Alone Season 2 on History Channel

[Zylumn]

So Mary Kate tapped from the cut to her hand. She must have been a volunteer fire fighter as you can see she has had no medical training. A First Aid Level 1 or EMR Cert. is usually the minimum. She was in shock but she still had no clue how to treat herself.

Nicole seems pretty comfortable I don't see her winning but I already have respect for her.

Tracy what can you say She is a tough customer.

Randy's fire goes out I think he taps. He should be able to keep it going for a few weeks.

Jose; talk about someone comfortable in his surroundings. I wish they would have shown more of his set up; but I think we will have lots of time to see it.

[finallyME]

Yeah, Jose seems like he is in it for the long haul. He is just getting settled.

[Faiaoga]

If not the Bible, then the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.

Then I could use it as the counterweight on a trebuchet and hunt the bears.

I hope no one attempted to bring a copy of the CRC Handbook - any copies of this that I have seen are so heavy they they would sink a boat or cause a helicopter to crash

[crashdive123]

Here's a takeaway that I got from season 1 and so far in season 2. This is not a criticism of any of the participants.

Self described "survival experts" leaves a lot of room for discussion and debate. Those that work with nature and not against it will do far better than others. Those that have not spent much time alone in the woods really don't enjoy their own company all that much. Injuries can happen any time, especially if we become complacent. When gear is lost or destroyed and there is no back-up, you may be in the hurt locker.

I understand, especially for my last comment that they are limited in gear but this reinforces (for me at least) why I take back-ups for stuff and don't store it all in the same place. It doesn't matter if you bring 10 ways to start a fire and put them all in your pack if you lose your pack.

[kyratshooter]

They could have extracted Mary Kate last week but decided to string the excitement along I suppose. She did need stitches in that cut, but in a true survival situation she would have stopped the bleeding, closed the cut with some butterflys, bandaged it, and been thankful it was her non-dominant hand. Both last week and this episode would have been rather boring without that one bit of excitement.

Even the bear encounters are less exciting this season.

I think there are several in the group this season that will stay until the snow cover and ice make food gathering impossible and the possibility of starvation presents itself.

I think that Randy does not have the ability to adapt to his new climate quick enough to overcome losing his ferro rod. He is going to have to quit thinking of fire as being a small pile of burning twigs whenever he needs it and view it as an energy source obtained from large logs that burn for a whole day at a time and lives under his tarp.

There are a couple of others that are doing stupid things. It may seem like a good idea to them at the moment, but it is utterly stupid in the long run. There is one guy that is going to kill himself going up and down the mountain in his daily trip to check the nets once he is weakened a little. He can barely make it up he hill now.

One thing I get a kick from is the search for flat ground that seems to dominate their every thought! Most of them seem to be from areas where they never have to climb a hill and they can pick a flat spot for camp that is big enough to build a city. I suppose the being from KY I am just used to building a flat sleeping spot and the rest of the camp being on an angle! Around here farm land is rolling hills and wilderness/preserved nature is straight up and down.

I am wondering if the producers have told the contestants to be emotionally over exposed and appear generally like touchy-feely wimps and talk about their feelings constantly. The ones that are not presenting themselves as emotional cripples are coming off as idealist or outdoor philosophers.

[Winter]

First off, I love the show.

It's fun to watch because it's the same as here in SE Alaska. We get more rain, a little colder, but no cougars.

Some takes on the show so far.

Jose is a settler and really has it together. My only worry for him is if he runs out of things to do and has to be alone with his thoughts. Same with Mike except Mike's past may be harder to be alone with.

Larry's mistakes in site selection and his commute to and from the ocean is going to get him injured. His temper and impatience will speed up the process.

Nicole is level headed and smart. She may not be as experienced as Jose and Mike but a good attitude trumps a lot of things.

Tracy will kill and eat the bear in hand to hand combat.

Justin's refusal to live off the ocean puts him in the same boat as Larry as far as subsistence goes. He also threw away that bird. At the very least, that bird was bait for fish, crab, mink, and martin.

David is hard to decipher.

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The basic rule for scrounging on the pacific NW Islands.

