2012

If you must watch, here’s some must-watch TV February 24, 2009

Bear takes on the Utah desert

For the first time last night, I watched “Man vs. Wild” on Discovery.  Host Bear Grylls takes you through a variety of climates and talks about certain aspects of survival in each. 

One episode focused on how to find water.  In snow country, for example, while it seems right at hand, he warns not to eat the snow directly because of how it may damage your mouth.  Instead, put it in a canteen, put the canteen against you body and let the snow melt.  In a temperate climate, he encourages a trip upstream before drinking, to make sure there are no carcasses in the stream adding toxins.  And on and on, all the way to the ultimate survival requirement — drinking your own urine.

He also gave clues about building temporary shelter:  getting it off the jungle floor to avoid sleeping with snakes and scorpions, getting it high in the air in the forest to keep away from bears, etc.

Episodes have covered the Rockies, the desert around Moab, Alaskan mountains, the Sierra Nevada, the Everglades and then on to more exotic zones around the world.

Grylls is a Brit who served in the Special Air Services.  He’s one of the handful of folks who have climbed Mt. Everest (he did it at age 23) and he led the first unassisted crossing of the frozen North Atlantic Ocean in an open, rigid inflatable boat.  He’s unassuming and direct, making the show enjoyable.

Why learn about survival in all these climates rather than just where you live?  As we’ve discussed, we have no idea what the cause of the End of Days will be.  Will it be nuclear winter, putting even south Florida under a blanked of snow?  Will it be desertification or wide-ranging flooding.  Will we head south into Mexico or north into Canada?

You can wait for the show to come to Discovery or you can watch segments of it on hulu.com for free.  Or you can buy the DVDs containing the episodes.

Important notice:  It’s highly unlikely that watching a DVD about survival is anywhere close to adequate training.  It’s merely an introduction and perhaps a way to get family and friends interested.  Then get a book that goes into detail (and which can be cached away).  And finally go out and try the suggestions (at least the ones which are legal or in season) to complete your education.  For some of the more exotic locales, book learning might be all you have.