- 23 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:01All right, it's official.
00:00:03It started to snow.
00:00:05This is no joke.
00:00:07If you don't have heat, water, or power, you're gonna die.
00:00:11And not only that, this homesteader's completely alone.
00:00:19Our job is real simple.
00:00:21If someone needs help, get to work.
00:00:24We know people who stay out too long.
00:00:27You mean die?
00:00:28Yeah.
00:00:29They get found in the spring.
00:00:33Aw.
00:00:34Something's not right.
00:00:36Everything I've seen is all these attempts at survival.
00:00:40I'm actually shocked he's still here.
00:00:43Barf the heat.
00:00:44I'm going over the mountain.
00:00:46You're crazy.
00:00:47Woo!
00:00:48Good job, everybody!
00:00:50Woo!
00:00:51I'll guarantee you this.
00:00:52This guy's never gonna be a lone wolf ever again.
00:01:00Go, go, go!
00:01:02Go, go, go!
00:01:04Go, go, go!
00:01:05It's late fall in the Salish mountains of Northwest Montana.
00:01:20For centuries, this rugged wilderness was home to the native Salish peoples, a peaceful
00:01:27hunter-gathering tribe who turned to farming and ranching after the buffalo were decimated.
00:01:32Responding to a plea from concerned neighbors for an emergency homestead intervention,
00:01:39the Rainies embark on their first ever rescue of a solo homesteader, struggling to tame his
00:01:46land before the next winter hits.
00:01:49Within a few short weeks, temperatures will drop into the negatives, and they fear he is
00:01:55vastly unprepared in this unforgiving country.
00:01:59I'm Don Shanklin, this is my beautiful bride Juanita.
00:02:05We have a 20-acre homestead in Northwest Montana.
00:02:09We're pretty much set up.
00:02:11We have chickens, we have a high tunnel and a little greenhouse.
00:02:15But our neighbor Doug, Doug's in survival mode.
00:02:21He doesn't have the infrastructure that people need to make it through a winter up here.
00:02:26The winter's average about minus 50.
00:02:29The mountains can be a struggle, and to do it alone is even harder.
00:02:34He's still working on getting his shelter completed.
00:02:37He doesn't have heat in yet.
00:02:39He doesn't have the water in yet.
00:02:41Doug has no garden yet this time.
00:02:43He's trying really hard.
00:02:45But this is beyond his depth.
00:02:47He's been here three years and his every waking moment is what he has to get done next so that
00:02:54he can make it through the next winter.
00:02:56But at this time, he hasn't prepared.
00:02:59I'm concerned that Doug is going to wind up in harm's way, because it is a definite struggle back there.
00:03:07And I don't know if he'd survive another winter.
00:03:10Rainy's winter's coming quick, and Doug needs your help.
00:03:22We find the right place?
00:03:24I think so.
00:03:25I think this might be it.
00:03:27Doug.
00:03:28Doug.
00:03:28Yes.
00:03:28Nice fun to meet you.
00:03:29I'm Don.
00:03:30Don, Misty.
00:03:31And Juanita.
00:03:32Hi.
00:03:32Where do you guys fit in?
00:03:33We're neighbors.
00:03:34We're neighbors.
00:03:35We knew that he was in need, and we worry about him every winter.
00:03:40I met them the first week I was up here.
00:03:42When was that?
00:03:43This was July of 2021.
00:03:46You've been out here this whole time by yourself?
00:03:48Yes.
00:03:48I had my best friend up here for the first two years, and she passed away.
00:03:53And her name was Pittsburgh, and she was a cat.
00:03:56Oh, man.
00:03:56She was my tiger.
00:03:58It's tough when you have your best friend, and now she's gone, so.
00:04:03What was this property like in 2021?
00:04:05It was absolutely undeveloped.
00:04:08There was nothing here.
00:04:09I had to clear a spot over there where my bus house is.
00:04:14And you lived in that bus?
00:04:17And I lived in that for a year up here, and then I went to an RV that I bought from my cousin Harold.
00:04:25That thing?
00:04:25That thing.
00:04:27So where do you live now?
00:04:28I've been living in the cabin since May.
00:04:31Is that thing ready?
00:04:32Is it prepared?
00:04:33Uh, no.
00:04:34No heat source, no water.
00:04:36Any power?
00:04:37It's wired, but there's really no power to it.
00:04:39What, honey?
00:04:42What's up?
00:04:43Why are you upset?
00:04:44Upset.
00:04:48We know people who stay out too long and don't make it.
00:04:54They get found in the spring or whatever.
00:04:56Let's not beat around the bush.
00:04:57You mean die?
00:04:58Yeah.
00:05:00Okay.
00:05:00He's a dear friend of ours.
00:05:02Love him to death, but I don't want to love him to death.
00:05:10The wilderness is filled with tragic stories of people trying to survive alone.
00:05:15Perhaps the most famous is one close to home for the Rainies.
00:05:19In 1992, Christopher McCandless, whose story was chronicled in the book and film Into the Wild,
00:05:27sought a nomadic, off-grid lifestyle.
00:05:30Despite his passion, he was unprepared to survive the harsh Alaskan elements and eventually starve to death.
00:05:38It's this same fate that the Rainies and the Shanklins are hoping to avoid for Doug.
00:05:45I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California.
00:05:49When I was 11, my parents divorced.
00:05:52That was very difficult on my two sisters and I.
00:05:56We lived with our mom after that, and we were broke.
00:06:00We almost lost our house several times.
00:06:03But the interesting thing about that, too, is we were all very independent kids.
00:06:07We had a term called Bicelch, which meant by myself.
00:06:11I can do this by myself.
00:06:13And then later, when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, living outdoors for four and a half months,
00:06:19wooded areas and drinking out of streams, I just loved it.
00:06:23And so I started looking for a place that was that, and finally found this piece of property.
00:06:28We met him and quickly became friends.
00:06:31Adopted him shortly thereafter.
00:06:32Yeah, adopted him unofficially.
00:06:35Doug is one of those likable people and a survivor. Doug's a survivor.
00:06:39I bought an old school bus to be able to live in and then start building my house.
00:06:46But I was really learning every month, this is going to be harder than I thought.
00:06:52The first winter, I lived in the school bus.
00:06:55Not great windows.
00:06:57Very under-insulated.
00:06:58If you put a bottle of water on the floor, it'll be frozen by morning.
00:07:02That next summer, I did shift to the RV and stayed in that as I kept building my cabin.
00:07:09Spending his time focusing on daily survival needs of warmth, food, and water has prevented
00:07:15Doug from developing homestead systems that could provide those very things for him.
00:07:21The water situation is non-existent.
00:07:24I have to go down the mountain about four miles to a little creek.
00:07:30And then during the winter time, I also utilize snow melt.
00:07:34Soil here is rocky.
00:07:36It's not conducive to growing.
00:07:38I just don't even have any time to garden.
00:07:40The homesteading part has been put on hold until I'm able to take care of building my house.
00:07:48I've worked harder in the last three years just to get through a day than I ever have in my life.
00:07:56I think of my mom and dad all the time.
00:07:58I want to make them proud of me.
00:08:02That drives me a lot.
00:08:04But I do know what I'm doing right now is not sustainable.
00:08:08To ask for help is really hard.
00:08:10It's really not easy for me.
00:08:11What is this building right here in front of the camper?
00:08:20So Doug calls this the heat hut.
00:08:23His plan was to put a wood stove in here and get this good and hot.
00:08:28And then he was going to plumb the heat into the RV.
00:08:32That way there wouldn't be any open fire in the RV.
00:08:36How did that work out?
00:08:37Well, it never happened.
00:08:39It was a good concept, but this thing's in poor repair.
00:08:43So this is just a faulty, bad wood stove.
00:08:46And then this idea never happened.
00:08:50Right.
00:08:51This thing's pretty large.
00:08:53Yeah.
00:08:54This was his second winter in here.
00:08:57It just looks cold.
00:08:59These things are not made to just park and sit in the winter.
00:09:03The more I'm walking around this homestead, I'm seeing all these attempts at survival.
00:09:12But there's no food source.
00:09:14There's no protein on the homestead.
00:09:16And it's just one man.
00:09:18Has Doug had any livestock on this property?
00:09:21No.
00:09:22No, he hasn't had time to think about livestock.
00:09:25It doesn't look like it, right?
00:09:33Where do you and your husband live?
00:09:38So I live about two miles by the road.
00:09:42So do you garden?
00:09:43I have a high tunnel and I also have a greenhouse.
00:09:46Thank goodness Dawn and Juanita are here for Doug.
00:09:49And the fact that they're here this week is a huge help for us all.
00:09:53Because I need to know how she is a successful farmer in northwest Montana.
00:09:59So at this moment, I'll take all the expertise I can get.
00:10:03What are the challenges that you faced growing in this part of Montana?
00:10:07It's not good.
00:10:08We've had to bring our soil in.
00:10:10And then the water, of course, is getting that all set up.
00:10:13Do you know if he's attempted gardening?
00:10:15Oh, he has not.
00:10:17He has been full on just trying to make it day to day.
