All language subtitles for Life.Below.Zero.HDTV.720.S01.E16

NARRATOR: On this Episode of
Life Below Zero...

The end of the Thaw
is fast approaching.

GLENN: Winter's coming.
I don't have a lot of time.

NARRATOR:
Glenn abandons his camp
for a taste of civilisation.

GLENN: I live about a 60-mile
walk from the nearest road.

Long ways to go.

NARRATOR:
The Hailstones set their nets

for their last summer catch.

We got the equipment...
Set the net and
see what we get.

NARRATOR:
A brewing storm threatens
Sue's livelihood in Kavik.

I've been out of aviation gas
for about a week now.

I don't have the room to fail.

And Andy and Kate struggle
to make their dream a reality.

ANDY: Are they coming
off the ground?

Andy!

GLENN: In the summertime

the life is just spread
so thin over the land up here.

I'm running low on food.

The only meat I have
is dried caribou meat.

There's no trapping.
There's no big game hunting.

I can't hunt moose
at this time of year.

I can't really live off
the country

as easily as you can
the rest of the year.

So I'm getting ready to leave,

and I'm gonna head out of here
towards the road.

I'll probably be back
in the fall.

NARRATOR:
Since fresh meat is scarce

and difficult to preserve
in summer,

Glenn could face
many lean days ahead

if he stays at camp.

His goal is to reach
the nearest road

without running out of food.

And then make his way
to Fairbanks.

GLENN: I travel really light.

It's important to stay light
so I can make it to the road

without taking forever
to get there.

Sleeping bag, tent, rifle,
knife, backpack.

NARRATOR: He'll take
just enough to eat
for an emergency.

But all his other meals
on the 60-mile journey

will have to come
from the land.

Okay, so the pack's
almost full and
I don't have much food.

That's why I'm bringing
a fishing pole,

in case I can get food
along the way.

I'm not taking anything
I don't really need.

I'm gonna miss the place.

But food shortage,
that's my main concern.

Long ways to go.

I know how to get
generally to the road.

I started coming out here

before they had
satellite phones.

I don't carry any kind of
navigation equipment.

I don't carry a compass.

But I don't carry a map
with me out here.

You can stare
at a map for hours,

but you don't know
anything about the land

until you get out there
and walk on it.

So I just navigate
by my memory

and looking at the land.

Look, there's a moose.

In the fall,
I get more meat
from moose

than any other animal.

But this time of year,
I couldn't use a moose

'cause I'm walking out.
I can't carry it.

But he's right on the route
I gotta walk,

so I'm gonna keep going,
work my way around him.

Now, he hears me.

There he goes.

Maybe I'll meet up
with him next fall.

This is what that moose
was eating.

They're super tough
and bitter.

These willow leaves...

They're really
not very palatable.

I found a little patch
of sour dock.

This is a leaf that's good
at this time of year.

It's even better cooked.

But I don't have time
to cook it.

Leaves don't give you
a whole lot of energy.

But better than nothing.

NARRATOR: There are several
species of poisonous plants
found in Alaska.

If Glenn consumes
the wrong one,
it could be deadly.

This is a flower that I eat.

I think people call it
dwarf fireweed.

I don't know.
I just call it food.

There are two basic
categories of plant...

Good to eat. Not good to eat.

This one's good to eat.

CHIP: No,
I'm not living a dream.
I'm just living this way.

I didn't dream of this.
I didn't, uh...

I didn't have a plan.

I wouldn't know
what that dream is.

Carol, you had
a green hat, right?

Okay, here.

Green hat.

It's 2:00 in the morning,
sweetie pies.

Is everybody ready
for the boat?

Is everybody awake?

Good morning.

Even with your evil eyes,
it's still a good morning.

NARRATOR: For the Hailstones,

the long summer days
are a crucial opportunity

to assure resources
that will help them survive

through the long winter ahead.

Today, they embark on
one of their most
important yearly hunts.

The summer salmon run.

Well, first time
I've come up this way

so it's time to go get salmon

while they're fat and
fresh out of the ocean.

Throw all the kids in.

Head down to one of our
favourite fishing camps,

and stay there for a while.

Everybody's good?
Where's my life jacket?

AGNES: (CHUCKLES)
You don't get one.

