Ok, I loved it. In spite of all the commercials, this two hour production kept my attention and I even took notes.
Our explorer, Ed, is a british dude who undertook this enormous project on April 2, 2008. No doubt years of planning and dreaming came first, but that's not my point.
He had vision, grit, and the absolute honesty to record painstakingly accuate travelogue. After only 90 days, his original partner Luke, leaves the expedition. He has a fiance, and as they both freely admit, makes it much harder to go on such a trip. They expected it to take 18 months, it took 30 months.
Along the way, our man hires guides. The first one quits once they head into the Red Zone of Peru, dangerous drug infested country. The 10,000 foot canyons didn't drive him off, it was human predators.
Our explorers give insight into the human equation. Anyone who's share a long trail knows how a partner can get on your nerves, 24-7 of most anyone is too much to bear.
I was amazed at the great footage of foods and wild provisions, flesh eating bugs, alligators, turtle eggs, native coming of age ceremonies, plodding days in waist deep amazon river. All of it was incredible, more so because of one man's perseverance. Fortunately he met and hired his guide, Chao, a marvelous young man from Peru who saw him through to the end.
This 4,500 mile journey is well worth watching. I found the human spirit the key to all great accomplishments.
Showing posts with label Discovery Channel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discovery Channel. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
I, Caveman, Back to The Stone-New Series Review
Its obvious some folks will do anything to be on T-V. I could have slapped Manu, a female bounty hunter who whined and complained how cold she was. Her feet got wet and she refused to sit by the fire.
I know mountains cool off at night, but there was not a sign of fall weather, it looks like mid July. Please.
She could have removed the wet foot gear, and propped her feet by the fire. A guy would probably have massaged them if she hadn't been such a bitch. I could have slapped her several times.
See I don't get it. Didn't they screen these 10 people to eliminate the cry babies? I guess that keeps it interesting.
The Discovery Channel new series involves 9 men and women with a dude named Morgan Spinlock who take on 10 days of survival in a lush verdant valley, mountains in the distance, elk roaming in herds, stream filled with trout and frogs. They trade all clothing for skins and hides replicated to be exactly as stone age people would have had. They must work together, fashioning a shelter, creating fire via spindle and block, and get food and water.
After a while, some guys get tired of feeding some laying around women, and they whined and complained about a tribal vote to move 3 miles. Picking and choosing among the bountiful stack of hides and weapons they've created, they carry all on their backs.
See, I don't get it. Have they never heard of travois, where these hides are tied between two lodge poles, laden with goods and drug those three easy miles. They weren't crossing through any forests that I could see.
So, I'm sorry, but between all the commercials for beer, cars and what more (I use the time to surf channels) and all the complaining, its hard to watch. I love learning new things. Watching them fish in the cold stream, using hands to slip around the trout bodies and fling onto the banks was nice. Creating the sling spear and launching practice was cool.
Can the directors give us more substance and less emotional crisis? We who watch such shows know about short tempers and illogical decisions due to physical stress. It shouldn't comprise 90% of the content. The question posed by the creator of the series: does modern man have what it takes to survive with as cavemen did. Number one, cavemen were raised with the knowledge, not snatched off New York streets, from lunch at Applebees.
Thats enough rant for one day, And here's my vote for better substantive programing.
Lets have more like Dual Survival, I love those guys.
I know mountains cool off at night, but there was not a sign of fall weather, it looks like mid July. Please.
She could have removed the wet foot gear, and propped her feet by the fire. A guy would probably have massaged them if she hadn't been such a bitch. I could have slapped her several times.
See I don't get it. Didn't they screen these 10 people to eliminate the cry babies? I guess that keeps it interesting.
The Discovery Channel new series involves 9 men and women with a dude named Morgan Spinlock who take on 10 days of survival in a lush verdant valley, mountains in the distance, elk roaming in herds, stream filled with trout and frogs. They trade all clothing for skins and hides replicated to be exactly as stone age people would have had. They must work together, fashioning a shelter, creating fire via spindle and block, and get food and water.
