Watching Survivorman Saved his Life?

Man Lost in Manitoba Forest for 3-Days

Just saw this. Lost Manitoba camper says TV show helped him survive three days lost in wilderness. He survived 3 days in Summer, other than the need for Water and Shelter all he had to do is await rescue. If he could build a fire, why not wait beside it for rescue? It is very interesting that watching Survivorman may have delayed his rescue. He walked all day just like on the show and therefore made it harder for rescuers to find him. Sure he walked out, but he injured himself doing it.

You bring up one of the major flaws in reality TV - the need to present visually inviting scenes. Real life survival is actually boring as all get out - resting beside a fire, conserving energy, or just easy walking, avoiding obstacles and difficult terrain. That is why some many shows feature inane stunts - rappelling down vines, building tinker toy rafts, and the like.

Learning "outdoor skills" from the TV set will lead to serious consequences - the shows should come with a warning....

I think this is a common problem with all of the shows in the genre (granted, Stroud pretty much invented the genre). It just isn't compelling storytelling to stay put. I don't know that any of these shows are a really good manual for what to do when you are lost ... I think you really need to have a certain baseline of knowledge to draw good learnings from them.

That said, I think one of the things lacking in Survivourman in particular is the lack of trail marking or leaving of signs. Even in the episode where SAR's search efforts were featured, I don't think Stroud ever left any clues for his would-be rescuers. I mean if you are going to be moving about, at least give SAR some help.

Actually, this was something I did like about a few of the Man vs Wild episodes I've seen; at least some of them showed Grylls leaving signs indicating where he was travelling.

Here in Germany they do. They also point out that there is a team in case the moderator should get in real trouble.

Some of the very old shows taught real life skills. I remember watching video tapes of an old show off PBS taught by a forest ranger, he used common sense and didn't pretty it up or dramatize it in any way. I think it was called Survival. Walked the viewer through making a kit and how to use it. Very informative and practical. He built his in a band aid box and had other uses for the leather belt bag, like cutting it into snow goggles and using the lacing for cordage etc.

All the UK versions of Man V Wild, Survivorman, Duel Survival etc carry a notice giving fair warning.

I think that the one good thing those shows do is make anyone with half a brain real careful about what's in their pockets, on their belt and in their bag.
"Equipped to Survive" is after all what we are about.

Here's an article with more detail. It's a less flattering account. Still, a win is a win.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/m...-273129431.html

What would you do to trail mark?

As one who has spent a lot of time looking for lost persons, I would say that almost anything you can do to indicate indicate your passage will work -just making conspicuous footprints will be very helpful. Breaking twigs and branches is also useful. If you want to do all out, leave a note with your name, date, and intentions posted where it will be easily visible. I am dreaming, though - I have never seen that in all my years....

This, incidentally, is why signalling with a mirror or whistle is so incredibly useful. You are a much bigger target

I have to strongly but respectfully, disagree with that statement Liegh. Only this morning, on a warm day in the desert we came across two "hunters" (poachers) out looking for pronghorn. Never mind that there are no pronghorn near here. They which one offered to trade for water and a ride. I were lost, had no equipment other than two knives and a nice compound bow which one offered to trade for a ride and water. I should have taken it, but I gave them a liter of water which they quaffed, not saving any, and begged for more. I declined and explained that our suv was parked near their truck and pointed them in the right direction. When I questioned them they complained they were out of cigarettes and would kill for one, (good they have their priorities in order)and no matches to light the ones hidden in their truck about a mile and a half away. They were wearing tee shirts, baggy shorts and jeans. Footwear was cross trainers. One baseball cap, no sunglasses. These guys are typical of what search teams here look for. They certainly didn't put anything special in their pockets. JMHO.

I carry flagging and a Sharpie (and sample bags, I am a geologist after all) in my kit at all times. I often flag trails. You can write on the flagging a name, time and direction of travel. Thankfully, I have never needed it to be rescued , but I have used it many times to leave messages for other workers or crews in the field.

Respectfully,

Jerry

There's always the traditional technique - leave a trail of bread crumbs. The modern variationwould be crumbled bits of plastic foam....

Depending on the terrain -- Hot pink surveyor tape tied near eye level.

Here are some trail signs you can leave using natural materials:


Image from the Scouts Canada Wiki article on Trail Signs

This image is taken from the Scouts Canada Fieldbook & similar information is in the Cub Book. An activity we've done with our Cubs in the past is have the different sixes go off and make their own trail using these markings and then have the other sixes try to follow them from beginning to the end.

Regarding what Grylls did in his shows, I don't recall specifically, but it was something similar to the above.

Bad idea, it was the breadcrumb trail that resulted in Hansel & Gretel not being able to find their way home .

After reading the Grimms' fairy tale, I always thought it was odd that the breadcrumb trail made it into our culture as an idiom when the story so clearly showed such a trail was useless (the forest animals ate them before the kids were able to follow the trail home, resulting in their capture by the witch).

My feeble attempt at humor just didn't make the grade....

No, I just went off on a tangent that really didn't need to be followed . The whole breadcrumb thing just bugs me for some weird, likely overly pedantic reason ...