00:10:22You got emotional, just like you worry about him.
00:10:25Yes, very much.
00:10:26My big worry is that he has injured himself and hasn't been able to call out for help.
00:10:33He's run out of food or he's, you know, frozen.
00:10:38Yeah.
00:10:38Yeah.
00:10:40It's really hard to homestead in the wintertime.
00:10:44And when you choose northern states and they see temperatures below zero for weeks at a time,
00:10:50things get a lot more real.
00:10:52There's only so many structures here.
00:10:55And the fact that I'm looking at like a very sound structure.
00:10:59I want to take a tour in this bus.
00:11:01Yeah.
00:11:01Okay.
00:11:03There's not a lot here on the homestead because it's a one-man show.
00:11:06But there is a 72 school bus.
00:11:08And yeah, it wasn't warm enough to live in, but it could be put to use for something else.
00:11:12Oh, it's freezing in here.
00:11:16Yeah.
00:11:16Oh my word.
00:11:19Oh my gosh.
00:11:19So Doug drove this bus to the homestead and then lived in this for the first winter.
00:11:26Yeah.
00:11:26How was he heating the bus?
00:11:28He had a little wood stove kind of thing that he had right over there.
00:11:32And he had a lot of heavy blankets.
00:11:33Okay.
00:11:34And then he moved into the RV.
00:11:35Yeah.
00:11:36We have one week to figure these things out.
00:11:38Yeah.
00:11:39Obviously, water is a huge issue.
00:11:41Yeah.
00:11:41Do you have water?
00:11:43We, for the last eight years that we've lived there, have been hauling water in
00:11:48from our neighbor who has a well.
00:11:50This year, we were able to get our well in and we're in the process of having it hooked up to the
00:11:58house.
00:11:58You're putting in your water line?
00:12:00Yes.
00:12:01Hearing Juanita say they don't even have water,
00:12:04tells me both homesteads are having a hard time.
00:12:07So as far as water is concerned, I'm not seeing the solution.
00:12:12But when it comes to Doug and his needs, it has so much to do with survival mode.
00:12:18First and foremost, in my mind, we need to make sure that this is a functioning,
00:12:23one-man show homestead.
00:12:31This is spectacular.
00:12:34I mean, look at this place.
00:12:37It's not big, but it's going to be home.
00:12:40Doug spent his last three years in the mountains of Montana trying to make it on 20 acres,
00:12:46but he's not prepared to live here.
00:12:48The really big question is, why not?
00:12:54Where are you sleeping at?
00:12:56I had been sleeping down here, then I built the loft.
00:12:58This will be where I sleep.
00:13:01In the beginning, there was no door.
00:13:04There were no windows.
00:13:05They were just open spaces.
00:13:07So there's a lot of ventilation.
00:13:09Now it's dried in, but still no heat.
00:13:13Let's talk about water.
00:13:15I built this as a shed roof to catch water,
00:13:19and that's as far as I've gotten.
00:13:21I don't know.
00:13:22Are you catching any water now?
00:13:23No.
00:13:24Doug Shelby once took Homestead alone, and now he's got all these unfinished projects,
00:13:34and he's just barely getting by.
00:13:37And he's not prepared for the oncoming onslaught of a severe Montana winter.
00:13:50You look around here, this is a year or two of construction.
00:13:56This forecast is snow, and this building isn't ready to live in.
00:14:00But guess what?
00:14:02He's living in it.
00:14:03Not to mention the fact that there's no means of growing food.
00:14:06There's no livestock.
00:14:08There's no water.
00:14:09There's no power.
00:14:10I'm actually shocked he's still here.
00:14:13There's only a little bit of infrastructure here.
00:14:15But every single thing we do this week has to be maintained by one person.
00:14:21So it has to run smoothly.
00:14:23It has to be doable for a one-man show.
00:14:26Everything I've seen is all just attempts at survival, and that's it.
00:14:32No wonder the neighbors are so worried.
00:14:34Oh, yeah.
00:14:35You couldn't ask for better neighbors.
00:14:37Don and Juanita are super giving with their time, even though they don't have water.
00:14:42They're in the process of putting water in right now.
00:14:45But Doug doesn't have the ability to even get water from them.
00:14:49As far as water is concerned, it's not here.
00:14:52Our work is cut out for us.
00:14:54The question is, are you ready?
00:14:56Yeah.
00:15:08After seeing you get emotional because of your genuine concern for this guy's safety in the winter,
00:15:15we are worried about Doug.
00:15:17First thing that comes to mind, heat.
00:15:20I'm sure you've sat in that cabin in the summertime when the sun was hitting those windows.
00:15:24Yes.
00:15:25And it heated the whole building.
00:15:26Oh, very well.
00:15:27Okay.
00:15:28So I think that we're just going to get really invested in helping you finish a cabin in the woods.
00:15:34The only way to really turn this into a homestead is to have your own food.
00:15:41That right there is now the goal.
00:15:42What we have going for us is Juanita and Dawn because Juanita is living proof that you can homestead
00:15:52in Montana successfully.
00:15:54One more thing.
00:15:55We have a water problem here.
00:15:57There is none.
00:15:58I'm just going to blurt it out.
00:16:00Are you guys agreeable to allowing this homesteader to get water from your place?
00:16:07Absolutely.
00:16:07Oh, it hardly.
00:16:08Okay.
00:16:08Do you have a means of doing that?
00:16:10No, our well's not done.
00:16:13Oh, okay.
00:16:14What if we came over and helped out?
00:16:16Oh, that would be awesome.
00:16:19You don't mind because that does take me a little bit.
00:16:22Anything that you can do to help them helps me.
00:16:25On that note, let's get to work.
00:16:27It sounds like we might have a plan when it comes to a water source.
00:16:32We'll see you tomorrow.
00:16:34But there's no food.
00:16:35There's no shelter.
00:16:38Let the games begin.
00:16:51Good morning.
00:16:53It's day two in northwest Montana.
00:16:56All right, stop right there, will you?
00:16:57And right away...
00:16:58Let's talk a little bit.
00:16:59Okay.
00:17:00Marty tackles the most immediate threat to Doug Shelby's 20-acre homestead.
00:17:07What am I looking at right there?
00:17:09Home.
00:17:09Home at the beginning of a long winter.
00:17:12Right.
00:17:13All right.
00:17:16Doug Shelby moved to Montana to be alone.
00:17:20However, he learned quickly, it's brutal here.
00:17:25And right now, he needs some help to make that dream come true.
00:17:32It's getting really cold.
00:17:33How are you going to heat that thing?
00:17:35I had a stove I got.
00:17:38I was going to insulate just that little bedroom area.
00:17:42Okay.
00:17:42And try to ride out the winter.
00:17:44It was going to be a better situation than what I had been in.
00:17:47Okay.
00:17:47It sounds like we're on the same page.
00:17:49On that note, follow me.
00:17:50Okay.
00:17:51The problem with Doug is he doesn't know how to ask for help or accept it.
00:17:57So the first thing that I have to do today is we're going to finish the project
00:18:01that could save the homestead and it could have been completed if he had an extra hand.
00:18:08Okay.
00:18:09How have you done the insulation?
00:18:10I have.
00:18:11Let me see you put that bat in, please.
00:18:15Marty's all about getting in and doing the work right now, which is amazing.
00:18:20I've always been sort of independent in my life and receiving help hasn't always been easy for me.
00:18:27So I'm thankful for the Rainey's helping me step outside of what I'm normally comfortable with.
00:18:31It just sits in there, right?
00:18:32Yes.
00:18:33Would you consider that bat finished?
00:18:35No.
00:18:36Generally speaking, I would bring it out, fluff it out, make sure it's all the way to the top
00:18:41and keep it fluffed out.
00:18:42Because when you impact it, that decreases its ability to insulate from my understanding.
00:18:47That is music to my ears.
00:18:49Okay.
00:18:51This isn't Doug's first rodeo.
00:18:52You can tell he has some construction experience.
00:18:55The basics.
00:18:56Pick a wall.
00:18:56I'll do this.
00:18:57Here you go.
00:18:58Okay.
00:18:59I'll be on this one over here.
00:19:02So we're off to a good start, and I look forward to teaching him as much as I possibly can.
00:19:10Back to work.
00:19:10Let's go.
00:19:20All right, Juanita.
00:19:22Across the property.
00:19:23We need to talk.
00:19:25Misty has an idea to use Doug's old bus to bring a manageable food source to the homestead.
00:19:31We're in northwest Montana.
00:19:33It's going to snow this week.
00:19:34We're on a homestead right now where stakes are high.
00:19:37But I think I'm here at the right time because I have an idea that involves food and that bus.
00:19:46Because we missed that window of opportunity to grow food, I'm thinking an indoor heated greenhouse.
00:19:53Wow.
00:19:53Like it?
00:19:54Yeah.
00:19:55And because he's by himself, there has to be some type of automation.
00:20:01And so I think we should try to build a hydroponics system.
00:20:04Oh, that's a great idea.
00:20:05You like it?
00:20:06I do.
