‘Live Free Or Die’ Sneak Preview Of New NatGeo Series
Live Free Or Die, a new NatGeo series, takes viewers far beyond the sidewalks of typical daily life. The series focuses on “re-wilding” the human race and getting back to basics – the very basics of life. The new National Geographic series debuts on September 30 at 10 p.m. with the first episode entitled, “Rise of the Wild.” NatGeo offered The Inquisitr a screener of the premiere episode of the new series to review and share previews of the upcoming season. Although the new show is not necessarily geared to preppers, those focused on self-reliance and homesteading will likely enjoy the new offering by National Geographic.
In the premiere episode, Thorn struggles to find even a small trace of wildlife while hunting for food in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not far away, Tony and Amelia battle the elements and make good use of any meat they can find. Colbert showcases his survival skills on the river and swamp regions of Georgia. In California, Gabriel must fight the drought-stricken area to find even small game to put upon his dinner table. “I’ve been studying earth-based skills for almost my whole life. I’ve traveled all over and learned from different native peoples around the world,” Gabriel says. “Learning ways in which to hunt on the land, ways in which to track and move with the land, being in the wilderness for me is being alive,” he adds. Before Thorn chose to live entirely off the land he was a school teacher in a city. Extremely cold hands and fear of frostbite prompts Thorn to practice his hide stitching skills and craft a cozy pair of gloves.
Gabriel makes his own traps to catch his meals. “I can’t just go to the grocery store and buy whatever I want to survive, you know, so the vitamins and nutrients and minerals are all coming from what I’m eating off the land.” Living a primitive lifestyle would be extremely hard work and require a plethora of skills and deep determination, but the individuals showcased on Live Free Or Die definitely highlight the benefits of their chosen lifestyle quite well. Gabriel and his fiancé Luna have been together for about a decade. In the Live Free Or Die episode, Gabriel is about to embark on an annual 3-month trek in the mountains, with the blessing of his lady.
Thorn built his 50-square-foot hut from scavenged materials in the woods. “This lifestyle that I’ve embarked upon has been happening since I was five. I grew up on a ranch. My dad had cowboyed for years, so I kind of just ran wild,” Thorn says. “I don’t feel like I’m living in poverty. I feel like I’m wealthy, I feel like I’m rich. And you can’t beat that view.”
Tony and Amelia are newlyweds who chose to make the Appalachian hills their home. Tony purchased the land which some would think would not have been habitable, seven years ago. Since the couple lives life without a regular income they have focused upon turning the steep hillside they own into a sustainable homestead. “When you choose not to make very much money, you have the time and imaginative energy to put together a life, put together a home and just be in a place for a long time and just be at peace with what you have and accept what you don’t have,” Tony notes. Tony’s father-in-law travels via horseback to visit and brings a dead bobcat he found on the side of the road as a gift. The young couple quickly realizes all of the potential the bobcat presents. Like any good son-in-law, Tony does not forget to show gratitude to his wife’s father. “Thanks for the corpse,” he says with a big grin. Amelia is a skilled skinner and butcher. Although Americans once hunted, skinned, and butchered all of their own meat, the process is today controlled by about four major companies.
Colbert tells the audience that hunting naked is an extremely amazing experience. Colbert says that he picked his particular piece of land to live on because to him, a mosquito-infest, snake-infest, and alligator-infested locale was ideal for him. He left civilization 20 years ago to live off what the swamp provides, even though he lives just five miles from the nearest town. He traps from December to March to garner his annual income. According to the Live Free Or Die star, his annual expenses total about $2,000–”But I have too much stuff,” Colbert jokes. He built his cabin with his own two hands over the course of 14 years after ditching his financial adviser job.
Will you watch the new NatGeo series, Live Free Or Die?
[Images courtesy of NatGeo]
