Life Below Zero (2013) s01e02 Episode Script

1
It may look all white
to everybody else,
but I can look down
and pick out features.
I'm returning
to Kavik River Camp,
which is based
on the North Slope of Alaska.
I'm the camp's sole caretaker
and it's how I make my living.
My closest neighbour
is about 350 miles south
and for nine, ten months
of the year
I live completely
alone out here.
The camp's been
abandoned for about
three months
while I've been down
having ankle surgery
in Fairbanks.
80-mile-an-hour storm
coming in tomorrow
and it's gonna last a week.
So, this is my window. Today.
There is a concern
that there's a bear
that ended up in my home
and I'm about to find out.
SUE: We gotta
get this unloaded
and get him on his way.
You good to go?
All right, Bob.
(BOB SPEAKING)
SUE: I will.
All right. Let's go see
who's sleeping in my bed.
We're about 40 below zero,
but that storm is coming in.
Other than me,
you got 83 grizzlies tagged
that have the possibility
of walking through camp.
There is no food source
on the North Slope
in the winter for a bear,
except for me.
These are bigger tracks.
(PANTING)
That's a bigger track.
And here.
Right here and here.
Big old tracks,
right by the door.
Actually, it's pretty slack
down there.
This is taut, that is not.
Compromised somewhere
by something.
You know, a few years ago,
I got attacked by a grizzly.
When you have a bear
and he's got his jaws
on your throat
and you're laying there
and you don't know
if he's going to chew on you,
you don't want it
to happen twice.
I don't know
what I'm looking at
going in there.
Load it, light,
and let's see who's home.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Yo!
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
(LAUGHS)
Anybody here?
Yo!
Somebody has been here.
Humans.
Yo! Hey!
(EXHALES)
Okay, nobody's in this part,
this part checks out.
There has been
somebody here.
Garbage is moved,
garbage is half-full,
water bottles left out,
cooler inside, magazines out,
bandages down.
Somebody's been in my house.
But it looks like maybe
the two-legged variety.
This is my sign.
Says, "Welcome to Kavik,
I am not here right now.
"Please respect my home
and my belongings.
Do not take my things.
"If you use the heat or fuel,
"please leave me a note
on the amount and date.
Kavik Sue."
Nobody's left me a note,
somebody's been here.
I did see the building
was slack over here,
and it still is.
(BANGING)
You know, it's a little slack.
(THUD)
I think we're good to go.
It's real obvious
somebody came into my camp,
used the premises,
and my .30-06 rifle
with the scope is missing.
There's paw prints,
there's people prints,
there's stuff out.
There's things
that I don't use here.
So, first thing
I need to check
is how much fuel do I have.
I had a bunch delivered
in barrels and put out,
and I may not have it,
so I gotta go check.
CHIP: There's just
so many things
that can go wrong.
We can't prepare
for all of them.
You just take it as it comes.
You never know
what's gonna happen.
We're in Noorvik, Alaska
along the Kobuk River.
We're kind of
an isolated village,
like most of them
in this region are.
Most of what we do
to make a living
is hunting, fishing,
trapping and gathering.
Hunting on this side
of the river right now
is pretty poor.
Before I walk across
that river,
it's got to be frozen solid.
I've had friends and family
killed doing that.
Well, we're looking
at open water that refroze,
open water that's refreezing,
and then I can see some other
lightly, lightly coloured ones
which indicate thin ice
over here
that I wouldn't go on,
I'm not gonna go on.
(SIGHS DEEPLY)
We're waiting
for the female caribou,
they're coming from the north.
They're held up
on the north side of the river
because they're also waiting
for the river to freeze.
It's dangerous,
but to take a vehicle
or a heavy load,
like a load of meat over this,
would be inviting disaster.
It's better to stay at home,
then we can be productive.
(ENGINE RUNNING)
It's that time of year.
It's freeze-up
and we're kind of stuck
in our home,
and this crazy weather
doesn't allow us
to predict anything
and it doesn't allow us
to make a plan.
It's been a pretty tough
start off to winter so far.
We'll be digging into the food
that we worked hard for
and saved for
this time of year.
(DOGS BARKING)
Let me smell him.
Yeah, this one's good.
I wanna make sure that
while this one was freezing
and thawing several times,
that he didn't spoil.