00:20:06And because it's just one man living here, we can create a space that's pretty small and manageable
00:20:13because we only have one mouth to feed.
00:20:15Yeah.
00:20:16Size it down for Doug.
00:20:16Yeah.
00:20:18To introduce a sustainable food source, Misty will temporarily move the bus to a clearing
00:20:24500 feet uphill, allowing for more space to work.
00:20:29Next, she'll introduce starter plants and a hydroponic system where water will continuously cycle through
00:20:36before finally moving the bus an additional 500 feet next to Doug's cabin.
00:20:41Meanwhile, Matt will construct a 20-foot log tower to support a drum filled with fuel,
00:20:48which will be plumbed into the bus and connected to a kerosene heater, enabling Doug to grow food year-round.
00:20:58The first thing we need to do is clean out the bus because there's a lot of, like, rat waste.
00:21:03I am ready.
00:21:06Cleanup starts now.
00:21:08I can do all the heavy lifting.
00:21:10I think this bus is the perfect structure.
00:21:13We don't have power, water, heat, but I can sort those things.
00:21:17I can figure those things out.
00:21:18I just need to do two things.
00:21:20Keep it small scale and manageable and get to a place where Doug can grow food this winter,
00:21:25even in northwest Montana.
00:21:28Just make a little pile.
00:21:29Okay.
00:21:31I'm so excited to make it mostly automated.
00:21:34I think it's perfect for him.
00:21:35But there's a lot to do.
00:21:40I'm hoping it all can happen in such a short period of time, and if it does, it's going to be amazing.
00:21:47Yeah, look at the transformation.
00:21:48It looks great.
00:21:50It looks so good.
00:21:51It's a brand new bus.
00:21:52Okay, so we're moving the bus.
00:21:55Awesome.
00:21:57Owen!
00:21:58Yep.
00:21:58I'm on diesel.
00:22:00You're on batteries.
00:22:01Okay.
00:22:02This homestead sees about five feet of snow in the wintertime.
00:22:05Having the convenience of your food source just right out your front door is the only way he's
00:22:11going to be gardening successfully here.
00:22:13And the only thing to do that in is that 50-year-old bus.
00:22:17We're going to have to call in Owen Byrd, the master mechanic.
00:22:21Okay, so we're going to jump it and go from there.
00:22:24Yeah.
00:22:25Okay.
00:22:25Come on, Doug.
00:22:26Okay.
00:22:27You ready?
00:22:28I'm ready.
00:22:28Head back there, Owen.
00:22:29All right.
00:22:30Fingers crossed.
00:22:31Okay, here we go.
00:22:40Yes?
00:22:40Yes.
00:22:41Give it a little.
00:22:42Give it a little.
00:22:43That's a 1972 Gillig school bus built like a tank and it hasn't started turned over in over three years.
00:22:53So it's really exciting to see.
00:22:56It's turned over a ton.
00:22:57Oh, we're draining the battery.
00:23:04It's so close.
00:23:06It's so close.
00:23:07This bus is deader than a doornail.
00:23:11These batteries have sat through three cold winters.
00:23:14It's not going anywhere.
00:23:16We can't get it started.
00:23:18And it's time for plan B.
00:23:20What is that?
00:23:22It's called the rainy way.
00:23:23I have plans for the structure and I think involving an excavator and my dad definitely means possible
00:23:33damage to the structure and the bus.
00:23:35Plus, it's a pretty bold, risky move to hook up with chains on the side of the structure and yank it to its new location.
00:23:43I don't want breaking chains flying around the homestead.
00:23:49Let's go.
00:23:50Misty, you got it neutral?
00:23:52I got it neutral.
00:23:53Okay, dad, let it rip.
00:24:00Something's wrong.
00:24:01Is the back wheel turning at all?
00:24:03It's moving a little bit.
00:24:26Chain broke.
00:24:29Make sure the emergency brake is off.
00:24:32It's in neutral.
00:24:33Something's not right.
00:24:35Yeah, the emergency brake was on.
00:24:37Emergency brake was on.
00:24:41Oh, shoot.
00:24:43How about now?
00:24:44Hey, dad.
00:24:45The fact of the matter is, is the thing isn't gonna move until we can turn it on and get the e-brake off.
00:24:54We're at a place where we cannot turn off the e-brake unless we are able to start the bus.
00:24:58We cannot start the bus.
00:24:59We're trying to pull it with the e-brake on.
00:25:02We're breaking chains.
00:25:03It is not moving.
00:25:05So now we're going back to plan A, which is we gotta start this bus.
00:25:10Okay, so let's try and put this in without smashing fingers.
00:25:12Yeah.
00:25:16So now the plan is we have to switch these batteries.
00:25:22Okay.
00:25:22Okay, I'm gonna give it a whirl.
00:25:34Give it all you got.
00:25:47Goose it.
00:25:49There it is.
00:25:51There it is.
00:25:52Yeah.
00:25:52You got it.
00:25:53It couldn't be better.
00:25:55I lived in that bus for four years before leaving and then one year up here.
00:26:00You're good.
00:26:01Whoo-hoo!
00:26:02And seeing what used to be your home go forward, I never thought it was gonna move again.
00:26:09You guys wanna get on?
00:26:10Yeah!
00:26:11All aboard!
00:26:12All aboard!
00:26:13All aboard!
00:26:14All aboard!
00:26:15Hang on, boys!
00:26:16And watching it move and Misty at the wheel.
00:26:22It was awesome.
00:26:25I'll go right here.
00:26:26Yeah!
00:26:30Whoo-hoo!
00:26:31Yes!
00:26:32That was wild!
00:26:32Yeah, that thing runs good!
00:26:35It took longer than I expected to move the bus out of the woods, and we're at a place where
00:26:39we need to start working on this thing. Hopefully, one day soon, the bus will move right next to the cabin,
00:26:46but there's not enough room and space to do any work. There's a clearing at the top of this mountain.
00:26:51It's open enough where we can turn a bus into a greenhouse.
00:26:55How did it drive?
00:26:56In, like, a dream.
00:26:57Yeah.
00:26:58The bus runs!
00:27:03There's so much going on right now. That was home.
00:27:06It took time, effort, and now we're tearing it apart. And I thought I'd be so conflicted.
00:27:14I'm not freaking out about it, because you have to trust the rainies. You have to trust the rainy way,
00:27:20because the rainy way is happening. It's gonna have a new life.
00:27:24I'm a little beyond worse at this point.
00:27:37The next morning, while Marty, Doug, and a small build crew finish insulating the cabin...
00:27:43Go! Set it up here first. Set it up right here, please.
00:27:48You're gonna pull, and I'm gonna push.
00:27:49Matt and Owen take advantage of the property's downed trees to bring heat to the hydroponics greenhouse.
00:27:56Okay, last couple feet. Now that the bus has gotten moved to the top of the property,
00:28:04the next step is to provide fuel for that heater. Me and Owen built a tower for our oil tank so that we
00:28:13have a nice gravity-fed system for our heater. What you don't know is I filled it with oil already,
00:28:20and I just carried that up these stairs all 350 pounds with this guy.
00:28:25How are we gonna cut through that metal?
00:28:36All right, incoming.
00:28:42Working with Matt is a blast. He's got a lot of very original ideas,
00:28:48and I believe they're good ideas, and I believe they're gonna work very well.
00:28:53All right, Matt, bring it home. There it is. Nice job.
00:28:58Okay. You're the best.
00:29:03Like a glove.
00:29:04Looks good.
00:29:06Let's put a little kerosene in there.
00:29:07Yeah, get that kerosene. You don't want to go too much, but I don't want this thing to explode.
00:29:12The big question right now for the bus is, will it stay heated during the winter?
00:29:19We're gonna get it fired up and see if this thing can actually hold any heat.
00:29:27And it's lit. Nice.
00:29:31It's crackling now. All right, we got heat. This is awesome.
00:29:36Now we can actually work in here and keep things alive in here. Let's let this thing burn off,
00:29:42and then we'll come in and see how much heat's actually being held in the bus.
00:29:46Putting out heat. We gotta love that.
00:29:47Yeah. Has anybody got any marshmallows?
00:29:54Later that day, while Misty addresses Doug's firewood, now exposed to Montana's extreme
00:30:00elements. The Arctic entryway that was for the bus is now up for grabs.
00:30:04Right.
00:30:05Can that be the new woodshed?
00:30:07I think it would make a great woodshed.
00:30:09Half a mile away, down the mountain.
00:30:12Let's hit it.
00:30:12Marty brings Matt and Clint to the Shanklin's homestead to get water to their cabin, and
00:30:18hopefully provide it for two homesteads. Welcome to the 20-acre wood.
00:30:2420-acre wood. This is nice. It's beautiful. Where's that well at? Back here?
00:30:28It's back in the back.
00:30:29Walk us through what we're doing back here, please.
00:30:32I asked Don and Juanita if we could get water from their homestead and bring it to Doug,
00:30:37who has no water. And their answer was, yes. Come get it.
00:30:43So by helping Don and Juanita, they really could supply Doug with adequate water.
00:30:51The house is over there. So where's that water line?
