ENVIRONMENT SPECIFIC ADVENTURE CONSULTANTS

Welcome to the Jungle

Introduction

Ever wonder about how it would be to live in the jungle?  Moving at a snail’s pace and hacking your way through impenetrable green foliage just to make 3 to 5 kilometers in a single day.  Incessant, stifling heat and humidity that would test the most physically conditioned person.  Constantly watching where you step and what you grab onto for it may be a poisonous snake, or a prickly stalk of some type waiting to inflict a nasty bite or a painful stinging injury.  Many people get the heebeejeebee’s just thinking about having to spend a single night in the jungle.  With the pitch darkness that comes with being beneath double to triple canopied forest after the sun goes down.  All the nocturnal creatures that come out when it gets dark and tend to make noise.  The apprehension that comes with the thoughts that humans are relegated to a lower place down the food chain.  There are ways around all of these issues.

We’ve all seen the National Geographic Explorer shows about the rain forests and the abundance of strange and exotic plants and animals.  Many of us feel the powerful pull to want to be there and check it out up close and personal.  Whether you wish to get into the “middle” of the jungle to live and trek through, or you just want to get to know more about the environment in preparation for participating in a “controlled” eco tour, then this information as well as other information you can glean from books and the Internet will help you become more familiar with what lies ahead in your jungle trekking future.

The Jungle Environment

Anyone interested in trekking through the jungle environment must first become knowledgeable with the jungle and get a sense of what the environment is all about.  When we have some idea of what we’re dealing with, then we can better prepare ourselves to survive, move and enjoy our jungle experience.

The majority of rainforests or Jungles are located around the world along the equatorial zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.  Many of the areas we would expect to travel to that contain jungle environments would be located in Southeast Asia, equatorial Africa as well as Central and South America. 

Canopied Primary Jungle

Heavy rainfall and high temperatures that promote intensive growth of vegetation characterize jungles.  Through this metamorphoses, different types of jungle emerge.  Primary jungle consists of original growth, hence, the name.  Depending on the annual rainfall for a region, primary jungle can contain trees from 30 feet to over 100 feet in height creating double and triple canopy jungle.  In many cases, the two to three canopied jungles will often block out the sun, but walking along the jungle floor is relatively easy particularly on the high ground.  Visibility in primary jungle is usually 50 meters or less.  When primary jungle is cleared out, soon after, secondary growth results, hence, secondary jungle.  Secondary jungle is characterized by dense undergrowth because of exposure to the sunlight.  Another aspect of secondary jungle is tropical grassland, which is located in open areas where there is less rainfall.  Often called elephant grass, tropical grass is very tall and has sharp edges.  Movement through both secondary jungle and tropical grassland can be very difficult.

Other types of jungles will include equatorial mountain forests located at 3000 to 5000 foot elevations.  Although characterized by trees, which are smaller than most trees in primary jungles, equatorial mountain forests are often covered in moss.  Movement through equatorial mountain forests is slippery and slow and visibility is 10 to 15 meters.  Swamps are plentiful in tropical jungles where there are wet, low-lying areas.  In coastal and riverine areas, mangrove swamps are common and are very difficult to move through.  Visibility in swamps is limited to but a few meters.  Cultivated areas are farms or plantations that are cleared out of the jungle.  Coffee, rubber, tea, pepper, cocoa and other tropical crops are grown on these plantations.

In most equatorial jungle areas, the daily and seasonal mean temperatures remain constant throughout the year.  Monsoon, or rainy season can vary from 200 to over 500 inches of precipitation.  Temperatures will also fluctuate depending on location and altitude of the jungle in reference to its distance from the equator.

