All language subtitles for Life Below Zero S11E09 Trial by Wolves_track3_[eng]

CHIP: It's kind of windy
but not too bad right now.

It's too nice to stay home.

AGNES: Yup. Sure is.

Beautiful day in Kiwalik.

CHIP: I'm just gonna go
have a look up the creek.

I'm gonna look for tracks,
see what's in the area.

See if there's caribou up there.
I'll be heading up that ridge.

AGNES: Alright.

CHIP: I'm not gonna deviate
from that unless there's tracks.

So, if I'm not home by tomorrow
morning, go look for me.

Love you.

AGNES: Love you, too.

Be safe, huh?

CHIP: Yup, of course.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: The Hailstones
have arrived

at their seasonal
hunting grounds in Kiwalik.

They will spend the next
several weeks in the area,

stockpiling resources
for their survival.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

CHIP: Basically what we do
is we live off the land

as best we can.

We gather food,
we gather heat from it.

Thing about it is that you gotta
go out and catch the food.

So I'm not paying a butcher,
I'm not paying a fisherman,

a lumberjack, or a mill
to go get my wood,

my fish, or my meat.

We go get those ourselves.

(bleep)

We got tracks.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

The whole pack
come through here.

These are right on top
of my yesterday's trail.

You got an alpha,
you got a real young one,

over here you got another one.

There were three right here,

and they're running
the edge of the bushes.

And right over there, I counted
one, two, three, four more

trails coming out and
joining up down here.

So it's seven wolves.

They're probably
hunting rabbits.

There's four that went through
the snow, across this way.

And there are probably three
that ran interference

on this side.

Scare the rabbits out of
the bushes and have a snack.

Check that out,
it's the size of my hand.

Almost.

Without a glove.

They came through here
yesterday, I'd say.

I think yesterday,

because yesterday the snow
was really soft and slushy.

And these guys are definitely
in the slushy, soft part.

It froze overnight and it hasn't
had a chance to thaw yet.

It's nice to know
seven wolves in the area.

Oh, my wife will be happy.

Yup. Been a while since
I got myself a wolf.

I'd be happy if
her or the girls got one.

There's gotta be caribou around
'cause they're hanging out.

I just love this time of year
in this place.

I guess I gotta just
keep on going.

I might find something
that's actually making tracks.

♪ ♪

SUE: You don't get
to the end of the rope

without finding out
how long it is.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I'm inside working and I hear
the call of a freaking grouse.

Been after this
little peckerhead

ever since I got here.

It's frustrating, but each
damn time I see him or hear him,

by the time I get my stuff
and get out the door,

they hear me and they go away.

In Kavik, I'm in a tent.

I can hear.

And I can plan.

I have more time.

And it's a tent.

They don't hear me
come out as easily.

It has been so long
since I've had fresh meat.

My natural diet has been,
like, way disrupted.

I feel like I'm just
dragging ass everywhere I go,

everything I do.

My reaction time isn't good.

And I think, why?

I'm not getting the diet
that I normally get.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

It's frustrating.

I get out here specifically

because I hear something
or I see something,

and I know they don't go
that damn far.

♪ ♪

I feel like I've just, I've got
no opportunity to be successful.

I might have more opportunity

where they're not hearing me
open and shut the door.

So what is it gonna hurt me
to get on the sled?

I've not been very far
on this little trail,

but I know it goes
all the way 200 miles up.

Crosses the Yukon.

So, I don't want to go that far.

I have a 30-year-old machine,

but I want to get further
than I've been.

Where are the caribou?

Where are the birds?

What can I put in the freezie?

And let's get me some meat.

♪ ♪

Whatever's out there,
I want to take a chance at.

There's birds, grouse,
squirrels, porcupines.

There's different animals here
than I have in Kavik.

So I'll bring the .410,
bring the .22.

I'll definitely bring my pistol
and I'll bring the .30-ought-06.

This is a big, old adventure
for little, old Susie.

♪ ♪

RICKO: To live out here,
you either gotta be born into it

or you gotta be trained by
someone who's born into it.

Takes a special breed
to survive out here.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(door slams)

♪ ♪

This is my smokehouse.

It's about 20 years old,
I'd say, at least.

It hasn't been used in a while,

but a bear had really
tore this place up.

You could see here,
we got some claw marks.

And he tore out
some of the siding.

Over here, we got
more siding tore out.

Damn, it's really busted
down here

and, yeah, he got in here
pretty good.

He made his own door, that's
a signature grizzly bear move.

They're a powerful animal,
they're smart.

I'm gonna get it patched up
as best I can

so it'll hold some smoke,

source out some material,

like more poles for
hanging racks for the meat,

and I should be able
to use it, no problem.

It's still good.

Just got some work to do.

Out here, I can't get by
without a smokehouse.

I gotta dry my food
to preserve it.

So today, I'm gonna
shovel out my smokehouse

and do some repairs.

Whew.

I'm gonna start heating up here.

A lot of snow to dig out.

Gonna be some work,
but give me some time,

and I'll probably have it
done soon enough.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Pretty much a (bleep)
master's degree

in snow removal now.

There we go.

Some sheet iron here.

I'll use it for the sides.

I'll put it up here
and nail it in place.

And I'll probably put
some further up, too, up here.

It'll create about that much
space to hold smoke.

It's gonna be hard
for me to get it,

'cause I don't have three hands.

Out here when you're by
yourself, it's a little harder.

It'd be nice to have
an extra person,

but you just gotta work a little
harder than one guy, I guess.

This smokehouse is probably not
the most prettiest smokehouse

you ever saw, but it's
been doing its job

for over 20 years now,

and as long as I can keep
using it to preserve my meat,

then it's good enough for me.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Okay, so the outside is done.

Gotta make sure these poles
are nice and solid.

I've got some in here
that'll do.

I get them up,
up in their spots.

Yeah. Might need
a few more poles.

I need to get this smokehouse
up and running.

So this smokehouse
is pretty much repaired.

I just need a few more of these
heavy poles to go across.

Just a few more things
I gotta source,

and this thing is gonna be
up and running.

♪ ♪

JESSIE: A lot of us will never
know what we're capable of.

These dogs are what
give me this drive

and this deep-down look at
who I really am as a person.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Power meal, high-pro snack, one.

Turkey skin, one.

(yawn)

Right now, I'm planning out
all the mileages

and what I'm gonna put into
each bag for my checkpoints.

I'm running the Iditarod.

This is the biggest event
in the world to me.

NARRATOR: This winter,
Jessie Holmes will realize

a lifelong dream

and compete in one of the most
demanding sled dog races

in the world, the Iditarod.

Over the past year,
Jessie has molded his team

into a cohesive unit,

able to withstand
the trials of the race.

Preparation is crucial,

and after months of training
with his dogs,

Jessie must now focus
on the supplies needed

for the grueling trail.

JESSIE: I'm under a time crunch.

These food drops are due
in five days from now.

I want to make sure
I do this right.

This is the most critical part
of the race for me right now.

See, you need to be
well-organized.

This is a time management event.

Just because
you got a good dog team

doesn't mean you're gonna
do well in this race.

It's how well you manage time.

Everything has to be
quick and efficient.

I can't be getting there

and cutting through
three different bags,

wondering where
"what and what" is.

One of the biggest, daunting
task of running the Iditarod

is all the organization
that it takes to do this.

So, at each checkpoint,
which there's 20 checkpoints

along the way,
we send out these bags.

And in those bags are gonna be
all the different kinds of food

that you're gonna feed,

all the personal gear,
all the medical equipment.

A lot of meat is
gonna go out there,

and I'm gonna be cutting a lot
of meat for these drop bags.

If you miss putting something
in these bags,

it can be very detrimental
to your race.

So on the race, I'm gonna need
2,000 to 2,500 pounds of meat.

So as far as
blocks of meat going,

this being a block of meat, this
is one of my main meat sources,

and it's one of the main meals
the dogs eat,

I've gotta cut 30 blocks of meat
for this whole race.

That's not including my fish
and some other things.

It's gonna take me days
to cut all this meat.

