Comments on: Survival and prevention tips: Share your suggestions

After the James Kim tragedy, some of our readers have offered survival and prevention advice. Post yours here, and we'll summarize.

[mydilbert]

Survival kit

I always carry a survival kit in the car. Going back to my flying days in small plane. This was a small backpack containg a .22 survival rifle that beaks down to small sections and store in the stock. (you may omit this if you don't like firearms but comes handy if you want to eat games)

Fishing kit, lines (light and heavy gauge) lots of it (500 ft)
Ropes of great lenght able to support your weight.
First aid kit. Lots of matches, lighters in waterproof plastic box. Change of clothes and several socks, towel, etc. Hand cranked flash light and small hand held strobe light ($10.00 anywhere) Mirror, and many small items that can be useful. Mylar tarp or sheet for cover, disposable rain gear, plastic bags of all sort, tape. Heavy boots, shoes of all sorts and other items in the trunk.
All of these have many uses. IE: bags for your feet, in snow if you wearing sneakers like Kim did.
My entire kit fits into a small back pack, including water bottles.

You can think of other things as well to toss in the car... not in the bag! Like six or more road flairs and smoke-genterator (rescue) that is visible for many miles. Also a flair pistol (marine) that can be had for 20 bucks and five flairs that go about 50-75 feet high. And the most important item that gets you rescued within a few hours.... a hand held HAM/Marine radio!
There are signals everywhere... even in the most tucked away places like where James Kim was. There is a good chance that the Marine operator or will pick up signal. IE: I tried my small hand held 5W radio in Baja California, about 1000 miles from Santa Barbara California and the Marine operator came on clear as she was sitting next to you. So, don't under estimate the HAM/Marine combo radio no matter how low wattage it is. Also carry a small book of HAM repeaters listing of all the US mountain top antennas/repeaters. Don't worry about being a licensed HAM.... just use it for emergency and all is fine. RFS radios are not very good for anything but to keep in touch with your party. Don't count on that to get help.

One smart way to attract help is construct a makeshift ballon out of light plastic material, disposable raincoat...or other light plastics like grocery bags.. and hang a road flare below to generate hot air. All this are let go on a fishing line on reel.
See? there are other uses for fishing line!
This will work... try it out.

So, what James Kim did wrong?
Maps are a first thing you study. The other things are; don't drive down past gates.... even if it's open. If you don't see traffic... you're in the wrong place. Don't take short cuts and don't worry about your schedules and plans. All these were a big mistake of James Kim by continuing on the trip. Some one said "..he did nothing wrong..." out to read this short paragraph. One of the real big problem is that he set out to drive during the night, over a mountain range in unfamiliar territory. That's plain stupid. I don't even do that in the day time in the winter months.
He missed the map reading... shows that the road closed during the winter.... No traffic should be a big clue.

Most of all, don't rely on your cell phone coverage as he did.
The HAM/Marine radio will get you out faster than anything else alltogether!
All this (HAM radio) for under 150 bucks.

I am thinking of putting together various survival gear that will save your butt... no matter where you are! :)
If there are any interest, please let me know;
[e-mail]

cheers

[bamadad6]

best survival post

Excellent. I have been following this tragedy for a week, and this post is the best I have seen on summarizing survival preparation. Knowledge is the greatest prep- shelter, warmth, water and signal. I carry a sleeping bag and a large candle in addition to what mydilbert says. Most outdoorsman know not to leave a road if you are trying a walk out, when all hope of rescue seems lost. I can only assume that sleep deprivation, stress, perhaps hallucinations contributed to his walking down the drainage ravine. Bless you James for your courage during those final hours.

[sarlabs]

Ham radios for non-hams

I'm a ham radio operator, so hopefully I have some knowledge in that field. A ham radio is only as good as its battery. Even when fully charged if just stowed for emergency in a vehicle, chances are that the battery will be dead when the emergency need is there...
A 12 volt adapter might save the day, but how many non-hams would think of it?
The rubber ducky antenna that comes with most hand-held ham radios is in general, not very good. Many hams replace them with better working antennas. Again a point that will be missed by the non-ham user. Transmitting inside the vehicle is also not the best way to be heard, as the car's metal is shielding the transmission.

Even if you have a repeater book, most of these repeaters are NOT on mountain tops, as they need power to work. They are on relatively high places, but certainly not in the wilderness!

