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Thread: Alone Season 2 on History Channel

  1. #41
    Senior Member WalkingTree's Avatar
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    Poor guy. People are gonna leave a box on his work desk or on his porch, and write on the box "bear poop!"
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  2. #42
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    You must run with a much kinder bunch than I do Walking Tree.

    I would return to find someone had legally changed my name to "Bear Crap", labeled my parking space and already had a new name plate on my office door.

    I am certain I would have to undergo extensive plastic surgery and move!

    But the poor guy is in good company. One of the first to tap out last season was a moderator over on the Bushcraft USA forum. I think he lost his ferro rod and was on the plane before dark that night.
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  3. #43
    Not a Mod finallyME's Avatar
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    I got around to seeing episode 1. I think Tracy has a real chance. She is practically a bear herself. Not only does she have some good food reserves... but I think because of her age and experience, that being alone won't be that big of a deal for her. I think is said she was a grandmother. If her kids don't live with her... then she isn't used to seeing them every day. She will miss them, but it won't be as bad as if they were living with her and she was used to being with them every day. If she doesn't have a husband, or partner, then she is probably used to being by herself a lot. KYRS can speak to this from experience, and I guess Rick is probably getting used to it. Anyways, if she is mentally able to handle the aloneness, and if she has the skills, and the extra food reserves.... like I said, she has a good chance to win.
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  4. #44
    Not a Mod finallyME's Avatar
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    An interesting thing I noticed, Desmond spent some effort explaining that it was a lot of money and he really wanted to win it for the money. David, and some others, expressed little to no interest in the money. If I remember right, Alan practically gave all his winnings to his dad... money wasn't important to him either.

    If money is why you are doing it.... the predators will help change your mind.

    I don't blame Desmond for quitting so quickly. Bears are no joke. You really have to be used to being around them. This is definitely an example of the difference between boots in the field and reading about it. Another thing to think about is that I think I saw a picture of Desmond with a broken saw.
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  5. #45
    Senior Member WalkingTree's Avatar
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    Yes, Tracy indeed does seem hard to spook. Doesn't seem very rattled at all. And that's with me only seeing B.S. clips on you tube but not being able to see any episodes yet. At launching though, it just seemed like she'd be awkward just walking around in that environment and would bust her booty or twist an ankle. Of course, busting a booty is something they've all probably did more than once already.

    And yea...being able to conceive intellectually of how things would be in reality versus theory or watching or talking, is an important "skill".

    And yes again...I personally think there's a load of difference between, for example, McIntyre making it clear that's something he'd do without the money, and someone just going for the money. I always felt that you have to want to be there, not consider everything a chore, but instead enjoy it. Myself...forgetting the fact that I probably don't belong out there anyway and probably wouldn't do it...my attitude about the prize money is that it's simply what allows me to do it - not as a goal, but considering that I'd have to leave a job and home etc to do it, and be homeless for a few years if I lose. So some substantial compensation is simply the thing that allows me to do something that I may do anyway if money was not a factor. Heh...I'd have to be the last man standing though, and truly win it for that to all work. Might be a good thing though - no back door. No way out. I'd "have" to stay. Might have the effect of countering the awareness that you're really not stuck and can call for help and extraction anytime.
    Last edited by WalkingTree; 04-25-2016 at 11:29 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by WeekendWarrior View Post
    I would be so tempted to forgo the emergency rations to take extra tools to help gather food.
    After one's observation last season that there's not much in the way of simple sugars, I'd be inclined to take the chocolate, rice or sugar to have a boost once the dietary change gets to be too much of a drag. Of course, tapering down sugars beforehand, and/or learning new ways to solve the problem (Is there something growing there that can be essentially malted? Maybe even a grass or cane that could be pressed like sorghum?) is also valid answer.

