Staff
In the latest challenge to crown “Canada’s Greatest Explorer,” local resident Joshua Henry and the remaining seven competitors had to survive for 24 hours on a remote island on Lac Saint-Jean, Que.
They were required to demonstrate their skills in four survival criteria: building a fire, finding food, building a shelter, and creating a rescue signal.
“I’ve gotten bit a few times by spiders—but what do you do,” Henry said in the episode.
Upon arriving on his island, Henry immediately set out to build his shelter.
He noted he found several pieces of wood that would work well as shingles.
The competitors also were provided with a small package of supplies, which included a lighter with no fluid, two eggs, and a can of corn.
While Henry did not have a can opener at his disposal, he found a resourceful way to open the corn.
“You can take this [can], rub it on something and then grind right down, and I should be able to open this,” he explained.
“[Then] I’ll have a can for water and I can do anything with the top of this so I can have a blade,” he added.
After building a shelter and fire for the night, Henry used resources on the island to continue to replenish himself.
“I’ve got some cedar and pine so I’m making tea,” he noted while boiling water.
“That’s actually really nice,” he said after taking a sip.
After the 24 hours were over, survival expert André-François Bourbeau arrived on the island to inspect Henry’s work.
Henry’s use of hot rocks to warm his shelter throughout the night caught the judge’s attention.
“I really like the idea of thermal mass and grabbing rocks,” Bourbeau told Henry.
“But if you are going to use that technique, you can make your shelter smaller because you are trying to heat up your whole shelter.”
While Henry was not among the top three performers in the island challenge, he also was not among the two competitors who were eliminated.
Henry previously told the Times the best experience has been meeting like-minded people from around the country.
“They love the outdoors just as much as I do,” he enthused.
“They love being in the wilderness, camping, being on the lake, so just meeting these guys has been the best thing so far.”
The latest episode, as well as previous ones and bonus features, can be found online at WoodsExplorer.ca
The next episode is slated to air July 28.
