I spent two nights alone in the Amazon rainforest with a machete, bow and arrows, and what I could fit on a belt (no food). AMA.

if this hasn't already been asked: WHAT ABOUT THE SPIDERS?!

also I just recently graduated and didn't want to do the cliche eurotrip either.. I was thinking of getting to Antarctica somehow but youre the second person to tell me about this sort of adventure, my only fear is spiders. Everything else I know I will have to deal with but ...come on ..spiders.

When you're walking around at night with your headlamp, you always see a whole bunch of blue shiny specks everywhere. Each pair of those is a spider :)

But they don't make a habit of crawling over you. I never touched one while I was there.

I uploaded this picture just for you: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CUf6-wMHDuAJ-FX6ADN4ynzmZav5JYm-eM3JQmeiHiY?feat=directlink

Here's another one - a little scarier, so maybe you shouldn't click it. I happen to like spiders. But it's really okay to go, as long as you don't stick your hand in any dark places. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7X5d49tXHsgHeFS1OwUtTnzmZav5JYm-eM3JQmeiHiY?feat=directlink

Your first spider picture is a tarantula, Psalmopoeus irminia aka Venezuelan Suntiger. Cool to see a wild one as they're usually reclusive during the day. Beautiful species and I have one.

Thank you for the identification!

Guess I'm gonna pass on this trip.

The Desert Island one might not have as many spiders. You should ask if you're interested.

oh dear gosh NOPE. I tip my hat for your bravery but how can you tell which are poisonous and which are friendly little spideys?

great pics tho!

I just stay away from all of them, although I know the tarantulas are safe as long as you don't get your eyes close to them.

What happens if you get your eyes too close to them?

They flick sharp hairs in your eyes.

This seems amazing. How long was it and what did you learn from it? Edit- Im jelly as fuark

The whole trip lasted two weeks. We start out in Georgetown, the capital city, then take a plane out to an ecolodge and stay there for a day before we head into the jungle. Then five days at a cozy campsite (some shelters already built, holes in the ground, etc.), then move to another campsite that isn't as developed and stay there five days before the Isolation phase. Then we go back to the ecolodge for a night, take a stop at Kaieteur falls, and finally go back to Georgetown to get hammered (I've never drunk so much in my life).

There were two significant things I learned. First, I learned that I could survive on my own in the wilderness and that I wasn't entirely dependent on the niceties of everyday living. Second, I realized that living in a first-world society means a diffusion of responsibility for our lives. When you're in the jungle, being lazy gets severely punished. Being reckless, even more so. Back home, everything is so easily available that when I first got back I felt useless. Everything was basically a trip to a store away, and my entire life was set up so that I had to do as little work as possible. You begin to wonder what your purpose is, if you don't even have to make sure you survive. So I guess I had a bit of an existential crisis, but it really just highlighted the fact that in a society such as ours, self-actualization is vital and is almost expected given that we have our basic needs taken care of.

The survival things are nice to know, but I don't know if I'll ever really need to use most of them. I think what's more important is the mental fortitude I gained (in some aspects - I am still rather sensitive emotionally) and the confidence that I could survive in a similar situation.

A large part of my original motivation for doing a course with an isolation period was to find out if I could live my life alone, by facing something difficult with no one else in sight. I had recently been let down by someone I felt close to, and felt like if I could do this, then I'd be stronger and less reliant on others. It helped, but I have more recently found that loneliness is never something you can truly conquer. Thinking that you are self-sufficient is never really true, in my experience, and I think it's important to think about the people that have supported you and continue to.

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This is true. I'm white, able-bodied, straight, upper-middle class. I have to go out of my way to face any semblance of a challenge.

sounds amazing.

It was. I have to be careful before wholeheartedly recommending it though - since it's in the wilderness, certain factors can make it much worse than it was when I went. Previous trips have had floods such that water was up to top of the tables that I was sitting at in our first camp. You should go during dry season, if possible.

