I saw the most amazing movie last night.

Even if you’ve read Alive or have seen the Ethan Hawke movie, the chance to see the real survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash tell their story in their own words is just…unbelievable.

One thing that struck me is that when the Uruguayan rugby team set out on the flight, they were dressed for spring weather. They didn’t expect to crash, so of course they weren’t prepared for snow. They had little food (which becomes key to the story) and began eating everything from toothpaste to makeup.

Still, 16 people survived. FOR 72 DAYS. We usually tell people to be prepared for 72 hours, folks. 72 days is just amazing.

Anyway, they did have a couple of things on their side. They had a radio, so they could listen to the news of the search. And they had a couple of people with medical training who knew basic first aid and CPR and what types of nutrients were needed to survive.

We’re getting ready to offer our Wilderness First Aid course next month. After watching this movie, I’m tempted to sign up. I’m not a big outdoors enthusiast, but you just never know when being trained might save your life.

P.S. If you’re at all a fan of documentaries, go watch this while it’s around. Here’s the trailer: