In a dense jungle environment, you may have to cut your way through if there is no way of going around. To make the best path possible, cut downwards, away from you and as low as possible at the stems on both sides of you so that they fall away from you, not onto the path. Avoid leaving any standing spikes, bamboo is very strong and any bamboo points can be lethal is someone stumbles.
Most jungle vegetation appears to be covered in thorns and spikes and rushing through this will only make things worse. Atap and Rattan, types of climbing palms, have thorns like fishhooks at the end of the leaf. When you are snared by them, your best (and only) move is to back off and untangle. Also, don’t try to tear through a “wait-a-while” vine – ti will simply strip you naked and you’ll quickly see why it got its name, lol! However, it does have many uses and rattan is one of the best of jungle water vines.
Keep your feet covered to protect them some sapling spikes, snakes and chigoes (a.k.a. chiggers). Stop frequently to remove any parasites that may have come along for the ride. Chigoes ignored for more than an hour will cause an infection.
Waterways
If a river is wide enough to navigate, it will be much easier to float on it than to try to walk alongside it. Someone caught in a long-term survival situation could try to make canoes. You could burn out the center of a tree trunk to make a dug-out or covering a frame of willow with either birch bark or skins. Or, if you have the option, you could copy the reed boat design first built by the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, assuming you have the knowledge. For real-life references, examples of these boats can be found today at places such as lake Titicaca in Peru.
In any case, all of these canoe types are difficult and time-consuming to make, especially as you’re trying to make them well enough to endure water travel. Even among people for whom making them is a traditional skill, they are usually the work of specialists. Best wishes in quickly learning this skill set in a hurry…
Rafts
A more practical approach for the survivor in this environment would be to construct a raft. A raft will not capsize as easily as a poorly made canoe (heck, I’ve capsized in a well-made canoe – trust me, it’s not that hard). In any case, all boats and rafts must be thoroughly tested in safe water near the camp before setting out on a journey.
In jungle terrain, you may find that the river beside which you have camped has been swollen by seasonal rains, which would make rafting a viable option. Also, you will probably find ample amounts of timber, such as bamboo (which is ideal), or uprooted trees that are sound and unrotted.
If you have to cut timber down, choose leaning trees as they are the easiest to drop. With dead falls, the top of the trunk is usually sound enough to use for a raft.
If available, you can use oil drums or other floating objects to support the raft. If no supply of strong timber is available, a sheet of tarpaulin or other waterproof material can be used as a man-carrying version of the coracle for floating equipment across a river.
Never take chances with a flimsy raft on any waterway. On mountain rivers, there are often rapids which only a really well-built, tough structure will survive. On the wide, lower reaches of the river, there will be a long, tiring swim to the bank if your raft breaks up underneath you.
Traveling By Raft
When traveling by raft, tie all equipment securely to it, or to the safety line, making sure that nothing trails over the edges where it could get snagged in the shallows.
Everyone aboard should have a bowline attached around the waist and secured to a safety line or to the raft itself.
Lifelines need to be long enough to allow free movement, but not so long that they trail in the water. If the river is narrow and switf-moving, it’s best not to tie it on. Because if the raft gets out of control and is swept towards dangerous water, it is better to head towards the bank instead of being pulled along by a run-away raft.
In shallow water, the best way to control a raft is like a punt, but preferably with two long poles. The first person poling at one front corner of the raft and the second person poling at the diagonally opposite back corner.
If the survival group happens to be large, several rafts will be needed. The fittest of the group should be on the first raft with no equipment or provisions. Their job will be to lookout and provide early warning to any potential hazards that need to be avoided. With this setup, if they have to abandon their raft before encountering a hazard, no supplies or kits will be lost.
Waterfalls and rapids can be heard for sometime before actually encountering them. They are often indicated by spray or mist rising into the air. If you are uncertain about the safety of the stream up ahead, beach or moor the rafts and undertake a reconnaissance of the area on foot.
If you reach a difficult or dangerous stretch of water, unload the raft and take to the bank, carrying all the equipment downstream, past the area of dangerous waters. Someone (or two) should move ahead of the group downstream where the water becomes safer and more manageable to recover the raft as it floats by.
In other words, let the rafts travel downstream without the group, through the dangerous water, and recover them afterwards. They will probably need repairing but at least YOU will be safe and have all your equipment.
Bogs and Marshes
If you have no other choice but to cross a marsh, make your way by jumping from tuft to tuft of grass. If you make a misstep and find yourself sinking into a bog, ‘swim’ with a breast stroke to firm ground – do not try to jump! Spreading you body over the entire surface will distribute your weight evenly, which should keep you ‘afloat’ longer. Use the same technique if you find yourself in quicksand as well.
Crossing Rivers
The headwaters of a river will be narrow and swift-moving. Although the banks will usually be steep and rocky, there is usually still a place to cross. You may be able to wade through a shallow section – but test for hidden depths ahead of you with a pole before moving forward. You may actually find rocks that will provide stepping stones or be able to place them for small streams.
