S04.E04: The Last Mile

[Drogo]

Desperate hikers struggle to make the final push to their teammates; and exhaustion leads a participant into the path of a predator and a dangerous confrontation.

[PaperTree]

Dead spider, heh,  Brooke building a better bed.  Of course!

That terrain is ferocious.

The slug bros.  More hiking boredom.  Almost another injury tap out.  Oy.

The producers really underestimated the difficulty of this hiking "twist".  10 miles is just way too far in those conditions.

We did not need the education on the uses of moss, thank you.

Why was Sam dragging an ax through the cold jungle!?!?  I'm not sure even a machete would work in that mess.

I couldn't stand being cold and wet all the time.  Then there's a cougar sizing you up for dinner.

That boat frame looks way too small dude.

Good score on the netting Brooke, and then Dave arrives.  It doesn't matter where his voice is coming from, just keep yelling.  Bang on your pot!

They look good for the win.

Glad Axeless Sam got to Dad.  9 days.  Damn.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, PaperTree said:

We did not need the education on the uses of moss, thank you.

That started off gross, but by the end of his explanation I thought it was funny.

[LittleIggy]

Dave was really impressed by the shelter Brooke made (as he should be). What kind of shelter did Sam's dad build?

[holly4755]

I cracked up when dave said indoor fire... women. I do believe it was a joyous thing. So one person still out there and nothing of the already there couple? or did I miss it. 

[GreyBunny]

I couldn't help but almost laugh when the hikers kept talking about the palatial shelters and gourmet meals they wanted their partners to have ready for them, then they'd cut to the campers who were just as wet and miserable and starving as they are. Brooke is the only one who has really pulled it off, even the flotsam gods seem to favor her.

[roamyn]

Well, there goes Sam & Pete as my pick for the win.

PaperTree is right.  Why was Sam lugging around that heavy axe?  

I already knew the settlers & natives choices for natural TP, I did not need one of the gross brothers telling me abt his bowel movements - or lack thereof.

The other brother, who I don't find as arrogant, took a huge chance confronting that animal in the dark.

Dave & Brooke's reunion was a joy to watch.

[rmontro]

Nice reunion scene with Dave and Brooke, it looks like they have a good energy together.  Brooke showed how to welcome a hiker into camp.  The only thing that could have been better was a three course dinner.  Great find in that netting with all the floats.

I was a little disappointed we didn't get the scene yet where Sam tells his dad he lost the axe, lol.  Sam and Pete are not looking good.  It looks like the dad has been barely scraping by, so unless Sam is the genius survivalist in this pair, I think they're going to be in trouble.  Of course, this show has misled us before when it comes to how much food they are actually eating.

The cougar scene was interesting, although I don't know what the recommended strategy is for confronting cougars.  I'm not sure if he was trying to scare it off like a bear, or trying to pump his adrenaline up for a final fight.

Maybe I'm being too skeptical, but my gut feeling is that boat never makes a proper voyage.

[ProfCrash]

So some folks made it to their partners, yeah! Brooke and Dave are going to be good. The soap is making more sense now, they knew how lame the competition was and figured they could take the time to stay nice and clean while roughing it for a few weeks. I love that Dave appreciated the shelter and how well it was constructed.

Why was Sam carrying the axe? Pete needed it for building a shelter and it probably weighed a good amount. Not to mention that it probably was an awkward carry, which is probably how it ended up being lost.

The brothers are boring enough that I don't remember either one of theirs names.

[AZChristian]

Sam was building a fire for his overnight camp, and Pete couldn't get a fire started at his stationary spot on the beach.  Looks like Pete needs Sam a lot more than Sam needs Pete.

Brooke sure seems to know what she's doing out there.  Glad Dave finally found her.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

So some folks made it to their partners, yeah! Brooke and Dave are going to be good. The soap is making more sense now, they knew how lame the competition was and figured they could take the time to stay nice and clean while roughing it for a few weeks. I love that Dave appreciated the shelter and how well it was constructed.

