Alone in the wild

Hello all,

There's currently a show on TV called "Alone in the wild" shown on Channel 4 on British television.

I'm sure most of you have heard about it, well I'm just watching it now and seriously I'm getting annoyed.

I understand how the bloke feels and why he feels it, but do I honestly need to sit here and watch him cry for 30 minutes.

It's not as if he's in a real survival situation, he can get out anytime he wants.

It annoys me slighty and seems like the show is being milked to sell to the public.

Thoughts?

Can you be more specific? There are about 20 different movies with variations of alone in the wild, wilderness, into the wilderness, etc.

It isn't the Chris McCandless movie is it?

reply to post by Death_Kron


It's completely pathetic. I mean he was crying and screaming after just a few days. He was seriously losing his mind at the end. It seems that nowadays, nobody can be away from people, relatives, friends etc on any TV adventure programme for more than a week without wailing about how lonely they are, even surrounded by people and crew.
Added to your point that he could get out at any point, then all it showed was the fragility of his mind and being and precious little else.

He forgot rule number 1....don't panic and stay calm.
Amateur.


[edit on 24-9-2009 by DrumsRfun]

Yeah i watched last night here in the states. I say it stupid and boring. he knew what he was getting into before he did it im sure. Then to sit there and cry about being alone, please. Give me a break
Cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it.

Thanks for posting this thread DK, an interesting one indeed.

I'll thought it was an eye opener, and a good series to watch for the likes of many who frequent these forums with a view to head for the hills if the SHTF.

Don't get me wrong, i've done this too, but this just goes to show what it can be like for someone who is not experienced.

That said, read his bio here...

www.channel4.com...

He wasn't inexperienced in dealing with difficult terrain, it states he was a keen outdoorsman, and he's done things that many of us could only dream of doing if we had the energy.

Yeah he cried a lot, but i think this just goes to show that not everyone is suited to the wilderness for long periods of time. For that reason, whilst pretty boring at times, i think the show was a success in that it taught us a few things. It can go very badly wrong.

I think it would have made a major difference had he been allowed to hunt large game, that wouldn't be an issue had this been real. Then again, he was in charge of the camera for the whole time, so i'm surpirised he didn't kill a moose off camera just to get the extra meat.

I think many "survivalists" wouldn't have lasted 15 days let alone 50.

Just my opinion though. I learnt more from that one episode tonight than most of the Bear Grylls shows i've seen.

Maybe people are looking at this the wrong way. It seems many people are slagging this programme off right across the survival community, but it's from a viewpoint of, "He didn't show me anything i can use for survival".

On the contrary, whether on purpose or not, i think he taught us a lot, mostly about what can go wrong. The food won't always be there, the company won't always be there, and most importantly, don't get above yourself think you know it all.

It did seem that he focused a whole lot on his friends and family though, i guess if thats what you are used to then it's gonna be tough.

CX.

I watched all of the programmes in this series and I found tonights episode disturbing viewing.

In each episode he slid deeper into depression, mainly I think due to lack of food, but by the end I think it was the crippling isolation that took him over the edge - that and the sense of failure for being unable to survive alone in the wild.

All told, I think he came across as a decent all too human being.

seriously? dont get that show here in the states, but i gota say, what a wimp...
hunting season i cant count the times i have walked down a mountian (not a hill 7000ft mountian) to look for elk, enjoyed every second of it..
at one with nature...

if you are prepared and mentaly ready, you can enjoy being alone in the wild..
its not as much physical as mental. Stop thinking about OH MY G i'm in the wild, and frekain enjoy what is in front of you. The woods are a wonders place if you open you mind and enjoy.

But then again, i have taken drives in the mountians here (montana) and in 7 hours only seen one other person. So its not uncommon for us.

city folks need not apply.

Originally posted by severdsoul
seriously? dont get that show here in the states, but i gota say, what a wimp...
hunting season i cant count the times i have walked down a mountian (not a hill 7000ft mountian) to look for elk, enjoyed every second of it..
at one with nature...

Thats the thing here, he couldn't shoot an elk, or the moose or caribou that were only yards from him, so in that sense, it wasn't as real as it could have been.

I know that many members live every day in the outdoors like this, hunting is second nature and thats the way it goes.

