Life below zero

[Tybee]

Anyone else watch this show on Netflix (or cable I guess if you have cable)? I've become weirdly obsessed with it but I did use the sled dog guy's ideas in making dog food last week, and I want to try the fire starter out of stick and string-- it is extremely cool.

It's kind of boring and repetitive, but it's really fun to watch people make things out of their environment and cope with a very harsh winter.

[bae]

... I want to try the fire starter out of stick and string-- it is extremely cool.

1) This and other friction methods of fire starting are best learned and practiced well before you need to use them in the field.
2) Knowing your local resources is crucial - some wood works *much* better than others for this approach. It's nearly impossible with the wrong materials
3) Proper tinder is your friend.
4) Preparation of the various sizes/types of kindling cannot be slacked on
5) If you are having to do this *for real*, make sure you also know how to carry/move your fire
6) Fomes fomentarius is the best thing ever - learn how to recognize, harvest, and prepare it

[Tybee]

Thank you, Bae, they are using birchbark? (which we do have here) Not sure what the stick is made of, but the tinder is birchbark.

[ToomuchStuff]

I did a quick search based on the title, as I thought this was in relation to one of the books that are on my get and read list.
Based on a less then 10 second Google search, it appears one of the people being filmed, is suing the company for putting them in dangerous situations for the purpose of drama. (aka reality tv)

The two books I want to read are based on real events:
81 Days Below Zero: The incredible Survival story of a WWII pilot in Alaska's frozen wilderness
Frozen in Time: an epic story of survival and the lost hero's of WWII

That doesn't mean you can't learn something from the show, but the knowledge may suit you better then the entertainment.

[Tybee]

So far, I have gotten ideas about making dogfood, how I might want to design my new greenhouse, and the firestarting thing. Other than that, the show makes me glad I do not live in Alaska, and it seems a little silly. I don't want to ever trap animals or tan seal hide, but it's always interesting to see how people live in harsh environments. The people seem kind of off, except for the folks born there, but I am not a winter person.

[Rogar]

I've watch quite a few episodes and think it's pretty entertaining. My favorite characters are the Hailstone husband and wife who seem to live on little more than subsistence hunting and fishing, but work as a team and always are cheerful. It's all a pretty simple living theme and a lesson in knowing were your food comes from. I think some of it is staged and I've picked up on a few small technical errors, but it's well done for a reality show. I could not physically tolerate the cold and hard labor, but the solitude and landscapes are thought inspiring.

[Tybee]

The landscapes are too die for, apparently literally, Rogar! I like the Hailstones, too. The seal vest that she made for her cousin--those buttons that her other cousin carved, the little seals--they were like netsuke! That was really beautiful, although the thought of killing the seals is disturbing. Yet they used absolutely everything, and in like 4 days or something, she had created this piece of wearable art. That was amazing. I thought it was so cool that he gathered alder bark to tan the hide, and that it turned it that color--but I am very into fabric and natural dies.