- 2 days ago
This Powerful Documentary Will Break and Heal Your Heart _ Based on True Events
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00We're visiting his dad's family.
00:00:30We're visiting his dad's family.
00:00:58Look at that help.
00:01:05Yo, that's crazy.
00:01:10You want to get a look at him?
00:01:13Yeah.
00:01:18That's crazy.
00:01:24I'm gonna walk away there.
00:01:27I'm gonna help too.
00:01:36Run the mountains.
00:01:39You never see something so breathtaking in your life?
00:01:42Do you see the blue rays right there?
00:01:44Yeah.
00:01:45It looks like dark coming up.
00:01:47We're bringing out everything.
00:01:48We're just coming half of us.
00:01:52Right now we're just getting out of the house.
00:01:56Wilderness Works.
00:01:57When I first heard of it, I thought it was a program where we just go like a boy scout type thing.
00:02:05I skipped over the whole wilderness first.
00:02:06So where the entrance is gonna be at?
00:02:14Man.
00:02:15I haven't even seen the outdoors.
00:02:16I just heard stories.
00:02:17But I believe that I was meant to be here.
00:02:21I just wanted to see different places.
00:02:34These are the legs.
00:02:35The little knobby things are the legs, right?
00:02:36Please help me.
00:02:37I'm not trying to break this chair.
00:02:38Most of the trips I've been on, we were in Georgia or probably North Carolina.
00:02:51I never really went somewhere where it's just wilderness and wild like Colorado.
00:02:58This is one of our youngest groups to fly on a trip and go into a national forest and do real rugged outdoor living.
00:03:08They're a bit on the young side, but they learn a lot and they grow.
00:03:14What's the name of that movie, Dylan, that you told me about with the people that put on all the weight?
00:03:19They end up being on like these.
00:03:21Wally.
00:03:22Wally.
00:03:23If you've seen that movie, all they do is watch TV.
00:03:25They've got like food that just comes to their mouth that they don't have to do any work.
00:03:30And they become softer and softer to the point where if you ask me, it's like they're dead.
00:03:37You understand what I'm saying?
00:03:38And I'm thinking that a lot of us do that for 50 weeks out of the year and we stopped doing this.
00:03:46Outdoor living is living.
00:03:48And believe me, when you go home, when it's September, you will look back at this experience and you'll have kind of a pain because you'll be looking back for it and say,
00:03:58wow, that was cool.
00:03:59I really connected.
00:04:00I was very fortunate as a young person.
00:04:11I was in an orphanage as a baby and I was blessed with being adopted by good parents.
00:04:17And I grew up in Miami Beach, Florida, and my brother and I, we were canoeing in Biscayne Bay and boating and sailing and swimming and going to the beach.
00:04:28We were definitely in the outdoors.
00:04:31When I was in Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, we started to work with disadvantaged kids and I began to appreciate how powerful outdoor living experiences would be for them.
00:04:43And I realized that taking this to the next level, establishing a non-profit is where I needed to head and that's what I've done.
00:04:52This is our first city camp of the year. So why don't we do this? Let's all say what our name is. You want to stand up and say your name?
00:05:00My name is Jake.
00:05:02I like that name. That's a cool name. Where did you go to school?
00:05:05Parkside.
00:05:07Parkside!
00:05:09First impression. He was a stranger really, but he always was making jokes.
00:05:16We got to do the special handshake. Okay. Who's that back there?
00:05:19I didn't know him first, so I just called him weird.
00:05:23What is the name of this organization, Victor?
00:05:25Now, look at the forest. The green is the forest, right? Can wilderness work if we're working our way towards extinction? No.
00:05:36When I first seen him, I thought he was like this old, white, grumpy man, so I didn't know what to expect.
00:05:43Outdoor living, it tends to be male-dominated and it tends to be Caucasian, so introducing these ideas to the children we serve, which are predominantly black children,
00:05:54and it's a tough thing to attempt.
00:05:56How many people know where we're going next?
00:06:03I can't hear you!
00:06:04I can't hear you!
00:06:06With me being there, I think it helps because I am black, I am a female, and I do come from the urban neighborhoods,
00:06:17so I am very informed, very in tune with these kids.
00:06:23Y'all just lost your time!
00:06:25Ebony Martin is outstanding. The two of us work together very effectively.
00:06:31I don't look at him as the white savior, and I don't think he looks at it as,
00:06:36oh, I'm helping these black kids out, but I'm helping these kids that in any other situation couldn't afford the opportunity.
00:06:44What we do at Wilderness Works here, we want you to have fun, but my job is to give you ideas.
00:06:59Do you understand me? So let me give you an example.
00:07:02How many people here can say, I have a lot of absentee father in my life? Raise your hand. I know I can.
00:07:10It's a lot of people.
00:07:14I think he can connect with us because, you know, Bill also grew up as an orphan,
00:07:19and he didn't have his real parents in his life, so he couldn't have that real blood on blood connection.
00:07:25I met Clifford when he was in fifth grade. His dad was in prison, and his mom had a full-time job.
00:07:33He's got two sisters and a brother. He was like the man of the house, right? He's only in fifth grade.
00:07:39We have parents that work two and three jobs just to struggle.
00:07:44It's a lot of things going on with the child as well as the family as a unit.
00:07:50With Nick, for instance, he is grappling with depression.
00:07:56With Clifford, he had to grow up with a father who was incarcerated during most of his childhood.
00:08:02Imani has experienced chronic homelessness, constant instability.
00:08:07Right now, I'm just concentrating on, like, really trying to work and get us somewhere to stay.
