Alone in the Wild

[Martyn]

7 weeks is only a week or so over what someone can survive without food.

In reality, considerably less if you are expending 6000 calories a day.

The thing I find the most amusing, is all the armchair Lofty Wisemans looking down on this chap from such a great height, so sure they would do a better job and so keen to tell everyone where he went wrong.

The thing about this bloke that impressed me the most, was his lack of ego.

The thing that impressed me about the program, was how obvious it makes it, that I wouldn't do nearly as well as him. That's humbling and sobering (for me anyway).

 

[Martyn]

- having invested the time, energy and calories building it he then seemed to decide to set off looking for a new camp

- he started looking for a new camp on foot rather than using the canoe to explore the shore line. That meant he couldn't carry as much kit and it would take longer to survey the same amount of land - it also increased his possible exposure to bears which seemed to be a big fear

You are forgetting, he was there to make a film.

It had been pre-decided for him to move to a second camp, the location was pre-chosen, supposedly to rendezvous with the salmon run and the second camp site had a camera cache waiting for him.

 

[Walks with dogs]

***! Any one who wants to slag this guy off, go and do what he has done. Truth be told , I don't know if I could, and I like my own company.

This is the first programme I have seen that takes an outdoorsy non survival expert and put him/ her in such a position. The bloke found solitude difficult to deal with, so what! He was scared of the very real proposition of being eaten alive by a bear, so what! I watched the programme and saw things I woud do differently, but since I'm not in that position , in those circumstances, I choose not to judge him , rather to question thioe who do.

If you are so effing great go out to the Yukon for three months, make a video blog and we will no doubt slag you off as well.

Fair play to him, when asked " could you survive if.." he will have a more informed answer thany many.

Sorry for ranting but it does get my goat when we are so quick to judge those who are trying to do what so many on here would love to try.

 

[Martyn]

Well said.

 

[myotis]

Some thing to always bear in mind is that we will be seeing a small selection of "selected" clips from the video he took.

So what we are seeing is what the TV producers decided would make a good story, which may or may not represent what really happened. I'm obviously not suggesting they have created false bits of video, but careful editing can twist the story in many different directions.

For example. It maybe that the apparent obsession with bears lasted only the first 36 hours days and the producers have presented it so we think this was on his mind all the time he was there.

I am not saying this is the case, but you certainly cannot take anything like this at face value. But then that applies to anything we see on TV or read in the newspapers.


Graham

 

[hog]

Starch, Ed needed starch in his diet, slow release carbohydrates, cant survive all that time just eating lean game meat(and not a lot of it at that)
How many folk have felt sick just trying that stupid Atkins diet? That was basicaly what he was on, bar a hand full of leaves.

 

[tjwuk]

Good programme, but bad planning by the guy. Not knowing if he could kill an animal to survive and have an idea of being able to live off the land is all about 'preparation'.

Isn't that what this is telling us. Basically you don't go skydiving if you have no idea what your doing, same as any sport!

Not taking anything away from him for doing this as it makes good tv, but is anyone else sick and tired of bad planning. Things cost an absolute fortune to make and do then you see the real outcome.

Do all the project management you need, but if you are bereft of the skill needed to complete the task at hand, in my book you are just wasting time and money.

And yes if I had all costs paid for to take this on, I would jump at the chance!

Just as an addition!

It is all about your mental attitude. In survival you can't afford to watch a meal walk past without taking a shot, at least 'try' The programme shows one thing. We feel protected by our lifestyles, where if we don't get something to eat, or where something goes wrong, the proverbial 'yanks' will come to the rescue. Something you have to leave behind, and become totally self reliant to win.

 

[Walks with dogs]

My comments made last night came over a bit strong. I stand by the sentiment but there was no need for me to start ranting. I'm all for good preparation, survival mindset etc. But to me the point of the programme was to see how one person would stand up to the stresses and strains of being on his own.

He made it 50+ days I believe. In truth, I think he did ok. Maybe some would have done better, possibly many would have done far worse. How would I have done? Like everyone else, until I am in that position, in a given mental state , a given physical state, I don't and can't know.

A couple of quotes may explain what I am trying to say better than I am doing..

How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.


Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do.


If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.

You get the idea.

 

[tjwuk]

I agree. I think no one really knows how they behave until you get out there. Even the most experienced survivalists have come unstuck!

All the views here I look on as opinions, somewhere to vent your inner thoughts. Its not worth being too critical about anyone else as every instance has a different feeling and state of mind for everyone.

So you have to take your hat off to the guy for doing this, and his honesty is very touching!