Interesting that they made such a point of saying how much Dave stunk, and how putrid his black shirt was.  Given the fact that they had chosen the soap item, I'm thinking that's a deliberate editing choice?

Maybe they can get an advertising deal with Zest after all this is over.

Edited July 7, 2017 by rmontro

[Subrookie]

I'm over the hiking. The camera work is dizzying and I feel like I'm watching the show through foggy goggles. Although I'm glad they made it hard if this is the direction the show wanted to go for this season, it shouldn't be an easy thing for them to do. Did the brother really think he could throw a stick and kill a grouse? That was ridiculous. RIP GoPro.

IMO it's also taking away some of the luster of the show hearing people constantly saying how they can't wait until their partner shows up. I like some of the "team" aspects of this season but everytime I hear that it reminds me of how much I liked the other seasons better than this one. 

I did appreciate the one brother mentioning that people used to have to do what they're doing as a lifestyle a century or more ago. When you see someone struggling to live like this you respect people like Jim Bridger and other early explorers/trappers/voyagers more. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Subrookie

[Quilt Fairy]

9 hours ago, holly4755 said:

nothing of the already there couple? or did I miss it. 

Nope, nothing of the swamp Bros.

4 hours ago, rmontro said:

 It looks like the dad has been barely scraping by, so unless Sam is the genius survivalist in this pair, I think they're going to be in trouble.  Of course, this show has misled us before when it comes to how much food they are actually eating.

 There was no mention of what food Brooke has found, but both of the other 2 campers we saw said they were literally starving and hadn't caught any fish for days.  If someone has a "bad cove" or "bad spot" it's going to be twice as bad when there are 2 of them trying to sustain themselves off of it.  Or does the presence of a partner double the ingenuity used to find food?

[Whyyouneedaname]

has anyone made a guess at how long they will last? I'm guessing 45 days, not sure why but it doesn't seem to me like they will last near as long as the previous contestants.

[humbleopinion]

Notice how Brooke isn't mentioning being hungry.

Hard Side eyeing how wonderful her drop site is compared to the Baird and Brockdorff drop off sites.

She has:

Meadows, flat areas to build a camp

Sunshine

Dry wood conveniently laying around for building her shelter and burning

Food sources to be revealed

Fresh water so clean she drank out of it

Rocky beach like pastor Dave had when he finally learned how to catch fish with multiple poles.

[Charlesman]

4 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

Notice how Brooke isn't mentioning being hungry.

Hard Side eyeing how wonderful her drop site is compared to the Baird and Brockdorff drop off sites.

She has:

Meadows, flat areas to build a camp

Sunshine

Dry wood conveniently laying around for building her shelter and burning

Food sources to be revealed

Fresh water so clean she drank out of it

Rocky beach like pastor Dave had when he finally learned how to catch fish with multiple poles.

 

She also, apparently, has more predators to deal with. Not sure if it's quite as equalizing, but it is something in the con column.

[Tighthead]

I feel like we don't really have a good idea of what people's food situation is. Ultimately this show is about finding food and accepting starvation. Bushcraft is fun to watch, but it doesn't really carry the day in most instances. Alan won with a very simple shelter and just basically waited everyone out.  Dave and Larry had shelters that were effective but hardly elaborate.  

The Baird brother building the boat seemed like a waste of time and energy. Try moving your gill net. 

I think the amaryland father/son may have the best fishing ground, but again we haven't seen much. I think this series is going to wrap up sooner - maybe 35-45 days. You know need to feed two people who are starving.   You get the benefit of an extra set of hands but if you are both in calorie deprivation that is a double edged sword. Plus the hikers are arriving exhausted and beaten down, and the rations are smaller this year. 

[simplyme]

We've also seen Brooke explore and use more of her camp area. I don't really know what all is in the Baird and Brockdorff areas because they haven't done as much. Sam noted kelps and algae just as he was walking into the Brockdorff area. His father seemed to be sitting around eyeing bear scat most of the time. The Baird brother seemed overly focused on limpets and his gill net, and since he talked big about his limpet knife the first time he went to use it (oops, fail), I kind of think he might not be able to find his own rear end with both hands some days. Building a boat from branches and a tarp with what I've seen of his skills looks like a huge waste of time and energy where he could be foraging and stashing wood to dry out instead.