CHIP: Oh, I don't get one?
All right.

(MOTOR REVVING)

NARRATOR: Every summer,
thousands of salmon

make their way from the ocean
to the rivers to spawn.

To catch them,

the Hailstone family
will travel 26 miles west

where Agnes and her family
have fished for generations.

CHIP: Oh, salmon!

SUE: I have to wake up
every morning

and look at my own mug
in the mirror,

and if it's not
somebody I respect,

it's going to make
the rest of my life suck.

After winter,
I get a beating
with the storms.

Any little thing,
even an ice chunk

can tear holes
in the top of my tent.

RICK: Careful.

SUE: One of my things
I need to do

every single summer

is crawl up on my
roofline of the tent

and fix any little
holes that I find.

If I don't repair those
this winter,

this shape of the building...

The wind comes across and it
holds it down to the ground.

You get... You compromise
the integrity of your shell,

it's gonna become
an air foil that
wants to take off.

Something came and macked
the top of the building

and tore a longish groove.

Patches are good.
Patches work.

Patches aren't forever.

Every time you patch it,

you're weakening
the structural integrity.

But I figure we're
supposed to get
a hell of storm comin' in.

So, better get this done.

Huge changes this year.

You know, I went from being
somebody's employee

to owning my own business.

It is good to finally
be able to say,

instead of just feel,
that Kavik is mine.

Um, it comes with
a tremendous amount
of pressures.

I knew full well that there'd
be a lot of money going out
just in improvements.

There's nothing inexpensive
about being here.

Well, I don't want to fall,
that's for sure.

Suzy is a little chunky.

I don't want to hurt
my building either.

One wrong move and
I'll fall through it.

Hey, Rick.

I might need you to show me
where the holes are

'cause I'm not seeing them.

Right.

-There's one here?
-Yeah.

It's nice for me
to rely on myself.

This year, Rick has been
here helping me out.

It's a good thing that he's
been willing to be so helpful.

Plus it gives me
somebody to push around.

Can't be the king
if you don't have
any subjects.

It's not comfortable
being 24 foot up in the air

hanging off of a building
with no safety net.

The saying is
if you don't like
the weather

wait for 5 minutes
or fly 5 miles,
it will change.

Weather comes in really,
really quickly.

The fog will move at
20-30 miles an hour
sometimes.

It's pretty amazing.

You know, earlier today,
was a not-windy day.

But as the system gets
closer and closer

the wind is picking up.

You're always, always, always

trying to prepare
for what's next.

ANDY: When I first
came out here,

I didn't know much
about livin' out
in the bush at all.

Just putting a little canoe
in the big Yukon River

seemed like a pretty huge
adventure to me back then.

People who live out
in the bush...

The way we end up living
depends on what our skills are

and what resources we have
available to us to work with.

I have a lot of equipment
to work with,

which makes it
a lot easier for me,

so I can do things
maybe a little bit
different

than a lot people living out
in the bush would do.

I like building what I call
"rustic elegance."

I like things to be fairly
well built, rustic looking,

but also elegant in design.

The cabin we live in now
was never meant to be
our permanent home.

It was meant to be
a cabin to live in

while we get our act together

and build a really
efficient home.

NARRATOR:
To make the foundation
for a new cabin,

Andy must transport
10,000 pounds of gravel

in his boat 14 miles upriver.

We plan on living here
the rest of our lives,

so we've had this cabin
planned for quite a few years,

and it needs
a strong foundation.

Like everything in life,

if you have a good foundation
you can build a tall building,

or a tall life.

If any of these bags
tip over or flop over

and throw
the centre of gravity
off on the boats,

I can capsize the boat.

So we'll see, once you
start working with

heavy equipment
and heavy objects,

you never know what
you're gonna run against.

So I've got my
army boats together.

It's time to pull them
into position.

Secure them.

Then I'm gonna need to
load these bags

with the sky track
into the boats.

That's Plan A.

Plan B will be determined
once Plan A doesn't work.

NARRATOR: Each bag of gravel
weighs 1,000 pounds.

Andy will attempt to load
three to four bags per boat.

(ENGINE RUNNING)

The one thing I'm
a little worried about is

as I start loading the boats,

they're gonna
load differently.