I'm gonna be right here on
this meat saw until it's done.

To prepare these drop bags,

mostly I need
a literal ton of meat

cut up in lots of different
varieties of sizes

to where they're easy
to feed on the trail.

Whether it's in the form
of a snack

or adding hot water to it
to make a warm meal.

It's very important to give
the dogs warm meals out there,

'cause you don't want the dog's
body to have to work

to warm that up.

So there's a science
behind this, you know?

You take every bit
of knowledge you can

and you formulate a plan.

I know a dog is gonna burn
10,000 to 13,000 calories a day.

I know that if I give
this dog this stick,

I'm giving it 700 calories,

and I'm keeping track of that
for 16 animals.

I mean, I have to make sure
that I keep 16 animals healthy.

This is the most stressful thing
I've ever been through

in my life,
preparing these drop bags.

If you mess up here,
it's gonna be a big cost to you.

This is years and years of work
to get to this,

and I have so much on the line
and so much invested.

And it's not like I'm just
letting myself down.

If I do this wrong,
I'm letting my dogs down,

and nothing would hurt me
more than that.

♪ ♪

CHIP: Since we hunt and we fish,
we have to be able to travel,

and we have to be able to stay
where the resources are.

You move with the seasons,
you move with the animals.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

AGNES: Well, looks nice enough.

Not even that windy.

We could probably just
put the tent up today.

NARRATOR: With Chip scouting
the Kiwalik region for animals,

Agnes and her eldest
daughter, Ting,

must continue
setting up their camp

to improve the family's comfort
for their stay at the grounds.

AGNES: Me and Ting are gonna be
shoveling a lot of snow today.

We have a lot of
shoveling to do.

And probably put up the teepee.

TINMIAQ: By the time we're
digging, done digging it out,

Caroline should be done
with her homework.

AGNES: Uh-huh.

Before Carol gets out today,

she's gonna be doing
some schoolwork.

She's homeschooled.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Moving along just great, huh?

Nice day to dig.

It's not too windy and cold

when you're working hard
and sweating.

Oh, you got it.

Right on.

That's good.

All we gotta do now is move
these few things up here

and probably rest to get,
catch your breath and...

TINMIAQ: And get Carol
to help us?

AGNES: We'll need Carol's help.

Right on.

TINMIAQ: Right on.

♪ ♪

CHIP: From here
to Monument Mountain

is all wide open,
clear of trees.

There's not a tree to be had.

If I see some fur up there

or if I see bear tracks
or anything else,

I can follow 'em and see
what's making the tracks.

It could be just caribou,

and I'd be happy with
getting caribou right now.

Let's see what we got.

I see probably
100 of them or so.

This is the first few caribou
I've seen on this trip so far.

There's maybe 100 more
on the ridgeback.

We might be able to take home
three or four good caribou.

Now that meat's in sight,
it's time to get some.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(gunshot)

♪ ♪

They're making a circle.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(gunshot)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(gunshot)

CHIP: One's going down.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

This, this meat right here

will last the four of us
about a week.

So I've got a week's worth
of not worrying

about having to hunt.

I have the tongue.

That's the treat for the hunter.

But I always give
my treats to my kids.

I got to go check out
what the terrain was like

and what the conditions are like
up in the mountain.

I located the animals and
I brought home some meat.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

TINMIAQ:
Moving it all over, yup. Woo!

More that way.

CAROL: More this way?

TINMIAQ: Pretty good, yeah?

AGNES: Wow, it looks
about perfect now, huh?

Like we could just
slide it right over.

TINMIAQ: Carol, pull it.

Wait, it's stuck,
that's why, on the pole.

Here.

AGNES: I'll lift it.

TINMIAQ: Push, push, Carol.

AGNES: Ting, Ting, you need
to go out and go pull it.

TINMIAQ: She's too short
for this.

CAROL: I am.

TINMIAQ: We're all the same
height, so gotta figure it out.

♪ ♪

Almost there.

AGNES: Ting, stop! Stop pulling.
You're ripping it.

TINMIAQ: Oh, (bleep).

Looks like we have a few repairs
we're going to have to do.

