survivor.

496
00:32:47,940 --> 00:32:51,160
He got his blunt penknife, hacked
all the way through his arm,

497
00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:54,960
through his bone, through
the nerves, and made it out alive.

498
00:32:55,100 --> 00:32:58,120
And that's called
the spirit of survival.

499
00:33:10,260 --> 00:33:14,280
I'm in southern Utah, making my way
through a narrow slot canyon.

500
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:17,940
Look, there's water
on the rock here.

501
00:33:19,380 --> 00:33:21,400
Moisture coming down, a seep.

502
00:33:23,060 --> 00:33:24,120
(SLURPS)

503
00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:28,100
This is rainwater dripping
through the rock from above.

504
00:33:30,980 --> 00:33:32,360
That's nice.

505
00:33:33,060 --> 00:33:34,920
Collecting it would take hours.

506
00:33:34,980 --> 00:33:38,180
Instead, I take a useful hydration
boost, then get on my way again.

507
00:33:39,060 --> 00:33:40,360
(SKITTERING) Oh, look, rabbit!

508
00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,400
I've spotted a rabbit ahead.
This is worth a chase.

509
00:33:45,980 --> 00:33:48,160
He's faster than me
and quickly out of sight,

510
00:33:48,220 --> 00:33:50,260
but there's only one direction
he can go.

511
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,140
And if he hits an obstacle,
I'll have him cornered.

512
00:33:56,060 --> 00:33:57,160
But no joy.

513
00:33:57,220 --> 00:34:00,020
The canyon's opened up
and he's escaped.

514
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,220
He's gone.

515
00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:07,200
At least he showed me a way out
of that slot canyon.

516
00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,380
(CATCHES BREATH)

517
00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:19,920
Now I've entered arid scrub desert.

518
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,220
This is a harsh landscape,

519
00:34:21,300 --> 00:34:24,220
but even here there are
some useful natural resources.

520
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:29,340
There are lots of these bushes
around here,

521
00:34:30,020 --> 00:34:32,000
and this is Mormon tea.

522
00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:37,180
And what Native Americans
and Mormon settlers would do

523
00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:41,240
is collect this
and then boil it up to make tea,

524
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,140
and that would help
with respiratory problems

525
00:34:44,300 --> 00:34:47,060
such as hay fever, asthma.

526
00:34:47,380 --> 00:34:49,100
Just take some of this.

527
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:55,940
Early settlers in southern Utah

528
00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,020
arrived in an unmapped territory
with few trails.

529
00:34:59,180 --> 00:35:00,200
In this wilderness,

530
00:35:00,260 --> 00:35:03,220
the best geographical signposts
were often the rivers.

531
00:35:05,260 --> 00:35:07,380
Can almost guarantee
if you follow this

532
00:35:08,060 --> 00:35:10,280
you will eventually find people.

533
00:35:12,020 --> 00:35:13,400
OK, we just need to get down to it.

534
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,220
Let's go this way.

535
00:35:26,020 --> 00:35:27,400
Wow, what a feeling.

536
00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:30,300
And almost all of the rivers here

537
00:35:30,340 --> 00:35:33,940
are gonna run down
and meet the mighty Colorado,

538
00:35:34,060 --> 00:35:38,140
and that just cuts its way across,
across the Wild West.

539
00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:43,160
A tributary like this
should eventually lead to a town.

540
00:35:43,300 --> 00:35:45,320
The majority of settlements
in this desert

541
00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:47,340
had to be built
close to watercourses

542
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:51,020
if they were to stand any chance
of surviving and prospering.

543
00:35:55,380 --> 00:35:57,240
Rivers provided food,

544
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,120
water for humans and livestock,
and irrigation,

545
00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:03,020
and were used as an important route
of communication

546
00:36:03,060 --> 00:36:05,020
through hostile territory.

547
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,940
Look, you can see the river
is running much faster here.

548
00:36:10,020 --> 00:36:13,960
All this white water
and all that flood debris as well

549
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,020
in the middle of the river.