  7. #47
    Not a Mod finallyME's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NightSG View Post
    After one's observation last season that there's not much in the way of simple sugars, I'd be inclined to take the chocolate, rice or sugar to have a boost once the dietary change gets to be too much of a drag. Of course, tapering down sugars beforehand, and/or learning new ways to solve the problem (Is there something growing there that can be essentially malted? Maybe even a grass or cane that could be pressed like sorghum?) is also valid answer.
    I would actually go the other way. Bull kelp seems to be plentiful. You can get carbs and fiber from that... but not much fat. If you catch small fish and small animals... not much fat, mostly protein. If it were me, I would change the ratio of the pemican to 80% fat 20% protein. The more fat, the more calories. I think anyone who didn't take pemican just didn't understand calories and made a poor decision.
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  8. #48
    Ed edr730's Avatar
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    Fat is what I would want to have more than any other food. If I was allowed, I'd be trying to figure out how I can kill one of those bears.

  9. #49
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Apparently hunting the big game is not allowed. If it were the predator problem would end fast and the eating problem would end along with it.

    My experiences have been that when you are physically able/allowed to kill an animal it seems to have a 6th sense that warns it, and the prey becomes scarce, just like Desmond!

    And in a REAL survival situation each and every one of them would be plotting how to kill a bear, even if it were using a fire hardened spear. You could live for a month off one of those blackies!

    Most of last years group took bows and arrows and watched them mold in the damp. The area is rough and getting around is difficult, so hunting is pretty much a waste. (one reason the Native Americans of this area were fish eaters and whale hunters)

    This year more of them eliminated the bow and arrows and chose an extra knife or extra emergency rations, and more of them chose an axe this year than last. Fewer of them had an extra tarp on the list this season.

    Last season there was little "food gathering" except for the beach combing they did every couple of days. Each discovery of a few calories was a special episode.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

  10. #50
    Senior Member WalkingTree's Avatar
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    Wouldn't killing something as big as even a small bear be quite difficult for one person to not waste a lot of it?? You can smoke/cook/dehydrate (jerk) a lot of it, sure...but in real practice, for these solo folks doing Alone, is that realistic enough?
    it seems to have a 6th sense that warns it
    Ain't that the truth. How funny.
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  11. #51
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WalkingTree View Post
    Wouldn't killing something as big as even a small bear be quite difficult for one person to not waste a lot of it?? You can smoke/cook/dehydrate (jerk) a lot of it, sure...but in real practice, for these solo folks doing Alone, is that realistic enough?

    Ain't that the truth. How funny.
    If it's a matter of survival.......really survival.....I will make it last as long as I can, but my only concern for loss is missing out on food days from now. Maybe not the most "ethical" hunting practice, but survival ain't a game, it's life of death.
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  12. #52
    Ed edr730's Avatar
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    Yes, Kyrat sometimes some animals get pretty smart about such things. And as you know some aren't so smart about such things. I'd be happy to shoot or kill a dumb one. Bears aren't as sly as deer. You can get very close if you have bait. Maybe a trail. Having bait would be a big problem though. But, it's a good rule that you can't shoot them because someone would and have a big advantage. I've only seen one episode this year and one last year. If I couldn't get a bear then I guess I'd just want to use part of the tarp for a canoe. Since that's where the food is at.

  13. #53
    Senior Member WalkingTree's Avatar
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    And that reminds me of another thing I was wondering about - you can't hunt bigger animals, but if a bear is really on your butt and you manage to seriously wound it or kill it...are you gonna 'get in trouble'? (I'd worry more about staying alive than if I got in trouble for hurting or killing something.)

    Also, about the extra food rations...just from knowing myself - it's smart to have extra tools and such with you, but I figure that if I'm doing a show like this and I'm not good enough to sustain myself with a knife, gill net, the other things you get, and what I'd make once I'm out there, then I have no business out there in the first place. More tools may not help, but rations to get over the hump will. Versus that first hump having to do so much that's really important and spending a lot of energy to do it, and included in that is getting food but I might not have enough time to get certain initial things done before getting water and food and before falling into that energy-hole of lethargy that is so hard to get out of once you're in it.
    Last edited by WalkingTree; 04-27-2016 at 10:01 AM.
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  14. #54
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Theory is nice, but keep in mind that most of the participants are comfortable in "their" environment. This is a relatively new (location and climate) experience for them. Having the food for one or two of their items is, in my opinion very smart. This allows them to focus on things other than procuring food initially and might quite possible be a bonus in the event that something happens. Most brought gill nets...tide goes out.....fish trapped.....bear comes by......I doubt he will gently remove the fish, but rather take/destroy it while consuming the fish.
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    Quote Originally Posted by kyratshooter View Post
    Apparently hunting the big game is not allowed. If it were the predator problem would end fast and the eating problem would end along with it.
    This is an "unreality" factor that I really don't care for; if a predator is also edible in a real survival situation, I'm going to do whatever I can to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