00:30:53It's not in yet.
00:30:55Okay.
00:30:57Don and Juanita have installed a well 100 feet from their cabin. However, they've only just begun
00:31:04digging a trench to support a water line, a process that takes days in the dense Montana rock.
00:31:11Marty will continue where they've left off by digging the rest of the way to the house. Next,
00:31:16he'll lay and insulate the water line and then plummet into their homes so Don and Juanita will
00:31:22have direct access to a permanent water source and be able to share with Doug.
00:31:30I had no idea that your water wasn't developed. So we're here trying to get you to that point.
00:31:37Yes, sir.
00:31:40What they're doing is more than generous. However, they haven't really developed their
00:31:45well or their water. So I asked them a favor. I put them on the spot and I might have just
00:31:51opened up a can of worms. I mean, I thought this guy was just getting a short little water line to
00:31:57his cabin, but my God. Well, here's the deal. We can just go to the house and that's it. There's no way
00:32:02we're finishing this. We came a long way from Alaska to help Doug and this. This is ominous. For now,
00:32:11let's head back over there and we just focus on the cabin. Let's go.
00:32:25Yay! There's people! On Doug Shelby's 20-acre solo Montana homestead,
00:32:31the Rainies reinforce the importance of leaning on an off-grid community by calling in help,
00:32:37summoned by a previously rescued Montana couple, the Welchels.
00:32:43Well, this is pretty epic. You guys are helping.
00:32:45I'm so happy we're able to feel this good to be able to help. You don't understand.
00:32:51It's so good to see Barry and Michelle. I've missed them. They're living proof of how the
00:32:56community shows up for each other.
00:32:58Maury!
00:32:59Holy moly. You're kidding me. They're here and ready to work, connecting Doug to his community.
00:33:07And the first thing we're going to do is fill up the woodshed. All of this wood has to be moved.
00:33:13The whole idea behind firewood is to get it out of the element so it can dry out.
00:33:18The Rainies, they saved our homestead. They truly rescued our homestead.
00:33:23After that, we realized that we were going to need to help other people.
00:33:28Especially Doug. What more could you ask for out of a community? Nothing in return, just to help.
00:33:38All right. My favorite pastime is chopping wood. But in Doug's case, every second counts.
00:33:45For him, there's only so much one man can do in one day. So having a little cheat like a wood splitter
00:33:53will make all the difference between whether he succeeds or not.
00:33:58We're getting there, folks.
00:34:18Good job, everybody!
00:34:22Thank you, guys.
00:34:23Clearly, Doug and I and Juanita could not have done this alone.
00:34:27So we appreciate getting the wood covered.
00:34:30Amazing.
00:34:31We appreciate all the extra splitting.
00:34:33And that splitter is not a rental. That's yours.
00:34:36Wow.
00:34:37Happy?
00:34:38Yeah, I don't have to worry about him freezing to death.
00:34:42Being helped right now, this is not easy for me.
00:34:44I feel that people are doing things for me that I don't deserve.
00:34:48I'm having to battle that inability to accept help with the fact that there are people here who help.
00:34:56And this is a big test in that for me.
00:34:59Thanks so much. Is anybody tired?
00:35:01Not yet.
00:35:03Oh, no.
00:35:03Let's go.
00:35:15Do you know how to put sheetrock on the wall?
00:35:18I've done sheetrock a couple times.
00:35:20Are you afraid of heights?
00:35:21Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I, I.
00:35:24Well, good.
00:35:24Yeah.
00:35:25Because we're going to have to overcome that.
00:35:26All right.
00:35:26On that note, grab a gun, grab a knife, grab a tool, grab anything.
00:35:32Okay, ready?
00:35:32Ready.
00:35:33Can you reach over your head?
00:35:36Don't lose that.
00:35:37Got it.
00:35:38Thanks to Doug's other neighbors, there's six cords of wood already in the woodshed.
00:35:45But Doug isn't prepared when it comes to heat.
00:35:50We're trying to put the home in homestead.
00:35:53And to do that, we have to finish a cabin.
00:36:00Next, next, next.
00:36:02I'm going to drive that excavator down here.
00:36:10Down by the old RV.
00:36:12All right.
00:36:14This one.
00:36:14Beautiful.
00:36:16Yeah.
00:36:17Matt shifts his focus to providing an easy-to-manage protein source for a solo homesteader.
00:36:23All right, you ready, Don?
00:36:25I'm ready.
00:36:26Okay, hook me around that log.
00:36:29I'm trying to bring livestock onto the property.
00:36:32And Doug's been using this heat hut as a survival shelter for the past few years.
00:36:38And we both agree it's the perfect place for chickens.
00:36:41All right, let's do it.
00:36:42Okay, we're ready to move.
00:36:44The only problem is, it's in the wrong spot.
00:36:49Matt will repurpose the heat hut into a self-automated chicken coop.
00:36:54First, he'll transport the hut over a steep hill to its final spot next to Doug's cabin.
00:37:00Next, he'll insulate the structure, ensuring winter survival.
00:37:04Then, he'll add automatic feeders and waterers before building sloped roll-out nesting boxes
00:37:11for easy one-man egg collection.
00:37:18Woo-hoo!
00:37:18She's flying!
00:37:20We're going to move it closer to the house.
00:37:23It's going to make it so much easier and way more manageable,
00:37:26especially because Doug is going to be doing everything by himself.
00:37:30Whoa!
00:37:33Okay, that got a little steep.
00:37:35I'm going to get rid of the log.
00:37:37What's going on?
00:37:41Hey, buddy.
00:37:41Matt, can I know what your plan is?
00:37:44I'm trying to put it in that hole.
00:37:46You know, this thing is, uh, it's heavier than you're used to, so be careful.
00:37:52Okay.
00:37:53As soon as I got to the edge of the cliff, my dad's little alarm bells went off,
00:37:58and he came over, gave me some, you know, encouraging words of don't kill yourself.
00:38:05Give me a minute.
00:38:06I've got to be down there.
00:38:07It's steep.
00:38:12The last part of this journey is steep, and I'm not going to make it with the building dangling
00:38:20from my bucket.
00:38:21So I got a solid plan on how to get this structure down in place without destroying it,
00:38:27and we're on the home stretch.
00:38:32All right, get up.
00:38:33Okay.
00:38:34Oh, beautiful.
00:38:36Yes.
00:38:36All right, we're up in the air.
00:38:39Oh, look at that.
00:38:40Gonna drop it right in the hole.
00:38:42All right, spin it around.
00:38:44Counterclockwise, 90 degrees, and I'm going to go take it to the left.
00:38:49Okay.
00:38:51All right, we did it, guys.
00:38:53Good job.
00:39:05On 20 acres in northwest Montana, the Rainies are halfway through their first ever rescue of a solo
00:39:12homesteader.
00:39:13It's time to talk how we're going to heat this building.
00:39:15And over by the old RV.
00:39:18What are we looking at there?
00:39:19This was a $50 fine on Craigslist.
00:39:21Marty inspects Doug's attempt to introduce heat to his cabin.
00:39:27I'm going to look you right in the eye.
00:39:28I'm going to tell you right now.
00:39:29Yeah.
00:39:30I burnt my house down with an old stove with a poorly working door.
00:39:37Right.
00:39:38I'm pretty sensitive to installing $50 wood stoves in really nice homes.
00:39:45Okay.
00:39:46I don't want to hear about a door that's broken.
00:39:49We're not using this stove.
00:39:50Okay.
00:39:51So now that we have Doug's cabin insulated, what are we going to heat it with?
00:39:56Thankfully, I have an idea.
00:40:02Oh, wow.
00:40:03Check out the door.
00:40:04How tight that door is, please.
00:40:09Yeah.
00:40:09Okay.
00:40:10And feel that seal.
00:40:15That's tight.
00:40:15I'm just going to tell you that this is not 10 times, but it's light years better, safer,
00:40:22and more efficient than that thing.
00:40:24Are you proposing putting this in now?
00:40:26Right this second.
00:40:27Let's do it.
00:40:29I think we can do it.
00:40:30I can't feel my fingers.
00:40:37Here we go.
00:40:38So this is your basic wood stove insulation.
00:40:43All I have to do is make sure we have the safe clearances from anything that can burn.
00:40:49Where you at?
00:40:51Right here.
00:40:52Hand me a pipe, please.
00:40:55We're ready to set pipe, put the chimney in, and have a fire.
00:41:04Let it snow, let it rain, and let the temperatures get cold.
00:41:09Because in about five minutes, there's going to be a fire in there.
00:41:13I'm going to have a warm cabin, thanks to the rainies.
00:41:20And there's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel as far as the really, really tough winters.
00:41:28Well, I think we got this wood stove installed in the nick of time, my friend.
00:41:36Pull up the chair.
00:41:36You know what you're watching right now?
00:41:46Life.
00:41:47Close.
00:41:49You're watching wilderness TV.
00:41:52That is about as good as it gets.
00:41:54This is now my third, and they've all had glass doors, and that's the one non-negotiable.
00:41:58I want that ability to look in like you said and just stare into it.