You mentioned the floods - any danger of snakes or piranhas?

Piranhas are only a problem if you're bleeding, or if somebody brings them into the boat with you. Snakes can be dangerous, but they generally try to flee rather than attack you. Just don't corner them, and check under leaves with a stick before you build your shelter or walk through them.

but I don't know if I'll ever really need to use most of them

As is commonly said amongst gun owners here in the US. It's always better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, much like a fire extinguisher.

Of course. Knowledge is power.

As someone else who has been to Georgetown, I must know, did you pet the manatees?

I didn't visit the botanical gardens, sorry.

I think you may work for Bushmasters PR

Nope, they don't know that this is going on. I think they might be surprised at the influx of emails.

Or pissed that their website is now down.

Oops.

If you were close enough to hear the other participants, what were the rules on finding them? What would happen if you were to stumble upon someone else doing the challenge?

Also: Have you ever read the book "Hatchet"? It's quite an interesting read on this kind of thing.

No specific rules, but we were told not to venture very far from our camp. It's extremely easy to get lost. We had compasses, but I still got a little worried when I had to go a bit far to get some building materials.

I suspect it might have been possible, but I think we were also separated by water in some cases.

No, I haven't read it, although I have it at my parents' house.

what an awesome experience.

how did you get so much fucking clarity in your photos?

Canon Rebel T2i. For close shots (and isolation), I used the "nifty fifty" (50 mm f/1.8). For long range shots, I used the 400mm 5.6 L. They're both very sharp, and the 50 mm is the best value lens I know of.

thank you for the reply to my unrelated comment!

This is Ask Me Anything, after all. :)

Did you jerk off to kill time when you were alone?

No, nearly all the time there was something I could do - make a better shelter, get firewood, etc., so I didn't have much downtime. If I wasn't working, I was trying to sleep. Besides, I didn't think of women very much when I was there, actually.

Thanks for the AMA and proof.

What would happen if a contestant was in danger and out of reach of his walkie talkie?

Also, was the training before hand adequate enough so as that a person with no outdoor experience beforehand can still take up this challenge?

They would be able to find you pretty quickly. The natives were close by, and we were told that they would be watching us occasionally (although we would never know it). If you did somehow go somewhere, they would be able to track you.

Yes, I had never so much as gone camping before.

The natives were close by, and we were told that they would be watching us occasionally (although we would never know it).

Just how 'native' were they, and do you have any idea how they were compensated for 'babysitting'?

They grew up and live in the rainforest typically, but sometimes travel to Georgetown to buy things. They speak English as well as their Creole, and often wear t-shirts.

I don't know how much they are paid.

Were you ever afraid for your life for any reason?

Yes, while riding in a Georgetown cab.

This is not a joke.

How come? Bad drivers? Wild Animals? Crazy Villagers that would steal everything from you?

Crazy drivers that drive nearly twice the speed limit and pass anything that isn't going faster than them. This is on a two-lane road, mind you.

I had a less-severe similar experience where I was alone in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota for about a week. For me, it was a constant worry throughout the whole week of getting lost, not catching any fish, etc. However, at the end, I looked back on it and could say "Wow, I'm really glad I did that." (despite all of the worrying throughout.) I already have another scheduled week-long expedition there for summer (bringing a friend to do it with me this time, however.)

If you had the option to, would you want to go do it again, especially knowing now what to expect?

I'd prefer to do somewhere else. Earth is the most varied and beautiful planet we know of, and I'd like to feel like I could survive in a number of locations. It just feels like an admirable goal, if you think of the grand scheme of things.

I mean, imagine if an alien came down to Earth to you, and then said, "You have this entire planet which is like a collage of every other planet we know of, and you can only survive in this little spot that you happened to be born in?" It'd make me feel pretty shitty. It's too easy to get caught in our little bubbles, talking about the newest gadget that comes out or worrying about things that don't really matter.

