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00:00:00This is the land of extremes, earthquakes, forest fires, and winters can be deadly.
00:00:10Right now, it's record heat that hasn't occurred in 30 years.
00:00:16Last year, we met a single mom and her kids facing challenges that have been caused by Mother Nature.
00:00:23And now it's worse.
00:00:25So, how can I help this family?
00:00:28One more time.
00:00:33One year ago, the Rainies responded to an urgent plea from the Adams family.
00:00:39This last year was pretty devastating. I'm not one to normally ask for help.
00:00:43Facing the epic challenge of deadly wildfires, destructive flooding.
00:00:48The water will come up in a matter of hours.
00:00:51And a lack of a clean water source.
00:00:53They don't have enough water to survive here.
00:00:58The Rainies helped them maintain their foothold in the unforgiving wilderness.
00:01:04But now, new existential threats have jeopardized their survival.
00:01:13The last earthquake that we had caused damage to the water line.
00:01:16As Alaska's wild frontier.
00:01:19The bear was against the house?
00:01:21Yeah.
00:01:21And worsening wildfires.
00:01:23That is truly frightening.
00:01:26Close in on them from all sides.
00:01:31On this episode.
00:01:33It's basically a bomb.
00:01:35Marty returns to the Adams' failing homestead.
00:01:39The thought of giving everything up.
00:01:41It crushes me.
00:01:43In a Hail Mary attempt.
00:01:45Rain!
00:01:46We're burning daylight!
00:01:48To bring new hope back to the family.
00:01:52We're going to go so much further now.
00:01:53Let's leave civilization behind.
00:02:03Off-grid.
00:02:04No power lines.
00:02:05No people.
00:02:06Except one.
00:02:09Marty is returning to a homestead in Alaska's perilous interior.
00:02:13A region with extreme weather shifts and deadly forces of nature.
00:02:19During the last month, Alaska recorded more than 3,200 earthquakes.
00:02:25With a magnitude 5.3 quake recorded just a mile away.
00:02:30While the nearby McDonald Fire wreaks havoc, displacing residents and driving animals from their habitats.
00:02:38It's in this unpredictable environment that Marty encounters the Adams' family.
00:02:45Oh.
00:02:46Threatened by Mother Nature once again.
00:02:50Hey, you.
00:02:51Nice to see you again.
00:02:53It's just me.
00:02:54No kids.
00:02:55Okay.
00:02:56Nice to see you again.
00:02:57Charlie.
00:02:58Dax.
00:02:59Very nice to see you.
00:03:00You guys are a little bit taller.
00:03:02Yeah.
00:03:03What are you now?
00:03:0315, 20?
00:03:0412.
00:03:05Oh, sorry.
00:03:06What are you?
00:03:0618, 23?
00:03:07Uh, 10.
00:03:08What?
00:03:0810.
00:03:08Oh, well, sorry.
00:03:09You looked older.
00:03:11What better example than Christy Adams is there when it comes to homesteading?
00:03:17A single mom of three kids.
00:03:19She's a worker.
00:03:21She's smart.
00:03:21And she's capable.
00:03:23All of the work, all of the chores, the responsibility, the load is on her shoulders alone.
00:03:30And the kids.
00:03:32It's a beautiful sunny day in Alaska.
00:03:34It does not look like you guys have any problems.
00:03:38We have a few.
00:03:45My name is Christy Adams, and I live in interior Alaska.
00:03:50My homestead is 20 acres total, and we're completely off the grid.
00:03:54I like that.
00:03:57The last time the rainies were here, it was such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
00:04:02There's water dripping off that bucket.
00:04:04Oh, my God.
00:04:05They gave us all these awesome upgrades.
00:04:08The garden.
00:04:09You will have a never-ending supply of food.
00:04:12The well.
00:04:13Look down in there.
00:04:14Oh, wow.
00:04:14Looks like water.
00:04:19The rainies were really helpful.
00:04:22We built the food for it.
00:04:24All right, Dax.
00:04:26This is canned food for when the winter gets kind of tough.
00:04:30And now we use it for food canning and processing.
00:04:35The garden is growing very well.
00:04:39There's so much food.
00:04:40The rabbits are all grown up, and we recently had baby bunnies.
00:04:46And all the wood that the rainies gave us really helped us get through winter, and it made us more prepared.
00:04:55But nothing could truly prepare the family for interior Alaska's unpredictable nature.
00:05:05Earthquakes are just a normal part of Alaska life.
00:05:09There's a strange little fault line that runs out here a couple miles away, and we get a lot of earthquake activity from it.
00:05:16And when they're that close, they feel much bigger.
00:05:20The last earthquake that we had, that big one, caused damage to the water line.
00:05:25And so I had to replumb in our holding tank.
00:05:28We've ran well lines over the ground just temporarily to refill the holding tank.
00:05:33And now that we use more water, that means more gray water that goes out onto the ground.
00:05:38And that little culvert just hasn't been able to keep up anymore, making a big pond over on the side of our house.
00:05:44The contamination in the water, that's been a big concern.
00:05:48The fear of it coming into the house is another concern.
00:05:50Winter is constantly in the back of our minds.
00:05:57We have to put our animals into a small greenhouse that is not heated just to keep them alive.
00:06:03We've probably lost five litters of rabbits just due to the cold.
00:06:08Another challenge this year was forest fires.
00:06:10We had a really big fire that was about three miles away.
00:06:13Overall, it's burned about 180,000 acres.
00:06:17When it got really close, we were under evacuation ready orders, and it was pretty terrifying.
00:06:24And today, we can still smell it.
00:06:26There's so many challenges, and I'm just left being spread really thin.
00:06:32But I love homesteading.
00:06:34It's my everything.
00:06:35My mom really needs help because she never has enough time to work on the homestead.
00:06:41And we really need Marty back.
00:06:44So we were fine until February.
00:06:46So it withstood all the cold temperatures, and then we had some earthquakes, and the water just quit pumping.
00:06:53So did you have to just go back to hauling water?
00:06:55Well, we did for a little bit.
00:06:57And then once it warmed up enough that things weren't freezing, we ran these water lines from the well on the ground.
00:07:05Well, I'm really not happy to hear this.
00:07:07We gave them life.
00:07:10We gave them water.
00:07:12But now, the water situation is dangerous.
00:07:15They're not going to make it through another winter here.
00:07:18We're back where we started.
00:07:20What's this over here?
00:07:22That's my attempt at rain catchment.
00:07:24This was actually what saved me this year because I couldn't get out with our water trailer to get water because the road was so bad.
00:07:31But the snow melt off the roof gave me about 300 gallons to get me through until the road dried up.
00:07:36But the water quality in there is really disgusting.
00:07:39Do you have any filtration?
00:07:41No.
00:07:42Okay.
00:07:44Did anybody come look at it?
00:07:45Yeah, Josh, a local guy that owns Weiss Mechanical, he jumped right in and said, we'll come out and help.
00:07:52He has this tubing that he runs, and he ran it through the line, and it pumps water in.
00:07:56From which direction?
00:07:57He did both directions.
00:07:58So he came from the house?
00:08:00Mm-hmm.
00:08:01And he came from the well right there?
00:08:03Yep.
00:08:04Why does he think the water line failed?
00:08:07He does think it could have been from the earthquakes.
00:08:09We had a good couple days of nonstop earthquakes.
00:08:12Really?
00:08:12Yeah.
00:08:14Due to its tectonic, volcanic, and ice-related activity, Alaska records more earthquakes than any other state in the country.
00:08:24And while modern infrastructure can withstand intense shaking, newer precautions, like road retrofitting, haven't made their way to some regions of higher risk, including rural areas or remote locations, making each new quake potentially devastating.
00:08:46Adam, what is this?
00:08:48That wasn't here last time.
00:08:49That's where our gray water comes out of the house.
00:08:54But because we have the well now and we have such an easy access to water, we use more water.
00:08:59And so now our little gray water French drain that we had set up can't handle the sheer amount of water that's coming out of the house from showers and the washer and the sink.
00:09:09We designed a small system to accept the water that she was hauling, but the water that we've introduced through the well, and now her temporary line, is too much water.
00:09:21And there's a cesspool right outside the front door.
00:09:24It's unsafe, it's unsanitary, and it's unacceptable.
00:09:29I have to say, you guys probably have one of the coolest rabbit touches ever, right?
00:09:36More importantly, have predators bothered these rabbits?
00:09:39Yeah.
00:09:40Me and Dax were home alone, and then a black bear came and got one of them.
