- Joined
- Sep 26, 2005
- Messages
- 3,516
just saw this on the yahoo news when I logged on.
CAYENNE, French Guiana (AFP) - "We underestimated the difficulty," said a French hiker who along with a friend survived seven weeks lost in a South American jungle on a diet of turtles and tarantulas.
Loic Pillois and Guilhem Nayral had been missing in French Guiana since mid-February when they turned up Thursday after living off river water, seeds, spiders and the meat of two turtles.
"We underestimated the difficulty of getting through the forest," said a bearded Pillois, his scratched and emaciated legs visible beneath a pair of khaki shorts.
He was speaking to reporters Saturday in a hotel in Cayenne, the main town of this French territory bordering Brazil, before flying back to Europe. Nayral, suffering from exhaustion and severe weight loss, was still being treated in a local hospital.
Asked what he would do differently if setting off on such a trip again, Pillois said that "we would take a satellite phone with us."
He and his friend, both 34 years old and both landscape gardeners, had headed off in mid-February from the Grand Kanori rapids, on the banks of the river Approuague in the heart of Guiana, with only a map and compass to guide them.
They walked four or five hours a day, said Pillois, but after 12 days, when they had still not reached their planned destination, "we stopped in a clearing and we made a fire because we thought so helicopters could see us."
Their makeshift home consisted of "a few branches to shelter us, a tarpaulin and a fire."
"In our clearing we could hear helicopters, sometimes several times a day. But then we stopped hearing them. We couldn't decide whether to stay or to go," he said.
Rescuers had on March 26 called off their search for the hikers after making 50 flights over the forest where they were believed to be.
"We had enough food supplies for 12 or 13 days. Then on the 13th day we had nothing left," said Pillois.
"We started eating palm seeds from which you had to remove the thorns, nuts, small animals that we cooked. We gathered wood to make fires."
Pillois pointed out that the rule when in difficulties in a forest is to stop and wait for help to arrive.
"That's what we did for three weeks," he said.
But eventually they decided to move on.
"The path was very steep, and there were terrible storms. Guilhem was having intestinal problems. During the last days he had problems carrying his bag."
Towards the end, for every two days of walking they would have one day of rest. Pillois said he was starting to get very worried.
"I wondered how it was going to end, particularly with respect to Guilhem, who is my best friend and will remain my best friend."
Nayral was eventually airlifted to safety after his friend managed to reach the village of Saul in central Guiana and instruct rescuers how to find him. According to his brother Gilles, he had lost 20 kilos (44 pounds) and was "almost unrecognisable."
Pillois said he and his friend had also fretted about their families.
"We could well imagine their anguish," said Pillois, who lives in Margaux in southwestern France.
He arrived on Sunday at Bordeaux-Merignac airport, where members of his family were waiting for him.
Nayral was expected to return to Europe later this week.
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Sattelite phones are starting to look like a good idea the more I hear about
these peoples ordeals. Does anyone here own one?
But would it have been that hard to snare a monkey or something? There is a lot of wildlife where they were, I would like to think I could have snared a bit more then
a couple of turtles.
Also they had a good idea stopping in the clearing, but they should of had a huge smoky fire going as often as they could.
Any more thought on what they did right/wrong?
CAYENNE, French Guiana (AFP) - "We underestimated the difficulty," said a French hiker who along with a friend survived seven weeks lost in a South American jungle on a diet of turtles and tarantulas.
Loic Pillois and Guilhem Nayral had been missing in French Guiana since mid-February when they turned up Thursday after living off river water, seeds, spiders and the meat of two turtles.
"We underestimated the difficulty of getting through the forest," said a bearded Pillois, his scratched and emaciated legs visible beneath a pair of khaki shorts.
He was speaking to reporters Saturday in a hotel in Cayenne, the main town of this French territory bordering Brazil, before flying back to Europe. Nayral, suffering from exhaustion and severe weight loss, was still being treated in a local hospital.
Asked what he would do differently if setting off on such a trip again, Pillois said that "we would take a satellite phone with us."
He and his friend, both 34 years old and both landscape gardeners, had headed off in mid-February from the Grand Kanori rapids, on the banks of the river Approuague in the heart of Guiana, with only a map and compass to guide them.
They walked four or five hours a day, said Pillois, but after 12 days, when they had still not reached their planned destination, "we stopped in a clearing and we made a fire because we thought so helicopters could see us."
Their makeshift home consisted of "a few branches to shelter us, a tarpaulin and a fire."
"In our clearing we could hear helicopters, sometimes several times a day. But then we stopped hearing them. We couldn't decide whether to stay or to go," he said.
Rescuers had on March 26 called off their search for the hikers after making 50 flights over the forest where they were believed to be.
"We had enough food supplies for 12 or 13 days. Then on the 13th day we had nothing left," said Pillois.
"We started eating palm seeds from which you had to remove the thorns, nuts, small animals that we cooked. We gathered wood to make fires."
Pillois pointed out that the rule when in difficulties in a forest is to stop and wait for help to arrive.
"That's what we did for three weeks," he said.
But eventually they decided to move on.
"The path was very steep, and there were terrible storms. Guilhem was having intestinal problems. During the last days he had problems carrying his bag."
Towards the end, for every two days of walking they would have one day of rest. Pillois said he was starting to get very worried.
"I wondered how it was going to end, particularly with respect to Guilhem, who is my best friend and will remain my best friend."
Nayral was eventually airlifted to safety after his friend managed to reach the village of Saul in central Guiana and instruct rescuers how to find him. According to his brother Gilles, he had lost 20 kilos (44 pounds) and was "almost unrecognisable."
Pillois said he and his friend had also fretted about their families.
"We could well imagine their anguish," said Pillois, who lives in Margaux in southwestern France.
He arrived on Sunday at Bordeaux-Merignac airport, where members of his family were waiting for him.
Nayral was expected to return to Europe later this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sattelite phones are starting to look like a good idea the more I hear about
these peoples ordeals. Does anyone here own one?
But would it have been that hard to snare a monkey or something? There is a lot of wildlife where they were, I would like to think I could have snared a bit more then
a couple of turtles.
Also they had a good idea stopping in the clearing, but they should of had a huge smoky fire going as often as they could.
Any more thought on what they did right/wrong?
