Life Below Zero

FREEZE UP LOOKS LIKE IT HAPPENED PRETTY GOOD.

IT'S REALLY LOW THIS YEAR.

IF THE ICE ISN'T TOO BAD, I MIGHT TRY AND SEE IF I CAN'T

GET A TRAIL PUT IN ACROSS THE RIVER.

THE QUICKER I CAN GET A TRAIL ACROSS THE RIVER,

THAT'S GONNA OPEN UP ALL THAT COUNTRY OUT

THERE UPRIVER, DOWNRIVER.

IT'S GONNA OPEN UP TRAPPING.

IT'S GONNA OPEN UP HAULING WOOD IN.

IT'S GONNA OPEN UP LOGGING.

A BIG PART OF MY WORLD IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT RIVER

AND I NEED TO, I NEED TO GET OVER THERE.

IT'S KIND OF DICEY RIGHT NOW.

YOU JUST DON'T KNOW UNTIL YOU GET OUT ON IT.

THERE COULD BE PLACES WHERE THERE'S HOLES WHERE

IT'S VERY THIN, YOU COULD JUST BUST RIGHT THROUGH IT.

YOU BREAK THROUGH THE ICE, THE SECOND YOU GO THROUGH THAT

CURRENT TAKES YA, YOU'RE DEAD.

COME ON, BOYS.

I'M REALLY ANXIOUS TO GET MY DOGS OUT.

WE JUST DON'T HAVE MUCH SNOW THIS YEAR,

AND WITHOUT THE SNOW,

I'M REALLY LANDLOCKED IN RIGHT HERE.

WHO'S THE GUINEA PIG HERE?

WHO WANTS TO GO OUT FRONT?

'CAUSE I DON'T.

YOU WANNA GO OUT FRONT, BERG?

WE'LL FIND OUT IF THIS ICE IS THICK ENOUGH.

THIS YEAR, THE YUKON RIVER FROZE UP VERY LOW,

BUT YET STILL VERY JUMBLED UP.

WHEN YOU CHALLENGE THE, UH, JUMBLE ICE EARLY ON,

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET,

SO THE REALLY SMART AND PRUDENT THING TO DO IS TO

ALWAYS WALK IT FIRST.

I ALWAYS TAKE A BIG POLE WITH ME IN CASE I BREAK THROUGH.

I ALSO LIKE TAKING MY DOGS WITH ME BECAUSE THEY

HAVE EXCELLENT HEARING AND EXCELLENT SENSES,

AND IF THE ICE IS REALLY THIN,

THEY'RE NOT GONNA GO THERE MOST OF THE TIME.

DOGS SEEM TO THINK IT'S PRETTY GOOD OUT THERE.

OOH, THAT'S WHAT SCARES THE (BLEEP) OUT OF ME.

YOU STEP ON A PIECE OF THIN ICE AND YOUR

FOOT GOES THROUGH A LITTLE BIT.

BETWEEN THE DOGS AND MYSELF,

I THINK WE'RE GONNA FIND A TRAIL ACROSS THIS,

BUT, UH, I'M GONNA HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS THE WHOLE WAY ACROSS.

I'M GONNA HAVE TO CHECK EVERYTHING THE WHOLE WAY ACROSS.

IT'S A LOT MORE SMALL, CHUNKY ICE IN HERE.

IT'S KIND OF HOLLOW UNDERNEATH OF IT,

SO IT'S A LITTLE DECEIVING.

I'M JUST GONNA CHECK EVERYWHERE I STEP.

THE YUKON RIVER IS SOMETIMES YOUR FRIEND,

AND SOMETIMES IT'S YOUR WORST ENEMY.

EARLY IN THE YEAR WHEN THERE'S ROUGH ICE, IT'S DAUNTING.

THIS IS ALL NEW ICE.

THIS IS BLACK ICE RIGHT HERE.

IT'S REALLY SMOOTH AND REALLY DARK UNDERNEATH THERE.

THAT'S BRAND NEW ICE.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S FROZE UP.

I CAN'T TELL HOW THICK IT IS.

NOT, NOT THICK ENOUGH TO CRACK IT, SO THAT'S A GOOD SIGN.

THAT'S THE KIND OF THING I'M A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT.

YOU LOOK SECURE, THERE'S JUMBLE ICE THERE,

THERE'S JUMBLE ICE THERE.