550
00:36:16,180 --> 00:36:17,340
The good part of that

551
00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:20,980
is it means we're losing altitude
and making progress.

552
00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:25,020
But progress is never guaranteed
down tight canyons like this.

553
00:36:27,260 --> 00:36:29,120
Look - nightmare, this.

554
00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:31,340
This canyon wall
juts out into the river

555
00:36:31,380 --> 00:36:34,400
and it doesn't look like
there's a way over it or around it.

556
00:36:37,220 --> 00:36:40,080
And this is gonna be a hard one
to get around.

557
00:36:40,180 --> 00:36:42,940
A hell of a pace of water
coming down this.

558
00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:44,240
It's a no-go.

559
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,100
Getting round the canyon wall
looks seriously dangerous.

560
00:36:47,180 --> 00:36:51,180
I'm gonna head back upstream and try
to locate a safer crossing point.

561
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:56,300
Might be able to use this series
of boulders here to get across.

562
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,180
Let's try this. Come on.

563
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,980
There's a fallen tree across to
a large rock that looks promising.

564
00:37:04,220 --> 00:37:05,220
Yeah, this could work.

565
00:37:05,260 --> 00:37:07,080
As long as the deadfall
stays in place,

566
00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:08,920
I can get across to the middle one.

567
00:37:09,220 --> 00:37:12,960
I'm gonna give this a try and
hope that this tree will hold firm.

568
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,280
It's a precarious spot
with no protection.

569
00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:20,940
Fall in here,
and I'd be dragged downstream fast.

570
00:37:25,260 --> 00:37:27,200
Well, we've done the first third.

571
00:37:28,020 --> 00:37:31,080
Try and get to this one now
and then across.

572
00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:34,180
There's no safe jump
across to the centre rock,

573
00:37:34,260 --> 00:37:36,940
so I'm taking the long way round.

574
00:37:37,260 --> 00:37:39,380
Little bit precarious, this bit.

575
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,940
Progress is slow, but inch by inch
I'm getting there.

576
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:51,280
OK.

577
00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:55,060
That's the second one.

578
00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:58,180
Now to see if there's a route
across to the far bank.

579
00:38:02,380 --> 00:38:05,140
Was kinda hoping there'd be
a few little boulders

580
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:07,160
so I could hop across.

581
00:38:08,180 --> 00:38:12,220
That was so close but...
I can't do it here.

582
00:38:13,260 --> 00:38:15,220
Yes - no-go, no-go.

583
00:38:15,980 --> 00:38:18,340
Strike two - no way across.

584
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:20,220
Back to the drawing board.

585
00:38:21,340 --> 00:38:23,240
So I take to the water.

586
00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:25,300
Hell of a flow on this!

587
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:29,980
Third time lucky
or three strikes and out?

588
00:38:40,980 --> 00:38:43,380
I'm in southern Utah,
trying to cross this river,

589
00:38:43,980 --> 00:38:45,300
but so far it's been no good.

590
00:38:45,340 --> 00:38:48,280
No-go, no-go.
Can't do it here.

591
00:38:49,060 --> 00:38:52,300
My plan now is to head back to the
spot where the cliff blocks my path,

592
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:55,200
then attempt to get around it
through the water

593
00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:57,360
and continue
downstream on the bank.

594
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,940
But now there's
an added obstruction.

595
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:04,920
The first thing
is to get rid of this.

596
00:39:05,980 --> 00:39:07,920
Before braving white
water like this,

597
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,080
I want to shift this driftwood
out of the way.

598
00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:13,200
The last thing I want is to get
snagged or pinned against it.

599
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:20,320
The amazing force of the water

600
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,240
rips the tree away
and under the overhanging rock.

601
00:39:24,020 --> 00:39:27,000
Might be a bit of "hold
your breath time" round there.

602
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:31,280
To make sure I'm not swept away,

603
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:35,920
I'm gonna use my trusty lasso and
tie it off to a solid anchor point.

