Primal Survivor (2016) s08e04 Episode Script

1
(suspenseful music)
This place is incredibly dry,
and it's unimaginable to me
to think about what it would be like
for an animal to try to survive out here,
but there are animals all over.
I don't see the actual animals,
but I see all their prints.
There's a bunch of
fresh burrows over here.
See this fresh dirt?
This was done just this morning.
These are rodent holes,
and they could prove me
an opportunity to find a meal.
Oh, wow, it really goes in there. Oh
I don't know if you can
just barely see it.
It's pretty well camouflaged.
Oh, there it's coming out.
This is a pit viper.
It's a beautiful snake
that definitely does require respect.
This species of highly venomous snake
is armed with a potent toxin
that can cause death through shock, kidney
failure and uncontrollable bleeding.
I think it feels
like it's pretty cornered
which is a dangerous place
to be with a snake.
When a snake feels like
it doesn't have any options to run away,
so then it just has to protect itself,
and right now, it is definitely
in striking position.
I'm just gonna let it go back
into the shade where it was,
and it's gone.
Yeah, that just goes to show just when
you think that this place looks all dead,
it's actually quite alive.
Alright, I'm moving on.
I'm Hazen Audel, wilderness explorer.
I'm over halfway through the most
ambitious expedition I've ever attempted.
Crossing the mighty Andes mountains
from east to west,
journeying through some of the toughest
environments in South America,
each with their own unique challenges.
This is the fourth leg of
my epic solo adventure.
I'm in the land of the Cueva del Inca;
a community of remote mountain dwellers
whose lives are guided by a set
of ancient spiritual customs.
They're famous for their Temazcal
sweat ceremonies,
which involve fire, water and stone.
This ritual is rarely seen by outsiders
and is said to rejuvenate
both body and mind.
I've learned that it's intense,
painful and even life-changing.
What I really hope is
there might be a possibility
that I could experience
for myself a ceremony like this.
I've heard there's a Temazcal taking place
in the mountains in just a few days.
To reach it in time I've got to negotiate
the sun-scorched wastelands
of Argentina's notorious salt flats,
and then complete a punishing climb
through a labyrinth of winding canyons
that lead to the high altitude home of the
Cueva del Inca.
These dangerous environments will push
my survival skills to their limits,
but first, I've gotta stock
up on vital supplies.
Here's a plant that's a little bit
out of the ordinary.
Look at these spines.
It is definitely trying
to guard what's inside.
Known locally as Kepo, these prickly
cactus's protect a hidden prize.
Here's one here.
It's not easy pickings
because they do have
these tiny spines all over
'em called glochids.
They look like fuzz, but they're almost
like microscopic spines
that work their way right into your skin.
They can irritate you for weeks.
The nice thing though is I can tell
this fruit is very ripe.
It's like a aloe vera gel,
slime that's really sour,
but in its own ways, it's a little bit
refreshing at the same time.
The vitamin C in these fruits
is very useful to my body in many ways,
but the Kepo's real treasure
is buried underground.
This is what I was looking for.
So here are just some of the bottom stems,
and it'll create almost
like a little potato.
You see just doesn't take much.
It just starts getting really slimy.
Out here, the dangers of
the sun are all day long,
and so you wipe this on,
and it soothes the skin.
Of Cueva del Inca use this plant a lot,
and respect it greatly
because of the food that it provides
and also the medicine that it has.
It's local knowledge like this
that helps keep me alive
for the journeys ahead.
I'm now 12,000 feet above sea level,
and everything, including the sun,
is about to get substantially more fierce.
This is the Salar de Arizaro;
a vast, white desert that spans hundreds
of miles across the horizon.
This place is white,
bright white for as far as I can see.
This is a land of extremes.
In the hottest months, these exposed
plains can reach nearly 100 degrees.
Whilst at night,
conditions plummet to well below zero,
petrifying the entire
landscape as hard as stone.
Miles and miles and miles of this.
Just keeps going.
Devoid of life and resources,
this is no place to hang out, and I need
to cross it as quickly as possible.
I just pick one point ahead of me
and I've just been shooting
for that for hours now.
