I can’t say I’ve seen Season One of this program yet. In fact, if not for a passing reference on another website, I’d never have heard of it at all. The first season is titled The Alaska Experiment; the second season is called Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment (obviously an unsubtle but deserved shot at C. McCandles). I have watched Season Two, and I have to say, it is worth a watch for anyone seriously interested in survival and the psychology thereof.
The premise for the second series is this: Nine people are put through a three day survival course, set down in the wilderness of Alaska, given a variety of equipment, and made to walk some 50 miles or so to civilization. None of them are survival experts, and while of course there are camera crews and safety people present, almost no assistance is given to them. They are given maps to take them from point to point, but they are not told exactly how long the journey will take.
The eight hour-long episodes are not a comprehensive guide to the techniques of surviving in the wild, although there are lessons to be drawn. The group makes good and bad choices, and sometimes the bad choices will make you wince, such as back packing a 20 pound Dutch oven and a snow shovel through the bush, or making an unnecessary climb up a steep mountain carrying very heavy packs, just to get a better look at the terrain, although they have a perfectly good map with their route marked on it.
Sometimes, it’s an error of omission, such as not making a handle for an axe head they carry, relying on a small hatchet for chopping firewood. Or not taking the time to change footwear before crossing streams, resulting in cold, wet feet.
But the main thread of the series concerns the search for food. Other than a small amount of food left at various shelters for the group, they have to provide for themselves and by and large, are unable to do so in the amount needed. The program states that in that sort of environment and doing the work that they are, the men need 4500 calories per day, and the women need 3200 calories. Almost all of the time, they are unable to get even close to this amount. The consequence of what becomes weeks of slow starvation, physically, socially, and psychologically, are eye opening.
In fact, the most interesting part of the show has to do with the psychological aspect of this experiment. Of the nine initial participants two drop out very quickly, in my opinion because they cannot integrate into the group. Others drop out later from the psychological effects of hunger and the physical toll of long term survival.
The effects of hunger, especially the lack of carbohydrates, on the participants’ abilities both mental and physical, are startling. At least one of the participants lost a pound per day through the course of their travels, and towards the end, the ability of those remaining to do even the minimum amount work necessary to stay alive is badly eroded. Even worse is the erosion of the mental strength to survive, and it is more the loss of the will to survive than the physical toll that causes the participants to drop out.
This program should be a must-see for anyone that thinks they can survive by hunting in a long term survival situation. More importantly, it should be seen by everyone that does not understand that the will to survive is paramount, and that maintaining that will is harder than you think.
Added: I’m presently watching Season One. The format is different, four stationary groups of two or three, but it looks to be just as instructive in the realm of group psychology, will to live, effects of hunger and so on. I’m going to go out on a limb and recommend this one as well, although I’ve only seen the first three episodes.
Originally posted June 16, 2010 @ MPN
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