For some reason, I'm iffy about camping (though getting better) while I love watching other people in survival situations. And nobody entertains me better than Les Stroud, who I discovered accidentally a few months ago on The Science Channel, with a show called "Survivorman." Who knew The Science Channel even existed? (And no, it's not the same as Sci-Fi Network.)
The setup is this: The guy strands himself in any number of remote locations with minimal equipment (plus his own cameras) and has to survive for a week. Mostly, he'll get picked up as he walks to civilization, but the one I'm in the middle of watching right now where he's stuck in the Costa Rican jungle, he says he's not getting rescued. Oy.
He's not like Mr. Iron Man/Mountain Man. He's a pretty regular looking guy and has no problem pointing out to us where he's not doing so hot (this episode has him with an infected toe from a blister gotten while hiking), and you gotta feel for the guy -- a lot of the time he barely eats for all 7 days, because food is so scarce. But what's really inspiring is to see how he takes care of business, whether that's creating a shelter, making a fire, finding and catching and cooking food, and at last, escaping. I'm fascinated, and I wish the shows weren't only an hour long. Thus far there only appear to be ten of them, but I'm hoping he'll make more. Or put these on DVD. Anyway, I now have a huge investment in, of all things, the Science Channel.
Go Les!
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