The salt this landscape is made of
sucks the moisture right out of the air,
creating some of the driest
conditions on earth.
With the sun and the elevation,
it's a recipe for dehydration.
Here, death from exposure or heat stroke
can strike within hours.
It's essential I keep my fluids topped up.
It's a race against the sun, it's a race
against the seasons, and guess what?
(laughs)
They don't wait for anybody.
(sniffs)
(breathes heavily)
Definitely a change in the ground.
Look at these
(grunts) prints right there.
That's weird.
Okay, this is something manmade.
These are how the animals and the very,
very few people that are out here,
this is how they're getting their water.
(sips)
It's not terrific water.
It's still very salty, kinda almost
has a slippery texture to it,
like it's, almost like it has soap in it.
These strange holes are cut
and cared for by the locals,
and tap into ground water
lying just beneath the salt.
I'm being careful to drink just
from the very top of the pool.
Ironically, it's the brutal conditions
of this landscape
that make this layer safe to drink.
The constant sun blasts the surface of the
still water with ultraviolet radiation,
killing most of the harmful bacteria.
This is a good opportunity
for me to fill up.
Beggars can't be choosers.
My thirst is satisfied for now,
but this strange landscape
poses another danger.
As the sun reaches
the highest point of the day,
the sun glares right off the salt
and becomes almost overwhelming.
This place is just white,
white, white, bright white. (sighs)
I'm suffering from the early symptoms
of sun blindness;
a condition caused by the rays
sunburning the retina behind my eye.
You get too much of it,
you can do irreparable
damage to your eyes, even go blind.
For now, I'm shielding my eyes the best
I can to escape the worst effects,
but through the glare,
I spot some shapes on the horizon.
There's something up ahead of me.
I don't know what that is.
Hola.
How are you gentlemen doing?
What's your name?
-Dario.
-Huh?
-Dario.
-Dario. I'm Hazen.
-Elbio.
-Elbio. A pleasure to meet you.
ATOR: Dario, Elbio
and Aleho are Salineros,
local miners who brave
this landscape to collect
its most widespread and
valuable commodity
salt.
I can't believe you're working
in these conditions!
Yes, it's very tough.
I have respect for you.
Wow.
Every day? Doesn't it hurt your eyes?
These shades protect
our eyes from burning.
Si. Aye.
Oh, yes. Thank God for that.
The sun here! Very good.
-Yes.
-Yes.
Can I see you work?
Yes, of course.
These sunglasses offer me a
chance to rest my eyes
and time to see the Salineros at work.
-Which one? This one or this one?
-This one.
Funky axes.
Oh.
(sighs)
These are so heavy I'd say
this is probably about 55 pounds,
and this is solid salt.
Once dug out,
the salt blocks needs to be shaped
so they can be stacked and transported
by donkey to market.
This might be
a once in a lifetime opportunity
to sculpt solid blocks of salt.
-Is this right?
-Yes.
Trying to get it nice and neat,
like they have it.
They're actually quite beautiful
when they're all trimmed up.
Nice and square.
The salt is primarily destined
for local farmers
where it's used as a mineral
supplement in livestock feed.
How much does one of these
cost on the market?
This costs 350.
-350?
-Yes.
So each one of these is
a little bit less than $3 a block.
Can you imagine what it's like
to be working in a place like this
all day long in this kind
of sun and this kind of heat?
Hard-working people, deserving of respect.
I'd love to hang out
with these guys longer,
but I do have a schedule to keep.
It is time for me to say my goodbyes.
Yeah, ciao.
Bye, you guys. Thank you very much.
-Yes, we're going home right away too.
-Okay.
Where are you going now?
I'm looking for a community
called Cueva del Inca.
The Cueva del Inca village
is to the west, very far away.
-Far?
-Yes, very far, yes.
The miners tell me of a cave
that lies between here and the village.
Can I stay there?
Yes, you can sleep there.
-It's in that direction?
-Yes.
I think it's the only place you're
going to be able to take refuge.
Because when the sun goes down
it's going to get very cold.
Yes, at night it's going
to get very cold.
Yeah. Okay.
Dario is so concerned for my safety,
he offers to top up my water bottle
and shares another special gift.
