Know Your Limits - Man Who Planned Year Long Survival Challenge Found Dead a Month Later

One thing to consider in any survival situation is that you have to know your physical and mental limits. Sure, when it comes down to life or death you may be able to push a little more - or not.

As Dirty Harry said, "A man's gotta know his limitations."

Which brings me to this article, which spurred this thread..

Adventurer who wanted to live like Bear Grylls in Scottish wilderness for a year found dead in less than a month

A man found dead in a remote mountain hut was an adventurer who had planned a year-long Bear Grylls-style survival challenge in the Scottish wilderness.
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In November, Mr Austin had told his family he was heading north to live rough off the land - something for which survival expert Bear Grylls has become famous.
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It is thought Mr Austin had not even taken a mobile phone with him, leaving him entirely at the mercy of the harsh winter.
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Survival school instructor Ian Moran, who teaches extreme survival and bushcraft skills, said it was extremely unlikely anybody could survive a Highland winter out of doors living off the land.

He said: 'It would be a tall order for even the most professional person who calls himself a survivalist. Maybe centuries ago, when Scotland was covered in woodland and teeming with wildlife, but not now.'

He said with key core skills - he teaches rabbit skinning, natural navigation and making rope from nettles -- someone should be able to survive 72 hours before rescue, depending on weather conditions.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Occasionally when I watch Bear Grylls I pick up something useful. Most of the time I sit and I think, "I'd be dead in an hour if I tried to do that..." That's because I'm in nowhere near as good a shape as Bear, I don't have the extent of his training, and I've never had a camera crew with me to back me up if things get shaky.

Know your limits, most of us are not Bear, Les, Dave or Cody. I'm not going to knock all of those shows as I think the do have some value. But, I do think they often paint a more rosy picture of survival situations than is often the case.

He could have lived longer if he tried his adventure in the mountains of the tropics. The temperature is bearable.

He should have done a test run first by pitching a tent in his back yard. Then when things got to be "too much", he could go inside, cook up a pizza, grab a beer, and lay on the couch to watch a game to start strategizing his next attempt...

reply to post by wavemaker


Possibly. He wouldn't have frozen to death certainly. But, the tropics have their own set of dangers - disease, infection, dangerous animals and insects, etc,

Most of the shows follow a simple scenario. The star(s) of the show is stranded somewhere with minimal gear and has to survive long enough to get out or be rescued. Usually a few days or a week at most. That is a far cry from living off the land anywhere on the globe for a year with minimal gear.

hi op

just goes to show even nowadays with tech and what not , u can never be prepared for all scenarios

theres a local free paper posted once a week here in the midlands
and there was a small article saying something like this

a 32 yr old man has now been missing for 3 months
******* has scitzophrenia and thought to have lived of the land these last months
due to his survival training from his grandad...

as far as im aware hes still roughing it in the english countryside
if i find the article il post it
dave

reply to post by Frogs


I agree with you. I was raised in the mountains of Pac-West. My father is a decorated 3 tour vietnam vet, Green Beret and then Special Forces instructor. From as long as I can remember, I am 44 now, every year my father would take me & my brothers up into the mountains and teach us survival techniques.

As I watch all of the survival shows, I see alot of things that my father taught me, but there are alot more that the shows never show. Important things.I also think they paint living in the wild as "rosey". I believe if they showed how dangerous and difficult it really is to live in the wild, without modern tools, most people would be turned off as it takes a special kind of person to survive in such conditions with a natural ability to survive and with a second hand nature of knowledge and respect for the land.

I don't get why someone would be inspired to live of the land after watching some man vs wild shows, it's stupid. As the OP suggested, most the stuff that is shown on the show would get you killed.

Alone? Winter? No phone or way to bail?

No wonder he's dead.

Sure, it sucks for him and his family but christ almighty it doesnt sound like he thought about his endeavor at all.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Alone? Winter? No phone or way to bail?

No wonder he's dead.

Sure, it sucks for him and his family but christ almighty it doesnt sound like he thought about his endeavor at all.