I'm glad someone else laughed as hard as I did at the other Baird brother throwing a stick at the grouse. Just save your energy, you idgit. I also am not sure if there actually was a cougar there. There could have been, or he could have been overly paranoid, or he could have used the scat he saw earlier to play for the cameras.

I like Brooke and Dave together.

[ProfCrash]

I'll be shocked if this goes longer then 45 days. We have four teams left and it has only been two weeks? Of the four remaining teams, one does not have an ax, so building a shelter is going to be a challenge. Doable but a challenge. Two of the four remaining teams have people complaining about food and the lack of it.

I have not spent a lot of time comparing sites but Brooke does seem to have a good site although she has had to contend with a wolf in her area. I am with Charlesman on this, the predator that has been by to check her out at least twice is a con.

I don't know that we have seen enough of the other sites to be able to say that Brook has a great site. She has shown us were she is, the others have not. It could be that they are in a similar location and have not shown us or they are near similar locations and have not found it yet. We have not seen anyone struggle with water, so I am assuming that they are all fine for water. I think we would have seen people complaining about lack of water if that was a huge issue. We know that there was a lot of water issues in the first season so it would be covered if it was a problem. We did not hear the hikers complaining about water and we have not seen any of the campers worry about water, so I am assuming that water is not an issue.

The Dad is waiting on his son to build the shelter but seems to be in a good place with his temporary shelter. He has a tarp strung between two trees in what appears to be a flat area. Maybe he is waiting for the ax to start building something more permanent. But the location for his temporary shelter looks to be just fine.

The site with the gill net seems to be ok. The net was productive for a few days. It probably needs to be moved to a different location.

I would guess that Brooke is the most willing to film and is filming far more of what she is doing and were she is living then the other participants. We are seeing her build a shelter because she has built a shelter. She has built walls, a floor, a raised bed and an indoor fireplace. The Dad has said he is not building a shelter until his son in there. The others do not seem to have invested time in the shelter. Brooke showed us the meadow because she wanted to do her whole introduction to the animals and nature in general. She is a lot more theatrical then the others so far.

Brooke has a fair amount to show us, the others don't seem to have as much to show. They might not be filming as much because they don't have much to show. Or they are filming a lot and there is not much to show for it.

(shrugs)

I doubt that she has been given a much better site, I think she has done more with what she has.

[rmontro]

40 minutes ago, Tighthead said:

The Baird brother building the boat seemed like a waste of time and energy. Try moving your gill net. 

Next season, instead of hikers and campers, there will be boat builders and campers.  One partner has to build a boat and then float it down the coast to find his camper.  (Insert mischievous emoticon here).

 

20 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I would guess that Brooke is the most willing to film and is filming far more of what she is doing and were she is living then the other participants. We are seeing her build a shelter because she has built a shelter. She has built walls, a floor, a raised bed and an indoor fireplace. The Dad has said he is not building a shelter until his son in there. The others do not seem to have invested time in the shelter. Brooke showed us the meadow because she wanted to do her whole introduction to the animals and nature in general. She is a lot more theatrical then the others so far.

Brooke might have gotten the best spot, but I don't trust the editing or the filmers enough to say for sure.  Like you say, she may just be more efficient about filming, building shelters, and practically everything.

[Charlesman]

It was funny, I noticed that all season the map dots of each person were far away, even though the hiker was (presumably) getting closer.

 

Now, right before they finally meet, the two pictures on the map were right next to each other. Kind of spoiled the scene! If they were going to do this, they should have been updating the hiker's dot the whole time, showing progress. Otherwise, just leave it. But spoiling the surprise reunion was kinda silly.

