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00:00It was a freak accident. One second changed my entire life.
00:30I'm feeling a little bit anxious before we head out. Since my accident, I've been a lot
00:44more cautious and I realized my own mortality. I don't know what's going to happen. I haven't
00:54been out in a little bit. I really hope that it feels the way it used to feel.
01:05Okay, so I'm on the bush today. It's very wet. You can probably hear the rain behind me or all
01:12around me. Okay, hello everybody. Today we have an awesome guest. This is friend and fellow
01:19canoeing savant YouTuber Joe Robinette. Hey folks, Joe here. Joe here. Joe here. Joe and Wolfie here.
01:27He is a survival bushcraft guy but more so just a backcountry camper. He's built some amazing
01:34shelters and he's an OG when it comes to the outdoor YouTube world. I've only got a small
01:41backpack on and inside that I only have four pieces of gear. It's a beautiful day, a little
01:46bit overcast, a little chilly. Oh, hey guys, how you doing? Joe here. I'm super excited for
01:57this video, for this project. This is something I've wanted to do for a really, really long
02:01time camping off of a bike.
02:20I don't remember much from my accident. I don't remember much at all from the days leading up or
02:26the accident day. It was just a normal day, a Friday afternoon and we were having friends
02:31over and he decided he wanted to get on his bike. I didn't put my helmet on because I was
02:40just going around the block and I never made it back. I waited for about three hours before they
02:49let me in to see him. And they already had him completely sedated.
02:55My first thought was, this can't be happening. This cannot be happening. The doctor said to me,
03:03because I was positive, and he said to me, you act like you're expecting a miracle.
03:09And I said, I am expecting a miracle.
03:12Three weeks in a coma, airlifted to multiple hospitals, and permanent nerve damage in my hand.
03:24It was just a year prior that my youngest son had passed away. Joey didn't remember anything. He,
03:32you know, he would think that he heard Isaac out in the hallway and that was very difficult.
03:38To make my mom even go through that again herself and to relive it myself, it was really bad.
03:48I could have easily died. I could have easily been a vegetable and I'm very blessed. I'm very lucky to
03:54be here. Once I woke up and was home for a couple of days, I started really focusing on my career,
04:01my life, what I could be losing, what I needed to do and stuff. And not only that, the use of my hand,
04:07the use of protecting my family, the use of providing for my family, playing with my children,
04:12it has changed my life completely.
04:17Rehab sucked. There's no getting around it.
04:20I have to do things that feel uncomfortable.
04:24But I understand the outcome. If I don't use it, I lose it type thing, right?
04:29So, I have been busting my ass, doing as much stuff for my hand as I possibly can.
04:36The plan for this week is I have a small bushcraft style backpack loaded to the gills, but I only have one backpack.
04:55We're going to fly in on a float plane, me and the pup, and we're going to stay up for six nights.
05:00I have minimal gear, minimal camping gear, so I'm going to supplement that with natural materials
05:05and natural resources and food from the lake and wherever else I can find it, but mainly from the lake.
05:10The problem on going on a solo trip like this is like whether or not I'm going to be able to hack it.
05:16Can I paddle all day long? Can I set up a tarp? Can I build a shelter?
05:21It takes a lot of nimble, intricate stuff with your fingers. Can I even do that?
05:25I'm nervous. I'm a little nervous. I feel like I'm more nervous now when he goes out than I would have been before.
05:35I just think he needs to prove to himself that he's capable of doing what he used to be able to do.
05:40That he can stay out there for a week long.
05:44I try not to let on how worried I am because I don't want that to discourage him, but it worries me.
05:50It worries me how hard he's going to push himself and if he's going to know when he needs to take a break.
05:55Returning to the wild, being outside with a disability means that I have to adapt things.
06:06I do have a worry that I'm not going to get back into the same rhythm that I used to have.
06:10That is a big concern for me.
06:25We took a bush plane to get into this location.
06:43There's no roads, no access any other way.
06:45We're about 300 clicks from civilization in the middle of the wilderness.
06:48Good boy.
07:04Right here looks good, buddy.
07:06It's a little chilly.
07:07I can feel my hands starting to cramp up and ache up a little bit.
07:10I might even need to boil some water in my pot and then keep it next to me while I'm laying down.
07:15Because warmth really, really does help quite a bit.
07:17That's the time I have the most grip strength is when my hand is warm.
