Wrap up escape the scorching heat of the Arizona desert by climbing up into the Sky
Island mountains.
Up here, there's plenty of water and finding it is no longer your main challenge.
Being up this high, though it's a whole new series of challenges, but also opportunities.
Your opportunities for food, water and shelter.
As you climb, the terrain can change dramatically In a matter of hours.
You can pass through six different environments, from the blistering desert to
Subalpine forest.
When night falls, the temperature will plummet.
But a fire and some food will always help you through the night.
One way of starting a fire.
I haven't got a fire. Steel or matches is just to improvise a fire piston.
And you can do that just with two bits of tubes.
I've taken this off the ultralight and they fit nicely together.
Just create an airtight seal.
And the principle works with compressed air creating heat in the same way when you put
your finger over a bicycle pump comes away really hot, get a bit of charcoal for saying
to the end. And that's the bit that's going to take the ember with the other end of the
tube sealed. The fire piston is now ready and you need to give this a good whack.
Really generate that compressed air and heat, pull it out and you'll have an ember.
I don't try that once more.
Grab a bit of tinder, give it a blow.
You see that glowing now?
The fire piston technique was developed in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they
used pieces of bamboo or hollowed out bone and gently try and nurture it.
Into life.
Okay. Whoa.
Wow. What's that, guys?
It goes. It's almost impossible not to smile when you get a fire going like that.
Especially when you're getting high.
It's getting colder and fire is really going to matter.
That's such a good feeling.
With a fire stoked finding food as a next priority.
With Jaguar and mountain lions in these forests are not the only animal out hunting.
Hello? Who go under here?
Mountain lions often leave part of their kill hidden.
This is a peccary.
A local species of wild pig.
That's all there is left.
Of that. There's still meat on that to eat.
Let's take that back to the fire.
But this region is also home to other predators apart from just big cats.
There's the bear poo. You're going to get black bears in these woods.
Let you see all the acorns that it's been feeding off.
See, all of that thing is black bears aren't only herbivores, they're also opportunistic.
If they smell meat, they'll take it.
This does kind of compromise this as a campsite.
If I'm going to be cooking and eating, this means it's going to be a bad place to camp as
well. Do you know what?
Let's just get to the fire outside to eat and we'll make a plan from there.
Just actually going to put this straight on the fire like this.
Burn all the hair off.
Cut the meat in the skin.
You know, there's a lot of meat on that steel.
That means at least I got food this evening.
Cooking this helps your body to digest and absorb its nutrients.
It also provides warmth and raises morale.
A bit charred on the outside, but on the inside, this is going to be nicely cooked.
Actually a bit of the show to me.
It's well cooked. That's all right.
But it's warm and it's nutritious.
Filling my reserve parachute with grasses and pine needles will protect me from the
worst of the coming night's cold.
Like make a giant sausage of it.
If you're on the ground, it's more important to insulate yourself from below than above,
as the earth will suck warmth from you faster than the air.
But where I'm going, that won't be a problem.
Let's go. When you're asleep, you're at your most vulnerable to bears and mountain lions
that roam here. Look, this is going to work.
But being completely out of their reach means you can sleep relatively safely.
Yeah. You're not going to want to fall out of it, but it's going to be good.
And I've got somewhere nice to suspend it from as well.
I'm using the remains of the parachute to make what's known as a hanging bivouac.
Climbers often use these when they're halfway up a mountain.
Climb down into this.
Okay. Well, snug.
Oh, man. What a view.
Look at that. Who?
A challenge any mountain lion or bear to get me in this thing.
It's funny, if you forget for a second that you're 50ft suspended up a sheer rock face.
It's actually quite nice and cozy in here.
Pine needles are nice and can get really well wrapped up in this stuff.
But then, you know, hanging bivouacs do also kind of mess with your mind.
Five minutes ago, I had some pebbles fall down and land on the top of it.
I kept thinking, is that is that my anchor point giving way?
And then you kind of realize, look, you just got to kind of not worry about that and
realize it's a mental game and that you need sleep and you've got to rest and just kind of
put all that aside and try and sleep.
And also, remember, if you need a pee, you can't go wandering outside.
You're in a little thing hanging up a very high rock face.
And once you're over there, it's all fine.
Okay, Look this up.