00:08:16You know, you need your own room. Your sister needs her own room.
00:08:20And three bedrooms are not cheap here.
00:08:24Yeah.
00:08:25Literally, I've got to work a lot.
00:08:28I was around four. It's when my dad first got arrested.
00:08:34And I think that's when it actually started with all the chronic homelessness and stuff.
00:08:43Sometimes I stay in a hotel where it's, like, prostitutes and people selling drugs and smoking weed and stuff like that.
00:08:53I've never really, like, lived on the street.
00:08:56I think it was because my mom, she'd always find a way, really, even if it was just going to another shelter or another hotel.
00:09:06Do you remember, like, some of those rinky-dink hotels sometimes, like, when I wasn't working?
00:09:12And we had to lug all our clothes around.
00:09:14And sometimes I say, y'all, we're just going to be here for a couple of days.
00:09:18Is that mama going to figure it out and we're going to move somewhere else?
00:09:22You know?
00:09:23I always try to make sure, you know, we've got something good to eat or something like that.
00:09:27But a lot of them hotels, I look back and think, wow, how can I, you know, allow us to stay in it and with y'all?
00:09:33I was mad at myself because I felt so ashamed of being homeless and living in shelters and stuff.
00:09:45I was ashamed that I didn't live in a house or apartment.
00:09:48My mom did have a good job. She didn't get good money.
00:09:57I was staying at Nicholas' house, another shelter, and there was a sign-up sheet for something called Wilderness Works.
00:10:04So my mom had just put my name on the list.
00:10:06They was like, oh, we think your son would be a good candidate for it.
00:10:09And I met Bill. We sat down and talked.
00:10:12And the next weekend, I let you go.
00:10:14This was your first time ever going away from me, you know?
00:10:18And you've been going every weekend since.
00:10:21And that was, what, six years ago?
00:10:23I remember how.
00:10:24You've been going every weekend since.
00:10:26I used to pick me up.
00:10:27And I'd get mad because I was leaving and I started crying.
00:10:30You didn't want to leave the camp?
00:10:32Mm-hmm.
00:10:33So you was just having that much fun.
00:10:38I used to always say, Bill, you're your new white daddy.
00:10:42You did say that.
00:10:43You don't remember that?
00:10:44Yeah, I do, I do.
00:10:46Old Bill.
00:10:49I believe that Imani is in a period of processing by careful, repetitive experiences and reassurance
00:10:59we do think we may be countering this negative energy in his life
00:11:04so that he feels like he has value and that he is worthy
00:11:09and that he can overcome this neglect that he's faced as a child.
00:11:13Kind of remind me of a red panda and a squirrel.
00:11:14They had a baby but that would be kind of weird.
00:11:15We'll fight at the same time.
00:11:16We'll fight at the same time.
00:11:17We'll fight at the same time.
00:11:18It kind of reminds me of a red panda and a squirrel, they had a baby but that would
00:11:41be kind of weird, we would fight at the same time.
00:11:46I made a bet with NoHead, because NoHead said if you stick your hand in there he'll give
00:12:13me half of his dinner.
00:12:16So I stick my whole entire hand in there.
00:12:19I hear something like sniffling on my hand and I pull it back, I was like, dang, he just
00:12:23let me have his mashed potatoes.
00:12:25With the chicken, that's a combo.
00:12:27You know how good that was?
00:12:32In this particular trip, initially we're acclimatizing for some high altitude backpacking, so we
00:12:44spend about four days in Rocky Mountain National Park.
00:12:47As we anticipate going on to the Snowmass wilderness outside of Aspen where we are going to be
00:12:54climbing over 12,000 foot peaks repeatedly.
00:12:58We're going to play.
00:12:59Bro, we just drag some more right now.
00:13:00Come on, bro.
00:13:01Oh, they getting on the trail.
00:13:02That's kind of scary shit out of town.
00:13:03I swear, buddy.
00:13:04They put out my heart attack.
00:13:05Yeah, it's great.
00:13:06That's about it.
00:13:07That's a little scary shit out of town.
00:13:08I swear, buddy.
00:13:09They put out my heart attack.
00:13:10Yeah, it's great.
00:13:21How you doing?
00:13:22All right, guys, you can start with the team.
00:13:23The first time I ever snore snow was like, probably that one time it snowed in Atlanta.
00:13:28But that was my second time seeing snow.
00:13:30Oh, I'll go.
00:13:35Bro, what the heck?
00:13:40Why aren't trucks so cold?
00:13:42Dumb-ass man.
00:13:43Dumb-ass man.
00:13:44Dumb-ass man.
00:13:45Dumb-ass man.
00:13:48Are you feeling some altitude in there?
00:13:54I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know, but all of a sudden, he'll just distance himself, you know, like, just get down like he's thinking about something.
00:14:20It's weird. I just be in my own world. I mean, I try to fit in sometimes. Like, I try to change my personality. But a part of me saying, like, no, like, just be yourself. So I'll be myself sometimes.
00:14:37I think Nick, he likes being surrounded by people, except for when he's in his moods or I know he likes to be alone.
00:14:50I'll separate myself from a group just to, like, connect with nature. Because I've never seen nothing like this in my life.
00:14:58One moment, I'll be happy. But then I think about one thing and my whole mood just changed. Like, I get depressed.
00:15:14And then people will be walking up to me and I'll just, like, isolate myself. I'll be like, I'll have, like, my own space. Like, I'll be like, leave me alone.
00:15:25When you in the city, it don't stop. Like, school, school, school, school, school, weekend, weekend, work, work.