    Most of last years group took bows and arrows and watched them mold in the damp. The area is rough and getting around is difficult, so hunting is pretty much a waste.
    Looks like it's also a lack of game between mouse and wolf size. Rabbits, raccoons and opossums are good daily game for bowhunting. Deer are tougher to take cleanly, but worth the effort if you can get one, but I don't recall any mention of them, or any sort of wild goat or sheep, either. I was wondering if one could do a bowfishing rig, even if it did take up another item for the line.

    Fewer of them had an extra tarp on the list this season.
    Presumably, after seeing season one, they realized there were enough tarps provided by default to do a pretty good shelter.

    I do wonder what the rules are on "misusing" the provided items. For example, it says they get a first aid kit with gauze and alcohol. Could one use that in starting a fire? What about other "lawyering" of the list, like taking a XXXXL "fleece or wool shirt" that I can easily curl up inside? Presumably they spec out brands on the sandals so one won't weave up a pair out of several dozen yards of paracord, but I see a few other places in the list that one could have an approved garment take on an extra function or two.

    "Of course all my personal photographs are printed at 20x24' on waterproof canvas."
    "Why do you say that these 30 gallon socks aren't approved?"
    "My optometrist signed off on a script for glasses I never wear, but that happen to be ideal for firestarting."

    (Personally, I'd think some of the apparel list, rather than "you can only have this many" should be on a "we'll swap out some laundry at the regular check ins" basis. Potentially a couple months or more with two pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks and no soap? They'd be hosing me with bleach before they let me in the helicopter.)

  16. #56
    Senior Member WalkingTree's Avatar
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    Hehehe. Unhand my fish, you bear! You gonna pay for that net?

    But really...even if I might take a net with me, I'd be super tempted to instead make some tide traps (what're they called?). Would seem so easy. They had those areas where the tide comes in and out...instead of putting my net up there, I'd modify the ground and use rocks and whatever. Same as on a stream bank. Make a backwater trap. Etc.

    Also, if I were to bother with a bow, I'd want some blunt tips with flu flus, instead of just the regular arrows. Can make some though anyway.

    NightSG - I wondered what the heck good would a towel be, when you're so limited on items. Then I thought (except for the limitation keeping me from ever choosing it anyway) it might could be used to always physically filter water before boiling (hafta wash it several times at home first so that when you're out there you don't leach any funny stuff into your water when filtering through it.) And also you could use some part of clothing to do that anyway.
    Last edited by WalkingTree; 04-27-2016 at 04:52 PM.
    The pessimist complains about the wind;
    The optimist expects it to change;
    The realist adjusts the sails.

    - William Arthur Ward

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    Quote Originally Posted by WalkingTree View Post
    my attitude about the prize money is that it's simply what allows me to do it - not as a goal, but considering that I'd have to leave a job and home etc to do it, and be homeless for a few years if I lose. So some substantial compensation is simply the thing that allows me to do something that I may do anyway if money was not a factor.
    Not sure about this one, but IIRC, most of the shows with a prize like this also have a stipend of some sort, specifically to cover the fact that most people can't just walk away for weeks or months without serious repercussions. Presumably they'd also have admins to handle things like making sure your rent got paid on time. (Though IMO, a part of the problem last year was that it seemed like everybody was in some sort of close relationship where they would have significant contact, every single day. Even Lucas, being so close to his family, probably wasn't used to spending a full day without in-person human contact. Haven't watched the intro vid to see about season 2's contestants yet, though.)

