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John writes:
My Daughter and I love your shows. You have brought us closer together as we are starting to work on our own survival skills. It's been a lot of fun, and we both have built our own survival packs. We have learned about every way there is to start a fire. Thank you for teaching us. And thank you for giving me something that I can do with my daughter. It has really brought us closer together.
Stephanie writes:
I just wanted to say how much I have loved your show on the Discovery channel. It's such a great educational show! I am the typical "girly" female; before watching your show, if I had ever been stranded out in the wilderness, I would probably have been the first one to die. I really relate with Ruth, what she does and how she reacts. I would probably freak out about spiders and snakes, or cry if I had to kill a turtle, too! (I was so happy you didn't kill the turtle...Thanks, Mykel!) I love how you teach us something new on each show, such as how to start a fire with steel wool and a battery. I think it's fantastic that your wife is such a great role model for young women. So many survival movies or shows you see today portray the woman as weak. Sure, men are typically stronger and have tougher bodies, but it's great to see Ruth doing things like hunting that our society often portrays as a male-specific task. Mykel, your support of Ruth while teaching these things makes it clear that you two must have a very trustful relationship.
Your shows have taught me so much, but also encouraged me to learn survival skills to protect myself. Thank you for everything, and I hope to see more of you guys on television!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
From a Fan: Survival at Home
I love survival shows, and Man Woman Wild gave me inspiration, knowledge, and also made me and my wife laugh because the situations you're sometimes in are so recognizable to us.
You have a great sense of humor and are a breath of fresh air in this over commercialized world. You remind me of a friend of mine who, just as you did in your show, taught me to see things from a different perspective. After a tour in Kosovo he suffered from PTSD; he was able to overcome it and now serves as a firearms specialist in the Dutch army teaching Special Forces and security personnel all over the world. We often talked about survival shows and he told me that guys in the army are trained to withstand any environment. But for someone who is severely ill and has to battle that illness every day, that's a different kind of survival and you can't get training for that.
When I was 29 years old, I had surgery on my left shoulder. What should have been a simple medical procedure changed my life for good; I wound up with a dystrophy syndrome (an illness that causes nerves, blood cells, and muscles to be extremely sensitive for touch, stress, temperature changes or even sound, the pain is unbearable). I was prescribed almost every painkiller in the book, and due to the long term usage of these painkillers (over 6 years) I've become addicted. Even one day without them results in severe withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes I wonder what is worse; the illnesses or the medication.
So, this is my survival situation--like you would say, a static survival situation because there's no boat, car, or helicopter to signal that would come to my rescue. First thing I learned was keeping faith; I pray for strength. Ruth quoted Winston Churchill in one of the episode: "If you're going through hell, keep going." This is true, no matter how bad the situation looks, at a certain point things WILL change.
To keep busy, I started composing music and I also collect knives; the Hawke's Hellion is a good example of an inspiring knife. There are quite a few people out there who love my music and that gives me the energy to go on, even dream of releasing an album, so I have a goal which is a key point for survival.
You and Ruth have shown me so much of the basic life survival skills that although my situation sometimes looks dark and helpless, there is a way to deal with it. As a couple, you have shown that no matter how bad a situation gets, you come out stronger--which is also true with me and my wife.
I want to thank you both for your inspiring and motivating show, which makes us laugh as well, because humor is sometimes better than any medicine!
God bless you,
Marco
You have a great sense of humor and are a breath of fresh air in this over commercialized world. You remind me of a friend of mine who, just as you did in your show, taught me to see things from a different perspective. After a tour in Kosovo he suffered from PTSD; he was able to overcome it and now serves as a firearms specialist in the Dutch army teaching Special Forces and security personnel all over the world. We often talked about survival shows and he told me that guys in the army are trained to withstand any environment. But for someone who is severely ill and has to battle that illness every day, that's a different kind of survival and you can't get training for that.
