Terror in Tanzania

**Survivalists E.J. Snyder (46) and Kellie Nightlinger (38) survive in Tanzania's Serengeti Plain, putting their skills to the ultimate test.**

## Terror in Tanzania

### Survivalists

EJ Snyder
Kellie Nightlinger

### Personal Items

E.J. brought a hunting knife and Kellie a small pot that can be used to dig, scoop, boil water etc.

### Day 1

**Sunny | 91ºF.** While hiking to find a campsite, Kellie finds a plant called purslane, amongst other small, edible plants. E.J. said Kellie is like a little squirrel, and they need to find water first. Walking is painful since they are stepping on thorns from the Umbrella Thorn Acacia tree. Kellie is becoming annoyed at E.J. telling her how to walk on thorns and to stop looking for edible plants.

As the day goes on, temperatures climb to 102ºF. Almost to heat exhaustion, they come upon a mud hole. Kellie immediately starts taking a mud bath, and E.J. says, "**She's down there taking a mud bath, and I'm just like, "Really?".** He wants her to stay on point and get to water.

As night falls, they come upon a cave and a watering hole. E.J. tries to start a fire using a fire plow to get some water boiling. After almost two hours trying to start a fire, they give up.

### Day 2

After an exhausting night in the cave, E.J. and Kellie continue their desperate quest to start a fire to no avail. They are hungry and thirsty!

### Day 3

Kellie and E.J. have gone 51 hours without a drop of water, as the temperature reaches 91ºF. They are weak and dangerously dehydrated. If they don't get water soon, their bodies will shut down. Late in the afternoon, E.J. gets a fire going. They are ecstatic! Kellie's pot holds only 1 quart (1 L) of liquid. To fully rehydrate, they will need to drink approximately 25 pots each.

### Day 4

They spend the entire day boiling water and drinking it. It's a prolonged process but necessary to rehydrate their bodies.

### Day 5

The late morning temperature is 88ºF. Kellie and E.J. set out to gather firewood. The thorns are terrible, and E.J. steps on one that goes deep. He's angry they can barely walk without getting thorns in their feet.

### Day 8

**E.J.'s video report**, ***"Okay, it is day 8. It's a new beginning. We're pissed off. I've been brought to my lowest point. Yesterday was it. I've had enough. Shoes today. That's all I got to say."***

### Night 8

**2:46 AM** - They wake up to a hyena's call and hear something walking nearby.

**Narrator:** ***A 2004 news report stated that 35 people were killed by spotted hyenas in 12 months in Mozambique along a 20-km stretch of road near the Tanzanian border. The majority of the attacks were upon people sleeping in the open.***

E.J. and Kellie are terrified.

### Day 9

The morning temperature is 80ºF. After a frightening night, Kellie and E.J. are ready to head out to hunt. The sandals E.J. made are lifesaving! They can now walk without pain! Wildlife is abundant. Kellie wants to sit and observe the larger game, but E.J. heads off on his own to hunt the smaller game. They disagree on each other's methods. E.J. says he would be better off without Kellie.

### Day 12

After failing to hunt for food successfully, they haven't had a substantial meal in two weeks. The tension between them is increasing. Kellie is becoming weaker, and her mental state is declining. E.J. is concerned about her. E.J. and Kellie have an emotional heart-to-heart conversation, and both vows to improve and dig deeper as a team. They hug it out.

### Day 16

E.J.'s foot infection is worse, and it's difficult for him to do much walking. A significant rain storm rolls in in the late afternoon, and the temperature goes down to 59ºF. Kellie puts some embers from the fire in the pot and asks E.J. to keep it going. His foot is getting worse, and production comes in to look at him. They take him to have his infection drained and put him on antibiotics. He is allowed to continue the challenge.

### Day 20

For extraction, the plan is to start a fire for the helicopter to see them. Kellie transfers some of the fire embers into the pot, and E.J. makes a basket to transport it. They begin the trek to the 1,500-foot-high hill, where they will meet the helicopter on day 21. They stop overnight and make a fire, which they must keep going all night. They won't have embers to start the fire at the extraction point if it goes out. Unfortunately, it did go out, and Kellie desperately tried blowing on it to get it going. Success!!! Suddenly, Kellie's hair catches on fire, but thankfully, E.J. is there to extinguish it! Close call!!

### Day 21

E.J. and Kellie hiked up the hill and started the fire! The helicopter arrived. E.J and Kellie had some differences but overall were a great team. E.J. says he will never think of the roles of men and women in the same manner again. He said Kellie was an awesome partner!

### Weight Loss

E.J. lost 33 lbs.

Kellie lost 28 lbs.

### Primitive Survival Rating

E.J.'s PSR rises from 7.3 to 8.2

Kellie's PSR rises from 7.5 to 8.1

### External Links

* Tanzania
* Serengeti Plain