We’ve hit the second week of History’s Alone season 11 and eight people remain as episode four begins. The temperature’s falling and almost all the remaining survivalists have gotten close to finishing up their shelters.
Episode four checks in with Dusty, Sarah, Timber, William, and Jake. By the time the episode wraps up, one more survivalist has been forced to tap out due to illness.
Dusty – Age 35, Fifty-Six, Arkansas
Day 8, 10:41am – Even though it’s 42 degrees, Dusty’s determined to wash his hair. He uses horsetail ferns and river water to get clean, feeling better after a refreshing bath. He heads off to check his fishing lines, hoping his luck has changed. Fortunately, he reels in his first fish – a decent-sized pike.
Pike has a lot of bones, and Dusty’s not used to eating them. He worries about choking on a bone since emergency help is 45 minutes away.
Day 9, 2:32pm – Dusty works on his “ginormous” smoker, preparing it for whatever he catches or kills. He’s trying to stay busy so that he doesn’t have time to think about his family. So far, he’s been able to handle the isolation. He’s been married for 13 years and says his wife is the best mama in the world.
A short while later, he kills his first-ever grouse but doesn’t get it on camera. Dusty admits it took him a few shots because he was so excited to see the bird. He uses a gaiter to collect the feathers. While he’s working, Dusty admits he’s constantly burping, and his stomach feels off. He doesn’t know what’s wrong and is worried he’s caught Giardia (aka Beaver Fever) from the nearby creek.
He decides to boil the grouse whole, but his stomach pain is getting worse by the minute. Dusty gets lightheaded when he stands up.
Day 10, 3:43pm – Dusty’s been resting since he’s not feeling good. His stomach is burning but he just needs to deal with it. He’s not hungry but doesn’t want to waste his grouse. Dusty’s determined to keep pushing through.
He swallows a few bites, but his stomach is still grumbling. Dusty’s not going out hunting again until his stomach settles. Instead, he goes for a walk hoping to calm his stomach. It doesn’t work and it becomes difficult to walk. He switches off the camera and when he turns it back on, he’s returned to camp.
Dusty confesses he’s been constipated for 10 days, and the burning pain isn’t getting any better. He’s worried about being hospitalized if he remains in the competition, but tapping out is the hardest thing he’s done in his life. Dusty really has no other choice and makes the call.
Every minute feels like an eternity as he waits to be taken out by the crew. His wife told him to come home in one piece, and he’d rather walk out than be carried out. Dusty’s proud he went on this adventure, and it means a lot to him.
William – Age 49, Happy Valley Goose Bay, Labrador
Day 8, 3:19pm – His tiny cabin is nearly complete, sealed off to keep in the heat. He still needs to work on his stove and chimney, and he uses his gaiters as containers to haul mud from the riverbank. William’s gathered rock to use as a shelf on his stove to retain heat. He deliberately chose to build a small shelter since it’s more efficient to keep warm.
7:23pm – He makes a final trip to the river to get more clay and notices a partridge nearby. William didn’t bring a bow as one of his 10 items and instead will use a snare to try and get the bird. Once he’s got it prepared, he spots six grouse and quietly observes one before making his move. He’s close but misses on his first attempt. His next attempt works and he’s able to get the snare around its neck.
William thanks the bird for providing a meal and admits he’s shocked to have seen so many birds in the same area.
He places the bird in one of his food caches and goes back out to grab another one. He’s successful again and cooks the second bird for dinner.
Day 11, 10:21am – William’s in a great mood, nude and relaxing in the sun. He’s been sweating and wants to completely dry off so that he won’t get blisters on his feet. William thinks the sun is uplifting and he likes to spread good vibes.
He heads to his cache to grab a grouse but discovers something has already eaten it. William thinks it was a pine marten. He’ll never use this spot again.
Sarah – Age 48, Skwentna, Alaska
Day 9, 10:13am – Sarah spends part of her morning fishing and then returns to camp to add debris as insulation to her shelter. A Northern Hawk Owl lands nearby and she talks to it, believing it’s a blessing. She talks about the Gwich’in and interpretations of owl visits as Alone informs us Gwich’in hunters believe owls point them to caribou.
Sarah heads off to forage and finds sweetvetch with roots that taste like carrots when cooked. She thinks her foraging skills will take her far, but she’s yet to catch any protein. Fishing’s been unsuccessful and she’s lost nine pounds so far.
She heads toward the lake and hears something in the trees. She spots grouse and takes a shot, striking a spruce grouse with her first arrow. She thanks it for giving its life and calls her first protein a game-changer. Sarah believes this one bird will provide her with a week’s worth of meals. Plus, she’ll use the innards as bait. Sarah owns a fishing lodge and knows she’ll catch a lot of grief if she’s not successful at fishing.
She cooks the bird, happy to have protein and carbs. Her confidence is building.
Day 10, 10:13am – Sarah hangs up a drawing her grandkids made for her as Alone confirms each participant may bring one photo or drawing. She believes she can last in this challenge because she’s doing it for her family.