00:15:31And, like, extracurricular, like, basketball, after-school program. I maybe see my niece and nephews. It's like, you're trapped in the bubble. I'm tired.
00:15:42Now, I'm concerned about you because we want you to grow into someone that is excited to be who you are.
00:15:54You have to learn who you are. What do I like? What do I not like?
00:15:58And it's challenging to develop your own identity. But I see that you're under pressure.
00:16:05How often do you feel like you're dealing with sadness?
00:16:10Not every day, but it's, like, the majority of times.
00:16:15What do you think you're sad about?
00:16:17I don't even know. It can be about multiple things. It can be about family-related. Anything.
00:16:23You're not sure where they're coming from, but you do feel them.
00:16:26Yeah.
00:16:27And other times you feel really good.
00:16:29Yeah.
00:16:30And we all go through this. You're not the only one.
00:16:33And you know that you have us to talk to, right?
00:16:37Miss Ebony is always there. You know I'm always here.
00:16:40Anytime you want to talk, you know that we're here to talk to, correct?
00:16:43Yeah.
00:16:43Yeah.
00:17:03We've got work to do. We're going to have to get our backpacks out. We've got a thing. Five nights. Six days.
00:17:15It's going to have to get your backpacks out of here.
00:17:18Oh, yeah.
00:17:22Why did it lie over there?
00:17:25I got too much drive for it, bro.
00:17:28Why are you putting it in order if you're going to step it back in the step set?
00:17:31Just sit.
00:17:32It's going to go back out of order.
00:17:33Open the door, please.
00:17:48You're welcome.
00:17:49You're welcome.
00:17:50You're welcome.
00:17:52You're welcome.
00:17:53Now, let's go to an interesting conversation.
00:18:01Tomorrow is Father's Day.
00:18:03And part of my job, actually, at Wilderness Works is to combat fatherlessness.
00:18:09You know, when I was a kid, I was very lucky.
00:18:12Because I had Pat and Ed Meichler, when they were having trouble having children,
00:18:17they went to an orphanage, adopted me in 1958.
00:18:22But they are not my parents.
00:18:24And I never knew my father or my mother, right?
00:18:27Monty, eight years without a father, okay?
00:18:31You go and visit him at prison.
00:18:32And then he calls you on the phone.
00:18:33He calls me.
00:18:34And he sends letters, right?
00:18:36What does that mean to you?
00:18:38Like, because he does all that stuff and I get to see him,
00:18:42it's almost like he has been there, even though he hasn't.
00:18:45And it's like he's trying to do his best as a father, even though he's incarcerated.
00:18:51My dad's on parole, but he has a really strict, like, officer.
00:18:55It's weird, because, like, they, like, treat him like he's still a prisoner.
00:18:59Like, he can't see me or anything.
00:19:02He has to have, like, someone supervising him.
00:19:05Like, he can't be trusted at all.
00:19:07Like, he still is kind of in jail.
00:19:10Where is your dad?
00:19:11My dad got shot at a hotel when I was six.
00:19:15See, he was murdered.
00:19:17Mm-hmm.
00:19:17Six years old.
00:19:19Wow.
00:19:21So here you are, a guy who's trying to become a man,
00:19:28and you got nobody to show you the way.
00:19:31Let's talk about Clifford.
00:19:32Clifford is going back to be at a party to celebrate the release of his father from prison for how many years?
00:19:40So eight years of his life has had no dad.
00:19:44His mother struggled to raise four children.
00:19:47Are you excited to see your dad?
00:19:48Yeah.
00:19:50You probably miss him.
00:19:51Yeah.
00:19:52Do you look like him?
00:19:53People say I do.
00:19:55Is it difficult?
00:19:56Watching my mother trying to raise us is without a father.
00:20:02What time is it?
00:20:04Y'all better hurry up.
00:20:10He's thinking his room.
00:20:15When y'all gonna clean the room up?
00:20:18Like, when?
00:20:19Clean this stuff up.
00:20:20I'm not finna clean this mess up.
00:20:21I didn't see a good neighborhood until I was maybe seventh grade, eighth grade.
00:20:29And it was just, like, a lot of fighting, gun violence, robbery, drug trafficking.
00:20:35You know you don't want to be there, but that's all you ever seen.
00:20:41My dad, he'll go to jail for, like, a year or two, get out.
00:20:45He might stay out for, like, six, seven months and go back.
00:20:50This time he might do a longer sentence and then get out and do another sentence.
00:20:54So it's, like, repetitive.
00:20:55So I don't really have that connection with my dad like that.
00:21:01Clifford as a child, he's just kind of, like, quiet.
00:21:05But I really don't see any traits from his father.
00:21:08I just see all of me, pretty much.
00:21:11Y'all want some cereal?
00:21:13I don't drink milk.
00:21:14So, why you not drinking milk?
00:21:17It's not good for you.
00:21:18Milk not good for you.
00:21:20Pizza not good for you.
00:21:21You still eat it.
00:21:22After Cliff's dad and I broke up, I met my three youngest kids' dad.
00:21:29But he's passed away now.
00:21:31He had a heart attack in the car.
00:21:33We were like this.
00:21:36And that, like, when he passed away, it was just, like, I really ain't got nobody now for real.
00:21:41Now we're really rock bottom.
00:21:42So what did you buy for them to eat Saturday?
00:21:45I got everybody a six piece of fries and some rice.
00:21:49Individual?
00:21:50Yeah.
00:21:51How much was it?
00:21:53It was 28-something total.
00:21:55You should have just got a family.
00:21:58Next time, you just get a family meal.
00:21:59Don't try to buy everybody individual meals.
