Alone Season 2

oneriver · May 21, 2016

Chignecto Woodsman said:
Not much to say about this episode. Didn't really like Randy's shelter, very flimsy looking and could come down in the storm. Nicole's is much better, just should have some of those vertical poles holding the tarp down.

Nicole cutting on her thighs and knees, very bad practise.

Justin's workout routine, well, I get the idea of keeping active, but that is a huge waste of energy. He'll get an even better workout from chopping wood.

Glad to see Dave got a fish and that his luck is turning around. I think that since the money is so important to him there is a more realistic survival situation, as in the comments about not reaching for the sat. phone. This could be increasing stress levels. Don't take this as a critique, but I was surprised by the water-boiling method since the loss of water before, and the nearly catastrophic injury. Why not get the pot flat (with a rock if concerned about efficiency on the bottom) and build the fire around it? It is clear that as fire burns through the fuel the foundation for the pot becomes lost.

Quite disappointed that they have left the editing-style from the first couple of episodes behind. Instead they are using very short clips and the cheap commercial-climax trick.

The storm looks pretty bad and would be much more difficult than most realise to cope with. I suspect we'll see someone tap in the next episode due to a difficulty in the storm.

When I saw the episode where Dave's pot fell in the fire as soon as the camera showed his fire place I knew that pot was going over. I was surprised to see after 5 or 6 days that his fire ring look so pitiful and to me it looked like he built it on a slope to boot. Why would a person set a net and leave it it the same place for so long and not getting any result? Also one of the guys making one dead fall trap and one snare...wouldn't you want to litter the area with traps of all kinds. I was glad to see Nicole manage to clean that fish with her 12 inch blade and not get stuck. Why such a big knife if you have an ax? I think a 7 inch knife would serve her better, Stacy had a BK7 and used it well from what I could see. Its hard for me to get my head around Randy's uniform of the day, a bulky sweater with shorts (strange combo) and then lay around in the dirt...seems conflicted to me. The exercise guy I'm sure is tough being a x sniper and all but I can't see him lasting to long, maybe longer if he quits fooling around. My money is on Jose, I would like to see his shelter. If some of these people don't change their shelters around, they won't last a storm. Mike is going home to Barbra soon. Why no teepees yet...I keep waiting.

B34NS · May 21, 2016

bore said:
I'm thinking Nicole or Jose will win. Haven't seen a lot of Jose maybe next episode well see more. Nicole is doing great nice shelter. Has a good fishing place. Good attitude. Looks like she knows what she's doing has experience, knowledge and is having fun so far. The guy exercising is he the same guy swinging from the tree? Got a feeling he won't last

I thought Nicole's handling the physical part quite well so far over her survival expert counterparts! First one to preserve food with cedar smoke. She's rockin' it thus far, now if she can hold onto the psychological edge...

It's also interesting to see how each contestant deals with fire. Seeing lots of wood being processed for small format fires. Given their location one would think a rakovalkea might be a better option given the moisture and amount of time and energy one needs to do other things. (work smarter not harder)

Codger_64 · May 21, 2016

I wouldn't discount Nicole Apelian's survival training and expertise. Per her published bio:

Nicole grew up in Massachusetts and, through the influence and mentorship of her stepfather, connected with nature at an early age. After receiving her Masters Degree in biology, Nicole became a game warden with the U.S. Peace Corps, and began tracking and researching lions in southern Africa. Later, while working as a field biologist in Botswana, she got her first real exposure to true wilderness living. It was there, in Africa, working with the Bushmen and completing her doctorate, where she was able to learn many of the primitive skills that she practices and teaches today. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and relies on the local plants as part of her healthy living strategy. This diagnosis changed her lifestyle and eating habits, but didnt deter her from becoming one of the founders and primary guides of her own tracking and wildlife safari company, Eco Tours International, as well as being an adjunct professor at Prescott College. There, she is able to bring her passion for nature connection, indigenous knowledge, and research to her students.

