Original subtitles

NARRATOR: On this episode of "Ice Road Truckers."

Oh, no.

Hang on.

NARRATOR: Alaska is rocked by a volcanic eruption.

Alex charges ahead in the dash for the cash.

I like to catch him because it will make him grumpy.

Dirty rotten [bleep].

Heh, heh, heh.

NARRATOR: And a breakdown leaves Lisa stranded on the ice.

LISA KELLY: My truck is dead.

NARRATOR: At the top of the world--

[horn honks]

[grinding]

--there's a job only a few would dare.

Just when you thought extreme trucking couldn't

get more dangerous, "Ice Road Truckers" take on Alaska.

[theme music]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[truck engine getting louder]

[glass crashing]

[brakes swoosh]

With less than two weeks left in the winter season,

the spring thaw is fast approaching.

And the race is on to get the last 300

loads in before the ice roads melt away.

But an unforeseen disaster 1,000 miles to the south

has made this treacherous road more vital than ever.

Mount Redoubt is erupting--

[loud explosion]

--sending ash more than 65,000 feet into the sky.

It's grounded all air traffic in Alaska

and created delays in nearly every industry.

Now the Dalton ice road is the only route to the oilfields,

and the north slope is desperate for supplies.

In Fairbanks, Jack Jessee is picking up

his 17th load of the season.

JACK JESSEE: Well, we've got a loaded fuel tanker today.

It's got about 9,200 gallons of fuel on it.

We're going to be right at our max weight.

NARRATOR: And this fuel tanker could be Jack's most important

run yet.

JACK JESSEE: The volcano erupted down there in Anchorage,

shut down the refineries.

Prudhoe's been out of fuel for a couple days now,

and they're going to start feeling it.

NARRATOR: Everything in Deadhorse

runs on diesel generators.

No fuel, no power, no heat.

And the oil-flowing south will soon come to a halt

if they can't keep the flow of diesel moving north.

And it's mad rush to get all this fuel up there.

I try to load max volume on the tanker

to bring the whole trailer right up to my max weight.

And then I have to adjust my axles to make

all the axle groups legal.

NARRATOR: But Jack's lift axle is frozen shut.

A lift axle uses compressed air to raise and lower

the suspension, which transfers weight

evenly throughout the trailer.

[air hisses]

Nope, I'll go get the mechanic again.

[air hisses]

It doesn't seem like coming up is the problem.

It just happened when it come down.

NARRATOR: Carlile mechanic Jared Lane

pries open the valves to clear the air lines of any moisture.

[air hisses]

JACK JESSEE: There we go.

Perfect.

And then we'll get this tanker load to Prudhoe.

NARRATOR: As Jack reaches the Dalton, the rapidly thawing

road becomes his next big challenge.

JACK JESSEE: The sun hit it yesterday,

and it just makes it so much slicker.

And I'm already spinning climbing up this hill.

Those are the tires spinning right now.

Come on, find some traction.

I told you, this is going to be a slick day out here today.

[loud semi engine]

NARRATOR: 500 miles north in Deadhorse, Lisa Kelly

arrives to pick up her 13th load of the season.

LISA KELLY: Our wonderful mountain blew up,

and it was, like, there's this ash everywhere.

NARRATOR: The volcano is creating multiple delays.

If my wheels aren't turning, I'm not getting paid to sit.

What am I hauling?

Uh, it's just going to be some miscellaneous LTL.

OK.

And it will include a little bit of hazmat.

Used batteries, I think I can deal with that.

No big deal.

OK, so go fast.

NARRATOR: But a load of used batteries

is not the only thing Lisa will be carrying today.

I have a passenger today.

NARRATOR: Anita Stelsel is a safety trainer for an oil

company, and a volcano has stranded her on the north

slope.

Hey.

NARRATOR: She needs to hitch a ride back to Fairbanks

with Lisa. - Hi.

Thanks for taking me to town.

Yeah, no problem, Anita.

Her flight was canceled and rescheduled

for a much later time than she wanted to be there.

Load your stuff and hop in, we'll get out of here.

It's going to be interesting having a passenger.

I haven't had one in a long time.

I'm sure she's not going to like my techno.

[door closes]

[laughs]

[techno music]

NARRATOR: Back in Deadhorse, Alex Debogorski

is also preparing to head south with a backhaul.

I'm hauling a C-1256, one of the Carlile tractors.

The radiator broke and was leaking a bunch of antifreeze.

NARRATOR: Alex has trailed his rival Hugh Rowland

in loads all season.

Now they're dead even, and he's eager to pull ahead.

Oh, I'd like to catch him because it will make him

grumpy.

[chuckles]

Because he's always rush, rush, rush, rush.

So right now, I've aired up the trailer.

I'm just going to check the chains,

check the tires and the suspension on the trailer,

and I guess we'll be off.

[soft thuds]

Well, [bleep], that tire's flat.

This tire's off the rim.

NARRATOR: Alex has been sidelined this season

by a frustrating run of worn-out tires.

A huge hole delayed him the first time.

Then--

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Look at that, we've got another flat tire.

Looks like it's got the tread gone.

NARRATOR: --on another trip, he lost an entire tread layer.

Now this.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Well, I mean, the weight,

I mean, that tire couldn't carry two,

the weight for both of them.

We'll end up with two flat tires.

These smaller tires don't-- aren't that great anyway.

Yeah, I think and then probably that looks like a cap,

too, so she'd be wrecked.

NARRATOR: Alex has no choice but to head to the tire shop.

Well, I've got a full load, and that tire goes flat,

then there's a possibility in wrecking a second tire.

We end up with two flat tires and one axle,

chances are, we're not going to make it.

Oh, well.

A guy's gotta pick a place to die of old age,

I guess, it might be Prudhoe.

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: Back at the Carlile yard in Fairbanks.

Hugh.

Get another load, I guess.

Sure.

Another load of pipe.

OK.

It's actually the last load of the seven-inch pipe

for the year, so go get your truck and get ready to go,

and it'll be right here in this yard.

Oh?

NARRATOR: Mechanic Jared Lane has some bad news.

HUGH ROWLAND: OK, well, at least I know that.

NARRATOR: Hugh was hoping to hit the road within the hour.

But now that his truck has a major exhaust problem,

he's stuck in town indefinitely.

Well, here I sit broken-hearted.

Truck's broken down.

We're waiting for some exhaust clamps and stuff.

I guess they better fix it.

Because if your exhaust ain't good,

you're not going anywhere.

NARRATOR: 60 miles out of Deadhorse, Lisa races south

with her passenger, Anita.

Am I scaring ya?

[laughs]

No, not at all because I'm a safety trainer, right?

I teach driving.

I can tell you're really solid.

Well, as pretty as this road is,

though, there sure is a lot of crazy accidents up here.

I figure it's because they're all looking at the mountains

and not the road.

[chuckles]

I would guess it has something to do with the speed you

guys go because I've wondered how and why a trucker would be

driving faster than I would drive on a road like this.

Trucks are a lot heavier than a car is.

Right.

And the trailer actually helps weight the tires.

And then when you think about it,

I've got at least 10 wheels just on the truck alone.

That's more contact with the ice.

NARRATOR: Lisa is making good time until suddenly--

Um.

[ominous music]

[door closes]

[diesel engine running]

LISA KELLY: [bleep],, I've got a major fuel leak.

It's leaking on the ground.

[engine stops]

If the truck isn't running and doesn't give me heat,

then I could freeze to death.

This is a major problem.

My truck is dead.

NARRATOR: 62 miles south of Deadhorse,

Lisa Kelly and her passenger, Anita,

are stranded with a broken fuel line.

LISA KELLY: I don't know.

I don't even know what to do because I don't know where it's

coming from.

I can't find, there's fuel like everywhere.

And I can't go anywhere like this.

We won't make it anywhere with no fuel.

NARRATOR: The diesel continues to pour out into a hazmat

pan used to protect the tundra.

They're out of radio contact.

And without fuel, they have no heat.

The situation is quickly becoming life-threatening.

OK.

I'm going to go check it out, make sure, see if it's stopped

or not. OK.

Do you need my help?

--what's going on.

Uh, no, just stay in here and stay warm for now,

I guess, so I'll be right back.

[door closes]

I just don't even know where it's coming from.

It's just all soaked under here.

I'm too [bleep] cold.

You know, there's always people around until you break down,

then there's nobody.

[ominous music]

[door closes]

ANITA STELSEL: What's wrong?

LISA KELLY: From what I can see, it's a major, major problem

that I can't fix.

It's not something I can just, I don't even

know where it's coming from.

So the thing we gotta do is sit here and wait for a truck

to go by.

The truck's off, and it's cold out here,

so hopefully someone comes along before I freeze to death.

NARRATOR: Up north in Deadhorse, Alex

has been stuck for two hours waiting for his flat tire

to be repaired.

He gave up the lucrative ice roads in Yellowknife

for a shot at bigger money in Alaska.

But constant mechanical trouble has cost him

thousands of dollars.

Well, you lose money because we've--

I don't know-- we've lost a couple of days already,

you know.

Tires go flat, and it gets slightly frustrating.

That's just the way it goes.

Hopefully we'll get to see Fairbanks soon and start

with a new load.

That'll be pretty well the morning.

We'll start on the afternoon shift after that.

[chuckles]

[metal thud]

Yeah, Jeff found this in my tire.

Goodness knows what it is.

He thinks it might be a piece of chain.

Could be a piece of space junk that fell to Earth,

landed on the Dalton highway, and I ran it over.

[space music]

[whirring]

Have fun.

Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: Alex makes a break for it, trying once again

to pull ahead of Hugh.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Well, what would Hugh

do if he had a flat tire?

He'd probably run till all the tires fell off the truck.

[laughs]

NARRATOR: But just as he heads for the ice--

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: We're not done yet.

NARRATOR: Another setback.

The rolling disaster continues.

The truck which we're hauling has a radiator problem, which

means it's leaking antifreeze.

NARRATOR: The antifreeze is toxic and must be contained.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Ah, [bleep],, it's leaking out

the other side, too.

MECHANIC: Yeah.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: It's not rocket science.

It has to be drained.

MECHANIC: We can pull that one plug out right there

on that bottom hose.

And it'll come right out.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Because they are usually seized in there.

We're lucky that thing might break loose.

I'm thinking that's the one right there.

NARRATOR: Alex removes the radiator cap

to drain all the antifreeze.

[liquid draining]

OK.

NARRATOR: With the spill cleaned up,

Alex attempts to head south one more time.

I've had enough of Prudhoe for today.

Pretty well fixed everything.

We might as well get going before something else breaks.

[laughing]

Let's go do some trucking.

Good Lord willing, I'll see you in Coldfoot.

[chuckles]

I don't believe it.

We're finally on the road.

NARRATOR: Back in Fairbanks--

[loud whirring]

--mechanics have just finished repairing

Hugh's exhaust system, and he's finally getting on the road.

HUGH ROWLAND: Hey, let's go.

Go ahead and head on up there.

Let's rock and roll, Billy.

We were going to start at 5:00.

It's 10:00 now.

[truck horn]

NARRATOR: The sun has already beaten down on the ice for five

long hours, and it's clear.

The end of the ice road season is near.

See, the old frost heaves are coming out now.

She's starting to warm up.

The road got soft.

She's "washboardy," potholes, [bleep] rocks sticking out

of her.

Now she's a [bleep] mess.

She's a rough son of a [bleep].

NARRATOR: Hugh struggles to keep his rig steady

over the rough terrain.

HUGH ROWLAND: You [bleep].

She don't want to go up there.

Come into low range.

Making that sound, she won't go into high range on the hill.

DISPATCH: You have a good trip.

HUGH ROWLAND: Too steep right there.

NARRATOR: At this pace, Hugh won't be taking back

his lead on Alex anytime soon.

Road's rougher than [bleep].

Spring has sprung.

She's coming apart at the seams, but we'll make her happen.

Just got to go slow and steady.

Make it work.

NARRATOR: 150 miles up the ice road,

Jack Jessee continues north with a load of fuel desperately

needed on the north slope.

Uh, right now, I'm hauling 9,200 gallons.

We're shipping up massive quantities of this fuel.

NARRATOR: When it comes to hauling important loads,

Jack is one of Carlile's top drivers.

If they give me a load, they know

it's going to get there, unless something catastrophic happens.

You know, I'm not hauling a van load of valves or groceries

or insulation, you know.

This is, this is fuel.

Trucks catch on fire sometimes.

I mean, tankers have burned down on the roads before.

It does happen.

NARRATOR: Up ahead, Jack faces one of the Dalton's most

challenging hills, the Koyukuk.

The Koyukuk, you know, she's one

of the many places you don't want to meet people out here.

You know, you could easily end up a big ball of mess of steel

down at the bottom of it.

NARRATOR: It starts with a razor-sharp narrow curve,

and then it's straight up, a 13% grade.

And it's best navigated one truck at a time.

Jack builds momentum to make the climb.

JACK JESSEE [ON RADIO]: Going up the Koyukuk now.

[radio beeps]

Son of a [bleep].

NARRATOR: But a southbound truck is also headed straight

for the narrow curve.

JACK JESSEE: I hollered at him on the radio.

I hope he heard me 'cause if he doesn't stop,

then I'm going to try my damnedest to get him to stop

or slowed down.

[ominous music]

Oh, no.

Hang on.

[bleep] dammit.

Holy [bleep].

NARRATOR: 150 miles up the ice road,

Jack Jessee is navigating a razor-sharp curve.

JACK JESSEE: Koyukuk, just one of the many places you don't

want to meet people out here.

You know, you could easily end up a big ball of mess of steel

down at the bottom of it.

NARRATOR: He radioed ahead to warn an oncoming truck.

JACK JESSEE [ON RADIO]: I'm coming up this way, Southbound.

NARRATOR: But his call went unnoticed.

JACK JESSEE: [bleep] dammit.

NARRATOR: And now they're on a collision course.

JACK JESSEE: Oh, no, hang on.

Oh, my god.

Holy [bleep].

Holy cow.

Well, now, why in the hell did anybody do that?

You know, it's a well-known fact among all our drivers

up here that northbound truck usually have the right-of-way.

Ah, hell, that wasn't a close call then.

That's just normal.

[laughs]

I wasn't worried.

I had my fingers crossed.

I don't get worried till I cross my toes.

NARRATOR: Jack forges ahead with 270 miles still to go.

You know, we're not thrill-seekers up here.

We're just trying to make a living.

You know, we want to make it home to our families, you know.

That's-- that's what we do.

NARRATOR: 200 miles to the north, Lisa and her passenger

are still broken down in the Arctic cold

with a massive fuel leak.

Oh, there'll be somebody.

There'll be somebody that comes along.

NARRATOR: They've been stranded for nearly an hour

with no heat and no help in sight.

Finally--

LISA KELLY: Hey, there's a truck coming.

Hey, hey, hey, can you stop, can you stop for a second.

Back up. I need you.

I need you. I'm broken.

Come back.

BAIRD FOLSOM: Hey, Lisa.

LISA KELLY: Yeah.

I'm broken.

Please help me.

Hey.

Thanks for stopping.

I was smelling diesel fuel really bad, and then I got out

and the whole underside of the truck is just covered.

Yeah, it's leaking when it's not running?

LISA KELLY: I can't figure out where it's coming from,

but it looked like it was just coming out of the bottom

down there.

That's where it's really wet.

NARRATOR: Trucker Baird Folsom spots the trouble immediately.

The fuel line's dropped on a fitting in there,

and it's actually rubbed a hole in the fuel line.

LISA KELLY: Well, if we can't get it fixed,

somebody needs a ride.

NARRATOR: If it can't be fixed, Lisa

will have to abandon her load and lose nearly $1,500.

But there's nothing like a damsel in distress

to attract passing truckers.

Soon Lisa's got an entourage of helping hands.

LISA KELLY: Help me.

Where's it broke at?

LISA KELLY: Save me, Hardy.

[laughs]

NARRATOR: Most ice road truckers carry spare parts.

But an extra fuel return line is rare.

Look at that.

LISA KELLY: Woo!

You owe him big.

NARRATOR: If the part works, Lisa

will soon be back in business.

LISA KELLY: I want to help if I can

or learn or watch or something.

I can be somewhat useful.

I wish I was a little bit more mechanically inclined than I

am, but I couldn't even tell where it was coming from.

This is something I have never seen before.

I have yet to see a mechanic work on a motor

from the top of it like that.

LISA KELLY: I have a great view from here.

I'm watching.

I'm learning.

MAN: She was standing in the fender well last time.

[laughing]

I was-- I was watching and learning then, too.

So that's a fuel line, huh?

MAN: This is the return line. LISA KELLY: What's it do?

Go back into the--

MAN: Goes back into, into the system.

LISA KELLY: What kind of fitting do you need?

I have like an air one.

MAN: Oh, you've got different kind of tools,

like you've got makeup or something in there.

[laughter]

I'm sorry, Lisa.

I'm sorry.

LISA KELLY: You've got a crescent wrench right here

that I'm about ready to chuck.

[laughs]

That's the bad line, and here's the good line.

We screwed it on there and screwed it in the back.

Actually, Baird did it. Thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

Better start it, make sure it works first.

NARRATOR: One big test still remains.

[click]

[engine struggling]

[engine starts]

LISA KELLY: Awesome.

MAN: OK.

LISA KELLY: OK, thank you so much.

Very, very grateful that these guys stopped to help us.

NARRATOR: Back on the road, Lisa is southbound once again,

hoping to make up for lost time.

It's tough to get warm after all that,

but the truck's heating up.

We've got some air going on now.

Rolling again, woo-hoo.

NARRATOR: 120 miles south of Lisa, Hugh

is hell-bent on raking in as many loads

as he can before the season ends.

HUGH ROWLAND: It's warming up every day.

I think I got the last load of big seven-inch pipe.

There won't be any more big stuff coming, I don't think,

so it's really winding down here for the end of the season.

We're going to make her all the way to Prudhoe Bay tonight,

so we're going to push right on through.

NARRATOR: Up ahead, treacherous conditions on Atigun Pass

are making chains necessary for all northbound trucks.

But here at the base of the mountain range,

an early spring thaw is quickly turning the road

into a slick mixture of ice and mud.

Go throw some iron on here.

[chains rattling]

[bleep] mud.

You're just making everything tough to get on.

[bleep] dammit.

Ah, [bleep].

NARRATOR: Four miles ahead, Hugh's convoy partner,

Phil Cromm, has already made it over the pass.

He's struggling a bit.

He should be coming down this side by now.

NARRATOR: While the polar bear may reign on roads made of ice,

slogging through mud is just not his style.

Ah, you dirty rotten [bleep],, slimy [bleep]..

NARRATOR: 170 miles from Deadhorse, Hugh Rowland

is stuck at the base of Atigun Pass.

HUGH ROWLAND: Oh, you [bleep] sucker.

NARRATOR: Struggling to chain up in the worst

springtime conditions.

HUGH ROWLAND: [bleep],, ah, ah, [bleep]..

NARRATOR: The chains are caked with frozen mud--

Nope.

NARRATOR: --making them impossible to clasp.

But without chains, he stands no chance against the still icy

conditions on the Pass.

HUGH ROWLAND: Uh, [bleep].

NARRATOR: After 45 minutes of struggle,

Hugh finally locks the last chain in place.

HUGH ROWLAND: Isn't that something?

[bleep] mud on my [bleep] glasses.

Yeah, type of [bleep] where I'd like to shove some camera

up somebody's [bleep] ass is what it is.

[grunts]

[dramatic music]

[chains rattling]

NARRATOR: Hugh climbs steadily to the top of the 4,700-foot

summit.

Well, I'll tell you, it ain't very

many trips since she's melting.

Every day, you notice a difference every time you

come over here.

NARRATOR: As he heads down the icy slope,

he has to rely on his Jake brake, which

uses engine compression to slow his descent.

Too much foot brake in these slick conditions

could cause him to jackknife over the edge.

[metal crunching]

As his speed increases, Hugh flips the Jake brake on,

but nothing happens.

HUGH ROWLAND: Come on, you [bleep]..

NARRATOR: 45,000 pounds of drill pipe

is now pushing Hugh faster and faster down the hill.

Up ahead, one of Atigun's deadly hairpin turns.

[ominous music]

Hugh down-shifts and carefully pumps the foot brake,

but it's not slowing him down fast enough.

He hits the Jake one more time.

[dramatic music]

[engine revs down]

And it finally engages.

[bleep], amazing.

I love that pass.

I mean, that's, going over there,

and that's [bleep] exciting driving, that one.

Brake [bleep] pucker up, that's the best thing

that ever happened.

Woo-hoo.

[truck horn]

NARRATOR: The Brooks mountain range was formed more than 126

million years ago.

It extends for 710 miles across northern Alaska

and reaches heights of up to 4,700 feet.

At this altitude, the weather is so unpredictable

that it caused many historical gold expeditions to fail.

And today, as a front moves in, the pass still

proves to be the worst trouble spot for the truckers.

So shortly here, we'll get down there by Atigun camp.

We'll be putting the chains on.

NARRATOR: Alex and convoy partner Ron Dobbs

are at the north slope of Atigun,

preparing to make the climb.

Hopefully I don't have problems getting over

with this load.

I think it's fairly heavy towards the back end,

so I could spin.

Gonna go out and put the chains on.

Hang the jewelry.

[chains rattling]

NARRATOR: To be safe, Alex chains up all four drive axles.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Oh, baby.

NARRATOR: Like Hugh, Alex has struggled with his chains

the entire time he's been in Alaska.

[hydraulics hiss]

But today, Alex proves he's one step closer to mastering

the Dalton ice road.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: OK.

Rock and roll.

[snow crunches]

We're all locked up and chained up on all four.

And we've got snow falling.

Slippery, up we go, up and over, into the Twilight Zone.

NARRATOR: Each foot he climbs brings heavier snow.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: We're climbing into the clouds now,

so visibility will probably not be great at the top.

So we won't be worried about scenery.

We'll be just worrying about seeing the guardrail.

Heh, heh, heh.

Ooh.

The good thing is you can't see down over the cliff.

Depends where you go, it'll be 200 to maybe 300 feet down.

Make for a wild ride anyway.

Make sure we've got our radios turned on

so we can hear if anybody's coming up from the other side.

Oh!

[truck honking]

Where's the shoulder?

Holy mackerel, we're disappearing.

[radio chatter]

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: You've disappeared into the clouds.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Just as long as I don't go over the guardrail

instead.

Braille.

NARRATOR: Alex and Ron cut through the fog and snow

and finally round the 4,700-foot summit.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: We've come down out of the clouds.

We're doing fine.

Avalanche comes down, it'll just shove us over the bank.

I'm just worried about staying on the road.

I'll let the avalanche worry about itself.

If we get hit by an avalanche, we won't have much time

to think about it.

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: 75 miles from Fairbanks, Lisa Kelly

and her passenger are nearing the end of a long day.

LISA KELLY: It never fails.

The trip you're going home is the one

that just screws all up.

It goes wrong, takes long.

Floyd, Floyd, Floyd, I need you.

I need you. I need you.

I'm broken.

Come back.

NARRATOR: Luckily, Lisa got her fuel line fixed.

[engine running]

LISA KELLY: OK, thank you so much.

NARRATOR: But they've spent the past 12 hours inhaling

diesel fumes.

LISA KELLY: The piece that came off

was like right in front of the dash here.

And then it just soaked the whole underside.

The fumes are just coming right up through the cabin sleeper,

so the fumes are in here so bad that you can taste them.

Yeah, we're all eager to get home.

NARRATOR: Inhaling diesel can cause nausea and even

temporary blindness.

But with the finish line in sight,

Lisa decides to power through to Fairbanks.

Uh, my head feels like about 100 pounds,

and it wants to fall down on the ground because it hurts so bad.

Head feels like a bowling ball.

[ominous music]

[bird cawing]

NARRATOR: Lisa Kelly is nearing the end

of a grueling 14-hour trip in a cab filled with diesel fumes.

All this diesel smell is making me sick,

so I'm not feeling too good right now.

NARRATOR: She survived a breakdown

and managed to ferry her passenger safely back

to Fairbanks.

LISA KELLY: I'm in Fairbanks, and I'm done.

All right, yeah, thanks.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah, thanks.

And next time I can't fly home because a volcano blows up, I

will keep you in mind.

OK, thanks.

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: With 500 miles behind her,

Lisa finally calls it a day.

LISA KELLY: Barely made it, but we made it.

That's all that matters.

We're here.

NARRATOR: Just 85 miles up the road,

Alex and Ron are also closing in on Fairbanks.

Yeah, there's been enough twists and turns,

that's for sure.

NARRATOR: Alex had a day filled with mechanical problems,

and it's not over yet.

[engine rattling]

Oh, baby.

We're going up the hill, and, uh, all of a sudden, the engine

quits.

You know, maybe drops 100, 200 RPM and then catches again.

[engine revs back up]

Kind of jiggle it back and forth like it's not running the way

it should.

So I'm not sure if it's the air cleaner causing

a problem or the computer or it just, we

haven't had any trouble for the last two

or three hours so it's just time to have a problem.

NARRATOR: Alex's truck stands little chance of making it

over the steep hills to Fairbanks.

If he can't fix the problem, he'll

lose the load and the $1,300 that goes with it.

RON: Well, let's just drop the hood,

and we'll just take a quick peek.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: See, there's quite a bit of dirt here, eh?

RON: Quite a bit of dirt, yeah. ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Surprised--

NARRATOR: The air filter is clogged, causing the engine

to falter.

Ron tries rigging the valve to get air directly

into the system.

RON: When it's idling like that, it's usually getting air

from the inside underneath the hood, so it's getting warm air.

Now when you get on the throttle and that pops open,

and then you're getting the outside air.

Does it, does it go back or back and forth on its own?

RON: Well, it should.

I don't understand why it's hanging up there like that.

Yeah, with a little bit of luck,

we'll get this thing back to town

before we have any more problems.

That's a sigh of relief.

There's the shop.

NARRATOR: With Carlile's yard in sight,

Alex limps across the finish line.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Well, it's been a heck of a trip.

I'm happy to see the end of it, that's for sure.

NARRATOR: 490 miles north, Hugh and Phil power

out the last stretch to Deadhorse.

HUGH ROWLAND: Hammer down then for [bleep] sakes.

[laughs]

Quit your lollygagging.

[truck horn]

Coming around the edge of the airport.

NARRATOR: When they finally pull into the yard,

Hugh is hoping to turn and burn with another load.

Yes, it's Hugh Rowland, truck number 1158.

Well, I don't have a load.

I thought I'd have a load when I got here,

but apparently I don't.

So what do I, what do I do?

Yeah, I don't see it so, OK, yeah, bye.

Tried to get another one.

Nobody's up.

Nobody's around.

No, I didn't have a load, I guess.

I have to wait till morning.

We were late getting going.

That's why we're so late getting here.

It's done now.

NARRATOR: After 11 weeks on the Dalton ice road,

Hugh and Alex are in a dead heat,

and Jack Jessee is the clear frontrunner,

as he continues to push through the night with a vital load

of fuel.

The way this road is, I don't think I'm

going to have any problem staying awake.

It's kind of taking 110% attention

to drive it right now.

NARRATOR: Hauling 9,200 gallons of diesel over this road

has taken its toll.

[gears grinding]

JACK JESSEE: The load's wiggling me around.

Potholes here, you know, rough road there.

The back of my neck from getting thrown back and forth going

through the frost heaves.

Uh.

Oh, we finally made it to Deadhorse.

It's about 3:30.

NARRATOR: Jack pulls into the pumps with little time

to spare.

Yeah, you see how far the line is up on those tanks up there?

That's how much fuel they got in them.

Uh, what a day.

OK, we got flow.

You look at it just right, you can see that stuff zooming out

of there.

NARRATOR: 9,200 gallons drain in less than 45 minutes.

Eh, make it empty.

It don't do me any good to haul it back.

MAN: You're on the road.

JACK JESSEE: All right.

Sounds good to me.

It's been a long day.

We got it up here, though.

Then, we're going to find a hole to crawl into, just go to bed.