Will to Live: Dispatches from the Edge of Survival Read Online Free PDF

hours later, Yossi heard sounds coming from the brush around him. He tried to ignore them, but when the rustle of leaves was accompanied by what sounded like footsteps, he turned on his flashlight to reveal a jaguar standing a few yards away, staring at him and waving its tail slowly from side to side. Yossi screamed, but the jaguar was not deterred. Near panic, he reverted to his insect-repellent flamethrower: he pressed down on the nozzle and lit the spray with his lighter, spitting out a jet of flame. When the can was empty, Yossi was scorched and temporarily blinded, but the jaguar was gone.
    The next morning, Yossi was overjoyed at seeing the sun, a feeling I’ve experienced every time I’ve been on a survival expedition, when waiting all night for the dawn can be an agonizing experience. All you want is for the sun to rise, but the darkness plays tricks with time and dawn never comes fast enough. Your otherwise-helpful wristwatch can become your nemesis, too. There’s nothing worse than looking at your watch and expecting to see 5 a.m ., only to find out it’s just past midnight. These are the lost and lonely hours of survival situations, when you feel a chill rip up your spine and realize that daylight is still hours away. It’s then, more than any other time in a survival ordeal, that all you want is to be home.
    With the sun up, Yossi began the trip back down to the Tuichi. The brush was too thick to show the way, so he again relied on his wits and began following streams, knowing they would eventually lead him down to the big body of water at the base of the mountain. This was another smart decision. As a general rule, following a river downstream is advisable, if you are fairly certain of what lies along the way. Following a watercourse downstream also works well in the continental United States, where just about any river will eventually lead to a town or city.
    Yossi eventually made it back to the shores of the river, where he swore never again to venture into the heart of the jungle. At the rushing water’s edge, he felt safer, more secure. As light faded into dusk, he came upon a cave at the edge of the jungle, another of his many lucky breaks during his time alone. Here, Yossi holed up for the evening, knowing that the cave would provide protection from the wind, which had chilled him after an entire day of rainforest downpours. Wind is one of the most dangerous weather elements you can face in the wilderness, particularly if you’re wet and already chilled, even in the jungle.
    All too often, people may remember a warm summer rain and figure they can’t get chilled in the tropical heat. But rain and wind can lower your body temperature to the point of hypothermia just about anywhere on the planet. At the very least, this deadly combination can lower your core temperature enough to draw precious energy reserves from your body when you need them most. Continuing to think and act like a true survivor, Yossi warmed himself by pulling his rain poncho over his head and breathing heavily into it to create a bit of warmth. He correctly recognized that you sometimes have to put up with a little hardship (in this case, claustrophobia) to protect yourself from further jeopardy.
    Having now spent nine days alone in the jungle under extreme and sometimes horrific circumstances, Yossi decided to spend a day at his new campsite to rest, heal his deteriorating feet, and dry his clothes. While exploring the area, he came upon a tree, some fruit of which was lying on the ground. Getting the fruit off the tree was nearly impossible, however, until Yossi again relied on his ingenuity to solve the problem. He tied some of his fishing line around a rock and hurled it at the tree, where it wrapped around a branch and caught. By tugging on the branch, Yossi was able to dislodge quite a few of the fruits. It was a bounty for an otherwise starving man, and a whole new twist on fishing.
    I am continually impressed by Yossi’s