Life Below Zero

I HAVE PEOPLE, CLIENTS COMING IN TOMORROW.

DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I CAN GIVE 'EM ELECTRICITY.

KAVIK RIVER CAMP SERVES AS A REMOTE

FUELING STATION ON THE NORTH COAST OF ALASKA.

FOR SUE AIKENS, MAKING SURE THAT THE CAMP IS UP AND

RUNNING FOR HER CLIENTS IS VITAL TO HER BUSINESS,

AND HER WAY OF LIFE.

GET UP ON THE PERCH.

ANYTIME YOU CAN GAIN ELEVATION,

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A MUCH BETTER PICTURE

OF THINGS THAT ARE AROUND YOU.

I'M SCANNING 20 MILES OUT.

ANYTHING THAT LOOKS WEIRD.

SOMETHING DARK OUT THERE.

IT IS POSSIBLE, THAT WE HAVE A BEAR OUT HERE ABOUT

A MILE-AND-A-HALF.

AND THE WAY THE WIND IS BLOWING, WHATEVER,

THEORETICALLY, THAT CAN'T SMELL ANYTHING

IN CAMP RIGHT NOW.

THE SMELL WOULD BE GOING THIS WAY.

SO THAT IS A BONUS.

I NEED TO GET THE GENERATOR ON FOR POWER,

IF I GET ATTACKED, IF I GET HURT,

I NEED TO MAKE SURE I HAVE COMMUNICATIONS.

ELECTRICITY, AIR-TO-GROUND, IT'S GONNA SAVE MY BACON

WHEN I NEED HELP.

CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO FATHOM GETTING HURT AGAIN.

I NEED TO GET MY GENERATOR RUNNING.

THIS IS MY LITTLE GEN.

THIS RIGHT HERE IS GONNA GIVE ME THE POWER IN CAMP,

TO GET STUFF DONE.

IT HASN'T RUN IN FOUR MONTHS.

IT MAY NOT WANT TO.

GET THIS IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION.

THAT'S TIGHT, THAT'S TIGHT.

ALL RIGHTY.

!

LITTLE BABY DIDN'T WANT TO KEEP RUNNING.

GIVE IT A MINUTE.

'KAY, NOW I'VE GOT TO GO CHECK CAMP,

MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE RUNNING.

I HAVE A HUGE CLEANUP JOB TO DO.

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW I'M GONNA GET THAT DONE.

GO ME, GET MY ASS TO WORK.

KIWALIK HERE IS HOME TO ME.

THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE.

COME HERE WITH ME.

GET IN THE BOAT DOG.

I'M GONNA GO DOWNRIVER, I'M GONNA GO GET FIREWOOD,

AND I'M GONNA TAKE MY CHAINSAW.

I'M GONNA HUNT AND KILL TREES.

AND UH, I'M GONNA COME BACK HERE WITH SOME TREE FLESH.

C'MON, GOOD GIRL.

THE HAILSTONES SPEND THEIR SUMMER IN KIWALIK,

GATHERING RESOURCES FOR THE MONTHS AHEAD.

HARVESTING FIREWOOD IS ESSENTIAL TO PROVIDING CAMP

WITH HEAT, DRINKING WATER, AND FOOD PRESERVATION.

LOGS HERE COME FROM ABOUT

20, 25 MILES UPRIVER.

BY THE TIME THEY GET DOWN HERE, TAKES 'EM A FEW YEARS.

THIS WHAT I CALL A MIGHTY FINE LOG.

THIS IS A GOOD, DRY PIECE OF KNOTTY,

TWISTED WOOD THAT HAS REALLY NO CARVING VALUE,

NO SPLITTING VALUE.

IF YOU SPLIT IT, IT WOULDN'T SPLIT AND MAKE TWO HALVES,

IT WOULD MAKE A BIG TWIST LIKE A RIFLE BARREL.

SO IT'S GONNA BE FIREWOOD.

CHAINSAW FIRED UP.

YOU NEED FIREWOOD, ALL THE TIME.

KEEP OURSELVES WARM, DRY OURSELVES OUT.

