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Thread: How to get on History Channel's Alone Season 6

  1. #21

    Default Thanks for the Compliment!

    I was 17 a mere 64 years ago this month! If only one could combine the vitality and energy of 17 with the experience of 81! You seem to be requesting a resume on my survival experience, so here it is....

    Last month we had to leave our home at 2 AM, faced with a rapidly advancing wildfire. I was very glad that I slept with my EDC at hand, including a really good headlamp, since the power was out in our neighborhood. Also glad that both our cars were equipped with basic survival stuff. I only had to grab my CERT pack, our financial records, and our cat and we were on our way out of danger. Our house still stands and we suffered no hardship, so it was definitely 'soft survival" - although we are still cleaning up the ashes. One learns to be prepped...

    More challenging and instructive has been my SAR experience, beginning on November 16, 1958 and basically ending in 1985, although there were a few ops after that. Some ops were incredibly trivial, while others were extremely demanding, lasting for many days. I soon got in the habit of keeping a packed bag (= bug out bag) ready to go at all times, because we got the call at all hours of the day or night, often with the request to assemble immediately. We often began our mission at insanely illogical times or places, starting out at midday June in desert heat or starting as the sun was setting in freezing temps. I spent the latter part of Christmas 1983 walking with my partner into a gathering storm, beginning the search for a young teen who had wandered away form her picnic. We walked most of the night, bivouacking briefly, and finding her at dawn, spending most of the day walking her out. We operated in caves, deserts (Tucson, AZ), high mountains, and often proceeded with technical high angle rescues, often at night.

    You asked about videos. I didn't usually have time to spare for that, but I understand that the local station took a video of me rappelling into a waterfall to retrieve the body of a young woman who had perished in a flash flood the day before. I understand that footage aired nationally on ABC thee next day, but I didn't see it since we were still retrieving victims.

    SAR ops shares with survival situations the need for immediate action and the unannounced nature and time of the emergency, and, often, the need to improvise and make up procedures on the fly.

    Personally, I have dealt with injuries to me or others in my group while climbing or hiking. On at least two occasions, I have spent the night our unexpectedly. The most serious of these was a solo climb of Mt Humphreys (AZ) in thigh deep snow and -30 degree temps. I dug a crummy snow cave, put on everything I had and spent a miserable night. Despite that, with the dawn, I was rested and able to get off the hill. It was entirely too close.

    About videos -My projects have been occasionally recorded by others - I was briefly in a Nova show on PBS, about a project I directed in Canyon de Chelly (1973). If you come to the Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park, you will see a large exhibit (including video) of a project I worked on in 1994. . "West of the West", a PBS documentary done about three years ago, also has me ranting about the wonders of the Channel Islands (CA) Two years ago, I worked on another major dig in the park and it was filmed, but I don't have the rights to the footage.

    My critique of Alone! is that it is staged, escape from the situation is always possible, you are watched over, and that these factors make the reality show quite different from the conditions faced by people in a legitimate survival situation. Alone is entertainment, but not the real thing. Need I mention that sometime, perhaps often, people in real survival conditions do not survive....I have loaded up lots of body bags in my time.


  2. #22
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hikermor View Post
    I was 17 a mere 64 years ago this month! If only one could combine the vitality and energy of 17 with the experience of 81! You seem to be requesting a resume on my survival experience, so here it is....

    Last month we had to leave our home at 2 AM, faced with a rapidly advancing wildfire. I was very glad that I slept with my EDC at hand, including a really good headlamp, since the power was out in our neighborhood. Also glad that both our cars were equipped with basic survival stuff. I only had to grab my CERT pack, our financial records, and our cat and we were on our way out of danger. Our house still stands and we suffered no hardship, so it was definitely 'soft survival" - although we are still cleaning up the ashes. One learns to be prepped...

    More challenging and instructive has been my SAR experience, beginning on November 16, 1958 and basically ending in 1985, although there were a few ops after that. Some ops were incredibly trivial, while others were extremely demanding, lasting for many days. I soon got in the habit of keeping a packed bag (= bug out bag) ready to go at all times, because we got the call at all hours of the day or night, often with the request to assemble immediately. We often began our mission at insanely illogical times or places, starting out at midday June in desert heat or starting as the sun was setting in freezing temps. I spent the latter part of Christmas 1983 walking with my partner into a gathering storm, beginning the search for a young teen who had wandered away form her picnic. We walked most of the night, bivouacking briefly, and finding her at dawn, spending most of the day walking her out. We operated in caves, deserts (Tucson, AZ), high mountains, and often proceeded with technical high angle rescues, often at night.

    You asked about videos. I didn't usually have time to spare for that, but I understand that the local station took a video of me rappelling into a waterfall to retrieve the body of a young woman who had perished in a flash flood the day before. I understand that footage aired nationally on ABC thee next day, but I didn't see it since we were still retrieving victims.

    SAR ops shares with survival situations the need for immediate action and the unannounced nature and time of the emergency, and, often, the need to improvise and make up procedures on the fly.

    Personally, I have dealt with injuries to me or others in my group while climbing or hiking. On at least two occasions, I have spent the night our unexpectedly. The most serious of these was a solo climb of Mt Humphreys (AZ) in thigh deep snow and -30 degree temps. I dug a crummy snow cave, put on everything I had and spent a miserable night. Despite that, with the dawn, I was rested and able to get off the hill. It was entirely too close.

    About videos -My projects have been occasionally recorded by others - I was briefly in a Nova show on PBS, about a project I directed in Canyon de Chelly (1973). If you come to the Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park, you will see a large exhibit (including video) of a project I worked on in 1994. . "West of the West", a PBS documentary done about three years ago, also has me ranting about the wonders of the Channel Islands (CA) Two years ago, I worked on another major dig in the park and it was filmed, but I don't have the rights to the footage.