00:09:46When was this?
00:09:48A couple days ago.
00:09:49I heard thumping on the wall.
00:09:51The bear was against the house?
00:09:53No.
00:09:54Yeah.
00:09:55Okay, where was your mom?
00:09:56In town.
00:09:57I told mom, and she said to go get the shotgun off the porch.
00:10:02I went, and I shot two firing shots, and I screamed and threw rocks at him, and he didn't flinch at all.
00:10:08Now that's a bad sign.
00:10:10Yeah.
00:10:10What happened next?
00:10:11He was, like, pouncing on the rabbit, and I killed it.
00:10:15You killed the bear?
00:10:17Mm-hmm.
00:10:19Would I recommend a 12-year-old be able to handle a shotgun?
00:10:24Probably not.
00:10:25But that bear would be coming to this house for the rest of his days.
00:10:30So, honestly, there really was only one fix for this problem.
00:10:35And it was a 12-year-old that was confident enough, skilled enough, to do what had to be done.
00:10:42I'm sorry that the bear died, but this is a bear that would probably try to crawl through a window, break glass, get through the door just to get to the food.
00:10:50But he has no fear, I'll guarantee you, there was no stopping that bear from coming back.
00:11:01All right, kids, let's talk.
00:11:03Where was this bear?
00:11:05He got in here?
00:11:06Yeah, this is all he had.
00:11:08So he just ripped this out of the way?
00:11:10Yeah.
00:11:10Do you have a video of any of this?
00:11:12Any pictures?
00:11:13No.
00:11:14You do?
00:11:15Mm-hmm.
00:11:16May I see it?
00:11:18Oh, my gosh.
00:11:20That's a pretty healthy bear, actually.
00:11:22That bear's big enough to cause some damage.
00:11:25It's not all bad news here.
00:11:27I had the kids take me over to the rabbit hutch and Misty's garden and show me the improvements in the last year and a half.
00:11:37Okay, so she's doing bale gardening?
00:11:40Yes.
00:11:40The only downside with the bales is you need to use so much water.
00:11:44Yeah.
00:11:45Everything looks really dry.
00:11:47Look at this.
00:11:48Like, oh, man.
00:11:50Like, crusty dry.
00:11:51They don't have a well, and things like keeping livestock and gardens alive is a real struggle.
00:12:00So there's just a little bit of life, not enough quite to feed a family of three, but you can grow a ton of stuff, especially in interior Alaska.
00:12:13Where's the main rabbit hutch?
00:12:15Oh, right here.
00:12:16Right here.
00:12:17We have some baby ones, so...
00:12:19There's babies?
00:12:20Uh-huh.
00:12:20No way!
00:12:21Don't tell anybody, but I really do like little baby bunnies.
00:12:25Can I see one?
00:12:26Yeah.
00:12:27Oh, my goodness.
00:12:29Can we hold one?
00:12:30Yeah.
00:12:31This one's named Bobby.
00:12:34Come here, Bobby.
00:12:36These things are cute.
00:12:37Yeah.
00:12:38Oh, my gosh.
00:12:39Hey, I have a question.
00:12:40How come the bear didn't get in this pen?
00:12:42Uh, there's the door there, and he was pushing on it, but he didn't break it.
00:12:46He tried to get in.
00:12:47Mm-hmm.
00:12:48And then he found an easier gate over there.
00:12:51Mm-hmm.
00:12:51If a bear couldn't get in here, good job.
00:12:53You saved all these bunnies.
00:12:55You guys have been taking them out of here and relocating over in that building for a while
00:13:00during the cold snaps?
00:13:01Mm-hmm.
00:13:01So, guys, I'm really glad you showed me these babies, because I think we should come up with a plan so they survive.
00:13:08They're protected from bears, and they're protected from cold weather.
00:13:12I want to look at this well a little bit closer.
00:13:22Okay.
00:13:22Well, a year ago, you were standing here.
00:13:26Mm-hmm.
00:13:27And you were really happy because we've developed the well.
00:13:30Grab that door handle, please.
00:13:33Okay.
00:13:34Okay, look down in there.
00:13:34Oh, wow.
00:13:35The recovery is insane.
00:13:38It's at least 11 gallons a minute.
00:13:40Wow.
00:13:41I mean, it's just huge on every level.
00:13:44Yeah.
00:13:44Water's life.
00:13:47Here we are a year later, and I'm not happy because we've got some issues, huh?
00:13:51Yeah.
00:13:51So, everything worked fine until February.
00:13:54Mm-hmm.
00:13:55Temperatures had reached 66 degrees below zero, and it was working.
00:14:00Yep.
00:14:01Okay, and then all of a sudden, one day, you went to get a glass of water, wash dishes.
00:14:04And nothing came out.
00:14:05My first thought was that the line was frozen that comes out of the ground into the house,
00:14:10because that's the most susceptible spot to the cold.
00:14:12That's what I would check.
00:14:13I'm sorry.
00:14:13That's pretty vulnerable.
00:14:14Yep.
00:14:16So, what you're looking at now is the worst-case scenario.
00:14:20A water line that comes out of the ground that's exposed to the elements.
00:14:25This would freeze the very first night that it dipped below 32 degrees.
00:14:30At this point, it's kind of a Hail Mary.
00:14:33Just grab fiberglass insulation and plastic and wrap it around the pipe.
00:14:40I want to protect this line as much as I can.
00:14:44Every little bit is going to help us.
00:14:47So, I ran the heater on it, and still no water came out.
00:14:52So, then I pulled the line apart, and I dropped a little weighted rock on a string down the pipe,
00:14:57and it went all the way down.
00:14:58So, I knew that the freeze wasn't there.
00:15:00You're smart.
00:15:02Got to be resourceful.
00:15:03Very cool.
00:15:04Then I did come out here, and I looked to make sure that there was no ice in it.
00:15:08It was all good and thawed.
00:15:10The water was open at the bottom of the well, and I called up Josh.
00:15:13He thinks there's an area where something went wrong.
00:15:16From the earthquakes.
00:15:17Yeah.
00:15:18A year later, no water, a disgusting cesspool, bears, earthquakes.
00:15:27We've got a lot of work to get done on this homestead.
00:15:30All right.
00:15:30Come on.
00:15:31Not to mention, down the road has a meter, and it's red line.
00:15:36Mmm!
00:15:37Extreme fire danger.
00:15:40I smell smoke.
00:15:41That's the McDonald fire.
00:15:43Three miles.
00:15:43That is truly frightening.
00:15:45I have a feeling that they're pushing bears this way.
00:15:48We have to protect these animals now.
00:16:01Hey, guys.
00:16:03I smell smoke.
00:16:05Yeah.
00:16:06I noticed there was ash on my hood of my truck.
00:16:10Hours into Marty's return to the Addams' 20-acre Alaskan property,
00:16:15the danger of life in interior Alaska rears its head.
00:16:21That's the McDonald fire that's been burning out here for a month and a half now.
00:16:25It came really close?
00:16:26Yeah.
00:16:27Is that where there's smoke coming from?
00:16:28Yes.
00:16:31Just now, I noticed the smoke.
00:16:34It's pretty crazy.
00:16:35There's a million square miles of black spruce, and branches are just dry.
00:16:45Firefighters refer to this as gasoline on a torch.
00:16:50So I found an update this morning.
00:16:51It says the fire remains active and may produce smoke every summer.
00:16:55It seems like half the state's burning, but this one's pretty close.
00:16:59How close did it get?
00:17:00Three miles.
00:17:00And it's still going?
00:17:02Yeah, it's smoldering.
00:17:04The nearby McDonald fire has been raging for close to two months,
00:17:09burning almost 200,000 acres of Alaskan land,
00:17:13and continues to blaze due to the summer's warm, dry weather,
00:17:18and the region's abundance of black spruce trees.
00:17:21As the intensity grows and the winds shift,
00:17:25local firefighters have had trouble controlling the flames
00:17:29and now split their time between two other fires,
00:17:33totaling almost 635,000 acres torched.
00:17:38So they had us on a ready evacuation status, and...
00:17:44You're kidding me.
00:17:45Yeah.
00:17:46Holy moly.
00:17:48That is truly frightening.
00:17:50Where were you guys at?
00:17:52In the house the whole time, and then...
00:17:54Could you hear it?
00:17:55Uh-huh.
00:17:55What's it sound like?
00:17:57It's just like a big roaring.
00:17:58It almost sounds like a jet.
00:18:00For real?
00:18:01Uh-huh.
