Life Below Zero

RUNNING THE LOADER, I GOT OUT,

HAD TO MOVE SOMETHING, CAME BACK AND LOOKED,

AND THIS IS WHAT I NOTICED.

THIS IS OIL THAT'S BEING BLOWN UP.

HOW DOES OIL GET BLOWN UP?

IT HAS TO COME FROM DOWN HERE IN THE ENGINE.

LOOKING DOWN HERE, I'M CONCERNED,

IS THAT THE HEAD GASKET?

AND I LOOKED TO THE BACK, NO, IT'S NOT.

A HEAD GASKET LEAK IS GONNA LEAK ALL THE WAY AROUND.

THIS IS BEING BLOWN BACK.

AND BLOWN UP.

SO, IT'S COMING OUT OF HERE, THE TURBO AREA.

THE SEAL IS BLOWN AND IT'S JUST PUKING IT OUT.

IT'S GONNA BE GOING OUT MY EXHAUST EVERYWHERE.

THIS IS THE PIECE OF MACHINERY THAT'S GONNA GET

MY RUNWAY FIXED.

DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS IN KAVIK,

SUE AIKENS PROVIDES FUEL, FOOD,

AND BEDDING FOR BUSH PILOTS WHO ARE

PASSING THROUGH THE TUNDRA.

SHE IS LOW ON FUEL, BUT A DAMAGED RUNWAY HAS

KEPT HER SUPPLY FROM LANDING.

UNTIL SHE FIXES THE LOADER, SHE WILL BE UNABLE TO SELL

FUEL TO CLIENTS, AND EACH PASSING DAY IS

COSTING HER CRUCIAL REVENUE.

THIS IS TOO CRITICAL FOR ME TO

MAKE A MISTAKE.

IF I MAKE A MISTAKE, IT'S GONNA COST ME THE ABILITY

TO LAND A FUEL PLANE.

I CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

THIS HAS GOTTA GET FIXED.

ONCE IT DOES, I'M BACK IN BUSINESS.

BUT UNTIL IT IS, I'M OUT OF BUSINESS.

HEY, JORDAN, IS THAT YOU?

YEAH, SUE, IT IS.

AWESOME SAUCE, BUDDY.

DO YOU GOT MY, DO YOU GOT GEORGE, UH,

MY MECHANIC WITH YOU?

I CERTAINLY DO.

THANKS A LOT.

I'LL SEE YOU IN A MINUTE.

THAT IS JORDAN BRINGING IN THE MECHANIC TO HELP ME

WORK ON THE LOADER, SO I NEED TO GET THE FOUR-WHEELER

AND GO GRAB HIM.

GET THE TRAILER AND GRAB HIM AND START WORKING.

IS IT GONNA COST ME MONEY TO BRING A MECHANIC OUT

HERE AND PAY HIM?

ABSOLUTELY.

BUT I CAN'T DO IT ON MY OWN AND I HAVE TO HAVE IT DONE.

IT'S GONNA COST ME LESS TO HAVE HIM SHOW ME HOW TO DO IT

CORRECTLY THAN IT WOULD BE FOR ME TO GO IN BLIND,

TEARING THINGS UP THAT I HAVE NO BUSINESS TOUCHING.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOADER IS TO STRAIGHTEN THE RUNWAY

OUT, FLATTEN IT OUT AGAIN, TAKE OUT THE WHOOPTEES,

AND REPAIR THE WATER DAMAGE.

IN ORDER FOR MY FUEL PLANE TO ARRIVE,

THE LOADER HAS TO DO WORK ON IT AND FIX IT.

IF IT'S NOT RUNNING, I'M NOT GETTING FUEL.

IF I'M NOT GETTING FUEL, I'M OUT OF BUSINESS.

HEY, BUDDY.

HEY.

HOW YOU DOING?

PRETTY GOOD, PRETTY GOOD.

ALL RIGHT, THANKS FOR SAVING MY BACON

ON THIS ONE.

YEAH, NO PROBLEM, NO PROBLEM AT ALL.

BUT, UH, YEAH, I MEAN, I'M LOOKING AT IT,

I MEAN, I CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, AND LIKE TALKING TO

YOU ON THE PHONE, I AGREE ON WHAT IT IS.

