Ice Road Truckers (2007) s09e09 Episode Script

Now on Ice Road Truckers The drivers go where they've never gone before.
This is Hudson Bay right here.
The ocean.
We are building our own road.
No big rigs, no roads Whoo-hoo! As the rivals risk at all.
This is the adventure of a lifetime right here.
I tell you what.
At the end of the earth.
Throughout the north, signs of an early spring are everywhere.
Whoo-hoo.
The winter roads are melting away.
Whew, what am I doing out here? And the truckers' window of opportunity is rapidly closing.
Well, it's closed.
They blocked it with a grater.
To stay in business, companies are hunting for remaining trails that are still open.
And in Winnipeg What's up buddy? I've got a little crazy idea I want to run by you.
All right.
The boss may have found one, but it could be the biggest gamble in Polar's history.
I got a call from a customer, he's up in Seal River.
It's a wilderness camp up there, Seal River Lodge.
He needs an excavator brought in.
All right.
They want to see if we can pull sleighs across Hudson Bay into Seal River.
Hudson Bay, like, the ocean? - Yeah, it's-- - Like the ocean, ocean.
- I, I mean-- - This is beyond ice road trucking.
Seal River is a tributary in the Hudson Bay.
And the only way to reach it is by flying 600 miles north of Winnipeg to the town of Churchill.
And then driving across the frozen ocean.
But on this remote ice, big rigs aren't permitted.
The only way to haul freight is with a cat train.
The Hudson Bay, I mean that's a massive, massive body of water.
We've delivered with trucks for years, and now we want to show that we can move freight with other means.
With cat trains and sleighs.
And we want to prove to the world that we can get this done.
There's no road, there is no nothing.
It's just basically, you just take off in the-- - open tundra and get going.
- I'm basically-- I'm basically giving you GPS coordinates and you're going to have to figure out a way to get there.
Oh, fuck! You might get into some open water, you might get in to some, you know, 10, 12 foot ice ridges.
I mean, you're going to be going through stuff you've never seen before.
Wow.
This is going to make history for us.
You in? - Heck, yeah.
I'm in.
- Okay.
- I am ready to do it.
- Okay, should I pull the trigger? Should I say we're in? Yeah, do it.
Tell them we'll do it.
Hey, how are you doing? Yeah, we can, we can commit to that no problem.
I got the best guy sitting here.
Two, two drivers? No.
No, I understand.
No, I'll, I'll, I'll find, I'll find a second one.
Yeah, no.
I, I, I-- I know it's last minute and-- but you can count on me.
Bye-bye.
Two loads now, bud.
Now, what are we going to do? I called to check on the Churchill load and then I'm being told it's two runs.
All my best drivers are scattered all over Manitoba and Ontario.
I don't know what to do.
Who can we find? Somebody that knows what they're doing, and somebody that is gonna watch your back? We just need somebody we can trust.
I have an idea, but I don't know if I want to say it or not.
Last one.
Hey, knock-knock? Are you lost? I wanted to pop in and uh, present, possibly a business opportunity to you both.
I got something that's crazy and crazy, I figure, is right up both your alleys.
Churchill.
Not driving a truck, but pulling odd wells and cat trains.
It's across Hudson Bay which is pretty wild.
It was supposed to be one run, it turned into two.
We need to have somebody that can run with Todd.
I gotta have someone who knows what the hell they're doing.
I'm not gonna go with somebody I have to babysit.
Uh, we both said, "Uh, you know what, Lisa should go with him on this run.
" Can you help us out? I want to go to Churchill.
- Oh yeah? - Yes.
It's gonna be a lifetime experience.
I mean, without a shadow of a doubt so.
What do you say, Lisa? You want to do this run with me, or what? Absolutely.
Absolutely.
You think we can team up and get this done without-- - Without bumping heads? - Yeah.
Well, I'd rather work with ya, then fight with ya.
So, let's make it work.
- Great.
- Let's do it! Let's go, guys.
The rival companies are aligning forces to tackle one of the most remote and unforgiving destinations on the planet.
Further north than either has dared to travel.
And the mission to man the 50 tonne cat train is unlike anything they've attempted before.
This run to Churchill is an opportunity for both of these companies to make history together.
I mean, they're going to the end of the earth and beyond.
This is huge in the world of trucking.