I'm not sure if I would do the Desert Island or Jordan Desert one. The Jordan isn't as much of a survival, since in the words of our guide, "You don't survive in the desert, you prolong death". But something about being alone in the sand dunes for a bit just speaks to me. Maybe it's from reading Dune.

Did you masturbate during this time?

There is a chance members of my family might see this, so no, of course not.

I can't get to the bushmasters site from work, so I'll just ask: how much do these trips cost?

Also, how hard is it to drink your own urine?

The Full Survival trip (which I went on) is 1600 GBP, which is about $2600. The flight cost me about $600 from New York, as far as I can remember. Equipment costs about $200, and vaccinations another $100 or so on top of that. So the total was about $3500-$3800, if I'm not missing anything.

There's no reason to drink your own urine. It will dehydrate you. Plus, there's always a river nearby.

I can get there, here's a copy of the "dates/prices" page for you :

Trip Date Season Price in GBP (£) Availability

RAW Survival 8 - 21 Jan 2012 Wet/Dry 1300 Check

Safari 26 Jan - 2 Feb 2012 Dry 1400 Check

Desert Island Survival 2 - 11 Feb 2012 Dry 1300 Check

Desert Island Survival 16 - 25 Feb 2012 Dry 1300 Check

Desert Island Survival 1 - 10 Mar 2012 Dry 1300 Check

4x4/Vaquero/Rodeo! 25 Mar - 7 Apr 2012 Dry 1200 Check

Venture: Kaieteur 15 - 28 Apr 2012 Dry TBC Check

RAW Survival 13 - 26 May 2012 Dry/Wet 1300 Check

Safari 3 - 12 Jun 2012 Wet 1400 Check

RAW Survival 10 - 23 Jun 2012 Wet 1300 Check

Full Survival 8 - 21 Jul 2012 Wet 1600 Check

Venture: Kanuku 2 - 15 Aug 2012 Wet/Dry 1300 Check

Full Survival 9 - 23 Sep 2012 Dry 1600 Check

Safari 23 Sep - 2 Oct 2012 Dry 1400 Check

Desert Venture 7 - 20 Oct 2012 Dry 1500 Check

Desert Venture 28 Oct - 11 Nov 2012 Dry 1500 Check

RAW Survival 18 Nov - 1 Dec 2012 Dry 1300 Check

4X4 9 - 22 Dec 2012 Dry 1500 Check

I guess the OP went on a full or RAW survival (they are mostly the main thing, from the site : "RAW trips are the same as the Full Survival courses, only we cut out all the fancy luxuries to reduce costs to a bare minimum. No aircraft charter flights on this trip, instead you get 12 hours on a local bus in and out of the forest! There are no smart lodges and no all-in trips to Kaieteur Falls.")

OP: how much did it cost you overall (plane ticket, insurances, etc...) ? I'm very interested.

Yes, I did the Full Survival. I think a good conservative estimate for everything would be about $4000. This includes: the Bushmasters charge (which includes lodging, food, equipment that would make sense to buy yourself - hammocks, basha sheet, machete etc., and the flights to and from the jungle. Sometimes it's a bus trip, but we were lucky because the roads were flooded (a 12 hour bus ride doesn't appeal to me)., travel insurance, vaccinations, equipment you buy yourself - boots, rucksack, headlamp, sleeping bag (not strictly necessary, but a nice cushion for the hammock) etc., a native-made bow and arrow set (you can buy the one you used), and the plane ticket.

Were you alone at your camp? If so, do you have the option to be 2 people, let's say I want to this with a friend?

Yes, everyone in our group was alone, but you have an option to go with any number of people you like. Other groups have done the "Isolation" phase as an entire group, because they thought it would be fun to be together. I wanted the challenge of being alone though, and so did everyone else.

Cool, thanks for the reply. Another question, what are the dangers, if any, of wild animals eating you? Is it important to have your bed off the ground?