00:42:03Because you can just lose yourself in it.
00:42:06You're going to sit here long after I'm gone, listen to that crackle.
00:42:10Yeah.
00:42:14There's been no heat source in here until now, and I've been living in here since May,
00:42:18when it was still in the 20s.
00:42:19What I was hoping to do was insulate that back bedroom, and I would live in that.
00:42:24I was living in the RV, and that's the only space we had.
00:42:29What do you mean, we?
00:42:30Oh, my cat, Pittsburgh, and I.
00:42:31And she was with me the first two winters, and I was solo last year because she had passed away.
00:42:36Special cat.
00:42:36It's a very special cat.
00:42:38Do you have a picture of her now?
00:42:39Yeah, yeah.
00:42:40I had a cat.
00:42:42Her name was Pittsburgh.
00:42:43It was me and her creating this homestead up here, and she was my best buddy, my friend,
00:42:50and she died right here on the mountain.
00:42:52And it was almost like, I'll see you in a little while.
00:43:00I've never had any kind of pet like her.
00:43:02And, you know, heck, I've got great friends, but some of them don't even match up with her.
00:43:08She was awesome.
00:43:10Doug is prepared when it comes to heat, but we still don't have water figured out.
00:43:19But we're going to solve that problem because he deserves it.
00:43:30Approaching the homestretch,
00:43:32the Rainies discuss what it will take to make this remote homestead sustainable for one person.
00:43:38There's no water.
00:43:39There's no power.
00:43:41And when it comes to putting in an indoor heated garden that's automated,
00:43:46we're far from that place.
00:43:49The good news is this.
00:43:51We asked a neighbor point blank, can we get water from you?
00:43:56And he didn't hesitate for a second.
00:43:58Both Don and Juanita said yes.
00:44:01We said we'd help them get it to a place where we could borrow water from them.
00:44:06And it's become quite a project.
00:44:09There was a lot more work there than we anticipated, but so be it.
00:44:14If that all happens, we're at least one day closer to getting water for whatever your needs are.
00:44:20Can you guys go one more day without water?
00:44:22I need to start figuring out what this hydroponic system is and troubleshooting and piecing it together.
00:44:29And I need some water today.
00:44:31Okay.
00:44:32We have a lot of stuff to do and not a lot of time to do it.
00:44:35And at this point, it's like someone threw a Hail Mary, the ball's in the air,
00:44:39and we got to run as fast as we can to catch that thing in the end zone.
00:44:43Follow me.
00:44:55All right.
00:44:56Later that day, we have our tables in.
00:44:59Look at this thing.
00:45:00It looks pretty big.
00:45:01Yeah.
00:45:03I feel like we're getting to a place when it comes to hydroponics, we have to figure out water.
00:45:07My dad is trying to figure out water.
00:45:10I'm a little concerned, but I desperately need water for any type of garden that I put in.
00:45:15The question isn't if you can get water, okay?
00:45:17You guys, I'm confident we'll be able to get it.
00:45:19But can you get it when we're here? Because you'll notice hydroponics has the word hydro.
00:45:26Hydro.
00:45:28Hydroponics is a farming technique where plants are cultivated in a water-based nutrient solution,
00:45:34rather than traditional soil, and are grown in easily controlled environments.
00:45:40This method proves useful for small farmers seeking more efficient and higher yields of crops,
00:45:46while eliminating wasteful water usage.
00:45:48And then we have these flood trees, and then our pots, fertilizer, the lights, a couple pumps.
00:46:02This hydroponic system is coming right along, and we're getting to a place where we actually can
00:46:06plant plants, and they're going to be able to survive the winter.
00:46:10I think it'd be a really good idea, because it's just one man homesteading by himself.
00:46:15If these systems were completely isolated, that way if one failed and Doug was away,
00:46:23hopefully all of the plants wouldn't die.
00:46:25Yeah, that's very smart.
00:46:26That one system would still continue to work.
00:46:29The systems themselves aren't complicated, because the more complicated you make something,
00:46:35the harder it is to maintain and fix.
00:46:37And more likely it'll fail.
00:46:39And more likely it'll fail.
00:46:40So we're going to keep it really simple, and we have enough to get us started.
00:46:53We don't have time to wait for the snow to stop.
00:46:55We're going to try to move this bus without killing anybody.
00:47:00Go back, please.
00:47:02Now to the right.
00:47:03Right now, I have Matt, my dad, directing like an incoming 747.
00:47:09We're going to fire up that well and see if this entire system actually works.
00:47:14It's a new morning.
00:47:18All right, let's talk.
00:47:20And temperatures have dropped into the 30s.
00:47:25While they wait for the necessary equipment to finish Don and Juanita's water line, the Rainies
00:47:29gather Doug to address another critical necessity he currently lacks.
00:47:31We're at a place in the bus where we need things like heat, power, water, and we have to have those things in order to do what we have planned.
00:47:48You cannot grow food heading into wintertime without power.
00:48:01We're trying to help him fulfill this dream with the basics.
00:48:07Food, shelter, and water.
00:48:09But why not tap into solar power to really push this homesteader forward in this dream?
00:48:17What do you do for power?
00:48:20Do you have a generator?
00:48:21So I'm on my fourth generator because I run them the way they're not supposed to be run.
00:48:26You're not meant to be living every day off of them.
00:48:30You're supposed to use them to supplement what you're doing.
00:48:32Well, how would you like to have 12 solar panels?
00:48:37Oh, my.
00:48:39Hi!
00:48:40Explain to our good friend Doug exactly what's in that box, please.
00:48:46You bet.
00:48:47In these two trucks, we got 16 395-watt solar panels with a racking system,
00:48:53two lithium-iron phosphate batteries, and a 6,000-watt inverter.
00:48:586,000-watt inverter?
00:48:59That's right.
00:49:00Oh, my word.
00:49:02And you got enough solar and storage to last you through some good long hauls.
00:49:10I'm at a moment right now where I don't even know what to say, you guys.
00:49:14I didn't expect this.
00:49:16I didn't expect any of this.
00:49:20This is an absolute game changer.
00:49:23Like, I'll be able to grow food even in the coldest months with this system.
00:49:28And especially in the winter when it is dark, light makes a difference inside.
00:49:40Keep coming.
00:49:42You're good.
00:49:43At the sight of the bus.
00:49:45Hello.
00:49:46Misty and Juanita welcome experts providing components vital to completing the hydroponic system.
00:49:53How's it going, Misty?
00:49:54Good.
00:49:55Misty, Matt.
00:49:56Matt, nice to meet you.
00:49:57Nice to meet you.
00:49:58Hi, I'm Valerie.
00:49:59Valerie, nice to meet you.
00:50:00Nice to meet you.
00:50:01Juanita and I are piecing together this hydroponic system for the homesteader Doug.
00:50:06And he doesn't have a huge background when it comes to gardening.
00:50:11So we're trying to keep it pretty simple.
00:50:13And that's where you guys come in.
00:50:14Okay.
00:50:14Perfect.
00:50:15We don't have water, but I was told maybe you brought some.
00:50:19We do.
00:50:19We have some water for you guys.
00:50:20Okay.
00:50:20Great.
00:50:21We literally brought you a box of rain.
00:50:23Okay.
00:50:25Okay, two per tote.
00:50:27Yeah.
00:50:27Okay, you got it?
00:50:28Yeah.
00:50:28Okay.
00:50:30The bus, it's a work in progress.
00:50:33We got the solar, but it's not hooked up to the bus.
00:50:35And we don't have water from Dawn's yet, but box of rain showed up.
00:50:39They brought materials.
00:50:40They brought water.
00:50:42We'll go, like, right in here.
00:50:43Yeah.
00:50:43I'm so grateful because, again, we're seeing the community pull together.
00:50:49So it's no longer a one-man show.
00:50:53So we're going to need to pop some holes in the trays and holes in the lids of the totes,
00:50:59or reservoirs, as we're going to call them.
00:51:00Let's do it.
00:51:01Let's do it.
00:51:01Let's do it.
00:51:01All right.
00:51:01Sounds good.
00:51:06What you got for me?
00:51:07Does it have gas in it?
00:51:09Smells like it.
00:51:10We don't have power.
00:51:12So we're going to use the generator, have a little power so we can just get to work,
00:51:16and hopefully piece a system together that eventually will work.
00:51:21Yeah.
00:51:21So 24 from the top down.
00:51:24Okay.
00:51:24Juanita, pass the chainsaw.
00:51:26We're just going to modify this a little bit to give the plants some room to grow.
00:51:31I'm so excited for Doug.
00:51:36We're working on getting a little winter gardening situation going for him so he can
00:51:41have access to fresh greens during the winter, which is super important.
00:51:45This one's going to be two cuts.
00:51:47The 72 bus hydroponic system is coming together, and right now it's moved to the top of the homestead,
00:51:54but it's going to have to move again.
00:51:56We're moving down this road that's closer to the house, and that way it's right next to Doug.
00:52:00The chicken coop in this amazing solar system, it has to move before it snows.
00:52:12What's going to happen in that room right there?
00:52:14That's going to be where there's a shower.