BUT LIKE FOR ME WHEN I WAS TELLING YOU,

THERE'S SO MANY OTHER PARTS ATTACHED TO IT.

WHAT I'M, I CAN TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE BREAD REALLY WELL,

BUT TELLING YOU WHAT TO TAKE APART, WHAT IF I,

LIKE I TOLD YOU, WHAT IF I BREAK A SEAL AND I DON'T

HAVE THE RIGHT PART?

RIGHT.

I MEAN, THERE'S TOO MANY OTHER THINGS

THAT I MIGHT DO WRONG.

YUP, WELL, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND A TURBO AND

A SEAL KIT AND EVERYTHING THAT WE SHOULD NEED, SO.

AWESOME SAUCE, AWESOME SAUCE.

WELL, YOU SEE WHERE HE BOUNCES,

THOSE ARE ALL AREAS I NEED TO FIX.

IT'S NOT LEVEL.

AND IT DOESN'T LOOK BAD NOW, BUT LAKE AIKENS OVER HERE

JUST FLOODED OUT THE RUNWAY.

IT'S REALLY WAY TOO SOFT FOR AIRPLANES YET.

WELL, LET'S HIT IT AND SEE WHAT WE GOTTA DO,

GET OUR DAY STARTED.

ALL RIGHT.

THERE'S ALWAYS LOTS TO SEE OUT HERE.

THERE'S ALSO JUST A LOT TO LEARN.

LOOK AT THIS LAKE.

IT'S STARTING TO BREAK UP.

THERE'S MORE AND MORE OPEN WATER.

YOU CAN'T WALK ON THE ICE ANYMORE.

THIS TIME OF YEAR, WHEN YOU HAVE TO CROSS WATER,

SOMETIMES YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE,

YOU GOTTA GO THROUGH IT.

BUT YOU CAN'T STAY IN THAT ICE WATER TOO LONG,

THAT'S ABOUT 32 DEGREES WHERE THAT ICE IS MELTING

INTO THE WATER.

DOWN THAT VALLEY, ABOUT 10 MILES FROM HERE

I'VE GOT A CANOE.

I LEFT IT OVER THERE THREE YEARS AGO,

THE LAST TIME I USED IT.

IF I CAN GET TO THAT CANOE, I CAN USE IT THIS SPRING

TO GET AROUND SOME LAKES UP IN THAT AREA.

I HAVE TO CROSS A LOT OF LAND BETWEEN HERE AND THE CANOE.

I CAN'T TAKE THE CANOE I HAVE HERE IN CAMP WITH ME.

BUT IF I CAN WALK UP THERE, GET TO MY CANOE WHERE I LEFT

IT 3 YEARS AGO, I'LL BE ABLE TO TRAVEL DOWNSTREAM WITH IT,

I'LL BE ABLE TO GET INTO SOME OTHER LAKES UP THERE,

I'LL BE ABLE TO USE THAT CANOE TO GO HUNTING AND

FISHING IN AN AREA THAT I CAN'T NORMALLY GET TO.

BUT IT'S GONNA BE HARD, BECAUSE THE RIVER'S NOT GONNA

BE FROZEN ANYMORE.

I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE ICE.

I'M GONNA HAVE TO CROSS THROUGH THE WATER.

GLENN VILLENEUVE RELIES ON THE ANIMALS THAT

SURROUND HIM IN THE BROOKS RANGE FOR THE MEAT AND

PROTEIN HE NEEDS TO SURVIVE.

RECOVERING HIS CANOE WILL OPEN UP ACCESS TO NEW HUNTING AND

FISHING GROUNDS.

BUT MELTING RIVER ICE WILL FORCE HIM TO SWIM

ACROSS THE CREEK,

AND HE MUST CONDITION HIS BODY TO WITHSTAND THE

FRIGID AND DEADLY WATERS.

WHAT I'M GONNA DO TODAY,

I'M GONNA WALK OUT HERE INTO THE WATER,

AND I'M JUST GONNA PRACTICE SPENDING TIME IN COLD WATER.

LET MY BODY ACCLIMATE TO IT.

LET MY BODY GET USED TO IT.

