The psychological cost of 90 days of total isolation in the Yukon
In short: When adventurer Ed Wardle was dropped into the remote Yukon wilderness, he faced more than just hungry grizzlies. Beyond the physical challenge of survival, he entered a psychological experiment where the greatest danger might be the profound impact of long-term solitude.
On July 3, 37-year-old Scotsman Ed Wardle began a 90-day solo expedition on a remote lake in the Yukon. While Wardle is a seasoned adventurer—having summited Everest twice and filmed expeditions to the North Pole—he is not a survival expert. His primary supplies were meager, consisting mainly of oats, rice, and two types of oil, forcing him to rely on hunting and foraging to sustain himself.
The expedition, filmed for the National Geographic Channel series Alone in the Wild, presented significant biological and psychological risks. Upon arrival, Wardle encountered hungry grizzly bears, an experience for which he had no prior encounter. To document the journey, a specialized crew developed custom camera rigs, including a backpack-mounted pole camera and a tree-mounted 'follow-me' camera to track his movements through the landscape.
The mental toll of the mission was a point of significant concern. Prior to leaving, Wardle spoke to an elder from a First Nations community, alongside specialists in foraging and bear behaviour. However, a psychologist warned that the plan was 'psychologically dangerous' due to the lack of human contact. Wardle faced the very real possibility of 'going bushy'—a Canadian term for the mental state of those who have spent too much time alone in the wild.
Despite the risks, Wardle approached the challenge as both a physical and internal exploration. While he had experience skinning rabbits from his childhood on a farm in northeastern Scotland, the unpredictable nature of the Yukon presented a new level of uncertainty, which he likened to diving into a lake only to realize it is full of crocodiles.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Skinning the Porcupine | Alone in the Wild
- Also: Alone in the Wild: Survival Experiment or Psychological Trap?
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