Ricky Megee was left for dead in the hot Australian outback with no shoes and no food. He woke up under a plastic sheet with wild dogs tearing at his feet, miles away from any road. Over the next six weeks, he stayed alive by drinking dirty water, eating small frogs, and sucking on hard candies he found in his pocket.
Most people give up when everything goes wrong in the bush. Ricky did not give up. He walked for days under a burning sun, lost dozens of pounds, and kept his mind sharp by focusing on simple tasks. This is the real story of how one man survived the harsh desert against all odds.
Left for Dead in the Hot Outback
The nightmare started in January 2006 on a quiet road in Western Australia. Ricky Megee was driving his car near the small town of Wyndham. He stopped to help a man whose vehicle had broken down on the side of the red dirt track. That single act of kindness changed everything.
Ricky remembers drinking a cup of coffee given to him by the traveler. Minutes later, his head felt heavy and the world went dark. He believes someone put a drug in his drink. When he finally opened his eyes, his car was gone. His shoes were gone. Even his wallet and shirt were taken.
He was alone in one of the hottest places on Earth. Summer temperatures in the Kimberley region often top 110 degrees. The ground burns your skin if you walk on it without shoes. Ricky had to make a choice right then. He could sit and wait to die, or he could start walking.
Walking Without Shoes on Hot Dirt
Walking across the dry dirt without shoes was pure pain. Ricky pulled a small pair of shorts over his legs and wrapped pieces of dirty cloth around his feet. The sun beat down on his bare back every hour of the day. He had no compass and no map to guide him.
He knew that walking during the middle of the day would drain his body of water. So he moved early in the morning and late in the evening. During the hottest hours, he dug shallow holes in the dirt under dry bushes to keep cool. It is a trick wild animals use to save their strength.
In those early days, he found a couple of fruit sweets tucked deep in his pocket. He did not chew them. Instead, he kept one in his mouth for hours at a time to keep his spit moving. Those tiny drops of sugar were the only real calories he had for nearly a week.
Finding Water in Empty Riverbeds
Your body can go weeks without food, but you only get three days without water. Ricky knew this rule very well. He looked for green plants in the dry landscape because green leaves mean water is hiding nearby under the ground.
He found dried-up creek beds and dug down with his bare hands. Sometimes he had to dig three feet deep into muddy sand just to see a small puddle form at the bottom. The water tasted like dirt and old leaves, but it kept his heart beating. He drank it slowly so his upset stomach would not throw it back up.
When heavy rain fell during brief night storms, he caught drops on his plastic sheet. He sucked water off river rocks and licked wet leaves in the morning light. Water became his main job, taking up almost all his energy every single day.
Eating Frogs and Bugs to Stay Alive
After two weeks, the sugar from the candies was long gone. Ricky was losing muscle fast and getting very weak. He had to eat whatever he could grab with his hands. He began catching small grasshoppers and ants as he walked through the tall dry grass.
Near the small muddy water holes, he spotted tiny brown frogs. He caught them, pulled off their skins, and ate them raw. He also ate small black leeches, dragonflies, and birds' eggs when he found nests low in the trees. It sounds horrible, but hunger changes how you look at food.
Knowing basic survival skills can save a life when everything goes wrong. Ricky relied on pure instinct to pick what to eat. If an insect had bright colors or a bad smell, he left it alone. If it looked safe, he chewed it up. Every bug gave him a few more minutes of life.
Fighting Off Wild Animals at Night
The days were hot, but the nights brought a totally different danger. The Australian bush is home to dingoes, which are wild dogs that hunt in packs. They could smell that Ricky was weak and hurt.
On several nights, he woke up to find dingoes standing just a few feet away, watching him in the dark. He had to throw rocks and scream with all his strength to make them run off. He built small shelters out of sharp wooden sticks to protect his body while he slept.
Your mind starts playing tricks on you when you are alone for that long. Ricky heard voices in the wind and saw shapes that were not there. To keep from going crazy, he talked out loud to himself. He recited old songs and talked about his family to remind himself why he had to keep living.
The Rescue at the Cattle Station
By day 43, Ricky was barely human. He had lost over 100 pounds. His skin was black from the sun, his hair was matted with mud, and his teeth were loose. He could no longer stand up straight, so he dragged his body along the ground using his elbows.
Then, he spotted a fence. A fence meant people were near. He followed the wire line until he came near a water tank on Birrindudu Station, a giant cattle farm in the Northern Territory. Some young farm workers were driving past when they saw what looked like a skeleton crawling through the dirt.
They stopped their truck in shock. Ricky raised one skinny arm and asked for a drink of water. The workers wrapped him in a blanket, gave him small sips of water, and rushed him to the nearest hospital right away.
What This Story Teaches Us About Hope
Doctors in the hospital could not believe Ricky was still breathing. His body was completely exhausted, but his will to live had won. It took him months in a hospital bed to eat normal food again and walk on his own feet.
His wild story sounds like something from a movie, much like the famous story of Two Twins Separated at Birth Lived the Exact Same Life. People still debate how he managed to hang on for so long in such a dark place. You can read more true tales on our true stories blog page anytime you need a reminder of what humans can handle.
When life gets hard, remember Ricky crawling through the red dirt. He did not give up when he lost his shoes, his food, or his strength. He just focused on taking one more step, finding one more drop of water, and surviving one more hour. What is one small step you can take today when things get tough?
Post a Comment