AN AVERAGE PERSON, IF THEY'RE SUBMERGED IN ICE WATER,

THEY'RE UNCONSCIOUS OR DEAD WITHIN ABOUT 15 MINUTES.

BUT YOU CAN TRAIN YOUR MIND.

YOU CAN ENDURE A LOT.

IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO.

IT'S A LITTLE CHILLY IN HERE.

IT'S VERY THERAPEUTIC THOUGH.

WHEN YOU FOCUS THE ENERGY OF YOUR MIND,

IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO.

THAT ICE, IT'S REALLY COLD.

EACH TIME I GO IN, I CAN STAY A LITTLE LONGER,

TRAINING MYSELF.

I'M GONNA GO IN AND WARM UP.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SHIVERING AT 105 DEGREES.

THAT'S AMAZING.

WHAT IS IT RIGHT NOW?

IT'S 112, 112 DEGREES,

AND I GOT GOOSEBUMPS AND I'M SHIVERING.

IF I HAD NEVER DONE THIS, AND I GOT UP TO THAT RIVER AND

I TRIED CROSSING, I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT I

COULD AND COULDN'T DO.

BUT BY DOING THIS, I SEE HOW MY BODY REACTS AND

WHAT IT TAKES TO WARM BACK UP.

AND IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO WARM BACK UP.

I CAN MENTALLY MAKE MYSELF ENDURE THE WATER FOR A

LONG TIME, BUT IT'S AFTER I GET OUT THAT I

HAVE MORE PROBLEMS.

SO, I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.

I DIDN'T GET KILLED, I DIDN'T DROWN,

I DIDN'T FREEZE TO DEATH.

IT WAS A SUCCESS.

MY GENERAL THEORY IS,

THE MORE THINGS YOU CAN DO, THE MORE THINGS YOU CAN DO.

AND THAT'S KIND OF MY WAY OF LIVING OUT HERE.

SO, I'M LOOKING FOR A TREE THAT, UH,

HAS VERY FEW BRANCHES AT THE LOWER END.

I WANT MY LUMBER TO BE AS FREE OF KNOTS AS POSSIBLE.

I'M KINDA THINKING THIS ONE HERE MIGHT BE PRETTY GOOD.

I DECIDED I WANTED TO START A NEW PROJECT THAT WOULD TEACH

ME SOME NEW SKILLS AND, UM, I HAVE DECIDED I WANTED

TO TRY AND BUILD A SKIN-ON-FRAME KAYAK.

I CAN, UH, TAKE IT BACK TO FORD LAKE,

I CAN PADDLE AROUND ON THE LAKE, GO SHOOT MUSKRATS,

HUNT DUCKS, AND JUST PADDLE AROUND A LOT EASIER OUT ON A

WINDY LAKE IN A KAYAK RATHER THAN A BIG CANOE.

THEY'RE PRETTY EASY TO BUILD WITH JUST LOCAL

MATERIALS ON HAND,

SO MY PLAN IS TO JUST GO KNOCK DOWN A DEAD SPRUCE TREE,

TAKE IT OVER TO THE SAWMILL, UM,

CUT IT UP INTO THE PIECES THAT I NEED AND THEN USE SOME

HAND TOOLS TO SHAPE THE PIECES.

HOPE MY KAYAK'S A WHOLE LOT LIGHTER THAN THIS.

WOO!

I SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT,

BUILD THE WHOLE KAYAK OUT OF THIS ONE LOG.

AND I WANNA TRY AND NOT CUT THROUGH THE GRAIN TOO BAD.

I WANT THE CUTS TO BE PRETTY PARALLEL TO THE GRAIN,

NATURAL GRAIN OF THE WOOD.

EVERYBODY'S GOT A SET OF SKILLS OR SOMETHING THAT KIND

OF DRIVES THEM IN THEIR LIFE.

FOR ME, IT'S BUILDING.

FOR ME, IT'S LEARNING NEW SKILLS AND NEW TECHNIQUES.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF, ONCE I LEARN HOW TO DO THIS,

I COULD GO INTO THE WOODS WITH, UH,

MAYBE A DRAW KNIFE AND A POCKET KNIFE, AND IF I HAD TO,

I COULD BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO GET ME FROM