SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? Stay with your vehicle
Some people believe that a credit card and cellphone are all you need to get by, but there are circumstances and places where these two items won’t help you at all.
You and your companions are stuck alone in the middle of nowhere. Your off-roader has broken down, there is zero cellphone signal (you also don’t have a satellite phone), and the nearest
human settlement is several hours – even days – away. You have one of two choices: stay with the vehicle or walk to seek help.
In the majority of cases, it’s better for everyone to remain at the vehicle until someone comes along, but sometimes you get that sinking feeling and know instinctively that someone will die if you don’t start walking.
Here’s what to do whether you decide to stay or go.
Hopefully you remembered to give your itinerary, with all the places and dates, to a trusted friend or family member at home. If they don’t hear from you by a predetermined date, that person should get your itinerary to the appropriate authorities so they can get the rescue wheels rolling.
Water
Water is your first priority, and if it looks like you’ll be stuck for a number of days, immediately start rationing. However, don’t be too strict – it would be awfully ironic if you succumb to heat exhaustion while you still have water left in a can.
The human body has the ability to sweat up to 1,5 ℓ water per hour, but that’s in extreme temperatures that you aren’t likely to encounter in southern Africa. Nevertheless, do keep physical exertions to a minimum during the day. Rather lie low when the sun is at its hottest, and then work when it is cooler.
The British SAS survival guide states that you should dig a hole, place a container in it, then stretch a tarpaulin over the hole and place a stone on the tarp. Doing so will collect moisture in the container overnight. We tested this idea in the Richtersveld – with limited success. The problem is that southern Africa has a dry climate with little moisture in the air. On top of that, you sweat out just as much water digging the hole as you will collect. Plastic bags wrapped around bushes to collect moisture may work in the Soutpansberg, but a Karoo bush won’t give up its precious water that easily.
The very best advice we can give is to use the water you already have sparingly – or to look for a new water source, such as a fountain.
Veld food
You can survive without food for a relatively long time – two weeks, with only light labour, is feasible, but why would you suffer when there is food in the veld around you?
Southern Africa has many abandoned farms, and even in the driest regions you’ll sometimes come across an oak tree (Quercus robur) that a farmer planted. Gather dry acorns off the ground – leave the rotten ones – and peel them down to the fleshy bit. Filter out
the bitter tannins by pouring the acorns into a bucket of warm water. Wait until the water turns brown, discard the water and then pour in fresh water (we’re assuming you’re near a water source). Once the water remains clear (the process takes a day or two), the acorns are ready to be roasted and eaten like peanuts. Back in the day, people would grind the acorns into flour and bake bread, but your focus is on survival rather than luxuries.
If you’re stuck near a fountain or river, be on the lookout for bulrush (Typha capensis) – it grows all over Africa. Pull out a few clumps and chop off the roots and green leafy parts. The soft, white stems are edible – raw or cooked.
Dangerous animals
When staying with your vehicle, be especially careful of scorpions. Do what the Namas in the Richtersveld do and sweep a large area around your camp, then keep a beady eye on it around dusk. Scorpions like to come out at night and then get hold of your big toe or heel. The guys with thin tails and large pincers (the Scorpionidae family) are harmless, but the okes with the thick tail and small pincers (the Buthidae family) can ruin your day. Adult humans are unlikely to die from a scorpion’s sting. There is one species, however, the Parabuthus granulates, that claims a few lives annually in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana – sadly, it’s more often children that die.
So have the youngsters put on their boots in the late afternoon and search the tent thoroughly before sending them to bed. The symptoms of a severe sting are palpitations, fever, excruciating
Do what the Namas in the Richtersveld do and sweep a large area around your camp
pain and restlessness. Painkillers can aggravate the symptoms and you should rather hold out until the pain goes away on its own.
Make your mark
If you decide to stay with your vehicle, it will help to create the following signs with rocks that a light aircraft can see from the air. An X means you need medical help and can’t walk out, and an F means you need food and water.
If you didn’t share your travel plans with anyone before you got into trouble, or you’ve strayed far from your planned route and are now on a trail that looks like it was last used many months ago, you should consider walking for help. Leave a note on your vehicle’s windscreen with your name, the date and contact details for your next of kin.
Try to do most of your walking early morning or evening when it is cooler. Just be careful not to sprain an ankle. Take along as much water as you can carry and, if you have one, a purifier. In places such as the Karoo and Namaqualand, you will sometimes be tempted to take a shortcut over a koppie rather than walk around it. This is a mistake. Conserve water by walking on flat ground rather than sweating as you climb.
