All language subtitles for Life Below Zero S11E08 Into the Storm_track3_[eng]

(dogs barking)

(Jessie sighs)

JESSIE: Boxes.

Where the hell are we gonna
put all this (bleep)?

(barking)

Right now, all my stuff
is really disorganized.

I've just been training dogs
and going at it hard.

I've got 3,000 miles
on my team this year

training for the Iditarod.

This stuff kind of fell
to the wayside.

It's really important right now,

with a month going up
to this thousand-mile race,

that I really get
everything organized.

Today, I'm gonna be
building a shop.

I need somewhere indoor,
out of the wind,

for cutting dog meat,
storing dog food, dog booties.

Right now,
my stuff's everywhere.

I got everything
cleared out here.

Next thing I got to do
is get this down,

this little lean-to here,

because my new shop is gonna
come all the way out to here.

It's gonna get real.

I'm just gonna try to knock
one of these corners out

and see if it'd just
come right down.

There's a lot of weight
on this porch.

Hundreds of pounds of snow.

It's like a trap.

Whoa, whoa.

Holy (bleep),
it's about ready to come down.

♪ ♪

Ahh!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Ah, nice.

Got it done pretty quick.

Just got to excavate all this
snow and poles out of here,

and then I can go get
some materials

to start building the new shed.

♪ ♪

Definitely something you would
rather be doing in the summer.

A lot of work to do anything
in the winter, you know?

But we'll get her done.

It's just like everything else.

It was my intention
to do this this fall.

And I was trying to be prepared
to get the time,

but dogs, training a world-class
dog team takes a lot of time,

a lot of effort,
and a lot of endurance.

I think we've covered
all our bases

on that side of the line
right now,

so it's affording me
the opportunity

to work on some things

that are gonna help make
the dog team more efficient.

Your organization and
your efficiency and your routine

in the Iditarod
could be the difference

of days of finish time

and the difference between
the top 10 or the top 50.

♪ ♪

The Iditarod's gonna be
the biggest challenge

I've ever met in my life.

This is my dream come true,
so I want to do it right.

And I think putting my time
into being more organized

is what I really need
to focus on right now.

Alright, I got a nice,
cleaned-out area here,

ready to start my build.

I just got to go
back in the woods

and get the materials I need.

A lot getting done here.

CHIP: One of the greatest joys
I ever had as a kid

was to go camping
with my parents.

So, like, for me this is
the unending camping trip.

And I love it to death.

♪ ♪

Ah, stop.

You ready?

One, two, three, up.

We're getting ready
for a winter move-off.

And the place we want to go
is to the Kiwalik.

We go down there, sometimes
for several months at a time,

and we hunt, fish, and gather.

I've got real rifles in my hand,

I'm back to being
my old self again.

And I'm very, very enthusiastic
about getting down there.

I'm gonna have a good time

because I missed out
on this last year.

AGNES: Real tough, heavy gas.

CHIP: Point your gas
to the back.

AGNES: Yup.

CHIP: So that the gas
can shoot off the back

and not all over your stuff.

AGNES: Always tie your gas
in the back.

CHIP: And our oldest daughter,
Tinmiaq, is joining us.

Ting likes to hunt.

Carol likes to hunt.

It's part of their education.

And they know the whole process
from catching the animal,

to taking care of the skins,

to sewing something in
a customary, traditional manner.

These are the things that you do

to get ahead in life
around here.

And I want my kids
to know this very well.

AGNES: Pretty much it.

Now just got to tie it up,
tie it down.

It's been a long day
packing and preparing.

We pretty much got
three sleds tied down.

CAROL: This is good?

AGNES: Yeah. Real good.

CHIP: Look like
you're doing alright.

The only thing that can
stop us now is the weather.

And it's snowing right now,

and it's no good to drive
into whiteout.

So, if it's gonna be whiteout

or if it's going to be
blowing snow,

those are things
we don't have control over.

But what we do have control
over, we've taken care of.

So, I think we should
just go munch dinner.

AGNES: Yup. I think we're ready.

Ready for morning.

CHIP: Yup.

AGNES: We are ready to travel
in the morning.

With the way the weather
is acting right now,

it might take us
a little bit longer,

but we're definitely looking
forward for tomorrow morning.

I'm so excited.

CAROL: Me, too.

AGNES: We'll be gone from here
for a whole month.

Usually me and your dad
go out alone,

I'm glad you girls
are gonna follow.

It's gonna be more fun, eh?

SUE: Just because I'm not in
Kavik doesn't mean I'm not me.

No matter where you go,
guess what, there you are.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(yawn)

Brrr!

I am tired of sleeping
on the damn floor.

NARRATOR: 500 miles
from her home in Kavik,

Sue Aikens is spending time
in her newly purchased land

along the Chena River.

She's here to gauge
the property's potential

for her future.

But before she can settle in,

improvements to the cabin
must be made.

SUE: I don't want
to sleep on the floor.

I'm not 20, this is not camping,
and I don't think it's cool.

I'm 55, that (bleep) hurts,
and it's too cold.

For the first time
in two decades,

I've got trees as a resource.

I think if I put
my brain together,

I can make myself a bed.

I don't necessarily know
how to do it, but time to try.

Susie's gonna have a bed.

Kind of a big girl.

I'm not gonna go take
my chainsaw out,

because I don't know where

I'm gonna find the trees
that I want.

So, I'm gonna go do the recon.

It's cold outside,
I've got to be thinking

how much time do I have
on my fingers,

and also my equipment's
going to freeze.

So, the first step, I'm gonna
find some way to tag the trees.

Once I've got my victims
picked out,

I can get the chainsaw
and knock them down.

Okay.

I like the birch look.

All that spruce standing there,

and then look at what
you've got with the birch.

It's just light, dark, craggy.

Kind of like me.

It's got, it's got laugh lines.

I think I can get
some good selection here.

Ah, holy crap.

Yeah, this snow is deep.

This was a section fire came
through, all this standing dead,

the wood has seasoned.

I can get it, cut it, bring it
in, bring it up to temperature,

and voilà, use it immediately,
it's already dried.

That's kind of interesting,
actually.

It kind of looks like
a headboard or a footboard.

I didn't build this cabin.

I'm trying to make it my own.

The difference at Kavik,
Kavik is something I lease.

I lease the land
in order to have a lifestyle.

What's the difference here?

I own the land, I own the cabin,
and now I get to make it mine.

I'm putting my own stamp on it.

Making a tree bed, mine may come
out a lot more like Picasso.

Something really funky, but
it'll be mine, and I made it.

Alright.

Upright, upright, upright.

Cross member, cross member.

Bam, you've got
your basic pieces.

Alright.

Good job of picking out
the trees,

I got to let my little pinkies
warm up a little.

RICKO: You're always one mistake
away from death out here.

You got to think ahead
and you got to be prepared.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Today, I'm gonna head out to the
hot springs about 13 miles out.

I'm gonna put in
some wolverine sets.

There ain't many wolverine
down here in the lower area.

So, I got to travel
across the flats

and cut into the side
of the mountains.

Season for wolverine's
about to be over,

so hopefully get some luck.

I want it for making roughs and
to give it away at the potlatch

coming up for my late sister,
Reba, and my late uncle, Alvin.

Got my bait in order,

and I got my trap here.

This is a Conibear 330.

It's probably the best
wolverine trap you can get.

It's very efficient.

If you catch a wolverine there,
he's not gonna suffer.

Slam down, you know,
within seconds, I'd say,

he's probably died.

But it can go against you, too.

It's like playing
with a loaded gun.

Hit the trigger,
if you're not watching,

bam, come down on your arm.

That's it.

'Cause if you're out there
alone, that could be it.

That could be the end of the,
end of your story, you know.

I got to have my rifle.

Can't leave home without it.

That's for sure.

Good to go.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I'm looking forward to this trip
because it's different.

You get up there,
big timber country,

you see cottonwood,
you see open ground,

boiling water coming
out of the ground.

It's a magical place.

Going out to this hot springs,
I got some obstacles.

I got to cross lakes,
sloughs, rivers,

I got to watch out for overflow.

Don't want to get wet,
and I don't want to get stuck.

And also, I'm gonna be getting
into mountain country.

And you don't want to hit rocks.

You're gonna start
seeing big boulders.

You got to take it easy.

Don't try to go too fast.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I see about seven or eight
ptarmigan right over here.

And I'm gonna go see
if I get lucky.

(gunshot)

(gunshot)

RICKO: Ah, got one.

I lucked out.

Still warm.

Glad to have a little bit
of fresh meat.

Small game like this
is always a blessing.

You know, a lot of times,
we're hunting moose,

and we don't, we forget about
the small game,

but ptarmigan's
good eating, too.