00:18:02We've never had one that close before,
00:18:04so we were all frantic trying to get pens and cages
00:18:07and kennels and things together,
00:18:08so that way, if they said we had to go,
00:18:10we could have all the animals up and out of here
00:18:12in a moment's notice,
00:18:14and then all we could do is wait.
00:18:16And so what happened?
00:18:17It died down, luckily.
00:18:18A year ago, we were surprised to see
00:18:21that this homestead didn't have a defensible space.
00:18:27I'm going to probably start right over there
00:18:29and work my way around.
00:18:30One year ago...
00:18:31This is a chainsaw party.
00:18:33Let's start cutting.
00:18:34The threat of wildfire forced the Rainies
00:18:37to carve a firebreak around the homestead's structures.
00:18:41I'd like to be on the other side of the homestead,
00:18:43near the garden,
00:18:44just cutting down all those little trees,
00:18:45get them away from your house,
00:18:47and create a garden space.
00:18:49Absolutely.
00:18:50These are called ladder fuels.
00:18:52Heat rises.
00:18:53It literally sucks the flames and everything
00:18:56right up the tree.
00:18:57Every spruce tree in this type of black spruce forest has it.
00:19:01The amount of trees they took out
00:19:03and the sheer volume of firewood that we have right now,
00:19:07oh my gosh.
00:19:08The bad trees are gone.
00:19:10We have much more defensible space.
00:19:12That's going to make me sleep easier at night,
00:19:14knowing that our risk of having a wildfire
00:19:17do a lot of severe damage is lessened now.
00:19:22She dodged a bullet,
00:19:24but I don't think we took enough away.
00:19:27I'm thinking that we need to push this defensible space
00:19:30back further.
00:19:33Ready?
00:19:34Yeah.
00:19:35Marty will clear a new 20-foot firebreak perimeter.
00:19:40Ooh, nice job.
00:19:43All right.
00:19:44Before starting the other crucial work on the homestead.
00:19:48I wanted to get started with the waterline,
00:19:51but everywhere I look,
00:19:53there's more immediate threats to this homestead.
00:19:57Right now, Christy's homestead is vulnerable to forest fires.
00:20:02So, we're cutting 20 feet away of black spruce,
00:20:07giving them extra protection
00:20:09between the wilderness and the homestead.
00:20:15With the fire danger mitigated for now,
00:20:18Marty turns his attention
00:20:19to another immediate threat to the homestead.
00:20:22So, show me exactly where that bear
00:20:24was scratching on the house, please.
00:20:27Right here.
00:20:28He was scratching right about here.
00:20:29He even chipped it right here.
00:20:31Yikes.
00:20:32Were you looking out this window?
00:20:33Uh-huh.
00:20:34And where was he?
00:20:35He was, like, around this area, kind of.
00:20:38He was right here.
00:20:39He was just walking around looking for food.
00:20:42The bear was after the animal feed
00:20:45and the animals themselves.
00:20:47Now I know that I need to put our animals away
00:20:50and our food away from other animals
00:20:53who want to eat that.
00:20:56Scratched on the house, couldn't get in,
00:20:58and now he's going to this?
00:21:01The garden.
00:21:01The garden.
00:21:02Why do you think he came this direction?
00:21:04The rabbits and the quail are in here.
00:21:06Exactly.
00:21:08I'm so incredibly proud of Dax taking down that bear.
00:21:11He's a confident kid,
00:21:13but in a situation like that,
00:21:15most anybody's going to lose their cool.
00:21:17And even Charlie, she kept it collected,
00:21:19and I think his coolness was playing off of her.
00:21:22So together, the both of them made an awesome team,
00:21:25and it's a proud mom moment for sure.
00:21:28On top of it, the fires that happened out there,
00:21:31I have a feeling that they're pushing them this way.
00:21:33Oh, yeah, that's a really good point, actually.
00:21:35That could be impacting why you're seeing them more now.
00:21:38Alaska has over 100,000 black bears,
00:21:42over 30,000 brown bears.
00:21:45The bear that visited this homestead
00:21:47was looking for dinner,
00:21:49and it was going to do anything to get it.
00:21:52Alaska is bear country,
00:21:54being home to nearly 140,000 black, brown, and polar bears.
00:22:00And during most of the year,
00:22:02they can be frequently sighted grazing in forests
00:22:05or salmon fishing in rivers.
00:22:07But because bears are attracted
00:22:10to improperly stored food or garbage,
00:22:13displacement from their habitats by earthquakes or fires
00:22:16drives them towards homes,
00:22:19increasing the number of potentially dangerous encounters
00:22:22with humans.
00:22:25Let's talk a little bit.
00:22:27Now knowing the local fires are driving bears towards homes,
00:22:32Marty's first priority is to ensure the safety
00:22:35of the family's food sources.
00:22:37Once the kids told me that the rabbits were dying in the winter
00:22:41and from bears in this neighborhood,
00:22:43I realized that these rabbits need to be somewhere
00:22:47other than that rabbit hutch to survive here.
00:22:51We need to figure out a plan
00:22:53to make a safe, protected refuge
00:22:56for the animals on this homestead.
00:23:00So the kids and I recently added quail
00:23:03to our cast of homestead characters
00:23:05with the chickens and rabbits.
00:23:06We're using them for meat and for eggs.
00:23:09Copy.
00:23:09So we have a great space for them in the garden out there
00:23:12in the summertime,
00:23:13but come wintertime,
00:23:14we don't have any place to put them.
00:23:16We've just been kind of throwing them
00:23:17in the greenhouse with the rabbits.
00:23:19Okay.
00:23:19What time of winter does it get so cold
00:23:21that the rabbits and the quail
00:23:23have to be moved into this building?
00:23:24When it gets below freezing
00:23:25is when we move them into a warmer space.
00:23:27Well, below freezing is October.
00:23:29Yeah.
00:23:30You move them in here for the whole winter?
00:23:31Yeah.
00:23:32I had no idea.
00:23:33Was there enough room in there?
00:23:34No.
00:23:35Oh, I see what's going on.
00:23:37Once a bear like that
00:23:38starts getting into livestock,
00:23:41they're just going to keep coming back
00:23:42and they're going to become a bigger nuisance
00:23:43until something really bad happens.
00:23:46And now that we have bears eating the rabbits,
00:23:48we need to figure out a way
00:23:49to ensure the safety of the animals,
00:23:52but make sure that they're warm
00:23:53and safe through winter as well.
00:23:55I think it's pretty straightforward.
00:23:57Why don't we just move them in here full time?
00:24:00Close this in.
00:24:01Mm-hmm.
00:24:01And I think we probably should insulate it,
00:24:03providing housing for the really cold temperatures.
00:24:06and protection from bear encounters.
00:24:09You're just trying to give these animals
00:24:11a fighting chance when it gets 20, 30 below.
00:24:14Someone's got to move that firewood.
00:24:16Guess who it's not going to be?
00:24:17Mm-hmm.
00:24:18Me.
00:24:19Guess who it might be?
00:24:21You.
00:24:22Okay.
00:24:23You know what to do.
00:24:24Okay, let's go.
00:24:24You know what to do.
00:24:25It's up to you.
00:24:26Start stacking wood.
00:24:28Marty has tasked Christy
00:24:30with framing in her old woodshed
00:24:33to build a 10-by-20-foot bear-proof shelter.
00:24:36First, she and a small build crew
00:24:39will construct two wall additions,
00:24:42reinforcing them with additional lumber.
00:24:44Next, they'll add insulation to the walls and flooring,
00:24:48ensuring warmth year-round.
00:24:50And finally, they'll install a steel door
00:24:54sturdy enough to keep bears out
00:24:57and protect the animals within.
00:25:00We've got our work cut off for us
00:25:02if we're going to protect these animals
00:25:04from bears and the brutal winters.
00:25:09And now with forest fires driving in bears,
00:25:12we've got to get busy and get some things done here.
00:25:16Back to work.
00:25:17Let's go.
00:25:25Here we go.
00:25:26It's the second day of the re-rescue
00:25:29of the Addams' 20-acre homestand.
00:25:33And while progress continues
00:25:35on the bear-proof shelter,
00:25:38Marty tackles the health hazard
00:25:40outside the family's home.
00:25:43When we met Christy,
00:25:45she had a little barrel,
00:25:46and it was adequate in size
00:25:48to accommodate all the gray water from her cabin.
00:25:51When we left, we upgraded it.
00:25:54Let's go quick.
00:25:55Follow me quick.
