Skip Channel4 main Navigation
The Series – The Moab Desert
This week, Bear Grylls survives the unforgiving heat of Utah's Moab desert – 3600 square miles of canyons, cliffs and desert. Five million tourists come to experience the desert every year, and 200 are lost, injured or die.
If he is to avoid sunstroke and dehydration, Bear's first priority must be to get out of the desiccating 45°C heat. He covers his head with his t-shirt and descends into a canyon where it seems cooler. But this turns out to be a bad idea, as he has a hell of a climb to get back up to the plateau.
The journey is all about conserving water and Bear uses a Mexican tribal technique of keeping water in his mouth that is meant to reduce moisture loss through breathing. He also pees on his t-shirt-cum-hat in order to cool his head.
Listening out for insects, Bear is eventually led to a spring for a well-earned drink and cooling dunk. Then, using compass cactuses that orientate themselves southwards, he heads in the direction of the rivers.
With another cold night approaching, Bear finds a shelter and builds a fire. He searches for a snake supper, but disturbs a rattler and has to retreat to his cave. When his fire attracts more snakes, he scares them off by making ground vibrations.
Arriving at the Colorado riverbank the next morning, Bear discovers quicksand and dives in for good measure, before fording the very wide and fast river to get to safety on the other side.
Subscribe to C4 Science homepage