Maybe boil it up or roast it.

Luck's on my side today.

Good trip so far.

Got to appreciate
what you get out here.

Nothing is promised out here,
so it's good to have luck.

♪ ♪

SUE: Without the value
of making a mistake,

you can't learn from it.

Do it wrong, do it twice.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(chainsaw buzzing)

(chainsaw buzzing)

One down.

The next phase in making the bed

is to make some cuts
and fall some trees.

There we go.

We got two down.

Looking good.

I'll drag these out later,

let's get to the next tree
and get that bitch cut down.

I don't want to sleep
on the floor.

Every morning, I wake up,
and every morning I'm cold,

and every morning I'm thinking,
(bleep) I'm tired.

And I think it's time to,

instead of moaning about my
condition, change the condition.

Bam! Like butter!

The only way I can change being
cold, tired, and on the ground

is making something to get
myself off the ground.

It's time for me to get my booty
off the floor and into a bed.

Boom!

(laughs)

Let a fat lady catch her breath.

That was the last tree
that I need.

Now, comes the hard part.

I've got to get the logs
from here back to the cabin.

I mean, it's fun
to cut them down,

but then you actually
got to work with it.

Now, it's just old-fashioned
humping it in.

(laughs)

No matter what,
you start thinking,

"Could I not have cut the ones
right next to the house?"

It's getting dark,
it's getting cold.

I got to get the trees in,

let them start coming up
to temperature,

so I can make the bed.

I'm on it, blue bonnet.

♪ ♪

CHIP: Life's an adventure.

You're going off
into the unknown,

that's part and parcel

of not knowing what
tomorrow's going to bring.

And we don't sweat it.

We take it with a smile.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Bright.

AGNES: Weather looks good, ah?

CHIP: Yup.

AGNES: Ready for a long trip?

CHIP: Yeah, we'll give it a try.

We're gonna stop where the sled
is on the trail that Ting drops.

AGNES: Yup, she's gonna
meet us out there.

NARRATOR:
After waiting out a storm,

Ting Hailstone
journeyed to Kiwalik

with the family's freight sled

and went to the nearby town
of Deering for supplies.

Chip, Agnes, and Carol will
meet her at the campgrounds,

but erratic weather

will make conditions
on the trail uncertain.

CHIP: If you fly like a bird,

Kiwalik's about
90 miles from here.

But when you ride
a snow machine,

it's probably
a little over 100 miles.

Right now, we got
a big, heavy wind going.

It's a northeast wind,
that's a safe wind.

But if we had a south wind,

we might have a bunch of leads
come in, in the ocean ice,

or we might have
the ocean ice blow out.

And we wouldn't want to drive
over very thin ice

or no ice at all.

So, we'll see what's down there.

We don't know
how deep the snow is.

We don't know what the ice
is like, we have no idea.

Going off down that way
into the unknown,

that's part of the adventure.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Well, we're almost there, but,
man, look at that storm, ah?

AGNES: Yeah.

CHIP: You can see the wind
just whipping along there.

You could feel the wind starting
to pick up from the south, huh?

AGNES: Yup. It's starting to get
windy the further we go.

CHIP: Boy, that looks bad.

Well, we'll get over
this creek here,

and then we get
onto the next valley,

and then we'll pull
into the Kiwalik.

(Agnes sighs)

AGNES: Weather or not, we just
got to keep moving forwa

CHIP: The faster we get this
done, the better off we are.

AGNES: Yeah. Hopefully we'll
be able to pitch our tent, yeah?

CHIP: We'll see,
if it's too windy, we'll see.

AGNES: Ready, Carol?
CAROL: Yeah.

AGNES: We got to keep moving.

CHIP: You guys are good?

AGNES: Yup.

CHIP: Okay.

We could go out there and die.
Everybody dies.

But we could also go out there

and more likely
have a damn good time.

It's worth the challenge,
it's worth the dangers,

and the unknown doesn't bother
me, because nobody knows.

I wouldn't want to stay at home

just 'cause I didn't know
what was happening down there.

We're gonna go find out.

And that's the adventure.

JESSIE: As the dog pot simmers.

As the fish wheel turns.

That's what my soap opera
would be.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Alright, I got my 30 poles here

that I need to get started
on my project.

This should be enough
to build the shop here.

Just got to latch this on
and take them up there

and then I can get started
laying out my plan.

Pretty awesome just to be able
to come out here

and get everything
I need to build a shop.