They gave me one of their skins,
which is amazing.
This is the difference between
a horrible night's sleep
and something that's somewhat tolerable.
So often it's the people that you meet
along the beaten path
that inspire humanity, right?
Thank you so much again.
-Bye.
-Goodbye!
Good luck, right?
The directions I got
from the Salineros are invaluable,
but they've warned me
the cave I'm shooting for
is still a good distance away, which means
I'm in a race against the clock.
Within hours, temperatures here
will start to plummet well below freezing.
That's pretty much all I'm thinking
about right now.
And with no materials
to build a shelter or fire,
getting caught at night on these flats
would put me
at serious risk of hypothermia.
Hopefully, I'm gonna get to those
mountains over there and keep going.
It feels like I'm going pretty fast.
Covering miles today, that's for sure.
Ahead of me, though, are these rows
of strange-looking rubble.
Okay, I can see what these are now.
This is all remnants of other Salineros
that were here before.
There's an old, broken axe handle,
other chunks of wood.
All this stuff is no use to anybody,
except for me actually.
I'm still very much feeling the effects of
the constant sun on my eyes.
This is a chance to craft a solution.
I'd like to whittle myself
a pair of sunglasses.
This is basically an old Inuit method
because they too lived
in conditions like this,
not with salt but with snow.
Hey, I'm getting close.
Now for the eye slits.
Hey, I'm almost there.
There we go.
I don't know what these glasses look like.
Call me a slave to fashion,
but I'll take it.
Those will get me
through the day for sure.
My Inuit-style sunglasses minimize
the amount of light getting into my eyes.
These work so good.
And I'm back on the march towards
a safe place to spend the night.
Once the landscape starts to change,
I gotta look for a really big canyon.
(dramatic music)
Finally, I reach the far side
of the salt flats.
Ahead of me is a maze-like landscape
of hundreds of interlocking canyons.
Right when the sun goes down.
There is a bitter chill in the air.
Definitely gonna get
below freezing tonight.
Put on as many layers as I've got.
I have a feeling that
I'm getting closer to these caves.
Each one of these overhangs is getting
deeper and deeper.
Oh, man.
Footprints everywhere.
Even donkey doo in here.
That's great, okay, well
better get making a fire, or else
my fingers aren't gonna work.
I'm making a bow drill,
a traditional method of fire lighting
that relies on friction
to create a burning ember.
Getting sand in there grinds
this part into my fire board here
and then it grinds to make a perfect fit.
Increases the friction. Here we go.
Yeah, there we go. Come on, baby.
Ooh, good, good, good, good.
I've got an ember, but the hardest part
is transforming it into a flame.
Get some of this donkey doo.
This right here, just grind it up.
It's good and really dry,
even could be a few years old.
Things under the cave like this,
things just preserve themselves so well.
Donkey doody to the rescue.
The temperature is dropping fast,
and if I'm going to make it
through the night I need this to work.
Come on.
Oh, yep, there we go. Oh, great.
Good deal.
There we go. Yeah, cool.
I have a fire and just in time.
It's getting cold, but I am so happy
to have a fire.
Here's what I have planned
to make it through the night,
is I'm gonna move this fire
a little bit closer to this rocky wall.
I'm gonna make the fire about as wide
as my torso, about as long as my torso.
As that fire is burning, it warms up
all of the sand and gravel underneath it,
and then when I'm ready to hit the hay,
I can move that fire to here,
probably about right
where it is right now,
but then all that fire that was there
has warmed up a nice bed of sand.
Put my sheepskin on top of that,
put all of the clothes I have on.
It's gonna be a cold night, but
(grunts)
if all goes as planned,
I'll make it through.
It's a new dawn, and every day
on my epic journey
across the Andes Mountains
is getting harder.
I'm hoping the Temazcal healing
ceremony gives me renewed focus
and strength for the challenges ahead,
but to stand any chance of joining one,
I need to continue traveling west
through a network of steep canyons
and then climb into the high Andes,
where I hope to find the Cueva del Inca.
Okay, is this thing on?
Yeah, okay, good, cool.
I got something to show you, I think.
I have some hitchhikers.