00:22:02It's just me.
00:22:03It's just me.
00:22:05It's me all day long, nonstop.
00:22:07When anything happens, I have to be the one there to do everything.
00:22:12I was at Parkside Elementary.
00:22:19I was in fifth grade.
00:22:20And Bill came to my school.
00:22:23I was like, maybe I should give it a try.
00:22:25So I gave Bill my mother's number.
00:22:28I did feel skeptical at first.
00:22:30I'm not going to even say I didn't because it was like, who is this man that wants to just
00:22:35get these kids and take them out of town or teach them things?
00:22:40What is his motive, you know?
00:22:43My first trip, we went to Tabby Island.
00:22:47I was just like, yeah, I love this program.
00:22:50You know, you're a kid.
00:22:51You know, you're in a three-story house on the beach with positive people around you.
00:22:56You can talk to them and you're playing and stuff.
00:22:58It was fun.
00:23:00Clifford wanted to go.
00:23:02He was happy.
00:23:03And all the quietness that I seen kind of like, stop.
00:23:12Wild nature.
00:23:13It's like a drug.
00:23:16I don't smoke.
00:23:17So basically, I call it my high.
00:23:19It just feels some type of way.
00:23:23I can't explain.
00:23:25It's freedom.
00:23:26And you don't feel none of the threats and the pressure that comes in the city, particularly
00:23:31in the hood.
00:23:32You don't feel none of that because you're out there basically by yourself with the water
00:23:36and the mountains and things like that.
00:23:38And it's just a stress relief.
00:23:42Clifford has been on many, many trips in a remote wilderness across the United States.
00:23:47And the younger kids are looking up to him.
00:23:49So I'm very excited to see Cliff and his development and the direction he's heading in.
00:24:11We've got four passes to do.
00:24:12West Baroon Pass, Frigid Air Pass, Trail Rider Pass, and Buckskin Pass.
00:24:18This one is icy.
00:24:19You've got to be very careful here.
00:24:21A pass is almost like a U.
00:24:24And you climb up this mountain and you go through it.
00:24:26Through the U.
00:24:27And then you go down.
00:24:28A four pass loop is basically four mountains.
00:24:30It's going in a loop.
00:24:31It's basically what it means.
00:24:33Pack your trash.
00:24:34Bury all human waste.
00:24:35If we have to go to number two, we have to dig a hole six inches deep.
00:24:41And make sure you fill up the hole or whatever when you're done and cover it up, etc.
00:24:46Any questions?
00:24:48All right.
00:24:49Let go.
00:24:50Let go.
00:24:50I love your socks, by the way.
00:25:14Your socks are spectacular.
00:25:16Say no cap.
00:25:17I mean, no cap, okay?
00:25:20I do not take my shoes off when I cross the river, okay?
00:25:46I recommend you do the same, but your shoes will be wet.
00:25:49All right.
00:25:50Here we go.
00:25:50Let's see if I need your help.
00:26:07Dale had me actually stand in the water to help them cross.
00:26:27Basically, I was just like, if I fall in the water,
00:26:29I just fall in the water.
00:26:30I got to make sure they get across.
00:26:32Come on, bro.
00:26:33Ready, set, go.
00:26:34Because, you know, I'm a mentor.
00:26:35Like, their safety matters more if they're younger.
00:26:41Keep going, keep going, move, move.
00:26:43Everybody got across safe.
00:26:45But when I got out the water, I couldn't feel my legs.
00:26:48And it steamed.
00:26:50Like, I got stung by a beat.
00:26:53Y'all did a good job.
00:26:54By the way, if I were you, I would wipe off my face, too.
00:26:57The whole side of you is just...
00:26:59You look like somebody just got out of war.
00:27:03Yeah, well, low-key, that shit was fun, though.
00:27:05That was fun.
00:27:07So, this is where we are.
00:27:10So, really, tomorrow, we will probably do
00:27:14two and a half times what we did today.
00:27:17We'll have to get up early and make it happen.
00:27:24Hold on, hold this, hold this.
00:27:33They all over the place.
00:27:35All over this campsite.
00:27:36It's crazy.
00:27:37But they can't get me now?
00:27:38Yep.
00:27:39My face is not safe.
00:27:45Turn that joint down, bro.
00:27:47All right, all right.
00:27:48All right, all right.
00:27:49Okay.
00:27:50Watch the wrong meat of it.
00:27:54What the world?
00:27:55I know what's up on the bottom.
00:27:56No!
00:27:57Buddy, turn that junk off and then take it off.
00:28:00We're going to blow up real tough.
00:28:02This is Blank Bear Country.
00:28:04Absolutely no food in your tent.
00:28:07Ever.
00:28:10I'll trade you some Cheez-Its for some flavors.
00:28:12Man, I don't like Cheez-Its.
00:28:14Block his job, man!
00:28:15Oh, let me jump in.
00:28:17Yo!
00:28:21Yeah.
00:28:22Hit fucking his face, bro.
00:28:24Is that even really fair?
00:28:25See?
00:28:26I don't know.
00:28:27You the one who traded with me.
00:28:28Oh, man.
00:28:29Let's try this.
00:28:30Don't take backs.
00:28:31Everybody, we're going to have a meeting.
00:28:34Let's bag it all up.
00:28:36Everybody has got a bag of food, right?
00:28:39Mm-hmm.
00:28:40How many canisters do we have that actually have some room in them?
00:28:45We've got three that I can see, right?
00:28:47Three.
00:28:48We didn't realize that we didn't have enough bear canisters.
00:28:50A bear canister is basically a help.