She also continues her work with the Bushmen to help them find strategies to preserve their traditions, and is currently cataloging indigenous plant uses with a community of Naro Bushmen who regard her as family. While on the island, Nicole will miss her home, but will gain strength from thinking about her two sons, boyfriend, wonderful community, and trusty guitar (which she wishes she could bring with her!) back home. She is grateful for all her mentors and supporters and is sure to channel them when facing the many challenges that await her on Vancouver Island.

pict · May 22, 2016

oneriver said:
When I saw the episode where Dave's pot fell in the fire as soon as the camera showed his fire place I knew that pot was going over. I was surprised to see after 5 or 6 days that his fire ring look so pitiful and to me it looked like he built it on a slope to boot. Why would a person set a net and leave it it the same place for so long and not getting any result? Also one of the guys making one dead fall trap and one snare...wouldn't you want to litter the area with traps of all kinds. I was glad to see Nicole manage to clean that fish with her 12 inch blade and not get stuck. Why such a big knife if you have an ax? I think a 7 inch knife would serve her better, Stacy had a BK7 and used it well from what I could see. Its hard for me to get my head around Randy's uniform of the day, a bulky sweater with shorts (strange combo) and then lay around in the dirt...seems conflicted to me. The exercise guy I'm sure is tough being a x sniper and all but I can't see him lasting to long, maybe longer if he quits fooling around. My money is on Jose, I would like to see his shelter. If some of these people don't change their shelters around, they won't last a storm. Mike is going home to Barbra soon. Why no teepees yet...I keep waiting.

It's getting hard to keep up with the different discussions online.

I built my fire on that raised hump because the ground everywhere else was saturated several days earlier when I made it there. I had a rock in the fire lay that supported the pot as the wood burned down and had done so for several days. The ground wasn't mineral soil, but rotten wood like peat. The fire had burned a hole down into the peat and the rock fell down under a tree root spilling my pot. I get a kick out of how many people attribute that to me being a total noob in the woods and weekend camper who was out of his depth. No kidding, ANY of you who had to make a fire near my shelter would have done exactly the same thing in the same location or your fire would have sizzled out in a soggy mass of rotting wood pulp.

In answer to every question that starts with "Why didn't they just..." That solution was most likely considered and discarded due to prevailing conditions and resources. For the record, I spilled one pot of water on VCI and several others in other places over the past 35 years of bushcraft and survival. It happens.

Chignecto Woodsman · May 22, 2016

Thanks for the clarification, pict. As for myself, I wasn't pointing that out to be critical of you, only as a reminder to myself and others to think through all possibilities (because we all make mistakes/encounter accidents like that). There's no doubt in my mind that you are very skilled across the board (driftwood kitchen? sorry), and the situation can always get out of our control depending on luck, stress, or who knows what. I can imagine Larry had an even more difficult situation than you with fires, and we cannot see everything you guys went through, and we effectively only have a 2d view of what you guys saw.

Things seem to be looking up for you though, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with some fish energy.

Danke42 · May 22, 2016

OK here's the question already posed a few times but not answered.

Why aren't they dipping int their rations? They're walking dead can only think about food and it seems like they're holding out.

I would suppose it would make more sense to eat the rations while establishing yourself instead of saving them for someday.

hatchettjack · May 22, 2016

I think the saving of rations is smart psychology! Searching for food knowing you have backup, versus searching for food for survival!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Codger_64 · May 23, 2016

Actually I would use a different tactic. 5 one pound blocks is 2 ounces of nutrition a day for five days a week for five weeks. Two ounces of pemmican or jerky makes a decent soup. Add a few gleaned items and keep up my energy while I hunt and fish and glean. At worst I would think one could bring in two small fish a week. And I haven't seen anyone going up freshwater creeks looking for minnows or crustaceans.