And he's got a little bit
of a high smell to him,
but that's aged meat,
it's not spoiled meat.
It's my job
to go get caribou,
to bring them home,
and the women, it becomes
theirs once it's in the house.
It's theirs now,
it's a cultural thing.
It's a way
of partitioning out work.
-There's the kill shot.
-(CHUCKLES)
Now we need to clean this up,
and she can start
butchering it.
AGNES:
Right now, let me sharpen up
my ulu real quickly.
This was my mother's knife.
It's a woman's knife.
I take the sinew off
and then I take
the backbone off,
then the brisket,
and then I flip it over
on the other side,
and then I go ahead
and do the same thing.
CHIP: Looking good.
Are you gonna give this away?
Is this going to somebody?
Uh, we probably could have
that for like, dinner, maybe.
CHIP: That's what
I was thinking.
Here it's legal to barter
caribou meat.
And I'm going to trade
some of this meat
for ammunition
or I'll trade it for gasoline
or I trade it for parts.
There's other people
that we will trade this to
and they'll give us fish,
or they'll bake bread for us.
There's always an exchange.
Then we can employee ourselves
full-time with the materials
around us
to make the things
that'll make cash,
that'll buy the stuff
we can't buy with meat.
AGNES:
I am getting the hooves.
We use these parts
for mukluks.
CHIP: Mukluk is
a general word for boot.
And it can be
any kind of boot.
AGNES: They have
the toughest skin.
CHIP: The hair don't shed.
So, they make great boots
for walking through
snow and ice with.
AGNES: It takes six
caribou legs to make
a pair of mukluks.
We take these front legs
and we put them
on the front there
and then we try
and sew them together.
When you're setting traps,
it's best to have a pair
of mukluks on your feet
so that the animals
don't smell the exhaust
from your snow machine
or the other things
that go along with boots.
The mukluks let them think
you are caribou. (CHUCKLES)
(DOGS BARKING)
ERIK: There are many
different dangers
associated with living
in a location like this.
If you're that worried
about it all the time,
you shouldn't live here.
So, I just go about
my business
and try not to think about
those kind of things too much.
Ever since I was
a little kid,
I always was really
into the outdoors
and really into hunting.
It's something
that was just born into me.
My strategy
to get through the winter
is just subsistence hunting,
trapping,
and just kinda
living off the land.
I brought my .22 here,
so I keep a hot magazine
and an empty chamber.
So if we come across
any ptarmigan,
that's the rifle
I'll be shooting.
I'm also going to bring
my AR-15 in which is a .223.
This is the rifle
that I'll shoot
if I come across
any fur bears at a distance.
There's a good chance
I'm gonna see fox,
potential for lynx or wolves,
even wolverine.
(ENGINE STARTING)
Give or take, in a year
I harvest half a ton of meat.
Everything in Alaska
is dictated by the weather
and when the conditions
are right
and the season is open,
I head out to get my meat.
Wild game meat
has many advantages.
There's a lot of people
that don't understand
how healthy the meat is,
it's very lean.
I harvest these animals
while they're alive.
I know the animals' health.
I kill the animal,
I butcher the animal,
I package the animal
and then I eat the animal.
You don't have
that luxury
or that peace of mind
with store-bought meat,
or as I call it,
government meat.
Fresh set of fox tracks
headed into this willow bar.
I'm gonna grab the .223 here
and see
if we can catch up
with him.
I'm just gonna poke along
real slow and quiet
and see
if I can get up on him.
(WHISPERING) There's the fox
right there.
(GUNSHOT)
Got him.
All right.
Good day out here
in the Brooks Range.
Got a nice, healthy-looking
prime fox.
Beautiful pelt here,
nice animal. Good deal.
In the winter I trap
for supplemental income.
Animals can be used
to make mitts,
or parka roughs or hats,
and they can also be sold.
This fox here is worth
$30 to $40 on the fur market,
and up to $100
for a tourist or collector.
Look, a fox right there!
This was
a subsistence-shot animal.
I shot that animal
for the meat.
I'll also utilise the hide.
Every part of that animal
was used on myself.
Got two nice fox,
happy about that.
Saw a lot of ptarmigan tracks
while I was in there
getting those fox.
I'm going to leave the AR
behind here
and head back in
with the .22.
