Timber, Dub, and William remain in the competition as History’s Alone season 11 episode 11 – the penultimate episode – begins and ends. The three tough survivalists are all struggling with the freezing weather and pesky martens but remain committed to sticking it out despite the brutal conditions.
Episode 11, “Collapse,” begins on Day 65 and takes us through a med check on Day 75.
Timber – Age 35, Salem, Indiana
Day 65, 11:23am – Timber points out a pine martin in a nearby tree, and it responds by growling at him. He heads to the river and is concerned the snow cover is affecting the ice. He needs to be careful with his steps and avoid areas where he can see water. It’s freezing, but the conditions are not great for ice fishing. It’s very slushy and his pants get wet.
He checks his nearby lines as he confesses he’s feeling weary. His bait’s gone, but no fish on the first line he pulls up. The second line still has its bait, so he heads back to his cabin to check out a toe that could have frostbite. He notes that it’s grey but not black, so it has frostnip – the earliest stage of frostbite. Timber warms his toes by the fire and thinks he’s good for now.
Day 68, 1:21pm – After letting loose with a howl, Timber says he hasn’t seen a moose in a while. He thinks Jake must have shot one, unaware that Jake was medically extracted on Day 21. Timber believes William’s is also still in the competition. (He’s right.)
His shelter is complete and snug, but the weather is harsh. He chops more firewood than he needs and stores it in case he’s sick or injured in the future. After he’s finished cutting wood, he declares that he’s done for the day. He’ll spend the afternoon relaxing and drawing on birch bark. While thinking about what he wants to draw, Timber discovers he’s just melted the toe area of his boot. He’ll have to be careful as that area’s now weakened and damaged.
Timber exits his cabin to test his boot and after a few steps, he thinks it’ll be okay. Since he’s up, he checks his fish lines. After chopping the ice from the hole, he screams with happiness as he pulls up a fish. Instead of rationing it, he decides he’ll just eat it. He’s starving and admits he’s been dreaming about stealing food, which is unusual. He draws on the bark with charcoal as the fish cooks.
Day 72, 11:41am – Timber’s spending his day making game pieces for Trial by Fire, which is sort of like Survivor if the contestants died by being tossed in a fire after being voted out.
He heads to the river to set his gillnet under the ice, even though he has no faith in it. The ice is in much better shape today and he uses poles to set the net in place. He believes this is his “40 days and 40 nights in the desert” experience and where he’ll receive the most clarity of vision.
After expending a lot of calories, Timber decides the gillnet setup probably won’t work.
10:11pm – He’s lost all feeling in his right foot and half the feeling in his left. Timber needs to get the circulation going or he’ll be in serious trouble. Frostbite could take him out of the game. When he touches his foot, he can’t feel his fingers.
Day 73, 11:11am – The night was miserable, and he thinks his body isn’t allowing circulation to his feet. He hopes the day will be better after he boils his breakfast. Timber can’t keep his feet warm and jokes about having to cut off his toes.
Day 75 – Timber passes his med check.
William – Age 49, Happy Valley Goose Bay, Labrador
Day 66, 10:49am – He spots a grouse high up in the tree and manages to snare it. William tosses part of it to the jays, before heading off to check his four hooks and net. The land’s been good to him and he’s happy to co-exist with nature. He uses his ax to clear ice away from the hole around his net as he reveals that his son’s 12th birthday is coming up. It’s always tough for Alone contestants to be away for family birthdays, and he’s been thinking about how to make the day positive. He’ll celebrate it here and then again at home.
William’s caught an inconnu (aka coney) that’s barely in his net. He’s forced to reach in and grab it by the lips to haul it out of the water. William’s dreamed of catching a coney and finally landed one. He’s set 10-day milestones, and this will help him get to Day 75. William remains determined to go until they pull him.
He hardly cooks his food to get more nutrients out of it and eats the coney’s liver raw while still on the ice. Alone notes that raw liver helps with vision, joints, and immune function.
Day 69, 11:23am – On Day 52, William built a fireplace near his shelter, but not close enough to do damage. It’s been keeping him warm during the freezing nights. His plan for the day is to build a lean-to to protect himself and his fireplace from the elements. William chose an exterior fire because interior fires become more dangerous over time. He’s built igloos before with his son, and working on the lean-to reminds him of his family. He promises to make it up to them when he gets home.