I'm gonna put my first load in

and that boat's gonna go down.

So that's gonna
tweak the other boat.

Then I'll put another
bag in that one,

and so the boats are gonna be

wanting to tweak
quite a bit
in between loads,

until I can even 'em up.

NARRATOR: Adding too much
weight to the boats

could cause them to
capsize and sink,

along with Andy and
Kate's foundation

for their dream home.

I got a leak.

It ain't gonna fucking work.

Every bit of water
you get in a boat

when you got a load
like this is dangerous.

And the more water
that comes in

the more water
I gotta worry about

sloshing around in these boats

while I'm going in the river
which affects my stability.

So, I don't want a bunch
of water in this boat.

I'm going to have to
pull a bag out of this.

I can't go down river with
water coming in the boat,

that's just asking
for trouble.

I'm going to see
what it looks like.

I might have to take
another one out.

So we'll see what happens.

This boat went through
the flood in 2004,

and the ice pushed this
cleat through the hull.

So when it gets down below
this point in the water

it starts taking on water.

I probably took on
about 20 gallons or so...

30 gallons of water.

So it's just gonna cost me
more time and more money

to get the gravel down.

NARRATOR: Andy must now haul
the 10,000 pounds of gravel

through the fast-moving
currents of the Yukon

without capsizing his boat.

ANDY: When things
like that happen

sometimes you got to
listen to them,
and don't push it.

And so that's what I'm doing.

Be safe instead of sorry.

Uh, if I was to lose
these boats right now,

my whole summer
would be screwed.

There would no way I could
get all the materials down
to build that house.

There's 80,000 pounds
of building materials

I need to move downriver.

Taking care of these boats

is priority number one
for me right now.

I feel okay with the way
the load is now.

And hopefully we'll have
a good trip home.

GLENN:
Humans are not adapted to
live in this kind of country.

This is a very hard place
for a person to live.

I might be about a third
of the way to the road now.

I'm not thinking about how
many miles I walk each day,

but I am thinking about
getting back to see my kids.

And walking all day will
work up an appetite.

I only got enough food
in my pack for one meal.

A little bit of oatmeal.
A few pecans.

A few raisins.

Some dry pounded caribou meat.

That's all I got left.

I could eat it all at once,

but I better not
eat right now.

I can go a little longer.

This is tussock tundra,

and it's not easy
to walk through.

Really the biggest
danger I have,

walking around
out here by myself,

is if I was to get hurt
and I couldn't walk any more.

So, I'm always
thinking about that.

I don't want to
twist my ankle or
screw up my knee.

I gotta be able to
keep walking.

That's one thing.

You can't lose
your ability to walk out here.

If you lose your ability
to walk when you're in town,

it's not good.

But it's not
the end of the world.

There's plenty of people that
are going to help you out.

But out here you do
have to be able to walk.

If you can't walk,
you can't live.

It's just such vast country.

A person out here is just
a little dot on the tundra.

I don't plan on anybody coming
out here with an aeroplane
and finding me.

So I always think that
I have to be able to
get out of here by myself.

Physically, I'm tired.

My feet are starting
to bother me,

and I have low energy
just from not eating all day.

So I want to find
something to eat.

No, I've never eaten
green blueberries.

I just want to try them and
see if they're any good.

They're not very good.

Everything tastes better
when you're hungry.

But not something I'd eat
if I had a lot of food.

What I really need to find
is some animal food to eat.

I have not eaten anything
other than a few leaves

and some green berries.

And it's getting late,

and I'm tired and
I'm ready to go to bed.

And this is the place where
possibly there's some fish.

I don't know if there's
anything in here.

I think up here the fishing
is probably not that good.

There's something.

There is one there!

Oh, oh, oh!

Boy, he almost got away!

A little tricky
when you don't have a net.

That's a good fish,
but I'm really low on food.

I'm hungry enough to eat
two or three of those, easy.

I almost lost dinner.

That fish weighed
more than my fishing pole

so the fishing pole has
already paid for itself.

It was worth carrying.

If I hadn't caught fish,
I was gonna go to bed hungry.

I had a little bit
of food left,
but I was gonna save it.

I still have
a long ways to walk.

I'm hoping for one more
night out here

to make it to the road.