When I was 29 years old, I had surgery on my left shoulder. What should have been a simple medical procedure changed my life for good; I wound up with a dystrophy syndrome (an illness that causes nerves, blood cells, and muscles to be extremely sensitive for touch, stress, temperature changes or even sound, the pain is unbearable). I was prescribed almost every painkiller in the book, and due to the long term usage of these painkillers (over 6 years) I've become addicted. Even one day without them results in severe withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes I wonder what is worse; the illnesses or the medication.
So, this is my survival situation--like you would say, a static survival situation because there's no boat, car, or helicopter to signal that would come to my rescue. First thing I learned was keeping faith; I pray for strength. Ruth quoted Winston Churchill in one of the episode: "If you're going through hell, keep going." This is true, no matter how bad the situation looks, at a certain point things WILL change.
To keep busy, I started composing music and I also collect knives; the Hawke's Hellion is a good example of an inspiring knife. There are quite a few people out there who love my music and that gives me the energy to go on, even dream of releasing an album, so I have a goal which is a key point for survival.
You and Ruth have shown me so much of the basic life survival skills that although my situation sometimes looks dark and helpless, there is a way to deal with it. As a couple, you have shown that no matter how bad a situation gets, you come out stronger--which is also true with me and my wife.
I want to thank you both for your inspiring and motivating show, which makes us laugh as well, because humor is sometimes better than any medicine!
God bless you,
Marco
Saturday, February 4, 2012
A Fan's Life Changed
You and Ruth are my biggest inspiration ever. You guys have made such a big impact on my life. I've never really had much confidence in myself. I've never really known what to do with my life either, but then, I watched Man, Woman, Wild. Being an extremely adventurous and outdoorsy person, it hit me right then and there that I wanted to do that. I WILL do that.
You guys are truly amazing and are my idols. You have taught me so much about life and the outdoors; you made me realize how precious nature, life, and this world is. I just can't express how much you guys really mean to me. I hope to take some survival classes from SpecOps, to learn from the best. When you come back to the Smokies, hopefully I can get to meet you.
Thank you so much for giving me the gift of life and helping me find my confidence. Never Quit!
Love always, Holly.
You guys are truly amazing and are my idols. You have taught me so much about life and the outdoors; you made me realize how precious nature, life, and this world is. I just can't express how much you guys really mean to me. I hope to take some survival classes from SpecOps, to learn from the best. When you come back to the Smokies, hopefully I can get to meet you.
Thank you so much for giving me the gift of life and helping me find my confidence. Never Quit!
Love always, Holly.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Season 2, Episode 12: Scottish Highlands Peril
The Finale of MAN WOMAN WILD - final show!
Mykel: Goovier hat; Armani scarf and vest; BKE coat; Eagle innercoat; Colombia raincoat; 782 Tactical shirt; U.S. Army Nomex gloves; North Face outergloves and rain pants; Kenneth Cole belt; Eddie Bauer underwear and socks; Paladium boots; Highlander gators.
Other: Army canteen, case, and cup; Rothco poncho, hammock, paracord, first aid kit, and fishing line; North Face pack; Sony camera.
Knives: Folder - ULU by Blade Tech; Fixed - Parang by Fox Knives USA.
Mykel: Goovier hat; Armani scarf and vest; BKE coat; Eagle innercoat; Colombia raincoat; 782 Tactical shirt; U.S. Army Nomex gloves; North Face outergloves and rain pants; Kenneth Cole belt; Eddie Bauer underwear and socks; Paladium boots; Highlander gators.
Other: Army canteen, case, and cup; Rothco poncho, hammock, paracord, first aid kit, and fishing line; North Face pack; Sony camera.
Knives: Folder - ULU by Blade Tech; Fixed - Parang by Fox Knives USA.
Monday, January 16, 2012
A Survival Story from a Fan
My boyfriend and I were rescued from a survival situation today when a simple little kayaking trip went very wrong. We almost died but as soon as my yak flipped I heard you saying "survival is mostly psychological." Because of your show we were able to keep our heads and keep ourselves alive long enough to get rescued.
