ADRIAN_BROWN CHEVIE_ROACH CLARE_MORRISETTE_CALVERT JOHNNY_ROLFE MARIO_QUEZADA NATHAN_BROWN RYDER_ROACH SYDNEY_ROACH ADRIAN BROWN How much further to the lake? NATHAN BROWN Three, four hundred yards [UNIT CONVERSION 274, 365 meters] at least Hang on Little wolf tracks running through here Pretty good size too These look pretty fresh There's other things out here trying to make a meal ADRIAN BROWN We don't want them making a meal out of us NATHAN BROWN Got a long day ahead of us Only time will tell if this lake will produce for us NATHAN BROWN We'll find a spot, see if we can pull some fish out Alaska's not just going to hand your food over to you, you're going to work hard for it I think that's clear enough What do you think, Adrian? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Good spot to start ADRIAN BROWN Yep NATHAN BROWN We'll just drill our first hole NATHAN BROWN We�ll, hopefully we get some fish today, can bring it home to mom and the girls NATHAN BROWN And cook some dinner Have something a little different on the menu There we go I had about a foot [UNIT CONVERSION 30 centimeters] of ice there I'm glad that wasn't four or five [UNIT CONVERSION 1 meter] like last time ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Do you want to scoop this ice out for me? Try to get all that slush out, keep our lines from freezing up You think you're going to out fish me today, you think we'll catch fish at all? ADRIAN BROWN We don't know how, how fish populated it is NATHAN BROWN I mean, it's always kind of intimidating coming out to a lake we've never been to before, not knowing the exact conditions It's important to have Adrian along so that he learns the lifestyle up here and how to provide for himself, how to be confident, even in the most brutal conditions, and learn in the process We can do I think a pole each, and then two set lines each We've got some shrimp that we're going to start out with And we'll use some, this pasty bait Think they're going to like this? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Drop that in there Try that So the idea is, when a fish bites that line, it's going to tug that, uh, reel there, or on the line, and it's going to spin that reel, and it's going to spin this guy, and then the flag should pop up That'll let us know if we got a fish on or not So, I'm going to start shoveling out a little bit more behind us, and we got several more of those we can do It can be intimidating coming to a new place, a new lake, but you can't learn without getting out there and doing it, learning your surroundings ADRIAN BROWN The flag popped up NATHAN BROWN All right Let's pull this guy in Whoa, there Whoa It's like a lake trout, I think That's a nice size too Look at that bad boy You want to do it or you want me to do it? ADRIAN BROWN You do it Last time I didn't kill it fast NATHAN BROWN Yeah, it was kind of hard when they're wiggling around So, you know, you do your best That's a good size, Adrian ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Day�s off to a great start This is our first fish that we caught ice fishing in Alaska, or ice fishing in general So, that's pretty awesome Slowly figuring it out, right? ADRIAN BROWN Yep NATHAN BROWN Get some other holes drilled ADRIAN BROWN Yep NATHAN BROWN Get ready for jigging JOHNNY ROLFE I live in a giant freezer box JOHNNY ROLFE This is one of the largest freezers on the planet, and out here I have a burning desire to, to keep living wild JOHNNY ROLFE This is, uh, part of the body cavity of a caribou JOHNNY ROLFE It's not for you, Java I'm sorry She�s looking at me like the, wait, hold on a minute This is my treat for the day, this whole thing If I sit, will you give it to me? No, I'm not gonna give it to you Okay Here, you can have this little piece JOHNNY ROLFE Yeah, it's frozen, it's cold And that's kind of my problem is that a while back, it froze on me So, I had to stop butchering My knife wouldn't work anymore It's too cold, too frozen Solid So, I brought it down because I wanted to thaw it and then I realized my teepee is 15 miles [UNIT CONVERSION 24 kilometers] down the river So, I can't thaw it out in my teepee So, the best thing to do is build just like a dedicated thaw house It's something that's always here It's permanently at my camp Thaw my hides, the skulls, the meat when I need to finish butchering it properly All of these things I need to do require it to be thawed I think this will be a good place to build a thaw hut It's right behind the smoker It's just a simple structure I'll just start off by digging out a big area for it Funny, most people live warm and have freezer boxes I'm doing the complete opposite I live in a giant freezer and I'm trying to create a little warm box for my meat It's like very opposite of how people do it in town So, I got my wood yard, I'm going to dig through the logs and just kind of let the logs and materials I have on hand tell me this is what I can build from these items MARIO QUEZADA Sled dogs are a really big part of the culture up here in Alaska MARIO QUEZADA Native people have been using them to move around here since time immemorial MARIO QUEZADA And they just continue to work, and they've gotten us to a lot of amazing places When they succeed, we succeed MARIO QUEZADA I think we should clean up the dog yard, you know CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm MARIO QUEZADA They've been working really hard, let's give them some time off to play, and we can get in there and work on some stuff while we do that CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Should we church it up? MARIO QUEZADA Yeah, let's church it up MARIO QUEZADA It's kind of our midwinter clean up party MARIO QUEZADA They work so hard for us, I don't see why we wouldn't try as hard as we can to give them a really great little home Let's try to get them above the ground, turn their houses back into houses and less into basement apartments CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Oh, yeah, oh, there you go MARIO QUEZADA Let's lift this guy One, two Three There you go All right So let's grab our shovels and let's go ahead and shovel the snow in here CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Fill her in When I was five years old, I had a husky mix dog CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT My dad would say that she would tow us on little, little sleds around town when we'd have snow days MARIO QUEZADA Really? That's cool CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT So, yeah, it's cool, kind of, kind of full circle that we have all these sled dogs now MARIO QUEZADA Yeah, they're good dogs All right, this is enough right here, Clare CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT That�s good MARIO QUEZADA So, let's go ahead and put this guy on there Whoa! Hi I thought she was going to take me out CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Toot toot! Off the house! Off! MARIO QUEZADA All right, toot toot! Ready? All right There you go Well, all of them look like they're above the ground now I think it's time to start taking the roofs off and CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA You know, put a little bit of insulation up on the top Okay A good working surface CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm MARIO QUEZADA Let's grab the piece of foam If we're fortunate enough Look at that Yeah, that's almost perfect Wow, that's awesome CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Wow Nice MARIO QUEZADA That's great CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT So we just gotta do one nice cut MARIO QUEZADA You know, heat rises, and this will just help keep that heat in there and reflect it back down to them CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Pop her up MARIO QUEZADA Break it off, yeah CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Nice MARIO QUEZADA And then put it on there CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA And then we'll see if it fits There we go Presto, baby I know they can't say thank you, but they can, you know what I mean? Let's move on to the next one CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Woo CHEVIE ROACH You're born with certain instincts, but the skills and the knowledge that you learned that allow you to live here is something that has to be learned CHEVIE ROACH All right guys, let's check this beaver house CHEVIE ROACH Grab those ice picks and that shovel, would you guys? SYDNEY ROACH Okay CHEVIE ROACH We're in the middle of trapping season right now CHEVIE ROACH And we have a trapping cabin that's about 17 miles out of Shageluk We're checking traps on the way out there CHEVIE ROACH Let's see that shovel real quick, guys See if I can find this hole CHEVIE ROACH It snowed so much and blew so much that it filled in our hole SYDNEY ROACH Let's just make sure that none of us fall into it CHEVIE ROACH The reason why we set up some beaver traps is because this is one of the only animals that we trap at this time of year that has multipurpose You get the fur, and we get to eat it So, who wants to chip out some of this ice? SYDNEY ROACH Me CHEVIE ROACH Okay, go ahead Make sure you don't drop that pick Ooh Oh, see, look at how, look at that Already water's coming through SYDNEY ROACH Whoa! CHEVIE ROACH Bet I'm glad you didn't drop it You wanna pull it out, Ryder? RYDER ROACH Yeah, I'll do it CHEVIE ROACH Okay, go ahead Try to pull it through the middle of that hole, okay? Oh, it looks like it's still set RYDER ROACH It still is CHEVIE ROACH Nope, nothing in there Just potatoes There must not be anything in this beaver hole We have two more traps to check Then we'll hit that main line and go to that cabin RYDER ROACH I don�t think so Probably just more potatoes CHEVIE ROACH That one's not sprung yet either Looks like a beaver pushed right through there, it just didn't go off this time It just got lucky RYDER ROACH Could be an otter CHEVIE ROACH Could be an otter It'd be good to catch some otters, too Keep on putting in the work, catch something eventually Nothing really comes super easy sometimes We have limited activity in these beaver houses But it's not just catching animals There are so many skills you learn from it And the land provides those skills That's good Okay, slow How's it feel? Looks heavy Looks like the spring sprung anyways That's what I'm talking about RYDER ROACH Oh BREAK #1 RYDER ROACH Whoa CHEVIE ROACH Otter RYDER ROACH I knew it I told you there would be an otter I told you there was an otter in there CHEVIE ROACH Little otter Your mom really likes them to sew with Either making hats with them because they got nice short hair, or even mittens And otters, they're a real cute little animal, but they're, they're kind of nuisance When there gets to be a lot of them, you got to kind of focus on trapping a few of them And there's a lot of them Well, that's a good way to start the trap line here Here you go, Sydney Put it in the sled SYDNEY ROACH Okay CHEVIE ROACH All right, good job, guys Let's keep on heading down the line JOHNNY ROLFE This lifestyle is not new, but it is fading And to let this lifestyle vanish is a danger My goal is to keep lifestyle alive JOHNNY ROLFE So I'm going to drill in some corner posts It'll kind of be the structural integrity of this little thaw hut To build this structure, I'm just going to erect a simple frame I'm going to use a mortise and tenon technique I'll shape the ends of the log, and that'll just slip right into the hole Yeah, that's what I'm looking for JOHNNY ROLFE Whew, that cold just really starts to jump through I'm cold Pretty much the whole day That's why these projects, they keep my mind right, they keep my body right, they keep my blood flowing It's healthy all around for me Something about the pain and the suffrage that comes with the cold that I like You know, I used to hitchhike around the country and never know where I was gonna sleep, never knew what I was gonna eat There's something satisfying about that to me Because when you do get that meal or you do find that place to rest, it's just so much more appreciated I'm not trying to build a structure I live in, I'm just trying to build something that holds the heat And I can easily thaw caribou Something big enough that I can even take a carcass inside So, I got a couple holes drilled up here And that's going to support the roof rafter It's just going to be a simple wood frame like it is Just kind of keep it simple and basic This draw horse has just been such a big help here And this has become my helper It's become my second set of hands It's very satisfying when you make something, and you get to put it to good use while making something new That's pretty good All right, let's see if this fits That is a nice fit That's perfect It'll have a lot of supports on here, and that'll help any snow from being too heavy This is a hunt camp I can thaw my trapped animals in here, I can thaw caribou carcasses, big hides, and not worry about just making a big mess in the cabin That's it The roof is done Snow jack time I'm gonna go get the metal from a kerosene can, and that's gonna go right here I'm grooving, baby It's coming together NATHAN BROWN My role up here in the Alaska winter is to keep the family fed NATHAN BROWN Today we pulled out one fish from the lake, but one fish is not enough We'll take a different spot NATHAN BROWN We'll see if the fish are biting a little better there NATHAN BROWN Let's keep on clearing it out Get us a nice open area ADRIAN BROWN Why'd we decide to go over here? NATHAN BROWN We just got that one fish over there Yeah, it's good to check around the lake a little bit You know, we don't know where the fish are, where they're hanging out NATHAN BROWN So, uh, the only way we can figure that out is just by moving around You know, we're not gonna catch all the fish in one spot Drill a few more holes and see if we get something here Staying warm enough? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN So, you ready to move back to Oregon yet? ADRIAN BROWN Nope NATHAN BROWN Probably sick of me asking you that, huh? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Every so often I like to check in with Adrian to make sure he's still feeling good about the lifestyle that we're living and just make sure he's in a good place What do you think you miss most about Oregon? ADRIAN BROWN Uh, the population NATHAN BROWN The population? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah ADRIAN BROWN Out here there's not that many people but it's still pretty good NATHAN BROWN Yeah I think I miss most, just specific people in general Family and friends and ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Is it a good trade off or? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah NATHAN BROWN Yeah? ADRIAN BROWN A lot of work But it's pretty good, uh, to live up here and have the opportunity that most other people don't Live on a farm in Alaska NATHAN BROWN I bet you in a few years you're gonna be even more and more thankful that you live where you do That's one of the best things about it And Oregon's beautiful, but I think Alaska has it beat What do you think? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah, by far NATHAN BROWN Yeah Any bites, nibbles, anything? ADRIAN BROWN Nothing NATHAN BROWN While you're doing that, I'm gonna work on another hole or two We'll get some tip ups in ADRIAN BROWN Oh! NATHAN BROWN Huh? ADRIAN BROWN Got a nibble NATHAN BROWN Yeah? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah, just a tiny little nibble nibble Oh, oh, yep NATHAN BROWN Got one? ADRIAN BROWN Hi, buddy BREAK #2 NATHAN BROWN Boom ADRIAN BROWN Hi, bud Almost NATHAN BROWN Man, that's a good size too ADRIAN BROWN Yeah, my first ice fishing fish My first fish NATHAN BROWN Wow You know, I was thinking about it, that other one wasn't a lake trout, that was a char And this is a char too You want to do it or you want me to do it? ADRIAN BROWN You can NATHAN BROWN The tip up kind of caught the other one for us so you're, you're in the lead and you got the biggest one thus far right off the bat too So, we might have made the right choice moving spots, picking a new location and I'm proud of you son That's awesome You still got shrimp on there ADRIAN BROWN Yeah, but we should take off the bait NATHAN BROWN You can probably just drop that in as is, see what happens Get this guy in the cooler So, you know what you're doing ADRIAN BROWN Oh! Oh, that was a good bite I almost got one Didn't even set the hook There we go! NATHAN BROWN Nice! All right, release my bait I mean fish Oh, it's a rainbow! ADRIAN BROWN Rainbow! That's the prettiest rainbow I've ever caught NATHAN BROWN Yeah, it's beautiful Good job, dude All right, I gotta catch up, Adrian ADRIAN BROWN Yeah, you do Got any nibbles? NATHAN BROWN Yeah, I got one Oh ADRIAN BROWN Oh, [inaudible] it NATHAN BROWN That's a weird looking rainbow Holy cow ADRIAN BROWN So, I've caught the most fish and the biggest fish NATHAN BROWN Yeah, two for you, one for me, one for the tip ups I would be more than pleased if you catch most the fish CHEVIE ROACH Here in Interior Alaska, sleds and trapping, you have to be at the top of the food chain Giving up's not an option CHEVIE ROACH Right now, we're gonna fix all these sets that got blown in CHEVIE ROACH We gotta add bait dig out the trap, fix them up So check out how this trap works, RyRy? Guys, this trap isn't gonna catch anything It's frozen from so much snow and rain And it was snapped, see, so what happens is if something gets caught in here, it'll jerk off of that nail right there, and then the weight of that tree will go up, and it'll make that animal hang in the tree like this RYDER ROACH Wow CHEVIE ROACH How to place the bait, how to secure that trap, there's a lot of little things going on and they can't miss any of the steps SYDNEY ROACH That was there? CHEVIE ROACH Yep, this is what we had for bait from a moose last fall SYDNEY ROACH Whole leg gone CHEVIE ROACH So you guys can start breaking off any type of willows Good size willows, okay? SYDNEY ROACH Okay CHEVIE ROACH You gotta keep them working They gotta be helping and that's how you keep them warm SYDNEY ROACH How will it slide off the nail? CHEVIE ROACH The animal's gonna jerk on that trap SYDNEY ROACH Oh CHEVIE ROACH And it's just barely on there There's a clear path into food We'll take that clear path majority of the time That looks like a nice spot to put its foot right on that pan All right That's good Let's just keep on going We got a bunch of traps to fix before we get to that cabin Okay We've got a lot of work to do Let's go to the next one, Ryder RYDER ROACH How far are we going? CHEVIE ROACH It's right across the lake 17 miles [UNIT CONVERSION 27 kilometers] of checking traps This isn't 17 miles [UNIT CONVERSION 27 kilometers] of travel This is the furthest that Ryder's ever ridden a snow machine, away from Shageluk, and definitely at these temperatures There's no turning back because you're too cold CHEVIE ROACH If you do have a big trap, like we got down there, as I always come by the tree, you find it, okay? SYDNEY ROACH Okay CHEVIE ROACH That's the way SYDNEY ROACH And that�s the way you don't get away CHEVIE ROACH Every once in a while, you put a big trap on your marten set, and then you can pick up a wolverine or a fox that way, but it's got to be active to catch anything, okay? SYDNEY ROACH Okay CHEVIE ROACH All right, let's keep on going You guys all day have been working hard All right, what do we got here? So, Sydney, you see it? So, I had a trap up on that tree I was hoping I'd catch a wolverine or something Why don't you guys go over there and have a look? SYDNEY ROACH Okay CHEVIE ROACH Oh, right here, RyRy Behind, on the big tree Right behind you What is it? Holy smokes BREAK #3 CHEVIE ROACH That is a big marten Look at how big that marten is Jeez That's the biggest marten I've caught this year You guys both need new fur hats, your mom said Look at you poor kids You got store bought hats on You're growing too fast This kind of trap though, you can't take it off of it You gotta thaw it out, we'll have to thaw it out in the cabin when we get there Put that in the sled, and then grab another trap Nice little marten CHEVIE ROACH Let's get this thing in the bag Ryder, get that bag opened up for us so we can hurry, okay? The faster we move, the faster we get to that warm cabin Here you go, baby When it comes to checking that trap and seeing that success, they rise up and they understand that this is why we're here SYDNEY ROACH Look how small that is CHEVIE ROACH Home sweet home SYDNEY ROACH Get in CHEVIE ROACH Is it warmer in there? RYDER ROACH Yeah, it's warm, kind of CHEVIE ROACH Yeah, it's warm It's all mental And so this is going to be their first time seeing this cabin It's going to be their first time staying in a cabin like this It'll take a little while to warm up It's cool to have the kids out here and just seeing their excitement, you know, when they get to see some place new And getting them to a point where they can go on a trip like this, you know, it's a long journey in life Let them get their feet warmed up and their hands warmed up, get some food in their bellies And, uh, start thawing some stuff out RYDER ROACH We're all [inaudible] it Whoa! CHEVIE ROACH How are you guys feeling up there? RYDER ROACH I�m talking to you SYDNEY ROACH Okay, give that back I'm playing solitaire CHEVIE ROACH They're not talking to me, so they must be good Them smiling and laughing at the end of the day, I know that I didn't push them too far My job is just to keep them warm, and make sure snow machines start in the morning, and think about what our next big mission is going to be tomorrow NATHAN BROWN There's a lot of risk involved going out and trying to find your food There's predators that are out here looking for the next meal so - NATHAN BROWN We're all in competition NATHAN BROWN Oh, yeah, we got a fish ADRIAN BROWN I almost got this too, right here Aha! NATHAN BROWN Big rainbow ADRIAN BROWN Dang NATHAN BROWN It's gorgeous Pink color in there Thank you, Mr Tip up ADRIAN BROWN Tip ups two, humans three NATHAN BROWN Five fish so far That's a good size one, too Adrian has caught most of the fish I caught one little dinky rainbow trout Him reeling in all these fish really makes him the provider today ADRIAN BROWN Yep, got fish NATHAN BROWN You got one? ADRIAN BROWN Got fish Ah, sheesh Fighter Small guy NATHAN BROWN Another rainbow Good job ADRIAN BROWN Three for me NATHAN BROWN Three for you ADRIAN BROWN One for you NATHAN BROWN One for me Two for the tip up So, I'm in last place If I can, I will ADRIAN BROWN Oh, fish, fish, fish NATHAN BROWN We got a fish ADRIAN BROWN I'll get it NATHAN BROWN You want to get it? ADRIAN BROWN Yeah, sure NATHAN BROWN Pull it up Pull that line There we go Ooh, let that up It got loose Another rainbow You want to dispatch this one? ADRIAN BROWN Sure NATHAN BROWN I'm gonna let you hold it though, so if you hit anyone's hand, it's gonna be yours It's important out here in the middle of nowhere to learn how to provide for your family, to learn how to get out and do these things and be dependable ADRIAN BROWN Yes! NATHAN BROWN Another one? Jeez, dude ADRIAN BROWN Yes! NATHAN BROWN Wow, that's a good one How many have you got, Adrian? ADRIAN BROWN Five NATHAN BROWN Jeez You won You got me beat Our tip ups got me beat Well, at least we got some fish In fact, we got quite a bit I think mom and the girls will be happy ADRIAN BROWN Yeah MARIO QUEZADA People like to believe that they have a purpose So why wouldn't these dogs have a purpose out here? These dogs are working dogs They're willing to work hard for you And that when times get tough and they do need to push you, they know that failure is not really an option MARIO QUEZADA Well, I think it's time that since we finished up making the dog yard a little bit nicer CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm MARIO QUEZADA I think we could finally put, you know, the last steel beam across that front part right here CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm Yeah MARIO QUEZADA And we could maybe name our little dog yard CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm MARIO QUEZADA And hang up a sign with the name of it CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm Yeah, right above the front gate MARIO QUEZADA Yup CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA Ever since we got our first lead dog, we've really looked forward to the day of naming our kennel, and putting up a little sign on a little arch, and, you know, I think the time has come Let's be super safe CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA Because you're going to be on a ladder with something that's cutting steel CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT I'm on a sloped spot right here MARIO QUEZADA Yeah, let's be real careful All right, here Hold this guy right here All right Oh, it's cold MARIO QUEZADA Tapes no good when it's cold CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah Especially on this MARIO QUEZADA Yeah But this is good enough I've kind of been wanting to do this since the fall, when we started adopting these dogs CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA Because we gave these dogs a second chance, you know? CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA And it's really nice to know that, like, we adopted them all These dogs were in a similar position as I was when I came out here They were looking for a place to call home as well And they were looking for a new path That's nice and level right there, Clare CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah, so we want to cut that top piece first? MARIO QUEZADA Yeah, let's cut this up CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Okay MARIO QUEZADA I was able to give them a home, and they've helped me create the home that I want to create, and we're all kind of starting fresh out here, trying to build ourselves up It always makes me uncomfortable to work with power tools on ladders, but BREAK #4 MARIO QUEZADA You okay? CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA We got lucky Well, the disc broke off at the very last second CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Ooh MARIO QUEZADA So, let's go ahead and grab this We're gonna have to find a way to secure it CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Right MARIO QUEZADA See that? CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Cool, that'll look nice MARIO QUEZADA Sweet All right, well let's find a way to secure this safely Let's go meander through the workshop and find something CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Okay, yup MARIO QUEZADA And then the inspiration will flow Well, two pieces would be nice so we don't have to cut it CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Two pieces Yeah MARIO QUEZADA I got a little bit of thin wire here CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Oh, nice MARIO QUEZADA That might be, that might be too thin But I know I got more wire CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Okay MARIO QUEZADA All right, well let's go over there CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT We're gonna start with these MARIO QUEZADA And see what we can do CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Whoo! MARIO QUEZADA These dogs have taught us a lot about ourselves Out here you have to push through being uncomfortable sometimes when things need to be done All right, now let me just do it to this one To have these dogs and be able to show up for them consistently is really a privilege Yeah, that's great Yeah, it's perfect Look at that Perfectly level Now we can just take this piece of wire through here There we go That ain't going nowhere It's not going to fall off Just twist All right, yeah Good CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Cool MARIO QUEZADA That's both ends CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm MARIO QUEZADA Awesome I think it's time to go take him for a little fun run before putting the sign up CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA Together, you know, it's just good for morale Just like us, we want to work hard and we want to play hard CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Come on! Let's go! MARIO QUEZADA Come on! CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Come on! Little one, come on They're all behind us MARIO QUEZADA It's hard not to see yourself in these dogs sometimes because, you know, they feel free, you feel free out here They're like little kids running around CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Good dogs CHEVIE ROACH Living in Shageluk, there's a standard that's set that they have to be able to meet A lot of that is being tough, being able to withstand cold weather, and be successful when times are tough CHEVIE ROACH All right guys, you've seen me setting a bunch of traps, you've seen me checking a bunch of traps I want to see what you guys have learned and kind of figure out some different ways you guys get these traps set CHEVIE ROACH All right, I'm going to show you one spot over here where I've had a trap in the past and I'll help you with that Ready? I think trapping is dangerous work, so I want to kind of see what the kids know and let them try to figure out how to set a couple traps What do you guys see? SYDNEY ROACH Yeah, it's one of these little box traps CHEVIE ROACH Put your bait in that box That box protects your bait from birds Ryder, try to set that trap Push that thing You almost got it Now open them up Got it set RYDER ROACH I don't know how to set it CHEVIE ROACH Sydney, you do it I want to put those kids in the driver's seat SYDNEY ROACH [inaudible] gonna hurt CHEVIE ROACH Is the, is the trigger in? RYDER ROACH Oh SYDNEY ROACH You're making me flinchy! I don't think I can hunt Gah! CHEVIE ROACH You gotta hold the trap flat Have them start to figure stuff out so it really sinks in deep into their knowledge bank Okay, now you got a live trap Careful That's one Good job Let's go down the bank right here Dang, the snow is deep Right here looks like a good spot Look it You hope to catch like a wolverine or something like that Sydney, put your bait in that hole Stick it way back in there Okay I'll cut down that spruce tree right there, okay? We'll use that for a drag Both my grandparents trapped Fourth generation with my kids And with Sonta's family, it goes back forever and ever So, it brings so much more than just fur It's a lifestyle of doing it And it's something that's in their blood Hand me those spruce boughs, Sydney If it gets warm out, it keeps that trap from freezing to the snow Okay, I'm going to take off this other safety, so we're going live, so we have to be really careful There's a process to doing all this, and that's what I want you guys to remember And I know I push you hard by being out here and doing it, but at the end of the day, I can always truly and honestly say I'm proud of you, and you did a really, really good job JOHNNY ROLFE I don't view obstacles or challenges as problems I view them as lessons Things that help you grow, become stronger, become better And if you truly love what you do, then there's never going to be a challenging day JOHNNY ROLFE This will support the metal that I'll put over here for the stove jack JOHNNY ROLFE It's nothing fancy, nothing I'm going to be living in It's just a thaw hut JOHNNY ROLFE All right, now I'm going to grab some metal The metal should make a good stove jack JOHNNY ROLFE This is a kerosene can This is how I light up my cabin at night when it's dark I don't have light bulbs, I don't have electric, I don't have a generator I use kerosene for my lighting I'm trying not to cut myself This stuff gets nasty sharp When I lived a city life, I had that fear that I was going to lose a job or I was going to get my power turned off There we go Out here I don't have that fear to build stuff, do stuff Sick Apparently, I cut right through myself too, I don't know That's it right there Woohoo, good fit Heck, yeah Look at that It fits perfect I got to cut a slit and then a hole This would be coming through right here So, I just got to trace that I can kinda see it This is just an older little hatchet It's working so far and then I can clean it up with the metal snips That looks pretty good It's important to have a stove jack because that's where the stove pipe protrudes through the roof If you got it against the wood, you're going to burn it down If it's touching the canvas, the canvas is going to burn That's pretty dang snug right there Pop some tacks in here What I need to do now is just start canvassing this thing, and I'm going to start with the roof I have some green canvas that used to be for the smoker, and grizzly bear tore it all up I'm going to try to utilize what I can and see if I can apply it to my thaw hut I was really hoping I was going to be able to use more of this, and I'm realizing how much damage this air actually did This used to be one of the walls for my smoker I got another green one that was the other wall I think I got to check that one out and see if, I got more usable canvas because there's not much left of this one This one's not looking too much better In fact, this one looks worse This tarp's not big enough for that roof Oh, boy BREAK #5 JOHNNY ROLFE All right Well, I think I can cut a section out of this end here That'll be about that wide And just take a chunk out there There's a usable piece maybe here I know I have behind my cabin some old tarp from my teepee that was left over, uh, and then there's some white canvas So, I think between what's available, I can franken-tarp this sucker together It's in the bush, you know, it's a bush build, so this is the best option I can do So, these two pieces fit well It's going to be kind of a hodgepodge of canvases And canvas is just so useful out here It's waterproof, it breathes, and these are the things I need out here, these elements The nails are just sticking in a little bit Easy to remove, because when summertime comes around, I can just pop all these little nails out take the canvas down, throw it in the cabin, because otherwise the grizzly bears are just going to tear this up like they did with my smoker Look at this It's like I got shreds up here from the bear So, it's got character and I think the ultimate test is to see how it holds heat It's like the angel on top of a Christmas tree Look at that So it's ready to fire up and give it the test, see if it's sealed up Pretty good I'm gonna get it blasting, blazing MARIO QUEZADA There you go, you see that? There you go CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Just try to follow the letter MARIO QUEZADA Just follow, yeah, focus on the letter, yeah CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Since getting our sled dogs, we really wanted to name the kennel MARIO QUEZADA Lazy Moose Kennel That's pretty cool CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah, it's neat MARIO QUEZADA Wow Exciting, Clare We thought of this moment since we got this yard, you know what I mean? It's been a long time coming Well, kind of right there CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT There we go MARIO QUEZADA How's that? CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT That looks awesome MARIO QUEZADA I feel like a little kid out here If I could imagine it, I could build it And, you know, it feels the same way out here There's really no limitations on what we can do or what we can create out here Who wants some straw? All right You guys deserve it These dogs love to be spoiled, don't they? CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah, they do MARIO QUEZADA I feel like if anybody, you know, were to come and look at these dogs, they would see really happy dogs CHEVIE ROACH Nice big marten All right guys, let's get back to the cabin Get loaded up Put it right there, Sydney That's a good little haul for a dad and two kids and some cold weather You put in a lot of hard work SYDNEY ROACH Yeah, a lot of marten RYDER ROACH Is that six? CHEVIE ROACH Yup Why don't you open that bag RyRy We'll get all these animals inside that bag, and we'll start making a move home, okay? You know, as a parent, I think it's just important to be involved on a day-to-day basis All right, it's good to see a full bag of fur And it's nice to be able to see the progress that they make as they figure stuff out for themselves All right, let's get on the trail and start heading home We had a really good time out here, you guys It's gonna be cold on the way home JOHNNY ROLFE All right, hang up this, ribs and torso And, uh, get ready to do that head Fire's cranking Just gotta hang up this caribou head This thing's proven to be pretty darn airtight It's over 80 degrees in here The humidity is about 15 percent and that's pretty good I want it to be nice and dry in here In fact, I might need to turn this down because I'm just trying to thaw I'm not trying to cook the meat It's just helping me improve my quality of life out here It's helping me thaw things that I need to thaw so I can process the meat, process the animal parts so nothing goes to waste So, it's important to take care of all these things and process them right You know, I owe it to the animals, so This thing's turning out to be pretty sweet Might be able to even do a little sauna NATHAN BROWN Just pop this right on top Fresh trout ADRIAN BROWN It's smoky hot NATHAN BROWN We got nine fish, so I think we picked the right location How does it feel to pull trout out of the lake, be able to cook it over a fire right on top of the lake? ADRIAN BROWN I feel proud, very proud NATHAN BROWN It's good to come out and be successful and just learn it just by doing it That's the way a lot of this stuff goes up here Basically something that we've been doing for years now He gets to go home and say, "Mom, I caught the most fish" That's the part of incorporating nature is, is his lifestyle and allowing him to grow Look at that guy And now with Adrian, we can only just keep improving and keep catching more I think it takes all of us to shoulder Alaska We're out here doing this together NATHAN BROWN There's no boundaries around us And that's important living this lifestyle Because we're going to have what we need to sustain And we're just going to get better and better at what we do ADRIAN BROWN This is going to taste good NATHAN BROWN This is what makes ice fishing worth it ADRIAN BROWN Tastes fishy NATHAN BROWN Especially after a long day on the lake ADRIAN BROWN Uh-hmm NATHAN BROWN Cheers ADRIAN BROWN Cheers [SNAP-IN] MARIO QUEZADA All right [Laughs] Dogs did great CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yay Yeah, that was a lot of fun MARIO QUEZADA All right, come on, guys Let's go, everybody! I think it would be a really good time to just kinda check their paws CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Uh-hmm MARIO QUEZADA Do it for mid-winter vet check So, this is Jaybird CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah MARIO QUEZADA This is one of our lead dogs She's really sweet and, you know, I really like that we have eight dogs It really allows us to get to know each dog individually and it allows us to focus on providing good care for each one of them And part of providing good care is keeping their fingernails trimmed up and making sure that they're doing well There we go, that's a good front paw Well, Jaybird ran the Iditarod last year, and sometimes when these dogs aren't long distance Iditarod dogs anymore they need a place to go and they need a home And they're gonna have a home with us, we're really excited to take care of them and make sure that they're doing well CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Our sled dogs are definitely part of our family here, and it's important that we put in a lot of hard work to make sure they're comfortable, happy and healthy MARIO QUEZADA Good boy Good boy This is our one and only Pharaoh our phenomenal leady dog He's the head and heart of the team, grab him Let me take care of your paw Good job, Pharaoh CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT What a good boy MARIO QUEZADA You know, we learned enough to make sure that we can see whether they're fit and healthy or if they need some more attention So you can see right here she looks pretty good, and you can feel her hip bones CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT You can feel the hip bones back there, yeah MARIO QUEZADA You can't quite see her ribs, but she's looking like she's in a really good weight CLARE MORRISETTE CALVERT Yeah, they've been eating good, definitely Good, oh, hi, Pharaoh MARIO QUEZADA [inaudible] Get it Luckily our dogs are well loved and really well taken care of and they all look pretty fit and healthy right now