Why I'm even building this is
everything else I got to do

for the rest of the month
to get ready for Iditarod

should go a lot smoother
with a shop.

(barking)

To build this shop, I'm gonna
use what I call nature's 2-by-4.

I got a lot of trees

that are around two-inch
to three-inch diameter.

I'll be able to build
the whole shop

just by using nails
and spruce poles.

Alright, I got
my materials here.

Now, I need to do
a little bit more

clearing out of my workspace.

The whole key thing here is to
have a clean, organized space.

I'm gonna need this stuff
out of the way.

That way, I got a nice, clean
area to build my walls.

I got this new meat saw here.

This right here is a very
valuable piece of equipment,

and it's one of the main reasons
I'm building a shop

that I can put this thing in,

so the motor can operate
in a warmer area.

I've been looking
for one of these

for as long as I've been
racing dogs.

The meat saw is just
an incredible piece of equipment

that I have acquired.

I've been cutting meat for years
so many different ways.

It is so time-consuming
and not efficient.

This meat saw is
designed to cut meat

and designed to cut it fast.

I'm gonna try to, like,
loop around and come back

into where it's in front
of my house somewhere.

(bleep)

I've literally got
2,000 pounds of meat

I got to cut up
into little pieces.

I can't afford for this thing
to get damaged,

it's so super important.

♪ ♪

(bleep)

(bleep)

JESSIE: Thing fell down.

(bleep)

The meat saw fell over.

Hopefully nothing got damaged.

(bleep) thing.

This meat saw is one of the main
tools that I've been lacking

in my operation.

It's pretty important for me
to be able to cut this meat

in the amount of time
that I got to cut it.

It's fine.

Blade's bent a little bit,
but it's just an old blade

that's coming off of it anyways.

Meat saw is fine, it fell over.

It's heavy duty.

It can handle it.

On to working.

Start laying out
some pieces for a wall.

What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna
make my wall on the ground

where I can stand it up
in position.

Just got to get this thing done,
get it knocked out.

I don't care if it's perfect.

I'm just looking
for an enclosed space

and some lights in there
and a wood stove.

Nice thing is,
is I got my cabin.

So that's one wall
I don't got to build.

And that cabin's gonna give
enough support

for this whole structure.

I just want to get everything
clear and clean and organized,

so my mind can be clear.

Going into the biggest challenge
of my life.

I've been working
building stuff for 15 years.

I used to work for a high-dollar
cabin building company,

and I saved every dime I could
to invest in my equipment.

And into buying good dogs.

Unfortunately, dog mushing
doesn't pay for dog mushing.

It's not a cheap sport.

It's taken me years
of being frugal

and working hard
all kinds of jobs, you know,

to save enough money
to actually even attempt

to make it a go out here.

None of this, you know,
happened overnight.

And I think that race
represents to me

10 years of a vision
and hard work to get here,

and a lot of learning
along the way.

Alright!

Wall number one!

♪ ♪

First wall is up.

On to the next one.

♪ ♪

Season's been a lot of work
and not a lot of sleep.

But it's gonna be worth it
once I get to the starting line.

Something I dreamed about doing
for a long time,

and there ain't no amount
of work to put into it

that's too much work.

'Cause, you know, this could be
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

or it could be the beginning
of a great career for me.

♪ ♪

Now, next part for me is
to start tying this all in

with some little cross pieces
to take these wobbles out of it.

And then I'll start
doing my roof pieces.

Man, not only is this gonna be
a place to get organized

and pack my drop bags, it's
gonna be some much needed space

to get all my stuff from out of
the weather and out of the snow

and losing stuff under the snow.

I can store a lot of stuff
in here.

This whole deal is just about
getting that 10% more

of efficiency and effectiveness
that I'm missing.

And if you're trying to,
you know, be a better man

and better at your sport

or better at whatever
you're doing in life, you know,

it's just always
finding your weakness

and working on your weakness.

Thing for me is I didn't do
things like a lot of people do

that become a successful
Iditarod kennel, you know?

I was just living out
in the woods and collected dogs

without the infrastructure
and the money saved up.

I'm not at all ungrateful for
the way it worked out for myself

'cause you work this hard
for something and struggle,

sometimes it means more to you.

Keeps me having
that underdog mentality

that tends to work out for me.

There might be some
more well-funded dog teams

out there than me.

A lot of them,
but guaranteed a lot of them

are gonna be behind me
at the finish line.