The dangers of wild animals are minuscule compared to other dangers (i.e. yourself). We didn't see any jaguars or wild boar, as they generally avoid humans. They'll know you're around before you know they are. I believe the most likely cause of death in the area is deadfall. Piranhas are okay to swim with, as long as you're not bleeding. It's a bit scary if you're wearing sandals and somebody brings a Piranha into the boat though - that's a legitimate concern. There are snakes as well (we saw a whip snake), but if you cover your legs and wear boots, you'll probably be fine. Just make sure to check piles of leaves before you go traipsing around in them.

It is important to have your bed off the ground, but one of our group members just slept on the beach. He paid for it when the rainstorm came though :) Keeping your bed off the ground helps you avoid snakes and insects - if I hadn't been off the ground, I would have been covered in army ants when I woke up. Likewise, you keep your boots upside down on sticks so that you don't have any surprises the next morning.

I should note that on the Bushmasters trips, there has never been any severe illness from the environment (a few mishaps from people who didn't know how to wield a machete though). There was one case of leishmaniasis, but it was cured. You do have to buy travel insurance with helicopter evac in case of a snake bite.

I'm sorry for my ignorance, but what's deadfall?

It's when a large tree limb breaks off of a tree high up in the canopy, but gets stuck in other branches. Wind or other movement can loosen it, and it can fall and kill you.

Are you trained to avoid that? How? "If you hear a huge crack, run"?

Before building your shelter, you just check the trees above you. If I heard a crack, I probably wouldn't know where to run, so I'd check above first.

Were you close enough to yell to the people nearby?

I just had a mild daytime nightmare of a branch crushing me but not killing me, and then not being able move to get the walkie.

I doubt they would hear me, but I were in that situation I would try.

Likewise, you keep your boots upside down on sticks so that you don't have any surprises the next morning.

I would never take them off.

Unfortunately, you need to. You will get water in your boots, and if you don't allow your feet to dry and powder them at night, you'll get blisters at best and trench-foot at worst.

You said "I didn't get any sleep that night - I just curled up as best I could and had to wait it out." Did any thing prevent you from building up your shelter more?

Also, what was the temperature like, both during the day and during the night?

Thank you for doing this AMA!

It was pitch black, and I would just get entirely drenched. I had already gotten most of the leaves in the immediate vicinity that would be good for a roof, so I would need to travel farther than would be safe in the dark.

Temperature was rather comfortable during both day and night. Not as humid as I thought it would be, but it was also during dry season. The shade of the trees keeps you cool as well.

The worst part is in the morning. Everyday you have to wash with your clothes to avoid Prickly Heat. Then you change into fresh clothes (if you're not in isolation). The problem is, nothing dries in the jungle, so your clothes are just as wet the next morning. They dry out during the day, but the first hour is rather uncomfortable.

What is "Prickly Heat"? When I google this, wikipedia claims it is Malaria and caused by sweat/humidity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miliaria but the CDC claims it is misquitos that spread malaria http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/mosquitoes/index.html

Were there any other diseases/conditions you had to take preventative measures for?

EDIT: my bad, TIL miliaria != malaria

It's "miliaria", not to be confused with malaria.

It's when your sweat pores become clogged with oil, and so your sweat becomes trapped under your skin. It's said to be extremely irritating.

You have to get yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations. Typhoid is only a problem in populated areas though. Rabies is said to be a concern but nobody on these trips has ever been bitten by an animal, and even with the vaccine, you still need to be taken to a hospital so there isn't much point (it's also >$200). I also got a booster for Hepatitis A I think.

You can get leishmaniasis from sand flies, so you spray your sleeping equipment with permethrin. One of our team members got a botfly bite - they bury their larva under your skin, forming a bubble, and it breaks open when they hatch. Harmless, though.

Other than that, just make sure you disinfect your water correctly and don't rupture any digestive organs when cutting open your fish.

Just a quick note: rabies is almost invariably fatal without pre-exposure prophylaxis. The current vaccine is 3 doses, ~$300 each, good for 2-5 years.