What has happened is when
I was spending the night, I had this open
and somebody crawled in there.
Look at these things. Look at those.
My goodness, you just wanted to start
a little family in my backpack I think.
Yeah, this is what they were after,
they were trying to make
a little nest, I think,
with all this moss I've been
saving for toilet paper.
But I got a sweaty bandana,
I got rawhide for them to chew on,
I got everything they want to.
I mean, they are cute, but I can't just
have them living in my backpack.
You gotta go. Come on.
(grunts) Go on.
Go on, get. Go on. Here you go.
Yeah, you don't wanna go do you?
But you gotta go.
You gotta go, okay?
Both, two of you.
This is no place to raise a family.
That's what happens when you sleep on
the ground and in the sticks and in caves,
the neighbors sometimes
just invite themselves.
I continue deeper and deeper
into the canyons,
until I'm channeled into a narrow ravine.
This is the passageway.
Through all the sandstone,
you can see how steep it gets.
It is amazing
how many different landscapes
I've been coming across on my journey.
This is the path I have to take
to get to the Cueva del Inca.
I have a feeling it's gonna
go on and on and on.
I'm gaining height
and winding my way closer
to the snow-covered peaks of the Andes.
This far away snow can have
a devastating impact on this gorge.
See up there all the cracked mud?
That's all left over
when this place has just flash flooded.
Boy, if that happened you'd be a goner.
That's 35 feet up in the air right there.
That's why people die in these places
because they are inviting,
you can just explore forever,
but if you add water to the mix,
it becomes deadly.
It looks like the top's getting closer.
I'm making some elevation in here.
At the end of the ravine,
the trail steepens.
To get out, I'm going to have to climb.
It's always good to try
to get somewhat of an idea
of where my line is gonna be.
It looks like a scramble.
The trickiest part is gonna be where
I'll get into that rock that's real loose.
From what I see,
that might just be the top up there.
You never know until you're up there.
Okay, this looks like this is the route.
Definitely not solid rock.
Takes a lot of concentration.
Halfway up, and my scramble
becomes a vertical climb.
I don't like this part.
All it takes is just one misstep,
and my journey could come
crashing to the ground.
(intense music)
Getting up here now.
(sighs, grunts)
Okay. Yeah, okay, I made it.
Yeah, making my way closer
and closer to the Temazcal.
I've gained some serious elevation,
and the canyons below have given way
to a greener, high altitude terrain.
I've definitely entered a zone
with a lot more diversity
than what I've been experiencing
in the last few days.
So I'm certainly covering some ground,
but this more diversity,
it means more different kinds
of plants, animals, food,
and spines.
Look at that. Wow.
These cactuses around here
definitely don't wanna be stepped on.
I do have boots with me,
but going light, going this way
is my preferred method.
I've walked a lot of miles going simple,
and it resembles the way
people have been traveling this country
for thousands of years.
It does make me have to tread carefully
and methodically with every step.
These little details, for me,
are kind of my secret to success
'cause it forces me
to pay attention out here.
This focus helps me avoid dangers
in the landscapes I travel through,
and being this aware
also brings its benefits.
Out of this entire city of cactuses,
there's only one that has
what I'm looking for.
Right there
(labored breathing)
It sucks that they're so high,
but those are fruits.
Yeah, there's even more
up there on this side.
I gotta figure out some way to get 'em.
To harvest the fruit,
I need something long and strong enough
to reach the top of the cactus.
So get right over here.
Yeah, over here.
This is gonna be perfect, so
It'll take a little bit of processing.
You can just see how protected
these cactuses are.
That's the old, dead, dried up skin.
I should be able to get
a section out of this.
(grunts)
Figure out a way to tie these,
see what I got.
I'm making a fruit picker
with a fruit hook.
Okay, if I get a little bit excited
'cause this actually might be
something good to eat for a change.
Here we go.
Come on.
(sighs)
(grunts) Oh, okay, there's one.
(grunts) Okay, there's a couple.
There are some ones that are quite
a bit lower, dare I say easy pickings,
but I will take every single one
I can get.
(grunts) Okay, and these ones, here.
You gotta be careful picking 'em up
because they are still spiky.
(sighs) This is a dangerous fruit.