00:52:16A shower?
00:52:17Yeah, I'm going to have a shower back here.
00:52:19With a reliable water solution still uncertain,
00:52:22Marty meets with Doug at the cabin to determine a plan B.
00:52:27I wanted to keep the plumbing tight.
00:52:30Where's all the water coming from?
00:52:33I don't know.
00:52:35I don't know yet.
00:52:37Doug has been out here for three years without water.
00:52:42We have a plan right now in motion.
00:52:45But it's a slow process.
00:52:48In the meantime, there's something we can do.
00:52:51How big is this cabin?
00:52:53This cabin is 18 feet wide by 38 feet long.
00:52:57So the roof is on a rake.
00:52:59You've got 800 square foot of roof up there that can catch some water.
00:53:05It can catch a lot of water.
00:53:06How would you feel about this?
00:53:0840 feet of gutter, and if it snows or rains or whatever today,
00:53:12we can start catching water while we're thinking about how we're going to bring it into the house.
00:53:17Sure.
00:53:18Fair enough?
00:53:18Great. Sounds good.
00:53:19Let's go.
00:53:22It's a real simple equation to remember.
00:53:26For every 1,000 square feet of roof, that roof could capture 500 gallons of water.
00:53:36The point.
00:53:37It's snowing right now.
00:53:40All right.
00:53:42That's it.
00:53:44It's melting on the roof, going into the gutter, going into the holding tank.
00:53:49As we speak, if it rains or snows an inch, we're going to fill in one day, one night,
00:53:58one storm, 500 gallon tank.
00:54:01What's the forecast?
00:54:03Looks like rain and snow.
00:54:05We've already got snow coating the mountains over there over the last 24 hours.
00:54:09You want to catch some water or not?
00:54:11I think we should.
00:54:12Okay.
00:54:12Let's get some screws, something to cut this with, and I'll meet you back here.
00:54:17Got it?
00:54:29All right.
00:54:29It's official.
00:54:30It started to snow.
00:54:34Hey, guys!
00:54:36Matt and I are still trying to finish these builds, and they can't be finished until the
00:54:41bus lands in its final destination.
00:54:43We're going to try to move this bus before the snow makes this impossible.
00:54:47We're down to the wire.
00:54:49We don't have time to wait for the snow to stop.
00:54:52I know.
00:54:53This is the first snow of the year.
00:54:54It's starting to come down, and the bus is going to move again.
00:54:58But there's not a lot of open space on my mountain.
00:55:02But Misty doesn't give up on things, so it's going to be a challenge.
00:55:07So here's the plan.
00:55:08We're trying to keep the door and the access to the whole bus accessible to you,
00:55:13which means I have to go down the driveway in this mountainside backwards.
00:55:18Okay.
00:55:18Because there's no place to turn around.
00:55:20Let's go to work.
00:55:23Driving the bus down the side of the mountain on a snowy, steep road is less than ideal.
00:55:30But going down backwards without side mirrors, it can get really sketchy really fast.
00:55:38Like, come on.
00:55:44You're hugging the cliffside.
00:55:45I can't see anything.
00:55:47Hold on.
00:55:47Check the brakes.
00:55:48Keep coming.
00:55:49What am I hitting?
00:56:01All right, you're clear to come back.
00:56:05Hand signals.
00:56:05I'll take hand signals.
00:56:07Break it hard as you can this way.
00:56:10I can't see anything.
00:56:11I can.
00:56:12Go back, please.
00:56:13What am I hitting?
00:56:20What am I hitting?
00:56:21Matt.
00:56:22These hand signals, folks.
00:56:24You're fine.
00:56:25Just keep coming straight back.
00:56:28Matt, carry on.
00:56:30Right now, I have Matt, my dad, doing this and this.
00:56:36And either they're directing like an incoming 747 or those are signals for me and I just have no
00:56:42idea what they need.
00:56:44Straighten out your tires.
00:56:46You're hugging the cliffside.
00:56:48Hugging the edge of the cliff doesn't sound like a good idea.
00:56:53Keep coming.
00:56:53Very slow.
00:56:55Slick.
00:56:56It's slick.
00:56:56It's slick.
00:56:57Go slow.
00:57:03Keep on coming.
00:57:04Keep on coming.
00:57:05Keep on coming.
00:57:08Now, hold on one sec.
00:57:09Hold on one sec.
00:57:12I think we did.
00:57:13Come on out.
00:57:18Misty, that was amazing driving.
00:57:21I think we were just talking about.
00:57:22One of my favorite parts of all of this is that you are having so much fun driving this bus.
00:57:28I love this bus.
00:57:28I know it.
00:57:29The bus has been moved not once but twice.
00:57:33How awesome is that?
00:57:35But it's a little overwhelming to see the transformation from a wild
00:57:39piece of land to a livable space.
00:57:43Everything being close is really good.
00:57:45This is like what I wanted.
00:57:46I wanted to be close to the cabin.
00:57:49Yeah, we have no time to waste.
00:57:50I'm glad we're here.
00:57:51But we still have so much to do.
00:57:54So let's go.
00:57:55Woo-hoo!
00:57:56Hey, the bus stops here.
00:58:10Right there.
00:58:11It's good for me.
00:58:12With the clock ticking down on the rescue, Matt, concerned neighbor Dawn, and builder Owen,
00:58:18race to finish the chicken coop.
00:58:20The bus is not moving anymore.
00:58:24But we need to somehow get this building butted up against the bus and away from the edge.
00:58:34When we moved the chicken coop, we actually moved it too close to the edge.
00:58:38And with all this snow coming down on the ground, it is super slick.
00:58:43I'm worried it's going to go over the edge in the extreme Montana weather.
00:58:47So we need to get it as close to the bus as possible.
00:58:51Make sure it's anchored down so we don't lose any livestock.
00:58:55Two doors.
00:58:57All right, let's see what Matt's next idea is.
00:59:04With the skid steer, we have to lift the coop so we can slide it across to the bus.
00:59:10I'm going to try to lift the building on the left side and tilt it up so you can put blocks
00:59:17against the bus on this near side and far side.
00:59:20I'll put the block in.
00:59:22Let's do it.
00:59:23We also need to get it off the ground because 40 below on the frozen ground is not going to jive
00:59:31well with those chicken feet.
00:59:33Watch out.
00:59:37Hey.
00:59:39Bring her down.
00:59:40Okay, hold on.
00:59:49We didn't have room for more room.
00:59:51Yeah, I was wondering how long this 2x4 was going to last on the bottom.
00:59:54It snapped off.
00:59:55But I'm going to lift it back up with the skid steer in place.
00:59:59Get it reattached, brace it with this.
01:00:01All right.
01:00:02And then we'll go back into lifting mode.
01:00:05When Doug built that heat hut, he knew that it would be repurposed for something.
01:00:09He didn't know what.
01:00:10So working with Matt has been an eye-opener.
01:00:14And it's exciting to see what will come together with this chicken coop.
01:00:20Watch out, Doug.
01:00:24My goodness.
01:00:25You like it?
01:00:25I don't think the chickens are going to complain.
01:00:29All right.
01:00:31Now that we have this chicken coop in place, let's close out the bottom and we'll start
01:00:34turning this thing into a chicken coop on the inside.
01:00:38Which came first, the bus or the coop?
01:00:51All right, moment of truth?
01:00:52Moment of truth.
01:00:54Later that day, inside the transformed bus.
01:00:57We've got water.
01:01:02Misty pushes to finish installing the new hydroponic system.
01:01:09We got the bus into position.
01:01:11But the problem is we still don't have the permanent solution for water.
01:01:17Thankfully, Boxer Rain came with some supplies, materials, and water.
01:01:22Thanks to them, we're ready to get started growing food.
01:01:25So this is its independent system.
01:01:29Then we have another one over here that we're going to get finished connecting all the pieces
01:01:32over here.
01:01:32It'll be on its own.
01:01:34And then we have one behind us as well.
01:01:35So it's three.
01:01:36So it's three separate systems.
01:01:38Basically, we have some totes.
01:01:40We filled full of water, set some pumps, plumbed them into some flood trays.
01:01:43We set some little net pots in there with clay pellets in them.
01:01:47And then you stick the plant straight in.
01:01:49Done.
01:01:49Woohoo, look what I have.
01:01:51Yay, plants!
01:01:52It's so small scale.
01:01:55It's something he can grow and definitely start with being able to feed himself.
01:01:59And right now, we can actually plant plants.
01:02:01And they actually will be able to survive through the winter.
01:02:04Realistically, with this grown-in material, you're going to want to have it hydrated prior
01:02:08to doing the seeds in there.
01:02:10So then with seeds that are this small, with the eggplant, I'm going to go ahead and put two
01:02:14per whole.
01:02:14With all these types of vegetables, it'll take different days until germination.
01:02:18But once you start to see them coming up, you know that you're good.
01:02:21The best thing to do is to keep this moist until everything is fully germinated.
01:02:26And then eventually, you can take the dome off when you're ready for that step.
01:02:29And then the next step would then be break it apart and put it into our hydrogen here.