In a larger group, some members of your party may be able to leap across a narrow chasm or from boulder to boulder across the stream bed, but that doesn’t help the other members much. Plus, slipping on a wet boulder is a good way to get sprained ankle.
The estuary of a river is wide with strong currents and is subject to tides. These can actually influence some rivers many mouths from their mouths. Avoid crossing there, unless equipped with a boat or raft. Your best bet is to return upstream and find an easier crossing place.
On any wide stretch of water, and especially when near the sea, do not set off, even with rafts or boats, immediately opposite of the point you hope to reach. Always consider how the current will affect you passage and make allowances or you will likely find yourself, unhappily, in a place you didn’t intend.
Wading Across
Even wide rivers may be comparatively shallow and provide a few places where it may be possible to wade across. But never underestimate any stretch of water, what seems like a shallow patch may turn deep and treacherous instantly. To help mitigate this, cut a stick to aid in balance.
Cross the water facing towards the current and you will be much better able to prevent being swept off your feet. Roll up your pants so they offer less surface area to the current, or, if they’re going to get wet anyway, take them off so that you have something dry to wear once you reach the other side.
Keep you boots on since they will provide a better grip that bare feet or socks. Undo the belt fastener of your backpack, if you’re carrying one, so you can slip it off easily if you get swept over. But – don’t lose hold of it. It will almost certainly float which can help you right yourself after you get your bearings.
Turn at a slight angle with your back towards the bank you want to reach. The current will move you in that direction. Do not take strides as if you were walking, but shuffle sideways, using the stick to test for depth and probing each foothold before stepping onto it.
Crossing As a Group
If a group of people are trying to cross together, they should line up behind the strongest individual, who crosses in the manner described above. The others each hold the person in front of them by the waist and move in step, which will offer less obstruction to the current.
Another option is to have the group link arms side-by-side and hold on to a pole or branch to keep them in alignment. Then, they cross facing the bank and moving forwards. Only the side of the first person opposes the current and the group provides stability for all of them.
Crossing With Ropes
If rope is available, it can make wading across the water safer. But, you need a loop of rope Three (3) times as long as the width of the river (20ft wide river = 60ft rope loop). Also, there must be at least Three (3) people in the party. Two (2) of them are required to control the rope and keep it out of the water as much as possible. They are also responsible for hauling any other crosser to the bank if difficulties are encountered.
Swimming Across
If you can’t swim, DON’T try – rely on others to get you across with the assistance of some kind of flotation device. If you are on your own, NEVER try to swim if you don’t know how. You will have no assistance if you run into trouble and if you happen to survive there is a high likelihood you will be injured AND alone – not a good combination.
Even the strongest swimmers should make use of any available flotation devices when crossing a river – and for non-swimmers they are essential. I can attest to this. I went water skiing once and while I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I didn’t realize how tiring it was to be in the water all day long. After one attempt, I managed to fall off my skis at a considerable distance from the boat. Try as I might, I couldn’t swim back, I just didn’t have the strength. Thankfully, I was wearing a life jacket, otherwise I would have been in trouble since I didn’t have the strength to actively keep afloat. Oh, I forgot to mention, I couldn’t swim at the time…
Regardless of whether you can swim or not, the use of a flotation device will conserve vital energy and help to keep clothes and any available equipment dry. Do not swim with your clothes on. Once they are wet, they will provide no protection from cold, plus they are heavy with water and carrying that extra weight will, once again, waste energy. If you can keep you clothes dry, you will have something warm to put on after the crossing.
Always make sure you pick out a place on the other side of the river where you will be able to get out of the water because If there are no beaches you will need some kind of support to haul yourself up onto the bank. But avoid tangles of branches in the water where you might get trapped. Enter the water well upstream to compensate for the distance the current is likely to drag you before you reach your destination. It is better to be overestimate and be a little longer in the water than to pass your anticipated landing place.
Before entering the water, check the strength of the current by watching floating logs or other flotsam. Also, study the water surface for hidden obstructions and eddies.
If you happen to hit any significant weed growth, adopt a crawl stroke to cut through it. Once a strong swimmer has cleared a passage, others should be able to follow through the newly created channel.
Flotation Aids
Fuel cans, plastic bottles, logs – anything that floats can be used. If you have a waterproof bag, put your clothes and belongings in it, leaving plenty of air space. Then, tie the neck, bend it over and tie it again and use it as a float. Hang on it and use your legs to propel you.
- If you do not have a waterproof bag, but you do have a waterproof sheet, pile twigs and straw into the center to create air pockets and then pile your clothes and equipment on top before tying up the bundle securely.
- Do not attempt to site on the bundles or place your weight on them
- If there is a group of people, split into groups of fours. Each four should tie their bags together and use them as support for an injured member or a non-swimmer in the party.
- If no waterproof material is available, make a small raft of coracle to float your things on. Bundle your belongings and, if they are heavy, make a two-layered raft so only the lower layers sinks into the water, keeping your supplies dry.