[pct-l] The Dark Side of "Survivor Man" & "Man Versus Wild"

[Dcsmith36 at aol.com]

In case you aren't familiar with these Discovery Channel  series, they 
involve "stranding" a survival expert in the wilds somewhere &  filming his 
escape/eventual rescue.  The series are quite entertaining and  informative, but I had 
never considered their dark side until I read the  letter about the 
Survivalist who planned to live in the woods with no food  provisions and minimal 
supplies.
 
Now, this is America and all, but I believe that surviving off  the land is 
intended for people who accidentally find themselves in genuinely  dire 
straights. Lost hikers, airplane crash survivors, escaped kidnap victims  etc...
 
A person who consciously decides to break the law (killing  protected wild 
animals and game out of season without permits or licence) has no  regard for 
wild places, in my opinion, and is to be strongly discouraged from  pursuing 
his/her back to nature fantasy's.
 
We've spent years encouraging the Leave No  Trace ethic, and I can't imagine 
anything further from  this principle than surviving "off the land" - building 
illegal campfires (  uhhh..it's summer dude...forest fire? ), rooting up 
random plants and flowers in  the hope that they are edible, and snaring, 
stabbing, or shooting any piece of  wild protein that crosses his/her path in an 
effort to stave off self-imposed  starvation. 
 
Like I said, I don't begrudge this for any person who needs to  do it to save 
their life, but as a way for people to entertain  themselves or "prove" 
something, no way.
 
I would hate to see this become a fad or rite of  passage, or a kind of 
extreme lightweight backpacking (Look at me! I  hiked the PCT with only a piece of 
flint and a Bowie knife!)
 
Fortunately, living off the land is usually pretty miserable  and there is 
probably  good reason hikers sleep in tents/tarps &  bring their own food - the 
woods suck when you are cold, wet &  starving.
 
Beernuts




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