07:26Alright, so we're in the middle of the tarp there.
07:29Make some toggles up.
07:30Alright.
07:41Oh boy.
07:43Alright, we have a problem.
07:46I need to do everything again, I think.
07:50Yeah, it's going to take me a minute to get back into the groove of the swing of things.
07:55Alright, so the other cord is probably, the problem is, it's too slippy, not grippy.
08:04Too slip, no grip.
08:08Ooh.
08:09Toggle down.
08:12Touch.
08:13I think I'm going to lay right here.
08:14I'll be nice and covered.
08:15There's room for Wolfie.
08:17Freaking Joe's your uncle, buddy.
08:25I know how to camp.
08:35Shelter's a bit small, but we're one backpacking it up.
08:40We're going to build one, that's the plan.
08:41Build a big shelter, but not tonight.
08:43We just have to get set up tonight.
08:46Wolfie!
08:46I'm super happy to spend time with my dog outside.
08:51He brings a lot.
08:53Good job, buddy.
08:54Good job today.
08:56You good boy.
08:58Hey.
09:05Certainly no way that I've dealt with everything yet that's happened to me, even as far back
09:09as two years ago.
09:10Everything kind of just compounded on me, and I wasn't doing the right thing either.
09:17So this trip is going to be me getting over a lot of that.
09:20I hope I want that from this trip.
09:26All right.
09:27We hooked into a fish.
09:30Well, I decided to go out for a little paddle, see if I can catch anything.
09:34I hooked into a decent laker.
09:36I want to say like that big.
09:37This is probably about that big.
09:39But for real, good size laker.
09:42And slipped out of my hand.
09:44And now the rest of the fish are eating the laker.
09:49There's a little bit of a massacre on my boat.
09:52We've got to clean up.
09:52But that's just proof that I did actually do what I said.
10:00It's been a very long day.
10:02Got up super early in anticipation for this trip.
10:05Now we're here.
10:06I'm freaking ready to go to bed, though.
10:08I'm tired.
10:09I'm hungry.
10:11We couldn't pay for this experience, honestly.
10:14Eating freeze-dried chili.
10:16It's a little hot, buddy.
10:17Looking at what I'm looking at.
10:18This view.
10:25Six-star restaurant.
10:26Ten-star restaurant.
10:28Gordon Ramsay's got nothing on me.
10:29Slept real good last night.
10:38It was pretty cold.
10:40I have a one-degree bag, and it used every little inch of that.
10:45I'll have to find a good spot to make a permanent camp for like four nights.
10:48Pretty excited about that.
10:50Battling this wind with a single blade and a fully loaded canoe is not something I'm very used to.
11:11Mossy.
11:11That's good.
11:13Very good.
11:15Yeah, mossy.
11:16It's got lots of building material.
11:18Cool.
11:21I think this is where we're going to call home.
11:25So what I have to do is remove a couple little trees near me so that I have a clear, open sky above.
11:31The smoke can escape.
11:32No worries.
11:33I'm going to have a fire inside my shelter.
11:35The water's right there.
11:36It's very mossy, very wet.
11:38So it'll be good.
11:39I have to make a flat bed, so I'm going to use some boughs and some extra moss and some logs and stuff to make that.
11:46And it won't get done tonight.
11:49There's no way.
11:50But it'll be somewhat done and I'll still sleep in it.
11:52Stay in it.
11:53I think it would help me.
11:55Let's go.
11:57And I'm going to use some уд Saskatchewald.
11:57This one is going to be a full-fool sport.
11:58But the bush only woes.
11:58And you go.
11:59See?
12:12We're going to plant.
12:13What's that?
12:16I do.
12:17I do have to put gloves on. It's hurting touching any stick at all.
12:27I brought gloves, little thin gloves for working with, and I really need to put them on.
12:31I'm going to do that right now.
12:32Every time I touch anything, even these needles off the spruce, it's just like nails.
12:37It's like glass shards all on my skin everywhere.
12:41It's just a horrible feeling.
12:43It's not the end of the world.
12:44I know the pain won't last or anything like that.
12:46It's just, if I have gloves on, I don't feel that, so I'm going to wear them.
12:58I like touching things.
12:59I like walking around barefoot.
13:00I like having my shirt off.
13:01I like touching things on my hand.
13:03I like my skin touching nature.