AGNES: Yup. Yup.

TINMIAQ: On the door,
maybe a chimney cloth.

But other than that,
it looks good from the outside.

Right on, huh?

CAROL: Yeah.
AGNES: Yup. Job well done.

♪ ♪

SUE: There's nothing wrong
with being older.

It's just a new experience.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR:
Along the Chena River,

Sue is scouting her
surroundings for wildlife

in hopes of harvesting
fresh meat.

She must gain knowledge
of the area

if she's to prosper long term
at her new land.

SUE: This is a feast
for the eyes.

This is moose crashing through.

You've got moose, you've got
rabbit, you've got squirrel,

you've got birds.

You got a big old
moose track here.

Here's his two little
pinchy points and his hoof.

Can I shoot a moose right now?

No, I cannot.

But what does it tell me?

It's all intelligence gathering
for next year.

Great information and
it's only five, six miles away

from the cabin.

(bleep)

Got a bird over here.

They just stopped right there
but I don't see 'em.

(gunshot)

Damn it!

I saw ptarmigans,
of all the damn things.

Well, I'm definitely gonna
have to keep my eyes open.

♪ ♪

I'm gonna get back on the trail.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

That's what we call overflow,

and that means the water's
running over the area.

I guarantee you,
I take the machine over this,

I'm gonna fall into it.

If I come and take this line,
which I'm half-tempted to do,

I can see where an animal
has walked on here.

This is hollow, poof,
and it's water right there.

I just have a special fear
of water on ice.

Kind of curious to see
how deep am I looking here.

Okay, let's see how deep
this son of a bitch is.

Foot and a half, two feet deep.

Maybe I'll grab another tree
and check how deep that is.

And this here that I'm standing
in is an Argo track.

So somebody came out in an Argo
and did not go over it.

That's making me
a little more nervous.

I could hear water
running under here.

Ah!

Damn it.

♪ ♪

Whoa!

Ah!

(bleep, bleep)

The answer I'm gonna give is
a resounding "Damn no."

My feet are wet now.

Wet is dead.

There's no shame in my game

if I say I'm gonna pussy out
on this area.

I have to live
to fight another day,

and I don't know that
if I'm gonna do that

going through there.

I'll start up the engine.

I'll get myself turned around
and get ready for tomorrow.

♪ ♪

JESSIE: The way I look at it
is like I'm a coach

of a world-class
basketball team.

They're only gonna be able to do

what their coach
sets them up to do,

so I'm the one that takes
the weight of all this.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

This is gonna be
my 16-pound bags.

I'll need one of these in every
checkpoint for a meal there,

and then I need one that's ready
to grab and go for the trail.

Okay, that's one 16-pound bag.

I'm gonna need 24 of those
on the trail.

NARRATOR: Jessie is preparing

for the upcoming
Iditarod sled race.

With the event just weeks away,

he must continue to assemble
his drop bags,

which will allow himself
and his dogs

to access food and supplies
on the 1,000-mile trail.

JESSIE: We're getting closer
to the Iditarod.

The last few days here, I've
just been cutting a ton of meat

and organizing all kinds
of little baggies.

Getting these drop bags packed,

that's the most stressful part
of this whole race is that.

I have a deadline
to deliver 'em by.

I haven't gotten everything
that I need to,

like, start this a month ago.

Like, in the future,
I might start this

a month ahead of time.

This is a huge task,
these drop bags here.

It's an enormous amount of work,
an enormous amount of time

where I wish I was out
running dogs on the trail.

But you know, the only way
I'm gonna get to do this race

is by getting this done,

and the only way I'm gonna
do good in this race

is by doing this right.

All this food that's
going out there

is probably $6,000 worth of food
and supplements and gear.

If you don't have it,
what you need out there,

you can't get it anywhere else.

And if you don't have
what you need,

it could cost you your race.

And worse than that, it could
cost you the trust of your dogs.

You don't know what's gonn
en out there.

You have all these great
ambitions and desires

and dreams, but they could all
be shattered in just a moment.

I mean, it's, I've been
following this race

for 12 years.

And you watch a lot of people

broke down on the side
of the trail.