It's just getting harder
because of my food situation.

CHIP: Actually this kind of
living, you know...

There's killers
and there's accomplices.

If you are not a killer,
somewhere down the road

if you eat meat or fish
you're an accomplice.

We use nets 'cause
we're in rivers
and such here...

And, um, as I was growing up

I used a fishing rod.

So my wife is always
in charge of any such
nettings.

So when we're setting a net,
we're setting it her way.

We're doing this
the Inupiat way.

We'll be checking the nets
a couple of times a day,

so we're expecting
hopefully 20 or 30
fish a day.

Hopefully, it's a good run.

That's what we are hoping for.
We're hoping for a good run.

We got the place.
We got the equipment.

We're here at the right time.

Salmon are in the river.

Best bet is to
just set the net,

and see what we get.

Got the rope?

Means a lot to me 'cause
I sure like salmon,

and that's a lot of food
I don't have to buy.

So instead of buying food,
I can buy fuel,

or I can buy shoes or
something else with my money.

I can skip all
the grocery shopping

and do my shopping now.

Fishing, hunting...

It's all out looking for food.

It's like going down
the aisles.

The strategy is that my wife
is now tightening the net

so that we're not
halfway across the river

and blocking
too much of the river.

Ting, give her a hand.

She needs some
serious help right now.

And pull.

CHIP: Careful.

You guys watch
what your mom is doing.

It's important to learn.

First you observe and then
you put your hands on it.

Let you know what's up
and what's at stake here,

and my wife really knows
what's going on here.

CHIP: Whatever works.

We're all following
her tired direction.

She's not awake yet.
(CHUCKLES)

ANDY: Often times
it's the prep work

that's really
the hard work for me.

The building part
is the easy part.

I can see our home.

Haven't capsized,
I haven't swamped,

my feet are dry.

So we're doing good so far.

NARRATOR:
Andy has successfully gotten
his 10,000-pound load home.

Now, he has to safely haul
the gravel to shore.

ANDY: Take that one up and
tie it to the same place!

That's it!

This is about half of it.

I had to build this boom
for the back of my bulldozer,

so that I had a way to get
these bags off of the boats,

and I took this old
winch and set it up.

And then the boom is set up
to my front bucket,

so I'll be able to raise
and lower the boom

with the front bucket.

The big challenge now
will be...

Is do I have enough
of a reach out over the river

to pick the bags up
out of the boat...

And that's mainly what
I'm concerned about here.

I don't know that
that's a good idea.

NARRATOR: Each bag of gravel
weighs up to a half ton.

But if Andy's makeshift crane
can't support the weight,

the bulldozer could tip over
and pin Andy underneath.

KATE: The tracks are lifting
about 4 inches.

That's a little too high.

Andy!

You're coming up!

All these little things
are going through my head

as I'm doing this,
and it's just insane.

I don't want this tractor
to fall backwards.

Andy would just go
arse over kettle,
and he will be flat.

No!

Andy!

Down she goes... All right!

Happy dance!

It was damn scary there
for a second.

That went well.

Marginal.

Go up!

ANDY: So far
it's working... Barely.

The winch is barely
able to pull these up
out of the boat,

but it's making it.

And, uh, the brakes are
holding on the tractor,

that's what I'm really
worried about is...

I'm really having to
put a lot of pressure
on the brakes

to hold me in that position
while I'm lifting,

but so far so good.

We got three more
bags to get out,

and then we can
call it Miller time.

I like it when
my inventions work.

Sometimes I do these things
and they're all fucked up.

Feels good!

ANDY: Yay!

You did it!

-You did it.
-Barely worked, barely worked.

Barely. Oh... Thank you.

-Good job!
-Yeah.

You're amazing.

You can do anything.

Like lifting you up
on the gravel.

-There's your foundation.
-(LAUGHING)

Hope you enjoy it.

And he built it all himself.

Just me and my welder
and a bit of grinding,

a bit of welding,
a bit of cutting,

a bit of swearing.

You know, we have enough
bags here right now,

we can get a good start
on the foundation.

So it's a good feeling.

I mean, we've been talking
about this for a long time.

KATE: That's the beginning
of our new house, baby.

ANDY: It only cost us
a thousand fucking dollars.

Well, you know what?

