Television for Backpackers
Backpackers don't have many television shows produced with
them in mind. Still, there are some shows that can be appreciated
especially by backpackers. They even contain some useful lessons.
Here are a few examples of the best.
National Geographic Specials
The specials produced by the National Geographic Society are
great viewing for getting you motivated to plan new backpacking
trips. The older ones are some of the best for this, like the
thirty-year-old episode where four guys built a raft and floated
down the Yukon River. You can find many of these on DVD now in
public libraries, as well as in some video rental stores. You
can se newer episodes on the National Geographic Network and
occasionally on PBS.
Survivorman
This is a television program about wilderness survival. It
can be seen on the Discovery Channel, and the Science Channel
(and possibly others). The show is about one man against the
elements. The man in this case is Les Stroud, who is put in various
environments to survive for seven days while filming himself.
One feature of Survivorman is that each show has a "theme."
The Canadian arctic episode, for example, has Stroud left with
a broken-down snowmobile. He cannibalizes this various useful
items, including the seat cushion, which he uses for a insulating
sleeping pad. The Sonoran desert episode has him in the middle
of a desert with a broken dirt bike, and he uses wires from this
to weave a blanket of grass.
It is creative and entertaining, but is a survival show useful
for backpackers? I think so. There are the specific techniques
of survival that Stroud shows us. In addition to that, though,
is the inspiration the show provides. Survivorman lets you know
that you can survive - and it gets you in the habit of thinking
about how to use everything around you. This is knowledge that
not only makes the wilderness more interesting, but could also
save your life someday.
I Shouldn't Be Alive
This show is a pure survival story show. These are true stories
of people that have survived some of the most horrible circumstances
in every type of wilderness. In one episode the story is told
of a couple who were stranded for nine days in the middle of
winter in the Sierra Nevadas - with a baby. They really shouldn't
be alive, but they are.
That is the point of watching a show like this. It is inspiring.
Watch the episode where the man crashes his plane in the African
desert and breaks his spine, then faces killer elephants, ants,
thorns, hyenas and more. If you are ever lost in the wilderness,
just recall a few of these shows and you'll know that people
have survived worse situations than yours. You won't give up
hope too easily.
"Reality shows," like survivor, are drama and more
about political survival than wilderness, but there are other
things for backpackers to watch on television. These include
movies that get us motivated, like the "White Wolf,"
series. Movies like these may not be full of great acting, but
they always put teenage hikers in beautiful setting that make
us want to get the pack out and start making plans.
Finally, if you can catch it on television or rent it from
the video store, watch "The Edge," with Anthony Hopkins.
It is an inspirational survival story for starters. It also has
some of the most beautiful scenery you'll see in a movie. You'll
want to start planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies before
the movie is even over. This one is great backpacker television.
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