And finally, even if you have the radio manual, programming the radio to access a repeater is not trivial.

If you really want to use ham equipment for emergencies, become a ham. The tests are offered quite often, they are easy to study for and pass, you can practice for free on the web and you do NOT need to know Morse code! Equipped with that knowledge and a hand-held radio, you will be much better prepared for emergencies!

73' de Amir K9CHP

[tn7206]

emergency kit for suburb dweller?

I am very sorry for the Kim family and the whole story was so saddening. It has prompted me to make a big emergency kit for the car and think about our safety/survival more. I plan on getting a survival book as well. I hope the Kim family is doing okay after this ordeal.

I have a 5 month old son, and I'd never go on any trip right now, especially in the wilderness. It's too bad; he was a nice man. I was wondering though for non-breastfeeding mothers - How do you feed your child if you're stranded and run out of formula? That was VERY lucky that she breastfed. I'd hate to think of what would have happened if she didn't!

But I have a question -

I live near Chicago IL. I rarely am a block from some sort of Walgreens/Target/ or major store, and I rarely travel long distances. What kind of emergency kit should I have in my car (given I live in civilization?)

Thanks a lot...

[jl878524]

A few suggestions...

I lived in northern Canada for many years and I have done many winter and alpine expeditions, so I have a certain perspective on winter survival. Here are some of the things that I believe should always be carried for winter travel:

- Sleeping bags. You can survive extreme cold temperatures (-40 or more) if you have them.
- Proper clothing and foot wear.
- Water containers and purification tablets.
- Food. Freeze-dried meals, MRE's etc. are compact and last well.
- Matches, compass, flashlight, candles.
- Hunting knife.
- Toilet paper.

Learn to light a fire. If you know how, it is possible to light a fire with wet wood in the cold or pouring rain, especially if you have candles. First, cut some paper-thin wood shavings with a knife. Light a short piece of candle and keep it sheltered. Stack the wood shavings around and over the candle. As they dry in the heat of the candle, they will ignite. Gradually add larger pieces. Once it's burning, stack wood around and over the fire. This will keep it from going out if it's raining, and will ensure that you have a supply of dry wood to add to the fire later.

Hunting and fishing gear can be useful if you happen to be somewhere where game is available. For back road travel in the winter time, that's not always the case.

[alexei_roudnev]

Be smart. TEACH KIDS. It's nature. Don't be high tech.

Hmm, dont forget a few things about last case:
- there was nothing very dangerous. Weather was moderate - little freezing, nothing more. There was a plenty of wood around for the fire. There was a lot of water from the snow. people wS in 15 miles away (only).
- And of course, IT IS WINTER. Even if it don't look like a winter here in Californoa - it is WINTER. Road can became a snow-covered and inpassable. Night temperature can be freezing. Storm can cover a skies for a few days. Fog can prevent you from seen anything (esp in the mountains). Dont forget when trevelling with the family.


Many kids in Russia lost in the forest each year. Many (I know 3 this year) survive 2 -0 4 days without big problems, and comes back hungry but alive. THis particular case should end in 2 - 3 days, if people to be ready to the forest.

First, Non technical issues. An idea of _be in the car_ is not smart. Yes, _be in the car while storm is strong OR for 1 - 2 days_. In most cases, when you are on the road, someone will go by and you are saved.

But, if you are in the wilderness and no one is coming and you are already staying for 1 - 2 nights, dont be passive. First, look around, Check all roads - may be, this road go to the loidge, and this road go to the village (1 - 2 hors walk in one direction shows it).

If it dont help - make next step. Walk to the help UNTIL you are exhausted (on the 2-d day for example). Be sure that you can return (and be ready to return, don't be afraid to turn around), at least on the first attempt. Never take a busgh or creek until you can see a road. Try to make (at least a promitive) orientation - you can see a sun, sun is on the S at 1pm, and apprxo on the east at 10 am and W at 7 pm. Take a matches with you and make a fire for the night - it's ALWAYS (ALWAYS) possible in the mountain forest (except on the swamps and in rain forests).

- Don't think that others will safe you. Be active and safe yourself. Fire is your friend, roads are your friend, sun is your friend.

