Alone !! Do you have what it takes ?

[SOLGardener]

Something I thought was curious was that there was no real hunting expedition by anyone (well, o.k., the final four because the first six flaked quickly). In fact no one seemed to go far from camp once a base was established. Maybe it was the terrain, maybe it was just sort of lost in filming that they ventured far from camp. I think they'll lose some audience if Vancouver Island looks the same as BC.


something I take away from it is how one limits what they'll get into with, a. a known way out- rescue is just a phone call away, and b. a near term end date. Everyone knew that they only had to outlast one person. That being the second to last guy. I mean, it seems if you knew you were there until you got yourself out, you might approach it in a different manner. If you knew you'd be there through winter, you'd build a smoker and try to smoke or provide long term storage meat. But if you know that when winter came, and you were starving, you could call and get out, you may put off building a smoker. It's what impressed me about Caleb- that he was building a cabin from the start. That's long term planning.

 

[great dane u]

Way to go Alan.
I was impressed with the way the History Channel closed out the finale. i.e. wife, home kids, family
Hard to believe the History Channel showed some class.

 

[SSDawg]

I'm kind of surprised. It sucks for a location with that weather. When all they do is hunker down for days on end it gets boring. Put them somewhere else where they can be out and about showing some survival techniques.

I agree 100%....that would be great.......the problem (for the network) is that the challenge would have gone on for months on end potentially.......if you put most of the guys on the show in decent conditions without a bunch of "predators" it would have been slow goings to get people to tap out.......it wasn't the physical aspect that go to most of them....it was the metal aspect.....remove the crap weather and predators and the game changes......giving the opportunity to keep themselves occupied with "tasks" (hunting, building better shelters, etc) would have eased the mental aspect greatly and it would have drawn out forever. It would have made an incredible show for the viewers, but the network would have had to sink way too much time and money into the show before it could even air.......

 

[Big Ben]

Once upon a time i talked with a gentleman who spent a few years in the hanoi hilton.
I asked him "sir, how did you make it day to day"
you know what he told me?
" You dont imagine yourself in a prison camp, everynight i imagined i was home and sleeping in my own bed"

That is amazing.

 

[GeauxLSU]

I agree 100%....that would be great.......the problem (for the network) is that the challenge would have gone on for months on end potentially.......if you put most of the guys on the show in decent conditions without a bunch of "predators" it would have been slow goings to get people to tap out.......it wasn't the physical aspect that go to most of them....it was the metal aspect.....remove the crap weather and predators and the game changes......giving the opportunity to keep themselves occupied with "tasks" (hunting, building better shelters, etc) would have eased the mental aspect greatly and it would have drawn out forever. It would have made an incredible show for the viewers, but the network would have had to sink way too much time and money into the show before it could even air.......

True but I don't think their day to cost are much. They can dictate how many days they want to cover in one episode to control the length of a season. Stick 'em somewhere with a brutal winter but at least not with incessant rain that just keeps them doing nothing. Montana? Wyoming? Plenty of things can eat you there. Heck put 'em in the Atchafalaya in say February. They'll all tap out by July. If they aren't gator dung.

 

[BHJ]

I'd rather see dead of winter, they would be dropping like flies.

From what I have read, the winter temperatures on the coast of Vancouver island are fairly moderate compared to most of the surrounding area in the mountains and the interior. Pretty sure they were there in November or more likely December because of the wrapped Christmas gifts when he got home.

From "super natural British Columbia Canada" website
Winter
Winters on the coast are temperate, and if snow falls it doesn't stay long. A warm coat and umbrella are sufficient weather protection in these mild coastal climes. Most of BC's interior, on the other hand, experiences freezing temperatures and snow lasting from November to March, so full winter wear is necessary for comfort: a heavy coat, a warm hat and gloves or mittens.

From a website titled surfing Vancouver Island:
WINTER
"We get lots of rain in the winter here. I bet you've heard that before. As a rule of thumb, if its cloudy its warm, up to 15 C. If its sunny, it's going to freeze, at least at night. The Pacific ocean has a great moderating effect on our Island weather. The coldest temps usually come in January. If the weather is blowing up from the south we can expect above freezing temps in the 5 C to 8 C range in the day, and down around freezing at night. We occasionally get arctic outflows, which are air masses that flow down the mainland mountains and funnel out over the lower mainland and over to the Island. As these air masses cross the Straight of Georgia they pick up moisture and dump snow on the Island. This last winter we had a prime example of this most distasteful phenomenon as record snowfall paralysed the Island for several days.
Ocean temps range from about 8 C to 11 C.

I tend to surf on the warmer days. An O'neill 4/3 XTS is what I use, and in the winter I am very happy to have a hooded, sleeveless vest to to go under it. Keeps me toasty when others shiver. Having the hood attached to a vest precludes those nasty cold flushes down the back.
For the winter of 97 - 98 I purchased a hooded Rip Curl 5/4/3. This suit is much warmer than the O'neill, especially when getting worked and punching out. Far less flushing.

There are great winter days when the sun comes out and the air temp goes up to 14 or 15 C, the wind drops, the swell holds, and the Great Architect smiles down upon us.
Jan 30 1998 17 C in Tofino today"

Sounds pretty close to central Ga temperatures to me, In January from a low near freezing to about the mid to upper 40s