Stay on the beach, that's where your food is and that's where all animals come at least once a day. Without bivalves (PSP/redtide)on the menu you still have snails, sea cucumbers, and seaweed.

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So far, the shelters are way better then last year and the skill levels of the contestants are better.

[WalkingTree]

These episodes just aren't long enough. What this is about just can't be stuck into less-than-an-hour episodes only once a week. I start watching it, then it's over.

Jose used tree roots for some lashing. I knew that was good stuff. Vindicated hehe.

Sucks about Mary. Out there like that, you got to be mindful of how you walk. How you move, don't be in a hurry. For example Jose crossed a creek on a fallen slippery tree while carring a log - I would've instead just tossed the log over, then crossed. Randy showed us a rock he found with a dimple in it for making fire - that dimple was close to the edge of that rock and that rock was a bit small...I'd feel like the drill would slip out right into my hand while I was pressing down, and pow, I've stabbed myself in the hand.

I might remember wrong, but I think Mary cut herself when she was talking to the camera while chopping. Seems like that distracted her some and she wasn't paying full attention. That's why I hate the idea of putting this stuff on t.v., or at least wouldn't want to mess with the camera or jabbering into it if I did this stuff. Even with camera operators, they'll always be thinking of the camera's presence to some extent.

Larry is funny when he get's frustrated. Likes to cuss at things. He better reign that in or he'll hurt himself.

Tracy is like...go on now, you bear. Git! Don't make me come over there!

Kyratshooter - When I spent a winter in KY, my buttocks and upper legs became very shapely...very fit. I loved it. Didn't need no stinking stairmaster machine.

But anyway...in the world that we've built which makes things easy, we can't forget the paradox of the human body. We're quite powerful in our way, but also in important ways we're just about the weakest and most vulnerable thing on the planet. It's so easy to get cut or damage a joint or limb. Or get sick...

...I know it's weird to think of me teaching anyone about this stuff, and in this crowd I rate kind of low. But I've found out, for myself, that anytime I "teach" something that I do know to anyone who doesn't know it, it's had the effect of teaching me stuff. I always end up learning a lot about something whenever I go through the process of teaching it to someone else. The opportunity to learn myself is a major motivation whenever I try to pass on anything to someone else...

...so, with that said - I always imagined that if I were in the position of having to teach others about these things, instead of just water or fire or shelter, etc, one of the first things would be a big speech on being careful. Of getting yourself into a certain mindset. A certain mood. Almost completely retraining yourself to 'baby' yourself with every step, every motion, and always think about what you're doing before you do it. And to make this attitude your new permanent headspace, all of the time.

[edr730]

Kyrat covered my opinions very well and he was on the mark. Mary Kay may have had tendons cut, but barring that, her injury didn't look serious. Her reactions were as if she had never experienced a very small amount of blood. She did the best she could but, unless her injury was more serious than it appeared, just wasn't ready.
Not having enough firewood and not keeping it dry is bad and climbing a steep slope is also unless you have no choice. Beds can be made level. Tracy surprised me. Her opinions about the bear, wolves and cougar were right on and so were her reactions. I don't know Jose yet, but he seems good. The whining and philosophy looks scripted to me too. If I didn't like where I was at (and I probably wouldn't), I'd move maybe as far as they would allow. The rain and the temperature makes me think of collecting worms.

[crashdive123]

I can't disagree with Winter's assessment at all.

I'm curious why they haven't aired much footage from David. Maybe not enough drama? I know that he knows his way around shooting video.

[NightSG]

It's fun to watch because it's the same as here in SE Alaska. We get more rain, a little colder, but no cougars.

Really? What do you do when the younger women won't put out?

Nicole is level headed and smart. She may not be as experienced as Jose and Mike but a good attitude trumps a lot of things.

Attitude trumps nearly everything; real "must leave" illnesses and injuries are rare with the equipment they have and basic first aid knowledge. With the exception of the idiot drinking bad water last season, there hasn't been anybody who couldn't have chosen to stick with it longer.

Tracy will kill and eat the bear in hand to hand combat.

Few more days without Taco Bell, and killing it first may be optional.

