Life Below Zero

DID YOU GET THE JET FUEL THIS TIME?

CHECK-CHECK.

ALL RIGHTY, BUDDY, I'LL SEE YOU IN A FEW MINUTES.

FUEL PLANE CAME IN.

THE LAST FUEL OF THE SEASON.

IT REPRESENTS WRAPPING UP EVERYTHING THAT I'VE DONE

SINCE THE LAST SNOW MELTED, SINCE THE SPRING CAME.

SEEING THE PLANES IS ALWAYS ONE OF MY BIGGEST JOYS.

BUT IT'S ALSO SIGNALING THE END OF ONE ERA;

THE ISSUING IN OF THE NEXT.

WINTER IS ONE COLD HARD BITCH.

MY NAME IS SUSAN AIKENS.

I AM THE SOLE RESIDENT AND CARETAKER OF KAVIK RIVER CAMP,

UP ON THE NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA.

I'M ABOUT 500 MILES FROM THE CLOSEST BIG CITY,

15 MILES FROM THE ARCTIC OCEAN.

KAVIK IS A SAFETY ZONE, A PLACE TO GET FOOD,

A PLACE TO GET HEAT, A PLACE TO COMMUNICATE.

THAT'S THE MAIN GOAL OF KAVIK.

WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, I CRIED.

THAT WAS MY FIRST REACTION.

THERE WAS SO MUCH TO DO.

BUT I'VE WORKED AT IT AND I'VE MORPHED IT,

AND I'VE BECOME IT.

IT'S ONE OF THE LAST BITS OF REAL ESTATE THAT YOU

CAN GO TO THAT'S NOT TAME.

IT'S NOT BEEN GROOMED TO FIT A POSTCARD.

IT'S WILD.

THE ABSENCE OF SOCIETY GAVE ME THE NURTURING

THAT SOCIETY NEVER DID.

THIS IS THE ALONE TIME THAT I CRAVE.

THIS IS THE TIME WHERE I CAN SAY, "HEY,

HOW ABOUT A LITTLE ADVENTURE FOR ME?"

HAVE A GOOD WINTER.

YEAH.

THANK YOU, GUYS.

I'M DONE WITH MY SUMMER CYCLE.

I'M DONE WITH MY PEOPLE CYCLE,

AND NOW IT'S THE GLORY OF, THIS IS ALL GONNA BE DARKNESS,

SNOW, AND COLD.

LIKE ANY ANIMAL, YOU GET PREPARED FOR THE WINTER,

OR YOU DON'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE WINTER.

NOW THAT THE FUEL PLANE HAS LANDED,

I'VE GOT ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE WINTER.

MY CHORES ARE DONE.

CAMP IS SECURE.

I FEEL SOLID ABOUT WHERE KAVIK IS AT RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS MY TIME, I WANNA TAKE IT.

I WANNA GO HAVE SOME ADVENTURE.

I'VE BEEN APPROVED FEDERAL SUBSISTENCE,

SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAID, "YOU'RE GOOD TO GO, SUE.

HERE'S YOUR TAGS, HERE'S YOUR BOOK.

YOU CAN GO HUNT IN THE REFUGE."

ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT PIECES OF REAL ESTATE ON THIS

BLUE PLANET IS THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

IT'S 10 MILES AWAY.

THERE'S NOT A ROAD GOING THROUGH IT.

I'VE GOTTA TAKE AN AIRPLANE.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS PLACE.

IT'S NATURE IN ITS PUREST FORM.

YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THE TALLEST MOUNTAINS,

SOME OF THE LONGEST RIVERS, SOME OF THE MOST BRUTAL

CONDITIONS, AND SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCENERY.

AND FOR MY PERSONALITY, THAT'S LIKE GOING TO CHURCH.

SO FOR ME, I'M GONNA BE DOING POSSIBLY SHEEP, BEAR,

WOLVERINE, WOLF, LYNX.

THAT'S AN AREA I CAN FIND LYNX.

IT'LL JUST BE ME, THE NORTHERN LIGHTS,

AND MAYBE SOME SPOOKY ANIMALS, MAYBE SOME FUN ANIMALS.