00:25:59We installed this culver's for her gray water
00:26:01before she had a barrel,
00:26:03so we thought we'd go the extra mile,
00:26:05take the top of what we cut off the well,
00:26:08and give her a really cool gray water catchment.
00:26:14Would you like to die of typhoid?
00:26:16Not me.
00:26:18But even that wasn't enough
00:26:20for all of the water
00:26:22coming out of that brand-new well.
00:26:24So I can't really be patting myself
00:26:26on the back right now
00:26:27because we've created a problem,
00:26:29and we've got to figure out
00:26:30how to get that water safely underground
00:26:33where it's not a health hazard to the family.
00:26:37Let's work on the gray a little bit
00:26:39because we're going to be down there working.
00:26:41Gray water makes up 65% of the wastewater
00:26:45generated from households
00:26:46and doesn't contain fecal matter,
00:26:48but is made up of runoff from sinks,
00:26:51dishwashers, showers, or washing machines.
00:26:55And because the matter contains harmful chemicals
00:26:57and a high bacteria count,
00:27:00the water isn't potable
00:27:01or environmentally safe for sewage systems
00:27:04unless first treated,
00:27:06making proper disposal
00:27:07a high priority for homesteaders.
00:27:09That's a hazardous waste site.
00:27:15We'll put it right here
00:27:16in the bottom of this hole.
00:27:17We'll get rid of all the contaminated dirt
00:27:19and craziness,
00:27:20and then we'll start on the water line.
00:27:32Everything green and gray has got to go.
00:27:34Hello.
00:27:36Hello.
00:27:37Oh.
00:27:38Who'd you bring?
00:27:39I brought Josh.
00:27:41Josh?
00:27:42And his wife, Amanda.
00:27:44Hello.
00:27:45How you doing?
00:27:45Nice to meet you, sir.
00:27:46Nice to meet you, Josh, and Amanda.
00:27:48Yes, sir.
00:27:48Nice to meet you both.
00:27:50Josh and Amanda are two community members.
00:27:54Josh owns Weiss Mechanical.
00:27:56Josh came out here and spent three days
00:27:58trying to figure out
00:27:59what was wrong with the well line.
00:28:01I mean, he climbed in the well
00:28:02at below zero temperatures
00:28:03trying to get it thawed out,
00:28:05just running hot water through it
00:28:06as long as he could.
00:28:07They're both a special kind of people.
00:28:09I'm thinking, sir,
00:28:11according to Christy,
00:28:11this was also the scene of the crime.
00:28:13I believe so.
00:28:14It just sounds suspicious to me
00:28:16that this entire system works.
00:28:18Nothing froze out there,
00:28:20which blows my mind,
00:28:21and nothing froze where we entered,
00:28:23you know, went from the ground
00:28:24into the house.
00:28:25Yep.
00:28:26If we're getting rock or glacial silt,
00:28:29you know, we had the earthquakes last year.
00:28:30I had a lot of wells
00:28:31that got pinched and shifted from that.
00:28:33So you're telling me
00:28:39that the earthquakes are playing a role
00:28:41suspiciously compromising water lines and wells?
00:28:44Absolutely.
00:28:48When the ground shifts,
00:28:49you know, if it shifts over here
00:28:51but it doesn't on one side,
00:28:52that's where you get,
00:28:53where the pipe will pinch off
00:28:54or it'll break it
00:28:55or a rock can get pinched on it.
00:28:57I mean, there's several different things
00:28:59that can happen to it.
00:28:59Copy that.
00:29:00Christy is very fortunate
00:29:03to have somebody like Josh
00:29:05that will drop what he's doing
00:29:06at 10, 20, 30 below zero
00:29:09and try to figure out
00:29:10why the water's not working.
00:29:12He thinks maybe
00:29:13one of the earthquakes last winter
00:29:16broke that line.
00:29:17But we've got to get past
00:29:19the theory aspect
00:29:20and we have to find out
00:29:21exactly what happened here.
00:29:23We don't know for sure, though,
00:29:26if it was frozen,
00:29:28if it was broken,
00:29:30if it's related to all this groundwater
00:29:32that got right down
00:29:34around the insulation
00:29:36that was supposed to protect
00:29:37the water line.
00:29:39I'm just thinking
00:29:40of the craziest things
00:29:41that can happen
00:29:42could have happened right here.
00:29:44That's what I'm thinking.
00:29:45You had almost
00:29:45a perfect storm here.
00:29:46We're going to solve
00:29:47that problem right now.
00:29:48We're going to scrape down
00:30:00and we should be
00:30:00breaking up foam
00:30:02and then we'll look at it
00:30:03and hopefully we don't
00:30:04break the water line.
00:30:06We don't know
00:30:06whether it's frozen
00:30:07or broken or whatever.
00:30:08But what I do know
00:30:09is that if I can't
00:30:11solve this problem,
00:30:12there's no water.
00:30:13There's nothing
00:30:14for this family.
00:30:16Hey, Chris,
00:30:17can you nose around
00:30:18a little bit?
00:30:20Should be a water line
00:30:20in there somewhere.
00:30:27Chris, what do you see?
00:30:30There it is, right there.
00:30:32Christy!
00:30:34All right.
00:30:36Come on over.
00:30:37Check this out.
00:30:38There's something bugging me.
00:30:40Oh, there it is.
00:30:41So, as you can see,
00:30:43we've got the line
00:30:44exposed right here.
00:30:45Mm-hmm.
00:30:45We covered it with foam
00:30:46and then we put
00:30:47the plastic
00:30:48over the foam.
00:30:51Okay.
00:30:51There's no way
00:30:52in 10 lifetimes
00:30:54this should have ever froze.
00:30:55No way.
00:30:56Unless all this water
00:30:59going down into the ground
00:31:01in summer.
00:31:04I mean, in wintertime,
00:31:05it's going down
00:31:06to the ground
00:31:06and freezing.
00:31:07And then when you add
00:31:08more water,
00:31:08it's finding a place to go
00:31:09and it's freezing.
00:31:10Yeah.
00:31:11And could it have gone
00:31:12all the way down to here
00:31:13and froze?
00:31:14It could have.
00:31:16It would be the first time
00:31:17I've ever even heard
00:31:18of this ever happening.
00:31:19Okay.
00:31:20Alaska has earthquakes
00:31:22and harsh winters
00:31:25and those could be
00:31:26literally a legitimate reason
00:31:28for the lack of water.
00:31:30But if I was a betting man,
00:31:32I'll put my money on
00:31:34the water line freezing.
00:31:36That said,
00:31:37here's the plan now.
00:31:38We'll go hook up the pump
00:31:40to this water line.
00:31:41We'll get power to the pump,
00:31:43fire it off,
00:31:44and then we'll turn on
00:31:45a sink in the house.
00:31:47If water goes in there
00:31:48like normal,
00:31:49problem solved.
00:31:50If no water goes in there
00:31:52and the pump's pumping away,
00:31:53we might have a broken line.
00:31:55And then that's going to be
00:31:56difficult to find
00:31:57and we might be digging up
00:31:58your whole yard.
00:31:59But trust me,
00:32:00we'll find it.
00:32:01Let's go.
00:32:02Okay.
00:32:02Marty will reconnect
00:32:05the original water line
00:32:07back into the house
00:32:08to test whether or not
00:32:10the line froze.
00:32:11If water comes through,
00:32:13it confirms the line
00:32:14was frozen
00:32:15from the gray water seepage
00:32:17and he'll re-insulate
00:32:18the affected portion.
00:32:20If no water is pumped through,
00:32:22there might be a pinch
00:32:23or a leak
00:32:24due to earthquake damage
00:32:26and he'll have to dig up
00:32:27the entire line
00:32:29to locate it,
00:32:30creating a costly
00:32:31and time-consuming project
00:32:33that could take days
00:32:35to complete.
00:32:38All right.
00:32:38And is it okay
00:32:39if I come in?
00:32:40Yeah, absolutely.
00:32:40All right.
00:32:42When I found out
00:32:44that the water line
00:32:45was no longer working,
00:32:46I had to re-plumb
00:32:47in our holding tank
00:32:48so that disconnected
00:32:50the well from the house.
00:32:52For the summer,
00:32:53we ran well lines
00:32:54over the ground
00:32:54just temporarily
00:32:55to refill the holding tank
00:32:57and it's just going to freeze
00:32:58in the wintertime.
00:32:59and so now
00:33:00what Marty and I
00:33:00are trying to do
00:33:01is bypass the holding tank
00:33:03so that way
00:33:04we can at least run
00:33:05the generator
00:33:06and see if water
00:33:07is going to come
00:33:07through the line.