With both of these companies coming together, it's gonna be really challenging, but, you know, bragging rights for both of us if we can accomplish this.
I am so excited that I get to go to Churchill because now that is another check mark off my bucket list.
My goodness! It's amazing.
If you look across there, it's just-- Basically, it's gonna-- It's an obstacle course.
Look at those pressure ridges from the ice to water, from the pressure, it bulges that ice up in certain areas.
And you literally have to freaking weave in and out and get around them-- Oh my God I, I don't know how this is all gonna work.
It's not easy.
You want these first, sir? Make sure we get all the load on there that we need to take.
We don't want to leave anything behind.
'Cause it's one major trip in.
It's vitally important to get everything we need on these track machines to get it all delivered.
The excavator and building supplies are loaded up for the journey.
Ready to go.
And as an added precaution an emergency driver will ride in the excavator in case disaster strikes.
About ready to leave.
No seat belts.
Looks pretty basic.
Now, the team must familiarize themselves with a decades old track machines.
She's a beast, boy! I'll tell you what.
Never seen anything like her.
That's it, that's fifth gear right there.
Todd takes off with the giant excavator.
And Lisa gets moving with her load of building supplies.
Even though the track rigs are slower and heavier than trucks, only a vehicle with treads can maneuver over the uneven landscape.
Oh, this is truly awesome for Polar and Darrell at my company coming together and hauling these loads out here.
It's teamwork, instead of fighting for once.
And it's gonna take me some getting used to because it's tracks instead of tires.
I'm just gonna go slow.
This is unbelievable! Whoo hoo! This is an adventure of a lifetime, right here, I tell you what.
Look at that shit out there! Look at these heaves of ice, man.
Wow! Todd and Lisa will have to survive miles of untouched ice, dozens of pressure ridges and limitless peaks and valleys before they reach Seal River.
I cannot believe I'm in a pulling a sled with an excavator.
Who would have ever thought, huh? But the convoy is ready to meet the challenge head on and to deliver for their companies.
This ain't even an ice road.
We are building our own road.
I feel like I'm on top of the world! On the rapidly thawing winter roads Daddy likes it rough.
Oh yeah.
This weather is crazy.
Mother Nature has thrown Polar driver Mike Simmons a curve.
Dumping 3 feet of wet snow on the trail to you Utik Lake.
She's gonna be a real rough ride.
And its obscuring potholes and torn up muskeg from days of melting, making a rough ride for the newcomer and his 10 tonne crates of pontoon boats.
I got a couple seacans on a tandem highboy here.
Breakup's coming a little faster than anybody has anticipated.
Ow! Oh boy! No more bumps! How you doin' back there, You all right b'y? Hey Art, what's up? But Mike's not alone on the mission.
Yeah, like, all the time, eh? Lovely.
Up ahead, Art Burke leads the two man convoy with a 12 tonne load of building supplies.
The other half of the season's last haul into Utik.
Mike is right behind me.
This time, I'm not waiting for him.
So he better pick up his socks.
It's the last time we run together.
First you get good, then you get fast.
On their last trip together Let the games begin.
Art put Mike through the wringer by setting a blistering pace.
Art has got his foot into it.
Boy, oh boy, you gonna have to catch up.
And the rookie struggled to keep up.
Fuck me! Now All right, buddy, hammer down.
Motoring along pretty good here.
The veteran's putting Mike to the test once again.
I'm a little more seasoned now and I'm confident that keeping up with Art is not to be a problem, despite his ridiculous pace that he sets.
And, with a little experience under his belt the new Polar driver's up for the challenge.
I guess he's doing all right.
I hope he is anyway.
Well, I gotta be very careful just to get into here.
The remote trail is private and unmaintained by road authorities.
Whoa! It's slick out here.
If the drivers encounter any trouble on this final haul bound for Utik We're gonna do some wicked bouncing, b'y.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! They'll be completely on their own.
Hang on.
Whoa! Oh, yeah! Roger, that.
Looking like a real mess.
Ah, we're gonna be fine, b'y.
You gotta be optimistic, b'y.
Right up until impact.
While Art and Mike fight through the wet falling snow Now it's getting soggy.
The whole road's a big trowel.
It ain't pretty out here, I'll tell you that right now.
Rival Darrell Ward's smack dab in the middle of the thaw on one of the most torn up trails still open in the winter road system.
