Posted on 08/27/2009 11:31:27 AM PDT by Wardenclyffe
It promised to stretch reality television to the limit: one man pitting his wits against the Yukon wilderness with just a camera for company.
But hopes for an epic three-month contest between man and nature were dashed when adventurer Ed Wardle failed to go the distance.
Seven weeks after striding out into the rugged forests of western Canada armed with a rifle and a fishing rod, Mr Wardle had to be airlifted back to civilisation suffering from starvation.
At first he appeared to be weathering the challenge, despite his lack of survival training.
He had been confident of finding regular food, telling the Daily Mail prior to setting off: "I imagine I have a long future of fish-eating in front of me. It's going to be trout and grayling for 12 weeks."
However, friends following his progress on Twitter - including long-term girlfriend Amanda Murray who lives with him in Islington, North London - became increasingly concerned when he appeared to start losing his grip on reality, hallucinating and talking to insects as starvation set in.
Two weeks ago he tweeted about losing weight rapidly, saying his muscles were 'disappearing'. Most alarming of all, he counted his heartbeat at just 32 beats-per-minute. A healthy range is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
His condition eventually deteriorated so much that he used his emergency satellite telephone to call for help.
Mr Wardle was chosen for the project because of his abilitiy as a cameraman and producer, and his experience of filming in the North Pole and on the summit of Everest.
But he had no specific training for living alone in the remote territory, 80 per cent of which is pristene wilderness.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
John Beyer, Director of Media Watch, said last night: 'If they first of all did not check that Ed Wardle was competent, then that is the height of irresponsibility on the part of Channel 4, to do that merely to provide entertainment for us all back home to watch this man steadily deteriorate.'
Reminds of the movie “Into the Wild.”
Wait a minute, why is that considered a failure? If there was no chance he couldn’t make it, where’s the entertainment? It’s like if you watched “The Biggest Loser” and they all had gastric bypass - where’s the fun if there’s no risk they won’t snap and shove a calzone into their face with the heel of their hands>
A gruesome exploitation of a vulnerable individual.
These TV producers have no conscience.
Two weeks ago he tweeted about losing weight rapidly, saying his muscles were 'disappearing'. Most alarming of all, he counted his heartbeat at just 32 beats-per-minute. A healthy range is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
That's entertaining to some people. Not everyone gets to be Indiana Jones when they grow up.
Exactly.
“Hey, I have all the training I need - I’ve watched every episode of ‘Man vs. Wild’. How hard could it be?”
Jeremiah Johnson he ain’t!
Despite his near death experience, I bet he won’t change his romantic views on primitive living in “pristine wilderness” either.
Reminds me of why some people learn to hunt and fish, others join the protest lines.
And what’s with the tactical shotgun? Nice tough guy touch, but I bet a 22 rifle and a fishing pole would be far more useful. Or if you were really into it, an over-under survival gun with 12 ga shotgun under a light rifle would be cool.
Wasn’t there someone else who tried this and died of starvation? Drove until he ran out of gas in Alaska and then tried to survive. They found his skeleton after the snow melted.
They should've at least given him this great video of the story of Dick Proenneke. A man who went to the Alaskan wilderness and lived there for 30 years. Great true story.
Do not feed the bears!
Might be a little more effective to teach an expert outdoorsman how to operate the camera.
I was thinking the same thing. A .22 with a scope for game, and a big bore revolver for protection.
And what’s with the tactical shotgun? Nice tough guy touch, but I bet a 22 rifle and a fishing pole would be far more useful.
Exactly, (though I'd want a higher caliber rifle myself) and maybe a net for catching those trout in streams also.
The average Brit has an aversion to guns and that might have affected his use of the weapon to kill any furry little creatures
What was that movie back in the 80’s where the wolf researcher concluded that the wolves were living primarily on a diet of mice, not caribou? to prove it, he ate only mice as well
Is there a lesson her for all those who want pristine wilderness to be preserved?
Liberals live in fantasyland. It is only when their nanny0-state government protectors aren’t available to help them that they learn the real lessons from life. If all liberals had to face real life this way, they would all be...
Conservatives.
The guy looks a little overloaded as well. Obviously he doesn’t have a clue, which is why he almost starved.
Easy to understand the “bigger rifle” thing. Loaded with bears up there. If I had to choose rifle then 30-30 lever would do me. But you are going to have trouble taking small game in one piece with any rifle. Hence my desire for a shotgun and birdshot.
After surviving on his own for 7 weeks I think he is fully qualified to whatever view he desires.
From what I could tell he didn't take any food with him, not even mountain man food items.
Never Cry Wolf starring Charles Martin Smith.
Should have learned how to tickle trout before he set off.
Has anyone grown okra and turnip greens up there? They’d do well before the snow. He could have planted a couple of apple trees while he was at it...would have really helped feed him in several years. Jerked bear, reindeer or moose would’ve been a no brainer. I had some squaw jerkey from up there and it was superb.
Rabbit fever....all protein diet of fish an other wild game was equal to going no carb diet at home.
This guy was fit. Maybe ten percent body fat when he started. That an fact as a survivor you’d more than likely stay put waiting for rescue an not exert yourself shy of gathering firewood food an improving your shelter an ground to air signals.
Bears will eat the skin off fish for the fat an leave the meat.
This guy was killing himself with the Atkins diet zero carbs version.
You’d think he’d have done a LITTLE research before diving into this. A ten minute google search would have uncovered these basic wilderness survival/diet facts.
A .22 is no good against a bear that decides you would make a good lunch.
Yep. After 5 weeks break out the reserve jar of peanut butter.
7 weeks still impressive for a stupid person
How does one “tweet” from the wilderness?
That's what roots and berries are for. Brains, organs and livers will do for the fats as well. His choice of a shotgun was idiotic though.
Yep on sources of fat etc
Disagree on the shotgun comment.
.... Slugs / 00 Buck for safety an moose / deer size game an #9 for birds’n bunnies. .
I would have taken a double barrel 12 ga due TWO firing pins vs ONE in pump or semi.
Also would have packed a .22 target grade revolver for game gathering.
But that’s my opinion / experience in the boonies.....:o)
Stay Safe !!!
Sat phone, solar panel an a tough book can let ya tweet/ surf the net from open ocean or most remote regions of land easily.
Have to echo the others - good grief, a high-exercise lifestyle, lots of heat loss, and an all-protein diet? Yeah, you’ll lose weight. All of it, eventually.
Good idea....
With the same predictable results.
Rabbit fever aka tularemia is at or near the top of the differential diagnosis. Muscle atrophy implies he wasn't eating anything. Maybe he ate hallucinogenic plants?
This guy was killing himself with the Atkins diet zero carbs version.
Eskimos, Inuits, etc. seem to have done OK.
Ummm, isn’t there some issue with not getting enough animal fat in your diet that can cause you to starve? That can’t be much fat in “trout and grayling.”
Also, what was he eating to get stuff like vitamin C? You know, that stuff that keeps you from getting scurvy?
i was wondering if i would get that...
Eskimos eat blubber an other fat from seals whales etc.....in addition to.
My fall back to living off the land was always a custom blend of rasins , peanut butter, kayro syrup an chopped nuts we cut up an put in a reuseable toothpaste like tube. That , food gathered along the way an bullion cubes used as salt sources were my long range rations carried.
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