Apparently more of a rugged individualist than even his libertarian-leaning political philosophy suggested, Flake was dropped off in the Marshall Islands with little more than snorkeling gear, a water desalinization pump and a Hawaiian sling to spear fish. He slept in a hammock and swam and fished in the ocean, avoiding the sharks.

“My diet was coconuts and a lot of crabs. I lit fires with a magnifying glass and a coconut husk, too,” Flake told The Arizona Republic. “I never was an Eagle Scout, and I’m doing penance for it now.”…

“I did tell (my wife) Cheryl, ‘That island is uninhabited, I promise,’ ” Flake said. “No one can accuse me of giving in to any kind of vices there, unless you call eating fish and coconuts a vice.”