Man vs. Wild

As they are won't to do, Discovery Channel had a Man vs. Wild marathon pretty much all day today. I managed to catch his first episode ever, something which had apparently avoided my grasp until today. I had never seen him so close to his breaking point. It was a really strange experience for me, to see Bear "I Paraglide Over Mount Everest for Shits-and-giggles" Grylls on the verge of tears. I'm not sure if it was just that he hadn't quite gotten used to the idea of subjecting himself to such torture for the sake of television, somehow he hadn't mentally prepared himself for the rigors of this area, or what. I can't even remember where he was. I think it was the Rockies. Point being that it didn't seem as rigorous or life-threatening as, say, Iceland, the Scottish Highlands, or the Serengeti.

But there he is, huddled up against some rock wall getting choked up as he talks about his wife and kids and about how he's just so mentally and physically exhausted. That he was on the verge of giving up. I'm pretty sure the monologue started with him talking about how it had helped him all those times he had climbed Everest or The Moon or whatever to have a climbing buddy, someone to talk to and lean on for support. I think the quote that most stuck with me from the whole thing was "It was my son Jesse's birthday a few days ago, and I can tell you for sure, that I would much rather have him clinging to my neck than this silly rucksack." That's great television, right there, to see such an unflappable man as Bear Grylls speak about his son with tears in his eyes.