A real life Walker

Today is April 15. Aside from it being Kayla's birthday, and tax day, this year it also happens to be a Wednesday. And Wednesday means... Mantracker!

My roommates and I have recently become obsessed with this show. It airs at 10pm on the Science channel, which until a few months ago I did not even know existed. The premise is quite simple. I would paraphrase, but the show's official website explains it far better than I could hope to.

Terry Grant is a full-blooded cowboy living in the wrong century. This Albertan has been a full time ranch cowboy for almost 25 years. An expert horseman and wilderness professional, hunting, guiding and tracking come second nature. Whether man or beast, he will track them down. His keen instincts, intense character, and specialized skills have made him a crucial member of the Foothills Search and Rescue Team. His reputation is always on the line and he doesn’t let up for a second. A steely-eyed cowboy with a killer, never-say-die attitude, Terry Grant is MANTRACKER.

So essentially, each episode features a new pair of people - the "prey." They have 36 hours to travel 25+ miles on foot over rough terrain to the finish line. All the while, they are being stalked by Mantracker on horseback. Though he doesn't know the location of the finish line, Mantracker always has an expert local guide to help him navigate. The guide changes episode to episode, but a personal favorite of mine is Curtis, the braided, Indian horsewhisperer.

The prey frequently tries to leave false trails or to throw Mantracker off with gimmicks such as tape-recorded voices or wolf urine. Invariably, however, Terry picks up their trail and sets an ambush with the help of his guide. You know a confrontation is imminent when the camera angle switches back and forth quickly from Mantracker to prey. Even better is when the prey are shown tiptoeing around and a cowboy hat or horse nose bobs into view through the trees in the background. When Mantracker surprises his prey, he is quick to deliver a corny one-liner, like, "Hello, ladies" or "Busted!" A ragged chase then ensues, with the prey often able to slip away into dense forest.

This continues for an hour until the prey are either caught or they make it to the finish line. With Mantracker's legendary skills, though, the latter is quite rare. Basically this show is amazing. If you get the Science channel, I highly, highly recommend that you check it out.