Alone in the Wild

[Mikey P]

Had a search and couldn't see if anyone else had mentioned this programme in the 'Media' sub-forum, so, here goes!

10th September, Channel 4, Alone in the Wild, 9pm, Channel 4

Website: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/alone-in-the-wild

"In this remarkable documentary, Ed Wardle is dropped into the unforgiving Yukon wilderness with just basic provisions and cameras to film himself as he attempts to survive completely alone in the wild"

 

[Shewie]

Thanks Mike

Despite the flack he was getting on that other thread I'm still interested in giving it a watch.

 

[Vimtoforblood]

isn't this just the same as Survivorman?

 

[Martyn]

I think it will be a fascinating insight.

Ed Wardle has climbed Everest 3 times and walked to the North Pole. He's a determined and exceptionally fit man. You dont achieve that without strong charterer and big minerals. His survival training wasn't as extensive as it could have been, but he wasn't green either. They dropped him off in a remote part of the Yukon by an isolated lake. The area was teeming with wildlife. He was exceptionally well equipped. They dropped him off with a pump action 12 gague and a 22lr rifle, he had loads of ammo, he had an extensive fishing kit, snares, a Scandinavian Forrest axe, a tarp, a good knife, a hammock, a good sleeping bag, excellent clothing, a big rucksack and a lot of food provisions ....and a canoe. But in spite of being as fit as a butchers dog, strong willed, extremely well equipped and in a place teeming with wildlife, after 50 days on his own, they had to evacuate him because he was starving to death.

Any person who doesn't think they can learn something from this, is probably heading for a Darwin award.

 

[tobes01]

I reckon this series will be the most interesting thing on TV all year. Bear Grylls & co create an unrealistic expectation of what the human is capable of. I initially laughed at the description of Ed's adventure, not knowing his background, but the more I hear, the more I suspect this is going to be a real journey through the mental struggle of living away from the rest of your species. Can't wait.

Tobes

 

[Martyn]

I reckon this series will be the most interesting thing on TV all year. Bear Grylls & co create an unrealistic expectation of what the human is capable of. I initially laughed at the description of Ed's adventure, not knowing his background, but the more I hear, the more I suspect this is going to be a real journey through the mental struggle of living away from the rest of your species. Can't wait.

Tobes

I've watched all of the rushes from this, it's a fascinating insight into the human condition. He hunted small game, but mainly fished and supplemented his diet with leaves and foraged plants and berries. He had a fair bit of rice he took with him as well. He had planned to move camp to a lake with a river to meet the salmon as they travelled upriver to spawn. The trip is what broke him really. His pack was exceptionally heavy and he was already weakened, but he had to leave his canoe behind as well as a lot of kit and provisions. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a poor year for the salmon, which didn't arrive on time and he was too weak to travel back. Had the salmon arrived on schedule, he would of had a plentiful supply of oily fish. From a pure survival perspective, it would probably have been better to stay put, but that doesnt make such a good TV show. They were hoping for some good footage of the salmon and bears.

Nevertheless, I dont think 50 days alone in that environment is a failure, I think it is amazing. That he didn't make the 90 days, was probably as much about bad luck as anything.

This is the only in-depth footage of anyone trying to survive alone, bushcraft style, for an extended period of time. It has to be must-watch viewing. This isn't a Bear Grylls rambo-romp then back to the Hilton for a warm bath and piza - it's real. The closest I've seen is Les Stroud's adventures, which are amazing, but very short (usually 7 days) by comparison. What makes this so different, is that it attempts to go beyond living off your fat and into real, long-term survival.

That he isn't actually a survival expert like Lofty Wiseman, Ray Mears or Les Stroud, makes it all the more compelling. You expect them to do well, but this fella is easier to relate to IMO. He isnt lecturing you and there is no ego, you just share his experience, warts and all.

I cant wait.

 

[Vimtoforblood]

You've definitely sold it to me.

I've set the recorder already!

Is each episode based on a different location, or is the whole series focussed on a single location?

 

[Mikey P]

Thanks Mike

Despite the flack he was getting on that other thread I'm still interested in giving it a watch.

Shewie,

I didn't know there was another thread running on this. I think I am a 'search' biff, as I did try to find one. Perhaps I was daft for having assumed that it would be in the media sub-forum!

I didn't realise he'd already come in for a slagging! Blimey - what do people have to do to get some respect round here! :bluThinki

In all seriousness, I'm surprised because this sort of trip is exactly what loads of people on this website profess to want to do. Clearly, we are very fickle in the world of bushcraft.

Regardless of what others have said, I'm with you and will be watching.

 

[spamel]

You've definitely sold it to me.

I've set the recorder already!

Is each episode based on a different location, or is the whole series focussed on a single location?

He makes a couple of moves, from the rushes I've watched he sets up in one place for a while and then moves to a new place. I wonder why he didn't go by canoe, even if he just loaded his kit into it and hand lined around the edge of lakes to get where he is going. He said on one rush that he had never paddled a canoe before, he didn't have a life jacket on and I thought that was pretty poor. Maybe Channel 4 did set him up to fail, but until we see the actual program we won't know for sure. The idea seems sound and to spend so long alone must be a pretty miserable affair. If they had picked a loner, he would probably have done a bit better but I can't help thinking that the loneliness was just too much for him. Maybe they should consider sending two people in next time, they may get a bit further and do a bit better.

