Alone Season 2

I shouldn't let it get to me. Some online discussions are very caustic. This and a few others are not and I enjoy the comments.
 
I shouldn't let it get to me. Some online discussions are very caustic. This and a few others are not and I enjoy the comments.

I'm so grateful you're willing to hang in here in with us while the story unfolds for us. You're one of the few willing to step into the ring in a very public manner. Ignore the noise of the peanut gallery.
 
Pict, thanks for being here and sharing. Your info and insight are actually making this season of Alone far more interesting.

Please ignore the critics. My father always told me the only one who never makes mistakes is the person who doesn't do anything.

Instead this should be a learning point for everyone in that no matter what a person's skill level bad things will happen and it is most important on how you handle them, both in action and thought. Personally, I've never anticipated an environment where my fire site would burn downward, spread out yes, but never down.

I curious about your adjustment to modern life after your return. Your bed, crowds, sounds, smells, conversations must have all seem surreal after being in nature so long.
 
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

http://design.caltech.edu/erik/Misc/Citizenship_in_a_Republic.pdf
 
I also would like to share my appreciation for Dave participating and sharing your insight from experience. It brings a much richer picture alive for us...
 
Thanks for the comments.

Critics are like gravel, easy to find, and easy to ignore until its all in your face and personal.

I can comment about things that have happened on the show or up to the point of the last episode. We're only 14 days into the season so far. The seven remaining are just getting started.

Last year, because five guys tapped in the first week, half of the 10 episode season covered the first week on the island. They have 13 episodes this year and we're coming up on episode 6. You get to see much more of the long term effect and efforts than last year.
 
It's been great so far. I am enjoy this season more. It's great to see a familiar face Dave. I have been watching your vids for years. Good stuff!
 
Dave/Pict You're doing great! it's not easy to go out there and handle that all ALONE. Good Luck to You and the Family!!!
 
I have to say this is, so far, the best of this genre I have seen. And while I have a million questions, I am yet to feel the urge to mock (Bare Gorillas/ Dual reference).
 
I might not have added anything to this thread but David I have to say I learned a lot more from your posts.
A question out of no where. but were you allowed to take toothpaste and toothbrush? any personal items to stay clean? if not what did you do to stay clean?

Were you allowed to hunt anything? if you did what was allowed to be hunted? did you see any animals that you could have tried to hunt? Till now it seems that the only food you could have gotten was from the sea. Unless someone was real lucky you would always have just enough to stay above starvation. In other words everyone was set up to fail. It would just mean who would manage to last the longest.

Before you were droped at your site. What was your plan? how did it change after you were dropped at your site and you seen what you have to work with?

We all have ideas on how we would have done it. But I always say talk is cheap. until you get out there and do it, what ever it will be.
 
Sasha,

Many of your questions will be answered as the season unfolds, if not in my segments than maybe in the others so I really can't comment beyond day 14 at this point.

The danger in watching season one was in transplanting resources from one zone to another and imagining you would have the same type of stuff or opportunities available. Nicole has a Salmon run. That's cool, but it comes with bears waiting for the salmon to arrive.

As to hunting/fishing, we had wide liberty in the ocean and intertidal zone as to methods and species. For freshwater and hunting we had to obey the normal laws of BC.

"Setting us up to fail" is no fault of the show. That comes with the wilderness. Yes, we did go out there knowing the show has a built-in 90% fail rate. The truth is that given time even the last man/woman standing will fail. Long term solo survival is a matter of time before starvation, isolation, fatigue, or injury/illness take their toll. The only variable is how long you can stave them off. I contend that nobody can do that indefinetely.
 
Just wanted to say thanks for all the posts you guys. And thanks to pict for being so courteous to us all.

I follow this thread pretty regular and think the show is absolutely awesome.

definitely refreshing to watch a REAL survival show on tv.
 
It is looking like Randy Champagne may be the next one to tap out. In fact they are including a lot of clips regarding lonliness and homesickness.
 
Another great episode. It looks like at this point the shelters are much more robust than last season. I remember Sam commenting about how his flapping tarp was driving him crazy and I can imagine the psychological effect of a log wall would be immense. I get the impression that Justin is getting plenty of food, and keeping in conditioning will be an physical as well as mental advantage for him, the longer things are "normal" the less reserve he has to use. Contrast to Randy who has not found much, and is really struggling. I think Justin has a lot of good cards in his hand right now, he just has to call the bets and play safe.

Nicole has surprised me. I'll be honest that when I heard her talk about natural medicine and such I really pegged her as an airy-fairy live on wishes and dreams type, but she is far more practical that I gave her credit, and that's pretty cool.

Another good ep of things to learn, I noticed that Dave, your hooks seemed to be a bit large, and that you snagged that rockfish (a catch is a catch though!) so your method sure did work. Being a fisherman myself I figure 98% of fishing technique is superstition and the other 2% is BS, some days they just won't hit, and other days you can do everything wrong and they still come to the party. Good work for adapting to the situation, and being observant.
 
One common thread I am seeing in all the primitive living tv shows is that military experience has very little to do with low-tech fieldcraft. Endurance and attitude sure. Primitive living skills not so much.

These shows recruit heavily from military circles and yet people are failing or succeeding on an individual level. So there seems to be a disconnect in the popular imagination about what people THINK the military does and what they actually do.

Looking at Randy another thing strikes me. You need to have a purpose in seeking the wild places. Alone on VCI is a difficult challenge. Without purpose it's just masturbatory self-flagellation, which is not a foundation you can build on.

Randy seems to be driven by a love of nature. He didn't plan on how real the alone bit was. If the purpose no longer justifies the grind I can't see him sticking around much longer. He might come around and look back at the experience more favorably in later years but in the here and now... WHY is a powerful speed bump.
 
Larry definitely has a way with words :4: When Jose broke the board on the beginnings of his boat I was thinking what if that had been Larry!

His new site does look heaps better, good on him- now if only that mouse didn't follow him :)

Randy clearly has a deep skill set, but obviously he is getting very lonely

Nicole catching 10 pound salmon left and right- wow what a boost! Added to the fact the she knows every edible plant on the island (and in the ocean) gives her a big leg up on the food challenge, her shelter looks solid- we'll have to see how she handles the lonesomeness.

Mike's boat made me smile, hope it pays some dividends for him.
 
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