And it is way less painful than the yellow fever one.

From what I've read, so far in the US (according to the CDC), post-exposure prophylaxis has been 100% successful in preventing rabies from developing in those that have been affected. It would be administered even with the pre-exposure prophylaxis, as far as I know.

Going from this: http://rabies.emedtv.com/rabies-vaccine/rabies-vaccine-p2.html

Is this inaccurate?

Did the natives, who live there with far less provisions have anything to say to you about the idea?

Not being snarky. This is a serious question. I always wondered what natives thought of people "surviving" on the same land they spend their entire lives.

They didn't talk enough to say anything about that. I think they appreciated that we were learning about their home, and they were very patient in teaching us about their methods. And they were always good-humored. If you think about it, it would be very difficult for them to adjust to our life, so it goes both ways.

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I'm glad people are enjoying it!

Did you have to disinfect the water ?

Yes, they provide iodine drops. If you lose those, you're nearly SOL. We did have a bamboo pot that we made though, so provided you had a fire, you could boil the water as well.

If that fails, there are water vines that provide delicious fresh water, although in limited quantities. You have to make sure you distinguish them from the poison vines though. A rather blunt way of fishing is to cut those poison vines and throw a chunk in the water, and watch as the fish float to the surface.

Wouldn't the fish meat contain poison though?

Even though it's called a poison vine, that's not what kills the fish. It deoxygenates the water, so they're safe to eat, as far as I can remember. They didn't recommend doing it though.

So what if you were to come across another Survivor.. what happens then?

As stated above, no strict rules. I'd probably carry on as usual. Also, I don't know exactly how far away they were. The chopping had an echo, so probably pretty far.

This is so cool. I've done some survival camping before, but it's always been in the Northwest US. I've always wanted to do jungle. Have you done any more survival stuff since this trip? And how do you think it compares?

No, I haven't. I'm a PhD student now, so that doesn't leave much time or money. I hope to in the future, though.

Where did you poop? What precautions did you take while pooping?

During isolation, I didn't. At our second camp site, we dug a hole and had a shovel with toilet paper. Take a shit, and cover it up. No precautions necessary, except don't step in the hole.

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I'm sorry, I'm blanking on the name and I can't find it online either. I did take notes, but they're not here with me. As far as I can remember, it was a very large tree (about 3 feet in diamter). When you see it, you just look on the ground to find it.

I thought your comment about the night of rain ("It was the longest ten hours of my life.") was very telling. On an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive," a couple gets lost in the Amazon rainforest for about a week, and one night a rainstorm hits. The woman said it was by far the worst night of her life, and that if given the choice between reliving it or dying, she'd rather die.

It wasn't that bad for me. I find physical challenges to be rather bearable without affecting my emotional state. Emotional challenges, which are more often found when all of my basic needs are taken care of for me, typically take a bigger toll on me.

Ever watch Man vs. Wild, Survivorman or any other survivor shows and used any of the skills taught? Or did you just go in with no knowledge whatsoever (aside from training)?

I'm actually watching Man vs. Wild right now.

Yeah, I used to watch Survivorman. Always thought Man vs. Wild was too showy and not as useful, and also doesn't cover the psychological issues. Two days isn't enough to suffer any ill effects mentally though - although I kept thinking about the wonder of fast food while I was there.

I didn't use any skills I saw on Survivorman though. Everything you need is taught to you on the trip. Also, different areas of the rainforest have slightly different techniques - you'll run into different trees, for example, so you'll have to improvise.

what crazy organisms (besides spiders) did you see on your adventure?

• Macaw
• Kingfisher
• Cayman (this was at night, so didn't get a great picture)
• Whipsnake
• Capybara
• Bats
• Poison dart frog
• Tarantula
• Piranha
• Catfish
• Howler monkey
• Vervet monkey
• Army ants
• Bullet ants
• Frogs
• Toucanet
• Lizards

And probably some others I'm missing.