Veld food
You can get by with not much food if you stay with your vehicle, but if you go hiking, you will need extra energy. Here are some plants to look out for: The African asparagus or asparagus fern (Asparagus africanus) grows all over southern Africa, but more often in ravines and riverbeds where it is cooler and clammier. Nibble on its soft twigs – they’re not only a source of moisture, but also have loads of vitamin C. You’ll recognise it by its small white flowers, small green berries and fern-like leaves. Another bush that occurs in southern Africa is the real wild currant (Searcia tomentosa). As you can tell from the name, this plant has raisin-like berries that you can eat. If they are green, they are sour and bitter, but once brown it’s deliciously sweet. The seeds of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) taste great, almost like nougat, and will help fill you up. Also look out for bitter ghaap (Hoodia gordonii), also known as Bushman’s hat, in the drier regions of our country. It’s a spiny succulent with fleshy flowers and you eat it raw (first
peel off the thorns though). It will not only give you water, but it also suppresses your appetite so it feels as though you’ve just had a large meal. In May in the Namib and Kalahari, you’ll find the delicious !naba – also known as the Kalahari or desert truffle. Look closely at the ground where cracks form, as if something is trying to push its way up from below: it could be a scaly ball reminiscent of a small potato. Braai it on the coals and peel before eating, or peel it and cook it in a pot.
Dangerous animals
Lions, buffalo and rhino are dangerous, yes, but you should mainly watch out for snakes. Only 11% of the approximately 170 snake species in southern Africa are potentially deadly, however, and if you’ve been bitten by one of them, says Johan Marais, author of the guide Snakes & Snakebite, there’s only a 20% chance that you’ll need an antivenom. People bitten by a snake are usually okay – so fate is on your side. Even extremely venomous snakes can regulate their injections and it would be very rare for a snake to spend all its venom on you.
Do, however, wear boots, thick socks and trousers when you head out on foot.
The most dangerous snakes are mambas, cobras, adders and tree snakes. The Cape cobra and black mamba are responsible for the most deaths in southern Africa, though the Cape cobra found in Botswana and Namibia isn’t nearly as venomous as those in the Western Cape. The treatment for snake bites varies wildly from one type of snake to another.
For some, you need to wrap the wound in a pressure bandage; for others you simply have to leave it exposed. It’s too complicated and you should rather buy Johan’s book. Briefly, follow these basic commandments:
Stay calm, but act fast and with a purpose.
Try to identify the snake, but don’t try to catch or kill it. Remove watches, jewelry and tight-fitting clothing in case of swelling.
Don’t use a tourniquet. Don’t cut the wound or try to suck or pump out the venom. Don’t apply ice or alcohol.
Lie down until the worst symptoms subside. Yes, it may be extremely painful, but remember that snake-bite fatalities are relatively rare. Good luck, mate.
Make your mark
If you’re going to walk out, pack a huge arrow with rocks (see above) near your vehicle that shows the direction you’re walking. Stick to that heading and, every morning when you resume your trek, build another arrow that points the way.
THE BEAR GRYLLS COCKTAIL
This British adventurer claims that in an emergency you can drink your own urine. Do remember, though, that urine contains dissolved metals, lots of salt and a tiny amount of bacteria. If your urine is clear, like tap water with only a slight tint, it’s relatively safe to drink, but if it is golden yellow, especially orangy yellow, you should not drink it at all. ‘Good’ urine is about as safe as seawater – and no one ever suggests drinking seawater for the sake of survival.
As soon as you get stuck and it’s obvious you’ll be there for a number of days, store your first, clear pee in an empty bottle for an emergency. You can distill that first pee by
LEARN FROM THE PAST
1972 A Uruguayan passenger plane crashes in the Andes. Five of the 45 people on board die in the initial crash.
The survivors remain at the wreck, but after 60 days and 29 deaths, three brave rugby players decide to hike out and evaporation to get rid of the worst taste and salts.
If you wait until your water is finished and you only now decide to pee in a bottle, that dark yellow urine will be toxic. If you drink this, you will probably vomit and dehydrate even further. And yes, a water filter can indeed remove the bacteria built up in yellow urine, but it can’t do anything about the metals, urea and salts.
Basically, you have one shot, and that’s to make use of your very first pee – provided it is clear and clean, and even then it is only for extreme emergencies. We generally discourage you from drinking pee. If you’re on hormone therapy or chronic medication, you shouldn’t even be considering it. find help. The last 16 of the 45 passengers are saved as a result.
2008 The vehicle of a South African couple breaks down on the Van Zyls Pass in Namibia. They wait for two days at their vehicle while slowly running out of water. As they face death, a Himba herder emerges from out of nowhere. He shares his water with them and takes the couple to his camp in a gorge where health workers later fetch them.
2019 Three friends are exploring the Australian Outback when their vehicle gets stuck in a dry riverbed. For three days they try to dig it out, but after the seventh day, two of them decide to walk in search of help.
The third person waiting at the vehicle is rescued after 12 days. The two hikers are still missing to this day.