- Other idea - always make fire from the woods. Even if you can't find dry wood just around your car, walk 10 minutes into the creek, low place, and so on, and you wil find a lot of dry fur, pine, and other _easy to burn_ woods. IT is forest, you can always make a fire in the forest, all you need is 3 - 4 matches (car cigarett lighter can be used in emergency too). I can understand if people in Sibiria (-40 degrees of Celsius) burn disel fuel and tires on the forestless road in a strong snowstorm - but why to do it in a quiet forest in 1 KM altitude?!

There are many stories about people stranded in Sierra and in Nevada (much colder and dangerous vs Trinity forest). Those who stay in the care more than 2 days often died. Most who waited for 1 - 2 days and then walked - walked 10 , 20, sometimes 40 miles but comes to the people.

Few technical lessons:
- first of all, I wonder why cell phones never can't work as a walkie-talkies. Having a simple _beakon_ mode (phone emits a short pulse each minute, counted so that the batter can stay for a long) could help to find this people. Even simple frequencey scanner, workingt on the helicopter (and sensitive to their cell phones) could help.
if you want a serious proposal, propose a BEAKON MODE on the cell phones, it really can save a lot of lives.

- Second. Have a GPS. Even the simplerts one (and even car one) shows you a distance to the nearest village, and shows you a raw position. Having a simple CAR GPS could help don't miss a road (one of the most dangerous thing which can happen - and which happen with Kim's family). Even if missing the road, you stil know where you are. And even if GPS broke, you still know where you was when it worked last time.

I read a lot of ideas, mainly about _how to protect a weak people from the nature_. But you cannot and should not protect everything, it's just impossible. You should instead teach people. Tech how to make a fire in the wood. Teach don't go to the bush when you are in the road (even if you believe that it cut of the way). Teach don't drive in the snow road up the pas if you are not 100% sure that road is not abandoned and if you have not experience in this situation and THIS place. Teach people don't trust to everything - even if road 23 is on the map, map clearly state _IT IS FOREST LOAD 23_, and you should not be a Einstein to understand that it can mean _small windy 1 line road without big traffic_.

We discussed this event iwith many people from Russia (including many from Siberia). Most have the same reaction - 'I'd wait 1 day and then GO FOR THE HELP' . Most! No one was ready to sit down and wait. But - most learned how to make a fire in the forest, most had an oportunity to take 2 - 3 days wilderness trips when they was in school, most can read a map and can turn around if they see their initial decision shows to be wrong.

In Kim's case, there was a chain of terrible mistakes:
- decision to select a road 23 was a mistake. But it was a minor one.
- decision to continue when they drived into the snow, while driving up (before a pass) was a second mistake. Still not a fatal one.
- When they missed a road and got into the logging one, they made a third mistake - did not realized that they missed a road. But it was not fatal, still.
- Staing in the car for 5 days without looking around was one more mistake. They had a lodgen in 2 miles downhill from their car (Bears bar Lodge, as I know - you can find a photo on the Internet).
In other direction, it was about 10 or 15 miles to the road, more difficulty but still passable.
- And the final mistake. No one knows why it happen. It was a decision to turn from the road to the creek, and (more important - anyone can make a mistake) not turning back after first 1/4 - 1/2 miles thru the bush.

[trailrunner55]

Dressing for cold weather escape

Please check with any athletic stores to update this advice. When exercising in the winter, you should have on a wicking base layer, such as Doufold, Patagonia Capilene or Helly-Hansen Lifa. This will pull the perspiration away from your body. Your second layer can be a warmth layer like wool or fleece. If it is windy, raining or snowing then a waterproof layer like Gore-tex would help.
The wicking layer could include sock liners, longjohns, briefs or running shorts, long sleeve zippered turtleneck and glove liners.
The warmth layer could include wool socks, wool pants, wool shirt or sweater and wool hat. This layer could also have a fleece neck gaiter and fleece or wool mittens or gloves. Mittens hold heat between your fingers. I find wool keeps me warmer then fleece, but like mittens vs. gloves, it is up to the user.
The water / windproof layer could include gaiters worn between your ankles and knees to keep the snow out of your boots, a Gore-tex jacket, gore-tex gloves or mittens and a gore-tex hat.
Boots should be larger than dress shoes or tennis shoes since the wool socks will be larger than cotton socks.
This advice is from a guy, so ladies, please consult an outdoor or athletic store for further advice.
A person like Mr. James Kim would only need one outfit, since packing stuff for a 7 month old and four year old would probably not leave much room for more than one set of emergency clothes.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned about hypothermia is that it makes you confused and stupid. When I first got cross country skies, and before I learned how to dress correctly, I went skiing while wearing all cotton. I started out fast, but noticed as I sweated I became colder. So I tried to pick up the pace. Well there is only so much I could do until the cold caught up to me. I had to decide to scrap the plans I made and head back to the lodge. I was lucky there was only one trail I had been on. I turned around but noticed as I headed back I started falling more and more. My coordination was failing. I hadn't fallen at all on the way out. I got back to within sight of the back of the lodge. I could go around it to my right or left. And I just stood there. I didn't know what to do. I was dumbfounded. I may have stood there for a few minutes. I finally choose to go to my left, because that is the way I skiied down. This occurred to me after only a few hours exercising outside in cotton clothes. I have run a marathon in under 4:20:00, so what Mr. Kim did once he left the car is still amazing to me.