[ramble]

Sigh. This is boring. Hike and complain. Miss your partner and complain. Where are the interesting shelters and odd things being worked on? The lady building the bed was as close as it got. Where is the realization that it's just you, alone, dealing with survival? Oh right, it's not. This damn show needs to be renamed. There is no alone when you are not alone. I'm so disappointed in this season is so far. I'd be willing for TPTB to give true alone participants some basic sustenance if they would go back to actually being alone. I find myself paying less and less attention when this show is on and I used to watch it with such intent, cutting out the usual distractions. Sigh. 

[roamyn]

4 hours ago, rmontro said:

Next season, instead of hikers and campers, there will be boat builders and campers.  One partner has to build a boat and then float it down the coast to find his camper.  (Insert mischievous emoticon here).

As long as we don't have to watch the building of Jose's Folly II for a month!

[cooksdelight]

Seeing the spider on the thumb of the glove made me laugh, because he wasn't that big. But if one were crawling over my face it wouldn't matter.

When Dave was crossing the river, did you notice all that nasty foam? That's the water Brooke is drinking .. unboiled. I'm waiting for her stomach or intestines to start telling her how unhappy they are. They are both still playing to the camera too much for my liking, but that's probably just me.

I kept thinking the redheaded brother who's hiking is walking around in circles. Anyone else? He's gone through 5 lbs of food already??

That boat won't float. Right as he was describing how he was going to build it, the subtitle thingy said how most people made canoes out of logs. Right after I'd yelled "Dude! Cut down a tree and float it!!"

These "survival experts" are letting me down. I still think they should put ten homeless people out there and watch the amazing things they do to live day to day.

[simplyme]

I'm not sure what thread it was in, but there was a theory that contestants couldn't split the food between the two members of the team. I was rereading the Gear List and noted the following:

* Participants may only choose up to 2 Food items each

So if they didn't change that, each person could in theory have up to two items (to a total of four for the team), and the food apparently can be split so long as no contestant has more than two total (or goes over their five items, presumably.)

The more I've thought about soap, the better idea it seems in case someone gets a small cut or irritation. One of the risks for getting pulled would be an infection, and being able to clean an injured area with soap and water would certainly help. Think of how easy it must be to scrape up your hands out there, and how difficult it would be once you did to effectively clean them... So looking at the soap that way, it was a fairly practical item to me if you saved it to be used in that manner.

[roamyn]

I forgot abt that spider.

I would've tapped right then & there.  And all the contestants would've heard me screaming.  I can deal w/snakes, but I detest and am scared of, creepy crawly things.

[Quilt Fairy]

Has Brooke filmed herself actually scooping water out of the stream and drinking it unboiled?  Because I have the feeling that she is using the coffee pot to scoop water, then boils it and drinks it right from the pot after it cools. 

[Subrookie]

10 hours ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

has anyone made a guess at how long they will last? I'm guessing 45 days, not sure why but it doesn't seem to me like they will last near as long as the previous contestants.

They're 5 episodes in to the season. I doubt they'll have more than 10 episodes so I'm worried the last half of the season will be anticlimactic. 

I watch Naked and Afraid and one of my peeves on that show is that they skip over 5-7 days sometimes. They're something like 9 days and 5 episodes into this season and have lost half the teams. I don't think this will go long or they'll do what N&A does. 

[rainsmom]

Sigh. That spider was a common orb spider -- we call them barn spiders. They're gentle, harmless, and would have eaten a ton of bugs if she had released it to build a web close by. They don't really leave their webs (except to hide nearby to safely digest after a meal). Likely Brooke brought it in on something, and it was just looking for the door. (Can you tell those are my favorites? I would have been startled if it was crawling on me, but I wouldn't have killed it.)

Like simplyme, I don't believe there was a cougar -- or any other animal. We didn't hear anything run away. I think he was hallucinating.

Count me in among those who are bored by this season.

[Subrookie]

Count me in on being completely skeptical about the Cougar being real. We never saw anything and from personal experience I once had a bear come in my camp one night in Ontario. He was less than 15 feet away. I guarantee you freak out for a second. Last thing you'd think of is to grab a camera. Bet you'd look for a knife, axe or something sharp first. 