13:04So it's like I don't really want to wear gloves all the time, but I don't want shitty hand feeling all the time either.
13:14Small price to pay.
13:16My idea about just sleeping under the stars tonight probably isn't a great idea, considering it keeps raining on and off all day.
13:28I had to cover up my boughs for my bed because they were going to get soaking wet.
13:32I remembered today's Isaac's anniversary while I was doing this, and it kind of just hit me.
14:02My brother Isaac passed away on May 24th, two years ago.
14:10Almost a year later, on May 17th, I got knocked out unconscious.
14:15And I was asleep for three weeks, so I was definitely asleep for his one-year anniversary
14:21passing.
14:22I just feel like I should have done more.
14:31I raised that kid like my son.
14:36He didn't have a dad, just like I didn't have a dad, and I just feel bad for my mom.
14:47Isaac was my baby.
14:52He was a very kind, very generous person.
14:57It's important for me to spread his ashes today.
15:13I was hoping for a nice sunset.
15:15I might still get that.
15:17I don't think it'll be like yesterday, but that's okay.
15:24I asked for him at the hospital.
15:29I got asked to talk to him, and they wouldn't let me.
15:36Then I got home, and they still wouldn't let me.
15:39Let me call Isaac.
15:40What's going on?
15:41Where is Isaac?
15:42Well, I can't call him.
15:43I started getting angry, and my mom and my wife had to come in and tell me two days after
15:49I woke up from my coma that my brother had actually died.
15:57My brain didn't let me remember that.
16:03So I had to learn it for a second time, which hurt a lot again.
16:11Isaac.
16:12Isaac.
16:13Isaac.
16:14Isaac, I hope I never forget you, man.
16:18I hope the memory never fades at all.
16:25I hope the feeling never fades either.
16:29You're worth it.
16:34I hope he's at peace.
17:00I hope he has peace.
17:03So today I really wanted to restructure my shelter.
17:20I really needed to fix the floor, make it a level bed.
17:23I even contemplated just using a tarp and not even doing the natural shelter thing, just
17:28putting the tarp around it for a couple of different reasons.
17:32But that's the reason that I came here, and there's enough materials right around.
17:36No problem.
17:37I can do it.
17:38So I'm going to do it.
17:40It's a lot of work.
17:41And it's a nice day.
17:42I'm feeling very good.
17:43It's a good feeling.
17:44It is coming back to me.
17:45It is coming back to me.
17:47It's coming back to me.
17:51This has come back to me.
17:54It's almost done clean.
17:55It's not anything that I can make for me.
17:57It's only good.
17:58It's fine.
17:59I'm going to take a break.
18:22After that, I'm going to gather some more moss and patch in the holes that I can really
18:25see that need it, but as far as the shelter, it's like 99% done.
18:29It's basically just a tripod, tied together, raised up, some support pieces on top of it.
18:44Pretty cool.
18:50Last night, I spread the ashes that I had with me into the water and just kind of had a good
18:57cry out there.
18:59I, uh, the worst thing I could imagine is forgetting him.
19:07So I just want to keep, I talk to him all the time.
19:13I just want to keep doing that.
19:15I just, uh, I don't know how to get over it.
19:29Uh, how's that for dexterity?
19:46But bam, son.
19:54Hooked into a fish.
19:59Pretty happy with that.
20:00Nice little egg trout.
20:01Oh, third time's a charm.
20:17Oh, that was my fault.
20:18Sorry.
20:19So we got, uh, basically a finished shelter all in one and a half days, I'd say.
20:24Not even.
20:24I've never built one of these before and I'm pretty, pretty pleased with the progress.
20:31I cannot lie.
20:32At the beginning of the day, it was daunting.
20:35I feel very accomplished, which is nice.
20:38I haven't had that feeling in a long time.
20:41Sitting at home for the past year was really bad.
20:45I just felt like a loser.
20:46Like a, like I was worthless.
20:48And, uh, now being out here, even though it's just something as silly as just building a fort in the woods, you know what I mean?
20:56It's like, it's one thing I'm good at.
20:58I thrive at it.
20:59I thrive at it.
21:29Okay.
21:32Come on.
21:33Yes.
21:34Up, up, up, up.
21:35Good boy.
21:36Today was an exploration day.
21:38Got me on the water a little bit more than I was, uh, in the past.
21:42Exploring, I also needed to get rocks and I got the rocks.