YOU THINK, OH, THIS IS GOOD AND THEN YOU STEP

AND BOOM, DOWN YOU GO.

IT JUST PAYS TO BE CAUTIOUS.

FIRST TIME ACROSS IS SLOW AND STEADY.

PAYS TO BE THE TURTLE NOT THE HARE.

STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO.

THE PROBLEM ISN'T DYING.

THE PROBLEM IS FIGURING OUT HOW TO LIVE.

I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT DYING, I'M WORRIED ABOUT NOT LIVING.

WHAT THE HELL?

AH, PIECES OF MY MOOSE HIDE.

SOMETHING'S BEEN FEEDING ON THIS.

THESE PIECES OF HIDE, I LEFT UP ON THIS PLATFORM IN

ORDER TO KEEP THEM FROM BAIT.

THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

I NEED TO GO UP TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

AH, NOTHING'S EVER GOT UP HERE BEFORE.

OH, MAN.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

SOMETHING ACTUALLY GOT UP HERE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

OH, THIS ISN'T GOOD.

THIS CACHE HAS STOOD HERE FOR 10 YEARS AND I'VE NEVER HAD

ANYTHING GET UP ON IT BEFORE.

THERE'S A LITTLE URINE THERE.

THERE'S SOME SCAT.

LUCKILY, ALL I HAD HERE WAS BAIT AND ANTLERS,

BUT A LOT OF TIMES, I HAVE GOOD FOOD UP HERE.

I PUT A WHOLE MOOSE UP HERE IN THE FALL AFTER I KILL IT.

I PUT CARIBOU UP HERE IN THE WINTER WHEN I GET 'EM.

AND I CAN'T TAKE A CHANCE OF HAVING SOMETHING GET UP HERE

AGAIN AND EATING UP GOOD MEAT.

APPARENTLY, THIS ISN'T SAFE ENOUGH.

I'VE GOT SHEET METAL, PIECES OF STOVEPIPE AROUND THE LEGS

OF THE CACHE, SO THAT ANIMALS CAN'T CLIMB UP ONTO IT.

HOW'D ANYTHING GET UP THERE?

THERE'S NO WAY ANYTHING CLIMBED OVER THIS TIN.

I MEAN, THERE'S FOUR FEET OF SHEET METAL RIGHT THERE.

THAT'S SLICK.

ANIMALS CAN'T GET A PURCHASE ON IT,

THAT'S WHY I PUT IT THERE.

THE ONLY OTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT IT

GOT UP HERE AND JUMPED ACROSS.

WHEN I BUILT THIS MEAT POLE, I RAN OUT OF STOVEPIPE.

I GOT FOUR FEET ON ALL THOSE LEGS, BUT HERE,

I ONLY HAVE TWO FEET.

LOOK AT THIS, CLAW MARKS.

AND THAT'S BIGGER THAN A MARTEN.

THAT MUST BE THE WOLVERINE.

I'VE HAD A WOLVERINE AROUND THIS WINTER,

AND I DIDN'T WANNA KILL IT, BECAUSE IT'S NOT THAT OFTEN

YOU GET TO SEE A WOLVERINE UP CLOSE.

THEY'RE USUALLY NOT THAT BOLD.

I GOT TO INVESTIGATE THIS CLOSER.

I NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE WOLVERINE GOT UP HERE.

I CAN'T HAVE THE ANIMALS BEING ABLE TO GET UP ON THIS CACHE.

YES, IT WAS THE WOLVERINE.

THERE ARE MORE CLAW MARKS RIGHT ON THE METAL THERE.

THAT WOLVERINE GOT OVER THAT PIPE, CLIMBED RIGHT UP HERE,

AND I CAN SEE RIGHT THERE CLAW MARKS,

AND IF HE JUMP RIGHT ACROSS, I CAN SEE SOME MARKS RIGHT ON

THAT CORNER OF THE CACHE WHERE HE LANDED.

THAT'S A HIGHLY MOTIVATED WOLVERINE.

THIS TIME I GOT LUCKY.

ALL I LOST WAS SOME BAIT, SOME SCRAPS, BUT SOMETIMES,

I HAVE A LOT OF FOOD ON THIS PLATFORM.

SOMETIMES, I HAVE SEVERAL MONTHS' FOOD STORED HERE.