00:28:51When a bear come and try to get your food, they can smell it because their nose are powerful.
00:28:55So when they come, try to get the food, they can't get into it.
00:28:59So here you've got these big bags of food.
00:29:01Let's talk about what can happen here.
00:29:03One is if we're not able to secure the food, the bear can eat the food.
00:29:10Worse yet, somehow it leads to bear interest in us in the tents and somebody gets bitten.
00:29:21Worse than that, there are stories of bears pulling people out of their tent.
00:29:26You guys didn't think about this when we were at the house, did you?
00:29:29This is serious.
00:29:31When I first started, Bill would talk about bears coming to get our food or they can go through the tent.
00:29:37If they smell anything on you, they'll kill you for it.
00:29:40I thought it was like, oh, all right, that's not going to happen to us.
00:29:42But about three years ago, we were in Wyoming, and I was in a tent.
00:29:48All of a sudden, I hear a bear.
00:29:50So I get up out of the tent.
00:29:51I'm like, oh, no, this is not a dream.
00:29:53Look, and it's like this brown grizzly bear like 30 feet away from us just circling the campsite.
00:29:59I can go to sleep probably 3 o'clock in the morning, paranoid.
00:30:02Since then, yeah, I knew, like, it's serious.
00:30:04All those stories I was hearing, it gets serious out here.
00:30:08Let me tell you what.
00:30:10As we keep progressing, we're going to get to a certain point, which is the halfway point.
00:30:16It's also the riskiest point because if something happened, we have all the way to go to come back.
00:30:23Do we want to have to quit the whole trip because we're making unwise decisions?
00:30:28Nope.
00:30:29Yeah.
00:30:30This is all mine.
00:30:35Because we didn't have enough bear canisters, we had to use the Kevlar bag.
00:30:40Remember, we've got to be able to untie it.
00:30:42Just don't go too crazy.
00:30:44I feel like I just zoned out, like, you're just taking it all in and you're connecting with the animals, like, on some mind power tricks, I think.
00:31:12All our food, you know, was safe, we was happy, so we pack up, we're ready to go.
00:31:24I feel like the past don't go up to a little rock, so.
00:31:37I feel like the pass is going to go up to 12 o'clock, so Bill was talking about if it
00:31:50was a day that we were going up a pass, we needed to move fast because if it was raining,
00:31:54you were up so high that you could actually be struck by lightning.
00:31:59That triangle was hard.
00:32:03You look and you see Bill like a thousand feet away, up in the air, like a dot, you're
00:32:09like, oh my God, crazy.
00:32:12I can't breathe from the air, it's too thin, I can't breathe, I'm going to faint, I'm going
00:32:23to keep going though.
00:32:26We all think it's food that fuels us, and it does of course, but oxygen fuels us.
00:32:33It's amazing.
00:32:34I feel like I'm going to faint, I feel dizzy, right?
00:32:39And then I just breathe slowly, I take about maybe 20 breaths, and slowly I just come back
00:32:46to life.
00:32:47It's amazing, and I get like, it's like fuel, it's crazy.
00:32:50Alright, let's go.
00:32:51Let's go.
00:32:52Okay, let's do it.
00:32:55I'm ready to go out here.
00:33:25Getting to the top, it was a lot to take in, just seeing these high mountains and
00:33:55these trees, these valleys, and all this other stuff, I felt like I was on top of the world.
00:34:04Right up until that time, I didn't know whether our group could actually successfully cross
00:34:10these passes that are close to 13,000 feet, but I saw once we did our first pass that
00:34:17we were able to do so, and I was more confident about coming passes.
00:34:21Y'all want to do the trail?
00:34:22It's probably going to be a little bit longer.
00:34:23Y'all want to go down the snow, where we could just meet Bill most of the way.
00:34:28I'm trying to slide, real talk.
00:34:29Y'all trying to slide?
00:34:31Because if we...
00:34:31Y'all trying to slide?
00:34:33Let's do it, bro.
00:34:34Let's go, bro.
00:34:36Down the snow.
00:34:37Real talk.
00:34:38We gone.
00:34:39Oh.
00:34:39Oh, we gone.
00:34:41Oh, we gone.
00:34:45Oh, no.
00:34:46I was not doing that.
00:34:50I was not going for that because, first of all, that's stupid.
00:34:54Second of all, it's not intelligent.
00:34:56And third of all, you're getting your clothes wet, and it's cold outside.
00:35:02Come on, man.
00:35:04I was the smartest side of the whole group.
00:35:05When I get home, I'm going to cook me some white rice, some tofu, and some black beans.
00:35:16Shut up, bro.
00:35:18I'm going to get...
00:35:19No, you know what?
00:35:19I'm going to make some pancakes.
00:35:21But chill out, bro.
00:35:21I don't want to talk about food right now, bro.
00:35:23I'm going to really make it, too, and put that shit on the pan.
00:35:27Because if I start thinking about food, bro, I'm starting to think about trail mix, and
00:35:30that's all I have.
00:35:32No, I want pancakes.
00:35:33What the...
00:35:34What the hell?
00:35:35What?
00:35:36A bee tried to sting me.
00:35:38What?
00:35:39What he do?
00:35:40A bee tried to sting me.
00:35:41He said his bee will do...
00:35:43No, it did not.
00:35:44It said did on everything.
00:35:45These do not just go out of their way to sting people.
00:35:48When they sting people, they die.
00:35:50Yeah, you have to aggravate it.
00:35:51All I heard was this buzzing sound, right?
00:35:53Then I look to my right.
00:35:55I see, like, this thing, and this thing is pointing towards me.