I'm worth it.

SUE: You know,
there is no guarantees
and I accept that.

But life's not worth living

if you don't push
a boundary or two.

The rule is if I want
to live out here,

I have to run a business.

There's a saying that,

"When somebody
starts a business,

"expect to, you know,
lose money the first
three to five years

"while you're getting
your feet underneath you..."

So, you know, you got to
make sure you have
your capital to do that.

And I really
don't have that luxury.

So I've got to make it go.

I've got to make
it profitable.
It's a challenge.

I don't have the room to fail.

Planes in the area,
I'm an emergency
fuel station for them.

The only one
for a hundred miles.

I've been out of aviation gas
for about a week now.

And there's people
stuck out in the field,

no way to get in
because the planes
can't get fuel.

NARRATOR: Alaska's
unpredictable weather

has delayed Sue's
regular fuel shipment.

Until it arrives,
her customers are grounded.

Hey, buddy?

I know you're waiting on fuel,

but I talked to the plane
and Everetts said they're
gonna try again today.

You going to be okay with
hanging around
for a little while?

-They're gonna make it today?
-Yeah, they're hoping to.

I mean, the thing
that worries me is
I can see snow over here,

if it comes down
we're pooched another day.

Well, we're getting low.
We're going to need it.

Yeah, well, I'm out.
Whatever you got
is what you got.

I got enough to do
one more round,

and I got four guys
standing out there
waiting to come in.

SUE: I'm under the gun.

All these planes you see here

have been grounded
for days now.

People stranded out
in the field.

Winter storm's coming in.

Once the snow flies,
really, I mean,

they wrap it up and go away.

So I've got two,
three months, maybe,

to make 12 months
worth of revenue.

Fuel is critical.

The planes can't get
in the air,
the people can't move.

People can't move,
they don't pay you to get
where they're going.

Hey, 22 Mike,
you got a copy
on Kavik yet?

22 Mike Everts,
this is Kavik,
do you got a copy?

Not yet.

(STATIC)

Hey, 22 Mike, was that you?

22 Mike, you got
a copy on Kavik?

MIKE: Oh, yeah, go ahead, Sue.

Hey, buddy,
it's awful good
to hear from ya.

I've got some planes
that'll be awful happy

-to get back up
off the ground.
-Okay.

You just fly safe
and thank you, thank you.

You guys always
save my biscuits.

The AV gas,
the aviation 100 low lead
is on its way in.

Booyah!

These little planes can get
about doing their business,

start getting people
out of the field
that are cold and hungry.

Yeah, there he is.

That bird right there,
good old Salmonella.

1942 World War II aircraft

flying my fuel in,
it's gonna save their bacon.

Boom! And he's down.

Just getting 2,000 gallons.

I'll go through three quarters
of that in the next 10 days

and then save,
barrel up the rest.

I'm getting 2,000 gallons
of jet fuel.

It'll take me another 6,000
to get through the winter,

as long and cold
as my winters are.

So you don't do this kind
of a lifestyle by mistake.

I work for my
three months a year

to pay for the place
and make enough revenue
just to buy a style of life.

You know, I'm not
out to get rich.

I just want to be me.

I'm standing on top of
about 3,946 gallons.

MAN: How many dollars?

$21,000, $22,000...
Somewhere around there.

-Awesome. Thank you, Sue.
-I really appreciate it.

You always
come through for me.

These guys, the big birds,
they're the ones
who take care of me.

It's a big deal.
I mean, it's a service
that I run here.

If you don't have fuel
from the Haul road
all the way to Canada,

I'm it.

And for me to be
out of fuel is a danger.

So I feel better knowing
all my birdies can get back
to the nest now.

Just like me,
she's an old bitch,
but she still likes to smoke.

Booyah! Kavik's open
for business.

CHIP: Travel is
always an education.

No matter where you go
when you travel,

you're learning something.

I want my kids to learn
as much about the world
as they can,

so when they get older
they'll have choices.

NARRATOR:
With winter close at hand,
the Hailstones are hoping

for a sizable catch
of fresh salmon

to last them through
the coming freeze.

AGNES: Hook it, miss Mary.

This is the time to get fish
while they're here,

and while they're
healthy and fat.

Whoa!

