Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature.
Winter TV Talk: Alone vs Outlast + New Outdoor Docs to Watch
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Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays. However you plan to enjoy this upcoming weekend, I hope it brings you joy, full bellies, and lots of laughs. We're headed to central Oregon to enjoy some sun (and freezing temps), but the vitamin D will be lovely! (Scroll to the bottom to see my REI Sale Picks.) Let's Talk TV: Alone vs OutlastThe premise of Outlast and Alone: Contestants are dropped into a remote part of Alaska or Canada (or elsewhere) and need to survive off the land or tap out. Where they diverge: Alone contestants are literally alone and have to fend for themselves. They also film their own footage. Outlast is a group setting with a single rule: 'There are no rules.' They do not film themselves. With crummy weather comes some TV watching. During summer, our TV is rarely on, but now, with complete darkness at 5pm, there's not a lot else to do up here. Two shows we've been watching are Alone and Outlast. Now, Alone is not at all new - but it's new to me. Jaimie introduced it to me when she was sick back in August, and we've been enjoying the pretty landscapes and learning a thing or two about surviving on your own. I enjoy it for its simplicity, and it's not a soap opera-type show. Just bare bones, seeing people handle adverse situations, being literally alone, and learning a thing or two about themselves in the process. I find the strategy of what to focus on and how to live in the wild fascinating. We also recently watched the first season of Outlast, and oh boy! While it has the same overall premise of being dropped into the middle of nowhere and having to live off the land, the drama in that show is unhinged! (Note: We just started S2, so this is only about S1). I don't particularly enjoy Outlast, if I'm being honest. There's far too much bickering, infighting, deception, and, at least in the first season, playing into people's animal instincts that bring out the worst in them. In true Netflix fashion (it is a Netflix-produced show, after all), it's meant to keep people watching and act as a modern-day soap opera. I will say that the show does provide some good conversation starters about human psychology and ethical and moral dilemmas. But it will make you question how decent humans are just to win money. If you're choosing between the two, looking for more wholesome content, and focusing on how someone might live off the land without outside drama, Alone wins for me. If you've seen them both, let me know your thoughts! Here are two adventure documentaries I've seen recently that I believe you'll love. And send me recommendations for what you've recently watched! The Devil's Climb, Disney Plus/NatGeo: Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell tackle one of Alaska's epic rock climbs. The visuals in this are absurd. One of my new favorites! Endurance, Disney Plus/NatGeo: In 1915, the ship Endurance got stuck in Antarctic sea ice, forcing the crew to live in the most miserable conditions for over a year. This documentary combines the expedition's history with trying to find the sunken ship that had previously been unfound. It's a little slow at times, but the story is fascinating and basically unbelievable - except that it's real! Have you..... Purchase your 2025 Scenic Calendar and have it by Christmas! Gear Corner for the REI SALEThe REI November Pre-Black Friday sale ends today, November 25, so take advantage of those last-minute deals! These are some that I recommend.
Remember, REI members get 20% off one full-priced item
Subscribe to my YouTube!I've been working away on my latest video from our five days in Alaska. I hope to finish it before heading out for our Thanksgiving weekend festivities. Make sure you're subscribed so you get notified when it goes live. (I need at least 500 subscribers to monetize the page, so clicking the button really helps!) Winter Flightseeing at Denali in Alaska Snowshoeing at Mount Rainier Everything I brought to photograph bears in Alaska |
Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator.
Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature.
Save up to 50% on outdoor gear this week Hi ya'll! I always try to be helpful with this newsletter, and I feel that saving you money is a good thing! Just wanted to quickly pop in and let you know that there are some pretty rock-solid deals happening at REI right now. They just marked down a bunch of items by up to 50%, which equals great savings for you. And, I'm pretty sure you've all noticed how expensive outdoor gear has gotten lately. So, anytime I can find gear around half off, I jump...
Howdy! We had a weird week in Denver. It dropped 6-8 inches of snow on Wednesday morning, and by the end of the day, it was nearly all melted. And now we have mid-80's coming our way. Talk about whiplash! But it's been much needed to stave off what could have been a TERRIBLE wildfire season. We're no longer in last place for the worst snowpack/winter on record. Congrats to us all. Personally, life's been slow, and I've been enjoying it. I haven't flown in over a month, which sort of seems...
Happy Monday (or whatever day it is that you find this email in your overflowing inbox)! It's a stormy week in Denver, which means plenty of catching up on work, editing photos, videos, and writing articles. (The fun life of a single-person business owner who has to do everything!) >> My podcast appearance on Hikes and Mics is now live! If you want to listen to us talk about hiking, wildlife photography, travel, my cancer journey, and more, click here. << Or find it on Apple Podcasts and...