The River of Doubt: A Real-Life Tale of Survival

by Survival Joe | Thursday, September 29, 2011 In Food, Shelter, Survival

Today, I finished reading The River of Doubt by Candice Millard.

It is a detailed and thrilling account of Theodore Roosevelt’s journey down the River of Doubt in the Amazon jungle in 1914. Not only a fascinating bit of history, this is an heroic tale of suffering and survival in one of the most dangerous and inhospitable parts of the world.

What began as what was supposed to be a moderately difficult adventure — and an opportunity to chart a river no man had ever charted before — quickly became a fight to stay alive as the members of the party were plagued by heavy rain, bacteria, illness, injury, and the loss of precious supplies on the river.

Not everybody made it back alive. One man died of drowning in a section of rapids. Another was shot and killed by an insubordinate member of the party. And a third — the murderer himself — was abandoned in the jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization, and never seen again.

Roosevelt himself came within a hair breadth of death as his body fought both chronic malaria and a serious leg infection. And the health (and morale) of every man in the party deteriorated day by day due to slow starvation.

It’s a grim story, but well worth reading for its entertainment value and the survival lessons it reveals.

As in any survival situation, the men who traveled down the River of Doubt were primarily concerned with:

Shelter – How to stay warm and dry; how to keep the sick alive during bad weather.

Security – How to prevent their boats from being washed downstream during the night; how to prevent theft of rations by members of the expedition; how to prevent surprise attacks from the Nhambiquara and Cinta Larga Indians.

Personal Protection – How to defend against wild animals, aggressive Indians, and even murderous members of the expedition.

Food – How to ration food; how to catch fish; how to spot and kill wild game; how to keep going while running a daily calorie deficit.

Health – How to treat a variety of jungle illnesses and injuries, including malaria, dysentery, boils, blisters, and insect bites; how to stay hopeful even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges; how to occupy the mind with thoughts other than hopelessness and despair.

Solidarity – How to prevent outright mutiny; how to work together as a unit to achieve each day’s goals; how to be unselfish for the greater good.

Transportation – The expedition could not go up the river they had just come down. Their only choice was to follow the river to wherever it led. Transportation was of utmost importance to them. They lost more than a few boats to the rapids of the river, and on multiple occasions were forced to craft new dugout canoes to transport the men and their supplies. We may face a similar “transportation crisis” in the U.S. at some point.

These are just a few thoughts and observations lingering in my mind today. The categories listed above are the same categories you may want to consider as you make plans for the months and years ahead.

And if you enjoy a good real-life survival story, I highly recommend adding The River of Doubt to your reading list.

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.
-Survival Joe

P.S. If you haven’t yet gotten your copy of Food Crisis 2: How to Prepare for a Long-Term Food Shortage, it may be a good time to do so. As The River of Doubt illustrates so well, starvation tends to bring out the worst in people.

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