Alone in the Wild: Survival Experiment or Psychological Trap?

On July 3, adventurer-filmmaker Ed Wardle was dropped off by floatplane on a remote lake in the Yukon and left alone. For 90 days. He is not a survival expert. He had never even seen a bear, let alone a hungry grizzly, which is how they were when he arrived. “It’s going to be huge physical challenge,” says the 37-year-old Scotsman. “But it's also going to be a big psychological adventure, too. An exploration of the wilderness within, if you will.” But don’t let the modesty fool you. Wardle is a two-time Everest summiteer. He also filmed hardcore Norwegian explorer Rune Gjeldnes's trek to the North Pole and grew up skinning rabbits on a farm in northeastern Scotland. “People are going to appreciate the reality of it, if they believe it,” says Wardle. “I don’t have a hotel room around the corner.”

Fully unsupported with just meager rations mainly of rice, oats, and two kinds of oil, Wardle will be completely on his own, filming his exploits for the forthcoming National Geographic Channel reality TV series Alone in the Wild. To diversify Wardle's filming capabilities, the crew developed two custom camera rigs: one that attaches to a pole in his backpack; the other, a “follow-me” camera that can be mounted to a tree to track Wardle’s movements.

While the ace cameraman is not a survival sage, Wardle did cram before this ultimate wilderness test. Prior to departure he met with a bear behavior expert, a foraging specialist, and a First Nations elder. The psychologist he consulted called the plan “psychologically dangerous” and advised against being alone without human contact for such a long time. Wardle took note, but the prospects of "going bushy," a Canadian term used for folks who have been alone in the wilderness too long, is probably unavoidable. “I don’t know enough to understand if I should be afraid or not. It’s like diving into a beautiful lake, thinking about diving in for a swim, and someone coming up behind you saying, ‘It’s full of crocodiles.”

Watch the experiment unfold with video dispatches at channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/alone-in-the-wild/. Then tune in for the TV series on the National Geographic Channel starting on July 26 (see the schedule online). Wardle is also posting daily tweets and filing his GPS locations with a SPOT Satellite Messenger.

Comments

[jen]

I'm from alaska and think this guy is a pussy. Really...is this good tv...watching some grown man cry. Get a grip buddy. And next time get a real alaskan to do this show.

[andy preece]

great programm, well done

[paul]

Chris McCandless ? you kidding me right ? have you read the book ? he was a retard. anybody who has ever lived in the area like Alaska would tell you that.
are you writing for NGA? plsease stop.

[Hiking Lady]

Looks like this will be an interesting show! Best of luck to you Ed!

[Mary Anne Potts]

Hi Paul,

I know what you mean. There are plenty of survival shows - why do we need another?

However, I think this one is different because Ed is going to be examining how you deal with being utterly alone in the most rugged of wildernesses. He's an articulate guy, so it should be interesting. I think we must not overlook the danger aspects, either. There are numerous (and famous) examples of people dying in the wilderness - Chris McCandless, for one. Of course, Ed grew up in the outdoors and has proven himself on several difficult expeditions. He's also met the right experts to have an understanding of some of the risks. Still, there are many unknowns. We wish him the best!

[paul]

The "psychological " aspect of surviving is knowing that soner or later you 'll be ok. He knows that in 30 days it will be over.He knows, nothing bad will happen. Lack of food, cold,other "dangers" ? C'mon! Hven't we seen enough of those "Survival Experiments" ?