Could you survive?

[1hornwilly]

Ok, forgive me. I am bored tonight...

Here is the situation. You are dropped in the middle of the everglades at night. You are on a small land mass of about 1/2 square mile with swamp and 8ft high grass on all sides except for a 30x 30 yard opening that resembles a small pond. You will be picked up in 60 days by helicopter. There are 10 palm trees, 2 old oaks and a bunch of aloe plants. You have a flashlight, a flint, a reel of string, a bowie knife and a piece of paper that you found in your pocket.

Would you still be alive 60 days later? How would you do it?

I'd likely be dead, but I'd love to hear how somebody else would pull it off.

 

[swantucky]

Clean water would be the toughest. With now way to purify water you would be dead within days. Even with a container to boil water in 12 trees would not provide enough fuel to boil much water..

 

[1hornwilly]

ok, me and swantucky are dead.

 

[RRJJ]

Im assuming that a chance for an earlier rescue is out of the question.

I'd make an elevated shelter using oak limbs for the frame and palm frawns for bedding and roof. I'd build a fire and boil water - if the surrounding water is fresh that would be ideal - if all I have is salt water then I would look for clear plastic to make a solar still or to desalinate the water. I would also place the fire in a way to smoke myself to keep bugs at bay. Coconuts would provide water every so often, however, the shells could be used to pastuerize the water. The everglades should produce enough protein for food. Aloe is also edible, however, it's bitter - but it could definately be used for medicinal purposes.

I'd make fish traps in the pond out of sticks - look for grubs, edible bugs, and plants. If I could find plastic, I would look for a way to gather fresh water from rain.

Other than that I would search for any trash I could find and use to my advantage such as fish hooks, the plastic mentioned above, metal containers, cloth material, etc.

Edited to add: The coconuts would provide food and their oils a means of protection from the sun rays.

 

[Archertl]

On paper I'd might be able to survive but there are too many unknowns to be sure.
I think you are more likely to killed by the little things like developing a staf infection from a scratch or accidentally stepping on a snake. Than the big things like getting eaten by a gator or being mauled by a bear can be more easily avoided.

 

[Jackalope]

You would get popped by a cottonmouth within days... Unavoidable..

 

[CJD3]

Damn...

I'm gone w/ Jack on this one. I may last longer than some but I'm afraid I'd not make the 60 days either. That little land area would attract every cotton mouth, coral snake, diamond back, black widow creepy crawly in the swamp. ( eating the snakes as food or not. first rain would be it.)AND THE SKEETERS would drive me insane within a week anyway.

 

[rgecko23]

I'd like to beat my chest and say yes, but I am afraid no. I am going with the guys here on snaes and suc, plus no clean water. I dont see it happening

 

[RRJJ]

All you no hope motherfuggers were dead before you arrived. WTF!?

 

[1hornwilly]

I am just hoping JJ is around if this happens to me. That's a pretty sweet plan.

 

[swantucky]

All you no hope motherfuggers were dead before you arrived. WTF!?

Oh I'd give it a hell of a try but with no way to procure clean water your fucked. You might get enough for a few days from the coconuts but thats it. You also talk about boiling water, in what?? You gonna boil it in your nut sac?? You also mention plastic?? Are the plastic fairies gonna drop you some off??

Based on the scenario given and what equipment you have YOUR FUCKED!!

By the second day those fucking bugs would have you using the knife to cut your throat.

 

[formerbowhunter1023]

All you no hope motherfuggers were dead before you arrived. WTF!?

I'm just a realist. You can be all survalist gung-ho and think you got the situation by the balls, but unless you do that shit for a job and have the luck of a lottery winner, I figure every person on this forum would die trying to live in those conditions for 60 days with those limited supplies. I know I would. I watch all the shows and I like to think I have absorbed a lot of knowledge from those and the reading I do on the forums. I also have common sense and make shit work, I'm a Redneck afterall! But sitting here in my office, I know I'd most likely lose that battle...

"I'm not a survialist, I just play one on TV." LOL!!!

 

[RRJJ]

Oh I'd give it a hell of a try but with no way to procure clean water your fucked. You might get enough for a few days from the coconuts but thats it. You also talk about boiling water, in what?? You gonna boil it in your nut sac?? You also mention plastic?? Are the plastic fairies gonna drop you some off??

Based on the scenario given and what equipment you have YOUR FUCKED!!

By the second day those fucking bugs would have you using the knife to cut your throat.

The everglades are not all salt water - some of it is fresh water. Also, he mentioned a pond in the scenario. You don't have to boil water to make it safe to drink, you can pasteurize it at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. The coconut shells can be used to pasteurize or even boil the water in. To boil the water you just heat up some rocks and then put them in the coconut shell that is holding the water. The heat dissipating from the rock will be enough to boil the water. You could use your t-shirt to filter the bugs, silt, etc. out of the water too.