I DON'T KNOW WHICH, BUT I'VE GOT TO BE PREPARED FOR IT ALL.

SO, I'VE GOT MY WEAPONS.

LONG RANGE, SHORT RANGE, BIG GAME, SMALL GAME.

I SURVIVE OFF THE GAME MEAT FOR 10 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR.

REFUGE, HERE I COME.

IT'S GONNA BE A LONG, COLD WINTER,

BUT THAT'S WHY WE CONSTANTLY PREPARE.

HELLO, GIRLS.

HI, MOM.

THANK YOU, I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIX

THIS RACK UP.

I THINK WE NEED TO GO FILL IT UP.

YEAH.

IT'S REAL EMPTY.

PRETTY EMPTY RACKS, HUH?

YUP.

SO IT'S ALMOST WINTER AND THE CARIBOU IS STARTING TO GET

INTO RUT, SO THIS IS THE TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE WE

HAVE TO GO DO OUR ONCE-A-YEAR CARIBOU HUNT.

READY THEN, LET'S GO HUNTING.

I'M AGNES HAILSTONE AND I'M 100% INUPIAT.

I'M FROM NOORVIK, ALASKA.

I LIVE HERE WITH MY FIVE DAUGHTERS.

I'M MARRIED TO CHIP HAILSTONE.

I LIVE A TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLE AND I TRY TO TEACH

MY FIVE DAUGHTERS THE SAME WAY OF LIVING.

WE LOVE TO HUNT, FISH, GATHER, AND BE ACTIVE OUTDOORS.

I LOVE TRAVELING AROUND THE WHOLE AREA AND I LOVE DOING IT

WITH MY FAMILY.

EVEN THOUGH YOUR DAD'S GONE, EVEN THOUGH HE'S GONE,

WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING AND WHERE THE CARIBOU ARE,

AND IT'S TIME TO GO HUNTING, AND EVEN CHIP'S NOT HERE,

WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO GO WITHOUT HIM.

AGNES HAILSTONE'S HUSBAND CHIP RECENTLY TURNED

HIMSELF OVER TO THE ANCHORAGE CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX

TO SERVE A 15-MONTH SENTENCE.

I GOT CONVICTED OF TWO PERJURY,

AND TWO FALSE REPORTS, SO I DID THREE YEARS OF PROBATION,

AND I HAVE TO DO TIME FOR THE TWO MISDEMEANORS.

GOTTA GO WHEN YOU GOTTA GO.

YOU GUYS ARE IN CAPABLE HANDS OF EACH OTHER.

YOU GUYS ALL KNOW WHAT TO DO.

THERE'S HIS PLANE.

LOVE YOU, GIRLS.

WITH THE GIRLS BEHIND ME,

THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS WHOLE THING A LOT EASIER.

EVEN THOUGH IT'S A THING TO DO,

TO GO BRING MY HUSBAND TO THE AIRPORT AND

SEND HIM OFF TO JAIL.

I LOVE YA.

BYE-BYE, GOODBYE, I'LL SEE YOU.

I LOVE YOU, DAD!

LOVE YOU, BUNS.

LOVE YOU, DAD!

SEE YOU, AGNES.

BE CAREFUL.

WITHOUT HER HUSBAND AND HUNTING PARTNER,

AGNES AND THE GIRLS WILL HAVE TO RELY ON EACH OTHER TO

PROVIDE MEAT AND PROTEIN FOR THE FAMILY'S SURVIVAL.

WITH WINTER ON THE HORIZON, AND ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO

HUNT BULL CARIBOU AS THEY MIGRATE THROUGH THE AREA,

TIME IS CRUCIAL.

IT'S WEIRD GOING OUT HUNTING WITH ONLY

US GIRLS, BUT WE CAN DO THIS.

READY TO GO CATCH SOME CARIBOU?

MY MEAT RACK IS TOTALLY EMPTY AND

IT'S ALMOST WINTER.

HOPEFULLY, BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH THIS HUNT,

I'LL HAVE AT LEAST FIVE OR SIX CARIBOU,

AND THEN I'LL BE ABLE TO CUT MEAT ALL WINTER FOR US GIRLS.

