Life Below Zero

I LOVE YOU, HAVE FUN.

I'LL BE AT MURDER LAKE.

OKAY.

GO CATCH DINNER.

OH, YEAH.

GO CATCH MY GOOSE.

THE GEESE ARE JUST ARRIVING.

IT'S PRETTY NICE TO SEE THE BIRDS COME BACK.

THIS IS WHAT WE CONSIDER SPRING.

I'VE GOT A BUNCH OF WHITE SHEETS AND SOME ROPE.

I GOT A SHOVEL.

I'M GONNA GO OVER AND GO START ON A BLIND,

A LARGE BLIND FOR US ALL TO STAND IN AND HUNT FROM.

AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA GET US UP A BUNCH OF GEESE HOPEFULLY.

I'M HOPING, ANYWAY.

YOU GUYS KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

I'LL GET TO MY SHOVEL WORK HERE.

AND I GOT MY SHOTGUN READY.

WELL, THE OLDEST SON, DOUG, HE JOINED US FROM DEERING.

AND HE'S WITH MY DAUGHTER IDI-BITTY'S BOYFRIEND, EDWARD.

WE'RE AT MURDER LAKE AND WE'RE JUST

TYING UP SOME TRIPODS REAL QUICK, AND SET 'EM ALL UP,

MAKE, LIKE, FOUR OR FIVE, SIX TRIPODS,

AND THEN JUST FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE REST OF THE WILLOWS.

YEAH, JUST THE END TO THE END TO THE END,

AND THEN WE'RE GONNA MAKE A COUPLE ARCHES THAT WE CAN

PUT THE SHEETS ON TOP OF.

WE'RE TRYING TO JUST HIDE OURSELVES SO WE'RE USING SHEETS.

AND THEY LOOK LIKE SNOW.

IF YOU HAVE COTTON SHEETS, THEY LOOK A LOT LIKE SNOW.

THE THING IS, WE GOTTA GET HUSTLING.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS KIND OF A LITTLE SHORT HUNT.

IT ONLY LASTS THREE OR FOUR DAYS.

THE SNOW IS MELTING AND THE SNOW IS ADDING TO THE RIVER,

SO THE RIVER'S STARTING TO SWELL UP A BIT.

AND THE GEESE WILL SPREAD OUT THEN.

THE BEST PART OF THE CHANGE OF SEASONS IS

RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE THE BIRDS ARE HERE.

THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE REALLY WAITED FOR

AND WE REALLY LIKE TO DO.

WE KIND OF ANTICIPATE ALL THIS COMING ON AND

WE LOOK FORWARD AND PLAN FOR IT,

AND NOW HERE WE ARE.

WE GOT A GOOD BLIND BUILT.

THE LADIES, THEY'RE GONNA GO SIT OVER THERE WITH US.

NOW, WE GOTTA GET OUR HUNT ON.

THE HAILSTONES HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR CAMP

ON THE KIWALIK RIVER,

WHERE THEY WILL SPEND THE SUMMER HUNTING,

FISHING, AND GATHERING RESOURCES FOR SURVIVAL.

THE BREAK-UP OF THE RIVER BRINGS THE RETURN OF BIRDS

TO THE REGION, AND THE FAMILY MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE

OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO HUNT SPRINGTIME FOWL.

HERE THEY COME, TWO AT A TIME.

NOPE, NOT YET.

LOTS OF FALSE ALARMS IN THIS KIND OF STUFF.

THESE GUYS MADE A PRETTY COOL BLIND.

QUITE A FEW OF US ARE ABLE TO FIT IN HERE, ALL FIVE OF US.

HOPEFULLY WE'LL, UM, WE GET ONE OR TWO THIS EVENING,

OR A WHOLE BUNCH.

WHEN YOU SEE BIRDS THAT ARE SINGLE,

AND LOOKING FOR A MATE, YOU CAN EASILY CALL THEM ALL IN.

SO JUST KEEP TRYING TO MAKE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS

OF BIRD NOISES AND SEE WHICH ONE COMES.

SOMETIMES IT GETS A LITTLE FUNNY,

BUT THEY'RE ALL GOOD.

WE BUILT THIS BLIND IN ANTICIPATION

OF A LOT OF BIRDS COMING.

AND THERE'S A FEW BIRDS OVER HERE.

BUT WE HAVE TO BE READY, 'CAUSE ONE OF THESE DAYS

THEY'RE GONNA COME AND THEY'RE GONNA BE OVER US.