00:33:08Hey, Chris,
00:33:09fire up the jenny
00:33:10and let's see
00:33:11if we have water
00:33:11to the house.
00:33:13All right.
00:33:17Okay.
00:33:26That's not good.
00:33:27I don't see anything.
00:33:28I don't hear anything.
00:33:31I'm not happy.
00:33:39Fire up the jenny
00:33:40and let's see
00:33:41if we have water
00:33:41to the house.
00:33:46Okay.
00:33:46After going through
00:33:54this winter on my own,
00:33:55I felt pretty overwhelmed.
00:33:57Whether it's water freezing
00:33:59or the gray water flooding,
00:34:01it's been a constant battle
00:34:02and if we can't get water,
00:34:04we can't get through winter.
00:34:08That's not good.
00:34:09I don't see anything.
00:34:10I don't hear anything.
00:34:11I'm not happy.
00:34:13Oh.
00:34:14Oh.
00:34:14I don't think it's broke.
00:34:24It's not broke.
00:34:24It's not broke.
00:34:25Boom.
00:34:26We don't have to dig anything up.
00:34:28The good news is
00:34:29the water line
00:34:30hasn't been broken
00:34:32by an earthquake.
00:34:33So if we can come up
00:34:34with another plan
00:34:35for the discharge
00:34:36from this house,
00:34:38that water line
00:34:38will never freeze.
00:34:39I don't care
00:34:40how cold it gets.
00:34:42That's a tremendous
00:34:43amount of water.
00:34:45There's no crack
00:34:45in the line.
00:34:46Yep.
00:34:47And I think
00:34:47we need to shut it off.
00:34:48Shut it off!
00:34:50Water shot out
00:34:51of the pipe
00:34:52in the bathroom.
00:34:54So that means
00:34:55that the water line
00:34:57is not broken
00:34:58and this is just
00:35:00the relief.
00:35:01So five gallons
00:35:02a minute?
00:35:02That's amazing
00:35:03considering that
00:35:04a year ago
00:35:05we were hauling water
00:35:06at 200 gallons
00:35:08at a time.
00:35:09Thank goodness
00:35:10we got the water line
00:35:11figured out
00:35:12because last year
00:35:13we breathed
00:35:15life into this homestead
00:35:17by striking water,
00:35:18which was
00:35:19a life-changing moment.
00:35:21It changed everything.
00:35:22There's water
00:35:29dripping off
00:35:29that bucket.
00:35:30Yeah, there's water
00:35:31running in.
00:35:32Running in!
00:35:34How deep is it, sir?
00:35:36Dude, the water
00:35:37is rising.
00:35:3918 foot.
00:35:40Woo-hoo!
00:35:42Everybody,
00:35:43come around, please.
00:35:48All right, so
00:35:49you can see
00:35:50what I did.
00:35:51Yep.
00:35:51I reached as far
00:35:52as I could.
00:35:53Just about to give up.
00:35:54And look over
00:35:55that edge, please.
00:35:59Whoa.
00:36:11Come on in there,
00:36:15Dax.
00:36:15Hold on.
00:36:16Hold on to Dax, please.
00:36:18Over on the Dax.
00:36:19Hold on.
00:36:19I don't even know
00:36:22what to say.
00:36:25That's just life-changing.
00:36:26Well, I'll tell you this.
00:36:28I don't think you're
00:36:29going to be packing water
00:36:29anymore.
00:36:30I'm serious.
00:36:33Seeing my kids cry
00:36:35really brings it home
00:36:37just how much
00:36:38not having the water
00:36:39has been difficult
00:36:40for them
00:36:40and not have to be concerned
00:36:43with rationing it
00:36:44or how much
00:36:45we're using
00:36:45at any given time.
00:36:47That's a whole,
00:36:48it's a whole new world
00:36:49for us.
00:36:51Solved one problem,
00:36:52created another.
00:36:54Now we've got to figure out
00:36:55what to do
00:36:55with this gray water.
00:36:57Yeah.
00:36:58I still have a hole
00:36:59in the ground.
00:37:00We've got to figure out
00:37:01the gray water
00:37:02and saved
00:37:03all of the animals
00:37:04on this homestead.
00:37:05And now,
00:37:06we're in complete
00:37:07cowboy mode.
00:37:10My goal was to fix it
00:37:11before the sun went down.
00:37:13This is Alaska.
00:37:14The sun doesn't go down.
00:37:15Exactly.
00:37:15Clayton.
00:37:26Hey, Dan!
00:37:27Over by the former woodshed,
00:37:30Let's talk.
00:37:32Marty checks on the progress
00:37:33of the new
00:37:34bear-proof animal shelter.
00:37:36This looks amazing.
00:37:37You guys are really going fast.
00:37:39Where'd you find this window at?
00:37:41Found it on the property.
00:37:42Same with the door.
00:37:43You found a door, too?
00:37:44Yep.
00:37:45Steel door.
00:37:46Good man.
00:37:47This bear came
00:37:47to the homestead.
00:37:48It smelled rabbit.
00:37:50Then the bear sauntered
00:37:51over to the garden.
00:37:53He tried to get in there.
00:37:54He broke the fence,
00:37:55and it killed a rabbit.
00:37:57So we'll put a door
00:37:58on this barn
00:37:59made out of steel,
00:38:00and that will definitely
00:38:02help them
00:38:03with protection
00:38:04from bears
00:38:04in this neighborhood.
00:38:06This is a lot of progress.
00:38:07I like it.
00:38:08Yeah.
00:38:09There's still some work to do.
00:38:11I'm going to be able
00:38:12to insulate it.
00:38:13Anything you need from me?
00:38:15Nope.
00:38:16All right.
00:38:17We're going to attack
00:38:18the next problem now.
00:38:26While building continues
00:38:27on the livestock fortification...
00:38:29Shut that thing up.
00:38:32I've got to show you
00:38:33some stuff here, please.
00:38:34At the new well,
00:38:36Marty discovers
00:38:37an unexpected health risk.
00:38:39So,
00:38:40that waterline freezing
00:38:41just started
00:38:42more and more problems.
00:38:44Take a whiff.
00:38:47These straw bales
00:38:48are all moldy.
00:38:49I wouldn't be feeding
00:38:50that to my mules.
00:38:52That's hell.
00:38:53It's gross.
00:38:54And check this out.
00:38:58All right, Clint,
00:38:59look at this.
00:39:00Look really close.
00:39:02See, can you see
00:39:03all these guys?
00:39:04Yeah.
00:39:04I don't even know
00:39:05what that bug is.
00:39:06There's millions of them,
00:39:07though.
00:39:08Also, you're not
00:39:09going to like this.
00:39:10Ready?
00:39:13Oh, man.
00:39:14So, mice are getting here.
00:39:16Yeah.
00:39:18This has been bugging me
00:39:19because every problem
00:39:21we're looking at,
00:39:22mice poop,
00:39:23mites,
00:39:24ants,
00:39:25voles,
00:39:26all of it
00:39:27is because
00:39:28the waterline froze.
00:39:29All that gray water
00:39:30got through our culvert,
00:39:32through the big rock,
00:39:33down into the ground
00:39:35deep enough
00:39:36to compromise
00:39:36the waterline.
00:39:38Pretty sure
00:39:39this all would have been,
00:39:40all would have been avoided
00:39:42if we just
00:39:43had addressed
00:39:44a design
00:39:46for the gray water
00:39:47that could accommodate
00:39:48all this new water.
00:39:49Right.
00:39:49That said,
00:39:50we're going to have to
00:39:52get rid of the insulation,
00:39:54get rid of the straw
00:39:55bales.
00:39:55We'll pump the water up
00:39:56and then we'll shock it
00:39:58with some bleach
00:39:59until it's clean
00:40:00and start all over.
00:40:03So,
00:40:03here we go again.
00:40:15So,
00:40:16enclosing the barn
00:40:17isn't even completed yet
00:40:18and these guys
00:40:19are already claiming it
00:40:20as their own.
00:40:21What are you guys doing?
00:40:25At the site of the well,
00:40:28Marty and Christy
00:40:31worked to insulate
00:40:32and restore
00:40:33the family's water source.
00:40:37All right,
00:40:38so,
00:40:39before we put
00:40:39this last piece on here,
00:40:41I want to know
00:40:42if you think
00:40:43this is better
00:40:43than straw bales.
00:40:45I do.