See if I can't pick up
a ptarmigan or two for dinner.
ANDY: It's not ignorance
that's death.
It's non-preparedness
that's death up here.
You have to think ahead.
(HOWLING)
ANDY: You gonna be
a lead dog? Huh?
I think you're gonna
be a lead dog someday?
That would be nice.
That would be nice.
Is this for Prancer
or is this for Jack?
KATE: That's for Jack.
ANDY: Hey, Jack,
chow, chow, chow.
This is my family here.
Kate and my dogs.
-(DOGS HOWLING)
-ANDY: Who wants chow?
We have 24 dogs right now.
If you add on Jack,
we have 25 right now.
Iceberg is one of my main
lead dogs.
He's got a bit of a mind
of his own.
But that's one of the things
about all these sled dogs.
Each dog has
his own personality.
They all have their strengths
and they all have a weakness.
A lot of people have moved on
to snow machines,
but I still prefer the Alaska
bush way of doing things.
We spend a lot of time
working with these dogs.
We spend a lot of time fishing
and providing for these dogs
but they provide for us, too.
They provide
all of our wood for heating,
they haul all of our water
for drinking.
It's a real symbiotic
relationship we have
with them.
You need a little more?
You're kind of skinny.
These dogs take about
2500 to 4000 calories a day
just to maintain 'em.
And that's gonna cost me
somewhere between
$4,000 to $6,000 a year
in dry dog food.
What gasoline is to an engine,
salmon and dog food
is to our dogs.
We're getting down
on the dog food,
I miscalculated on my, uh
How much dog food I needed
to bring down here this year.
That's all I got left.
So, I got half a bucket
of dog food.
This is my last feeding
of dog food.
This year, the river
jammed up really bad
and it created
a major obstacle for me
to get around to my resupply
point up in Eagle.
We're definitely not going
out on the ice.
It's just not safe.
(DOGS BARKING)
These dogs are
everything to us
in the winter.
So if I don't figure out
something real quick,
it's going to be
a big problem.
(DOGS BARKING)
KATE: You're all dressed?
-Yep. I gotta get going.
-Where you going?
I just got off the horn
with Jake
and he said
that he would be able
to bring a plane in
to bring in a load of dog food
today for us.
-Why do we need that?
-We're out.
We got today's feeding
and that's it.
-Jesus.
-Yeah, I screwed up.
I just didn't bring enough
down in the fall time
and I wasn't expecting
this long protracted
freeze-up.
-I can't go up
the river right now.
-I know.
The trail to Eagle is
blocked off. So that's out.
So I'm gonna get smoking.
I'm gonna hook up some dogs
and go get that.
-This is gonna cost a friggin'
pretty penny, isn't this?
-I know.
I gotta take care
of the dogs, man.
The dogs are number one.
If we don't have them
we don't have
anything out here.
Well, I'm not gonna complain
about spending money
on the dogs, you know that.
(DOGS BARKING)
This year I bought
a new type of dog food.
It's a much higher quality
dog food.
I wasn't really sure
how much to feed 'em.
I'm feeding more than
I probably should have.
Getting this dog food in
is going to cost us a bunch.
Most years I spend anywhere
from $4,000 to $6,000
on dog food.
This is going to add
probably another quarter
or third more cost to that,
but that's the way it goes
out in the bush sometimes.
You can't plan for everything.
You do the best you can
but sometimes you screw up.
The only place
I can land a plane right now
is on Ford Lake,
about a half mile away.
It's dangerous
coming in and landing
in a remote spot like this.
Landing on a flat lake
and flat light,
they don't have
any depth perception
where the lake begins.
And the worst thing
for a bush pilot
is to come in for a landing
and hit a hard drift.
They could flip the plane,
you know,
it could be disastrous.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Everybody stay.
Gee, gee!
Howdy, partner.
How's it going, man?
Good, how are you?
-JAKE: Yeah?
Got some hungry dogs?
-Yeah.
ANDY:
So, the plane landed safely,
brought eight bags
of dog food.
So we're good for about
another three weeks or so.
It was kind of a shock
this morning for Kate
and she's
a little bummed out
about the extra costs.
But she understands
and for both of us
our dogs are
the primary concern.
Tighten up, team.
Let's go, girl.
Attaboys.
