Alone Season 2

Really the fact that so many contestants were comfortable and calm with being within pouncing distance of an animal that can tear your chest open is remarkable.

Sometimes there had been scenes of a contestant being so shaken up by an animal encounter that they would ball up and cry on TV. It's happened a few times and I would basically burst out laughing while watching. Not to make fun of them but because that's exactly what would have ended up with me had I been in the same situation. So to find people who steel up amidst a man eating beast is remarkable to me!

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billym said:
No way keep her in the game. She had a VERY comprehensive 1st aid kit with a lot of materials to deal with a major wound, she was in such shock she barely dealt with her injury just sitting for a while. Not bagging on her, she was very hurt and needed a doctor for sure. But just make sure to appreciate how fast a very capable (not 100% perfect but otherwise) person went into shock and shut her down fast. She was right to push the distress button. I hope her hand is OK with just the scar and story; "that scar? I got that on TV.."

That kind of woind could have killed many a "Mountain Man" back in the day.
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She was really super capable and that was a lapse in being anxious perhaps for her own filming purposes. It begs the question that I brought up and no one has addressed. Is this a real world situation where perhaps batoning with a knife is appropriate? I'm not a bushcrafter but I do enjoy the debate.

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panzertroop said:
If she cut her tendon surgery is in order if she hopes to use that hand again. She will have lots of rehab in her future. No way to field stitch that.
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This.

This is why Noah from Alaskan Bush People walks with a limp, because he didn't get medical attention for his damaged tendon. You can't do everything in the bush, no matter your comfort level or how long you've been there. Mary Kate was concentrated on her showmanship for the camera, should've been focused, and I think a lot of people would've opted for batoning with a knife for that size kindling. It was an unfortunate mistake.
 
You could split your wood with a baton + knife / wedge / froe.

Splitting with an ax requires more skill and is more dangerous... the benefit is that it is more efficient. In a game that can last months and requires a lot of wood that makes sense. Whether a person is better served with an ax or long knife + baton is a personal call.

The old timers who heated with wood and cut their firewood manually used axes. MK's technique when she hurt herself was bad, she might have done better with a knife. If you are not already a proficient ax user bringing one into the bush might be a bad idea.

The most game changing wood gathering tool IMHO is still the saw.
 
I really enjoyed this episode. I was happy to see Randy try--and succeed! in friction fire. I'm anxious to see how he sustains it.

Re MaryKate: I would think that if anyone calls for med assistance, even if it can be handled on site, they would still be out. I need to look if work gloves are allowed in the clothing list. A pair of heavy leather gloves could offer some safety in chopping.

Larry!! Even though I get a laugh from Larry, he has a soft spot in my heart when I recall how breathless with excitement he was for this adventure. All his life just raising his family, practicing in his back yard. I don't recall that he was a practiced outdoorsman and bushcrafter, so perhaps he is the 'everyman' who just wants to go. The fact that despite his intense frustration and misery he is still there says something. he's not giving up without a fight...Obviously!
 
about Mk's injury--That axe was sharp! And she definitely kept her head about her. Impressive toughness for sure!

I hope the showrunners choose to highlight safer ways of splitting (swinging axe and wood together, using axe as a wedge, or at the least using a steadying stick), rather than leave the message as "axes will hurt you if you try to split wood." I was glad to see Larry's comments about being so mindful of his axe and saw right after that.

An extra series of skills videos or detail shows for each cast member would be awesome! I hope we get to see something like that whether on air or online.
 
I think mk would have done a great job! It's unfortunate that she got injured, I was really routing for her...they are all great contestants though.
 
Nice episode: Jose was doing the most interesting projects, I'm rooting for him. Tracy did great with the shelter and the nocturnal bears. Randy managed to make a difficult friction fire. Larry was disappointing but I think he'll improve, his location looks very uneasy.
 
Another very informative episode. I'm wondering about Jose's carving spike. If that was a found bit that he manufactured into that spike, holy crap on a cracker man! From the looks of it he chose flour as his back-up food, looked like a damper or bannock cooking in the cast-iron there.

I thought Larry's decision to improve his trail to be a great idea, I'd been hoping that he might, since that trail will probably be the toughest thing for him to deal with. And while watching him freak out is a bit amusing, its also a bit worrying, I don't want him to get taken out by something simple.

I'm glad Randy got the fire going, and that he even referenced his thoughts on viewing season 1. It will be his baby now, but it does keep him in the game, so thats good.
 
sideways said:
You could split your wood with a baton + knife / wedge / froe.

Splitting with an ax requires more skill and is more dangerous... the benefit is that it is more efficient. In a game that can last months and requires a lot of wood that makes sense. Whether a person is better served with an ax or long knife + baton is a personal call.

The old timers who heated with wood and cut their firewood manually used axes. MK's technique when she hurt herself was bad, she might have done better with a knife. If you are not already a proficient ax user bringing one into the bush might be a bad idea.

The most game changing wood gathering tool IMHO is still the saw.
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You can set the blade on the wood and give them both a tap where the blade is set in the wood then raise them both up and bring them down together to split. MK was all chocked up on that big ax all wrong for what she was trying to do.
 
I finally got to watch episode 3 all the way through. I need to learn how to FF through the commercials. It was interesting. I was surprised at how quickly and deeply MK went into shock. Not to minimize the seriousness of her injury at all mind you.