I've got 40,000 pounds of building material in this band trailer.
I got one set of signals on and I don't know if that's enough.
Hauling the last load into Big Trout for the season, it's a race against record high temperatures to deliver before the melting roads close.
I've never seen anything this bad on these roads.
Momentum is your friend.
Just keep it rolling, you can't screw up.
The hot sun is turning the road into mud filled chaos, but with business partner Lisa up in Churchill, it's Darrell's only option to make money for the company in the final stretch.
Oh, it's soft everywhere.
But now Aha! I see ice crossing.
As the thermometer hits 50 degrees, Darrell's gotta brave an ice crossing that looks more suited for a boat than a big rig.
The ice is melting.
Look at the water out here on this lake.
Unbelievable.
When you pull up to the edge of the shore and you're looking out and you're expecting an ice crossing out there.
But instead, it looks like a lake.
It looks like you just gonna pull right on out there and sail right on across it, you know? This diesel whale don't float.
It puts every nerve on edge.
But sometimes, it takes crazy to get the job done.
All right, here I go.
Go down on this ice crossing and splash my way across it.
Deep in the thawing wilderness All right, here I go.
Go down on this ice crossing and splash my way across it.
Darrell Ward's rolling the dice.
My first is crossing in 50 degrees.
Every second I move, things are melting more.
The new business owner is rushing to get to Big Trout Lake before the roads shut down.
But a 2 mile crossing overrun with pools of water stands in his way.
This ice crossing's bad.
This stuff melting, it's melting quicker, there's a lot of water out here.
I've never seen anything like this.
I never drove out on a lake when it was this, this thawed out.
Especially in a semi.
There's something ain't right in my head to be doing this, I can tell you that right now.
I feel like I'm driving through the lake instead of over the lake.
I shouldn't be out here.
My momma would've told me, "Darrell don't go out there.
" If she could only see me now.
The softening ice can barely withstand the pressure from Darrell's 20 tonne rig.
Looks bad up there.
Causing cracks to spring up all around.
Just a little farther.
That's how we do it! Successfully sailed another crossing.
Darrell reaches mud-soaked land.
I can't believe I went across that.
Surviving the crossing and proving once again, nothing can keep the young company down.
So, I made it in to Big Trout.
Another load for the books.
Just what this company needs is loads.
Loads, loads, loads.
Lots of loads.
So, I'm gonna get in here, I'm going to get this load off and then I'm gonna head back towards Winnipeg.
As Darrell pulls up to the offload 400 miles to the northwest on the largest bay in North America This is a workout, right here, buddy.
Todd Dewey Is this seaweed? Driving oversea weed.
and Lisa Kelly have put company rivalries aside to make history.
Hauling a cat train 35 miles over the massive Hudson Bay.
It's everything I can do just to keep this fucking thing moving on the ice.
There are no marked roads and big rigs can't cross the jagged terrain.
So they're pulling sleighs of lumber, building supplies and a giant excavator with track machines.
Just so you know, this is as fast as this thing goes, bud.
This is it.
And so far, it's a tough slog.
Give her everything she's got, believe that.
And then some.
This is an old machine, I don't want to break it.
But now We got some hills to go over.
The convoy has got to pass over a peninsula littered with frozen hills.
Wee hoo! Whoa! With a light load Lisa makes it with ease.
I don't know how this thing is gonna do either.
Now, pulling a 17 tonne excavator, it's Todd's turn.
CENSORED Without any ability to gain speed while trying to barrel forward Come on, girl! but the tracks could get stuck in the deep, dense snow.
Come on! Come on you son of a bitch! Going up.
On the edge of the Hudson Bay Come on, girl! Todd Dewey's facing an uphill battle.
Come on! Come on, you son of a bitch! The Polar driver is desperately trying to pull a massive excavator over a snow-covered hill.
But the load's too heavy and the incline's too steep, stopping to snow cat literally in its tracks.
Dammit, this is hard.
It's this fucking deep snow, it just buries her.
To get the added power he needs, Todd calls in the emergency driver in the excavator to help push him over.
Come on! Holy smokes! Wow! Todd's made it to the other side, but now he's got to drag the entire 70,000 pound load across too.
They don't want to move.
I don't know if he's got enough boom.
Up front, Todd mans the throttle.