THERE'S BEEN A WHOLE HERD OF CARIBOU CROSSING,

TRYING TO HEAD SOUTH, SO WE'RE GONNA GO SEE IF WE COULD

SCORE A FEW CARIBOU BULLS.

THE GIRLS AND I PLAN TO HUNT THE CARIBOU WHILE

THEY'RE CROSSING THE RIVER.

IT'S A SAFE AND EFFICIENT WAY FOR US TO GET THIS HUNT DONE.

OH, I SEE A CARIBOU OVER THERE ALREADY, WHOO!

GIRLS, THEY'RE ALREADY HERE.

KEEP STILL, GIRLS, KEEP STILL.

THERE ARE NO BULLS.

THOSE ARE COWS, AND CALVES, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA LET THOSE GO.

THIS SEEMS TO BE A GOOD PLACE WHERE THE CARIBOU ARE CROSSING.

SO WHEN WE SEE A CARIBOU GETTING READY TO CROSS,

WE ALWAYS JUST KILL OUR MOTOR AND JUST DRIFT

AND WAIT FOR THE CARIBOU TO GET INTO THE WATER,

AND THEN WE WILL GO AFTER THEM ONCE THEY HIT THE MIDDLE

AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE AND GO AROUND THEM.

NO BULLS, MOM.

NO BULLS, OKAY.

NO BULLS.

WE'RE JUST GONNA PASS THEM

AND LET THEM GO, OKAY?

I MEAN, WE'VE SEEN SOME COWS AND CALVES,

BUT WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN THE BULLS, THE FAT BULLS,

SO WE JUST LET THE COWS AND CALVES GO.

WE HAVEN'T COME ACROSS ANYTHING ELSE,

SO PRETTY MUCH THE HERD MUST BE CLOSER TO NOORVIK AND WE'RE

KIND OF FAR UP THE RIVER, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA HEAD BACK

DOWNRIVER, GO TOWARDS NOORVIK.

WE'RE GONNA TRY AGAIN TOMORROW, AND THE NEXT DAY,

BECAUSE WE HAVE ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT BEFORE THE BULL

CARIBOU ACTUALLY GO INTO RUT.

WE NEED TO GO GET ENOUGH MEAT TO START US OFF FOR THE WINTER.

THANK YOU, GIRLS, FOR BEING SO TOUGH.

YOU DON'T RUN AROUND CHASING THE DOLLAR BILL.

YOU RUN AROUND CHASING THE RESOURCES.

I GOT 47 DOGS TO KEEP THROUGH THIS WINTER.

HERE, I GOT 100 FISH.

THIS ISN'T GONNA LAST ME BUT A WEEK FEEDING THE DOGS.

I NEED NEAR 3,000 TO BE ABLE TO FEED THEM THROUGH THE WINTER.

I GOT A FRIEND WHO'S GONNA LET ME USE HIS FISH WHEEL,

MINE'S SMASHED, DESTROYED.

I'VE BEEN KIND OF LIMPING IT ALONG ON ITS LAST LEG FOR THE

LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HERE, SO I TIED IT UP DOWNRIVER.

GETTING THIS BOAT AND MOTOR GOING IS ESSENTIAL

AND CRUCIAL TO MY OPERATION.

THIS BOAT'S PRETTY MUCH NEW.

SPENT WEEKS GETTING IT DONE JUST SO I COULD BE OUT

HERE FISHING, AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE MOTOR BLEW UP.

THAT'S HOW IT GOES SOMETIMES, BUT I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP.

MY NAME IS JESSIE HOLMES.

I'M ORIGINALLY FROM ALABAMA.

I NOW RESIDE IN NENANA, ALASKA.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD-HEARTED PERSON, BUT,

YOU KNOW, I GOT MYSELF AROUND SOME OF THE WRONG

PEOPLE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND I WAS KIND OF LOST AND,

MOVING UP HERE TO ALASKA AND FINDING THE RIVERS AND

THE MOUNTAINS AND THE DOGS, THEY REDEEMED ME.

MADE ME LEARN HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE.

THEY GAVE ME SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR.

WITH ME HAVING 47 DOGS, LIFE ISN'T ABOUT LUXURY