21:45So that happened.
21:45I explored.
21:46I found the, where the portage was.
21:53Wolfie got to run quite a bit, which is awesome because he slept the whole day away the previous day.
21:59I figured today, day four, I should build myself a chair.
22:16So I whipped up a little tripod and I carry this little tiny piece of, uh, material that's so thin, it's still nylon.
22:23It's just, uh, literally like a bag tired of sitting in the dirt.
22:26No more dirt merchant Joe.
22:27I was thinking to myself today how lucky I am to be able to jump right back in the swing of things.
22:35I do feel like my old self again.
22:38There's been a few hurdles since the accident.
22:41I was hung up on pain pills.
22:44I was drinking.
22:46I was depressed beyond belief.
22:48I thought everything was taken from me and I thought I couldn't do what I loved anymore or provide for my family anymore.
22:56A bad day is where I'm holed up in bed crying because the pain is so much that I'm, like, depressed beyond belief.
23:03I put my family through bullshit, crazy nonsense.
23:10The main goal is to be a father to my kids.
23:12Like, that's, that's the driving force.
23:14I don't want to be an absentee father in any single way.
23:17My family gave me a journal.
23:22The adventure begins here and they wrote me all a lovely note for my birthday before I left and I didn't read it until, uh, until I came out here.
23:32And in an emerald's note, it said, make sure you bring a fire starter and I didn't even read it and I brought it, so.
23:38It's not even a fire starter.
23:39She didn't even put Vaseline on it.
23:40It was just a thing.
23:40Just a thing we had.
23:42I love her.
23:42I love my kids and I wanted to keep something that reminded me of her.
23:47That sunset behind me is crazy.
23:54Oh my God.
23:56This is crazy in person.
23:58This is crazy.
24:00Holy smokes.
24:05This is an epic night.
24:15So today I had a lot of time to think.
24:16I woke up in my shelter, had a fire, had some tea, made some breakfast, just chilled out, went for a paddle with Wolfie.
24:22My head's very clear.
24:23It's like day five, I think.
24:25I'm not only comfortable, I'm like, I'm where I need to be right now.
24:28And my mind always starts to work properly out here.
24:31Starts to give me good ideas and thoughts.
24:32And I figured, what's a little pain, I think that I can condition my hand to not feel like it's touching hot shards of glass when I'm touching things that are a little bit bumpy.
24:45I find myself grabbing things with my right hand always instead of my bad hand and overcompensating.
24:51And that's going to do two things.
24:53It's going to keep my bad hand bad and it's going to overwork my other arm and my other hand.
24:57And I don't want to do that.
24:59That's not why I want to be here, out here doing things.
25:01Because it's like I want to just use it as much as possible and I feel like it's only going to get better with use.
25:07I want to try to get a bow drill fire going today.
25:10What I need to do is get eastern white cedar, hearthboard and spindle.
25:14Oh, precarious.
25:16Yeah, that's bone dry.
25:22Sweet.
25:26I'm going to make my bearing block out of birch wood and I'm going to make my bow out of a birch sapling.
25:46I have made fire.
25:53I'm shaking.
25:54I'm so excited.
25:55I'm shaking.
25:58Man, today couldn't have went better.
26:01Still got it.
26:02Still got it.
26:08My hand was pretty good today.
26:10I made the decision to stop babying it at all.
26:13I feel like my grip strength might be getting a bit better too.
26:17I didn't lose my passion, my creativity in the outdoors.
26:21Oh boy.
26:23The shelter, man.
26:23I can't even wait to get into it.
26:25Like, I just love spending time in there.
26:27It's sad that it's the last night in it, but I'm very happy that I was able to do it in the time frame that I had.
26:34And it's really cool.
26:35And it looks pretty sweet too.
26:43See you soon.
26:51Bye.
26:51Bye.
26:54Bye.
27:03Bye.
27:08Bye.
27:08Being able to be out here and do everything on my own, and being independent again, even
27:30as far as taking care of Wolfie, I feel back to the old Joe.
27:38I'm going to sleep up on a rock above the water, which is so awesome, and I can have a little
28:06tiny smokey fire next to me until I fall asleep, and I think that'll be sufficient enough for
28:11me to just cowboy camp, not worry about a shelter overhead.
28:14Cool.
28:16Yeah, boy!