We live on
a limited budget out here
and we try and keep it
as tight as we can,
and this was a big mistake.
But we'll get through it.
SUE: I live by my ears.
You listen for every sound
that doesn't belong,
you listen for the footsteps.
Not everybody worries
about bear attacks. But I do.
It's real obvious somebody
came into my camp,
used the premises.
So, first thing
I need to check
is how much fuel do I have.
I had a bunch delivered
in barrels and put out,
and I may not have it,
so I gotta go check.
The cover that's on it?
That protects the fuel
from the weather
and it's being weighed down
by the snow.
So I gotta dig the snow off
so I can peel it back
and take a measurement.
I ordered in and had delivered
a certain amount of fuel
based on how many days
I needed till I can get more.
If they used it,
there is no recourse.
Out of a 300-gallon tank,
I got maybe 200.
So, 100 gallons missing.
If I can't get more fuel,
it's not just
that I'm uncomfortable
or I gotta go to Aunt Betty's
for a week.
It's that my life's
on the line.
I got 20 other buildings that
I might have problems with.
I haven't been to any
of the other buildings yet.
This is something that never
even crossed my mind,
you know?
Animal problems,
yeah, not human.
Yeah, that's fucked up.
Oh, my God.
I did not leave
the fuel pump in
and the hose unattached.
That's just not how
you would do it, you know?
This tank, when it's full,
holds 300 gallons,
and I left it
right there, 300.
I left it full to the brim,
so we have it
dry, dry, dry.
Dry, dry, dry.
Oh, my God.
There's where our fuel is.
So, my fuel line
is right there.
So, I'm gonna say I have
maybe 80 gallons of fuel.
I brought in 600 gallons.
At least 100 is missing out
of the front tank.
220 gallons is missing
out of here.
I have 280 gallons left.
This is a 200-gallon tank.
(LAUGHING)
Not even worth gauging.
I have one inch of fuel.
Uh, yeah, so, there's
195, 190 gallons gone there.
(LAUGHS)
This is so fucked up.
I mean, whoever has stolen
my fuel has stolen
my lifeline out here.
They just don't
fucking get it.
Without my fuel,
I cannot survive.
I only have
10 more days of fuel.
After that,
I'm struggling to survive.
It does hurt my feelings
that somebody
was so thoughtless
for my welfare
and what somebody else owns.
That they took what, you know,
it takes me a whole year
to save up the money
to get the fuel
to make it through the winter.
Um, it hurts my feelings
that somebody
abused the privilege
of what I have out here.
I absolutely think
it's detestable
that somebody feels
they have the right
to come in
and change
my world without asking.
Survival just got
a little bit tougher.
You didn't make it impossible,
motherfucker,
you just made it difficult.
And I like challenges. Booyah.
ERIK: Everything in life
is give and take
but to me,
the give is worth the take.
Got two nice fox,
happy about that.
Saw a lot of ptarmigan tracks
while I was in there
getting those fox.
I am going to leave
the AR behind here
and head back in
with the .22.
See if I can't pick up
a ptarmigan or two for dinner.
(BIRD SQUAWKING)
(CLICK)
Got him.
(BIRDS SQUAWKING)
(CLICK)
There are a couple
down over there.
A couple ptarmigan for supper.
Been walking all day,
looking around
for some ptarmigan.
Finally found a bunch,
they've been pretty skittish.
Got a couple ptarmigan,
and foxes like ptarmigan, too.
We came across
two foxes today.
So we have
a little bit of dinner
and a couple of fox hides.
So, all in all,
it was a good day.
(ENGINE REVVING)
I have a lot of respect
for all the animals that live
here in the Brooks Range
and harvesting them
is a part of my life.
They're very important to me.
I do eat these animals
and I do use
these animals' fur
and sell these animals' fur.
That's subsistence living.
CHIP: I think the mind is
the most fragile thing
out here for the human being.
I think people can convince
themselves they're gonna lose
or they're going to win.
And it's all in their mind.
While I'm stuck
in around town
while it's freezing up
and the ice conditions
are improving,
I'm trying to get a hold
of foxes that they don't
want here in town.
(ENGINE STARTING)
I think with the dump
and with the high water
that went on this last summer,
foxes have just
generally prospered
and there's a lot of them.