RICKO: The land kept my people
alive for thousands of years.

Got everything you need
in the woods.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Woo.

Finally made it.

NARRATOR:
After traveling across

the North Fork area of Huslia,

Ricko has set up camp
at a hot spring

his family has visited
for generations.

He's hoping to trap a wolverine
for its fur,

which he will donate
to a potlatch,

a native Athabaskan memorial
for members of his family.

RICKO: On the way in,
I was, uh, sidehilling,

branches in the way, got smacked
real hard in the eye.

No blood, though, so I'm good.

Didn't get cut.

Got a little shiner,
I think, something.

I got hit pretty,
pretty damn hard.

It's great to be here,
the hot springs is beautiful.

I kind of want to just relax,
but I have some work to do.

I got to make some tea,
put out some traps.

Okay, this is
boiling water here.

There ain't many places
in Alaska

you could do something
like this.

Hot water coming from a rock.

This is real God's country here.

This is where my ancestors
were thousands of years ago.

You just come in here.

For me to be able to come out
here is like a blessing.

Some real good tea.

Straight from Mother Earth.

Hot water.

Yeah, I'm ready.

Had some tea,
feeling rejuvenated.

I'm going to walk downstream
a little ways,

put in this wolverine set.

Hope to have some luck.

Wolverine is hard to find.

I mean, you don't,
you don't see them.

They're elusive.

And they, they're kind of
in the tough country,

where the timber
is along the hills.

Okay, I think this is
a good spot for wolverine.

This is old moose bone
with some, uh, meat on it.

Wolverine, they're predators
and they're scavengers,

so, this should be
real good bait for them.

In Athabaskan,
we call wolverine "doyonh."

Doyonh means little boss, chief.

It's not a very big animal,
but it's a fighter.

It'll take meat from any animal.

It'll fight a bear,
it'll fight anything.

It's a big shot.

This is the dangerous part.

You do not want
to get caught with this.

You got to squeeze it.

Straighten these out here.

I got to make sure
I don't catch my hand, though.

Whew, good thing
this thing was on it.

They're safeties.

Yeah.

Flip this over.

Boom.

When you handle this trap,
you got to be 100% careful.

It's like handling a loaded gun,

'cause if that thing
come down on you, boom!

It's game over.

I'm going to set one more.

I'll probably go uphill a little
ways, maybe a half mile or so,

and, um, hopefully have
some luck tomorrow.

SUE: I don't need to go
looking for danger.

It seems to find me
just fine on its own.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

dboard.
♪ ♪

Imagine all these guys
are gonna be drilled

and--pfft!--set in there.

NARRATOR: Sue is using
harvested materials

to make a bed, in hopes
of improving her comfort

at her new cabin.

After gathering wood and
letting it thaw overnight,

Sue is now ready
to build the frame,

the most crucial phase
of the project.

SUE: I think I am about ready
to get making this bed.

I have my dowel.

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

I'm gonna smack it in there
with some, uh, wood glue.

And I'm gonna drill a hole
in my base piece.

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

Put that in, too.

I need to get this other one
drilled and pegged

and get them together.

I have a picture in my head
of a completed project.

And now I sort of have to
reverse engineer it.

(grunts)

Damn it.

Why did I stop what I was doing?

Because I'm kind of (bleep) up
a little bit.

You know, I should have done
both of those at the same time.

It's okay.

It's okay,
what are they gonna do?

Somebody's not gonna sleep
with me because my bed's uneven?

Pretty sure they've had a decade
to not sleep with me already.

I learn by doing.

I don't have anybody showing me
the right way to do it.

But as long as it stands up
and I'm pleased.

It's not a wrong way.

I did not grow up with tools
and building.

It became something I learned.

If I need to build something and
nobody else is there to help,

how does it get put up?

One piece of wood at a time.

You learn.

And I'll make mistakes,
but in the end,

as long as I'm happy with it,
it doesn't matter.

Does it look like something
straight out of a catalog?

No.

But guess what.

I'm not in the mold either.

I'm doing it
a little bass-ackwards.

And I'm trying
to save some time.

I've got it strapped together,

and I'm wanting it to solidify
with the glue.

So, I'm gonna try and ease
into the next step.

This is gonna be what I use for
the decorative along the back.

But I need to cut them down
by a little bit

because I changed
my design some.

But I'm exceeding
my patience level.

Ah, you (bleep).

I wish I had a damn saw.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Ah!

SUE: Ah!

