Ep 39: Jordan Jonas on Wilderness Adventure & Winning Alone

Jordan Jonas shares his experience on the survival reality TV show Alone. He gives a firsthand look at his life, telling stories of hitching train rides and befriending hobos, living in Siberia, falling through ice, and how his many life experiences prepared him for the outdoors and have contributed to his success. 

Jordan is a Wilderness Living & Self-Reliance Expert and the Winner of Season 6 of the History Channel's popular survival reality show, Alone. He grew up in the mountains of Idaho, and as a young adult, he spent a year riding freight trains across the US, where he learned to navigate both rural and urban environments. 

Jordan spent ten years in Siberia, where he lived with fur trappers and traditional nomadic reindeer herders, which is where he learned the art of primitive survival. During his time on Alone, he spent 77 days in the Arctic while also successfully hunting a bull moose, a wolverine, dozens of rabbits, squirrels, grouse, and numerous fish that he survived on. 

Quotes:

"Take the time to think deeply about what matters to you and organize your life around that." 

Topics Discussed:

• The mindset required for Alone
• Confronting inner turmoil before going into the wild
• 77 days in the wilderness 
• Focusing on the "present" rather than worrying about the future
• Growing up on a farm
• Hitchhiking & Hobos
• Waiting on trains & entertaining yourself
• Living in Siberia & fur trapping
• The "Old Believers" 
• Preparing for Alone
• Snaring Groundhogs 
• Hunting for meat
• How life has changed after winning Alone
• Jordan's wilderness school
• Conservation thoughts 
• Life lessons from the outdoors
• Falling through the ice in Siberia
• Essential gear for the outdoors 

Resources Mentioned:

• Website: Jordan Jonas 
• Instagram: Jordan Jonas 
• Facebook: Jordan Jonas
• YouTube: Jordan Jonas
• Documentary: Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
• Book: The Gulag Archipelago
• Podcast: Hardcore History
• Podcast: The Fall of Civilization
• Kifaru
• Sitka
• Kryptek

The Adventure Made Podcast is sponsored by Rewild Gear. Essential gear built for the great outdoors, designed to fuel your next adventure. Come find your wild at RewildGear.com!