    EDIT TO ADD: and now that I think of it, if Sam hadn't had that baby on the way, they might well still be shooting season 1. Just imagine if they got a pair of previously undiscovered Matt Graham or Cody Lundin types on the show. No close social attachments, experience being away from human contact for weeks, and the skills to thrive in a harsh environment with primitive tools. It would just be a matter of who got mauled by a bear first, if even that. They have to have some provisions for making sure certain things get handled for the contestants.
    Last edited by NightSG; 04-27-2016 at 05:09 PM.

  18. #58
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Just want to make a couple of comments......on the comments.
    I tried watching this a couple of times....found it dark, wet, and depressing...and found it hard to listen to the constant whining and the "Hey bear".

    The fact the most of the population is on a phone or device constantly seems to be the worst part of this exercise.
    Even most of my friends can't put down their phone, with constant texts and calls....drives me crazy...LOL

    Many trips to the wild in the past many have included a trip to town...for resupply, shower, saloon, freezer plant for game and a call home from a pay phone....maybe once a week.......
    No wonder these guys are "out of touch".

    Next is the rules....
    Its interesting that as soon as "rules" or items are decided on...most will want to extend, amend, add to and make sure any additional advantage is looked at and or tried......Kinda like life.

    Anyway...carry on I just listen for the sidelines.....
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  19. #59
    Ed edr730's Avatar
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    I guess we all got our 2 cents and so I guess so do I even though I have only seen 2 episodes.
    I'm not afraid of black bears, but I can't say I'd be comfortable with them hanging around my camp and not appearing afraid of me. On very rare occasions they have been known to attack. And as Crash points out, they can be destructive. Eating your food is a lot more annoying than taking down your bird feeder. If they annoyed me too much, I'd be setting up quite a few bent saplings and a trip line to smack them in the nose when they passed. Hopefully they'd get out of the area. I noticed a mountain of lashing in the woods for this and many other purposes.
    I would not consider anything but a domed dwelling. Some may think of it as a wigwam, but the tarp takes all the work out of it. Good for the first night and all nights and is 5 times faster. As Kyrat pointed out in another thread, it's nice to have a big dry area under a tarp.
    I'm a big sissy when it comes to being wet and cold. I would not allow that to happen. No water would ever enter my dwelling and I would not be cold. I would be too afraid of the wet and cold to let that happen.
    I want what Lowkey mentioned. Pemican with 80% fat. I'd take 100% if they'd give it to me.
    I honestly think I could do better than what I have seen. I'm not sure if my medicare would cover it though if I didn't.
    I think in a week I could have something that looked like a canoe woven from the branches and lashings from the woods. I'd drop into the eddies of the coastline what I know as minnow traps to catch fish and crabs or what ever.
    Even though I haven't seen much, it seems like a good show. Lets people like us play the part of Fog Horn Leg Horn. No no boy, yer doin it all wrong.

  20. #60
    Senior Member WalkingTree's Avatar
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    The fact the most of the population is on a phone or device constantly seems to be the worst part of this exercise.
    Even most of my friends can't put down their phone, with constant texts and calls....drives me crazy...LOL
    I don't know why - what someone else does is their biz, as long as they're not having a car wreck with me because of it - but still this bothers me anyway. There's just something so wrong about it. Anywhere I'm at in public, lots of people...but no one's talking. Nobody even looks at each other. Completely oblivious to each other's existence. Sure, sometimes they're "talking" to folks through their devices, if not just screwing around with other stuff on that device, but that's just different. It even now feels like there's a new unspoken rule of etiquette - Don't say anything casual to anyone. Not a hello, not a casual polite question. Or you're being rude. You're being "quaint" or weird. It's like they don't know what to do if you do say anything to them. We're all using these things in some way. Of course we are. They're not evil. But completely engrossed into it every time you go out among other real people such that you never notice their existence or say a single real word to other people?

    Just something creepy about all that...
    Last edited by WalkingTree; 04-28-2016 at 10:09 PM.
    The pessimist complains about the wind;
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    The realist adjusts the sails.

    - William Arthur Ward

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