We've had
a rabies outbreak before,
so, right now, the city
is offering $40 a fox.
So for every skin I get,
not only do I get to
keep it and sew it up,
but I can take the carcass
and get an extra 40 bucks.
The other day, Rodney
mentioned there were
a lot of foxes uptown.
Basically, he left me with
an open invitation to come
up here
and get the foxes from him.
Since freeze-up is taking
longer than I can handle
I want to start trapping.
I'm gonna be trapping
along here in town, that's
kind of what my thought is.
Keep me busy until
I can get down to camp.
Maybe a couple over here
and a couple down below
by the edge of the cliff.
Is that a good idea?
Yeah.
They run
all over the place here.
-Yeah.
-I have them come
up to my door
-and look in my window
once in a while.
-(LAUGHS)
Besides, we can split
the dough. (LAUGHS)
-Thank you, Rodney.
-Yep.
Nice thing about
setting iron traps
by a big chunk of iron,
then you can smell it.
Predators, they go
to the high points,
and this is a trail
up to the high points,
and they'll be able to
look out over the river and
do their hunting.
Hopefully, on their
trail up here,
they'll smell this
and they'll decide
to have a look
at the little pieces and
little bits of smell
that they've got going on,
some of these little white
fish eggs I've got just
laying around.
And they'll come over to this,
over here,
to the bigger piece.
It should be just fine.
So, Mr Fox is
pretty freakin' smart.
I'm gonna set a trap
off to the side
where the trap is.
At the same time,
you can out-think them.
Put your time to it,
your mind to it.
We're all just kind of
stuck here on this little
chunk of land right now.
And getting up a bunch of
foxes to start off my year
would be nice
but I just gotta keep
being persistent.
ANDY: It's just like so many
things out here.
You have to be thinking
ahead of what potentially
might happen.
If you just go blindly
doing things,
it'll bite you real quick.
This year I didn't get
a moose or a caribou
so we're running low on meat.
So, now that I've got
the dogs all fed up,
it's time for me to
head out and get some
meat for Kate and I.
All right. Good boys.
So, we're out on
6-Mile Lake
and I found this
beaver house here.
This is a new house.
It looks like it's gonna be
a good one
for harvesting some beavers.
Poor beavers,
everybody likes to eat them.
Including me.
This is a good discovery.
The beavers probably have
a tunnel from either
right here
or right here coming out.
A lot of times,
if you know
you're going to trap,
you want to do
this in the fall time,
you'll be able to see
where their tunnels are.
This is going to be
kind of a blind luck.
(WHIRRING)
So, that's good,
the ice isn't very thick.
That'll make it easier
for me.
Let's see how deep it is.
Okay, I'm touching
bottom right there.
I've got about 18 inches
to two feet of water
and that's about perfect,
because, that way,
the beavers don't have
a lot of area to go around
where I'm gonna make my set.
This is looking
pretty good right now.
Beavers are good to eat.
The by-product is,
I'm also gonna be able
to have some good fur
to make some mittens
or some mukluk liners or
Beaver fur is
really, really warm fur.
Other than otter fur,
beaver fur is probably
one of the warmest furs
you'll find out here,
and it's fairly durable.
Beavers tend to
really like cotton wood
so I'm gonna try and put
a gourmet meal out
for those beavers.
The idea is to get these set
so that they're hanging
like this around the bait.
Beaver comes in,
he swims around,
and he's caught.
So, the trick now
is just to put this in without
disturbing my snares.
It's got to go in pretty slow,
that water is already
starting to freeze again.
I think I'm going to make it.
That looks pretty good,
I don't see anything
that's moved.
All right, we're in.
The trap is set and it's
kind of a waiting game now.
Gee! Gee! Gee. Gee!
So, I'll come back
tomorrow and see
if I caught anything.
ERIK: Well, I got two
ptarmigan and two fox today.
I'm gonna clean one up
and eat him for supper.
First thing we're gonna do
is expose the breast.
Keep a nice angle on the knife
so you don't waste any.
Nice breast.
Now, when I kill
these animals,
I like to utilise
all parts, so
It's not the law
but I always utilise
and salvage the thighs
as well.
And not only are we
gonna take all the edible meat
from this ptarmigan,
but we're going to use
the remaining carcass
as trapping bait.
So, kind of coming
full circle here.