01:02:33Can you do succession planting also so you don't have to plant every single
01:02:37seed in that packet all at once?
01:02:39Definitely.
01:02:40Yeah, that would be great too.
01:02:41Oh, we put in over 80 plants and there's water and there's nutrients.
01:02:46It is all automated so that Doug really just has a little tweaking to do every so often,
01:02:51so he can continue to grow after he harvests what we put in now.
01:02:57He's going to put on a few pounds by the time we see him again.
01:03:01Doug has no idea the amount of food he's going to grow and it's going to be more than he can eat.
01:03:07This is going to be enough for his community for sure, but that's the thing about Montana.
01:03:12You always help your neighbor out.
01:03:14Thanks to you guys, Doug is going to be a gardener like in the next couple days,
01:03:18which is super exciting.
01:03:19I'm going to go get more plants.
01:03:20Okay, and then I'm going to set the next pump.
01:03:23Now, there's enough water here to get started, but it's temporary and my dad has been at Dawn's
01:03:30trying to figure out his water because if we don't get water at Dawn's, Doug can't grow food.
01:03:43A half mile away, the necessary equipment has arrived and Marty and Matt have begun installing
01:03:49a water line in their last shot to bring the Shanklin's water source to life.
01:03:55We'll have to run that out far enough so we can backfill so it doesn't freeze.
01:04:00What Dawn and Juanita knew that I didn't know is they didn't have water,
01:04:04so I'm helping them by developing this water source.
01:04:08We have to go the extra mile.
01:04:10Clint, how long are they?
01:04:12Cut that to eight feet.
01:04:13That's a 10-foot stick.
01:04:14And that's getting that water to the cabin.
01:04:17So here we are working away and we're waiting for Dawn to dig that water line,
01:04:21but he's having a hard time of it.
01:04:24So let's get this married up.
01:04:26He's using an old backhoe and he's got a lot of digging and he's running into a lot of big rocks.
01:04:33Carry on.
01:04:34Go down right there.
01:04:36That water line will not be in before I leave.
01:04:39We're going to have to help out these homesteaders.
01:04:42That said, I don't care because one inch at a time we're getting to the house before we leave.
01:04:48Fire up the heat.
01:04:48I hadn't fought this entire process through.
01:04:55And now all of a sudden we have to have a complete plan all the way up to the faucet.
01:05:00So it's a little stressful.
01:05:04Go.
01:05:06As this day progresses, it's getting a little hectic.
01:05:09And there's a lot of work to be done.
01:05:11And I'm going into homestead mode.
01:05:13Two clamps on that.
01:05:14Opposite, opposing.
01:05:15Where's Clint?
01:05:16I'm yelling at everybody.
01:05:18Hand me that pipe.
01:05:19Hand me the cutters.
01:05:20The glue.
01:05:20I feel like Dr. Rainey.
01:05:21A little crazy.
01:05:22It's a little crazy.
01:05:24But we're going to have to come up with a plan and figure out a way to speed up.
01:05:37I love it.
01:05:46There's one day left on the rescue of Doug Shelby's 20 acre homestead in northwest Montana.
01:05:53All right.
01:05:55Homestead power.
01:05:57And while the crew assembles the solar panels near Doug's cabin.
01:06:01Good morning.
01:06:02Good morning.
01:06:03Back on the Shanklin's homestead.
01:06:05Let's talk a little bit.
01:06:06How's this girl holding up?
01:06:08She's old.
01:06:09She's tired.
01:06:10Marty finds a way to speed up the waterline installation.
01:06:14Take a look down there, please.
01:06:16What's down the road?
01:06:18Excavator.
01:06:19Exactly.
01:06:20Look at that.
01:06:21That thing right there is going to speed this up.
01:06:24That said, do me a favor.
01:06:25Hand me those keys.
01:06:30Oh.
01:06:32Now we're not going to get anything done.
01:06:34Let's go.
01:06:35What?
01:06:36Start digging.
01:06:38Don and Juanita, they had been hauling water themselves for the last eight years.
01:06:44All right.
01:06:45We got to get this end in.
01:06:46They just drilled a well and hadn't dug the waterline, set the pump.
01:06:51And right now, we're frantically trying to help them out a little.
01:06:55Hopefully, we don't leave these homesteaders high and dry.
01:07:00Feed that into the house.
01:07:02Straight up.
01:07:03I got it.
01:07:05That looks good.
01:07:06All right, done.
01:07:07Let's insulate.
01:07:08All right.
01:07:10So to prevent this waterline from freezing, we're going to cover it with two inches of insulation.
01:07:18And the word on the street is, if you put two inches of foam over a waterline,
01:07:22that two inches of foam is the equivalent of two feet of dirt.
01:07:29It's insurance.
01:07:31If you don't do it, the waterline can freeze even at six or eight feet deep.
01:07:37All right.
01:07:37Clint!
01:07:38Let's backfill!
01:07:46Hey, Marty.
01:07:47What?
01:07:48I found you something.
01:07:50Holy moly.
01:07:55Look at that.
01:07:57What do you know about this, huh?
01:08:00It's not mine.
01:08:02It's not every day on a homestead where I dig up something I haven't seen in a waterline.
01:08:07That could be a classic, a relic, an antique.
01:08:10Listen, I've never worn one of these before.
01:08:13I'm thinking that the gals in Alaska might wear these for extra...
01:08:18For extra warmth.
01:08:19Extra warmth.
01:08:20Extra...
01:08:20Insulation.
01:08:21Insulation.
01:08:22I like the way you think there, Marty.
01:08:25Any homesteader needs to be an upcycler, a recycler, and a free cycler.
01:08:35One man's roof is another man's skirt.
01:08:39Extra insulation.
01:08:41Yeah, every bit counts.
01:08:42Every little bit counts.
01:08:45Almost fits.
01:08:49So this is it.
01:08:55Waterline 101.
01:08:56Dig a trench.
01:08:58Set the waterline.
01:09:00Cover it with foam.
01:09:01Backfill it carefully.
01:09:04That looks good.
01:09:06Marty is a blast.
01:09:07I probably had several weeks worth of work left, but now they're going to help me finish that project,
01:09:15so that I'll be able to help Doug with his water needs.
01:09:19Even though I see that there's too much work to be done, I have faith.
01:09:23Let's go!
01:09:24Marty will come through.
01:09:26We're ready to set a well pump in there, and we're ready to get water.
01:09:31You're saving Doug.
01:09:32It should flow pretty good.
01:09:34He can have all the water he needs.
01:09:36So this used to be the heat hut.
01:09:44Yes.
01:09:44And now it is the chicken coop.
01:09:47Oh, wow.
01:09:49But what's really cool about this design is I wanted them to have an enclosed area to run in because
01:09:55it's just predator proof.
01:09:56Right.
01:09:57And they'll be able to stay warm, and the power from those solar panels, those are the two things
01:10:04that are going to keep the chickens alive, and that was really my goal.
01:10:08Right.
01:10:09I didn't want to just leave an empty chicken coop here.
01:10:11Okay.
01:10:12So we have some neighbors that want to gift us something.
01:10:17Here they come.
01:10:18We've got some chickens for you.
01:10:19Those are beautiful.
01:10:21These are your babies now.
01:10:22Okay, we've got water, and we've got food in there, places for them to lay.
01:10:26Oh, this is awesome.
01:10:28This is your chicken.
01:10:30Hi.
01:10:31Chickens need attention on a daily basis, and so we've made it as easy as possible.
01:10:37Those chickens are going to have fresh water to drink that's not frozen.
01:10:41We built some roll-away nesting boxes, making sure the eggs roll into a nice warm basket.
01:10:47Oh, we've got more chickens.
01:10:48Oh, boy.
01:10:49We've got more chickens.
01:10:50Oh, my goodness.
01:10:51That's a good start.
01:10:52Now, things look comfortable.
01:10:55He has food security, and he is going to survive and thrive.
01:11:01One week ago, Doug's priority on building shelter for the winter months meant he lacked the means
01:11:07to introduce food.
01:11:09Today, his former heat hut has been relocated closer to his cabin and transformed into an
01:11:17automated chicken coop, complete with insulation, roll-away nesting boxes to easily gather eggs,
01:11:23and starter chickens, providing a reliable source of protein for years to come.
01:11:30With this amount of chickens, it should be really manageable, and you can always expand.
01:11:34I love that you thought about that and took that to heart in the whole building process to watch this
01:11:40transformation of what used to be the heat hut from that to a chicken coop.
01:11:47I've never raised chickens.
01:11:49It's going to be a new venture, so I'm really looking forward to that.
01:11:52It's very exciting for me.
01:11:53Barry and Michelle, thank you so much for donating chickens and donating your time.
01:11:59This is super exciting.
01:12:13Huge moment in the bus.
01:12:14We just took out the temporary heater, and now we got to a place where there's finally heat in the bus.
01:12:20For everything we wanted to do in this bus, we had to have heat step one.
01:12:24So this is a huge moment, and we can proceed with everything we have planned.
