This was my first look at this recently-produced television series that was on the Discover Science Channel, and I wasn't impressed. However, I am going to assume I ran into a poor episode. I would think the others had to be more lively than this one.
Nothing much happens the whole time our host, Les Stroud, is in Alaska. He's dropped off and has to fend for himself for a week with just his kayak, some television cameras to record the adventure and some basic clothing and tools, like a knife.
The only thing really worth watching was the nice scenery. Alaska is spectacular, but we only see two areas in here. This is almost like a Boy Scout survival movie in which we learn how to make a fire and use rocks for added warmth; how to make something to catch fish from materials that are washed up on shore, and how to make a shelter.
Stroud, who seems like a good guy and doesn't come across as anyone offensive, doesn't really fare all that well, but he's honest about it. "What can you do, if they aren't biting, as the old fishing expression goes?" he asks. Much of the hour-long program is him lamenting the fact he's not succeeding catch fresh salmon. He does know his grasses and other vegetation and knows what to eat. He also gives some pointers on how to get what other birds and animals leave behind, as they usually don't finish their meals. His shelter almost catches on fire one night, which shakes him up.
I kept expecting a grizzly bear to attack for some kind of suspense or action on this program, but it never happened. Many of the bears in his area are Brown Bears and they wouldn't attack anyone, he points out. Just hold your ground and they will run. "The old cliché, 'They are more afraid of you than you of them' holds true," he tells us.
As a tenderfoot, most of the stuff he said was new information for me, such as "Usually, a good rule-of-thumb is stay put. Also, stay occupied doing something or you could lose your sanity (being alone all day and night every night)."
We also learn a bit about Alaska and its long summer days of sunlight (19 hours), long coastline (34,000 miles of it), how many Bald Eagles reside there, and a few more things.
Well, I hope I got a good meal when they picked him back up on the boat. Honestly, except for a few survival tips, nothing happens on this "adventure" except he gets hungry. When this was over, I grabbed a meal myself. He made me hungry, just talking about it all the time.