AND I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO BE ABLE TO GET UP THERE

AND GET IT.

I'VE GOT TO FIX THIS.

I'VE GOT TO MAKE IT MORE SECURE.

I NEED TO PUT MORE STOVEPIPE ON HERE.

I DO HAVE A STOVE IN THE SOD HOUSE I'M NOT USING RIGHT NOW.

I COULD TAKE THAT STOVEPIPE.

IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO FIX THIS RIGHT NOW THAN

TO HAVE A STOVE IN THERE.

MAYBE I DON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY,

BUT IT ALWAYS GOES BACK TO THE DOGS NOT TO ME.

IF I LIVE FOR THE DOGS, THEY LIVE FOR ME.

EEYORE.

COME ON, BUDDY.

YOU'RE COMING WITH ME TODAY, YEAH,

WE'RE GOING ON A BIG TRIP.

I'M HEADING UP TO MINTO.

I WAS JUST UP THERE LAST WEEK RACING A DOG RACE.

IT'S A RACE WHERE WE SPEND OVERNIGHT.

I HAD A DOG THAT WAS PRETTY SORE THERE.

SO, I, UH, LEFT HIM WITH MY FRIEND.

I WAS GONNA DRIVE UP THERE AND GO BACK AND GET HIM,

BUT IT'S 360-MILE DRIVE.

THAT'S A LOT OF GAS AND I GOT DOGS THAT NEED TO BE RUN,

AND MINTO IS A STRAIGHT DASH FROM HERE,

RIGHT ACROSS THE FLATS 53 MILES.

SO, I'M GONNA GO UP HERE AND GET HIM BY A DOG TEAM.

THERE'S ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT OF APPREHENSION THAT GOES INTO

RUNNING A BIG TEAM OF DOGS.

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN OUT THERE.

IT'S A LOT OF POWER FOR ONE MAN TO HANDLE.

BUT THAT'S WHERE THE EXHILARATION

AND THE ADVENTURE, EXCITEMENT COMES IN.

GOOD BOYS, GOOD BOYS.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, READY?

HIKE.

GOOD BOYS, STRAIGHT AHEAD, STRAIGHT AHEAD,

STRAIGHT AHEAD.

GOOD BOYS, ALL RIGHT.

THERE YOU GO.

EVERYBODY THINKS DOG MUSHING'S JUST HOOKING UP DOGS

AND GOING DOWN THE TRAIL AND MUSHING AND A GEE AND A HAW

AND A YIPPIE-TIE-YAY BUT, REALLY YOU GOT TO

BE A SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST.

YOU GOT TO BE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST FOR THESE DOGS.

YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHEN THEY'RE HURT,

YOU GOT TO KNOW HOW TO GET 'EM BACK IN THE TEAM.

STRAIGHT UP, STRAIGHT UP, STRAIGHT UP,

STRAIGHT AHEAD, STRAIGHT AHEAD.

IT'S BASICALLY LIKE MANAGING A HIGH-GRADE SPORTS TEAM.

THIS IS LIKE THE CHICAGO BULLS TO ME.

THESE DOGS CAN BE CHAMPIONS.

IT'S WHAT I DO WITH THEM THAT MAKES THEM CHAMPIONS.

EASY, WHOA, WHOA, STOP.

STAY, GOOD DOGS.

ALL RIGHT, THIS IS 30 MILES IN ON THE TRAIL, ACTUALLY 32.

JUST TURNED OFF THE MAIN TRAIL.

FROM HERE ON, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA COME INTO.

PROBABLY A LOT OF DRIFTING SNOW, SOFT TRAIL.

SO, I'M GONNA STOP AND GIVE THE DOGS A LITTLE REST,

SOME SNACK.

THEY'RE EXCITED STILL, SO THAT'S WHAT YOU WANNA

SEE 32 MILES IN.

YOU CAN GIVE A DOG A PAT ON THE HEAD OR YOU COULD GIVE IT

A STEAK, AND THEN THEY REALLY KNOW YOU APPRECIATE IT.

GOOD JOB, BASIN.

MAMMOTH, MEGA.

LITTLE BIT OF STEAK.

THEY COULD USE A LITTLE BREAK,

'CAUSE IT'S ABOUT TO BE A HARD PUSH,