African Plains
Day 4 — Lion Country

Well the drizzle finally stopped and I made my way deep into lion territory. From here on in the guides in this reserve are trying to keep an eye out for me. They have been expecting me to pass through here by now… they know where the majority of lions are during the day, 80% of the time …

Nighttime is something else altogether. They are quite concerned about me being out here on my own. So … somewhere out there are stationed my safety crew with rifles ready. I have a loud air horn like you might use at a hockey game. If they hear it they will come running — hopefully not too late …

At least I’ve had some sustenance this evening. I picked a bunch of marula fruit and caught a small crab in a stream. My snares did nothing last night but I’ve set them again at this location so hopefully I will have a substantial meal by morning …

I’ve built a palace compared to my usual shelters but it feels horribly inadequate in the face of a large lion or a few buffalo. It’s the square tarp I made — set up like an “A”-frame and surrounded by Acacia thorn trees — the thorns are not barrier to the lions — only a deterrent — a slight one at that! I don’t see myself sleeping much tonight. Usually someone does watch while the other sleeps but of course — I’m alone and unfortunately the crackling of the fire is making it hard to hear the noises in the bush. Maybe that’s a good thing … I’ve got 10 hours of darkness to wait out — it’s going to be a long night …

For the full story, go to Les Stroud's Official Blog.