I make just
a little incision here.
We're going to tear up
on the chest cavity,
exposing the innards.
Here is my personal favourite,
the heart,
which is a really tender bite.
Then we're going to go in
and grab the liver as well.
Here's the liver.
Another essential part
to ptarmigan hunting
is the use of onions.
You know, a lot of people
wonder out here in the bush,
"What do you do
with all your trash?
There's no garbage pickup."
So, anything like this,
that's a composting item,
throw it right
in my slop bucket,
anything that's biodegradable,
and I have a composting pile.
Anything I can burn
goes in the wood stove
and then the very few number
of items that accumulate,
like tin cans and things
like that, I haul out.
Life is good.
Who wouldn't want to eat
fresh ptarmigan with onion?
Just another
wild Saturday night
here in the Brooks Range.
I'm not sure that
that's what
the average 29-year-old
guy is doing tonight,
but it's what I'm doing.
(CHUCKLES)
This heart is
the tastiest part of any
animal you'll ever eat.
It was an efficient day.
An efficient day
is a good day.
The gas I burnt in
my snow machine,
I was able to get meat,
we got trap bait,
and then we also got fur.
Ptarmigan thought they
were getting ahead,
getting rid of a few fox.
Fox sure like
to eat ptarmigan,
but I took a couple
ptarmigan home as well, so
Maybe something will
take me home tomorrow,
I don't know.
CHIP: Everything I need
to make a living
is out there.
Out there, it's all hunting,
fishing and gathering.
The town is in
a predator-controlled
kind of deal,
where they're trying to avoid
rabies getting into the dogs
and dog teams in town,
so, they've been offering
people $40 a piece
for fox right now.
I just set a couple of traps
yesterday and so I'm back
to check them today.
Hopefully, we'll get a couple
of foxes, which will get us
some extra cash.
The bait wasn't
touched at all.
Uh
I haven't been able
to trap anything.
There's food everywhere.
You can see up here
a fox walked by
and went straight
to the trash.
We're in town,
food sources are everywhere,
so getting them to go to
any one place is not easy.
I haven't done very well
with the traps, but it'll
work out when I get out there.
I just have to wait
for the river to freeze up.
You never know what
this winter is going to do.
It's been a pretty tough
start off to winter so far.
It kind of makes me
a little worried.
I don't really know
what's coming next.
But, it's that time of year,
it's gonna have to freeze up.
We just have to pass our time
as wisely as possible.
ANDY:
It's always kind of spooky
walking around on this ice.
When you hear
that ice cracking, it's
kind of an eerie feeling.
Gee, gee.
Good, good boy!
All right, everybody stay.
Good boys!
All right, so we're here
at the beaver traps.
Uh, I want to check them
and see what it's doing.
It's about 30 below out, so
We'll see if they've
been moving or not.
I don't think I'm going to see
anything through here.
This is thick already.
I'm not seeing
anything real obvious.
I think I'm going to end up
having to open the hole up.
There, I thought I saw
something floating around.
I'm not seeing
anything in the snares.
I think I'm going to pull it
out and see if anything
was in there chewing on it.
Nope, nothing. (EXHALES)
No beavers today.
One of them chewed on here,
I'm going to have to
reset it and try it again.
So, somebody came in
and did a little bit of
chewing here and here.
Got a free meal.
That's where I wanted them,
right here.
I'm hoping they think there's
another free meal here.
Minus 30.
I was unsuccessful
trapping the beavers
and I expended
a lot of energy.
So, a little
bit of a deficit today.
Mother Nature doesn't always
cooperate with you.
SUE: I just am who I am and
I'm different than everybody
else I've ever met.
But to be true to my nature,
means that I might be
gone at any minute.
Somebody has flown
all the way out here to
the middle of nowhere,
stuck their fuckin'
hand in my pocket
while I was in rehab
for ankle surgery,
and stolen $5,000, $6,000
worth of fuel.
My life's on the line here.
For me to order more,
I gotta pay $600, $700
an hour for a plane.
You know?
It's a two-hour round trip.
So, every 100 gallons,
I'm spending
1,400 bucks to get it.
I mean, we're supposed to get
this big storm that obviously
is starting to come in.
We got blowing snow.
You know?
We had it crystal clear
and northern lights going
all night last night.
