Alone Season 11
I just finished watching the finale of Alone Season 11. It was striking how almost every contestant went through a similar arc:
- confidence
- doubt
- rationalizing
- tap out
Whether that arc happened over the course of a few days or a few months, the basic shape was similar. The clear take-away is that this is simply how the human psyche works.
Everyone starts out confident they’ll never tap. They can’t imagine a scenario where they would get to that point. They’re wilderness survival experts with all the necessary knowledge and skills to live in the wild.
But, for the most part, none of them were let down by their outdoor skills. They ended up losing a mental game against themselves.
At a certain point a seed of doubt creeps in. Maybe it’s a nascent medical issue. Maybe a feeling of missing home. Whatever the particulars, confidence is little by little replaced with fear.
The fear gnaws at them and staying in the game starts to feel irresponsible. They begin to rationalize the idea of tapping out. What was once anathema becomes reasonable.
From doubt to tap out is a one-way slippery slope. If it takes hold you’re done. The more successful contestants are simply better at eradicating doubts before the seeds can take root.
I recognized the pattern right away because I lived it myself during an attempted solo through-hike of the Long Trail several years ago. Starting out it honestly never occurred to me that I wouldn’t make it. I had completed longer backpacking trips (though never solo) and had the right skills and gear. But I lost the mental game.
Somewhere around halfway I started fighting some physical issues that were annoying, but not insurmountable. That was the crack in the veneer of inevitability, the seed of doubt. From there rationalizing kicked in and before I knew what happened it was over and I was home. I torpedoed a trip I’d been dreaming about for ages in the course of a few days.
I am not saying any of these decisions were the wrong ones. They’re simply what happened.
I do think it’s helpful to see the pattern. This is how the human mind works. Of course it’s easier to see it in others from the comfort of the couch. Creating that space between awareness and thought in one’s own mind is another matter.