[TVbitch]

I am not nearly invested this season as previous seasons. One of the things about when they are ALONE is that they kind of become yours. You get to know them more thoroughly and intimately, because it's just them and you. 

With the teams, they are always talking about their family member (and now interacting with their family member), and I'm not really getting to know them, I'm just observing their relationship. Usually by this point in a season, I will be aware of the contestants basic psychology and emotional patterns and thought processes and be keyed in on their vulnerabilities and strengths and why they may or may not last. Totally missing that intimacy here. 

[cooksdelight]

7 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Has Brooke filmed herself actually scooping water out of the stream and drinking it unboiled?  Because I have the feeling that she is using the coffee pot to scoop water, then boils it and drinks it right from the pot after it cools. 

In the beginning, first day or so, she was drinking straight from the stream. Hopefully, she had her own bathroom episode and started boiling it.

[Chit Chat]

On ‎7‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 2:11 AM, holly4755 said:

I cracked up when dave said indoor fire... women.

I believe he said "that's a woman!"  He was impressed. 

I'm with those who are beginning to think that some of these pairs couldn't make it as individuals.  As for Brooke,  I don't see it as her getting the "best spot," but rather she  worked her ass off making what she has the best she can.  Her shelter is on a slope, so she fixed it.  A spider crawled on her, she raises her bed.  She's a problem solver, not a whiner.   I think that we haven't seen anybody else's shelter because they don't have anything to show.  I'm sure the hikers who got to base camp where very little was done weren't too happy with their partner.  I'd be pissed to know that I just trekked through hell to end up with no reward at the end.  The one guy thinks his brother will have some deer meat waiting on him.   Boy is he going to be disappointed!

[Liberty]

14 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

..I'm sure the hikers who got to base camp where very little was done weren't too happy with their partner.  I'd be pissed to know that I just trekked through hell to end up with no reward at the end.  The one guy thinks his brother will have some deer meat waiting on him.   Boy is he going to be disappointed!

Totally agree with this.  Seems difficult for the campers to know when the hikers would arrive.  Personally would not have thought it would take this many days to hike 10 miles.

[Chit Chat]

I think that some of the ones at base camp were waiting on their partner so they could build their shelter together, but as you said Liberty, they had no idea it would take them that long.  They had no clue how far from camp they were when they were dropped off.    After a couple of days though, the ones at camp really should've been more pro-active like Brooke was and at least had a basic shelter in place, not just a tarp strung up!  Brooke had a palace compared to the others!  She worked diligently everyday - slow and steady wins the race! 

[ClareWalks]

The bar of soap is looking better and better. When Dave talked about how filthy and stinky his shirt was, it really made me think about the psychological benefit of being able to wash your clothes and your body. At least you wouldn't feel like you're marinading in your own filth.

[cooksdelight]

He should list that black shirt on ebay.

[rmontro]

12 hours ago, simplyme said:

The more I've thought about soap, the better idea it seems in case someone gets a small cut or irritation. One of the risks for getting pulled would be an infection, and being able to clean an injured area with soap and water would certainly help. Think of how easy it must be to scrape up your hands out there, and how difficult it would be once you did to effectively clean them... So looking at the soap that way, it was a fairly practical item to me if you saved it to be used in that manner.

Great point about the soap, it can be used to avoid infection.  On the other hand, the have a first aid medical kit. Surely there must be something in there to cleanse a wound with.

Regarding the food rations, I've said before it would be nice if the camper would have a nice meal ready to go for the hiker.  But if the hiker is the only one carrying the rations, it occurs to me that the camper might be looking forward to the hiker bringing him a little rice to eat (or whatever it is).  Only to be disappointed by the hiker saying "Sorry, dude, I ate the last of it two days ago" lol.

From what you're saying, I guess it sounds like they could pick two food items for rations, and then they could each take one of them.  But then that counts for two of their ten items.

[Jeanne222]

I'm not so sure Brooke got the best site.  Maybe she's the best at knowing what to do with what she has.

She has worked hard at building what they now have.  She really knows her berries and plants and I'm hoping with the netting they will be eating lots..soon.