[alexei_roudnev]

Agree.

It's not so obvious, but I agree -
- if you know where to go (you are sticked on highway 4 on the last day of fall for example), then go one way.
- if you have nothing to eat drink etc in yoru car and have not family behindm go one way

- if you can wait and have not sickness etc, then may be make round trips on the first day, and then make one way but be smart.

Man with the matches can hike 40 - 80 miles on the foirest road in 2 days. Night is not a problem if you have a matches and can make a fire (why everyone forget that _it is forest, there are always a lot of dry wood even in the rain, you can always make a fire and find a dry spot there. It is not a desert!). And 80 miles allows you to go anywhere you need.

But I fully agree with the previous post - never leave a road, EXCEPT if you are 100, not, 200% sure what are you doing.

[alexei_roudnev]

Fire - yes. But why tires?

I gues only, why they burn tires instead of keeping big firewood fire and making a lot of smoke out of it?

It was a forest with a lot of pines around, as we could see on the pictures, and if you put enough dry woods, find a dry trunks, and make a big enough stock of dry wood on the road, you can keep it burning all the time without big efforts.

[Jelly Baby]

Why tyres?

Probably not a bad idea. I guess they were trying to make as much smoke as possible for as little energy expenditure as possible.

[alexei_roudnev]

Not forest fire, but fire in the forest...

Yes, it is ALWAYS possible to make a fire in the pine forest even in the snow storm:
- you have a dry spots under a big pines, even in the rain;
- you can find dry trunks, brunches, small dry woods.
- then you are making dry spot on the ground (under the tree in the snow) and make a small fire
- then you can bring bigger trunks, esp. if they are pine ones, and keep fire running as long as you add a wood every few hours.
- even if it died, it will keep a place to make a new fire easy, and keep a warm ground where it was.

It dont work in wet rain forest or in the sparce forest on the swamp, but it works pretty well in mountains on 1 - 2 Km of altitude.

What is better for the fire:
- pine (dead one of course). Lower branches are often dry and dead, and easy to crack out;
- fir-tree. Worst but still very good.
- The bark of the birch (but not the birch tree itself)
- Use the tar from the trees.

Then, try to make a perfect pile. Like this ones:
(sorry for the text in russian - just scroll it to the pictures in the end):

http://tourism.isnet.ru/book/iljin/encik8.htm

I recommend having big knife or small axe in the car. It can help in many cases. Simplerst one - you are driving on back road and see a failen tree on the way. Having (even small) axe or a big knife, you have a chance to cut it (even if it takes a few hours) and make way.

(additional use - if you need to break a glass or free someone from the overturned car.)

[Plasmoe]

Good tip

Thats exactly what I would have done. James Kim did not die of thirst or hunger. He died of hypothermia. A fire in that kind of cold weather poses little threat of a forest fire, attracts attention, and probably would have saved him. He had a lighter with him.

[dfarin]

Wilderness is 15' away

"In a winter storm, wilderness is 15 feet away from the door of your car." (Papa Bear Witmore at a winter survival workshop in Wisconsin is my main source for surviving a winter storm in a car.) People have lost their car getting out in a storm to clear their exhaust pipe from the snow. A 20 foot long piece of cord tied to the stearing wheel and your wrist can keep you from loosing your way in a white-out.