Getting Started

As you begin your research, planning and preparation to trek in the jungle environment, it is important to take each experience one day at a time and utilize the crawl, walk, run method for learning how to proficiently survive, live and move in the jungle.  One of the first, and most important things that anyone must do is become acclimatized to their newfound environment.  The jungle is very hot and humid and can be very debilitating to the uninitiated.  It is common for heat exhaustion or heat stroke to occur.  Take at least 5 days to acclimatize to this environment prior to actually starting a multi-day trek through the jungle.  During the first couple of days, it is a good idea to do light, aerobic physical training first thing in the morning.  Before noon, take a short walk through the jungle near the main camp and get to know the flora and fauna of the local jungle area.  In the late afternoon, take another short walk from the main camp to get used to the sights and sounds of the jungle.  For each subsequent day during your acclimatization period, increase the amount of time that you spend outdoors so that you can slowly become acclimatized.  This should happen in the first five days while in the main camp.  Days three and four should be used to help you learn to live and move in the jungle but for short durations so that you will acclimatize properly.  Day five would contain a moderately strenuous outdoor exercise that would ensure that when longer outdoor evolutions take place the chances of anyone coming down with a heat illness is diminished considerably.

Flora and Fauna Hike

In the subsequent days or weeks graduated acclimatization, depending on the type and length of trekking adventure to be undertaken, all participants will gradually spend more and more time out in the bush.  Starting with learning how to survive and live in the jungle environment, everyone would learn to become one with the jungle environment by living in the jungle.  Utilizing the crawl, walk run method of jungle exposure and familiarization; the jungle trekker would start with basic jungle living skills.  Basic living skills in the jungle would start out fundamental at first.  It would be like going camping in the jungle until each individual became proficient in utilizing his hammock, overhead shelter and knowing what to pack and how to pack his backpack.  The next major skill set would involve efficient movement through the jungle with properly fitted equipment.  Following training in basic movement techniques through the jungle, basic and advanced jungle navigation training should then take place. 

Acclimatizing and learning to survive and live in the jungle are the primary, most important aspects to becoming comfortable in the jungle environment.  There are so many other aspects to enjoying the jungle in comfort and confidence.  The major factors that each jungle trekker should further focus on is as follows:

· Health Risks

· Health and Hygiene

· Flora and Fauna

· Creepy Crawlies

Health Risks

As compared to other environments, health risks in the jungle are multiplied. For the most part, jungles make you wet either by the rains, and/or by your own sweat while you’re moving. There is very little you can do to keep from becoming wet. While immunizations and prophylaxis will help to prevent major illnesses from debilitating us, we must still concern ourselves with the little ailments we may experience while living and moving around in the jungle. If not checked, these “little ailments” may become major illnesses that will preclude us from completing our mission. Wet feet soon can become trench foot.  Small cuts and scrapes can contract cellulites when infected.  When it gets hot and humid the threat of prickly heat, heat exhaustion and heat stroke increases with each upward degree in temperature.  Anyone in the group who is struck by these basic ailments will slow everyone else down because they will require medical attention before they are able to continue movement.  As part of the acclimatization process, all participants must become totally aware of the hazards that may increase health risks in order to help prevent those risks from occurring.

Health and Hygiene

Prevention is key in mitigating the effects of health risks in the jungle environment.  If you’re going to trek through the jungles of developing countries, it will be necessary to bring and take prophylaxes to prevent malaria.  You will also need to take additional hygiene and first aid equipment and know how and when to use it.

As mentioned earlier, wetness is something of a concern because it is on our skin and our skin can become a catalyst for some nasty skin disorders. Some of the more common skin disorders would be trench foot, cellulites, allergies to certain plants, (for example, poison ivy etc.), insect bites and scratches, cuts and scrapes can be treated easily and efficiently shortly after the injury has occurred. You have to realize that although you have cleaned, dried and covered your injury, it will still get wet once you’re on the move. You must try to stay ahead of the injury if the injury is to heal. 

Carry a simple individual first aid kit, (not to be confused with your groups larger first aid kit). Your personal first aid kit should be as compact as possible so that you can carry it on you. A good place for your personal first aid kit would be in one of your pockets or in a belly bag or fanny pack that is always on you. A couple of good ideas for individual first aid kit containers may be a small waterproof zipper lock bag and/or a small waterproof/floatable box. The contents of your personal first aid kit should be a minimum, but, not limited to the following items:

 All these items can fit into a small zipper lock bag and/or small waterproof box provided you shorten thick rolls of gauze and medical tape. This personal first aid kit will see you through most minor ailments. If you’re prone to more injuries then you’d better pack a reserve stock of the above, mentioned items in your backpack. Always carry your small personal first aid kit on your person in case, for whatever reason you get separated from your backpack.