Now that she has bait, Sarah sets to work carving gorge hooks. She plans on fishing the lake hard and reeling in some bottomfish. A jay squawks nearby, and Sarah reveals she feeds a family of jays back home. She makes a few gorge hooks and then looks for her bait that she wrapped in spruce boughs. Unfortunately, something ate it overnight. She had hung it up and blames Canadian Jays for robbing her bait stash.
It’s a serious setback and she decides to tend her fire to settle down. She can’t use what remains of the bird she shot because she needs the protein. Sarah reminds herself to stay positive and figure it out.
She heads out with her bow, looking for grouse. Instead, she’s happy to stumble upon huge bolete mushrooms. Boletes are an excellent source of protein, fiber, and iron. There are so many that she needs to use her jacket as a bag to carry them back to camp.
Jake – Age 42, Fremont County, Idaho
Day 11, 3:56pm – Jake’s hungry but not experiencing hunger pains. He’s been eating a lot of berries and could use some protein. His net’s empty and he hasn’t had any meat since being dropped off on day one. It’s time to find deeper water for his net.
Jake finds the deepest spot around him, sets his net, and then washes his clothes. He’s learned nothing ever goes as planned when it comes to survival. Jake’s boiling water in his 2-quart pot for laundry when he burns both of his hands. (He forgot his gloves and used wadded-up grass.)
One hand begins to swell and says the burn is taking off the top layer of his skin. His thumb is even turning numb. Back at his camp, he uses the first-aid kit provided by Alone to bandage his swollen hand. It’s going to be difficult to shoot his bow, and as he wraps his hand, it starts to ache.
Jake credits his father with teaching him life skills and making him strong enough to face adversity. He lost his dad seven years ago and is determined to tough things out now to prove he’s his father’s son.
Day 13, 4:31pm – Jake is only 40% of himself when it comes to working around his shelter because of the burn. He puts a new wrap on and then heads off to check his net. He’s not able to shoot his bow so he’s depending on fish.
He pulls in a pike and laughs as he discovers a second one caught in his net. Jake’s ecstatic that his net finally produced. It’s a confidence boost. All it took was moving his net to deeper water.
He builds a simple smoker so he can finally eat fish. Taking his first bites, he confesses he’s never gotten emotional over food before this.
Timber – Age 35, Salem, Indiana
Day 12, 1:13pm – Timber stands at a high perch above his area, looking for moose and other game. He’s still disappointed he missed the moose, but his instincts tell him to check out the area every morning for another possible sighting.
With no moose in sight, he constructs a gill net using a netting needle and measuring card he made. He wishes his 6-year-old happy birthday and says he’s doing this for his family. Timber hopes being a part of Alone will allow his kids to see a different side of him.
7:49pm – He’ll finish the net tomorrow because he wants to check his lines before it gets too dark. He pulls out a 34” pike but forgets to have the camera rolling. Timber celebrates his catch and is happy to pull in a second one. “Tonight, we feast!” says Timber.
Day 13, 9:32am – Timber’s nose is bleeding, and he soaks up the blood with leaves. He wants to make sure there’s no blood smell around camp to attract bears, so he’ll toss the leaves in the fire when he’s done.
He’s got food so it’s finally time to select his shelter site and get it constructed. Timber’s decided on using huge logs to make a lean-to. There are only six small trees in the area, so he’s forced to expend energy to cut down big ones.
11:01am – Timber describes what he’s doing as he builds, explaining that he is building an attic of a cabin with a wall that will serve as his fireplace. He realizes it’s not smart to use big materials, but he trusts that his body can handle it.
3:17pm—The sides are nearly complete, and Timber is plugging the gaps to keep in the heat. While working, he talks to his little brother who passed away in 2001. He carries him in his heart and knows he’d love this area.
Timber’s wrestling with thoughts that could tear up his mind in this solitude.
Day 14, 9:37am – Timber has fish for breakfast and takes a minute to enjoy the fact things are going well. He’s got food, his shelter’s almost done, and he’s loving being alone in the Arctic.
As he’s still enjoying breakfast, he thinks he hears a moose nearby. An owl briefly distracts Timber, and he has to chase him off before trying to find the source of the sound. He spots a moose and decides to circle it. However, it starts moving, so Timber is forced to approach it at a quicker pace.
He arrives at a good spot and calls the moose. It’s moving slowly and Timber says a quick prayer. Episode four ends before he takes a shot.
- Alone Season 10 Episode 1 Recap: “Game On”
- Alone Season 11 Episode 1 “Enter the Circle” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 2 “Opportunity Cost” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 3 “Fortune” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 5 “Something in the Air” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 6 “Murphy’s Law” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 7 “One Pike at a Time” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 8 “The Marten Chronicles” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 9 “The Wormhole” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 10 “Symphony of Solitude” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 11 “Collapse” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 12 Finale Recap
This post was last modified on September 5, 2024 6:56 pm