01:12:30When you look at the 72 bus, the fact that it has no windows,
01:12:33the problem actually led me to the solution, because the only way you're going to garden
01:12:39in northwest Montana this time of year is with heat.
01:12:43Let's try and finish this thing up today.
01:12:45All right.
01:12:45Right now, we're nice and airtight, nice and insulated, and we just need to complete the system
01:12:49so that Doug can grow food.
01:12:52It's like the final day, really, to finish this build.
01:12:55And hopefully, at some point, water comes.
01:12:57Yeah.
01:12:58From your place.
01:13:01Don and I are really excited about being part of the process where Doug can not just live day
01:13:07to day, but to thrive.
01:13:09I'm working on a little seed station.
01:13:12Basically, there's this dome lid, a light, a heating pad underneath.
01:13:18I'm feeling a little stressed today.
01:13:19My dad has been at Dona Juanita's trying to figure out their water situation,
01:13:24because it is the only way Doug is going to be able to survive here.
01:13:28And here we are at the last day, and we're still trying to figure out if we have a permanent
01:13:33water solution.
01:13:35This is a stressful day.
01:13:36This week, people came out of the woodwork trying to help Doug with this firewood,
01:13:53help get water, help them get power, help them grow food.
01:13:57And this community had a fire department fundraiser, and they invited us.
01:14:01So we rummaged around in the truck for things to raffle off.
01:14:07So if anybody has a pin, we're really happy to sign this.
01:14:11A good time was had by all.
01:14:15I really care, boo, you.
01:14:20But more importantly, we all raised $9,000.
01:14:25Four and a four sold for 400 bucks, Keith.
01:14:28You ready?
01:14:42Only three hours remain in the rescue of the Shelby homestead.
01:14:46It's a big moment.
01:14:47It is.
01:14:48And over on the Shanklin's property, it's the moment of truth, as Marty and Don are about
01:14:54to see if they can bring the source of life to not just one, but two homesteads.
01:15:00About a week ago, I asked both Don and Juanita, hey, can we get water from you guys?
01:15:05And now we're going to see if that generator can fire up that well, fill a tank,
01:15:12and if this entire system actually works.
01:15:20All the way!
01:15:24We got some water from your well.
01:15:26Wow.
01:15:27That's the best stuff in the world right there.
01:15:30You're sharing that new pump, that new well with your neighbor.
01:15:35And he's not a neighbor.
01:15:37That's my brother.
01:15:38That's my brother, Doug.
01:15:44It's pretty amazing to have my neighbors bringing water up to me.
01:15:47Okay, let's fill it up.
01:15:48All right.
01:15:49And now that the Rainies have helped them finish their well, they have their own water.
01:15:53It's really neat.
01:15:54It just kind of goes down the line, but it's very humbling that people would try to help you,
01:15:59you know?
01:15:59It's really neat.
01:16:01Oh, that is good stuff, Doug.
01:16:03Is it good?
01:16:04Amazing.
01:16:13Okay, come on, Doug.
01:16:17What in the world?
01:16:18Welcome to your hydroponics garden.
01:16:20Oh my gosh.
01:16:21We framed in some insulated walls.
01:16:23We also upped the insulation that you had started.
01:16:26We added a heater.
01:16:28Right now you have water, thanks to Dawn and Juanita, and you have power right now from your solar system.
01:16:37This is very awesome.
01:16:39This is a scalable operation.
01:16:42You're growing more food than you could ever eat.
01:16:44We're talking hundreds of vegetables are going to come out of this.
01:16:49Awesome.
01:16:50When I first saw Doug, I saw a man homesteading alone, and I wondered to myself if that truly can be done.
01:16:56Now, stepping back, you look at everything that happened this week.
01:16:59We solved problems where 100% Doug will be able to prove that you can homestead alone.
01:17:07Seven days ago, Doug had no sustainable sources of food,
01:17:11and his bus was a converted tiny home that fell into abandon once it was overridden by vermin.
01:17:19Today, the bus has been transformed into a hydroponics greenhouse.
01:17:24Using donated water, a kerosene heater to keep temperatures consistent,
01:17:29and space to scale up the system so Doug can grow food for years to come.
01:17:35And to think this was my house, and now I'm growing food?
01:17:39Yeah.
01:17:41You're welcome.
01:17:43Happy?
01:17:43I'm very happy.
01:17:44Happy?
01:17:486,000 watts, and about 13,000 watts being generated in solar panels.
01:17:55This is enough watts to run a mansion.
01:17:59Over here, you've got heat.
01:18:01Feel how toasted it is in here.
01:18:03You can feel it back here.
01:18:05And by the way, look behind me.
01:18:08100 gallons, pump it from outside, pump it into here,
01:18:11pump it into here, and now this cabin has water.
01:18:16In a week's time, that man went from being homeless to moving into a finished warm cabin
01:18:24with running water.
01:18:26I know he appreciates all that hard work, the struggle it took to get here today.
01:18:31This is home.
01:18:32And it's ready for paint and some type of flooring, some furniture, move in.
01:18:37One week ago, Doug exhausted multiple generators because his cabin lacked the heat
01:18:45needed to survive the cold, and he depended on a nearby creek for bathing and drinking water.
01:18:52Today, he has a fully insulated cabin designed to retain heat from his wood stove,
01:18:59a new solar unit to power the homestead, and a permanent water source provided by his neighbors,
01:19:06ensuring he survives every Montana winter.
01:19:11It's crazy to see the transformation of the property.
01:19:14The Rainies have been fantastic, but what they've done is set something up for me
01:19:18to go forward and continue this momentum.
01:19:23One more thing.
01:19:25Look at me.
01:19:25Okay.
01:19:26I have a little gift for you.
01:19:31What's that noise?
01:19:35And who is this?
01:19:36This is Sir Benjamin.
01:19:37Sir Benjamin.
01:19:38A.k.a. Big Ben.
01:19:40Got a little, got some claws in there, yeah?
01:19:43So we got, we got Benjamin here for you.
01:19:45Oh my gosh, sweet, sweet boy.
01:19:50Oh, I know.
01:19:51Oh my gosh.
01:19:52Good hug, man.
01:19:52Oh, Jeremy.
01:19:55I'm kind of sad that I'm never going to meet Pittsburgh.
01:19:59Doug's beloved cat of almost 20 years, but now a new chapter.
01:20:07Can I hold you, big boy?
01:20:10Can I hold you, big boy?
01:20:11You've got, oh, oh my gosh.
01:20:13I'm thinking somewhere out there, Pittsburgh's looking down happy
01:20:19that we're helping Doug land on his feet.
01:20:24I'm, I'm floored.
01:20:27It's so cool.
01:20:28It's just wild.
01:20:30So.
01:20:34Yeah.
01:20:35A lot happened this week.
01:20:45One of my favorite things about this kids is this.
01:20:48These guys hold water for eight years.
01:20:51They've just got water for themselves.
01:20:54And today they shared their water with Doug.
01:20:57Well, you know you've got a good friend if they help you move.
01:21:00But you know you've got a good friend if they help you move your chicken coop.
01:21:05If they help you move a bus twice.
01:21:08Two times.
01:21:09Yeah.
01:21:10You're growing food.
01:21:11You're a gardener.
01:21:12Juanita is your backup plan.
01:21:14She's going to help you through it.
01:21:16I am not worried about Doug anymore.
01:21:18He's got community.
01:21:19He's got water.
01:21:20He's got heat.
01:21:21We'll be able to sleep this winter.
01:21:24The things that you've done have been life changing.
01:21:28I think Don can attest we've had some heart to hearts where I come out of a winter.
01:21:34And I'm done.
01:21:44Quite honestly, when the rainies showed up, I was tired.
01:21:46I was really tired.
01:21:48You can only be alone like that for so long.
01:21:52In the future, I won't feel that feeling of, I can do it on my own.
01:21:58This community, they won't let you just be alone.
01:22:03I feel so thankful and blessed that they're here.
01:22:06I'm going to miss you guys.
01:22:07Absolute blessing.
01:22:09Don, thank you for everything.
01:22:10Juanita, no man is an island.
01:22:13We're still connected, always.
01:22:16The community is going to come out of the woodwork, literally, and see if you're okay.
01:22:22That's what happened on this homestead.
01:22:24And now Doug will be here forever.
01:22:28See you guys.
01:22:33I'm doing really good.
01:22:38I'm able to be here in a warm place for the first time in three, four winters.
01:22:43Me and Mr. Biggs over here, the cat, he's a sweetheart.
01:22:47He is completely acclimated.
01:22:50The water situation is amazing.
01:22:53All the water that did come from Don and Juanita's place, I've been drinking it.
01:22:58I've been bathing with it.
01:23:01Here we have our hydroponic greenhouse.
01:23:04Juanita came over one day and we took the little seedlings and put them into pots.
01:23:08So I'm excited for that.
01:23:10The chickens have been going great.
01:23:12Oh, look at this.
01:23:14We have eggs.
01:23:15The Rainies and this community made a massive difference in my life.
01:23:21Now I'll reach out and ask for help, no problem.
01:23:23And now for me, it's a blessing to help other people.
01:23:28Thank you guys.
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