After a while, some guys get tired of feeding some laying around women, and they whined and complained about a tribal vote to move 3 miles. Picking and choosing among the bountiful stack of hides and weapons they've created, they carry all on their backs.
See, I don't get it. Have they never heard of travois, where these hides are tied between two lodge poles, laden with goods and drug those three easy miles. They weren't crossing through any forests that I could see.
So, I'm sorry, but between all the commercials for beer, cars and what more (I use the time to surf channels) and all the complaining, its hard to watch. I love learning new things. Watching them fish in the cold stream, using hands to slip around the trout bodies and fling onto the banks was nice. Creating the sling spear and launching practice was cool.
Can the directors give us more substance and less emotional crisis? We who watch such shows know about short tempers and illogical decisions due to physical stress. It shouldn't comprise 90% of the content. The question posed by the creator of the series: does modern man have what it takes to survive with as cavemen did. Number one, cavemen were raised with the knowledge, not snatched off New York streets, from lunch at Applebees.
Thats enough rant for one day, And here's my vote for better substantive programing.
Lets have more like Dual Survival, I love those guys.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Man, Woman, Wild-My Take
I'm a survivor-flick addict, I admit. Survivorman, Man VS. Wild, I Shouldn't Be Alive, Locked Up Abroad. I watch them all.
This new series Discovery is showing, though, has me baffled. We have this really good looking couple out surviving for several days at a time. She has a British accent and he is a calm and collected American. With a huge bowie knife he can accomplish all sorts of things. Its obvious he has skills and I've seen some stuff I want to try.
Like boiling water as a purification process in a plastic water bottle above a camp fire.
Like using steel wool and 9 volt battery to start a fire. I tried the Grade 3 Steel wool, it didn't work, even with a new battery. I'm thinking I need the fine 000 grade. Not like this is something I would normally have on me, but any survival skill is worth knowing.
I'd like to also practice with the fire bundle: carrying a live coal in a dry but rotted log, pampering the coal during the journey for the evening fire in a new location.
But what gets me is how clean they stay, not a smudge on them after making campfires, trudging around in the desert or swamp, hunting, killing and gutting creatures. She wears a white jacket and her nails are never dirty. Yet they'll say "we've been out here three days". Seriously folks, if you want some credibility, make it a little more believable. Get dirty. Wake up from the parachute hammock with your hair messed up. Let me see a smudge on your face and your nails with dirt under them. Lose a button, or get a small tear in your pants.
Even car campers get dirty and there's no way a white shirt or jacket is going to look that good after one night, let alone 3 days in the boonies surviving the elements with no soap and water.
Its a series with potential however, so I'm going to watch it and learn by trying some of the skills in my wilderness adventures. I'll post here what happens, the good, bad, and the ugly.
This new series Discovery is showing, though, has me baffled. We have this really good looking couple out surviving for several days at a time. She has a British accent and he is a calm and collected American. With a huge bowie knife he can accomplish all sorts of things. Its obvious he has skills and I've seen some stuff I want to try.
Like boiling water as a purification process in a plastic water bottle above a camp fire.
Like using steel wool and 9 volt battery to start a fire. I tried the Grade 3 Steel wool, it didn't work, even with a new battery. I'm thinking I need the fine 000 grade. Not like this is something I would normally have on me, but any survival skill is worth knowing.
I'd like to also practice with the fire bundle: carrying a live coal in a dry but rotted log, pampering the coal during the journey for the evening fire in a new location.
But what gets me is how clean they stay, not a smudge on them after making campfires, trudging around in the desert or swamp, hunting, killing and gutting creatures. She wears a white jacket and her nails are never dirty. Yet they'll say "we've been out here three days". Seriously folks, if you want some credibility, make it a little more believable. Get dirty. Wake up from the parachute hammock with your hair messed up. Let me see a smudge on your face and your nails with dirt under them. Lose a button, or get a small tear in your pants.
Even car campers get dirty and there's no way a white shirt or jacket is going to look that good after one night, let alone 3 days in the boonies surviving the elements with no soap and water.
Its a series with potential however, so I'm going to watch it and learn by trying some of the skills in my wilderness adventures. I'll post here what happens, the good, bad, and the ugly.
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