(laughs)
Cut one in half,
you really can't eat the skin.
Oh, look at that. Look at how that
That is slimy, isn't it?
How it all sticks together,
but those are sugars as well.
Oh, yeah, it's more like
cutting into a pear.
Mmhm, you know, that is nice.
It tastes almost like a sweet,
lime popsicle.
Cactus fruits are loaded
with energy-rich nutrients
including vitamin C and potassium.
HAZEN: This was definitely
worth the effort.
This is the most refreshing, nice,
wild food I've had in a long time.
But even when eating, I've gotta
be careful not to let my guard down.
Hello, there's a snake right there.
HAZEN: There it is. Okay.
It's a Chaco Racer,
one of the fastest snakes in the world.
I'm not gonna handle it
'cause they can be pretty feisty.
Oh, it has its head really up high,
and that's what they do,
they hold their head
high up above the rocks,
above the vegetation, have a look around.
When it sees movement, it sees its prey,
it gets back down and stays hidden,
and then right at the very last minute,
it's just a full-on, straight-out chase,
and it chases down its prey.
At top speeds, racer snakes can reach
nearly 20 miles per hour.
When these snakes wanna move,
I can't imagine any other predator
being faster than a chaco racer
in these kind of rocks.
They can just go just like lighting,
so fast you can barely see 'em,
and part of that secret is,
well, their markings.
When they're going really fast,
they have these longitudinal lines.
A predator can't really assess
how fast this snake is going
'cause all it's seeing is these lines.
If it had markings like this, you know,
you can kinda gage
how fast the snake is going.
Well, it actually did find
a pretty good hiding spot.
Oh, yeah.
It's long gone now.
Cool, okay.
Chaco racer (sniffs)
Neat.
The hardest terrain is behind me, but
my most important task still lies ahead.
The Temazcal ceremony
takes place somewhere
amongst these vast, rugged mountains,
and my best chance of finding
it lies in seeking out the people
who call these mountains home.
HAZEN: I have to say I love my feet being
wet and cool,
but this is all water coming from a few
thousand feet higher.
A few miles way this is all snow melt.
This is the beginning
of winter right here.
This stream provides a good opportunity
to refill my bottle.
HAZEN: I think I'm just gonna top up,
Fresh water is also a good place
to search for signs of civilization,
so I'm going to follow the valley.
Water is life.
Okay, enjoy this while I have it.
After a few hours, I spot sheep
and goats on one of the nearby hilltops
and accompanying them is the herder.
How many animals do you have?
-600 more or less.
-600?
-Yeah.
-Wow.
They have to take care of
over 600 animals out here.
That is amazing.
I'm in luck.
Gabby is a member of the Cueva del Inca,
and this could be my ticket
to the Temazcal.
This encounter
(breathes heavily)
is probably an enormous
stroke of luck for me.
She's invited me (panting)
to go to her family's house.
They're all clear up way over that hill.
The solitude of traveling
through this remote wilderness
can have a physical and mental toll, and
it's nice to finally have some company.
HAZEN: Look at her go.
(laughs)
Doing this every day, she is in shape.
(laughs)
Gabby, you're a mountain goat up here.
(speaking Spanish)
(laughs)
You are pretty fast too!
(laughs)
I've arrived at the farmstead
at a special time of year.
It's lambing season, which means there's
a small army of tiny goats and sheep.
Every single one of the little babies
that are being born right now
is individually being taken care of,
making sure that everybody's gonna
grow up nice and healthy.
It means a lot of extra work
for Gabby and her family,
so I volunteered to help
with the wrangling.
HAZEN: There you go.
Every single one of these little ones.
Look, there's one squeezed into the
crack there, skinny hips.
So after every single one is fed,
then all the little ones are rounded up
and put into this little pen
for safe keeping,
and then this allows all the mothers
to go up into the canyons,
all along all these cliff sides, and then
do the grazing that they need to do.
It's just too dangerous
for these little baby ones
to be out there accompanying their
mothers.
Oh, look at this new batch coming in.
(speaking Spanish)
There you go.
(grunts)
(speaking Spanish)
That is a pen full of cuteness,
I tell you what.
