What I Learned from “The Alaska Experiment”

Following a suggestion on survivalblog.com, I checked out the TV show “Out of the Wild:  The Alaska Experiment” on the Discovery Channel.   We got all the episodes off Netflix and watched a couple of shows per day.   The program shows how 9 “regular” people cope with survival in Alaska.   The group had some survival training prior to the show, and are given some basic survival tools (tarp, first aid kit, camp ax, etc)  but have to hunt, fish or gather food to survive.  For each leg of the journey, they had a map to guide them to their next destination.    It was near winter when the shows started, and the weather was one of the obstacles encountered.   The adventurers had to through rough terrain and fast moving rivers to make it to their destinations, and set up shelter.  Each person had the option to drop out and have the helicopter pick him or her out and return to civilization.  Out of the nine, only four actually made it to the end of the show.  I won’t reveal too much in case folks want to check it out.

I personally have had some limited camping experience, mostly in camp grounds in tents with plenty of packed food and water.  I have not had to hunt for food, or skin or gut an animal.  I have watched my Dad do it, so I know the basic steps and what to avoid.   So I was fascinated watching their reactions and in thinking what would I do if I were in their shoes.  The show does present some realistic situations when they try to hunt or fish but find nothing.  Other times they were successful and they did show how much work goes into preparing the animal for cooking.

Some of the survival lessons I picked up from watching the show:

1.  When food is scarce, you are just grateful for any food that comes along.  The characters were so happy when they were able to hunt small squirrels, birds, fish even porcupine.  They even ate a  mouse when they were desperate for food.

2.  Be selective of things that you will need to carry.  Early in the show, when the participants were inexperienced, they packed way too much and later regretted the burden of carrying a lot of stuff.  Each time they camped, they downsized their packs by being more careful on choosing items that they actually use.

3.  Being is shape is very important in a survival situation.  One of the participants had to drop out early in the show, due to physical exertion.  The same character was slowing the group down and there was some resentment around it.

4.  Expectations shape your experiences.  I noticed that the participants who had high expectations on how things should or shouldn’t be were sorely disappointed and ended up leaving.

5.  Mental attitude is most important in succeeding in a survival situation.  The characters who did not allow themselves to consider failure even in spite of some physical problems were the ones who made it to the finish line.