A Man Woman Wild Birthday

Good morning from Maryland. I'm writing on behalf of my (soon to be) seven-year-old daughter Melanie, who is a huge fan of Man Woman Wild. She is so keen about the show, that she requested, in her words, "a Man Woman Wild birthday where we eat weird stuff, and make fires, and sleep under trees." Well, we will be making fires, cooking our dinner over them, and sleeping in a tarp/tree-branch shelter (or tent, if the weather is bad enough). I'm not certain what "weird stuff" we'll eat, but I have some ideas involving gummy worms, modeling chocolate and butterscotch pudding. It should prove appropriately ghastly.

Finally, thank you for making such an entertaining and educational show, and for demonstrating to the world that (again in her words), "outdoor stuff isn't just for boys."

Best wishes in all your future endeavors.

George

A Note from the Amazon

I wanted to personally thank you for a tip I picked up from you on your former program "Man Woman Wild." I served in the Army for five years and have worked as an anthropologist among indigenous peoples here in the Amazon for nearly a decade. While I am fairly well-trained on survival in a jungle environment, I had always been plagued by horrible blisters that left my feet looking like a couple pounds of raw hamburger after going to the field. Your tip of not wearing socks and applying medical adhesive tape to hot spots on the foot where blisters are likely to form really worked miracles. I came back from a field project yesterday with my feet looking none the worse for wear. Outstanding suggestion!

Thanks again from your friend in the Amazon,
Butch

From a Mother and Daughter

My name is Sara and my daughter Kaia and I are HUGE fans of your show. Watching the show together has now become our little tradition. Man Woman Wild has made quite the impression on her and I wanted to share it with you.

After watching you and Ruth find food like frogs legs, fresh water mussels, different plants, bugs and so on, Kaia has decided that if you can do it, she can too. She tried mussels for the first time last week! She's even tried more vegetables. She asks us "Does Man Woman Wild eat this?" when trying something new and we always say "They sure would, try it baby," and she does it!

Kaia's also become very interested in camping. While out camping she lets us know that first we should find water and get a fire going. We like to do a lot of beach camping and on a walk she started picking up small bits of wood from the beach. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was collecting kindling!

I just wanted to thank you guys. The Show was amazing! We hope to see you guys on TV again soon. Until then, we'll be watching our Man Woman Wild dvds and trying more "interesting" foods here in the household.

Best Wishes, Sara and Kaia

A Message for Ruth

I just wanted to ask you if you'd pass a message on to Ruth for me. She's my hero. So many survival shows are all men, and I know from watching every episode of MWW that it took a lot of courage and tenacity for her to do the show. It was such a joy to watch her grow stronger and more self-confident in every episode (I'm sure you saw it also). She's so intelligent AND a total knock-out, which just made her the absolute perfect ambassador for our gender. I know many women, myself included, are so proud of her and grateful to her for proving that women can be sexy and strong and smart all at the same time. I loved that she was always wearing some pretty little delicate earrings while trudging through some of the harshest conditions - she's amazing. An ideal role model for women and girls of all ages. She should know that, if she doesn't already.

Thanks, Lynsee

NOTE: For the record, every episode she wore ear rings specifically chosen to double as emergency fish hooks, haha!

Some Tidings from India

As MAN WOMAN WILD continues to air abroad, we are amazed and thankful for the support we get from around the globe. Sharing a nice note we received from fans in India...

My wife and I are Christian Evangelical Pastors working amid Primitive Hill Tribes in India. During our work, we often face risky survival situations. We would like to send big thanks to you and your wife, Ruth, for being our guides. We are learning many survival techniques form you. We love you and send out prayers for you and your family!

With Blessings,
Pastor Johnson and wife Hilda, Truevine Ministries

An Inspirational Life Change

Mr. Hawke, I just wanted to say thanks to you and Ruth for being such an inspiration to me. I had a traumatic and abusive childhood. I could not cope with the memories as I got older, so I began abusing pain medication. I was addicted for several years. One night I happened to see Man Woman Wild on TV. I was so impressed by the confident way you two carried yourselves. I made sure I had the show programmed so I could watch future episodes. You and Ruth are such positive people and I began to want to have that kind of positive and confident life. I cleaned my life up. I detoxed off the drugs and have been clean for two years now. I am currently going to college and will graduate in December with my Bachelor's degree in substance abuse counseling. I feel that I owe you two all of my gratitude. I thank both of you from the bottom of my heart and will forever be grateful to you for showing me that life can be a rewarding experience.

Angela

NOTE FROM HAWKE: We asked Angela if we could share her wonderful story, as we always respect the privacy of those who share with us, and received this lovely response:

If sharing my story will help others, I am happy to do so. Thanks again for all that you do. I will always be thankful for the night I came across your show. It honestly saved my life. God bless both of you and your family.

We love Our Young Fans!

Sharing a note from the parents of one of our young fans:

Greetings from Tennessee!  Our son, Brock, is so excited about meeting you this upcoming Saturday at Smoky Mountain Knife Works. You have given him opportunities to explore and learn so much at 7 years old.  He truly looks up to you and speaks of you and the show frequently.  He can't wait to meet you!

Thanks,
Amanda

From a Real Survivor

Love your show!!!  I'm Scottish and I live in Florida, and it's great to hear someone from the U.K. in Ruth.  I've been really sick with stage4 breast cancer and watching your show while I've been getting my Chemo and radiation.  It has really cheered me up, and the good news is I'm in remission now.  I'm the miracle patient, so the doctors say!  Watching your show has taught me much and will be a big help when we go camping on the islands in Ponce Inlet again.

Thank you again, you guys are awesome!!!

