I didn't watch all of the videos. I have a hard time watching them frankly. His paranoia of bears really started to do him in to the point of it being irrational. The way in which he approached skinning the porcupine also tells me that he really didn't have experience cleaning animals. Why was he acting so disgusted cleaning the animal if as he claims he did so on a farm routinely?
Frankly, I don't understand all the permutations to the fantasy he tried to build up by setting a series of rules. He had indirect contact with the outside world by dropping off his videos. Wouldn't a reasonable person request and arrange some re-supply of basic items, like some rice/edibles at different intervals. The reason he didn't was because he set up a grandiose plan with elaborate rules to cater to a self-centered ego to film it all for us to applaud. I do admit, he manned up in the end and created the film despite it turning out very different from what I'm sure he expected to be able to project himself as. Perhaps that was due to fiscal pressure or prior agreements with financial backers to his project.
Perhaps the true success was the recognition of his 'mainland' backers that he was over his head and they pulled the plug. In the end, the premise of this show was a fantasy, not unlike the zombie fantasy. It didn't really do much service to demonstrate skills but I suppose it does have value in showing how easily the mind can turn into your worst enemy. It also helps break the myth that in the true wilderness, food is plentiful and wilderness living is all prancing about in the autumn leaves. That is an easy misconception to fall into when you are supplementing your food with wild edibles rather than relying on them.
Personally, I got more out of 'Into the Wild'. Here was another tragic figure, who went into the wilderness and won the psychological battle (even though he arguable had many demons), but lost in the skills enterprise. Both these individuals are chastised because they failed their mission. Christopher McCandless's life was indeed life rather than a fantasy. We didn't get to see much of his breakdown except for what he wrote in his diary. Even though he paid the ultimate price, I respect him for choosing life on his own terms. As for our Alone in the Wild film star, I can't help but think he lost the battle the moment the float plane took off and the weeping began. He lasted a long time, but the tragedy is that he was miserable 80% of the time he spent doing it.