I am curious as to how the contestents chose the spot to set up their gill nets. I wouldn't think that parallel to a fairly straight shoreline would be best, but then I've never been anyplace where gill net use was legal. I've always fished, even set traps, but never a gill net in a tidal zone.
 
PICT, thank you for sharing your insight with us! My Family and I are big fans of the show. Hope you did well and look forward to seeing the upcoming episodes! I really enjoy the show so far! I like how it really shows the challenges of really being solo in a very tough environment. The mistakes we see the players make can be educational and sometime even funny. I kind of got a kick out of the one dude taking a tumble on the hil then cussing and stomping out the stump he hit. Could easily have been a game ender hit but he got lucky. The lost fire steel, was a challenge but not a game ender. The accident with the axe was a tough one to play Monday QB with. She looked hurt and very scared. Can't say I have anything bad to say about her decision to call it at that point. That big mad kit looked awesome but not being able to move the thumb is scary stuff in that location. Does make me think I should look into some practice doing one handed stitches and wound treatment. So far in life I have been lucky to have help or small enough wounds. That was an excellent example of how even opening the kit is tough one handed and super stressed. Larger tabs are going on my kits before my next woods trip(house kit is already one handed).
 
Pict, you mentioned fasting headaches. Did you or any of the others try Mors Kochanski's advice to have a breakfast of 7 cups of tea? Am curious to know how much difference this makes for the headaches, and in general how much water you were drinking.
 
bore said:
I get what you're saying but you're not carrying the gear far and not clearing land. I would think the main task would be shelter building and stocking fire wood for long term. A good size bow saw and a bigger axe would make more sense to me. Especially since you don't have to carry them any real distance. Did you guys have any restrictions on cutting trees such as only dead wood? Is this on reserve land or crown land? Interested in what laws apply and how much leeway they give you. Great show
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Pict's choice is pretty good. The trapper's axe has only a few real flaws in that the head can come loose fairly easily due to the short eye, would be much harder to rehang for the same reason, and is a bit light for wood collection. The other side is that it is excellent for crafting, still a good size for limbing and working with small trees, and near perfect for picking things up (clearing debris and carrying traps).

As for a heavy axe being too tiring to work with all day, it really depends on what you're used to and what you're working with. Clearing balsam fir with a four-pounder is a dream if you know how to handle it because all of the branches are in a line - one swing instead of five. Limbing hardwoods, not so much. And forest axes just won't cut enough wood when you need to stay warm, but it really depends on how much wood you need to use and your experience level.

A 3-1/4 lb. axe was likely too much for Mary Kate, and even in Larry's situation a big axe could be a hindrance (looks like he had a Husqvarna forest axe?). Very good for him to have the smaller axe in his steep terrain, and he mentions sheathing the axe every time he is not using it. He also makes some mistakes, such as carrying the axe on his shoulder and using it as a cane (sheathed or unsheathed a slip could result in a bad cut).

On second look it may also be a full-size axe.
 
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Chignecto Woodsman said:
Pict, you mentioned fasting headaches. Did you or any of the others try Mors Kochanski's advice to have a breakfast of 7 cups of tea? Am curious to know how much difference this makes for the headaches, and in general how much water you were drinking.
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I have no insight into what the others did. I see their adventure for the first time like all of you. I've been through that initial headache phase many times and always try to stay hydrated as the body is flushing out toxins. I didn't have willow or I would have used that to help cope with it. The headache goes away in 2 - 3 days, but it is severe.

I've seen some comments about the formatting of the show. Last year they had to structure the season around the first five guys that tapped in the first seven days. That was fully half the episodes so you saw much more of the first week. So far we've had one early tap and a serious injury on day 7. I'm sure they will show much more of the long term efforts this year. Lots of episodes to go. This show is just getting started

ETA - If you know my background I'm much more comfortable with a machete than an axe. I'm generally competent with one but by no means an expert axman.
 
Do you have any experience with burning alder to cure a headache? If so, how effective is it compared to using willow?

I have been very impressed with the editing this season, and the filming too. Yourself and Jose seem the best so far, although cinematography wasn't really my focus while watching.

Thanks again for answering all of our questions.
 
Might be lack of coffee or caffeine. I know I get a head ache if I skip coffee for a day or two
 
cchu518 said:
Really the fact that so many contestants were comfortable and calm with being within pouncing distance of an animal that can tear your chest open is remarkable.

Sometimes there had been scenes of a contestant being so shaken up by an animal encounter that they would ball up and cry on TV. It's happened a few times and I would basically burst out laughing while watching. Not to make fun of them but because that's exactly what would have ended up with me had I been in the same situation. So to find people who steel up amidst a man eating beast is remarkable to me!

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Beside what I know humans have done in the far north while drunk, bears are the only other omnivore that I really feared up there. Not enough to stop my activities, but enough to take ongoing precautions. Yes it must be a terrible feeling to wonder if you are going to have to try to keep a bear off you with an axe or homemade spear. I'd rather have a 12 gauge loaded with slugs. Must make for some long restless nights. Do they have bear bangers or just the air horns ?
 
Probably just the hand flares and air-horns. I'm unconvinced of the effectiveness of bangers in areas where there is hunting. It may not scare the bear, and may lead other animals in, thinking there is a free kill. Likewise the decontamination needed after using a bear spray would likely lead the safety teams to consider that an exit from the competition, as it defeats the point of the show, you'd have to get removed, then dropped back. If that was a possibility, then MK would likely have continued on after some care.
 
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