Man vs. Wild“South Dakota”
Original Air Date: September 10, 2008
Jeff P. – Two Cents Staff Writer
jeffp@thetwocentscorp.com
[Photo: Discovery Channel]
Bear Grylls is heading to South Dakota this week. Something tells me that he won’t be visiting Mount Rushmore…
Bear gets dropped on the summit of one of the many mountains in the Black Hills. It starts raining almost immediately. He wants to get to the bottom fast to beat the oncoming thunderstorm. He finds some rubber from a car tire at an abandoned mine that he may use later. The mine has been closed, but he finds a small hole to where the entrance was. He isn’t going IN there, is he? Oh YES he is. He lights a torch and goes right in. He finds some nails that he can use for digging and then climbs out.
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ReplyDelete“South Dakota”
Original Air Date: September 10, 2008
Jeff P. – Two Cents Staff Writer
jeffp@thetwocentscorp.com
Bear Grylls is heading to South Dakota this week. Something tells me that he won’t be visiting Mount Rushmore…
Bear gets dropped on the summit of one of the many mountains in the Black Hills. It starts raining almost immediately. He wants to get to the bottom fast to beat the oncoming thunderstorm. He finds some rubber from a car tire at an abandoned mine that he may use later. The mine has been closed, but he finds a small hole to where the entrance was. He isn’t going IN there, is he? Oh YES he is. He lights a torch and goes right in. He finds some nails that he can use for digging and then climbs out.
He continues to make his way down the mountain and finds a tall pine tree that he can descend on. He finds a stream and wants to boil some water to drink. He shows us a “Four Stick Fire,” which is a clever way to have a quick flame to cook on. He puts 4 sticks in the ground in a square, and then fills in between with many small twigs and sticks. Then he puts a flame underneath and voila, instant tea in his cup.
Later, he finds a river and dives in with a waterfall. Down river, he makes his way out of the Black Hills. It seems he’s heading to the Great Plains. He decides to make camp for the night, before he gets to the Plains. He builds a shelter with some dead wood as the Lakota Indians would, in the shape of a Teepee. Then he finds part of a deer antler with the intention of making a catapult. (A Yank like me would call it a Sling Shot). While he was trying to hit a rabbit, the cameraman spots a Rattlesnake! Bear dispatched it quickly, and this will be his dinner. He shows us a Dakota Fire that is done by digging a hole with two openings. One opening is for the firewood, and the other is for air that fuels the fire. As he starts to cook his dinner, a thunderstorm comes through. Bear tells us that the best way to avoid lightning is to be in a wide-open area. He waits out the storm outside of his shelter.
Before he heads out, he has some Buffalo Grapes and Prairie Turnips for breakfast. Then he makes it to the Great Plains. He reminds us that 10 states are within the plains. In a while, he spots a herd of Bison and shows us how frightening it would be to have a 2000 pound beast running 30 miles per hour would be coming at you. He runs into a dead Bison, but it has rotted through so it will be of no help to him for lunch.
He makes his way to where the Great Plains end, and the Badlands begin. He tells us that there’s a road on the other side of the Badlands, and that’s where he’s heading. He climbs down the ridge and he’s not happy with the terrain. It’s precarious, because you can’t trust the footing. Fortunately he makes it to the bottom. When he starts to see the light of day through the mountains, he cuts up a Juniper bush and makes two picks out of branches. These will help him climb the mountains. He uses them like hooks to make his way up the mountain of clay. He shows us how easy it is to get down by sliding down the other side. He travels through the night, and finally makes it to the road. This is the end of his journey.
I certainly hope that this show can continue to find places in the world that Bear hasn’t traveled. Going to the heartland of the USA was a good idea, being that there haven’t been too many terrains like it to date. This episode was pretty tame for his food selection, compared to other episodes. What did you think? Would this episode be in the Mount Rushmore of episodes? Or, would it be in the Badlands for your ratings? Your thoughts are always appreciated.