'CAUSE WE GOT CARIBOU TO DRY UP,

PRETTY SOON THERE'S GONNA BE SEALS, AND SKINS AND,

OIL TO PUT AWAY, AND WHATEVER ELSE WE GATHER ON.

I HAVE TO HAVE FIREWOOD.

IT'S JUST PART OF THE PROCESS.

THE ONLY TIME THE GIRLS EVER TAKE ANY NOTICE OF MY

FIREWOOD GETTING ABILITIES IS WHEN THERE IS NO WOOD.

THEN THEY REMEMBER, DAD!

C'MON DOG, JOIN ME.

THAT'S SOME NICE LOOKING LOGS

YOU HAVE THERE.

CAN'T HAVE TOO MUCH FIREWOOD.

MY NEXT STEP IS PUTTING UP A MEAT RACK.

AROUND HERE THEY CALL IT INISUK.

WE NEED A PLACE WHERE WE CAN HANG MEAT UP OFF THE GROUND,

AWAY FROM THE DOGS.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TIE THE DOGS UP SOON.

AND UH KEEP THE WIND AND THE BREEZE ON 'EM,

AND THE FLIES OFF.

LET'S JUST GET 'ER DONE.

I STRIVE TO LIVE A SIMPLE LIFESTYLE,

ON THE RIVER DOING THE THINGS I LOVE.

WHAT YOU DOING POLAR?

ALONG THE NENANA RIVER,

JESSIE HOLMES LIVES A LIFE DEDICATED TO HIS SLED DOGS.

FEEDING THEM AND HIMSELF IS A FULL-TIME JOB.

BUT BEFORE HE CAN GATHER FISH,

HE'LL NEED A PLACE TO STORE THEM.

SO I'M GETTING MY CHAINSAW NICE

AND SHARP AND READY SO I CAN GO DOWNRIVER.

I'M GONNA BUILD A SMOKEHOUSE,

SO STARTING THERE, I'M GONNA HAVE TO GO FIND

SOME NICE POST, AND GET THE BARK PEELED OFF OF 'EM,

AND SOME POLES.

START GETTING ALL MY MATERIAL.

SO PRESSED FOR TIME, BECAUSE THIS IS JUST A SMALL

PART OF WHAT I HAVE TO GET DONE.

THING IS, I NEED TO DO THIS IN A TIMELY MANNER,

SO I CAN MOVE ONTO MY NEXT PROJECT,

THEN MY NEXT PROJECT, AND THEN MY NEXT PROJECT.

THIS IS BETTER THAN ANY DAY JOB OR CITY JOB.

WHEN I'M OUT THERE AND I'M DOING THIS,

IT IS LIKE I'M WORKING, BUT I'M WORKING FOR MYSELF.

I'M WORKING TOWARDS MY GOALS,

NOT SOMEBODY ELSE'S GOALS.

SO I'M GONNA HEAD DOWNRIVER AND LOOK FOR,

REALLY GOOD SPOT TO CUT POST AND POLES AT.

NOT EVERY PLACE HAS THE RIGHT KIND OF TREES,

SO I GOT A COUPLE PLACES IN MIND TO GO LOOK.

WHERE, THEY TYPICALLY HAVE REALLY GOOD POLES,

IT'S ABOUT 7 MILES DOWNRIVER.

PRETTY CLOSE TO WHERE I'M BUILDING FISH CAMP.

IT'S A NICE, PRACTICAL LOCATION.

MY TIME IS LIMITED RIGHT NOW,

'CAUSE I'M TRYING TO GET READY FOR THIS FISH RUN COMING.

THE FISH ARE ALREADY IN THE RIVER AND I'M MISSING OUT.

AS SOON AS I GET THIS DONE,

THEN I CAN GET ON TO REPAIRING MY NET AND

MY FISH WHEEL SO I CAN GET SOME FISH.

GOT ALL MY TOOLS I NEED.

GOT MY LIFEJACKET, I GOT MY HAMMER, AND MY CHAINSAW,

AND MY TOOLS FOR DE-BARKING LOGS,

AND MY TOOLS FOR THE BOAT, SO.

