I just finished watching Season 4 of Alone. In this season, they added a twist. Teams of 2 were dropped off 'alone' 10 miles apart. One was given a compass heading. The average team member arrived to find their partner in 10 days. (For those not good at math, that is traveling, on average, 1 mile per day.) The terrain was very tough, soaking wet with slippery rocks, tree roots and vines obstructing every step.
The conditions were so bad that 2 of the first 3 teams to tap out were mechanical injuries the team member at the base camp sustained. The final 3 teams were:
The younger brother was suffering from a stomach medical condition. I forget the name but it was something like GEED. He was bed ridden for 4 straight days. The older brother stepped up, collecting 1,000 lipids and 2 dozen air breathing fish. After losing nearly 70 pounds, on the 74th day their girl friends were flown into their location, suprised them from behind as they got their increasingly frequent medical checks, to be the ones to tell the brothers they had won. It was a very emotional scene.
These 3 teams were interviewed several months later, after they somewhat recovered from the experience. The older brother was interviewed last. Not the philosopher or a theologian, he was asked about their strategy to achieve victory.
It's hard for modern Americans to grasp. Skill was not the key. The husband and wife built a far better shelter that made the brothers feel inferior when they saw it. The key was determination. While practicing bushcraft skills, like starting a fire without a lighter and building a primitive shelter are important, it is not as important as practicing suffering.
To condition your body, mind and spirit to endure through literally starving to death was their successful survival strategy. Profound discipline. Are you such a disciple? Or do you only go to church when the weather is nice? Read the Bible when there is nothing good on TV? Donate only your spare change? Or do you sacrifice your life, liberty and happiness to the calling of our lord and savior?
I confess I'm not such a disciple but this show moved me in the right direction. How about you?
The conditions were so bad that 2 of the first 3 teams to tap out were mechanical injuries the team member at the base camp sustained. The final 3 teams were:
- husband and wife
- father and son
- brothers
The younger brother was suffering from a stomach medical condition. I forget the name but it was something like GEED. He was bed ridden for 4 straight days. The older brother stepped up, collecting 1,000 lipids and 2 dozen air breathing fish. After losing nearly 70 pounds, on the 74th day their girl friends were flown into their location, suprised them from behind as they got their increasingly frequent medical checks, to be the ones to tell the brothers they had won. It was a very emotional scene.
These 3 teams were interviewed several months later, after they somewhat recovered from the experience. The older brother was interviewed last. Not the philosopher or a theologian, he was asked about their strategy to achieve victory.
It's hard for modern Americans to grasp. Skill was not the key. The husband and wife built a far better shelter that made the brothers feel inferior when they saw it. The key was determination. While practicing bushcraft skills, like starting a fire without a lighter and building a primitive shelter are important, it is not as important as practicing suffering.
To condition your body, mind and spirit to endure through literally starving to death was their successful survival strategy. Profound discipline. Are you such a disciple? Or do you only go to church when the weather is nice? Read the Bible when there is nothing good on TV? Donate only your spare change? Or do you sacrifice your life, liberty and happiness to the calling of our lord and savior?
I confess I'm not such a disciple but this show moved me in the right direction. How about you?