Your feet are the most important parts of your body when it comes to preventative medicine.  Your feet will be wet for about 85% of your treks while you’re moving.  If you bring an abundance of any type of clothing, it will be socks.  Pack and wear good, durable wool or synthetic blend socks.  DO NOT WEAR COTTON if you can help it.  You need socks that can dry quickly, or at least not be continuously soaking wet.  To stay ahead of trench foot, you should change out your socks and powder your feet.  Secure wet socks to the outside of your back to get air to them and get them as dry as you possibly can.  The mere act of removing your boots and socks to massage your feet, (even though you’re replacing wet socks with damp ones), can be prevention enough to keep trench foot at bay.

 The clothing you wear while moving through the jungle will be continuously wet and will be beaten up while slogging through the bush.  The clothing you have on while moving should be as light, but as durable as possible in order to keep from being torn up from moving through the jungle.  Good, well-made fabrics for your long sleeved shirt and long pants are slightly more important than their weight for movement.  No matter what you’re wearing, your clothes will be wet but you want to balance the durability of the clothing with the weight of the clothing when it is soaking wet.  Good, tough synthetic fabrics that can breathe and wick moisture, (as much as possible anyway), are the best choice for your movement clothes.  At the end of the day, after you’ve set up your camp, you can get out of your movement clothes, take a sponge bath, get into your dry camp clothes, and hang your wet movement clothes up. Your camp clothes will be lighter, airier, and light-colored to help with mosquito control.  These are the clothes that you will hang out in camp and sleep in.  The following morning, prior to moving out, you will change out of your camp clothes and put those, (yes, they’ll still be damp), movement clothes back on.  Let your feet air out in camp and/or have a good dry pair of camp socks and a pair of camp shoes like Crocs that you can put on for your time in camp.  In the morning change out your camp socks for the driest pair that you have available. The only parts of your body that should be the driest prior to movement should be your feet. 

Water consumption is a big concern. Never, ever drink untreated water, if you can help it. Ideally, everyone should have some type of water purification method that will kill both organisms and viruses. Each buddy pair, minimum should have some type of water filter pump in order to pump clear water from otherwise brown or silt infested water. Do not take water from stagnant water holes unless it is under an emergency and do so through water filters AND add water purification.

Flora and Fauna

Getting to know about the various types of plants and animals in the jungles that you will trek through is as important as learning about the other crucial aspects of living the jungle life.  Although the majority of plant life is similar in all jungles around the world, there are plants unique to different regions.  In the jungle the two types of plants and animals that you should concern yourself with are the plants and animals or insects that can help you and the plants and animals/insects you should avoid.  There are cue cards that have been developed by different groups that illustrate the different types of plant and animal life you will find in jungle regions all over the world.  These cue cards are nice to have with you when identifying flora and fauna in the particular jungle region you will be working in.  Use those cards but as an additional aid for remembering the types of plants you want to remain aware of, utilize a journal and sketch, or take a picture of the subject.  Touch and smell the plant and record those senses in your journal.  For edible plants and animals, actually taste them and note what they taste like in your journal.  Definitely highlight the fact that each plant, animal or insect is either edible or poisonous.

Creepy Crawlies

Another concern when operating in the jungle environment is the immense amount of critters that can inflict major pain, and illness.  Next to the omnipresent mosquito, there are plenty of snakes, ants, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, bees and a host of hundreds of other creepy crawlies in the jungle ready to bite, sting, and suck your blood while leaving behind a nasty bite or their itch inducing saliva.  Whenever, and wherever you start your jungle trek, you should become familiarized with the animal and insect life in the jungle environment where you will be exploring and where these creatures will inhabit.  It will be important to know where these creepy crawlies hang out when you share their habitat.  By knowing exactly what to look for in the way of where you want to set up your hammock, you will be prepared to get a good nights sleep rather than tossing and turning because you’re sharing your sleeping space with hundreds of other creatures.  We will go into more detail on setting up your sleeping area later.

BAMBOO

Edible Parts: The young shoots of almost all species are edible raw or cooked. Raw shoots have a slightly bitter taste that is removed by boiling. To prepare, remove the tough protective sheath that is coated with tawny or red hairs. The seed grain of the flowering bamboo is also edible. Boil the seeds like rice or pulverize them, mix with water, and make into cakes.

