Bruce Parry: Serious Survival: How to Poo in the Arctic and Other essential tips for explorers

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First published in 2007.

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Text © Marshall Corwin

Photographs © as per credits on p216

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Source ISBN: 9780007262007

Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2017 ISBN: 9780007584567

Version: 2017-01-24

For Bella and Luca

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Preparing for the Wild

Safety

Essential Kit

Serious Arctic

The Serious Arctic Adventure

Arctic Wildlife

Frostbite

Hypothermia

Arctic Clothing

The Frozen Ocean

Sled Dogs

Food and Water

Working in the Arctic

Tents and Igloos

Sleeping in the freezer

Arctic Toilets

Extreme Arctic Weather

Inuit Survival

Serious Jungle

The Serious Jungle Adventure

Borneo Wildlife

Dangerous Creatures

Staying Healthy

Jungle Clothing

Travelling through the Jungle

Drinking Water

Rainforest Camps

Sleeping in the Jungle

Serious Andes

The Serious Andes Adventure

Andean Wildlife

Into Thin Air

Extreme Mountain Weather

Climbing Mountains

Glaciers and Snow

Mountain Camps

Andean Horses

Mountain Peoples

Serious Desert

The Serious Desert Adventure

Desert Wildlife

Desert Clothing

Camels

Crossing the Desert

Water, Water!

Animal Tracking

Desert Peoples

Serious Amazon

The Serious Amazon Adventure

Amazon Wildlife

What Lurks Beneath

Emergency Survival

Dugout Canoes

Crossing Rivers

Amazon Tribes

Index

Acknowledgements

About the Publisher

In our modern culture we no longer have a formal rite of passage for young people into adulthood. No way for them to prove themselves to their peers and elders. We have fewer physical challenges for them to complete. We make their lives easier in many ways. We sterilise their environment, wrap them in health and safety bandages and are paranoid about them ever being alone. To me this is a shame.

I have rarely been so impressed with a group of people as I have with the two teams of kids that I took away on the first two Serious expeditions. I also know that my great friend Ben Major, who has led every Serious trip since, feels similarly. In both of my expeditions I put the groups of young people into situations that would have made most adults balk. Yes, we had some tears – plenty at times – and we had numerous problems which often seemed insurmountable, but in every case the young teams overcame immense difficulties and came out the other side shining.

Expeditions aren’t so much about learning new skills and processes, but more about learning about yourself and those around you in your team. A great way to do that is to be placed into a situation you’ve never dealt with before. On the Serious adventures, each expedition member pushed their physical and mental boundaries far beyond what they had ever considered possible. They all found some extra reserve of strength, stamina and fortitude that they never knew they had. And of course, the beauty is that they now know that extra something is there, residing within them, if they ever need it again. They’ve all been given a great gift.

When all their friends run for cover on the station platform because the storm comes in, they can stand it out if they so desire, because they know it’s only rain and nothing could be as bad as the week of solid rain in the jungle when they had to look after themselves, try and light a fire, cook, trek through muddy paths and streams and more, just to go to work for the day. A better understanding of their personal comfort threshold in youth has awarded them a lifetime of self-confidence.

To my mind we are all capable of such achievement. It’s known that even the least likely of characters, in a survival situation, can be capable of great feats of bravery, physical prowess and mental agility. This book reflects the philosophy of the series, namely that expeditions can be for everyone. Not just the realm of specialist climbers, macho explorers. I applaud all those great young people who took part in the Serious expeditions. They have inspired innumerable adults and children to get out there and push themselves in some way. I hope this book inspires you to do the same.

Bruce Parry

Ibiza 2007

Bruce in the Namib during filming of Serious Desert. He also led the very first Serious expedition to the Borneo jungle.