That's what's in my mind
is not being that person,

not being that team.

Well, that sucked.

The Iditarod is just something
I've been dreaming about doing

for 12 years.

Right now, everything's
just theory for me.

I've never done the Iditarod,

so the main thing
is to give myself

a lot of options out there,

and what I send out
in these drop bags

is what gives me those options.

(barking)

We're getting closer
to the Iditarod.

Right now,
it's just maintenance.

Just keep the dogs happy,
keep 'em healthy.

Where's the (bleep) puppies?

(bark)

Hi, Burbot!

I'm so excited to race
the Iditarod.

It's the biggest dream ever
for me.

These dogs are my family.

I put them above
everything else.

That's why I race dogs
is because I love dogs

and giving them the best care

is what I believe
this race is about.

(barking)

Hi, Kimber!

(whistling)

Clipper. (kisses)

Where you at, girl?

(whistles)

Clipper!

What's up?

Clipper, what's up?

Clipper!

JESSIE: Clipper!

What's up?

Clipper, what's up?

Clipper!

Did you have your puppies
last night?

It's okay, baby.

Oh, good girl.

You had your puppies last night?

Oh, how many you got in there?

It's okay, baby.

I'll go get you a house ready
over by the house

and move you into the pen.

Good job, mama.

Good job.

Wow, Clipper had her puppies!

I thought that was a week out,

and there she already
had her puppies.

Go ahead and take
a little time away

and make sure I get the pups
set up and break away

from the drop bag packing

and get her moved over here
close to the house,

so I can keep
a close eye on her.

Hi, baby.

Oh, we got a female there,
put her right there.

It's okay, honey.

Another one here.

Easy, there you go.

Hi.

Oh, it's okay.

♪ ♪

Hey, little guy.

Nice-looking puppies, mama.

You're doing so good
with them already, huh?

Yeah?

It's okay, it's right here.

Two girls, two boys.

This is great.

This is gonna be
my future dog team.

Let's take 'em over, baby.

Follow me.

Let's go over to the pen.
Come on.

Clipper's retired from racing.

I bought her from
a champion Iditarod kennel

that's won the Iditarod
four times.

She's completed the race
five times herself

and was almost in
the winner's circle one year.

Come on, let's go in there.

Good girl.

Clipper throws the best pups.

She is bred
out of many champions.

Her two daughters are going
with me in this race,

so these are extremely important
puppies to my future.

One little boy.

Little red boy.

That's a little girl.

Here you go, mama.

There you go.

Oh, puppies.

Your mama is gonna take
good care of you.

It's an exciting moment
when the puppies are born.

This is what I work for
and what I strive for

is to keep producing some of
the best athletes in the world.

Alright, Clipper,
I'm just gonna be over there

packing my drop bags.

You'll be good here.

Keep an eye on you.

Yeah, there you go, baby.

Good job with your puppies.

(puppies whining)

RICKO: If I had my choice, I'd
be in the woods all the time.

To me, it's like
going to church.

♪ ♪

Gotta have my rifle.

I got my axe.

I'm ready to go.

Today, I got my siding done
on the smokehouse.

It's looking good.

It got tore up by a bear,

but I think it should be
in working order soon.

NARRATOR: Ricko DeWilde relies
on native Athabaskan techniques

and traditions to survive
in the Huslia wilderness.

Repairing his smokehouse
is key,

as the decades-old structure

will allow him to preserve
and flavor his food.

RICKO: I need a few things.

I need to source out
some material.

I need spruce poles
for the heavy items.

I also need some crosspieces,

some willows to hang
the smaller stuff.

And I also need some cottonwood.

Cottonwood is what we use
to smoke our meat.

And I know exactly
where to get it.

This looks like some
good cottonwood out here.

This looks like a good one
right here.

I mean, some of this stuff
you could almost push over,

it's, but you don't want
to knock stuff on your head,

either, so I'll,
I'll quit pushing on it.

♪ ♪

(chainsaw starts)

♪ ♪

This stuff, the dead stuff,
it smolders

and, uh, has a real sweet smell.