00:35:57I see his legs drop down.
00:35:59Then it's something freaking, like, pointed towards me, and then it's coming.
00:36:01You must have aggravated.
00:36:03I never believed in you.
00:36:04Boy, he's smoking too much crack, boy.
00:36:29Hey, we are not going...
00:36:31We're going to have to go back if we don't find the shoe.
00:36:36Why are we taking our shoes off and walking around barefoot anyway?
00:36:40Boy, we need to figure out where did Sean go and go there.
00:36:46So just don't go aimlessly looking around.
00:36:49We have to find out from Sean where did he go.
00:36:52All right, let's keep looking.
00:36:53We spent a good 20 minutes, like, looking for his shoe.
00:37:01It was under the law, but it was time by soon.
00:37:04If we do not find his shoe, we're going back.
00:37:06What would have happened if we lost a shoe?
00:37:09Obviously, we was not going back because he paid a lot of money for this trip,
00:37:12and I appreciate him for that.
00:37:13But we found his shoe.
00:37:15We just kept on going on.
00:37:16We just kept on going on.
00:37:46Oh, my legs are burning.
00:37:52I cannot feel my legs.
00:37:55It was cold.
00:37:57My socks was wet.
00:37:59I didn't have the right food.
00:38:01I had a whole bunch of Clif bars.
00:38:03Did you get sneakers, man?
00:38:05It was tough.
00:38:16We have to go over that pass.
00:38:31You see that?
00:38:32Oh.
00:38:33It looks like a golf course up there.
00:38:36Passing one pass is tough already.
00:38:38So when you've got to go over two of them, no.
00:38:45Dan, we've got to hit two passes today.
00:38:47Oh, this is tough.
00:38:52Oh.
00:38:54Is backpacking easy?
00:38:56No.
00:38:57This is a whole different kind of world.
00:38:59This is a hard world, right?
00:39:02And I think most of the people I know are too soft.
00:39:05This is not their element.
00:39:08This is my element.
00:39:10I guess one question is, is this your element?
00:39:15Nick, what is your element?
00:39:17To be honest, I don't know.
00:39:19You might be too young to know, right?
00:39:21And too inexperienced.
00:39:23What do you think, Amani?
00:39:25Honestly, I don't really know if this is my element.
00:39:28I mean, I do like being outside and all, but I don't really know if this is...
00:39:38If you had an alternative, would you pick the alternative or would you try to come to a place like this?
00:39:46I would probably pick the alternative.
00:39:49So you probably would not come here.
00:39:52I don't want you to come back unless you want to.
00:39:56And with Amani, I think Amani is hinting that he really doesn't want to.
00:40:01So it's not for everybody.
00:40:03It's something to think about.
00:40:05But I do hope somebody here would like to come back.
00:40:09And either here or wherever we go, but you know you'll have to be tough.
00:40:14All right, let's go.
00:40:18I've never seen my light loose before.
00:40:37Yeah.
00:40:40Can't get it all in one view.
00:40:43Like a snake.
00:40:44Yeah, a snake river.
00:40:45Be sure you're ready to go, Greg.
00:41:07If I slip, I'm just going to slide down.
00:41:15I can't do this.
00:41:28Oh, I know my trick again.
00:41:35If that works, don't do it.
00:41:37Yeah, boys, don't hit me.
00:41:40Once we had got down the pass and were almost at the campsite, the trail had went covered
00:41:46by snow.
00:41:47And I remember I was right behind Bill, and it was, like, scary.
00:41:59It's like a steep hill of snow, almost straight.
00:42:03One wrong step and you could just go tumbling down the hill or straight up to the lake.
00:42:07That's some angry, sad shit, bro.
00:42:10Hey, bro, I'm going down.
00:42:12Who is she telling?
00:42:13Bullshit, what?
00:42:16Walk this way, walk this way.
00:42:17I'm going to die.
00:42:18I'm going to die.
00:42:19Shut up.
00:42:20I don't know how.
00:42:21I'm going to die.
00:42:22We're crossing it one by one.
00:42:34So, you have to put one foot in front of the other, stay low, don't look down.
00:42:40And everybody's safety is in hand.
00:42:51Go to your right a little bit.
00:42:53Go to your right.
00:42:58I think Sean realized that his life was in state.
00:43:01I think he looked down, and he was like, I'm not going no further.
00:43:05Sean, can you come down a little bit and go over that way?
00:43:14Snow looks easier.
00:43:15He got so scared, like, he couldn't move anymore, and he just stopped.
00:43:23Snow is better.
00:43:27Snow is better.
00:43:27All right, listen.
00:43:31You were hesitant about crossing, correct?
00:43:33Mm-hmm.
00:43:34Okay.
00:43:35If I'm with you, can you follow me?
00:43:39Yeah.
00:43:40No, this has to be an absolute yes.
00:43:43Yes.
00:43:44Okay.
00:43:47Okay, what you want to do is lean into the mountain, the snow side, right?
00:43:52Mm-hmm.
00:43:52Do you understand?
00:43:54And you put your foot in the footsteps that are there already made.
00:43:58And you just look at the footsteps only, and you look this way.
00:44:01Okay?
00:44:01Mm-hmm.
00:44:02Mm-hmm.
00:44:07Sometimes you have to take a big step.
00:44:11I want you behind me.
00:44:13Mm-hmm.
00:44:15Are you behind me?
00:44:16No.
00:44:16Keep going, keep going.
00:44:31Good job, good job, good job.
00:44:34Good, good, good, good, good, good.
00:44:36Good, good, good.
00:44:38Good.
00:44:38Good job, good job.