(bleep)

I just hit it with the hatchet.

Yeah, it's not bad, I'm just
getting frustrated is all.

T'ain't nothing new with me.

♪ ♪

I'll just bleed like
a stuffed pig for a little bit.

It's not gonna freaking kill me.

Let it dry up.

If it looks like
it needs a stitch,

I can either do that myself
or use, uh, superglue.

Whenever you try to rush,

it doesn't turn out
as well as you'd like.

But until something quits
working altogether

or the limb falls off,
I'm gonna keep going on it.

Got a little blood, sweat,
and tears into the project.

(laughs)

Alright.

It's time to get this bed done.

All's I got to do is
have a little patience.

Not my strongest suit.

But I'm proud of myself
for keeping on trying.

I get frustrated,
I get mad at myself.

But I do it again,
and I do it again, and I learn.

♪ ♪

Man, it's looking good.

I think it's been
a really good, long day,

productive day, frustrating day.

But all in all,
it was a hell of a day.

So, it's time for rest.

And we'll see
what tomorrow brings.

♪ ♪

JESSIE: You hang out
with the back of the pack,

you become the back
of the pack, so.

I keep my mind focused
on being a champion.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

So, I've got my structure
and the frame built,

and now I just got
to get this closed in.

It'll be the final stages today.

This is gonna give me
a nice indoor area

where I can work on
all my final preparations

and being organized
for the Iditarod.

I can't afford to insulate this

or use plywood
or anything on this.

Someday, eventually,
I'll have a real nice shop,

but this is just
a makeshift thing, you know?

It's something I can do
in a day or two,

and it ain't gonna cost me
an arm and a leg to do it,

so, the tarp it is.

The tarp will be just enough
to hold the heat in

that I need to get
the meat saw warmed up,

and, you know, make it
not 20 below in there.

This is basically
a giant wall tent.

Precarious walking around
up here.

I got to be really careful.

If I were to fall off here,
hurt myself,

that could really damage
my chances

at even making it
to the starting line.

I'm just one dude
doing something

that would be very beneficial
to have help with.

Working by yourself,

you just have to do things
a lot differently and carefully.

Alright, that's nice, and
it's gonna cover all this.

Starts with a vision, you put
a little bit of hard work,

and a little time in,

you get some materials
from behind the house.

Spend a little bit of money
on some nails, some tarps,

and some lights, and damn,
I got a shop, you know?

Okay, I've almost got
my structure fully closed in.

I'm gonna use this big opening
here to get my meat saw in,

which is really heavy,

and the wood stove, which is
possibly even heavier.

It feels so good to get rid
of this black hole in my life

of disorganization and
see this nice, enclosed space

where everything can go in

and have a place to be
out of the weather.

This is like
a total man cave for me.

It's looking like something now.

I'm gonna get some heat in here
and some light on the subject.

Have a nice, warm, lit-up area

that I can work late
into the night,

because I'm gonna be spending
some late nights working,

getting ready for this race.

I have to go into this race
the best I've ever been.

And this is gonna
help me achieve that.

Flash, you want one of
the snacks the meat saw cut up?

Yeah?

Hold on, come on.

Okay, here.

Whoa.

There you go.

I'm a musher, I love mushing.

I love being out there
with my dogs.

They're the most
important thing to me,

and they're what makes me happy.

This space is for them,
you know,

it's, and if it's
something for them,

.
This space is for them,
you know,

I'm the happiest person ever

when I'm on the back
of that sled,

but it takes a lot of work
to get out there.

It takes a lot of work
for those runs.

And it's worth every bit of it.

I honestly can't imagine doing

anything else with my life
than this,

and so to have these things

that help me to do a better job
of it mean a lot to me.

Flash.

I did this for you, boss.

Yeah, 'cause you do
everything for me. Yeah.

CHIP: There's a few dangers
associated here.

When it's 40 below or
if we're out in the big waves

in the ocean,
or if we're on top of a mountain

in a blowing storm.

We got intuition.
We have experience.

We just kind of know what to do.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: The Hailstones
have traveled 90 miles

from their home in Noorvik

to their hunting grounds
in Kiwalik.

But they are in a violent storm
blowing across the region.

And with high winds
kicking up ice and snow,

the family will need
to set up shelter quickly

to shield themselves
from winter's wrath.

AGNES: We made it!

You okay?

CAROL: Yeah.

AGNES: Kiwalik, Alaska.

Holy cow.

Wow.