 

[nodd]

After watching the program last night I found my self asking what is he trying to do, survive by living of the land,seeing if he can cope with being alone(which he could have done with more basic supplies )supplemented with trapped food or looking for bears? which he seems to be preoccupied with.
At the end of the day its all about making a TV program that will get the viewers in and paying to send him there in the first place.
I was surprised how quick he went bushy I will watch the other episodes with interest though I did find some of the filming a bit Blair Witch

 

[Shewie]

I think it'll be interesting to see how he gets on as the weeks progress. You're right though, for someone who is obviously pooing his pants about the bears all the time he's picked a pretty daft place for his experiment.
You would think after the first week though he should get over it and start getting on with stuff around camp and finding some reliable food sources etc. I'm not sure about the leccy fence though ? Maybe constructing something out of dead trees would offer a bit more protection in the long term.
I did enjoy it actually and it's made for some decent TV viewing at last, considering he's done all the filming himself I don't mind the Blair Witch look about it. It's an honest and no bull presentation which ticks all the boxes for me.

It's put swmbo off doing something similar with me though

 

[nodd]

It would be an interesting project to do working with some of the supplies listed in Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart.As the saying goes if your ruffing it you are doing it wrong.

 

[Martyn]

He makes a couple of moves, from the rushes I've watched he sets up in one place for a while and then moves to a new place. I wonder why he didn't go by canoe, even if he just loaded his kit into it and hand lined around the edge of lakes to get where he is going. He said on one rush that he had never paddled a canoe before, he didn't have a life jacket on and I thought that was pretty poor. Maybe Channel 4 did set him up to fail, but until we see the actual program we won't know for sure. The idea seems sound and to spend so long alone must be a pretty miserable affair. If they had picked a loner, he would probably have done a bit better but I can't help thinking that the loneliness was just too much for him. Maybe they should consider sending two people in next time, they may get a bit further and do a bit better.

It was planned around food and I think, what would make good TV. The original lake had no river to the sea. If it turned out that the fishing was poor, it was planned that he would move to the second lake, which had a river to the sea, to coincide with the salmon run. Aside from the plentiful supply of salmon for him to eat, he should also get lots of bear footage as they move in to fish the salmon and fatten up for the winter. The second location had a camera cache already in place, waiting for him.

Re bear paranoia someone mentioned - well deserved I think. That area has one of the highest grizzly population densities in Canada. It was also the start of salmon season for the bears. Lots of hungry grizzly's waiting around for the fish. Re the electric fence - I think it's purpose was to provide an early warning system so that he could relax a bit in his hammock and get some decent kip. He had local advisers for the trip, I think it';s reasonable to assume they knew what they were on and advised him on his choice of kit.

 

[bilko]

If you go to the website chanel4.com/alone, you can watch up to 10 minutes from each week up to week 8.
I thought it was very good. He could have shot some big game despite the candian laws if he wasn't doing a documentary and was fighting starvation. He also saw ducks and birds that he could have shot.
I have read the excerts about the feeling of isolation on the website from Brian Keenan who was held hostage in isolation for 5 years i think. He has since ventured to Alaska and lived off the wild in a similar manner.
What he says about the forboding heaviness of the wilderness and how you learn to embrace it as a feeling of love is right on the button i think.

Many times when i have been in a big forest i have felt that prescence. Like you are constantly watched. An inescapable blanket of heavy emotion makes you alert and fearfull. It presses deep into your soul and releases emotions that you would not expect.

One must learn to love themselves in these situations as love is something that comes from within and flows outward. Then i guess you are dealing with being forced into submission by the land as well, not to mention the detox he would be going through. No chemicals, pesticides, flouride, heavy metals etc, all comming out of his system.

I think psychological and spiritual training is just as important as any other skill sets when put in this enviroment. For such an accomplished man, acceptance that you control so little in your life must be so hard. But once you do accept it and embrace your surroundings you can begin to work With nature instead of constantly fighting it.

I think that without the demands of the documentary and perhaps a quarterly resupply of tools and essencials, Ed would have been able to stay for a lot longer.

 

[Dougster]

I thought it was superb TV.

I didn't expect to be shown the ultimate bushy skills.

I wanted to watch what the guy did and how a human would interact with the environment, wildlife and loneliness.

I was enthralled. He was personable and had conflicting views on the self propelling 'food' in front of him.

We can't go back and re-enact things gone by, salmon runs are affected by many things - run-off into the waters, climate change to lesser or greater extents.

The guy did well with what he had chosen - or had chosen for him - to take. I for one would love to have a beer around a fire with him and wouldn't go so far as to slagging him off as he's done a hell of a lot more than me.

 

[CheeseMonster]

I thought it was a brilliant bit of tv. He played up a bit to the camera at the very beginning, which is fair enough because he would be buzzing but soon you can feel how honest he was being. Being isolated from humanity, the camera work must have been his only "company" and you can really see how honest he is being.

I knew that he left early but I didn't know why until I read this thread. Seeing that hasn't put me off watching the rest of it. Like people have said before, this guy is fit, determined and well equipped and still didn't last as long as he wanted. In summer as well.

As long as they continue to edit the film honestly (which from what I've seen on the website etc they are nigh on religious about) then this will be one of my all time favourite bits of survival tv.

The electric fence.. To begin with I thought you wimp but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. It's all very well being macho sitting on your sofa but if an expert recommends some sort of detterent then I'd bloody well take it. (website shows something about having small tripwire mines that fire blanks to scare off the bears , assume these come in when the batteries die?)

Oh and one more thought: think about all those difference camera angles when he is building his shelter. How much extra work and time would that take up? Now think about having to do that for every single thing that you did. I'm not saying that is why he failed but it was a considerable burden on top of survival.

 

[JonathanD]

And just in case you wondered what knife he used....