Snowshoes And Solitude

'Beyond Survival with Les Stroud': Among the World's Indigenous Tribes

MANILA, Philippines – Les Stroud started his film career in the 1980s as a music video producer for MuchMusic, a Canadian music video channel. Staring out the window of his office into an urban alleyway one day, Les found himself itching to escape into the wilderness. In 1987, Les finally made a break for it and spent the next seven years traveling Canada as a canoe guide and wilderness instructor.

After Les met his partner in life, Sue Jamison, also an outdoor enthusiast and photographer, the two spent an entire year living in the remote boreal forest of northern Ontario as if it were 500 years ago — no matches, no metal and no tent — just a stone axe and their knowledge of traditional bush survival. Les filmed the entire adventure, eventually releasing the odyssey as a one-hour documentary called “Snowshoes and Solitude.”

Now, Les is embarking on a new quest, seeking out the true masters of survival—the last indigenous tribes in the most remote corners of the planet, chronicling his adventures in “Beyond Survival with Les Stroud.”

According to Les, inspiration for the series came from his need to “learn more.”

“I had spent so much time learning from the indigenous peoples around the world, I knew I wanted to pay more attention to how they survive. Not just physically, but culturally and spiritually, as well,” he explains.

From the island of Sri Lanka and the seas of Malaysia to the icy Arctic and the glacial Andes, Les travelled far and wide to learn how these tribes have survived in isolation over the years, by spending time with them and experiencing their way of life.

Dangerous as this may seem, Les says he wasn’t scared.

“I don't 'fear for my life.' I live my life to the fullest. Death is a part of life. This series is not about adrenaline rushes or running through the jungle for no reason. It is not about fearing for life: it is about searching for it,” he says.

One of the tribes that Les lived with was the Antanosy of Madagascar. Steeped in ancient tradition and tribal custom, the Antanosy are known for their unique spiritual practices and wild dog hunting skills.

Les also ventured to the Kalahari Desert on a journey to connect with a tribe called the San, who hunt with poison arrows and practice a legendary trance dance to communicate with the spirit world.

Les Stroud-snowshoes and solitude 4/6 | SURVIVALOCITY

Shop.lesstroud.ca After his marriage to Sue Jamison in 1994, the two of them spent one year living in the Canadian wilderness living a paleolithic existence. They traveled to Goldsborough Lake ( [show location on an interactive map] 50°41′55″N 89°20′46″W / 50.69861°N 89.34611°W / 50.69861; -89.34611) deep in the Wabakimi and built a cabin with no metal, plastic, or otherwise manufactured tools. They took a store of traditional foods and attempted to supplement it by hunting and trapping. Family and medical emergencies brought them out of the bush on two occasions. Their primitive living experience was filmed by Stroud and released as the 50 minute documentary, Snowshoes and Solitude, which was named Best Documentary at the Muskoka Film Festival and Best Film at the Waterwalker Film Festival.

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