Justin's refusal to live off the ocean puts him in the same boat as Larry as far as subsistence goes. He also threw away that bird. At the very least, that bird was bait for fish, crab, mink, and martin.

Without any sign of what killed it, I'd be concerned about a parasite, infection or toxin that could contaminate anything baited in with it too.

[MOSTBCWT]

www.alankaysurvival.com

Interesting. Alan Season 1 winner

[MOSTBCWT]

www.woodsongwilderness.com

Sam. Season 1 almost winner.

[MOSTBCWT]

If y'all wanna own a knife Sam used on the show he's auctioning it off for money to help his business at the same time a group are giving him money to keep it. Lol

Seems a little strange but just lettin you all know in case someone wants to own it.

[MOSTBCWT]

Without any sign of what killed it, I'd be concerned about a parasite, infection or toxin that could contaminate anything baited in with it too.

He wasted it. Anything he baited with it would be contained in the intestinal tract and would be disposed of before consumption and only after a thorough well done cooking. Just shows his wilderness and woodland inexperience. It was a major waste. He saw it swimming the day before. He's just inexperienced. That's all you can say really.

[kyratshooter]

To be honest, with this years group I would be comfortable sitting down at the fire and sharing a cup of coffee with most any of them. Well, any of them that still have a ferro rod! My camps look a lot like their camps, 'cept I usually carry a chair and have more firewood stacked up.

Don't know why, but this year's series makes we want to get out into the woods.

Been cooped up all winter and now that the weather has broken I am antsy.

[Zylumn]

I can't disagree with Winter's assessment at all.

I'm curious why they haven't aired much footage from David. Maybe not enough drama? I know that he knows his way around shooting video.

www.alankaysurvival.com



Interesting. Alan Season 1 winner

Maybe because he always looks angry it brought down the ratings

Alan has figured out how to turn a half million into 2 or 3 million

[MOSTBCWT]

To be honest, with this years group I would be comfortable sitting down at the fire and sharing a cup of coffee with most any of them. Well, any of them that still have a ferro rod! My camps look a lot like their camps, 'cept I usually carry a chair and have more firewood stacked up.

Don't know why, but this year's series makes we want to get out into the woods.

Been cooped up all winter and now that the weather has broken I am antsy.

Don't be cooped up all winter. Get out in the woods then too!! Lol

[WalkingTree]

Yep...since it's a t.v. show...though it's about a survival situation which is hard enough by itself...better do a song and dance.

They'd love me, I guess. Even without the cameras, if I were out there for real and not on a show, I'd be playing a drum and whirling a bullroarer and blowing a didgeradoo to the animals that I'd make there. It would basically all be a song named "this is my house, ya'll."

[NightSG]

I'm curious why they haven't aired much footage from David. Maybe not enough drama? I know that he knows his way around shooting video.

Maybe they're trying to find a nice way to say that he took too much advice from this forum, and got lost on day 2. They're still trying to find him.

Mary Kate was a bit disappointing; it really looked like she'd be there a month or more at least. Then again, a deep cut in the wild can go bad quickly, so I can't fault her too much for tapping out, though I do wish she'd calmed down before making the decision. Now, given their attitudes, I could really see this coming down to a sit-it-out battle between Jose and Nicole if no disaster hits either of them. Jose is on a camping trip, and Nicole saw the bear as a resource, (good lesson there, and one I'd forgotten about; anything that has a diet of mostly things you can eat is worth keeping track of) so I expect them to both be around for a while.

Randy could get his head out, use the fire as a focal point that keeps him from getting too wrapped up in the loneliness, and tough it out, but I have my doubts. I still didn't see him piling on some big logs to dry and smoulder, while that seems to be a staple of Jose's plan with the fireblower.

[DavidEnoch]

I have seen criticism of the guys that brought Multitools. I think that in a survival situation that a multitool is often the best tool for manipulating trash and junk that you find into usable items. I don't know if I would sacrifice a heavy knife for a multitool but I think it would be one of my selected items. In the areas I have hiked I am always stumbling over junk that would be very valuable in a survival situation. The guys and gals on Alone have the ocean bringing in new junk every day.

David Enoch