GO DOWNRIVER, CHECK SOME SPOTS OUT,

FIND SOME GOOD POSTS FOR THE SMOKEHOUSE AND,

GET STARTED HERE.

WELL, EVERY TIME I GO OUT ON THE TANANA RIVER,

OR THE NENANA RIVER, I'M VERY APPREHENSIVE,

TO SAFETY, AND 'CAUSE, ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN OUT THERE.

GOT TO WATCH OUT FOR SWEEPERS IN THE RIVER.

THAT'S THIS THING THAT'S STICKING OUT,

BUT THERE COULD BE BIG LOGS STICKING OUT OF THE BANK

THAT YOU CAN'T SEE UNDER THE WATER.

THIS RIVER'S SO DANGEROUS, LIKE,

SO MANY PEOPLE WITH A TON OF EXPERIENCE HAVE ENDED UP

DEAD IN THIS RIVER, SO I TRY TO ALWAYS THINK ABOUT

THAT WHEN I'M OUT HERE.

THIS BOAT IS GREAT AND EVERYTHING,

BUT IT'S GETTING OLDER AND IT'D BE EASY TO PUNCTURE

SOMETHING THROUGH IT IF YOU HIT A LOG REALLY HARD.

LOTS OF STUFF IN THE WATER RIGHT NOW.

IT'S HIGH WATER, IT'S WINDY OUT.

THESE ARE THE KIND OF DAYS YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL

ON THE TANANA RIVER.

OLD CAMP RIGHT HERE.

WELL YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I SEE A LITTLE

OLD STRUCTURE LIKE THAT, I THINK THERE WAS SOME SMART

OLD GUY THAT USED TO CAMP DOWN HERE 'CAUSE THERE

WAS EVERYTHING YOU NEEDED.

THAT'S A NICE LOOKING SPOT HERE, MAYBE.

ALL RIGHT TOBIAS, HOLD UP TOBIAS, COME ON.

TOBIAS, OUT.

GOOD BOY.

THE BEAVERS HAVE REALLY BEEN AT WORK HERE YOU KNOW,

AND YOU CAN TELL THAT THIS IS SOME NICE OLD SEASONED WOOD.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR,

FOR SMOKING MY FISH.

LOOKS LIKE SOME GOOD WOOD IN HERE.

NICE SPOT TO SPEND THE DAY,

DE-BARKING AND GETTING THESE READY.

WHAT A PLACE THIS IS.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

GETTING PACKED UP FOR A LITTLE OVERNIGHT TRIP.

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, DOWN IN FAIRBANKS,

I MET A MAN WHO USED TO TRAP UP IN THIS COUNTRY.

AND AT THAT TIME, HE WAS LIVING IN A LITTLE CABIN

THAT'S SEVERAL MILES FROM HERE.

WHEN HE LEFT THE LAST TIME, HE TOLD ME HE DIDN'T KNOW

HE WASN'T EVER GONNA COME BACK.

AND HE LEFT A LOTTA THINGS THERE.

I'M GOING DOWN THERE TODAY, TAKE A LOOK AROUND.

SEE WHAT I CAN FIND.

IF THERE'S ANYTHING THERE I CAN SALVAGE,

I'LL BRING IT BACK WITH ME.

IT'S BEEN 30 YEARS SINCE ANYBODY WAS DOWN THERE THAT

I KNOW OF, SO, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THAT STUFF GOT

STREWN AROUND ON THE GROUND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN BURIED

IN SNOW IN THE WINTERTIME.

NOW THE SNOW'S MELTED, I CAN GO DOWN THERE,

TAKE A LOOK AROUND.

WHO KNOWS WHAT I MIGHT FIND?

LONG WAY TO GO.

THE TRICK IS GONNA BE FINDING THE CABIN.

IT'S A LONG WAYS FROM HERE AND WHEN I GET DOWN THERE,

I'M GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AROUND,

FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHERE THE PLACE IS.

I DON'T HAVE A MAP OF THE AREA,

I DON'T HAVE A COMPASS.

I JUST GO BY THE SUN AND THE LANDMARKS,

I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE MOUNTAINS, THE RIVERS.