Ep. 825: Snowflake Man and the Cadaver Otter | MeatEater Radio Live!

Hatchet is a survival novel written by Gary Paulsen. The story follows Brian Robeson, a 13-year-old boy who is traveling to visit his estranged father in the Canadian oil fields when the pilot of the small plane he is in suffers a heart attack and dies. Brian, with no prior flying experience, manages to crash-land the plane into a lake. With only the clothes on his back and a hatchet given to him by his mother, Brian must learn to survive in the harsh Canadian wilderness. He faces numerous challenges, including finding food, making shelter, and dealing with various dangers such as wild animals and natural elements. Throughout his ordeal, Brian also grapples with the emotional burden of his parents' divorce and the secret he carries about his mother's affair. The novel explores themes of survival, positive thinking, and personal growth as Brian adapts to his new environment and ultimately finds a way to be rescued.

In 'In the Heart of the Sea,' Nathaniel Philbrick recounts the tragic story of the whaleship Essex, which was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale in the South Pacific in 1820. The book details the crew's desperate struggle to survive in three small whaleboats, facing extreme conditions such as starvation, dehydration, and cannibalism. Philbrick uses accounts from the ship's crew, including those of first mate Owen Chase and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, to provide a detailed and gripping narrative. The book also explores the broader context of Nantucket's whaling community and the impact of the Essex tragedy on American literature, notably inspiring Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick. '

A non-fiction book by David Grann, adapted into a film.

The story follows Sam Gribley, a 12-year-old boy who decides to leave his overcrowded New York City apartment to live on his great-grandfather's abandoned farm in the Catskill Mountains. Sam learns wilderness survival skills, including how to build a shelter, start a fire, forage for food, and train a falcon named Frightful. Throughout his journey, Sam faces various challenges and learns valuable lessons about independence, self-reliance, and the importance of human companionship. The novel is praised for its detailed depiction of wilderness survival and its portrayal of Sam's maturation and development.

This book details the almost two-year struggle for survival of the 28-man crew of the Endurance, which was beset and eventually crushed by ice floes in the Weddell Sea during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917. The crew drifted on ice floes, salvaged lifeboats, and eventually reached Elephant Island. Shackleton then led a perilous journey to South Georgia Island to secure rescue, culminating in one of the most remarkable survival stories in history. Lansing's narrative is based on extensive research, including interviews with surviving crew members and access to their diaries and personal accounts.

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