There were a number of parallels between what we experienced and what I've seen on your show. We were separated at first and I also remembered you saying in one episode that when you're surviving with someone else the most important thing is to stick together, so that was priority number one. Once we were together my boyfriend was spazzing. He even wanted to take his life jacket off while we were 10-15 feet apart because we had hoodied on under the jackets, and once they got wet they were weighing us down but I kept screaming don't take your vest off! I kept telling him to keep swimming because I remembered you saying that if you have a boat keep with it at all costs because it's a lifeline. I had my yak but I was too cold and numb to get back on it so I was clinging to it. My boyfriend didn't have his yak so I kept screaming for him to keep swimming toward me. He said "I can't," and I heard Ruth in my head saying "When you're in a survival situation you can't ever give up," so I just kept screaming to him "Don't give up, don't give up!" After 30 minutes of swimming together, we managed to get to a rock sticking up out of the water and I remembered when you were on the Colorado River as soon as you both got out of the water you stripped off your wet clothing, so as soon as we were out of the water I told him to get his hoodie and shirt off and I took mine off also. My legs were dark purple by then, so I started trying to rub and shake them to get them warm. As boats passed us I remembered you saying in a different episode that waving both arms over your head is the universal signal for "I need help," so I broke my paddle down into two pieces and started to wave them both over my head like I've seen you both do. I even bought red kayaks last year because on one of your shows you said red is a color that doesn't often occur in nature and is the ideal color for signaling. We were able to see my boyfriend's overturned red yak over a mile away so after we were rescued, the boat that rescued us was even able to pick up all of our gear for us. We didn't end up needing it, but we also had something else that I've heard you say a million times ... a Zippo lighter in a sealed dry box (and a small first aid kit, both clipped to my kayak with carabiners so we didn't lose either when my yak flipped).
No less than three boats passed us while we were in the water and two or three more once we were on the rock ... probably because they couldn't see or hear us with the wind and the sounds of their own boat engines. So I can attest to when Ruth said it can be so disappointing to see someone that could help you but know that they don't see you and have to watch them pass right by. And just as the guy who saw your wrecked inflatable kayak on the Colorado and knew that there might be someone stranded up river, the boat that rescued us found my boyfriend's paddle and our lunch cooler floating in the water and realized that there was probably someone stranded somewhere so they started looking for us.
You were both with me there, in my head, telling me what to do through each step of the situation. Things could have gone very differently yesterday were I not such an avid fan of your show.
We both wanted to thank you and Ruth from the bottoms of our hearts. Seriously, I can't put my gratitude in words. You're both heroes in many ways and you can add one more way today. Thank you from both of us.
Lynsee
There were a number of parallels between what we experienced and what I've seen on your show. We were separated at first and I also remembered you saying in one episode that when you're surviving with someone else the most important thing is to stick together, so that was priority number one. Once we were together my boyfriend was spazzing. He even wanted to take his life jacket off while we were 10-15 feet apart because we had hoodied on under the jackets, and once they got wet they were weighing us down but I kept screaming don't take your vest off! I kept telling him to keep swimming because I remembered you saying that if you have a boat keep with it at all costs because it's a lifeline. I had my yak but I was too cold and numb to get back on it so I was clinging to it. My boyfriend didn't have his yak so I kept screaming for him to keep swimming toward me. He said "I can't," and I heard Ruth in my head saying "When you're in a survival situation you can't ever give up," so I just kept screaming to him "Don't give up, don't give up!" After 30 minutes of swimming together, we managed to get to a rock sticking up out of the water and I remembered when you were on the Colorado River as soon as you both got out of the water you stripped off your wet clothing, so as soon as we were out of the water I told him to get his hoodie and shirt off and I took mine off also. My legs were dark purple by then, so I started trying to rub and shake them to get them warm. As boats passed us I remembered you saying in a different episode that waving both arms over your head is the universal signal for "I need help," so I broke my paddle down into two pieces and started to wave them both over my head like I've seen you both do. I even bought red kayaks last year because on one of your shows you said red is a color that doesn't often occur in nature and is the ideal color for signaling. We were able to see my boyfriend's overturned red yak over a mile away so after we were rescued, the boat that rescued us was even able to pick up all of our gear for us. We didn't end up needing it, but we also had something else that I've heard you say a million times ... a Zippo lighter in a sealed dry box (and a small first aid kit, both clipped to my kayak with carabiners so we didn't lose either when my yak flipped).