00:40:46It's going to keep
00:40:46the voles out of it.
00:40:47Going to keep the bugs,
00:40:49the voles,
00:40:49crazy insects.
00:40:51When did you put
00:40:52the straw bales in here?
00:40:53Last fall.
00:40:54Less than a year?
00:40:55Mm-hmm.
00:40:56And they're already moldy?
00:40:57Mm-hmm.
00:40:57Okay.
00:40:58This stuff will never mold.
00:41:00All right,
00:41:01I'll hold that for you
00:41:02if you want to pin it.
00:41:03The hay bales,
00:41:04for insulation,
00:41:05did well for us.
00:41:07The only downside to it
00:41:09was the voles loved it
00:41:10and then the concern
00:41:12started to become
00:41:13them falling into the well
00:41:14and then contaminating
00:41:15our water.
00:41:17How do you feel
00:41:17about putting
00:41:18an insulated plug
00:41:21right inside that culvert?
00:41:23We can capture that heat
00:41:24and that water
00:41:24from the ground
00:41:25and not allow the coal
00:41:28to get down in there
00:41:29to compromise the water.
00:41:31I like it.
00:41:32I think it'd work.
00:41:33This idea that Marty had
00:41:35was to use
00:41:36styrofoam insulation
00:41:37and I honestly think
00:41:39that that will probably
00:41:39do even better.
00:41:41Last winter was really hard
00:41:42and as a single mom
00:41:44and trying to do it
00:41:45just myself and the two kids,
00:41:47I've really been questioning
00:41:48if we were going to be able
00:41:49to continue on.
00:41:50But all of these upgrades
00:41:52that we're getting right now
00:41:53are things that are going
00:41:54to secure our future.
00:42:02I really like that,
00:42:03being on the top like that.
00:42:05My only concern
00:42:06is getting it out.
00:42:07Um, what would you do?
00:42:12Put some kind of
00:42:13little handle on it.
00:42:14Exactly.
00:42:14Do you have any wire
00:42:15or rope?
00:42:17We could take some
00:42:17baling twine off
00:42:18one of those bales over there.
00:42:20That's a good idea.
00:42:21You know how to cut
00:42:22baling twine?
00:42:24Okay, watch this.
00:42:26There's some good string
00:42:27right there.
00:42:27You got a knife on you?
00:42:28I don't.
00:42:29Uh-huh.
00:42:31All right.
00:42:32I want you to go like this
00:42:33and I want you to saw
00:42:34back and forth.
00:42:35Oh, wow.
00:42:37All right?
00:42:37All right.
00:42:38See if you can cut that
00:42:39and get us a piece, please.
00:42:40Okay.
00:42:41All right.
00:42:44Oh, it's working.
00:42:46Oh, wow.
00:42:47Oh, watch this.
00:42:50Need string?
00:42:51Take that over there.
00:42:53That's great.
00:42:54Meet you there.
00:42:54I think that we use earth
00:42:58to help us insulate this.
00:43:01So I get the excavator
00:43:03and I mound this up
00:43:05to a foot below there.
00:43:06That's a great idea.
00:43:07All the way around.
00:43:08And then we're this close
00:43:09to hopefully having
00:43:11an insulated well.
00:43:12Yeah.
00:43:13Thanks.
00:43:16Here we go.
00:43:16Christy has truly impressed me.
00:43:27I like that a lot.
00:43:29Perfect.
00:43:30With her work ethic
00:43:31and constantly thinking
00:43:34about the future here.
00:43:37And last time I was here,
00:43:40I had a little chat with Christy
00:43:41to build her confidence.
00:43:42Okay, so you had a dream
00:43:45to move out
00:43:46into the remote wilds of Alaska.
00:43:48Yeah.
00:43:49You've done it.
00:43:50Yeah.
00:43:51It's a great lifestyle.
00:43:52I love it.
00:43:53Mm-hmm.
00:43:53I live it.
00:43:54But it's not for everyone
00:43:57because it's not easy.
00:43:58Right.
00:43:59It's interesting
00:44:00that even trying
00:44:00to get all the ducks in order,
00:44:02you may be at the mercy
00:44:03of Mother Nature.
00:44:04Yep, every time.
00:44:05So on that note,
00:44:07just know that I've
00:44:08had all these struggles myself.
00:44:10I can relate
00:44:13and empathize.
00:44:16And that's very validating
00:44:18to hear from somebody
00:44:18that's been doing it for years.
00:44:20It makes me feel like,
00:44:22you know,
00:44:22there's always still
00:44:23going to be a struggle.
00:44:24I'm never going to get it perfected.
00:44:25No, but it's not easy
00:44:27doing it by yourself.
00:44:28Yeah.
00:44:30And every time I talk to you,
00:44:33there's this consistent,
00:44:34this is my life.
00:44:36This is where I'm raising my kids.
00:44:37And there's never a hint
00:44:39of wanting to quit.
00:44:42Oh, no.
00:44:43It's what my kids love.
00:44:44It's what I love.
00:44:45It's where we want to be.
00:44:47I'm impressed.
00:44:47You're tough.
00:44:53Marty's kind words.
00:44:54That's a big confidence booster
00:44:59and it's a lot of help.
00:45:02That's just as helpful as,
00:45:04you know,
00:45:04picking up a hammer
00:45:05and doing something
00:45:06that's helping me feel
00:45:08more confident
00:45:09in what I'm doing
00:45:10and that I'm doing it right.
00:45:14With the well insulation finished,
00:45:17Marty turns his attention
00:45:18to the compromised water line.
00:45:26John, hold my other foam.
00:45:28Just expose some little bit
00:45:30for me and I'll peel it off there.
00:45:34I'm trying to get the water line
00:45:36back together and safe
00:45:38so that it will never be compromised.
00:45:41So we need to dig out the water line,
00:45:44rip out all the foam,
00:45:45and then we're going to re-insulate it.
00:45:49I wouldn't be so nervous,
00:45:51but last time I was here,
00:45:52I thought I hit permafrost
00:45:54right about here
00:45:54and it was a struggle.
00:46:06Misty, there might be ice right there.
00:46:09Look, is that frost?
00:46:14Oh, my gosh.
00:46:15Look at this.
00:46:16This is ice.
00:46:18Like solid ice.
00:46:20And it's kind of everywhere.
00:46:22You could, like, ice skate over here.
00:46:27Oh, man.
00:46:28It's like a swamp.
00:46:29Is it just frozen ground
00:46:30from the winter
00:46:31or is it permafrost?
00:46:33Let me get the excavator
00:46:34and see if I can get through this
00:46:36and see what the layers actually are.
00:46:37I'm going to be right there.
00:46:46The best.
00:46:47How much of that looks frozen?
00:46:51Oh, this is frozen.
00:46:54We're dealing with, like, a foot of ice.
00:46:56It stops here
00:46:57and then it's all sandy.
00:47:00It's not permafrost,
00:47:01but it's a foot of frozen ground.
00:47:02It's going to take another month
00:47:05for this top layer to thaw out.
00:47:08So what do you want to do?
00:47:10The good news is
00:47:12it's not permafrost,
00:47:13but gold miners in Alaska
00:47:15peel back the tundra,
00:47:16which is that insulating layer,
00:47:19let the ground thaw for a year,
00:47:21then come back and mine.
00:47:22But I don't have time
00:47:24to wait around.
00:47:26What about trying
00:47:27to dig up the ice
00:47:28and put it over there
00:47:30and then when it does thaw out,
00:47:32it's not in the garden?
00:47:34Well, here I go.
00:47:37Wow, Dad.
00:47:38This is, like, way better.
00:47:42Now fully exposed...
00:47:44Come on back, please.
00:47:46Marty and Clint
00:47:47work quickly
00:47:48to finish protecting
00:47:49the water line for good.
00:47:51Woo!
00:47:51Stop.
00:47:55All right, so...
00:47:56There's nobody in Alaska
00:47:59that works on a water line
00:48:00without putting foam over the top,
00:48:03which we did originally
00:48:04when we put this water line in.
00:48:07It's one thing
00:48:08to make a discovery,
00:48:10but now we've got to develop it.
00:48:12In this state of Alaska,
00:48:14at least eight feet deep
00:48:15is where your water line better be.
00:48:18We've got water.
00:48:19We've got a hundred-foot trench
00:48:21about nine feet deep.
00:48:22We've got a water line
00:48:24on the bottom of that trench,
00:48:25but just to give it
00:48:27that added insurance
00:48:28so that it doesn't freeze,
00:48:29we put two-inch foam.
