Cochranite Aaron Lauritsen will spend the next couple of months competing to be Canada's Greatest Explorer on the Woods ™ Canada reality challenge. Lauritsen was recruited to the show following an online voting period from April 29 to May 11.
Cochranite Aaron Lauritsen will spend the next couple of months competing to be Canada's Greatest Explorer on the Woods ™ Canada reality challenge.
Lauritsen was recruited to the show following an online voting period from April 29 to May 11. During that week, Canadians voted for the person they thought could win the title of Woods ™ Canada's Greatest Explorer. The top 12 after the votes were counted made the cut to compete in a series of outdoor challenges.
“The voting phase was emotionally taxing because one minute I would be in the lead pack, then the next I'd be out of the running … it took a lot of work, but was worth the effort because in the end I secured the last available spot for the competition with only seven votes and with only two minutes left to go before voting closed, ” Lauritsen said in an email.
With survivalist training in the army, going from the deserts of Afghanistan to the tundra of the High Arctic, Lauritsen thinks his determination will help set him apart from his competitors.
“I won't be the fittest guy physically on the endurance stuff or the most technical on the skill side, but in those challenges where I do lack, I'm certain that my resiliency and grit will more than make up for it, ” Lauritsen said.
The former professional soldier was also a small business owner who turned into a self-described “wanderer ” who wrote a book, 100 Days of Drive, about his travelling experiences detailing the 100 days Lauritsen took a road trip across Canada and the US, sleeping in his van with his dog.
“I don't even know how to quit in life and I think the audience is going to enjoy watching me put it all on the line as I grind this thing out, ” Lauritsen said.
“The guys in this competition are the best outdoorsmen in Canada as voted by Canadians. So they're pedigree is strong and it will be a challenge to beat them. I know I'm a well-rounded competitor though. ”
During this interview, the survivalist was in a van driving north of Toronto to prepare to compete in the first leg of the competition.
“We will be in a remote wilderness area that's heavily forested, littered by lakes and chockfull of challenges … but outside of those details we know nothing else and so don't know what to expect, ” Lauritsen said.
“It's fair to say the mystery of the journey ahead is exciting. ”
The show will air on June 10 on woodsexplorer.ca.