No less than three boats passed us while we were in the water and two or three more once we were on the rock ... probably because they couldn't see or hear us with the wind and the sounds of their own boat engines. So I can attest to when Ruth said it can be so disappointing to see someone that could help you but know that they don't see you and have to watch them pass right by. And just as the guy who saw your wrecked inflatable kayak on the Colorado and knew that there might be someone stranded up river, the boat that rescued us found my boyfriend's paddle and our lunch cooler floating in the water and realized that there was probably someone stranded somewhere so they started looking for us.
You were both with me there, in my head, telling me what to do through each step of the situation. Things could have gone very differently yesterday were I not such an avid fan of your show.
We both wanted to thank you and Ruth from the bottoms of our hearts. Seriously, I can't put my gratitude in words. You're both heroes in many ways and you can add one more way today. Thank you from both of us.
Lynsee
Saturday, January 14, 2012
A MWW Fan Weighs In
We've received an abundance of positive correspondence from all of you, supporting our recent decision re: Man, Woman, Wild. We wanted to share one of them and also to say thanks again for watching the show and supporting us throughout.
I just wanted to say that I love Man Woman Wild. While I am certainly sad to see it go off of the air, I wanted to let you know that I think you made the right decision. Family has to come first. I have two young kids, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been on your family. Also, I read your big green book this year. When I first picked it up I thought it would be similar to a lot of the other survival books out there. I was wrong! Too many of the survival books I have read just restate the same information from old military survival manuals, and I have seen my share of those. My Dad is a retired Army LTC. I told my wife “This guy really knows his stuff!” I’m a Firefighter/EMT on the side, so I really appreciated the amount of medical content.
Jim
I just wanted to say that I love Man Woman Wild. While I am certainly sad to see it go off of the air, I wanted to let you know that I think you made the right decision. Family has to come first. I have two young kids, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been on your family. Also, I read your big green book this year. When I first picked it up I thought it would be similar to a lot of the other survival books out there. I was wrong! Too many of the survival books I have read just restate the same information from old military survival manuals, and I have seen my share of those. My Dad is a retired Army LTC. I told my wife “This guy really knows his stuff!” I’m a Firefighter/EMT on the side, so I really appreciated the amount of medical content.
Jim
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Season 2, Episode 11: Croatian Cave Odyssey
Mykel: Express hat; Armani scarf, shirt, t-shirt, pants, and underwear; BKE coat; US Army Nomex gloves; Kenneth Cole belt; Eddie Bauer socks; Paladium boots.
Other: Army canteen, case, and cup; Special Forces ZIPPO; North Face pack; Sony camera.
Ruth: Hobbs pants; Style & Co. jacket.
Knives: Folder - Special Mykel Hawke designed folding knife with flip out locking safety handles (pat.pen.) made by Mike Vellekamp, FOX Knives USA;Fixed - Hawke designed Hellion ELITE, made by TOPS Knives USA.
Other: Army canteen, case, and cup; Special Forces ZIPPO; North Face pack; Sony camera.
Ruth: Hobbs pants; Style & Co. jacket.
Knives: Folder - Special Mykel Hawke designed folding knife with flip out locking safety handles (pat.pen.) made by Mike Vellekamp, FOX Knives USA;Fixed - Hawke designed Hellion ELITE, made by TOPS Knives USA.
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