00:48:34And they say that
00:48:35two inches of foam
00:48:37equates to two feet of dirt.
00:48:40We've done everything we can do
00:48:42to protect this line from freezing.
00:48:44I always like to put plastic
00:48:46over the foam.
00:48:49Sometimes this foam is broken,
00:48:51so I just want to capture
00:48:52and hold all that thermal mass
00:48:55from underneath
00:48:55and protect that water line
00:48:57from freezing.
00:48:58We can't go to all this trouble
00:48:59and discover this beautiful source of water
00:49:02and let it freeze.
00:49:03But now,
00:49:06we've dug some of it up,
00:49:07so we'll cover it
00:49:09with three-purposed
00:49:10free-cycle
00:49:13three-inch foam.
00:49:15Anybody in Alaska
00:49:16that would turn down
00:49:17a piece of foam,
00:49:18even if it was broken
00:49:19and used,
00:49:20wouldn't be a real Alaskan.
00:49:21We'll figure a way
00:49:22to piece it together.
00:49:23We'll cover it
00:49:24with six-mil plastic.
00:49:26The water line
00:49:27will be better protected
00:49:28with three-inch foam
00:49:31where it won't freeze again.
00:49:34Christy!
00:49:35Yeah.
00:49:37Okay, a couple things.
00:49:38You ready?
00:49:39Yeah.
00:49:40We'll go ahead
00:49:40and re-insulate the water line
00:49:42and we'll bury it.
00:49:43Okay.
00:49:44But for now,
00:49:45we just need to get this
00:49:46insulation in the ground.
00:49:49Right.
00:49:50Would you please hand me
00:49:51some of that foam?
00:49:52Yeah.
00:49:52First.
00:49:56Marty's been putting
00:49:58a lot of work
00:49:58into making sure
00:49:59that what happened
00:50:00last winter
00:50:00doesn't happen again.
00:50:02And then he's
00:50:03taken big steps
00:50:04to add insulation
00:50:05and then plastic
00:50:07so that the frost
00:50:08can't get down that deep.
00:50:11Done.
00:50:12What's going to happen?
00:50:14Winter's going to come.
00:50:15It's going to freeze
00:50:16this clay area
00:50:17like that.
00:50:18But now,
00:50:19with six inches
00:50:20of foam,
00:50:21it's never going to get
00:50:22to that water line.
00:50:24Okay.
00:50:25Taking the cause of it away
00:50:26is step number one.
00:50:28So that's just additional.
00:50:29Okay.
00:50:30Step number two
00:50:31is figuring out something
00:50:33for this gray water system.
00:50:34Right.
00:50:35Would you do me a favor
00:50:35and backfill this?
00:50:36Yeah.
00:50:48Second,
00:50:48Clint fills that hole up.
00:50:50He's going to dig
00:50:50another hole
00:50:51and it's going to be
00:50:52the new location
00:50:54for a gray water
00:50:57treatment center.
00:50:58And now,
00:50:59hopefully,
00:51:00Christy can reach out
00:51:01to the community
00:51:01and help find something
00:51:03big enough
00:51:03for this homestead.
00:51:05What that is,
00:51:06I don't have a clue.
00:51:09Every time I see
00:51:10an old fuel tank,
00:51:11I'm reminded
00:51:12that people die
00:51:13trying to cut
00:51:14a hole in here
00:51:15with a grinder.
00:51:16But I can't use it.
00:51:17Let's start cutting.
00:51:18With only 48 hours left
00:51:31in the re-rescue
00:51:32of the Adams' homestead,
00:51:35Christy races
00:51:36on the new space
00:51:37for the animals.
00:51:38The old food fort.
00:51:40While Marty checks
00:51:42the progress
00:51:42on the homestead's
00:51:43food preservation fort.
00:51:45Everything still good?
00:51:47Yep.
00:51:47Does it leak?
00:51:49Is it strong?
00:51:50Oh, yeah.
00:51:51Who built it?
00:51:52Me and Matt.
00:51:53Exactly.
00:51:55Wow, it looks great.
00:51:57So now that we've
00:51:58repaired the water line,
00:52:00I want to know
00:52:01if there's room
00:52:02for Dax
00:52:03to break out there
00:52:05on his own
00:52:05and take some ownership
00:52:06on some projects.
00:52:08And I was actually impressed.
00:52:09These guys have been busy.
00:52:10That's because
00:52:11our 12-year-old homesteader,
00:52:14Dax,
00:52:15learned a lot from Matt.
00:52:17What I'm proposing
00:52:18is like a meat processing,
00:52:21canning cabin.
00:52:23One year ago,
00:52:25Matt passed down
00:52:26essential skills to Dax.
00:52:28You ready?
00:52:29Yep.
00:52:29So he could help
00:52:30carry the load
00:52:31of the homestead.
00:52:32This homestead
00:52:33has lost some meat
00:52:34over the years
00:52:34because they haven't had
00:52:35a proper sanitary place
00:52:38to process
00:52:39and store their food
00:52:40so that when the winter hits,
00:52:42they'll have
00:52:42a reliable source
00:52:43of protein.
00:52:45Hold it down,
00:52:45full blast.
00:52:46There you go.
00:52:47Jeez.
00:52:48I said,
00:52:49jeez.
00:52:51It's really important
00:52:53for me to help
00:52:54my mom
00:52:54with our homestead.
00:52:55So I am looking forward
00:52:57to Matt
00:52:58teaching me new skills.
00:53:00Okay.
00:53:00Are you ready?
00:53:01Yep.
00:53:02Now we're going to move
00:53:03into rabbit meat.
00:53:04So Misty built
00:53:05like a rabbit hutch.
00:53:07Yeah.
00:53:07And you're going to have
00:53:08a lot of rabbit meat
00:53:09in your future.
00:53:10So we put this
00:53:11in a salt brine
00:53:12for about 30 to 45 minutes.
00:53:15Taking Dax step-by-step
00:53:17through the canning process
00:53:19is, I think,
00:53:21life-changing for him
00:53:22and everyone
00:53:22on the homestead.
00:53:24Christy needs a lot of help
00:53:25and now Dax
00:53:26could be right in there
00:53:27taking over
00:53:28and sharing a lot
00:53:29of that burden.
00:53:30Now all we got to do
00:53:31is put them
00:53:31in our pressure cookers
00:53:32and then we'll start cooking.
00:53:34Now that I've learned
00:53:36how to can meat
00:53:37and process it,
00:53:38now I feel
00:53:40a lot more confident
00:53:41about having food
00:53:42through the winter
00:53:43and just year-round.
00:53:47Oh my goodness.
00:53:49You're right.
00:53:49This is a food fort.
00:53:51Do you process
00:53:52any animals?
00:53:53Yeah, we've done
00:53:54some rabbits
00:53:55and a little bit
00:53:56of moose in here.
00:53:57I haven't spent
00:53:58a lot of time
00:53:59with the kids,
00:54:00but in the short time
00:54:01I've been here
00:54:02I've seen growth.
00:54:03I've seen
00:54:04a transformation.
00:54:07But I want to make sure
00:54:08that Dax
00:54:09is stepping up
00:54:10to the plate
00:54:10to take care
00:54:11of all these chores.
00:54:13So what's the process here
00:54:14if you have moose meat
00:54:15or a rabbit?
00:54:16So you take
00:54:17the pressure cooker,
00:54:19put over here
00:54:21some water in it.
00:54:23Copy.
00:54:24And then you put
00:54:24moose and some salt
00:54:26in this jar,
00:54:27cut it up right here,
00:54:28and then we put
00:54:29it in here
00:54:29like that
00:54:31with some water.
00:54:32That's amazing.
00:54:34And how old are you?
00:54:35Twelve.
00:54:36We use the food for it
00:54:37for canning
00:54:38and processing.
00:54:40It's really helpful
00:54:42for my mom.
00:54:43And you do all this?
00:54:45Yeah, with mom.
00:54:46You're the coolest kid ever.
00:54:48Matt's going to be so proud.
00:54:49I'm going to give Matt
00:54:50a report
00:54:51of how cool
00:54:52the building is,
00:54:53how clean it is,
00:54:54and how you're
00:54:55helping mom.
00:54:56Pretty cool, Captain.
00:54:57Let's go.
00:54:58You need an elbow?
00:55:05If you got one,
00:55:05a three-quarter.
00:55:07Back inside
00:55:08the Adams' house,
00:55:09That's promising.
