Introduction

Bear Grylls is a well-known adventurist who is famous for his survival shows in the wild. Bear Grylls is best known to TV audiences for Discovery's Man vs. Wild (released as Born Survivor: Bear Grylls in his native UK), though his time on the hit survival show revealed just a small fraction of a man whose entire life has been a nonstop adventure. Bear Grylls is a British former SAS serviceman, survival instructor, and honorary lieutenant-colonel, and, outside his military career, an adventurer, writer, television presenter and businessman. Grylls first drew attention after embarking on a number of adventures, and then became widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006–2011). He is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US, such as Running Wild with Bear Grylls and The Island with Bear Grylls. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed the youngest-ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories at age 35, a post he has held for a second term since 2015. 

Early Life

Edward Michael Grylls (Bear Grylls) was born on 7 June 1974 to Michael Grylls and Sarah Ford in Donaghadee, a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. Edward Michael Grylls was nicknamed as Bear Grylls by his sister, Lara Fawcett when he was just a week old. His father, Michael Grylls was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron and he taught his young son climbing and sailing. After completing his schooling, Bear Grylls joined the British Army. Before joining the British Army, he wished to join the Indian Army, so that he could fulfill his wish of climbing Mount Everest, the earth’s highest mountain above the sea level. But Bear Grylls couldn’t join the Indian Army, as he was not an Indian citizen, so he joined the British Army. Bear Grylls serviced the British Special Air Service, the Special Forces for three years. 

The bullies who made Bear Grylls strong –

In his school days Bear Grylls was bullied by some boys. This forced Bear Grylls to work on himself to become stronger, so that he can defend himself against those bullies. This made Bear Grylls learn martial arts and karate. Bear Grylls learnt karate So, those bullies indirectly made him earn black belt in Shotokan karate and they also played a role in making him what he is today. 

Serving as a special force officer-

Bear Grylls joined the Territorial Army. He served as a reservist with the 21 SAS Regiment until the year 1997. Here, Bear Grylls received exhaustive training on carrying out special operations, desert and winter warfare and in combat, weapons, explosives, etc. This training made Bear Grylls well-informed about almost all weapons; his favourite weapon is a small fixed blade knife survival knife, by name, Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife which he always carries with him. He uses this knife in many of his TV shows. 

The African mission which almost killed him-

Bear Grylls served as an army paratrooper in Africa, here an incident changed his life forever. As Bear Grylls was a highly skilled special officer he was sent to Africa twice to carry out stealth operations and combat missions. His first mission was successful but the second mission destroyed his career in the army. 

The accident-

Bear Grylls and his colleagues were instructed to reach their mission points with the help of parachutes and they were initially transported by a plane. Bear Grylls performed free fall parachuting from the plane, from an altitude of 16,000 feet. But unfortunately, the canopy of his parachute got ripped off at that height. As a result, Bear Grylls came spiraling down rapidly and then, he dashed onto the desert violently. This fall broke three vertebrae in his back. Fortunately, the rescue team found him and shifted him to the hospital at the appropriate time. And after this, Bear Grylls spent the next 18 months of his life covered in plasters and braces in a hospital in the UK (United Kingdom). The doctors opined that he could never walk in his life again. Barring all these doubts, his childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest intensified in his mind. 

Accident can break his back but not his dreams-

Even after sustaining severe injuries, Bear Grylls did not lose hope and continued to dream about climbing Mount Everest. After spending 18 months in the hospital, he still believed in his abilities and just after 18 months of this gruesome incident, he conquered the summit of Mount Everest. 

Nothing is impossible-

Bear Grylls proved that nothing is impossible with hard work and dedication as he climbed one of the toughest mountains, Ama Dablam in Nepal in the 1997 and this made him the youngest Briton to climb Ama Dablam. And on 16 May 1998, he climbed the summit of Mount Everest. 

The first episode of Man vs. Wild –

The first episode of the Man vs. Wild episode was The Rockies; it was aired on 10 March 2006. And now, the Man vs. Wild television series has garnered billions of fans across the world. With the help of this TV series, Bear Grylls teaches us how to survive in the wild and in emergency situations. In these shows, he eats raw flesh, live snakes and insects. 