Other Uses: Use the mature bamboo to build structures or to make containers, ladles, spoons, and various other cooking utensils. Also use bamboo to make tools and weapons. You can make a strong bow by splitting the bamboo and putting several pieces together.

Example of a digital journal entry

Living in the Jungle Environment

Once all the reading, research and basic exposure to jungle life have been accomplished during your acclimatization period, then you’re ready to take a crack at living in the jungle environment.  In the continuing effort to become one with your environment, the next suggested evolution should be a 48 to 72 hour jungle survival training session.  This would be a controlled training session that would expose all participants to most aspects of surviving and living in the jungle.  The major blocks of this type of jungle exposure would be as follows:

Water Vine	Step Snare
Butchering Game	Jungle Cooker

Surviving and Living in the Jungle Environment

Water Procurement 

When learning how to survive in the jungle, you learn ways to better live in the jungle.  Water is plentiful in the jungle even if it seems that there’s no sight of obvious water sources like streams or rivers.  There are ways to find water and in the frequent times that it rains in the jungle, there are numerous ways to collect water.  Vines and plants in the jungle contain enough water to help quench your thirst.  Broad leafy plants and trees aid in collecting water whenever it rains.  Bamboo can be used to hold and store water when no other containers exist.  As you learn how to procure, store and carry your water supply you get a better idea of how to properly equip yourself for trekking through the jungle.  When trekking through the jungle the best way to collect and pack your water is utilizing a water bladder that is stowed in your backpack with the drinking tube handy at all times as well as a large mouth lexan bottle in which to collect and store additional water.  If you’re using water purification drops or tabs only, you may have to filter your water using a mosquito net or a bandanna to keep silt and sediment out, otherwise pack a pump filter between each pair of participants.

Shelter

As in other environments, you need shelter in the jungle to keep you as dry and as comfortable as possible so that you’re able to rest.  I recommend some type of shelter that will keep you off of the ground with plenty of overhead cover to keep the rain off you while you’re resting.  A raised bench or “A” Frame will get you off of the ground and a pitched roof laden with broad leaves ideally situated like shingles so that rainwater rolls down and off.  As you learn to build various types of jungle survival shelter, think about what you will bring as your shelter on your jungle trek. Most jungle trekkers will bring a hammock with an overhead tarp put together with lines and bungie cords.  Some hammocks come complete with overhead tarps and mosquito nets already built in.  If you’ve never laid down in a jungle hammock, you will have to experiment with what works for you.  For most people who are used to laying on the ground, it may be necessary to tighten both ends of the hammock as tight as possible so that the hammock is perfectly horizontal.  This will reduce the bend in your back and also allow you to sleep on your side if you tend to do so through the night.  Some folks like the slight bend in the hammock because they sleep through the night on their back with little to no movement.  Try what works for you.

Typical Jungle Hammock with Overhead Tarp

Movement through the Jungle

Movement through the jungle takes practice…a lot of practice.  When you’re going through your survival exercise in the jungle you will learn that more times than not, you will have to move to civilization in order to save yourself.  You should learn how to move and navigate through the jungle with and without a map and compass.  You will pick up techniques at how to look through and then move through the jungle with little to no hacking or cutting through the bush.  You will expose yourself to techniques for determining cardinal direction in order to find a basic direction to travel.  You will develop habits for looking at terrain to determine which direction to travel when you have no map or compass.  When you have learned all the ways for survival navigating through the jungle, you will have a better idea of what tools at your disposal can help you more easily move through the jungle. 

There is nothing more difficult than moving uphill through thick jungle

When in a survival situation in the jungle and you must move without a map and a compass, you will have to look at the terrain to determine your best course of action for getting back to civilization.  One way is to follow ravines to streams and/or rivers, which are avenues in the jungle that can lead to civilization.  You may have to find high ground and/or climb up a tree to try and identify areas of civilization or that lead to those areas.  You will have to determine cardinal direction to help you move in the right direction or draw a sketch map of what you see that will help you find your way to civilization.

