Has anyone else been watching the National Geographic TV show "Ultimate Survival Alaska"?

I mostly started watching it for the scenery since its pretty much a reality show, but it does highlight the importance of very basic gear - tarps, cord, knifes, fire starting, guns (big for bear, small for little critters, shot for birds, hand for convenience).

In one show (think it was that series???) they converted a bear barrel into a sand filter to clarify cloudy water. Of course that wouldn't sanitize it, but still interesting.

"Rapid sand filters are typically designed as part of multi-stage treatment systems used by large municipalities. These systems are complex and expensive to operate and maintain, and therefore less suitable for small communities and developing nations.
Advantages include:
Much higher flow rate than a slow sand filter; about 150 to 200 million gallons of water per acre per day
Requires relatively small land area
Less sensitive to changes in raw water quality, e.g. turbidity
Requires less quantity of sand
Disadvantages include:
Large pore size will not without coagulant or flocculent remove pathogens like Crytosporidium smaller than 20 microns
Requires greater maintenance than a slow sand filter. For this reason, it is not usually classed as an "appropriate technology," as the term is applied in less-developed countries.
Generally ineffective against taste and odor problems.
Produces large volumes of sludge for disposal.
Requires ongoing investment in costly flocculation reagents.
Treatment of raw water with chemicals is essential.
Skilled supervision is essential.
Cost of maintenance is higher.
It cannot remove bacteria."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_sand_filter

On a small scale, rapid sand filtration is part of a system that reduces total load of pathogens.

Thanks for the heads up, KenK. I don't have cable so hadn't heard about this. I'll check it out!

Since I am living up here now, it is interesting to see what all they go through. Realizing they are always facing a time limit, it still seems to me they are a bit too reckless. Trying to cross an ice cold river with naught but a cowboy hat and a frying pan for a loin cloth is not too prudent in my opinion.

Still, lots to watch and learn.

The thing is, to tell the truth, that actually surviving is rather boring and does not make good TV. So in order to spice things up, the actors generally have to do something reckless and silly, like crossing a river, or rappeling with vines, or waltzing around naked - the possibilities are endless (unfortunately).

That's why I rarely watch reality TV. I especially don't watch reality TV shows about Alaska, since they are so often totally contrived, and don't depict "reality" at all.

The fact is I don't watch much TV at all. I think TV rots my brain. Just my own opinion.

I thought that everyone in Alaska has a full gray beard (well, at least the guys!), lives in the wilderness, disrupts the environment for gold and hunts for subsistence. I learned this by watching many documentaries on TV. Are you claiming that this isn't the case? You probably just don't want to admit the vast wealth you have derived from your own private mine.


TV distorts reality in other localities as well. I briefly ran across a Bear Grylls episode concerning the Black hills in South Dakota, an area with which I have some familiarity. The picture they gave of the area was ludicrous, outdated, andextremely fanciful - not at all realistic. Just one of many distortions.

Survival need not be too boring. Les Stroud seems to do a fair job of it. Maybe it's the harmonica music...

A lot of Reality TV is so much bunk ...shock 'n Awe, like Radio Shock Jocks. I've watched some of the Ultimate Survival Alaska shows, initially 'cuz I thought that their basic equipment carried would have some informative value for me ... but have decided, they can bring what they want. They just have to carry it. One show highlighted how one guy always carries a pressure cooker. I was used to good effect in that program, but has not been shown in any other show I saw.
Its still interesting 'cuz of the scenery and such, but there's not much mystery in my mind ...nobody has been left behind at the pickup point yet....somehow I don't think they will.
Nat Geo has had other shows that I enjoyed, that were informative without too much Holly-weird Drama ... different groups or teams, families situated back in the 1880's or some historical period setting where resources were period correct. I thought those interesting given things that weren't around back then and dis-allowance of infinite resources, so some thought had to go into what and how much you could bring 'cuz you had to hump it or only had a given level of financial resources and space to bring stuff.

--KW

Sand Filters work well if correctly built. If the water is reasonably clean the Sand Filter will do the same job as a fancy filter.