CAROL: Oh, yeah!

AGNES: It's alive.

AGNES: It's not
rainy season yet

and then our fish
are able to dry.

Because in the next
couple of weeks

the rainy season will come,

and then there'll be all
this moisture in the air

and nothing's
going to dry then.

So, that's why we do it now.

There's one down there.

Hey!

That was a tough one.

Mom, there's two right here.

I got one.

Are we gonna have
enough room for
the fish in that tub?

Tub is full and we're only
half way through the net.

CHIP: There's a good
bounty of fish.

(AGNES SPEAKING)

CHIP: This is natural food,
this is healthy food.

And it gives them culture,

a sense of well-being
and a sense of satisfaction

when they're done.

And a good sense of just
where food comes from.

AGNES: We try to catch
a whole bunch to begin with
and dry them up,

so they'll keep
for the rest of the season

and we'll put those
in our freezers
for the winter.

NARRATOR:
No part of the fish
is wasted.

The bellies, eggs and meat
are all separated.

What isn't eaten now

is dried and stored
for the winter
that looms ahead.

Any ones that have
a lot of fat in them,

after we dry them,
we put them in our seal oil,

so they don't get rancid
and get too strong.

IRIQTAQ: You don't keep
sawing, you push.

Look, I'm just going to
hold your hand, okay?

Come this way.

Push with your
whole arm, yeah.

-Put your weight into it.
-QUTAN: Okay.

IRIQTAQ: You got it?

QUTAN: Do I need to finish it?

I got it.

I'm very proud
of my daughters.

Try to teach them what I know

and then by the time
they're my age

they'll pretty much have it
all down to where
they're doing it by themselves

without me guiding them
or instructing them.

You do what's right
and take what's left.

CHIP: Why don't you use
a long stick and push it?

Just throw it on,
the bouncing will do it.

Fire!

That will keep
the mosquitoes away.

(SIGHS) I separated
the bellies, the eggs
from the fish.

AGNES: I got, like,
50 fish, I'm satisfied...

And there's
plenty salmon for now.

QUTAN: No, just stop!

Get away.

Iri, I'm much faster than you.

We travel around and gather
and hunt in all kinds of
different places,

but we always come back
to the same places.

You know, people have been
doing that for
thousands of years.

People still do it today.

I like living this way.

I like making it to where

I can just do things
on my own, for myself
and for my kids

and teach them
and take them along.

-What the heck...
-Good job!

CHIP: I think it's important
they see that.

That they live it,
that they touch it.

So if they end up with no job,
the economy tanks out,

I want my kids to be able to
know the resources as well.

So, if they need to,
they can choose it

as their way of living.

Booyah!

GLENN: The reality is that
if something went wrong
10 minutes from now,

I could be laying on
the tundra with the grey jays
pecking my eyes out

and nobody would notice.

This morning I woke up,
and I was thinking,

"Wow, I'm gonna get back
to the road today, hopefully."

It's been over 10 months
since I walked away
from that road.

Just started sinking in
right now,

that I'm going back
to civilisation.

That's the last
of my food right here.

Some dried caribou meat.

I'm not anticipating
any big problem.

It's just a matter of putting

one foot in front
of the other.

Getting across the tundra.

That's it.

That's the last of my food.

NARRATOR:
The last thing standing

between Glenn
and the road to town

is crossing the north fork
of the Chandalar River.

GLENN: There's the river.

The biggest problem
I'm worried about now

would just be
if there's too deep of water.

From up here,
I can't tell for sure

how much of a problem
the river's gonna be.

I gotta get down closer
and look at how much water
is running down there.

Looks like there's still
ice along there.

Oh, wow, there is a lot of ice
down there.

I have never
seen it like this.

I have never seen ice
that thick at this time
of year.

I've been through here
in the summer.

I've never seen
ice here at all.

That's amazing.

Looks like it's more than
six feet thick.

This is my biggest concern
is not being able

to get across this river.

'Cause if I can't
get across this river,
I got problems.

I got to turn around and walk
all the way back to my camp.

That's too far.
I don't have food left.

Just walk upstream
and see if there's a place
where I can get across.

NARRATOR: Glenn has to find
a clearing in shallow water,

or he won't be able to
cross the river.

This looks like a place
I can get across.