Danke42 · May 23, 2016

I have to agree with Codger. Driving the body to the point of exhaustion at the start of a marathon isn't a recipe to finish the race.

pict · May 23, 2016

Since they might talk about it later I can't go into too much detail. I had five 1 lb blocks of pemmican and early on rationed myself to one large bite of it each morning. We had no restrictions on how we used it or when. I chose to hold it in reserve and intentionally did not live on it in those early days. So far in the show we are only at day 14. I had done other survival exercises on little to no food for 10, 8, 6 days. My personal limit is 4 days without eating anything before my mind starts to break. You have to maintain discipline with emergency rations. Don't underestimate the morale boost of knowing you have that margin. You will find your limits and know when the lack of food constitutes an emergency. The long term solution is not in that bag. It's all around you and you have to force yourself to find it.

The idea of eating a semi-normal diet of emergency rations while transitioning to a diet of fish and forage looks good on paper but it also assumes a substantial and regular diet of fish and forage is on the way. What if that isn't the case? At the two week mark I had a reserve of firewood in my shelter, a Hemlock topped bush bed 18 inches off the ground, a rain catch, fire on demand in my new fireplace, gill net up, second gill net under construction, lines out, and had scouted good active fishing spots. I was eating limpets and seaweed daily and had eaten five hand caught eels and lots of little crabs. I knew I had to get a steady source of fish and that was proving a challenge. My main concern was learning how to make the cove feed me and that was far from a sure thing.

timdgsr · May 23, 2016

pict said:
early on rationed myself to one large bite of it each morning.

I kind of assumed people were eating it already, and they're just not showing it. Some people took emergency rations last season as an item and we never saw them eat them. We also barely saw Sam eat, but in reading some interviews with him he ate much more seafood than they let on.

I was curious why no one took the naked and afraid approach of just sitting there.

They gave them lots of clothes and two tarps that don't count against their 10 items. What about a knife, ferro rod, sleeping bag, and 35lbs of emergency rations?

Codger_64 · May 23, 2016

pict said:
Since they might talk about it later I can't go into too much detail. I had five 1 lb blocks of pemmican and early on rationed myself to one large bite of it each morning. We had no restrictions on how we used it or when. I chose to hold it in reserve and intentionally did not live on it in those early days. So far in the show we are only at day 14. I had done other survival exercises on little to no food for 10, 8, 6 days. My personal limit is 4 days without eating anything before my mind starts to break. You have to maintain discipline with emergency rations. Don't underestimate the morale boost of knowing you have that margin. You will find your limits and know when the lack of food constitutes an emergency. The long term solution is not in that bag. It's all around you and you have to force yourself to find it.

The idea of eating a semi-normal diet of emergency rations while transitioning to a diet of fish and forage looks good on paper but it also assumes a substantial and regular diet of fish and forage is on the way. What if that isn't the case? At the two week mark I had a reserve of firewood in my shelter, a Hemlock topped bush bed 18 inches off the ground, a rain catch, fire on demand in my new fireplace, gill net up, second gill net under construction, lines out, and had scouted good active fishing spots. I was eating limpets and seaweed daily and had eaten five hand caught eels and lots of little crabs. I knew I had to get a steady source of fish and that was proving a challenge. My main concern was learning how to make the cove feed me and that was far from a sure thing.

A pity that format constraints don't show us much of this. Thus the value, to us, of your continued explanations.

Further on the rations, assuming that a "bite" is one ounce, each bar would last 16 days. So five bars would last well beyond last year's max participation of less than sixty days, 80 days assuming no loss to spoilage, rodents or predators. I do understand the psychological advantage of knowing there is a store of rations though.

As to that ounce of rations, pemmican content varies, but if meat content is 2/3rds of an ounce, it generally reconstitutes at 1:3 (one ounce equals 2 ounces of meat). So a 2 ounce a day stew would be like a quarter pound of meat, plus the fat content and filler of berries or whatever. That is a substantial nutritional boost. But I do seem to remember some participants stating that they hadn't eaten anything for days on end. I don't understand this logic considering the presence of their rations.

oneriver · May 23, 2016

pict said:
It's getting hard to keep up with the different discussions online.