00:44:51I got to hold your hand in there.
00:44:52Ain't no help.
00:44:54All right, let's go set up 10.
00:44:55No help.
00:44:58I'll get your sleeping bags.
00:45:08let's uh reflect on today when we're crossing almost a diagonal snowfield
00:45:20and if something happened that we don't expect and somebody slid down that was a long way down
00:45:31almost all the way to the lake i don't mind river crossings i don't mind crossing passes it's tough
00:45:38high altitude blah blah blah that i don't want to do that's not what i'm here to do we're here to
00:45:46connect with wild nature not to risk our lives and that was too close for me to be comfortable
00:45:57when you first arrived at this snow how did you feel
00:46:01i was gonna die he was like scared yeah i was scared i had to go step by step like it took me at least
00:46:13like 20 seconds to do each step when i got there i was relieved i was like it's over i'm straight now
00:46:21i'm gonna give each of y'all one third i'm a pity
00:46:38this is not an easy place to get to there's a pass on that side there's a pass on that side
00:47:08that one was probably the hardest it wasn't as high as the other ones but the trail was sort of a
00:47:18zigzag and it took a long time
00:47:20with the high altitude thing i would look and see no hair like breathing hard basically
00:47:33i cannot walk
00:47:59i have altitude problems i have so many emotions right now i'm getting aggravated at the most
00:48:09tiniest things it's like if my shoes get stuck in mud i'll get so mad
00:48:14i thought i was trying to go slow but i couldn't stop i mean i slipped on a rock i almost died
00:48:28come on bro we gotta get up this fast
00:48:42i know it's hard bro we gotta get up this fast
00:48:47come on bro you need to get up
00:48:51two minutes two minutes two minutes one up
00:48:55i'm gonna walk all the way up that pass
00:48:59no matter how slow you do it
00:49:02you're walking up that pass without stopping
00:49:04you're walking up that pass without stopping
00:49:19you're scared
00:49:24Three, two.
00:49:26Three, two.
00:49:36Here, look at this top.
00:49:40That's all right.
00:49:42Shit.
00:50:24Helping O'Heya, I kind of felt a responsibility to do it, one, because he was my teammate, and
00:50:48two, really because he's a dear friend, so like doing that, it motivated him and motivated
00:50:54me.
00:50:57I like seeing that somebody basically the same age or like a leader stepping up to the
00:51:03plate realizing things have to get done or we have to help each other to get through
00:51:06this trip, and basically Amani took a lot of leadership, things he usually don't do.
00:51:11That's why he's on the right track.
00:51:19Think about it.
00:51:20We did West Maroon Pass.
00:51:22We did Frigidaire Pass.
00:51:25We did Trail Rider Pass.
00:51:26And today, we did Buckskin Pass.
00:51:33And here we are at the end of the circle, and you've completed this circle.
00:51:37You crossed four passes.
00:51:39You went up to 12,500 feet four times.
00:51:44Very, very challenging.
00:51:46Like I said, when you get home, your friends won't even know what you're talking about.
00:51:57Well, your hands got bigger, bro.
00:52:00My hands, I feel like they really did.
00:52:02What can we tell younger people as we introduce them to Wilderness Works?
00:52:10You're going to have your ups and downs.
00:52:11Like, you're going to have hard times, but you're going to have easy times.
00:52:14Either way, like, it's worth it.
00:52:16I felt pretty good, I guess.
00:52:18It was hard, but at least I got through it.
00:52:22I really am proud of you.
00:52:23I was worried there.
00:52:25At the time, I thought because I was so unsure that I didn't like it.
00:52:29But now, I realize how big that was and, like, what I did.
00:52:35Just going over four passes, seeing these wild animals.
00:52:40There's a huge world out there, and there's so much to discover.
00:52:45So it took me a while to realize, like, if it was my element or not.
00:52:50When you first go out into nature, you're not used to having everything for seven days in one bag.
00:53:02When you do it time after time after time after time, like, the button just turns on, like, dang, it's actually a world I've never seen before.
00:53:10And you realize the freedom of it.
00:53:13Basically, it opens, like, plugs in your brain.
00:53:19Whenever you're, like, this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and Bill corrects her.
00:53:22She's basically telling us, like, you can continue doing this, and you can help other people get out here and keep coming back.
00:53:30It felt like I was playing a game.
00:53:31But it was, like, real life.
00:53:33Once you reach one pass, you get, like, level one, level two, level three, and you pass the game.
00:53:37And it just made me feel proud, because I just did 24 miles.
00:53:42I'm going to get mine.
00:53:44And by the way, Imani, I want you to know, you're right for wilderness.
00:53:46You may not know it, but you are.
00:53:50Kids are so used to virtual reality by having a real experience, really being at 13,000 feet.
00:53:58The real experience is far superior, and they discover that on the trail.
00:54:03It's very gratifying.
00:54:04It's just makeup.
00:54:08It's makeup room.
00:54:11Move dirt, right?
00:54:12No.
00:54:12Without getting a mustache?
00:54:13What?
00:54:14What?
00:54:14What?
00:54:30That's like snow.
00:54:31Yeah, it's actually called snow, sugar.
00:54:33Oh, that's funny.
00:54:34What do you plan on being when you grow up?
00:54:37A personal fitness trainer.
00:54:38Okay, that's cool.
00:54:39But that might change.
00:54:41True.
00:54:41Things will change.
00:54:42Working here.
00:54:42Yep.
00:54:52For the masterpiece,
00:54:54too far.
00:54:56Clock out.
00:55:05Clock out.
00:55:05Oh, my God.