There's no ice to climb up
on the other side at least.

It'd be nice if it was even
shallower and not running
so fast.

I'll give it a try.

Made it!

I'm starting to get excited
about getting back.

It just started sinking in
right now

that I'm actually going back
to civilisation.

Actually going to see
a bunch of people

I haven't seen
in almost a year.

I started wondering
this morning,

how much different
my kids look.

I haven't seen them
in so long.

Getting close now.
This is real familiar country.

I can see the road.

I'm almost there!

I'm gonna head up and see
if I can get a ride.

It's not easy to get
a lift up here, necessarily

when you're carrying a rifle,

and you're all
dirty and smelly

the way I am after this walk.

Made it to the road.

(SIGHS)

That was a bit of a walk.

Wow.

Just got to wait until
a truck or a car

comes down this highway.

Try to hitch a ride
to Fairbanks.

It's exciting
to get to the road

after being out here
over 10 months.

But I don't mind
going to town,

but I just don't want to
live there.

I feel like I'm kind of
half alive.

Like I'm kind of caged up
down there.

Not easy for me
to leave the place.

You know, knowing I might not
be back for a while.

ANDY: We both love this place,
and we don't want to
leave this place.

If I can make
a comfortable and easy living
down here,

we can stay here for the rest
of our lives if we want.

(DOG BARKING IN THE DISTANCE)

So, Andy, are we just going
to dump this right in the hole
or in buckets or...

(ANDY GRUNTS)

From the mixer
to the wheelbarrow
to the hole.

KATE: Okay.

Easy as possible.

Sounds like a plan.

ANDY: I moved about
10,000 pounds of gravel

from the river up to here.

And my next process
in the building of the house

is to get this
concrete poured
and this foundation set.

Our summers
are very short here.

So there's a lot of pressure
and a lot of stress on me

to try and get these
things done.

And I'm probably my
worst enemy

because I'm Type A
and I want everything
done yesterday.

Pouring concrete
isn't rocket science,

but the mix
can be pretty critical.

We don't have the advantage
of having

all of the ingredients cleaned

like they would
in an urban environment.

This is going to be
a pretty large home
that it's sitting on.

So, bottom line,
I've got to get

the cement/gravel
ratios correct.

I have to get the right
consistency of water correct.

It's gonna need more water.

That will be wet enough,
probably.

You want a quick dump
or a slow dump?

No, do it relatively slow.

Good!

Pretty much just pour
that concrete,

level it out,
then let it cure.

KATE:
This day has finally come.

I'm really excited.
I can hardly stop wiggling.

I was excited four years ago
when we were gonna start,

but, you know,
the flood of '09

had a different idea for us,

and we actually
had to start over again.

And that was
about as frustrating
as life can get,

but I'm getting what I wanted
four years ago.

My dream home.

So the bottom of my house
is going to be about
this high off the ground,

and that's because this is
the highest piece of ground
around here.

Worst case scenario, we'll get

a little bit of water
on the bottom floor
of our house,

but everything else
will be okay.

So, that's plan A.

B, C, D and E.

'Cause once
this house is done,
it's done.

If it ever gets knocked off
the foundation

we're buying a sailboat
and moving to the Caribbean.

Here, you can put
the last rock in.

Rock of ages.

ANDY: This might be
our last load.

Foundations are done now.

Concrete's all poured.

Everything went pretty well
doing that.

Although this gravel job
was a really big job.

It's just the very beginning
of this whole process.

I'm starting to feel like

things are coming
together here.

I'm feeling like once
we get this home built,

we're gonna be
in pretty good shape

and I can maybe
slow down a little bit.

My body's starting to
wear down from all this work.

Every morning I wake up
and if my back's sore,

I hear that clock going...
Tick, tick, tick, tick.

And I want to finish
these projects
before the clock runs out.

Is this gonna be
our corner stone?

One of them.

One of four corners.

We got to be
our names and date.

So in 500 years,
they'll know we were here.

Who the hell will care?

KATE: My life with Andy
is like a big old
roller coaster.

I think I'm the luckiest woman
in the world,

because for his temper,
he's equally as funny,

he's equally as charming,

he's equally as romantic
and kind.

He makes me smile.
He makes me happy.

My house.