Whatever is left of a tank of gas can be rationed by rewarming the car periodically, and restarting the car and letting it run to warm up is only one means to do that. You have to keep the exhaust clear to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. All of the recommendations for water, food and extra clothing are important. Water freezes in plastic jugs pretty quickly, and can't be rewarmed easilly. When traveling in remote areas, because an extended storm can continue to suck the heat from the car quickly, you will need water, food, and a heat source. The car is your shelter. One suggestion is to carry a set of large non-perfumed candles, some mylar blankets, and a bunch of safety pins and electrical tape. Fashion and suspend a "tent" within the vehicle from the mylar blankets, and light the candle(s) from time to time to create a source of heat and light. Keep a window cracked for ventilation on the lee side of the car, and you have a double walled shelter that allows minimal condensation to form on the inside of the vehicle. The reflective blankets reduce radiant heat loss and help retain the heat from your bodies and the candles.

A container for melting snow can be important since you can go through water quickly, and staying hydrated helps prevent hypothermia and frostbite. A pair of Number 10 cans work fine for holding your kit and may serve as a snowmelt device. With a pliers, you can fashion a candle stove (create ventillation for the flame within the sides of one can) and use the other as the pot for melting the snow.

We store our sleeping bags in the cars during the winter since they aren't being used for camping trips, as well as our pack boots, spare winter coats, and the spare mittens and hats nobody seems to want to wear. A deck of cards takes up hardly any space, but helps time pass. A stash of nuts, some chocolate, dried jerky, and canned foods help keep waiting time reasonable.

My heart sank when I learned James had left the car and not returned before nightfall. It is such a shame that at the time search efforts were being mobilized, the situation became intollerable to him. Hypothermia is such a sneaky culprit. The last person to see it coming is the person who is suffering from it. Last night I heard from a Korean War veteran that he and one of his platoon mates kept each other awake while on one another's night watch between retreats from the Chinese army by holding one another's feet in their arm pits. Neither one developed frost bite in spite of their exposure in a Fox Hole during those cold winter nights that reportedly were sometimes in the 30 degree below zero range. Staying together can be vital.

I fully empathize with James in that situation although I've never faced anything like it. When it comes to winter storms, I avoid the risks as much as possible. Taking kids out for a short winter outing could easilly become a survival situation, so I always bug them to have their boots, mittens, hats, and jackets with them in the car in winter no matter how short the trip. But the items I've mentioned could make the difference if it suddenly becomes an extended wait for help. And waiting for help was number one on the list of Papa Bear's recommendations.

[mutax2003]

Wilderness Survival IQ Website

Here is a website I have found regarding wilderness navigation and survival, there are a lot of useful information there.

http://www.survivaliq.com/

[wade_a]

two way satellite GPS

It does not matter how skilled someone is with wilderness travels, something can happen to the best of us. Folks get lost in the wilderness every year which can be easily solved with a satellite GPS system. The problem is what happens if you get hurt and cannot walk out of the wilderness? Your GPS tells you where you are only. Why not have it also send a signal back so others could log on and track you on a website? This technology exists to send a signal to satellites for places where cell technology does not work. It is used by biologists to track animals in the wilderness. Before setting out a person could give a friend or relative their access code to log in and track them on the internet and it would be password protected so not just anyone could track you. There are stories of folks who know their exact location in a remote wilderness area but due to an injury cannot get out and cell phones do not work. If someone would invent a handheld GPS with 2 way communication to the satellite and an affordable subscription fee to the web service for tracking, I'll be first in line to buy it.

[Mike Carroll]

PLB

Almost your exact description is available. It is a Personal Locator Beacon with GPS. It's only for emergency use, but then there is zero subscription fee.

[planalto]

Microchips

Figured would post here as well,thinking that those microchips would have helped,assuming that detection is as good as my sci-fi imagination perceives those microchips.
The only name of a company have heard years ago, was applied digital solutions and its parent company whom i do not recall.
I recall that news topic of some dead lady that was located cause her lost pet was found and the cat or dog was next to the person whom died.
Not sure how a person could activate the need to be found with one of those microchips.
As, you may not agree to the idea,i understand,but if the microchip were to have saved someone society might think differently.
It is not to say that everyone or anyone would want to get one, but it is still an idea.

[FoolsGold]

Survival Tips-vigilance, planning.

A survival packet can be assembled from clearance items and discards. Many of my survival items were cheap: a plumber's candle, an orange windbreaker, waxed survival matches, discarded skiboots, a two-dollar orange tarp purchased as a clearance item and a life-raft packet of drinking water for $1.79.