00:55:07I sat out here for an hour.
00:55:10Golly.
00:55:10You got on a, um...
00:55:13The head net?
00:55:14Yeah.
00:55:16He officially out, like...
00:55:18When was the last time you seen your day?
00:55:20When I was 10.
00:55:2210?
00:55:23Yeah.
00:55:2311, 12, 13, 14, 14, 15.
00:55:26Oh, he is.
00:55:28He's about 40 now, ain't he?
00:55:29You nervous?
00:55:30Well, I'm nervous.
00:55:31Are you nervous?
00:55:33I'm just ready to see him, yeah.
00:55:36And when you talk to him, tell him how you feel, too.
00:55:40I don't know how I feel.
00:55:43Are you mad at him?
00:55:45No.
00:55:46I'm probably not mad because I probably was sort of used to it.
00:55:49It wasn't days where I was just like,
00:55:51I ain't got no daddy in my life or whatever.
00:55:54I was just disappointed.
00:55:55Y'all used to it?
00:55:55Yeah, I was just used to it.
00:55:56Yeah, I got him.
00:56:24Yeah.
00:56:25Nah, he got me by an inch.
00:56:31What's wrong with you?
00:56:32Not much.
00:56:34I just came from out of town with the program, my man,
00:56:37in Colorado for a month.
00:56:40I just flew back yesterday.
00:56:41What you doing out there?
00:56:43Backpacking, wilderness.
00:56:45Stuff like that.
00:56:46Backpacking.
00:56:47You know what it is?
00:56:50I think he was kind of like shocked, like,
00:56:53this is my son?
00:56:55Yeah, this is your son.
00:56:57That's a sign to see you.
00:56:58I don't want to see you.
00:57:02You're in the right line.
00:57:04I think he likes me because he realized that I'm different from him.
00:57:08Like, he wasn't on the right track.
00:57:11And him seeing me doing these opposite things that he did,
00:57:14but I guess it's like, oh my gosh, you're actually doing something with his life.
00:57:21I think I got a picture of him, sir.
00:57:25Just a life.
00:57:26I've never traveled in the mountains or nothing like that,
00:57:30but it brought Cliff a ton of energy.
00:57:32That's me?
00:57:33Yeah, that's you.
00:57:34He was like, Mom, it's something other than just Atlanta,
00:57:38other than just Georgia, outside of, you know, just these four walls.
00:57:42Matthew's trying to get a job, too, now.
00:57:47He's trying to step up and keep his grades up because I'm like, look at your brother.
00:57:51He's doing good.
00:57:52And even the other kids, they respect him now.
00:57:55I thank him.
00:57:56Like, I really thank him for being a good child.
00:57:59Now, I feel like I can brag a little bit.
00:58:04Yeah.
00:58:07Oh, yeah, that's no joke.
00:58:10That's you.
00:58:12That's me right now.
00:58:14I was the first one to join motorsports out of my family.
00:58:20It was like, Nick, can I come with you?
00:58:21Because, like, I've been missing you.
00:58:22Y'all be like, all right.
00:58:24Sonny, stand up.
00:58:26Are you related to Brandon?
00:58:30I'm happy for them.
00:58:31I just want to see their reaction.
00:58:33Like, when they get inside, like, wilderness, like, I just want to see how they react.
00:58:41I'm not going to say I'm fully matured because I know I didn't.
00:58:44I'm not going to say a parent lie.
00:58:47But I'm not going to let depression take over my life.
00:58:51So some of the kids that come here are living in shelters.
00:58:56And Imani knows what it's like to be homeless.
00:58:59And I'm very proud of Imani because he has stood tough all this time.
00:59:04Look at him.
00:59:05There was one in particular at City Camp I did see myself in.
00:59:09He was in the same stuff I was into when I was that age.
00:59:12Well, yeah, I felt the same thing.
00:59:14It was all unpredictable.
00:59:16And I don't know where I would go or anything and nothing.
00:59:20I don't know what would happen or who would be here or anything.
00:59:24It was really stressful, like Imani said.
00:59:28Oh, yeah.
00:59:29Imani can let these kids know that it doesn't stop here.
00:59:35That they call it transitional housing because you're not meant to stay there,
00:59:39but transition into something better.
00:59:43Red Rover, Red Rover, send Lucas over.
00:59:47If you expose yourself to more than just what the system offers you, there's no limit to
00:59:53what you can become.
00:59:54When you were out there in the mountains, when you guys reached the top, did it feel like
01:00:01you guys were in an Atlanta building all the way up there?
01:00:05First climb in the past is hard.
01:00:08I mean, it's tough.
01:00:10So once you get up there and you get to the top and you see where you came from and you
01:00:14point and you feel the wind, you're like on top of the world.
01:00:17You feel like you're accomplishing.
01:00:18These guys have done major, major, major stuff, and there's even more you can do.
01:00:24There's no limit.
01:00:25People who think big do big.
01:00:27The question is, how many feel like this is something you would like to do?
01:00:34I do believe that the group of people that have experienced wilderness could make this
01:00:40go way beyond what I've done.
01:00:42Can you and Cliff take the first group upstairs?
01:00:45There's a series of chain reactions, and that's exciting.
01:00:53We've still got like 10 more minutes.
01:00:56Yeah, but you can talk, but talk quietly.
01:00:59Okay.
01:00:59You want to admit it.
01:00:59No.
01:01:00Move.
01:01:01Do I have to admit it?
01:01:02No.
01:01:02No.
01:01:02There it is.
01:01:15It's like mountains behind mountains.
01:01:41Five down mountains.
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