After the baby goat round up, talk turns
to my search for the Temazcal ceremony.
Gabby tells me there's one taking place
tonight, and it's just a few valleys over.
If I hurry, there's a chance
I can make it in time.
Just go up this canyon?
Yes, the ascent is gentler that way.
Good, good.
-I wish you every success.
-Yes, yes.
Yeah, yes.
Thank you so much.
I still have a good idea of
where I'm heading,
but pretty soon the stars will be out,
and that's the only thing
I got for navigation.
I don't have much time to waste though.
(grunts) It shouldn't be too much further.
(grunts)
Darkness closes in
as I carefully pick my way
through the rocky terrain.
I can pretty much
see where I'm going.
I'm stubbing my toes for sure, but still,
feel safe enough to keep traveling.
I'm keeping a pretty good direction.
I know where I need to go.
I think (laughs) I'm gonna
make it there in time.
Just gotta keep plugging along.
Finally, I see people in the distance.
I'm here. I'm here.
I might be kinda late, but I've been told
that I should be welcomed.
Buenas noches.
Hi.
Willy, who is leading the ceremony,
welcomes me.
HAZEN: Yeah, gracias.
Tonight is very special
because we are going
to enter the womb of mother earth.
Let's get ready to do this healing
that our great-great-grandparents
have passed down.
I, and four other participants,
are here for this deeply spiritual event.
The proceedings begin with offerings.
(speaking Spanish)
What I'm learning is that this is
a ceremony in which celebrates
our ancestors, our grandparents.
(speaking Spanish)
The Temazcal dates back thousands
of years to pre-Columbian times.
Practiced by men and women alike,
it simulates rebirth,
and is believed to have rejuvenating
effects on mental and physical trauma.
This is a rite of passage.
For them, it's about being together,
it's about sharing something
that is very private to them
and at the same time,
incredibly spiritual.
But the ceremony also carries a reputation
as being a brutal test of endurance.
I need to prepare myself
for the challenge ahead.
You should take off
most of your clothes.
Okay, okay, one moment. Si, si, si.
Because it's going to be
really hot inside.
Wearing that,
it's going to be hotter.
You're going to have
to be very strong.
-It's going to be better without clothes.
-Good.
During the ceremony, super-heated stones
will be placed inside the hut,
raising the temperature
to suffocating conditions.
I'll be expected to endure the heat
for most of the night until 25 stones
have been brought inside, and once
we begin, no one can enter or exit
except The Guardian
bringing in the stones.
HAZEN: This is where
I leave my fears behind.
(breathes heavily)
(speaking Spanish)
(speaking Spanish)
(native music)
(speaking Spanish)
(native music)
(native music)
(breathes heavily)
(speaking Spanish)
Gracias.
It's hard to find the words
when there's nothing
that I've ever done that's like that.
It was black except the glow, the red glow
of each rock that kept coming in.
The air was so hot that you couldn't
take it in through your nose.
The heat became more intense
as more rocks came,
then sacred water was poured on the rocks.
You had to breath slow.
Sometimes it was so hot,
you had to hug the ground,
but the songs kept bringing you up,
and you sang your own song,
and it was keeping me
from going in and out of consciousness.
We told stories about our childhood.
I told a story that I didn't know
that I ever remembered.
They were important times in my life,
and we shared those together.
For me (breathes heavily)
right now,
I feel blood pumping now.
(native music)
I was told to rest, and tomorrow,
I'll discover more about
what we all shared in there.
It was special.
(native music)
This was an once-in-a-lifetime experience;
one that will take me
many days to process.
But I do feel refreshed and rejuvenated
for the journey ahead,
and it's come just at the right time.
There's a consistent cold breeze,
and it's the winter that's coming.
It's already bringing snow to those peaks
that I've gotta get across.
That'll be the highest
part of my expedition,
but if more snow comes it'll be impossible
for me to find a passage through there.
On the next leg,
I climb to the very top of the Andes.
I feel the altitude.
Enduring the brutal conditions
of its mountain passes.
I got bad blisters.
Before descending into one
of the driest places on earth.
I'm totally out of water.
The legendary Atacama Desert.
This place is crazy.