 

[Peter_t]

i only caut a bit of it but he did look out of his depth but im sure he lernt allot. if he was to did it again im sure he would last much longer. you lern from your mistakes so you cannot expect him to do well first time.

pete

 

[HillBill]

In reality, considerably less if you are expending 6000 calories a day.

The thing I find the most amusing, is all the armchair Lofty Wisemans looking down on this chap from such a great height, so sure they would do a better job and so keen to tell everyone where he went wrong.

.

One of the key aspects of survival is conservation of energy/ efficiency in what you do. If you are burning 6000 calories a day then your going to suffer. An on duty Soldier in wartime ops expects to burn upto 4500 calories a day.

Agree with the second paragraph too, but i do not come under it.

 

[rik_uk3]

Great programme, looking forward to the rest, but I'd bet there are still people here who think they could survive off wild food in the UK for a year

 

[tjwuk]

Great programme, looking forward to the rest, but I'd bet there are still people here who think they could survive off wild food in the UK for a year

Its always difficult carrying that rifle over your shoulder here in the UK!

 

[dogwood]

One of the key aspects of survival is conservation of energy/ efficiency in what you do. If you are burning 6000 calories a day then your going to suffer. An on duty Soldier in wartime ops expects to burn upto 4500 clories a day.

Hillbill, you're exactly right and this is something people often overlook. I touched on this in another thread about this show.

Understanding your calorie consumption is important in any extended trip to the wilds.

When you're in the arctic and sub-arctic the calorie conservation/burn moves from being important to being absolutely critical.

The demands of the northern woods are such that it's very difficult to do the things you need to do with just one person and still replenish calories.

Even natives and people with years of experience can perish if they're asked to survive alone (and unsupported) in this environment. (If you pay close attention to most people who "live alone" in Alaska or the Yukon, they have some resupply process operating.)

If you are truly alone up there and if you fall significantly behind in calorie consumption it can be exceedingly difficult to catch up and a (frequently deadly) spiral of events begins.

One time when I was doing a solo three week trip in Alaska near Denali, I had a mishap that lost nearly half my food. I wound up in a severe deficit over the trip and you would be amazed how it adds up over time. Almost everyone I knew up there who did extended trips had at least one similar experience.

To live out there unsupported -- really live, not just visit -- you must have a group of people. At minimum, two...

 

[dwardo]

Was anyone else shouting -
"shoot the squirrel! shoooot" The recoil in a hammock would have been funny...

But then again how many time have you been shooting and before the gun is out you see the game and think, nah ill get you later and ill bew up first

 

[tjwuk]

Hillbill, you're exactly right and this is something people often overlook. I touched on this in another thread about this show.

Understanding your calorie consumption is important in any extended trip to the wilds.

When you're in the arctic and sub-arctic the calorie conservation/burn moves from being important to being absolutely critical.

The demands of the northern woods are such that it's very difficult to do the things you need to do with just one person and still replenish calories.

Even natives and people with years of experience can perish if they're asked to survive alone (and unsupported) in this environment. (If you pay close attention to most people who "live alone" in Alaska or the Yukon, they have some resupply process operating.)

If you are truly alone up there and if you fall significantly behind in calorie consumption it can be exceedingly difficult to catch up and a (frequently deadly) spiral of events begins.

One time when I was doing a solo three week trip in Alaska near Denali, I had a mishap that lost nearly half my food. I wound up in a severe deficit over the trip and you would be amazed how it adds up over time. Almost everyone I knew up there who did extended trips had at least one similar experience.

To live out there unsupported -- really live, not just visit -- you must have a group of people. At minimum, two...

Good points about conserving your energy. It made me wonder why he went off exploring in the mountains after he had eaten some food. Time better taken in making a better camp I would have thought. Only do what is necessary.

 

[rik_uk3]

Look at people like Dick Proenneke who would over winter, he did not hide the fact that he had supplies of food bought up to him in the Autumn and added fresh meat and fish when available.

The old time mountain men did not travel lightly, they took bulk supplies of flour, salt, coffee, sugar, bacon, pemmican etc, they went to live and trade, not to just survive.

 

[Thijzzz]

Since I haven't seen the series: is it on an English channel (I get BBC 1-2-3-4 here), or can it also be watched online?

 

[Shewie]

Try this Thijzzz ....

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/alone-in-the-wild/4od

Find the "Rushes" as well from each week, there's some good stuff which they've left out of the screened version.

 

[Indoorsout]

Just finished watching it, I thought it was good but man is he paranoid about bears! I really have to wonder why he went when he has such a problem with killing and eating wild game though. I do wonder also how much of what we are all going on about on here is due to him wanting to make good tv rather than good survival decisions.

Still, he's done something I'd not want to try without a shedload more training and experience than I have. Still like to give it a go mind you, but not without a lot of training!