OR MAYBE ONE OF THESE MINUTES.

THOSE ARE SWANS.

RIGHT THERE, ONE SWAN.

HE'S TURNING.

NOT A, NOT EVEN A FEATHER.

AH, BAH, HUMBUG.

WELL, YOU KNOW, THE SUN'S GOING DOWN AND THE BIRDS ARE

PRETTY WELL SCARED OFF BY ME SHOOTING AT A SWAN THAT

I MISSED, SO THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK TONIGHT.

THE FRESH ONES, THE NEW WAVE, THEY'LL BE IN TOMORROW,

SO GETTING THIS DONE NOW IS GONNA PAY OFF IN NOT HAVING TO

DO IT IN A FEW DAYS WHEN THEY WOULD REALLY, REALLY SEE US.

SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S NOT TOO MANY BIRDS YET,

BUT EVERY DAY IT'S GONNA MULTIPLY.

THIS PLACE IS GONNA BE SWAMPED WITH BIRDS SOON.

EVERY SINGLE DAY,

THE CONDITIONS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

EVERY DAY IS A DIFFERENT DAY ON THE YUKON RIVER.

THIS IS KIND OF AN EXCITING TIME OF YEAR FOR ME.

MY BLOOD GETS PUMPING A LITTLE BIT 'CAUSE IT'S BREAK-UP.

AND BREAK-UP TO ME IS LIKE NEW YEAR'S TO MOST PEOPLE.

SO I START MY CALENDAR YEAR THE DAY THE RIVER BREAKS UP,

AND LOOKING AT THE RIVER,

BREAK-UP IS GONNA HAPPEN REAL QUICK HERE.

SO I GOT ALL MY FOOD, DRY GOOD FOOD-TYPE SUPPLIES HERE,

AND NEXT STEP I GOTTA DO IS I GOTTA GET GOING ON, UH,

GETTING SOME BOATS TOGETHER, CREATE AN ARK FOR ME AND THE

DOGS IN CASE WE FLOOD.

I'M ALWAYS NERVOUS AFTER THE FLOOD IN 2009.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THIS RIVER'S GONNA DO.

IT CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND OR IT CAN KICK YOUR ASS.

IN 2009, ANDY BASSICH EXPERIENCED ONE

OF THE MOST DEVASTATING BREAK-UPS OF THE YUKON RIVER

IN RECORDED HISTORY.

THE RESULTING FLOOD COST HIM VALUABLE EQUIPMENT AND

MACHINERY, AND TOOK THE LIFE OF A MEMBER OF HIS DOG TEAM.

HAVING SPENT YEARS REBUILDING HIS LIVELIHOOD,

IT'S CRITICAL FOR ANDY TO TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION AGAINST

THE IMPENDING BREAK-UP IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIS HOME

AND THE LIVES OF HIMSELF AND HIS SLED DOGS.

MY NEXT JOB IS I GOTTA GET MY ARMY BOATS TURNED

OVER, GET 'EM STERN TO STERN, AND THEN CONNECT THEM UP TO

EACH OTHER AND THAT'LL MAKE ABOUT A 40-FOOT-LONG BARGE.

THAT'S THE ARK.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO, TO CREATE A SAFETY NET AT

BREAK-UP HERE.

SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET SOME BOATS PUT TOGETHER,

GET IT SET UP FOR DOGS, HAVE SOME FOOD IN THERE,

SOME WATER IN THERE 'CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW OUT

HERE AT BREAK-UP TIME.

THIS COULD BE WHAT WE CALL A SLUSH-OUT,

WHERE THE RIVER JUST BREAKS UP AND GOES OUT NICE AND EASY,

OR IT COULD BE AN ASS KICKER.

AND IF IT'S AN ASS KICKER,

I MIGHT BE IN A BOAT FOR 24 HOURS WAITING FOR

THE WATER TO GO BACK DOWN.

ALTHOUGH IT CREATES A LOT OF EXTRA WORK FOR ME,

IT'S A WHOLE LOT MORE WORK IF I DON'T DO THIS PREP.

IN 2009, THE WATER LEVEL CAME UP FROM RIVER LEVEL TO

FLOODING THIS PROPERTY IN PROBABLY LESS THAN 15 MINUTES.

20 FEET OF WATER RISE IN 15 MINUTES,

YOU DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF TIME TO REACT.