Now we got wind,
we got a ceiling of clouds.
So to me, it's the storm
coming in, it's here.
This is the leading edge.
I have to get in and call
Bob, my bush pilot.
I gotta get him to make
an emergency fuel run
before this storm really hits.
-Hey, Bob, how's it going?
-Adequate, how about you?
(CHUCKLES) Adequate.
So, I am down to 280
gallons total.
I have to count on you
to help me out, buddy.
Okay, I'll try to get
at least one load
You got to get up right now
and get out here. Right now.
The weather conditions
are degrading
and we're losing our window.
Even if he can get out here,
doesn't mean he's going
to be able to land.
We got fog coming here,
wind picking up a little.
That may be a problem
for him landing with
the cross wind on my runway.
When a plane lands,
you either have downwind,
when the wind is moving
the same direction
as your runway is.
A crosswind means just that,
it's going across my runway.
Now, you have
a plane with wings
and he's trying to land,
20-mile-an-hour
may make him do this.
Bob, got a copy on me yet?
(BOB SPEAKING)
Well, the winds
aloft are definitely
pushing him this way,
but the winds down below
are going here.
I mean, there's unbelievably
strong crosswinds right now,
and they're a little variable.
Makes it extremely dangerous,
and, I mean, it's just the way
life is out here in Kavik.
It's just another way to die
out here on the tundra
if you're not careful.
He's gonna try it,
he just has to be
able to hang on to it.
And right now, it doesn't
look like he can.
He's still coming in too fast.
You can see how
he's being thrown around.
You be safe, buddy.
(BOB SPEAKING)
All right, buddy.
It's always, always,
always safety first.
So, yeah,
he's feeling the pressure,
I'm feeling the pressure,
but sometimes, you know,
no matter what you want,
Mother Nature has
a whole different idea.
He's gonna One more circle.
He's coming in for
another approach.
Come on, come on, come on.
Don't let it get you.
Be careful, Bob.
Be careful, Bob.
Be careful, Bob.
Whoa, whoa Oh, my God.
Awesome job, Bob.
All right, we'll be
right there to unload.
Yay!
I appreciate it, buddy.
Two barrels, 10 days of fuel.
It's a start.
It's gonna help me
get there,
it's gonna get me
a hell of a lot closer
than I am right now.
Thank you, Bob.
CHIP: Folks around here
treat me no different
than they do a native.
They look at me for what I do.
They always honour a provider.
The good thing about
a traditional
subsistence lifestyle
is that there is more than
one way to make a living.
Then we have elders that
we hunt for, like,
my wife's older brother
and other people
that we'll give meat to.
My wife goes out and trades
the things we have a lot of
for things that we need.
Trade and barter
are a necessary part of
making a living up here.
Today, I'm going to
get an assortment of fish,
and I'm going to
go trade for, um
Some muktuk and some
seal oil and blubber.
Muktuk is the skin
and the first layer
of blubber from the whale.
This is a real good trade
because I need the oil,
because when we eat
fish without the oil,
and the fish are frozen,
then our bodies
tend to get cold,
but when we have that oil
and that muktuk and stuff,
it just gives us energy
instead of let our bodies
try to fight to be warm.
-Hi.
-Hi, how are you doing today?
-All right, you?
-Good.
I got some fish to see
if you wanted to trade.
Yeah, yeah, I got
muktuk right here,
I got some blubber
AGNES: Right on.
Yes. Thank you.
-All right.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
-We're going to go
make a good dinner.
-Okay.
This here is muktuk,
it's from the whale.
This is the skin here
and this is the fat
and the blubber.
CHIP: Rice, cranberry sauce,
eggs, fish heads.
AGNES: Muktuk.
CHIP: Muktuk.
CHIP: Apples, and some
sort of vegetable.
So, what you end up
doing is not having
a whole lot of anything,
but a lot of different things.
If it tastes good, we eat it.
But it's a lot cheaper if we
just go get it ourselves.
I think of the way that
my kids would know
that they're tied
to this food,
because they were all in on
either catching it
or trading for it,
or processing it in some way.
There are so many different
things that people do
that are related to the food
without actually being
the one to go out
and shoot the thing.
It's the only time of day that
everybody shuts up
-because their mouth is full.
-(CHUCKLING)