Day 74, 11am – He wishes his son William a happy birthday and apologizes for not being there. He lights a larger fire than normal to celebrate his son’s birthday and then cooks up the coney head as a treat.
Day 75 – William passes his med check.
Dub – Age 44, Frederic, Michigan
Day 67, 12:52pm – Dub’s shocked by how tired he looks and admits that just before catching his most recent fish, he was done. But the 30-pound pike revived him. He checks his lines and pulls in a fish. His second line is empty, and he doesn’t want to fall behind on food. Dub processes the fish he pulled up and returns to camp to store it away from predators by securing it in his storage bag hanging from a tree limb.
Back at the river, he continues fishing by placing hefty bait on one of his lines. He then spends time jigging another line in a nearby hole, bouncing it off the bottom of the river. Dub watches the stick over his first hole, hoping for movement. He promises not to swear if he catches something.
A fish hits his line a couple of times, and he breaks his promise by swearing while pulling it out of the water. It’s an inconnu good for at least three days of meals. But he’s not done yet and continues to fish. Suddenly, his other line moves, and he carefully pulls in a large pike. Dub’s satisfied with his work and is done fishing for the day.
3:23pm – He processes his catch while proclaiming that he’s back in the game. Everything he planned to do with the money is still in play. He hopes to purchase a campground for his family to run. He adds the new fish to his storage and is happy that now he knows where the fish are biting.
Day 71, 11:01am – Something on top of his shelter woke him up twice, and he discovers a marten has been chewing on the fish he stored there. Fortunately, the food bag he strung up is still fine, although there are tracks under it in the snow.
He walks away and then notices the marten just came back and is dragging his fish away. It’s time to diversify his storage to keep it away from all the critters. The marten is his biggest issue right now, and he uses his other storage bag, made out of his $300 rain jacket, to cover the fish he just retrieved from the thief. He hangs it up as he describes his competitors as tough and stubborn.
Day 73, 12:40pm – We see quick clips of Dub fishing, cleaning his catch, and putting it in storage.
3:45pm – It’s getting dark outside, so he heads into his shelter to trim his mustache and beard. His door’s been falling apart and reinforcing it becomes his top priority.
4:20pm – It’s only 1 degree as he fetches pine boughs off his roof to finish his door. Dub has undiagnosed ADHD and being bored out here in the wilderness is hard on him. He worries his head won’t remain in the game as he waits for his fish to cook. He assumed the weather would knock people out, but his competitors must be tough as hell. Dub doesn’t think he’ll be the one who caves next, but he’s not sure. He admits he didn’t think it would last this long.
6:32pm – A noise outside forces him to get up and investigate. Whatever it was sounded big, and he takes his bow with him. He’s worried about his food storage and sees a marten in a tree by his food. However, it’s not big enough to have made the noise. His food’s still safely hanging from a tree, but he needs to protect it. He’s got enough stored up to last through Day 80 – if nothing steals it.
Dub was convinced he’d be home by now, and in fact, the average duration of an Alone season is 73 days. He thinks if a med check comes tomorrow, it means he’s won.
Day 75, 12:19pm – His entire existence right now involves staying curled up in his sleeping bag. It sucks, and he wishes for a normal life and instead is in isolation. Beeps alert him to an upcoming med check, and he hopes that means his family is on the way.
Dub passes his med check and is disappointed to learn that he hasn’t won yet. He really believed that would be it, and now he doesn’t know how many more days he’ll be stuck in the wilderness. He sinks to his knees in the snow in frustration.
- Alone Season 10 Episode 1 Recap: “Game On”
- Alone Season 11 Episode 1 “Enter the Circle” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 2 “Opportunity Cost” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 3 “Fortune” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 4 “Legacy” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 5 “Something in the Air” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 6 “Murphy’s Law” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 7 “One Pike at a Time” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 8 “The Marten Chronicles” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 9 “The Wormhole” Recap
- Alone Season 11 Episode 10 “Symphony of Solitude” Recap