 First Aid in the Jungle

While you’re living and moving in the jungle, prevention from cuts, scratches and scrapes is a must.  Wearing long sleeved shirts, long pants, floppy hat and gloves will help preclude superficial skin injuries.  Look before you step, or grab for a tree trunk or vine.  Check out a stretch of area you’re getting ready to cross and determine how you will move over it in order to prevent little injuries from occurring.  If you should suffer cuts, scratches and/or scrapes, TREAT THEM IMMEDIATELY.  For scratches and scrapes, use a anti-biotic ointment or cream and then cover the wound up with a band aid or gauze and then secure the bandage using medical or duct tape.  Take care not to cover the portion of the band aid or gauze that is directly over the wound.  That will allow air to circulate over the wound.  For deep cuts or gashes, if you do not have access to a medic and/or a better equipped group first aid kit with actual suture material, use butterfly sutures, super glue/liquid band aids and bind the wound with a roll of gauze or gauze pads and secure it with medical/duct tape.  In the event of a major injury or illness, it will take all members of the group to help with the situation.  It may be necessary to task organize the group in order to render aid, evacuate the victim or send a couple of individuals from the group for help.

Carry what you think you need in your own individual first aid kit

As outlined earlier, make up a small, individual first aid kit and stock it with the items you think you will need to treat your small injuries.  Make it compact enough to fit into one of your pockets so that you can get at it when you need to.  Be sure that you waterproof your individual first kit adequately for obvious reasons.  The group should have an extensive first aid kit and everyone in the group should be proficient in the use of its contents.  Proper Prior Planning and Preparation!

 Procuring Food in the Jungle

The jungle is a veritable grocery store.  There are tons of edible and medicinal plants and trees in the jungle.  The rivers and streams have fish and crustaceans that can be caught and eaten or used for bait.  There are numerous animals in the forest that can be hunted and/or trapped.  It is beneficial to know how to procure food in the jungle when in a survival situation because during the times you’re not in an emergency status, you can supplement the food that you’ve brought out on your jungle trek with the food that you can find in the forest.  There are so many edible flora and fauna in the jungle that you should, whenever you’re out in the jungle familiarize and re-familiarize yourself with the local plants and animals and make a record of what you see and experience.

Jungle Digital Journal Entry: Banana/Plantain

Description: Treelike plants with several large leaves at the top. Their flowers are borne in dense hanging clusters.

Habitat and Distribution: Look for bananas and plantains in open fields or margins of forests where they are grown as a crop. They grow in the humid tropics.

Edible Parts: The fruits are edible raw or cooked. They may be boiled or baked. Boil the flowers and eat them like a vegetable. Cook and eat the rootstocks and leaf sheaths of many species. The center or "heart" or the plant is edible year-round, cooked or raw.

Other Uses: Use the layers of the lower third of the plants to cover coals to roast food. Use the stumps to get water. Use the leaves to wrap other foods for cooking or storage.

Take pictures of what you see and make up a digital journal that you can cross-reference with information you find on the Internet.  Keep it updated and refer to it often, especially when it comes to plants.  There are so many plants that are found in the jungle that are useful, it would be easy to lose track.  Whenever you get ready to go out in the jungle, review your digital journal to re-familiarize yourself with your notes.

Especially take pictures of the trees and plants you don’t ever want to forget with little warnings about their particular characteristics.

Review other food procuring methods such as hunting, fishing and trapping techniques.  Be sure to include those experiences in your digital journal and practice them whenever you’re out in the bush.  Cross-reference your techniques with techniques you find on the internet.  Cover everything from what techniques to use, when to use them and where to use them.  This will be especially important if you’re ever thrust into a survival situation in the jungle.  You’ll want to multi-task so that you can get more done and improve your living situation.  Deploy numerous and various types of trout lines along a river.  Set various types of traps along game trails and places where animals are known to scurry up and down.  While your trout lines and traps are set, you can be building up your survival shelter or foraging for plants and insects to eat or use as bait.  Make yourself proficient at identifying food sources and knowing how to procure, prepare and use them each time that you’re out in the jungle.

Become proficient in different types of traps such as deadfall traps…

…or snares

When it comes to surviving and living in the jungle, keep a lot of tricks in your bag of tricks.  If one doesn’t work, other tricks probably will. 

Are you ready for living in the jungle?

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