Brooke has always been my vote for the win.   Carleigh should have won last year.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:

Carleigh should have won last year.

I agree, or at least not have gotten pulled when she did.  Have you seen this page from Etsy?  https://www.etsy.com/no-en/people/CedarDiva

Somebody also set up a Go Fund Me page for her.  It's up to around $7300.  

10 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

When Dave talked about how filthy and stinky his shirt was, it really made me think about the psychological benefit of being able to wash your clothes and your body.

I know that they got a lot of criticism for choosing a bar of soap, but I thought it was a pretty good idea.  They know what they need, so if, after carefully looking over all of their options of supplies to take they can forego something else for a bar of soap, why not?  Being clean does tend to boost one's morale.  From the looks of it, Brooke is making it just fine with what she's got.  I hope that this continues since they're off to a good start.  

Edited July 9, 2017 by ChitChat

[Jeanne222]

I'm not sure how it works out man vs woman.  On one hand the man weighs more so he needs more food.  On the other hand Brooke or Carleigh losing 25 lbs is huge.  I think one has to have an advantage there but I have no idea which one. 

Thanks for the link.  I'll take a look at the gfm page.  If I can find it. 

[rmontro]

45 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I agree, or at least not have gotten pulled when she did.  Have you seen this page from Etsy?  https://www.etsy.com/no-en/people/CedarDiva

That's pretty cool.  Didn't Carleigh make some sort of basket when she was on Alone?  I seem to recall being impressed by it.

Regarding the soap, I have no problem with it if that's what they want.  I just think one bar of soap isn't going to go very far between two people.  It would be better if they had a pack of four.  Looks like the old Saturday night baths for awhile. 

[Stoned]

On 7/7/2017 at 5:45 PM, ramble said:

I find myself paying less and less attention when this show is on and I used to watch it with such intent, cutting out the usual distractions. Sigh. 

Hear,hear.The previous seasons had Me glued to the TV,but this season is like background noise when I'm on the pc,or other things..

[dustoffmom]

2 hours ago, Stoned said:

Hear,hear.The previous seasons had Me glued to the TV,but this season is like background noise when I'm on the pc,or other things..

Absolutely.  In past seasons, Alone was one of  only 1 or 2 programs I actually watched in real time.  I didn't even wait for the DVR to finish recording.  And I record everything first, even the darn six o'clock news!  This year, for example, here it is Sunday morning and I have yet to watch this week's airing.  

[Chit Chat]

Hopefully things will get better now with most of the hikers now at base camp.  I've been bored with the hiking aspect.  So much so that I find myself wondering if the episode is almost over when sometimes we're only halfway through it.  

[Canada]

45 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Hopefully things will get better now with most of the hikers now at base camp.  I've been bored with the hiking aspect.  So much so that I find myself wondering if the episode is almost over when sometimes we're only halfway through it.  

I thought that would happen with me.  But in this episode, where we finally had multiple reunions, I felt it was the most boring episode so far.  At the end, my first thought was "nothing happened in that episode".  I really do hope that it picks up next week.

[Jeanne222]

Funny how we all see things differently.  I have now watched each of the four episodes two times from season 4.  I am holding my breath til this week when #5 airs.

I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas.  Team Brooke all the way!!!

[rmontro]

10 hours ago, Stoned said:

Hear,hear.The previous seasons had Me glued to the TV,but this season is like background noise when I'm on the pc,or other things..

It's interesting to hear that someone else uses the TV as background noise.  When I grew up, my family always had the TV on, whether anyone was watching it or not.  As a result, I notice I do the same thing.  If I'm not watching it, I use it for background noise.  A friend of mine always has music playing, but I find that gets on my nerves after awhile - it's too distracting.  But he hates television, so to each his own, I guess.  I do still watch Alone without distractions, however.

[GreyBunny]

The scene I want to see:

Pete: I'm going to wait for my son to show up before building a shelter.

Sam: Dad, I lost the axe.

[cooksdelight]

If it makes any of you feel better, I have fallen asleep during the past two episodes. I watch them the next day. After two tall cups of coffee.