Come on, get the fuck over! As the operator uses the bucket to try and inch the sled forward from behind.
I can't fucking see him back there.
I don't know what he's doing.
Come on, girl! There she goes.
Whoo hoo hoo! The convoy's back in business.
But 25 miles of rugged tundra and frozen sea still loom ahead.
I just hope this engine has what it takes to make it all the way there.
While Todd and Lisa push further north, 250 miles to the south Keep them tires down, baby.
Come on.
Come on! Polar newcomer Mike Simmons How's the road looking ahead, Art? and veteran Art Burke Fuck! All in all, totally fucked.
are hauling the last loads of the season over the final 5 miles to distant Utik Lake.
I can't see the road at all, b'y.
But a recent snowfall has hidden the bumps and potholes below.
Hang on.
Wreaking havoc for the only two drivers on the remote private trail.
Holy shit.
Hopefully, we'll make it.
Just a little bit to go.
Finally Okay, we got another one made, b'y.
Art makes it to the drop-off point at Utik Lake.
Okay, boys and girls.
I'm gonna have to get all this shit off to get out of here.
And, as Art's haul is unloaded, his convoy partner brings in the second half of the contract.
Well, gonna get this equipment off, take these straps off.
You made it, buddy.
Hey, my brother.
Good to see ya, b'y.
Fuck, that's some surreal shit right there, eh? Nothing around? When it comes to the ice road, I would say that some of the best drivers in North America drive them fucking ice roads, buddy.
And he got a chance to join us.
I'm outta here, b'y.
- Okay, I'll-- - I'll see you in Winnipeg.
You be safe.
Looking to burn through the private road before nightfall, Art guns it.
Art's always good for a laugh on the road.
He's got a hell of a personality that guy.
Boys are gonna get this stuff off my back with these hoes.
As Mike finishes offloading Then I'm going to haul that bucket home.
He nabs a valuable prize for the return trip-- a 5 tonne excavator bucket that'll bring in extra dollars for Polar.
Now, I gotta go back over that rough, fucking road.
Let's get the hell out of here.
It's starting to snow pretty good right now and it's essentially making the road invisible.
Whoo! Shit! All this fresh snow, nice fat snowflakes, everything is really slimy.
Making matters worse for Mike, lack of weight in the back of the trailer is causing the tail to swerve around every curve.
I hate this fucking road.
Not good.
I gotta keep a close eye on this excavator bucket.
It's getting jostled around back there.
This road is truly fucking ridiculous.
If I never see this road again in my life, it'll be too fucking soon.
Hold on.
Hang on! On the slick trail out of Utik Lake This road is truly fucking ridiculous! Mike Simmons is losing control.
If I never see this road again in my life it will be too fucking soon! Hold on.
Hang on! You have got to be kidding me! Uh, I come around a corner there and I slid right off the road.
I'm stuck so I gonna get out and his assess the situation.
Yeah, my front tires just slid right off the road.
The rig's lodged into the snow at an angle.
I'm at a pretty good incline here.
So severe that the left drive tires are suspended in air.
On the private trail, there's no chance a road crew's coming by to help.
And hauling Utik Lake's last load of this season, no one will be coming behind him.
Well, my options are limited.
I'm going to go suit up.
And I've got a little trick up my sleeve, may get me out of this.
So, first things first, I'm gonna stretch my straps out, I'm gonna tie 'em to this tree back here and I'm gonna use my wheel as a winch and see if I can suck myself back out of it.
Mike will rig up a winch to try to pull himself out of trouble.
But with the truck dug so deep, at such an extreme angle, it's a monumental challenge.
I haven't done this exact trick before but, the science of it makes perfect sense.
Especially for an ice roads rookie.
Well, I've got the strap hooked to my chain and I'm gonna put this truck in reverse.
This tire is gonna spin, and strap's gonna wrap around this tire like a giant winch.
So, let's see if this works.
Another day at the office.
Fuck! The pressure's too much for a single strap.
I may have to pull out every strap I have.
So Mike adds reinforcements.
I have to peel out some more straps.
And quadruple these up.
I'm not gonna have any straps left, but oh well.
A guy's gonna do what a guy's gotta do.
Oh no.
It would have worked if that tree had held up.
I'm getting pretty desperate right now.
I'm not gonna stop trying.
There's more trees back there.