Cottonwood is real good wood
for smoking your meat,

and also for cooking outside

or just being around
a campfire outside.

♪ ♪

Last of the cottonwood here
that I need,

and then I'm gonna go get
some spruce poles.

Let's see.

♪ ♪

This pole is nice and straight
and it's dry.

This is exactly what I need
for my smokehouse.

Something to hang some
of the heavier stuff on.

I already have spruce poles,

but I need about three more
in my smokehouse.

There we go.

Such a beautiful day out.

Sun's coming down.

Found some nice poles.

On the way home,
there's some willows.

I could use that
for crosspieces.

There's people that
come with me out here,

and they're like, "How do you
remember where to go?

'Cause it seems like you're
in the middle of nowhere,"

but I grew up in this area,

so like, I've actually walked
and seen it so many times

growing up as a kid

that being back and when
I'm moving through it,

it's so easy to remember
these trails and these spots

'cause it's coming back to me.

It's almost like
a surreal feeling,

like getting tossed
back in time.

Almost like I'm dreaming.

♪ ♪

Alright, so there's a little
stand of birch right there,

that'll make good crosspieces.

Basically, just put it
through, like, a goose.

I have a goose from last fall.

That's all I need.

I got some cottonwood
for smoking the meat.

I got the bigger poles, and I
got the crosspieces for inside.

Now, I'm ready to set up
my smokehouse.

♪ ♪

SUE: I may be six eggs shy
of a dozen on my best day,

but I still got what it takes
to hatch a good plan.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Yesterday,
Sue set out

to scout her new environment
for resources,

but her efforts were stalled
due to unsafe ice.

Today, she's back on the trail

and she will have to push
further into the unknown

to better her odds
at survival in the future.

SUE: Okay, this is
my problem area yesterday.

I mean, it is still
slick as snot.

The tree I put in
is solid in there.

This is an ice floe
of epic proportions.

What happens is the colder it
gets, the heavier the ice gets,

the more the water gets pushed
up on top and, and over.

The water is further up.

You know, I can still
hear it running.

I think if I stay this way and
crash through the, that brush

and try and get out,

I think I'll be able to expand
my horizon a little bit.

I'm still afraid of it,
but I'm gonna go for it.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(bleep) kidding me!

SUE: (bleep) kidding me!

Probably about halfway through,

I kind of wished
I hadn't have done it.

I mean, I made it,
so I'm all happy,

but I'm also almost crying,

'cause when I came off
that first section,

approaching this section,
it went into a side slide

and, and I thought
I was gonna fall.

It's a big thing for me
to have done this.

But I'm very proud of myself!

I want to hop on
and, and keep going.

♪ ♪

RICKO: Work smarter, not harder.

Some white man told me that,
it's pretty smart.

♪ ♪

I got the cottonwood,

the smokehouse poles
and the crosspieces,

so now I'm ready to set up
the smokehouse.

I'm gonna do
the smokehouse poles first.

That's perfect for hanging
heavier stuff like moose legs

and other heavy body parts
with a moose.

I want to get this smokehouse
set up before spring.

It don't take long for your meat
to spoil in the warm weather,

and it'll go to waste.

And out here,
nothing can go to waste.

I gotta do the crosspieces now.

And this I gotta clean,
clean this one off a little bit.

I got some geese from last fall
that I could half-dry right now.

And, um, half-drying them makes,
gives them that good flavor.

It's just, when you're out here,
you get tired of one flavor.

If you know how to smoke your
meat, it kind of enhances it.

♪ ♪

I want to give it a little point

so that if you want to hang
geese, ducks,

any kind of small game,
you could poke it through

without having too much trouble.

♪ ♪

I got my poles
and my crosspieces up.

Now, I need to get this
cottonwood sawed up

and stacked up inside so I can
start my, the smoking process.

♪ ♪

(chainsaw starts)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

This is my cache.

This is where I store some
of my meat and other things.

I've got a goose here.

♪ ♪

Get this on the smoker.

Put this through
and get her hung.

Just like that.

Maybe right here.

That'll work.

This cottonwood is the, uh,

that's, this is the stuff
to use right here.