Yet you see your family, you are allowed to hunt the larger game. I am genuinely interested in hearing peoples honest opinions of whether they could cope in the same situations, giving the limitations.

Don't forget...

You're not allowed contact with the outside world except in emergencies.

No hunting large game, so long term food sources are out.

The only food he seemed to get was the odd bit of plant and berries, small fish and a couple of porcupine. He went to look for big salmon which would have fed him nicely, but he found none.

As mentioned before, there were large game, but he was not allowed to hunt them.

So with those limitations, i wonder how many people shooting the guy down could do any better?

Yes this guy was a "city type", but he wasn't always.

I still say that bearing in mind at least half of the members here will be sat behind a computer from the middle of a city of town with not a forest in sight, it was still a good learning programme even from the "what could go wrong" point of view.

How often do we see survival programmes where you see a guy actualy doing it, and suffering when it goes wrong as the show goes along?

Whether it's Ray Mears, Bear Grylls, Survivor Man or whatever, they all do their wilderness survival tricks quite happily and go home at the end of the day/week for a nice hot meal.

This was completely different, and gets a thumbs up from me.

I think i'm in the minority with that one though lol.

CX.

[edit on 25/9/09 by CX]

even surrounded by people and crew

There was no crew. Everything was filmed by him.

Personally I really liked this show. Wardle isn't some survival specialist. Sure he was fit, but that does not make him some kind of ironman. The whole point was about him doing something he'd dreamed of as a child, not about educating people. I think it showed really well how surviving isn't just about being able to find food, or make a fire - There IS An emotional and mental aspect as well.

Last night's show was the final episode, he was unable to complete the three months and called for help. I think he made the right call, mentally he seemed to be breaking down.

Damn good TV in an age of Big Brother and Xfactor - I actually sent him an email today to let him know how much I enjoyed seeing his struggles and triumphs.

Personally, despite knowing I would be able to find food, get shelter, stay warm, build a fire, ect, I know I would not have made it as long as he did. The lonliness would felled me as well.

The thing that strikes me is that when he thinks about his situation, he's a wreck, but he said that when he's doing things, he's fine. Keep busy to avoid depression.

reply to post by severdsoul


That show was on in the states. I saw it, as I stated above. It wasnt that great IMHO. Survivorman is much better I think, Man vs. wild is pretty good too...


PEACE!!!

National Geographic has a good Q & A with Ed, from September 18.

ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com...

Leslee: After spending so much time alone, did you start to treat the camera as a person? Or anything else? Yes, I'm thinking of Tom Hanks in Castaway.

Ed: Before I went out I thought that talking to the camera would be a help - but normally on a dangerous expedition I would suppress my fears, worries, difficulties, thoughts about home and would only talk about them once I was safely home again. On this adventure, in making the films, I was required to talk about all that negative stuff on a daily basis which solidifies those feelings so it became a struggle to stay positive.

reply to post by nixie_nox


he said show, not movie

but hey, its television...do u really expect anything on it not to waste ur time?

[edit on 26-9-2009 by platipus]

There are 2 tv shows here in the states that they go out in the wild and film themselves. one of them is a fake because just on the other side of a ridge or 15 min away, the fool sleeps in a hotel. really come on, who wants to watch a tv show that a guy takes a dayhike and reads a boyscout manual. rather watch the movie recorded by pbs called Alone in the wild and watch the guy hunt and build his own cabin over and over before i watch the horable crap they put on tv like the surivor or the other show.

Originally posted by CX

no large game changes things a bit, there are a lot of birds (many of which are yummy) and other small critters.

But it would make it a lot more difficult, espicaly with someone not use to the woods.

reply to post by CX


You make very valid and good points there mate.

Your probably right about not being able to hunt large game being an issue for him and your definately correct about the loneliness and isolation being a problem.

Like you mentioned, its not as if he was an average joe plucked off the street. Whilst not having Ray Mears type experience he has done things that many of us have not and you would of expected him to have fared slightly better than he did.

As you say though maybe I'm being a little hard on the guy, he did survive quite a long time on his own.

I just thought it was a little over dramatic considering the bloke wasn't in a true survival situation i.e. emergency rations being dropped, radio contact etc

I'm also pretty sure that if your heart beats drops to 30 bpm then your going to die.