Exactly, he probably thought "If Bear Grylls can do it, i can do it too." It just isn't the case.

Just goes to show that when it's time to bug out, it's most likely gonna be a lot tougher that we ever imagined.

"At least he tried"
"But alas, he died"
Maybe put that on his tombstone.
I applaud the guy for trying regardless of the stupidity of his actions,

He hardly made it a week if he'd been dead for weeks when they found him.
Even in a modern shelter the guy froze to death.
The moors have nothing to make shelter from or to eat.
Last place in the world to try survival skills.
Object lesson for all the wannabes in the world now.

Knowing the area very well, it would seem that he was found in a (disused) wooden railway hut. Rannoch Moor is very exposed - and apart from deer there is almost nothing to eat. It's basically a peat desert. The guy should have started in summer and should have started somewhere a bit more sensible (a coastal location would have made most sense).

And had he done his research, there was a mountain bothy just a few hours walk away where he'd have found much better shelter, an open fire and most likely some food to last at least a few days. Plus, being besides a river with some woodland nearby at least a little more chance of finding 'wild' food.


As an aside, some many years ago I spent 3 months treking on my own through in the Scottish hills in winter - back in the days before mobile phones. But I took money and went to the shops every week or so

reply to post by IronDogg


No, really!!
There is quite a bit of merit to what you said.
If someone needs to live rough, turn off your breaker box, your water line, Etc. and see just how long it takes until you have a craving for mountain dew, twinkies, and hot pockets!
If you find you are not the rough and tumble type, then turn all of the services back on and get to the store in defeat.
You will then know that your idea is not bulletproof as you might think, and the only casualty is your ego.
You can work on a plan and training from there.
Heck, turn off your computer and tell yourself not to use it for 2 days and see what becomes of yourself.
This is why I have redundancy in many fields, especially electric.
Take away my kitchen appliances and see how quick the world finds out who I really am!

Originally posted by daaskapital
I don't get why someone would be inspired to live of the land after watching some man vs wild shows, it's stupid. As the OP suggested, most the stuff that is shown on the show would get you killed.

hi
i can only think
human instincts
some people just are just not born to live in this day and age
and these survival experts like ray mears realy makes me want to go out there and give it a go

Headline should have read : "Stupid man dies alone".

As much as I have sympathy for the man and his family, I have to admit I chuckled a little. Mostly at the arrogant ignorance of some people. Nature is not forgiving. If you're going on a survival trek, go with at least one other person. If you're not experienced, don't go in the middle of the winter.

Again, I extend my sincere condolence to the man's family. This was a tragic outcome.

he's not the only stupid person - i decided to up and camp in the ozarks back in july '09 - w/out communication, transportation (excepting my legs) or protection - i mean i was 16 miles from the nearest town and the spring that was said to be there - wasn't - i was a approximately one mile from water - this was harsh terrain conditions -

about 2 weeks into this stupid idea i finally got some protection - i spent 31 days outside salem, missouri - an adventure - i was lucky to have made it out -

mental health moment over and out!

Incidently, I should point out that the hut pictured in the story is NOT where he was found. It's Corrour bothy in the Cairngorms which is no-where near Corrour railway station on Rannoch Moor.

But that's the Daily Mail for you

What killed this man was his inability to recognize fake survivalism (Bear Grylls) 'as seen on TV' and reality. This faker was bunking down in a motel bed when he was supposedly 'surviving' in the wild.

Discovery's "Wild" man not so brave: report

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Discovery Channel is re-evaluating one of its most popular series, "Man vs. Wild," after allegations surfaced that its survival-expert host was bunking in motels when he was supposed to be braving the great outdoors.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer you are absolutely right - tv is for conditioning - social conditioning - www.nytimes.com... -

since i turned off the t.v. - i do not have as much anxiety and frustration at all the t.v. fakery going on -

www.time.com...
www.highdefdigest.com...

and this gentleman certainly trusted in his "programming" ! WHOOT!