Well-worth Watching

I've never watched the NBC show, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, which is basically a short of documentary of survival trips the host takes with celebrities.  But the promotions for the program this week certainly caught my interest -- hiking through the Alaskan Wilderness, his guest was President Barack Obama.

I recorded the broadcast and finally got around to watching it last night.  And it was extremely entertaining.  The reason the President got involved, which gets explained several times, was to draw attention to the issue of Climate Change, made notable in the show as they hike to a major glacier, which has had some notable melting since Mr. Obama became president.

At the very least, what is so fascinating about the episode is that you see a President of the United States in an environment unlike any you've seen before.  And not just for a brief clip, but for an hour broadcast.  When you're alone and hiking in the middle of the wilderness (or as alone as one can be with a presidential detail), you're alone and hiking in the wilderness.  There's no relying on charm and a quip to deflect attention and move on.  When you start a campfire with a flint and grill salmon that was left half-eaten by a bear, that's your lunch. 

All in all, it was quite a treat.  I can't embed the show, but click here to see it -- with included commercials -- loaded on the Time Magazine website.  (It might be worth your while to check your On Demand listings for NBC if you have that service with your DVR.)