I believe a web site already exists for people to list their travel plans but 'seal' them until a certain time. It was a site created by the father of a young woman who was killed by her date after she had some doubts about him but no one to confide in.

Rural use of cellular devices might best be improved by aiding rural businesses such as fishing lodges and airports to benefit from cellular access. Even if cars have OnStar, a cell phone tower is needed. Epirbs exist but often are not properly registered and the signal goes to the USAF, not local officials. It can also take several satellite passes to localize a signal, whereas one local plane can go into a steep bank while doing a 360 and get a fairly precise 'fix'. Remote areas can be safely searched by remotely piloted vehicles used by the Dept of Agriculture for rangeland management. These range from 2,000 dollar RC model airplanes with thirty minute flight times to 40,000 dollar military drones that can stay aloft for four to six hours and fly pre-computed waypoints.

[richardgear]

New existing technology

I would like my existing GSM cellphone to have a satellite phone on demand system built in with service for the satellite system provided through my primary provider. In the event of an emergency, anywhere in the world, I could switch to satellite mode and contact help. I always carry a GPS with me wherever I go, so location isn't an issue. For the typical person who doesn't carry one, a gps could also be built-in to the phone. If cnet would get behind this concept cna encourage the manufacturers/service providers to make this cost effective, many lives could be saved.

[city64]

Battery power

Have a solar cell battery charger for you cell phone or GPS as backup.

[leyenda30]

Portable cell reception antennae on rescue aircraft

If portable cell site antennae were attached to the rescue aircraft the victim could switch his phone on when the aircraft is heard nearby and communicate via 911. Cell sites are normally around 12 mile spacing so an aircraft at altitude would receive a good signal. The victim could leave the phone off to conserve battery until an aircraft is heard. This would not be a total solution but could be a part of the system if made available and advertised as such.

JP

[Bill380US]

Ping! One possible solution.

First, If cell telephones were designed to automatically contain GPS circuitry it might help many to not get into situations where they need rescuing. GPS signals are capable of being recieved just about everywhere in the world.

Second, if all cell telphones had a switch so a person can turn it on and off (freedom of choice thing) where the cell tel. turns into a emergency locator beacon on any one of a number of frequencies used by the governmnet and military for just such purposes. It should be designed in such a way to insure the battery is used soley for that purpose so it will last as long as possible when in that mode. Emergency Position Locating Beacons sending out just a 'ping' last a long, long time on their battery power.

Third, If all cell telephones had a simple plug that is universal in nature so that the new portable battery type pacs can be attached, which use regular batteries, to any cell telephone. These simple low tech items should be very common place and can be carried by everyone travelling, and if needed people can use any other electrical supply from their cars, to cameras, and with little design effort even 120 VAC.

Forth, The most important is the most difficult. Have people use common sense. Above all, common sense has saved more people than anything else on the face of this planet. Most people get into those life threatening situations all on their own, and by far most get there by not using common sense.

[peterhting]

location based weather and traffic reports.

A location based weather report should help prevent weather related deaths. When your cell phone enters an area where an emergency weather alert have been issued, an automatic call to your cell phone will alert you to the danger and or road closing. This is an expansion of the current emergency broadcast system but personalized based on your location.

[HB6]

GPS Receiver in Cell Phones-Satellite Beacon

If all Cell Phones had a GPS Receiver built in, this in effect would offer some satellite ability.

IDEA: When there is no Cell Phone tower coverage, an Emergency 911 call would automatically switch over to GPS (Satellite) and send an SOS Location Beacon to defined Emergency entities.

[edlee19]

Drain oil to put in gas tank

This is a desperate move, but you can drain the engine oil into a container and funnel the oil into your seemingly empty gas tank. This might allow you to drive a few miles, the way it helped two people stranded in a desert: http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indonesia/browse_thread/thread/859902755d70e30f/d2c2524ff20d58c6

[edlee19]

If tires are stuck, deflate tires for traction

This idea comes from William Langewiesche's book entitled Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert. He tells the story of an Algerian man named Lag Lag who survived two separate incidents of being stranded in the desert. The first time he ran out of fuel, so he drained his engine oil to put in his fuel tank. The second time, his tires got stuck in the sand, so he deflated his tires for more traction.