28:18Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
28:23Ha ha ha ha ha!
28:25Ha ha ha ha!
28:29Peace!
28:30I'm going to get an early bedtime.
28:36You know, sundown's around 10 o'clock out here, so about then, and get up pretty early tomorrow
28:44morning.
28:45I've got a decent paddle and a few portages that are unknown.
28:49Oh, and the wind is supposed to kick up like crazy tomorrow, and I'm paddling right into
28:51it with a single blade, so I'd like to get out on the water as early as possible for that
28:55too.
28:56Woo!
28:57Woo!
28:58Woo!
28:59Woo!
29:00Woo!
29:01Woo!
29:02Woo!
29:30Woo!
29:31Woo!
29:32Woo!
29:33Woo!
29:34Woo!
29:35Woo!
29:36Woo!
29:37Woo!
29:38Woo!
29:39Woo!
29:40Woo!
29:41Woo!
29:42Woo!
29:43Woo!
29:44Woo!
29:45Woo!
29:46Woo!
29:47Woo!
29:48Woo!
29:49Woo!
29:50I was scared, I was apprehensive, and I was nervous about this.
29:53There's a lot of unknowns going into it.
29:55Man, every day was a surprise out there.
29:59Standing back and looking at that completed shelter,
30:03spending night after night in it,
30:05having a fire in there with my dog, man,
30:07it's just, like, choice.
30:09It's exactly, exactly what I needed.
30:22Dogs hold a special place in my heart.
30:24They've been super impactful, super important to me.
30:26Wolfie, he was one of the reasons...
30:42He was one of the reasons I woke up from my coma.
30:45Every time they would lower down all the sedations and everything,
30:48she would have me talk to him a lot
30:50to try to see what we could get out of him
30:51before they'd have to put him back under.
30:53And one of the last times that they had to do that,
30:56I was playing sounds of Wolfie.
31:05I heard him wooing.
31:07Like, I heard him doing his call.
31:10He actually said something back to us, like,
31:14Wolfie or something.
31:15I can't even remember what the words were,
31:17but it was just so much excitement that, like,
31:19he knew that sound.
31:24I could have died, man.
31:26I could be dead right now.
31:30But here you are.
31:32Yeah.
31:33Thank God.
31:34It's really weird.
31:37I can't explain being in the coma or anything.
31:39It's just such a crazy feeling.
31:40I have a feeling.
31:41I've lived a whole other life.
31:42I remember my wife just saying nice words.
31:44I remember just soothing energy from my wife.
31:49The doctors in the hospital,
31:50they were telling me I was hopeful.
31:51Too hopeful.
31:52I needed to...
31:53And I said,
31:54you have no idea how stubborn this man is.
31:57And I think the best therapy is actually him
31:59being out there and doing these things
32:01that gives him that strength back.
32:03When he is out in the bush,
32:05he is more able to think straight.
32:10And I think he gets a lot of inspiration.
32:19It always happens that when I'm out there
32:21for an extended time by myself with a dog,
32:23what have you,
32:24I start to think clearly.
32:26The worst times of my life always,
32:28always, always have led to something
32:30out of this world.
32:32Phenomenal.
32:33I think that wallowing in your self-defeat
32:38and your own bullshit
32:40is never going to help anything.
32:42All the bad things I was doing,
32:44all the pain pills I was doing,
32:46the life I was living,
32:48it's done.
32:49And...
32:52The wilderness is my saviour.
32:55Come.
32:56Come.
32:57I feel like this was both a closing of a chapter
32:59and a beginning of something new.
33:01Looking forward,
33:02all I want to do is be very healthy.
33:05I want to be very healthy
33:07for a few different reasons.
33:08Camping is a huge part of it.
33:10My kids, my wife is a huge part of it.
33:13But like, I'm never going to go down that road again.
33:15And even the depression thing,
33:17I'm not fully over it.
33:18I'm very upset about my brother.
33:21I have some of his ashes right here too.
33:24But...
33:26I can see improvement as well.
33:31I feel like the old Joe.
33:32I feel like strong.
33:33I feel healthy.
33:35And I want to stay that way.
33:36I think that other people can find
33:38the same exact enjoyment and fulfillment
33:40in other things.
33:41and finding your wilderness
33:45should be a main part of your life.
34:11And I feel like something new Bella
34:35and trying to create such a stage
34:37if it's one of your kids,
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