RIGHT NOW, MY MIND IS ALL WRAPPED AROUND PRIORITIES.

TAKE CARE OF THE MATERIAL THINGS AROUND HERE THAT WILL

GET RUINED IN A FLOOD, AND THEN THE SECOND TOP

PRIORITY IS THE SAFETY FOR ME AND THE DOGS.

IN THE BOAT, COME ON, COME ON, COUG.

YEAH.

COME ON, BRIGGUS.

COME ON, BRIG, COME ON, BRIG, YAY.

GOOD JOB, IN THE BOAT, GOOD JOB, IN THE BOAT.

SO WHAT'LL HAPPEN IS I CAN CLIP 'EM IN

AND THEY'RE SECURE.

COME HERE, JACK.

THERE YOU GO, BUDDY.

SO I CAN GO THROUGH AND JUST SECURE DOGS IN LIKE THIS,

AND THEN EVERYBODY'S UNDER CONTROL.

OKAY, THE FLOOD'S OVER.

THE FLOOD'S OVER, GO PLAY.

OKAY, EVERYBODY OUT OF THE BOAT.

LET'S GO, COME ON.

LET'S GO, ONTO THE NEXT JOB.

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO THINK ON THE FLY,

DO THINGS OFF THE CUFF.

IF I CAN'T MAKE THIS WORK, HOW CAN I MAKE THAT WORK?

YOU'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO BLEND THE OLD WITH THE NEW.

NEXT CHORE ON THE MENU IS OPENING UP THE GREENHOUSE.

WE'VE GOT JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CHORES

THIS TIME OF YEAR.

BUT THIS IS ONE OF MY MORE REWARDING ONES.

THIS IS THE THAW.

THE TUNDRA IS NOW GETTING OVER WINTER AND INTO SPRING.

EVERY SINGLE BIT OF FOOD THAT I COULD GROW

OR GET FOR MYSELF, IS MONEY IN THE BANK, REALLY.

WHOO, IT IS HOT IN HERE.

ISOLATED IN THE TUNDRA AND 500 MILES FROM

THE NEAREST CITY, SUE AIKENS MUST RELY ON HUNTING,

GATHERING, AND GROWING THE FOOD SHE NEEDS TO SURVIVE.

SHE BUILT A GREENHOUSE THAT ALLOWS HER TO HARVEST PRODUCE

IN KAVIK'S BRUTAL ENVIRONMENT, AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE

BRIEF SUMMER GROWING SEASON IS CRITICAL TO HER FOOD SUPPLY.

THE GROWING SEASON HERE IS SO SHORT,

I'M ALWAYS COMING UP WITH NEW IDEAS ON, YOU KNOW,

CAN I TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

CAN I GROW MORE?

WHAT CAN I DO TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SELF-SUFFICIENT

IN THE WINTER SO I DON'T HAVE TO FLY UP OR

COUNT ON OTHER MEANS TO FEED MYSELF?

AND ONE OF THE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE UP HERE

IN THE ARCTIC, THERE IS NO SOIL HERE.

YOU CAN'T GO OUT AND DIG SOIL AND PLANT SOMETHING

AND HAVE IT GROW.

IT'S JUST WAY TOO FAR NORTH.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY SOIL.

SO WHAT WE HAVE ARE ROCKS, MOSS, PEAT,

AND THAT PEAT CAN MIX RIGHT IN WITH THE, UH,

SOME OF THE DIRT THAT I HAVE AROUND CAMP AND THE SILT,

AND JUST CREATE A BETTER MEDIUM.

THE GROWING SEASON HERE, MY SPRING, SUMMER,

AND FALL ENCOMPASSES ALL OF IT IN TWO-AND-A-HALF MONTHS,

MAYBE THREE IF I HAVE A REAL HOT YEAR.

UM, IT'S NOT A LOT OF GROWING TIME TO GO FROM SEED

TO PLANT TO MATURITY TO HARVEST TO CAN IT.

SO MY BEST INTEREST RIGHT NOW, COOL THIS DOWN,

I'LL BRING THE PLANTS OUT IN A BIT.

BUT I NEED TO GO FIND SOME PEAT,

SEE IF I CAN GET SOME MEDIUM.

I NEED TO GO OUT AND TROLL THE RIVER.

THE RIVER'S STILL A LITTLE BIT AT FLOOD STAGE.