I'm gonna wrap around those trees and uh, hope they don't fucking give.
I'm hooked to four trees in a bunch.
That's my last ditch effort.
If this doesn't work, I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do.
Strapped up to the biggest trees he could find What an interesting day.
Let's try this again.
Mike gives it one more shot.
Move! Move! Come on! Whooooo! Yeah, baby! Fucking relief! I am free.
I am out.
Thank you.
I'm going to take all of this wet clothes off.
I am soaked to the bone.
Fuck.
Hit this road.
And go the fucking home.
Whoo! Facing an imposing task that would've beaten most seasoned drivers, the rookie refused to give up.
I probably just burned through $1000 worth of straps.
It's cheaper than a tow track.
And now, after earning his stripes more than ever We just gonna make it this last little stretch and we got her in the bag.
Mike heads for Winnipeg.
Coming up See all that water down there, breaking through? Toddy, you're going down! Hundreds of miles north of Winnipeg, beyond the winter roads Lisa Kelly and Todd Dewey, are fighting their way across the frozen Hudson Bay.
What an adventure, huh? Unbelievable, man.
It's still hard to sit here and think that I am on the ocean and Hudson Bay right now, crossing it with 100,000 pounds worth of weight.
Finally getting good traction with the cleats on this tractor.
It's pulling me along pretty good, making a hell of a lot better time than we were.
We're really trying to follow where there's no cracks, where the snow isn't so deep, where we're least likely to be afraid of falling through the ice.
Now, the convoy is about to move far away from the safety of the shallow shore to where the water below plummets to depths of over 300 feet.
So, the thickness of the ice is more crucial than ever.
We got to check out the ice.
All right, gonna go check the ice with Lisa.
With no set roads to drive on, Todd and Lisa are forging their own trail.
We're checking the ice because we got some heavy fucking loads and building supplies and we don't know how deep the ice is.
And it's up to them to judge whether the ice is thick enough to support their 100,000 pound cat train.
So, it's kind of important.
I mean, our lives are at stake here.
We've never been out here before.
This is all new adventure for us.
To measure the ice Well, I don't see no water.
The team uses an auger to drill down to the water level below.
Yeah, we're as far as it goes, huh? Fuck, that's how deep-- fucking snow, man.
- You can't even tell.
- Uh-uh.
The snow is so deep there is no way to measure the thickness of the ice as they're about to travel to the middle of the bay.
It's impossible to clear away enough snow to really know how deep the ice is.
We don't have any choice.
I don't know, I'm still nervous though.
'Cause that machine is pulling like a fucking son of a bitch.
Yeah, you're way, way heavier than I am.
Putting their lives on the line All right.
That's it, that's all we got.
We don't have a choice, we got to go.
Todd and Lisa prepare to tread further onto the ice, and deeper into the unknown.
Well, we just augured a hole down and it's just pretty much all snow.
It's so hard to tell it's just so deep.
Well, here it is-- do or die, huh? And she ain't looking good.
I can tell you that right now.
Fucking arms like jello in front of this frickin' tank, buddy.
This is Hudson's Bay right here.
The ocean.
Hey Todd, are you ready to roll there? All right, let's go.
Alrighty, sounds good.
So, I'm gonna mosey on and be a good leader so that Todd doesn't fall through the ice.
As sunset arrives at the top of the world Okay The team begins to run into large amounts of overflow, open water on the surface, resulting from pressure between cracks in the ice.
More overflow right there.
It's just all over.
You know when that shit is pushing up through there those pressure ridges are giving way that it, it's becoming very weak.
Very unreliable.
Come on, girl.
Pull through her.
I ain't never seen anything like this.
Absolutely creepy.
That ain't right.
I'm told that my adrenaline's pumping so hard right now, I don't even feel it.
Every pound from the mammoth machines puts more pressure on the breaking ice.
Holy smokes! You see all that water down there, breaking through? I completely fucking broke through the fucking ice here.
Breaking through pretty bad here, guys.
Come on, you son of a bitch! Fuck! Please! Fuck! Toddy, you're going down.
Next time on the season finale of Ice Road Truckers You can feel all this ice moving underneath of us.
The last open trails Every time I hear the ice crunching I get a little nervous.
make for hell on earth.
Whoa! And for one driver I'm racing against the temperature.
it could be the end of the road.
Hold on!