Margaret

A Fan's Book Comments

I just started watching your show MAN WOMAN WILD online. While looking at your website I saw your language book. Years ago I stumbled across this book while trying to learn Spanish. It's great. It is nice to be able to put a face to a great book. I am an English teacher overseas and use some of your principles with my students. I'm grateful for having found your work! God bless.

Doug

Sharing from Fans

Thank you for being an inspiration to my 7 and 9 year old girls to get out there into the wild and give anything a try.  We are by no means survivalists, but we enjoy hiking and camping, and the girls always use some knowledge that they have learned from your show. Ruth, you are an amazing role model for young girls to look up to. Your willingness to try anything, your intelligence and poise and the adventures and education you have undertaken is something to aspire to.

Regards and thanks, Kerry, Mikayla and Kalita

Nice Note From a Fan

My wife and I love your shows and often have our friends search for your show on Netflix. I really appreciate your Man, Woman, Wild series. No other show has incorporated the social elements of a husband and wife survival situation. We often laughed with the ability to relate to the humor your show provided; while instilling knowledge. We are huge fans of Ruth and her bravery/dedication to the series. We learned about survival, but also about marriage and what it means to truly love.

P.S. I also have the Hawke's Hellion 2020 and 2020 Elite for my wife, as our go-to gear for everyday and survival. The quality is amazing!

Thank you both!

Seth

From the NRA Show

Sharing a nice note from a family at the NRA Show this past weekend:

Captain Hawke, I wanted to thank you for the time you took to autograph my book and picture.

You proudly served our country and brought the world to life with your shows. My family has enjoyed watching you on Man Woman Wild and One Man Army. We have not missed a single episode. My boy and girl love to play Man Woman Wild at the house and on trips. You are a positive influence to so many people. Thank you so much for being a positive influence and a great role model. We will continue to follow you and hope to see you again on TV. It was a real honor to meet you.

Jim and Angela

Note From a Friend

The following note is from a friend I served with in Colombia, who is still out there doing the do, and from whom, a note like this means more to me than a medal:

Hey brother, where have all the years gone! I watched you and your fantastic wife's show every chance I could when I was in the Afghan—you both helped me escape and unwind with the great chemistry and instruction presented in the show. I bragged about you every chance I got. I'm happy for you and proud of you too, brother. You were doing that survival stuff way before it was exploited on the air waves!

Hope to see you soon and I wish nothing but the best for you and yours.

George

From the Mailbag

Sharing another nice note:

I don't have much use for TV these days , but your shows are the one thing I will make time to watch; my wife and I have learned so much from Ruth and your adventures and have been putting some of the skills to use as she is working with the forestry dept. in the Smoky mountains. I admire the patience you show as you teach Ruth the skills to survive, and how much care you show for her safety. You are truly a Man among men , and as a fellow soldier I understand where you get your character and ethics. It has been a great pleasure to follow your adventures, if only on the screen. I hope one day to have the opportunity to shake your hand.

Scott

From the Popular Mechanics Show

Sharing a note received after the show yesterday:

Thank you for the time you took in being part of the PM roadshow on March 24th. My wife, my four little girls, and I really looked forward to meeting you in person after watching you on your programs for so long.

As a police officer for the past 11 years and after serving in the military, it is great to know someone like yourself who has transitioned back to the civilian world and still offers so much training to the military, LE, and the civilian sector.

I can't begin to explain how inspiring your story from childhood to present is for me. Truly profound.

It was an honor to meet such a true patriot and to view the presentation you provided. It was like meeting a childhood hero even though I am 41; for my oldest two girls, it really made for a surreal experience. They wanted to watch your season 2 shows as soon as we returned home.

We look forward to watching your future shows as a family and we hope you enjoyed Arkansas.

Logan

Two Notes from Fans

Reminder: We share e-mailed comments when permission from the sender is given; no last names are posted to protect their privacy. Please note that content is edited for clarity and brevity.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Note from a Fan, "For the Ladies"

On behalf of my Bride and me, I would like to thank you and your Bride for your television show. Not only is it highly informative and immensely entertaining, but it also is inspirational for Tamara, my Bride. She was a city girl who married a bush rat and has been learning survival, bushcraft and living in the field "on the fly," but without the encouragement of fellow ladies who can demonstrate that it can be done.

Here is where your joint endeavour "Man, Woman, Wild" comes in. I can't count how many times Tammy has said, "they're just like us!" or "If Ruth can do that, so can I!"

Of course you understand how proud that makes me! My Tammy has the brains and the ability, and I provide as much encouragement as I can, but Ruth's participation and success in overcoming her fears (which aren't staged) is a shining example for all those ladies out there who wonder "if they can."

We don't have cable, so we haven't been able to enjoy much of the new 2nd season of "Man, Woman, Wild" but I look forward to seeing it on DVD when it is released.

Mykel and Ruth, well done...and Mykel, thank you for your service to your Country!


Kurt & Tamara

Season 2, Episode 10: Newts and Roots

CLOTHING: (MYKEL) Captain hat; Gargoyles sunglasses; crevat; Armani shirt and T;Eddie Bauer belt, pants, and socks; Paladium boots; Colombia rain coat; AE hoodie; Nomex gloves.

OTHER: Tops hawk and Ron Hood Atax blades.

An Inspirational Note from a Fan

We received the following inspiring note (edited in part) and wanted to share:

I wanted you both to know that you have been an inspiration recently in my life. I was diagnosed as a child with bi-polar, and it stunted the beginning of what I had hoped to be a military career. But after watching you and your wife on the show I am re-motivated to get a psych evaluation and try to go into the army once again...the compassion and understanding you show on the program when talking with your wife, and in other situations, only strengthened my conviction in wanting to educate others in survival and safety techniques and first aid....again, you two are truly an inspiration to me please keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
Carlos