CHIP: This is pretty bad.

AGNES: Carol!

CHIP: It's stormy as (bleep).

AGNES: I'm so glad we're safe.

We should have Ting coming along
soon from Deering.

I have faith she'll make it
in this weather.

CAROL: Yeah, she should
know where to go.

AGNES: Well, we just got
to start working.

CHIP: This one's frozen
to the ground.

AGNES: Are your feet and
everything still dry?

CAROL: Yeah, but my...

AGNES: Okay, you can
just go on ahead

and try to get everything
shoveled out

and help us unstuck this sled.

CAROL: Sure.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

AGNES: I don't know if we're
gonna be able to move it.

CHIP: I don't know.

I don't know if we're gonna be
able to put a tent up in this.

It's like a big sail.

AGNES: It's kind of getting
freaky cold and windy out here.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

CHIP: Hey, check it out.

AGNES: Holy cow! Yay!

Just when I was
starting to freak out.

TINMIAQ: Hey.

CHIP: We were starting
to wonder about you.

TINMIAQ: It's windy out here.

CHIP: Yeah, it is.

TINMIAQ: It wasn't windy at all
when I left Deering.

CAROL: Yeah.
CHIP: Really?

CHIP: Starting to snow
on top of us,

so we're gonna be
in a real blizzard soon.

TINMIAQ: Yeah.

CHIP: It's not gonna do us
any good to keep digging.

It's just filling it back in.

I don't think we should put up
a tent in this anyway.

AGNES: I don't know if we could,
even if we tried.

TINMIAQ: You guys could
follow me back to Deering

for the night.

CHIP: Go spend the night
with you?

TINMIAQ: Yeah.
CAROL: Yeah.

CHIP: Alright, let's just
go to Deering, then.

You guys are good with that?

Our things are still tied down.

They'll be good for tomorrow.

We could see darkness
was coming,

snow was coming,
and the wind was already here.

And when it started to snow

and we couldn't see
across the river,

then we knew we got
to make a decision.

And if we're gonna leave,
we got to leave soon.

AGNES: We have to go find
shelter right now

before it gets any worse,

and we're not gonna make it
out of here if we don't go.

CHIP: When you drive 90 miles,

the weather's gonna change
no matter what you do.

It's the stuff we deal with.

We call it weather guessing.

RICKO: We respect all animals.

Anything we get out here,

you got to really appreciate
what you get.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

It's a beautiful day today.

Slept good last night,
so I'm feeling good.

The weather cleared up.

I got the traps out, too,
yesterday,

so I'm gonna check my traps.

Today is the last day
of wolverine season,

my last chance to get lucky.

I hope to have something.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

The possibility is always there
to catch something.

And for me,
it builds excitement.

It's like there's nothing more
fun than checking your traps.

Alright, see if I have
any luck today.

Yeeho! Nothing.

No luck in this one.

I'll probably just snap it,

because last day
of the season today,

and we'll hopefully have
more luck on the next one.

Last thing you want to do is get
your hand or arm in a Conibear.

Woo!

Big power right there.

Came down here and checked
the first trap--nothing, nada.

But hey, that's why they call it
trapping, not catching.

I'm a little anxious
for the next trap,

but hoping for the best.

♪ ♪

Last chance.

Oohh-oh!

RICKO: Last chance.

Oohh-oh!

Oohh-oh!

Doyonh!

Hukk'aanee!

Wolverine.

Heck yeah,
I got some luck today.

Man, last day to get
this real nice fur on it, too.

Oohh-oh!

I feel good today.

Got a doyonh, wolverine.

Thank you.

Beautiful animal.

Nice, long guard hair on it.

Make a good ruff for sure.

Having luck with a wolverine,
in my culture,

it's one of the top blessings.

This is a powerful animal
and deserves 100% respect,

and for it to give itself to me,
make me feel real special.

Wolverine season
coming to an end.

I was able to catch one.

Doesn't get better than this.

This place never fails
to amaze me.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

AGNES: Yee! We made it back
and everything's here.

Nothing blew away.

Wow.

CHIP: Looks like
everything survived intact.

ot a lot of work to do now,

so everybody just start finding
strings and untying stuff,

and we'll sort it out
as we go, okay?

If we had tried
this stuff last night,

it would have just blown away.

Yesterday, we were coming
from the north

and a storm came from the south,

and when we got here,
it was a nutsy storm.

You have to think
two hours ahead.