As far as plastic, I said "if I could find some", meaning I would look for trash. And the plastic wasn't my only plan for water.

Hell, I thought of all the guys on here you would be one of the ones to say you could do it. I have confidence in you!

I'm just a realist. You can be all survalist gung-ho and think you got the situation by the balls, but unless you do that shit for a job and have the luck of a lottery winner, I figure every person on this forum would die trying to live in those conditions for 60 days with those limited supplies. I know I would. I watch all the shows and I like to think I have absorbed a lot of knowledge from those and the reading I do on the forums. I also have common sense and make shit work, I'm a Redneck afterall! But sitting here in my office, I know I'd most likely lose that battle...

"I'm not a survialist, I just play one on TV." LOL!!!

I think a man with hope could survive twice as long with half the equipment as the man who has all the equipment but doesn't have hope. You all are setting yourself up for failure. I think this would mostly be mental - if you think you can, you likely will.

 

[RRJJ]

Since everyone said they couldn't survive for 60 days with what they were given, then just how long do you think you could survive in the same scenario?

 

[Jackalope]

Oh I'd give it a hell of a try but with no way to procure clean water your fucked. You might get enough for a few days from the coconuts but thats it. You also talk about boiling water, in what?? You gonna boil it in your nut sac?? You also mention plastic?? Are the plastic fairies gonna drop you some off??

Based on the scenario given and what equipment you have YOUR FUCKED!!

By the second day those fucking bugs would have you using the knife to cut your throat.

You can boil water in green leaves if they are large enough to hold water..

 

[Jackalope]

Since everyone said they couldn't survive for 60 days with what they were given, then just how long do you think you could survive in the same scenario?

I grew up around the swamps.. I'm as serious as a heart attack, you would be snake bit within 3 days on that dry piece of land. There is no question in my mind.. Sure you could build an elevated platform.. And I guarantee one will crawl into bed with you in the middle of the night. Cotton mouths loves trees, Especially one with big warm places to hide.

Every year the Ms River floods the delta.. The water rises through about 3 miles of mixed swamps, small islands and dry runs.. As kids when the water got to the fields we would get ax handles and go snake killing.. The flooded swamps pushed the snakes into the fields looking for dry land.. Even Water moccasins need dry land..

Anyway, between the three of us in only 2-3 hours we would kill 70-100 snakes. Mostly Moccasins..

 

[RRJJ]

I grew up around the swamps.. I'm as serious as a heart attack, you would be snake bit within 3 days on that dry piece of land. There is no question in my mind.. Sure you could build an elevated platform.. And I guarantee one will crawl into bed with you in the middle of the night. Cotton mouths loves trees, Especially one with big warm places to hide.

Every year the Ms River floods the delta.. The water rises through about 3 miles of mixed swamps, small islands and dry runs.. As kids when the water got to the fields we would get ax handles and go snake killing.. The flooded swamps pushed the snakes into the fields looking for dry land.. Even Water moccasins need dry land..

Anyway, between the three of us in only 2-3 hours we would kill 70-100 snakes. Mostly Moccasins..

So, you're saying there is no way to escape the snakes?

 

[formerbowhunter1023]

I think Murphy and his Laws apply to survival. The odds are against you and I tend to think no matter how optimistic I might be, the reality of the situation is dire and I have no control. You can think you are in control, but Mother Nature is in control. You can't eat hope. Hope can't make clean drinking water if it's not otherwise available. Hope won't stop a snake from catching you off guard on Day 47. I hear what you are saying and as a man of faith, I agree to a point. But hoping can only do so much. If I had to be there, I'd fight and hope my guts out in an effort to survice. But from the comfort of my leather desk chair, I tend to recognize the reality of my fat, unprepared ass trying to survive in the aforementioned circumstances. If I were a betting man, a fly on the wall for the whole experience; I'd bet on me dying before Day 60.

Just sayin...

 

[swantucky]

With the few supplies you have in this situation it would be tough to make it 60 days. On the other hand if I had the backpack i always carry afield that would probably go a long way to lasting longer out there. The clean water and bugs bother me more than the snakes do. Granted I have never delt with southern snakes much but I spent 3 days in the hills of Pennsylvania rattlesnake hunting and could not find even one of the fuggers. Not even a copperhead. I caught plenty of other snakes just none of the target species.

P.S. I hunted the first day in a speedo. I was looking GOOD!!!

 

[Jackalope]

So, you're saying there is no way to escape the snakes?

On a small piece of dry land in the middle of the swamps? No.

Kill them all you want. More will show up.. I'm not embellishing when i tell you we could kill 10-5 each per hour on the edge of the swamps. It's only a matter of time until one you don't see pops you.
You have a lot to do to keep alive, shelter building, trash collecting, firewood gathering, food etc.. You'll get hit eventually.. Guaranteed.