    My critique of Alone! is that it is staged, escape from the situation is always possible, you are watched over, and that these factors make the reality show quite different from the conditions faced by people in a legitimate survival situation. Alone is entertainment, but not the real thing. Need I mention that sometime, perhaps often, people in real survival conditions do not survive....I have loaded up lots of body bags in my time.
    All that is impressive and interesting....deserves a thread of it's own.
    But:
    Does to occur to me that your several posted attacks, on the thread posted by the participant and winner of the fake show.....to advise others and allow those to try their skills for real.... rather then hack at the OP....is a bit low rent.

    Just my opinion.
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  3. #23

    Default

    I don't understand your comment at all. My criticism is of "Alone," alone, and has little if anything to do with the OP. As far as that goes, it is great that he won and got a significant payday. My point is that the "Alone' environment is quite different from real world survival, where a good, non fatal outcome is far from guaranteed. It is entertainment,all right, but it is far from the real thing.

  4. #24
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Let's remember fellas - no personal attacks. Just debate the ideas.
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  5. #25
    Senior Member Antonyraison's Avatar
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    I dont disagree that it is not the real thing.
    My opinion is its as close to a real thing as possible, just with added safety measures like coms and extraction, and routine medical checks. ( for reasons that with in the scope of the show make total sense, and seem obvious as to why it must be so)
    I am pretty sure that the show don't actually want people to die, they want it to be very difficult.
    Is It dangerous? Of course it is, the likely hood you could die is quiet high, I am pretty sure there are various waivers and legal things that needs to be considered, but I am also sure they don't want contestants to sent in a certain death, hence you get the radios that you can quit when you feel you cant hold on anymore.

    Its entertainment with the premise of hey watch these bunch of people try and "survive" in this wild place with just 10 items and whatever skills and mentality they have.

    As far as survival Shows, it is one of my favorite ones and depicts likely the closest to what a person in the real world may do in a situation,
    even yourself have just admitted that you have edc bags and kit,etc in case of emergency... and that's my point.. Preparedness 1st. failure to prepare is being prepared to fail.
    Sure maybe in a real life situation, you wont have knowledge or experience and just be a passenger on a plane and just crash and have to work all that stuff out.
    However this is the luxury of Sites like this for like minded people to discuss methods, share ideas etc. so that People can possibly be a bit more prepared in the event they may find themselves in a situation. You may feel the show is a load of crap, and well you entitled to that opinion, mine is different.
    Last edited by Antonyraison; 02-02-2018 at 02:11 AM.
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  6. #26

    Default Agreement!

    "I dont disagree that it is not the real thing." Total agreement on this point. I have always preferred to focus on the real thing.

    Like the spring we experienced a late spring storm, dropping snow and freezing rain on a lot of picnics and outings. We were very busy and felt relieved that we experienced no fatalities - just cold, inconvenienced victims. At least that was the case until months later, a camp was discovered. complete with a human corpse, pretty clearly a victim of that spring storm. Among his goods was a book titled "Survival Made Simple." Evidently too simple. Extreme environments are not to be underestimated and should always be treated with respect. Survival is not a game.

    Forums like this are useful in that useful techniques and strategies are discussed and debated. Still,most folks are generally unprepped for possible emergencies. Living in southern California, earthquake country, I took down the mirror on the ceiling long ago and made sure I have lots of water securely stored, among other things....

  7. #27
    Senior Member Antonyraison's Avatar
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    Well over here we worry mostly about crime. I have survive a mugging a hijacking by 3 gun men and i was tied up in a house robbery for 2 hours at gun point. We routinely have power outages that can last several days.. We routinely have drought and also can be with out water.. once had no running water at home well over 2 weeks. A pretty volatile political climate.. then well you step into the wild places of Africa (where I am) then it's well wild hahah
    Last edited by Antonyraison; 02-04-2018 at 01:10 PM.
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  8. #28
    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    I have read that South Africa ranks second in the world for number of rapes per 100 thousand people. Somalia is number one and Sweden number three.
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by Antonyraison View Post
    Well over here we worry mostly about crime. I have survive a mugging a hijacking by 3 gun men and i was tied up in a house robbery for 2 hours at gun point. We routinely have power outages that can last several days.. We routinely have drought and also can be with out water.. once had no running water at home well over 2 weeks. A pretty volatile political climate.. then well you step into the wild places of Africa (where I am) then it's well wild hahah
    Sounds like the city is more dangerous than the outdoors down your way. Yikes...

  10. #30
    Senior Member Antonyraison's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by theJman View Post
    Sounds like the city is more dangerous than the outdoors down your way. Yikes...
    Yes the city is far more dangerous than the wild here
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  11. #31
    Senior Member Antonyraison's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by randyt View Post
    I have read that South Africa ranks second in the world for number of rapes per 100 thousand people. Somalia is number one and Sweden number three.
    yes it ranks high on pretty much every single crime stat



    This is normal life here. Just the Tip of Ice Burg

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    Last edited by Antonyraison; 02-05-2018 at 02:06 AM.
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  12. #32

    Default

    I haven't commented on Zachary's threads or posts much, but I'm paying attention. I appreciate his coming to this forum and sharing his experiences and even offering a helping hand. I know that I'm not the only one. So keep posting Zach. Thanks for the input.

  13. #33
    Senior Member Phaedrus's Avatar
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    I get a kick out of Zachary's youtube channel! Kind of Dave Canterbury meets the Mad Hatter! In a good way.

  14. #34
    Senior Member Antonyraison's Avatar
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    I too enjoy His youtube..
    His very entertaining, and Knows a lot of things I do not. Very useful
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