You got to think
there's a storm,

there's snow,
it's starting to snow.

And for sure,
it was gonna get dark.

So, we made the smart decision
to drop our sleds,

go to Deering, come back
and then take care of it.

And look what a few hours did.

Made it a lot better.

One, two...

Ugh.

Okay, you ladies got it?

AGNES: Yup.

CHIP: Okay, I'm gonna
grab it from Carol.

Here we go.

There we go.

AGNES: There we go.
CHIP: Alright.

CHIP: Right now,
we're untying our sleds

and sorting things out.

We're gonna put up the sticks,

sliding in the floor and getting
in the new sled for a bed.

And then we'll put the cover
over top of it,

and we'll start
battening down the edges

and making it nice
and, you know, plenty cozy.

♪ ♪

AGNES: Today is a much easier
day for us to put the teepee up

and it's going pretty smooth.

We're, um, actually got it up

before the dark
and the wind come.

So, all we got to do
is just cover the edges

and put snow all around the
teepee, and then we'll be set.

♪ ♪

Thank you, Ting.

Nothing like super-hot tea
after a long day.

CHIP: Yup.

TINMIAQ: It's good to be home.

CHIP: Yup, it is good
to be home.

TINMIAQ: Kiwalik,
we enjoy our time out here.

We have a lot of fun and
we have the whole family,

and when we're out here doing it
together, it's a lot more fun.

Good place to be.

Happiest place to be.

Funnest place to be.

CHIP: Just think, if we had
a million bucks in the bank,

we'd be here, wouldn't we?

TINMIAQ: Yup, and buy
30 more sleeping bags

and make another one.

CHIP: Another one!

Bigger.

TINMIAQ: Bigger!

SUE: I can say I want to be
a child all I want.

Never, ever forget

you're dealing with one hell of
a smart whippersnapper old lady

that gets (bleep) done.

♪ ♪

I'm pretty excited!

Started out waking up
on the floor.

Being freaking cold, staring
at the woodwork around me,

going, hey, I can build a bed.

Yesterday I cut myself, bleh.

So, I mean, I can honestly say

I've got my real blood, sweat,
and tears in this project.

And then, putting it together,

you can see it's
a little cockeyed now.

It's just gonna add
to its freaking charm.

Okay, mattress time.

Bum, bum, bum!

I expect it to be
a little tight.

But I'm hoping that it fits.

So far, so good.

A few other final touches.

(blow)

These are gold.

It's a blessing on the bed,

so that my dreams are good,
my life is good.

What does this bed mean to me?

This is the first
piece of furniture

I've made for my cabin.

That's a big deal for me.

It's like when
I made the Twinkie,

and I had my first tent
all to myself in 20 years.

Maybe it doesn't mean
a lot to somebody,

but it means a lot to me.

This is putting my stamp on it.

This is saying, "I live here."

Maybe not full-time yet,

but it's, it's a momentous
occasion for me.

I am just going to try and
make a really quick carving.

It's all such a journey for me.

Kavik has been part of my life
for 17 years.

I left Kavik, I have a cabin,
and I made a bed.

I'm proud of myself.

There we go.

(laughs)

The test.

It's a little wiggly,

but it's holding together.

Cool.

RICKO: By the way I grew up,
by the way I live,

I feel connected
to my people and my land.

It comes with the blood.

♪ ♪

Feels good to be back at the
cabin, skinning this animal out.

Had a tough ride to
the hot springs and lucked out,

got a wolverine
the last day of the season.

It's important that
I do this right,

because it's for a memorial
potlatch for my late sister,

and it's for my late uncle, too,
in the same potlatch.

So, I try to take my time,
do it right.

I'm done skinning
this wolverine,

it has real beautiful fur.

Got the good luck white on it.

For the wolverine carcass,
the way us Athabaskans do it,

we got to put it away right,
it's like a burial almost.

Dried king salmon.

We're supposed to put this
in its mouth before we burn it.

It's like its last food.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Our people, the Athabaskans,
we're connected to the land.

Not long ago,
our great grandfathers,

our grandfathers,

they lived with the animals,
and even though times change,

we still hold on
to that culture.

We try not to forget it.

Very respected animal
right here.

We have to put it away just
the way our ancestors did.

The days are getting longer now,
and warmer.

So, trapping is over.

It's on to different things,

but this is the best way to
close out the trapping season.

Ana baasee', doyonh.

Thank you, wolverine.

Captioned by
Side Door Media Services