I built my fire on that raised hump because the ground everywhere else was saturated several days earlier when I made it there. I had a rock in the fire lay that supported the pot as the wood burned down and had done so for several days. The ground wasn't mineral soil, but rotten wood like peat. The fire had burned a hole down into the peat and the rock fell down under a tree root spilling my pot. I get a kick out of how many people attribute that to me being a total noob in the woods and weekend camper who was out of his depth. No kidding, ANY of you who had to make a fire near my shelter would have done exactly the same thing in the same location or your fire would have sizzled out in a soggy mass of rotting wood pulp.

In answer to every question that starts with "Why didn't they just..." That solution was most likely considered and discarded due to prevailing conditions and resources. For the record, I spilled one pot of water on VCI and several others in other places over the past 35 years of bushcraft and survival. It happens.

Yes it does happen and we see only what the TV shows us...Well you were on TV to be scrutinized by millions..welcome to celebrity. Don't see why you need to defend yourself (could get to be a full time job) or take any of this personally, unless your having fun with it. Peace

Danke42 · May 23, 2016

pict said:
Since they might talk about it later I can't go into too much detail. I had five 1 lb blocks of pemmican and early on rationed myself to one large bite of it each morning. We had no restrictions on how we used it or when. I chose to hold it in reserve and intentionally did not live on it in those early days. So far in the show we are only at day 14. I had done other survival exercises on little to no food for 10, 8, 6 days. My personal limit is 4 days without eating anything before my mind starts to break. You have to maintain discipline with emergency rations. Don't underestimate the morale boost of knowing you have that margin. You will find your limits and know when the lack of food constitutes an emergency. The long term solution is not in that bag. It's all around you and you have to force yourself to find it.

The idea of eating a semi-normal diet of emergency rations while transitioning to a diet of fish and forage looks good on paper but it also assumes a substantial and regular diet of fish and forage is on the way. What if that isn't the case? At the two week mark I had a reserve of firewood in my shelter, a Hemlock topped bush bed 18 inches off the ground, a rain catch, fire on demand in my new fireplace, gill net up, second gill net under construction, lines out, and had scouted good active fishing spots. I was eating limpets and seaweed daily and had eaten five hand caught eels and lots of little crabs. I knew I had to get a steady source of fish and that was proving a challenge. My main concern was learning how to make the cove feed me and that was far from a sure thing.

That's fair enough. Everyone has their own personal metabolism and limits. I think we discussed this in the last show re the contestants being skilled at bushcraft but had they practiced lighting a fire or building shelter after not eating for 3 days. If you haven't done that you'll be at a distinct disadvantage to someone who has and is willing to push that limit.

Codger_64 · May 23, 2016

oneriver said:
Yes it does happen and we see only what the TV shows us...Well you were on TV to be scrutinized by millions..welcome to celebrity. Don't see why you need to defend yourself (could get to be a full time job) or take any of this personally, unless your having fun with it. Peace

Maybe I am missing something (it happens frequently these days), but I don't see him defending himself, or needing to. I see him allowing us to learn from his experience. Priceless and thanks again Dave!

Swampdog · May 23, 2016

Codger_64 is correct, we are learning from Dave's experience not critiquing him.

Dave, thank you very much for sharing your information!

sideways · May 24, 2016

Indeed

Currawong · May 24, 2016

I'm getting a lot out of reading Dave's comments as I watch the series, and also the commentary by others. Thanks all.

pinnah · May 24, 2016

Dave/Pict,

There 2 differences between you and me.

1) I've knocked over more pots in the backcountry than you have.

2) You've knocked over more pots in national TV than I have.

One thing I would love to hear more about from all the contestants is the spiritual/inner journey. Dave, since we share similar faith backgrounds, I'll mention "Christianity, Wilderness and Wildlife" by Susan Power Bratton. Very much changed how I see being in the backcountry. Interesting to reflect on the interplay of our work/skill and provision.

pinnah · May 24, 2016

If History were smart, I would think they could do one episode per contestant that makes it to the 2 week mark documenting the advance of their camp. That would be super interesting.