This is the Athabaskan way
of preserving food.

Got this smokehouse all done,

so I'm ready to go
for when the snow is gone.

This smokehouse is gonna be key
for me to be able to eat,

and put food on the table, and
save whatever food that I get.

The heat feels good,
that meat's gonna be good.

It's good times for me.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

AGNES: Whatever season it is,
we're gonna be out here,

'cause we love to be out in
the country and out in the wild.

♪ ♪

Just when it's getting
dark and cold.

Oh.

Caribou?

TINMIAQ: Hi, Dad!

AGNES: Wow!
CHIP: Hey, bunny.

TINMIAQ: Right when we got done
setting up our tent.

CHIP: Yeah, I see that.

I just drove up, I'm like,
"Huh! I wonder what that is."

AGNES: Right on.
TINMIAQ: Nice!

CHIP: That's a decent one.

I figured I better skin them up

because anything
we get after that

is gonna be for drying,
you know.

AGNES: Yup.

CHIP: The time for cows
is almost over.

The bulls will be the only ones
we can hunt.

And I figured, well, you know,

I'll get one for camp food
and not really worry about it.

AGNES: Awesome.

CHIP: Well, here you go.
There's the tongue.

It's not even frozen yet.

Put it, put it,
these things gotta go together.

AGNES: Wow. We're gonna eat good
for the next week.

CHIP: Yeah. We got about
a week's worth of meat here.

AGNES: Yup.
CAROL: Yeah.

CHIP: It's gonna need
a tarp over,

those in this white tarp
will go on top of it tonight.

AGNES: Good job, everybody.

Notice the teepee?

CHIP: Yes, I did, I just
drove up and looked at it,

I went, "Wow,
they've been busy."

Oh, here's the heart.

AGNES: Quite the collection.

CHIP: We're gonna cover this
stuff so ravens don't get it.

Get the caribou skin over here.

TINMIAQ: Throw the caribou skin
on top of them?

AGNES: Yeah. On top of it.
CHIP: Yeah. There you go.

TINMIAQ: Alright.
CHIP: That's good.

AGNES: Good job.

Awesome.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Thank you.

Real good cook.
Make enough for everybody.

CHIP: There you go.
That's enough. That's enough.

AGNES: It's awesome
to be out here

where we can eat fresh meat.

CHIP: Oh, yeah.

Soon, it'll be geese and fish.

TINMIAQ: Yeah.

AGNES: Rabbits and ptarmigan.

CHIP: Mm-hmm.

Well, I was aiming to please.

Yeah, it was pretty nice
to go up to little Monument.

Went up there and
tried to get above 'em.

I know that place so well.

I just went and did my thing,
and I just took the one I could.

Birds are gonna be here soon.

Caribou will be
coming here en masse.

Bears will be coming out.

There's lots of rabbits
and ptarmigan around.

Well, there's always more
to do tomorrow.

There's always gonna be
tomorrow coming.

Be happy for the sunrise.

♪ ♪

SUE: If at first
you don't succeed,

beat it with a sledgehammer
and do it again.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Sue is scouting
her new surroundings

in hopes of gaining knowledge

of the region's
harvestable wildlife.

But navigating the trails has
already proven to be difficult,

and she must stay wary
of the unknown terrain.

♪ ♪

SUE: This is kind of
a (bleep) show here.

I've got almost no brakes.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

The rivers are not
in good shape this year.

The ice is unsafe.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(bleep) I almost didn't see it,
it's a ptarmigan.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(gunshot)

(gunshot)

SUE: Oh, I got one.

Maybe this is a sign.

Thank you.

Thank you, little birdie.

I've had an amazing day.

I've got ptarmigan.

I've faced my fear on that one
overflow and I got through it.

I'm good with calling it
for the day.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I think I'm gonna make
my version of ptarmaghetti.

Ptarmigan spaghetti.

And you can see, this is all
nice, blood-rich, dark meat.

There's nothing artificial here.

You want to talk about GMO, this
is not genetically modified,

except for two billion years

of being on the planet
or something.

I've got some leeks and some veg
in my freezie box.

Little bit of pasta.

Okay.

Get all this inside
and I can start cooking.

I got carrots
I can dump in there.

Leeks, here.

I'm gonna take my ptarmie,
start putting him in.

Plopping in some of the pasta.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Not all hunts end up
with dinner on the table.

But I did, because there's
more than one species

available right now.

I was able to bring
something home,

and that makes me
awful proud of myself.

I got information.

I got a ptarmigan.

I saw more of the country in
my backyard, and it's beautiful.

And I was out of Kavik for
a little longer than I expected,

and the world didn't stop.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

JESSIE: Starting out
an underdog.

I've never had a choice
but to work hard.

That's how you find out
if you want it bad enough.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(barking)

Two fish snacks.

On up into the Alaska Range
in Rainy Pass.

This is, uh, where
the race gets exciting.

This is when you're
up in the mountains

and you're gonna be descending
after 10 miles

after this checkpoint
into the Dalzell Gorge,

which is a very famous area.

It's a little bit easier

to think about
the first checkpoint.

Not overthink the first
checkpoint to the race

as it will be
later down the line

when things are going to be
getting really critical.

It would be easier
if I was packing

to take 16 kids
on a family vacation

than taking 16 dogs
across Alaska

in some of the harshest
conditions imaginable.

The amount of variables that
I had to be prepared for,

keeping variety in their diet,

being very detailed
on this planning process

is critical to a good race.

Getting these drop bags packed

is a huge
organizational challenge.

This is my lifeline
out on the trail

to take the best care
of my dogs,

and that's the most important
thing in the world to me,

is taking good care
of these dogs.

And this is the last chance
to make sure

I have what I need on the trail.

Alright, these are
some bags for Nome.

This is what I'll need
while I'm there.

I got these drop bags packed.

This is the biggest
preparation job

I've ever had to do in my life.

I'm super proud of it.

Now, all I gotta do is go
load it up in the truck,

fire up the truck,
take 'em up to Fairbanks,

get 'em dropped off.

You ready to go, Flash?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I made out a plan for what
I was gonna need on the trail.

Cut up all the meat, packaged
all the different things,

weighed it all out.

It seemed like
a daunting task at first,

but halfway through it,
I really started clicking,

and I just kind of
got the method down.

Now, I'm on to thinking
about my race strategy,

because I left myself
a lot of freedom

in the way I packed these bags

to be able to race however
I see fit at that moment.

I'm really excited.

My Iditarod is coming soon.

This is the ultimate race.

This is the ultimate challenge.

And I'm up for it,
and I'm ready for it.

♪ ♪

RICKO: There's a lot behind
being Native American for me.

I have to follow these rules
that I learned,

and I'm still learning them
as I get older.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Alright, I'm gonna go check out
this smoked bird.

♪ ♪

Alright.

Smoked goose is on the menu.

As you can see, this smokehouse
is doing its job.

It's got a nice layer of
cottonwood smoke flavor to it.

Gives it that good flavor,
cottonwood flavor.

So, I'm gonna bring it inside

and make some nice
smoked goose soup.

♪ ♪

The bear did a lot of damage
to that smokehouse,

and it took a lot of work,
but I got it up and running.

So, this is the first
of many meals, is right here.

Without that smokehouse,

the fresh meat I get will only
last like two to three days,

and having that smokehouse

allows me to dry
and smoke that meat,

and it lasts all year long.

The smokehouse
looks like a shack

to someone that
never seen it before,

but it's actually
a tool of survival.

Our ancestors used it,
that's how we're here today.

That's how I'm here today.

♪ ♪

(bubbling)

Ooh, boy, that's good.

Smells so good.

Let me smell that
nice smoke flavor to it.

Cottonwood smoked goose,

I won't see that on a menu
in a restaurant.

♪ ♪

It's real good.

Being able to get my own food
on the table makes me feel good.

There's nothing more satisfying,

because I know where
the animal came from,

I know where the wood
that smoked it came from.

I gotta work a little harder,

and I gotta get my hands
a little dirty.

The only way to live good
is to eat good.

♪ ♪

Captioned by
Side Door Media Services