Rise above all-

Bear Grylls inspires everyone to rise above their failures, shortcomings and insecurities. Man vs. Wild is one of the most popular reality shows in the world and these shows are aired on the Discovery Channel, a television network. Bear Grylls and his adventures became the identity of the Man vs. Wild series. This television series educates the general public regarding the survival skills required in the wild and during the emergency times. 

A world-famous series-

The Man vs. Wild series is viewed in around 180 countries of the world. This show is one of the most popular television shows in America and Bear Grylls has also garnered loyal fans across the globe. 

Adventurous till date and fooling the death countless times-

Even now, he regularly plays with the dangers and he narrowly escaped death numerous times. In an episode in the forests of Vietnam, Bear Grylls accidentally cut his finger with a sharp bamboo. In another incident, Bear Grylls was performing on the Canadian Rockies, the mountain range located in Canada. In the middle of his act, the heavy camera equipment and sledge fell on him. Although luck wasn’t on his side, the god was definitely on his side. So, the heavy equipment which came in the direction to crack his skull and kill him on the spot narrowly missed his head and instead thundered on his left thigh. Poor Bear Grylls was reduced to tears, but was very thankful to god to save his life that day. And once in Australia, he even fought with a crocodile and eventually killed it. 

Creating a world record-

A record of Bear Grylls 

Bear Grylls holds the world record for hosting the world’s highest dinner party in a hot-air balloon at a whopping 25,000 feet height. 

In the year 2005, Bear Grylls and his fellow adventurer, Lieutenant Commander Alan Veal performed this amazing feat. 

They dined up in the sky on a dining table which was fixed onto a hot air balloon. 

There, they consumed a three-course meal which included asparagus tips, duck an l’orange and fruit terrine. 

They took around twenty minutes to complete their meal at a freezing -49 degrees Fahrenheit and dedicated this adventure to the royal queen Elizabeth and later they descended by performing skydiving. 

His philanthropic side-

In addition to being an adventurist, Bear Grylls is also a philanthropist; he donated his wealth to many non-profit organisations like The Prince’s Trust, The JoLt Trust, Global Angels, Hope and Homes for Children, SSAFA Forces Help, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, etc. At the age of 35, he was appointed as the chief scout for The Scout Association. 

The family of Bear Grylls –

In the year 2000, Bear Grylls married Shara Cannings Knight. This couple is blessed with three boys namely, Marmaduke Mickey Percy Grylls, Jesse Grylls and Huckleberry Edward Jocelyne Grylls. 

Three generations of adventurists-

We all know that Bear Grylls and his father, Michael Grylls are adventure lovers. But you will be surprised to know that even the children of Bear Grylls do not shy away from being adventurous. One of his sons, Jesse Grylls, saved the life of a girl when she accidentally fell into a stream. This incident happened when Jesse Grylls was only seven years old. 

The adventurous author-

Bear Grylls has also authored many great books like- 

Mud, Sweat, and Tears, How to Stay Alive: The Ultimate Survival Guide for Any Situation.

A Survival Guide for Life.

The Blizzard Challenge.

Facing Up: A Remarkable Journey to the Summit of Mt Everest.

Mission Survival 1: Gold of the Gods.

To My Sons: Lessons for the Wild Adventure Called Life. The Sea Challenge. 

Bear Grylls Quotes

1. “The line between life or death is determined by what we are willing to do.” 

2. “You only get one chance at life and you have to grab it boldy.” 

3. “Survival can be summed up in three words, never give up, that’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” 

4. “All my life the only thing I’ve been good at has been climbing and throwing myself off big things.” 

5. “Keep focused on the step in front of you. Nothing else.” 

6. “When you’re going through hell – keep going.” 

7. “If you risk nothing, you gain nothing.” 

8. “Survival is not about being fearless. It’s about making a decision. Getting on and doing it. Because I want to see my kids again, or whatever the reason might be.”

9. “Life is all about our growth, not our trophies.”

10. “The difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is just that little word – extra. Give that little bit extra.” 

📜Conclusion:-

The greatest journeys all start with a single step.