604
00:39:42,900 --> 00:39:44,940
Put a constrictor knot around this.

605
00:39:44,980 --> 00:39:47,320
This is one knot
I do not want to come undone.

606
00:39:50,020 --> 00:39:52,360
The constrictor knot
is an effective binding knot

607
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:54,920
that's simple and secure.

608
00:39:56,360 --> 00:40:01,100
Absolutely locks on itself
and won't come undone.

609
00:40:02,980 --> 00:40:05,280
I'd trust my life to that one
every time.

610
00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:11,340
Now to put it to the test
in this very fast-flowing water.

611
00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:18,900
OK, once I'm round,
I'm gonna give it two strong tugs,

612
00:40:19,100 --> 00:40:21,140
and that means it's good
and you follow.

613
00:40:23,020 --> 00:40:25,020
The lasso here is a lifeline.

614
00:40:25,100 --> 00:40:27,280
An uncontrolled descent
through waters like these

615
00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:29,900
risks serious injury or death.

616
00:40:37,940 --> 00:40:40,020
I'm holding myself out
of the main stream

617
00:40:40,060 --> 00:40:41,240
for as long as possible...

618
00:40:42,180 --> 00:40:44,240
Hell of a flow on this!

619
00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:49,080
..because when the full force
of the water catches me, I'm gone.

620
00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:02,100
That's the signal.

621
00:41:03,020 --> 00:41:04,300
Now it's the cameraman's turn.

622
00:41:20,220 --> 00:41:25,180
Pretty horrible feeling when you're
under the water waiting to pop up.

623
00:41:26,020 --> 00:41:30,280
We're around that canyon corner
and we can get moving again.

624
00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:32,360
Good job, though, really good.
Committing.

625
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:46,220
It's much easier going now
and the canyon is widening out.

626
00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:58,140
Look, that's horse poo.

627
00:42:02,100 --> 00:42:05,040
Horses are a valuable resource
in this part of the world,

628
00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:07,040
so they're rarely left to run wild.

629
00:42:07,140 --> 00:42:10,240
Where there are horses, there's
a good chance of finding people.

630
00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:16,080
Look, all of these are hoof prints,
horses'.

631
00:42:16,220 --> 00:42:18,100
Really distinct.

632
00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:20,280
And they're all the way along here.

633
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,980
But because the sand is churned up,
it's darker,

634
00:42:24,020 --> 00:42:25,380
means there's still moisture in it,

635
00:42:25,980 --> 00:42:28,120
which means
these are quite fresh prints.

636
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:30,340
I'm gonna follow these tracks.

637
00:42:31,300 --> 00:42:34,940
I also want to try and keep the
hoof marks between me and the sun.

638
00:42:34,980 --> 00:42:37,980
That way they cast a shadow
and they're easier to follow.

639
00:42:39,060 --> 00:42:42,180
Tracking is one of the great
traditional arts of the Wild West.

640
00:42:42,260 --> 00:42:44,020
Pick up the pace a bit.

641
00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:49,180
Using these skills, Native Americans
crossed great wildernesses...

642
00:42:49,260 --> 00:42:53,220
Tell me that isn't fresh!
Smells fresh.

643
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:57,100
..law enforcement agents
tracked down fleeing outlaws

644
00:42:57,340 --> 00:43:01,220
and the odd lone survivor
has made it back to civilisation.

645
00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:05,120
Look, up on the cliff-top.

646
00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:09,020
Looks like we've got ourselves
a real cowboy.

647
00:43:09,140 --> 00:43:10,160
Come on.

648
00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:15,340
It's the end of my Utah adventure.

649
00:43:15,380 --> 00:43:17,100
I've survived the challenges

650
00:43:17,140 --> 00:43:19,300
of the canyon lands
and red rock country,

651
00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:21,280
and now I'm heading home.

652
00:43:33,300 --> 00:43:35,160
For more information go to: