Original subtitles

Not much fat on these, pretty skinny.

Another month from now, they'll be rolling in fat.

But right now, they're pretty skinny.

The best move I ever made in my life was to move up here

and to raise a family here.

When I was young and in Wisconsin,

I drank.

And then I smoked back then.

If I'd still been living there, I'd probably be dead by now.

I'd have a heart attack, overweight and drinking.

This out here keeps my mind --

my mind sharp, keeps it clear and sharp,

and keeps me happy.

The arctic refuge is roughly the size

of the state of south Carolina.

You go for hundreds, thousands of miles

without roads -- nothing.

Our permits only go up

until the death of our last child.

Within 100 years, there's gonna be nobody.

We are the last.

The first fall I landed here,

I found this peninsula on the mouth of a creek.

I started building a cabin.

And I've lived here 40 years.

This is my home.

New cabin represents the family's future here.

But it's the trees...

It's the water,

that's where we hunt,

get our wood from.

And that's all home.

I mean, just the land itself is home.

Look at -- look at what mommy's doing.

If you do it right, you can s--

sit there and you blow it and it'll spin around.

And it'll make a round shape.

-Like this? -Yeah. Blow on it.

See?

Oh, there. There you go.

Last time, uh, coleen and Rhonda were here,

I think it was three years ago.

To have the girls out here is really special to me.

You know what? You should go out

and pick the berries today, salmonberries,

'cause there's only a ve sryhort period

where the berries are -- are ripe.

Coleen, you -- you know what salmonberries are?

They're salmon, and they're mixed with berries.

-No. -no.

It looks like, uh, fish eggs, salmon eggs.

Grandma makes really good jam with it.

So we should go -- we should go and see

if we can get some today, okay?

I'm gonna start on the cabin now.

Back to work. Back to the grind.

I want to get this done.

I'm sick of building cabins.

I think this is cabin number 14 soromething.

I'm really hoping

that this is the last cabin that I build.

This is called peeling logs with a drawknife.

These are white spruce trees.

And, uh, you find them along the river.

Oh, I wish it come off -- all come off like that.

And the reason you do that, it makes the log lighter

by both ways, lighter in color and lighter by weight.

These are pretty darn tough plants.

If you look at the rings here, you can...

You see the rings, how -- how tight they are?

So probably from here to here is 100 years old.

So this is almost 300 years old,

this tree, you know.

And, uh, it's a -- a long winter.

And there's permafrost.

So it doesn't grow as good as the tree

down in the lower 48, you know,

a place like that, that's hot.

That's just part of, uh, nature up here, you know.

I mean, to be tough, that's why they're here.

If they couldn't handle this type of environment,

they wouldn't be here.

Got to get this cabin done.

Winter's coming pretty soon,

and -- and it ain't gonna wait for me to get done.

You know, it's just gonna come when it's ready to come.

One, two, three, four.

My plan is two weeks, have at least the roof,

you know, the minimum would be the roof and the door cutout.

We got to start building soon,

like, very soon.

We got here last night.

This is a place

I was hoping to get to to winter this boat.

It's even better than I remembered it.

We're here.

This is where she's gonna spend the winter.

It's a long trip.

We covered, like, 1,000 river miles.

And we ended up making it.

So here we are.

American made is to bed for the winter.

She's safe.

Thank you, American made.

You got us here safe and sound.

And she -- she did, um, what she was built to do.

-All right. -Are you ready?

Yeah, let's go.

-See you there. -All right.

So we're going to the cabin.

And, uh, daddy's down lining the canoe up with the load.

The cabin's up about a mile up above us.

We'll get up there and then, you know,

see what the cabin looks like.

Bear damage, I'm just worried they --

they like to peel the roof back.

Ours, it's a low roof. They can get up on top.

And they like to peel it back and get in through the roof.

That's what I'm worried about.

This place does mean a lot to me 'cause, I mean,

we spent several years at the cabin on a little block.

This is the cabin that I first came out to

and learned the ways of living in the bush.

And it's a building block of our life.

Sweat, blood and tears, I mean,

ray and I put in to make it a home.

And we spent, what, 10 years out here.

I mean, this was my parents' first cabin

out in the woods.

I mean, they came out here a year or two

after they moved up here from Michigan.

Like, if they had had a bad experience out here,

like, I wouldn't be the person I am now.

And my sistersi , mean, none of us would be,

like, who we are now.

This is where, like, they started.

And this is where, like, it all -- really it all began.

I'm so excited that there are remnants there,

that it will take us back,

and that we can remember times that we spent in the cabin.

Perfect timing.

This is kind of the -- the trail right here.

This will take us right to it.

, ohthis is so cool.

Here she is.

Wow, it's remarkably good condition.

I thought the bears would have the roof ripped off

and just a mess.

I'm kind of curious to see what's inside.

Pry it open.

17, 18 years, you know,

that's kind of walking back into a time machine.

I'm kind of curious to see what's inside.

17, 18 years, you know, I'm so excited

that it's kind of walking back into a time machine.

-Did anything get in here? -Squirrels.

Boy, I haven't seen this ax in ahi wle.

Geez.

Ooh, you actually have, like, an oven here?

-Yeah. -oh, that's so cool.

It's been a while.

Alaska magazines, cabin cookbook.

Aw, it's got your writing.

We'll have to drag this thing out.

Aw. whose was that?

Got a couple -- ooh, a big rotten spot.

I mean, the roof is moldy.

But the walls, it's really not that bad.

Oh, my goodness.

There are all these animal pictures

when she was on the bed. -Oh, well, look at that.

-She'd sit up here. -Oh, I remember that.

Look at the -- the lamp is still good.

-Ooh. -oh, we got snowshoes.

No way.

I rememberhi ts book.

-Which one is it? -Oh, I still remember it.

Oh, that's so funny.

It's very moving.

It's -- it's, you know, emotional.

But when the girls start pulling out

all the baby clothes, that, um, yeah,

that takes you back.

It's hard to believe they're grown up.

Time doesn't stop.

I'm happy.

Now we won't have to rebuild the whole cabin.

I mean, just -- we'll pull the roof off

and raise the walls,

uh, probably, like, 4-foot pony walls.

And then put a new roof on.

So I'm happy as could be.

And I'm -- I'm totally shocked

at how good of condition everything's still in.

I mean, it -- it looks real familiar.

I mean, at the same time, didn't open the door

and step into, you know,

1990 something.

I've been out in the woods 40 years.

This is the only place

on the face of the earth where I want to live.

Right now, I need to be there.

Can I just get your signature here, okay?

Okay.

But I've never been this sick in my life.

All right.

You're set to go. -Thank you.

You have a good one.

Today, I'm -- I'm getting an anti-tumor shot

to prevent tumor growth in my intestines.

Four years ago, i was cramping up.

So I flew to town, went to the hospital.

They saw I had tumors in my small intestine.

They took a tumor out.

They took 2-foot of my intestines out.

And they said, "you're gonna need this shot

to prevent them from growing."

For the rest of my life, that's what I'm dealing with.

I'd be dead if this --

if I wasn't here.

I'd be dead.

And I -- I'd rather live.

I'm gonna utilize my time i have lef

t and I -- I'd rather live.

To do what I love.

And so I'm going back to my cabin

because that's my home.

I need the woods.

I can't give it up.

This is part of me.

This is me.

I think they're ready for you in the lab.

All right, Robert.

You need strength in the woods.

You need to be strong, period.

Ready and poke.

But I'll always go back for as many years as I can.

It's home.

Thank you.

You know, I'll do what I have to do.

My last breath, if it's at the cabin,

I'll be happy.

I think this will be a really good home

for me and edna.

But, uh, well, this is a place for the girls.

And this will be theirs, too, you know.

They were raised out here.

But the girls are all on their own.

And they don't live out here now.

I told them for years when they first moved out,

I says -- i says, "this is always home.

It's al-- it's always home to you.

No matter where you live in this world

it's always home here.

You know what I mean? You can always come back."

And, uh, you know, they're the last people

that can ever live like this.

Now, if they chose to, and I hope they do.

Oh, salmonberry plant, just one plant.

We're getting close.

Right here.

That's just one.

And then there's Cranberries here.

You can eat those.

The salmonberries --

these are only ripe for only about two weeks.

It's just one little one.

One little frost will knock them down.

We're kind of dependent on 'em so we could have vitamin c.

I like Rhonda out here.

I miss the -- the time being small.

For me, I just hope our daughters come out here

and live the -- like we did.

And our daughters teach thr eikids

hotow survive out here.

No, let me see.

Where'd you get -- what kind are these?

Did they come off of this bush?

These ones right here, these aren't the berries.

You can't eat those.

I definitely want her to learn about being out here,

teach her the survival skills

that my parents taught me,

all the important things.

But I don't know, just being so isolated...

...being out here away from people,

it's really, really hard.

I never really got time to spend with friends.

And now with coleen,

I want her to be able to socialize with friends,

have the option to, you know, hang out with people.

I want her, you know, to have a lot of choices.

Them berries, we might be too late.

We're gonna have to do some hunting

on the way back now that is --

there's no salmonberries because, uh,

if we kill at least one duck,

it'll be a good pot of soup.

We got to go.

Boy, the river's high.

We got the best day to go, Bob.

This couldn't be better.

September is the best month in the north.

Hunting season starts for caribou, the moose,

the bear.

It's hveean on earth.

This year, I'm going back to my cabin

with me and my daughter and my dog.

It'll take 2 1/2 days.

I'm talicia's mom

and part of thisam fily unit.

We're sending Bob and talicia

up to trapline by way of river

on the boat that he built.

And Nancy is my ex,

the woman I love most in the world.

She spent three of four winters out here.

And then she didn't want to come out again.

That w tashe beginning of the end.

We're a family. We support each other.

We're there for each other.

We love each other.

We're just, uh,

doing our family unit a little bit different.

What's next? Sleeping pads and sleeping bag.

Socks, uh, waterproofer.

This is talicia's coat.

We still have two people and a dog.

Yeah.

Uh, about 20 years ago, i think.

Long time ago.

We've been planning.

But, uh, 10 years ago,

we were getting ready to go and she had that wreck.

She was in that wreck.

She had an accident.

She became disabled from some guy

coming down a hill,

talking on his cellphone,

going broadside right into her.

They had to, you know, cut her out of that car.

She was just nothing, just nothing, uh,

in a coma.

And she was in the hospital a long time.

They didn't predict she was gonna live.

And then that one day, it happened.

Can you hear us?

If you can hear us, put your finger up.

And that finger went up.

It was like -- it was a miracle.

It was like, "she's coming back.

She's coming back to life again."

And then all that time, "she'll never walk,

she'll never talk."

Some of the hard times were taking her

to the park in a wheelchair.

And she'd see the little girls running down to the water.

She'd start crying. And she'd just go,

"mom, they have no idea how lucky they are.

If I could just walk down to the water,

I'd be so happy."

People always said during that time,

"she's gonna be different.

Don't expecthe t same."

And I could've wrung their necks

because so many people said what she wasn't gonna be,

what she wasn't gonna do, what she couldn't do,

what she'd never be.

And I look at my daughter today,

and I am so proud of her.

She just didn't give up.

Just like her dad, she doesn't give up.

She wants to live life. She's gonna do it her way.

That's talicia.

That's who she is.

I will.

I mean, really, watch your dad.

I know. I know.

Please come back together.

I know.

-Love you. -I love you more.

I loved you first.

No, I loved you my whole life.

I'm gonna miss you.

I just wanted to have a little send-off family unit ceremony.

Talicia, Nancy, and me and ruger are a pack.

And we'll do anything for each other.

This is with love from me to you,

a safe travel

and a safe return together.

-Praise god. -Mm-hmm. Okay.

-All right. -That's right, Bob.

I am excited for these guys.

Also, a little bit scared.

Bob, not, you know, in the besoft health.

Need a little push.

-Ready? -yay!

He's weak, but -- but he's still strong-spirited,

strong in his heart.

But, you know, he wants to do it.

And that's gonna carry him.

My heart is just pounding.

-We're gonna try to see if... -Mom.

-...there's duck in that... -Shh.

...um, lake, if there's ducks.

-Give me the backpack. -Let go. Let go.

No, I'll carry it.

-You got it? -Yeah.

Oh, I see one, right along the grass.

Yeah.

Let's go in the trees.

Go in the trees and come out through them.

They might... -Yeah.

Pop out and, um, they'll flare up.

And you could shoot 'em. -Good idea.

Okay.

Here, baby.

Go up to grandma.

Here, take your jacket 'cause you're pretty bright.

Everybody has to stay on this side.

I'm gonna sit down with coleen over here.

You go get 'em.

I'm gonna see if I can get close.

Mom's a pretty good shot,

especially if they were flying, yeah.

I hope she gets one.

I heard the -- i heard the bbs on the water.

So I hope she got something.

Where you at?

I'm over here. I wounded one.

And he came around here in this thick brush.

-In this thick stuff? -Yeah.

You know how it is.

You can't find it.

Have hope, mom. Have hope.

I got to go over here and come up this way.

Are you sure that's not deep?

No, it's shallow down there, should be.

Sometimes when you wound 'em, they hide in the brush,

or they dive underwater and then hang on.

See the feathers right out there.

Well, we got to find it.

I -- I --

I can't stand the idea of letting an animal suffer.

I can't stand that.

I mean, everything has a life.

And every life is important and serves a purpose.

To let them suffer is disrespecting the animal.

It's disrespecting the life.

So mom always taught us having respect for everything.

I'm gonna look up in here.

Coleen, baby, come help me look.

I don't think we're gonna find it.

I'm gonna look

just a little bit farther down here.

When I used to hunt ducks with them,

never really had any issue finding them.

I don't know what today is.

There it is! Right here. Right here.

Here.

It's still.

You gonna pluck it real quickly?

Yeah. yeah, I'll pluck it.

Oh, good. We had --

we're gonna have duck soup now, coleen.

When I was coleen's age out here,

my mom would have me always go out hunting with her.

I believe it gave me a connection

to nature growing up out here

and definite sense of appreciation.

It made me, I think, strong --

strong enough to be out here by myself.

And I think that was the goal, was to have us

pretty much take care of ourselves.

You kn, oweverything that I do,

I mean, especially bringing her out here

and everything, is for her.

I want her to be learning all the values.

My entire goal in life right now

is my daughter's gonna be an awesome adult.

That's my goal.

Careful where you step, Sarah.

Oh.

Ooh, that's very unsafe there.

We haven't --

we haven't fell through yet.

We're just resurrecting an old cabin.

The roof's no good anymore.

It's kind of rotten.

I but ilit back, you know, that 30 years ago.

And it was a nice, warm roof.

But, you know, when you're --

you're working with dirt and moss and wood,

it doesn't last forever.

I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has

without any attention.

Got a pretty healthy stand of young trees up here.

That moss holds moisture pretty well,

just saturated like a sponge.

And that's all it takes

for the young trees to start sprouting.

Out here without constant maintenance,

nature is gonna reclaim anything you do.

Hey, you guys, come here.

Pull on this tree.

There it goes. Oh, yeah.

Good job.

When we last left the cabin,

Emma was just about 1 1/2, almost 2, Molly 4.

So it seems odd seeing the girls up there

at this cabin with ray helping rebuild it.

It's kind of cool.

Alril ght. Sarah, let's, uh, grab the tarp.

And we're gonna peel the whole tarp this way.

Oh. oh.

It's coming apart under me.

Nice. some of that's reusable.

It was built for two people.

So it's gonna be a little tight with all of us.

So we're gonna make a lot more room.

So we're gonna raise the walls another 4 or 5 feet

and put a new roof on.

Now we got to get this moss off the lepo, Sarah.

Watch out. That's where it's rotten.

You're in the danger zone there, Sarah.

Start in the middle and just throw it off the sides.

Sarah!

Y!he

Sarah?!

Right now, we'll just get a tarp up

so we can get everything under cover

when it starts raining.

And then we can modify camp from there.

All right. Now I'm just cutting down

some grass for a good, thick bed.

So we don't get wet when we're sleeping over there.

When we first started to come out here,

at was, you know, 18 years ago,

one of the things i liked about this spot,

one of the main things --

reason I picked it I think is 'cause of this Meadow out front.

Facing south,

you get nice exposure from the sun.

I forgot how beautiful it is.

And it's very, very, very beautiful.

Sarah!

Sarah?!

You all right?

I'm fine.

Are you sure?

Is she all right, you guys?

My shoulder.

Well, I'm glad we moved that stove.

Ow!

Sarah, we have a door that you could come in,

you know, instead of...

Well, this is quicker. Ow!

Were you feet first or back or...

No, I landed, like, right there on my shoulder.

Did you see her go in?

Yeah, I saw her disappear like a leg and her foot went in.

It was kind of slow motion.

Her leg went through and then her body.

Then, I tried to catch it on my elbow.

But I just brought more boards down with me.

Okay, no more stunts, okay?

Okay.

Emma jumps off boats. I jump through roofs.

We'll see what Molly's stunt's gonna be.

Yeah, really.

Being out in the woods, there is a risk.

Sometimes I think,

"what the heck am I doing out here

in the middle of nowhere with these kids?"

We do want to protect them.

But also, we give 'em the freedom

to explore their own ideas

and their own things that they want to do.

We really wanted them to have a mind of their own.

He's right up there.

Oh, here he is.

Good dog.

Dad, is there enough coffee

for me to have a cup?

Yeah.

Yay.

My balance is off right now.

Thank you, Mr. awesome balance.

You're doing great. You're doing great.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Awesome.

I'm cold.

We got frost and snow on the boat.

That's warming me up.

I have no fat on me.

It's hard for me to stay warm.

As much as I eat,

I can't gain 5 pounds.

I weigh 133 pounds right now,

instead of 165, 170,

which is my normal weight.

142 you're at?

-32. -okay.

I've never been in the shape i am right now.

135 pounds, that was high school days.

I lost everything.

Well, you go from having everything

to having very little.

But at least you have a little and you can build up.

Yes.

I'll see how this winter goes.

Ruger, come on.

All right.

It's time to go.

There we go.

Within the day, I'll be home.

I'll make an effort for it.

Man.

I'll be glad when this is all a house.

-Hey, coleen. -Yeah.

-Dig it in. -I'm doing the best that I can.

No, no. Let go. Scoop way in farther.

When you put logs one on top of the other,

it got a gap there where we put the moss

to keep it, like insulation.

Now I think that's good enough, huh, for one trip.

I love the way things are going out here

and love the way our kids are.

And I love to have 'em learn and teach their kids.

It means a lot to me.

I really hope little coleen

feels comfortable out here...

...because this is always home.

These cabins here, you know, that we build now,

over the period of 100 years, there'll be nothing there.

Eventually, they'll just be part of the land.

And it'll -- and nobody will know that they even existed.

But when you raise a family out here...

...you -- you just became part of the place.

And they did, too.

Building a family,

it'll last forever, you know.

Meat for us is very vital, very, very important.

We've got to get our meat this winter.

These are super fresh tracks. He'sn ithere somewhere.

There's, like, larger consequences involved

if we didn't have moose.

Oh, man. What a relief!

Ci home is where the hearts are.

All right.

You don't need this on you no more.