00:55:11Marty rushes
00:55:12to finish plumbing
00:55:13in the clean,
00:55:14potable water.
00:55:15If I turn the water
00:55:16on right now,
00:55:17what happens?
00:55:17It's going to come out
00:55:19of this line right here.
00:55:22Okay.
00:55:23This is the line
00:55:24coming out
00:55:24from outside,
00:55:25so that's going
00:55:27to need to go
00:55:27in here.
00:55:29We have to get
00:55:30from three-quarters
00:55:31down to half-inch
00:55:32pecs.
00:55:32That's okay.
00:55:34Last time I was here,
00:55:35there was a composting
00:55:35toilet here,
00:55:36so what are you doing
00:55:37for a toilet now?
00:55:38We do honey buckets
00:55:39in the wintertime,
00:55:40and we just use
00:55:41the outhouse
00:55:41in the summer.
00:55:42Okay.
00:55:43When it's too cold
00:55:44to go outside,
00:55:45we use a honey bucket,
00:55:45which is just a five-gallon bucket
00:55:47with a toilet seat lid,
00:55:48and then we have
00:55:49to empty it quite regularly.
00:55:51If you miss it all,
00:55:53it freezes instantly.
00:55:54It's gross.
00:55:55You happy
00:55:55with this pressure tank
00:55:56and this system?
00:55:58Yeah.
00:55:58What if someday
00:55:59you wanted to put
00:56:00a toilet in here?
00:56:01This is where
00:56:02the toilet goes,
00:56:02or is there another place
00:56:03one could go?
00:56:04No, I would go right here.
00:56:06Christy says
00:56:07the temperature
00:56:07got down to 66 below.
00:56:10That's too cold
00:56:11for the kids
00:56:12during the wintertime.
00:56:13So even though
00:56:14I have a list of things
00:56:16that I need to get done,
00:56:18I can't leave this homestead
00:56:19without fixing the problem.
00:56:22We might be saying goodbye
00:56:24to the outhouse.
00:56:26You get the fittings?
00:56:26I'll get a bucket?
00:56:27Okay.
00:56:28Meet you right here?
00:56:29All right.
00:56:30Okay.
00:56:33Hey, I have a question.
00:56:36Later that day...
00:56:37Where did this come from?
00:56:39So that showed up last night.
00:56:41Marty finds
00:56:42a potential solution
00:56:43to his gray water troubles.
00:56:45My boyfriend is doing a job
00:56:47for a neighbor down the way,
00:56:49and he had this just lying around
00:56:51on his property
00:56:52and coincidentally said,
00:56:53hey, you're welcome to have that
00:56:54if you want it.
00:56:55How'd they get it here?
00:56:57He used an excavator
00:56:59to pick it up.
00:57:01So I come to the homestead
00:57:02this morning,
00:57:03and I'm looking at
00:57:04a 1,000-gallon tank,
00:57:07meaning Christy came through for us.
00:57:09The good news is this.
00:57:10I can use it.
00:57:12Certainly have learned
00:57:13that, you know,
00:57:14the old tank culvert
00:57:16wasn't large enough.
00:57:18Right.
00:57:18The bad news is
00:57:19there's no question in my mind
00:57:21that this is an old fuel tank.
00:57:23Every time I see
00:57:24an old fuel tank,
00:57:26I'm reminded
00:57:27that people die,
00:57:30you know,
00:57:31trying to cut a hole
00:57:32in here with a grinder
00:57:32or with a cutting torch.
00:57:34I am a risk-taker
00:57:35and I've got guts,
00:57:38but I don't want to see them.
00:57:40Okay?
00:57:42While fuel tanks range in size,
00:57:45they all contain
00:57:46highly combustible
00:57:47and explosive substances,
00:57:49making the act
00:57:51of repurposing tanks dangerous
00:57:53if not properly cleaned
00:57:55or neutralized.
00:57:56And even with the contents
00:57:58disposed of,
00:57:59residue and vapors
00:58:00can long remain,
00:58:02providing a significant risk
00:58:04if not properly monitoring
00:58:05a tank's carbon,
00:58:07oxygen,
00:58:07or nitrogen levels.
00:58:10Even though it's really old,
00:58:12it smells like...
00:58:13Yeah, it smells like
00:58:15old fuel right there.
00:58:16Yeah.
00:58:16You want to give it a whiff?
00:58:17Sure.
00:58:19Yeah.
00:58:19What's this one smell like?
00:58:20It does.
00:58:20It smells...
00:58:21It smells rusty.
00:58:22Here's the thing.
00:58:23We're going to have
00:58:24to cut a hole
00:58:25in each end of it
00:58:26to get the gray water in
00:58:28and the gray water out.
00:58:30Okay.
00:58:30That said,
00:58:32I'm sure that's clean,
00:58:33but I have to be very careful.
00:58:36If I just grab a torch
00:58:37and cut into this,
00:58:38this thing could blow up.
00:58:39It's basically a bomb.
00:58:45We've got a few tricks
00:58:46up our sleeve
00:58:47that we can probably
00:58:48cut holes,
00:58:49bore holes into this thing,
00:58:50make it work,
00:58:51because this is really
00:58:54going to be helpful.
00:58:56Got to take it serious.
00:58:58If we fill it full of water,
00:59:00we can cut on it,
00:59:01we can grind on it.
00:59:01That said,
00:59:02we'll try to find
00:59:03a water source.
00:59:04I mean,
00:59:04we live in Alaska.
00:59:0612,000 rivers,
00:59:073 million lakes.
00:59:10We'll fill this thing up,
00:59:11cut it,
00:59:12hopefully not blow up,
00:59:14bring it back
00:59:15and stick it in the ground.
00:59:18Marty will flood
00:59:19the 1,000-gallon fuel tank
00:59:21with pond water
00:59:22in order to dilute
00:59:24and dissipate
00:59:24any lingering fumes
00:59:26before cutting
00:59:27two holes on either side.
00:59:29Next,
00:59:30he'll bury the tank
00:59:31in a trench
00:59:32before connecting
00:59:33and insulating
00:59:34the restored septic lines.
00:59:36Finally,
00:59:37he'll construct
00:59:38a log crib
00:59:39out of downed trees
00:59:40for a new leach field,
00:59:42creating proper disposal
00:59:43of gray water
00:59:44and ensuring
00:59:45there will be
00:59:46no impact
00:59:47on the water line
00:59:48ever again.
00:59:49Let's strap it down.
00:59:53Find some water.
00:59:54Ready, Clint?
00:59:55Let's hit it.
01:00:09Let's go.
01:00:10There's 36 hours
01:00:12remaining
01:00:12in the re-rescue.
01:00:13So where is the pond?
01:00:16It's about 12 miles away.
01:00:17And deep
01:00:18in the Alaskan interior,
01:00:20Marty and Clint
01:00:21venture to a nearby pond
01:00:23to ensure
01:00:24the old fuel tank
01:00:25is 100% safe
01:00:27to cut into.
01:00:29And where are we
01:00:29going to dump it?
01:00:30That's where you're
01:00:31kind of worried
01:00:32about you don't want
01:00:32to dump it back
01:00:33by the pond.
01:00:34No,
01:00:34we'll probably dump it
01:00:35on that gray water site.
01:00:38And I'm thinking
01:00:40that we're not
01:00:41going to see
01:00:42much contamination,
01:00:44but I just
01:00:45can't take a chance.
01:00:46It's too old
01:00:46of a tank.
01:00:48Do you know
01:00:49any stories
01:00:50of people
01:00:52welding on fuel tanks?
01:00:53I can think
01:00:53of two in my lifetime.
01:00:55They survived?
01:00:58Dead.
01:00:58Oh, no.
01:01:00Learning from
01:01:01my mistakes
01:01:02or other people's
01:01:03mistakes is probably
01:01:04while I'm still alive,
01:01:05I'd think.
01:01:06Let's keep it
01:01:07that way.
01:01:10Even though
01:01:11this old fuel tank
01:01:12smelled like fuel,
01:01:14I think it's clean.
01:01:15But we have
01:01:16to take precautions.
01:01:18I'll purge
01:01:18that tank,
01:01:19filling it
01:01:19with water.
01:01:20If there's
01:01:21any fuel
01:01:22residual captured
01:01:23in that steel tank,
01:01:25let's hook up
01:01:26this suction line.
01:01:28The heat
01:01:28of a torch,
01:01:29even the heat
01:01:30of the day,
01:01:31can exacerbate
01:01:32the flammability
01:01:33of those fumes.
01:01:37Did we bring
01:01:40something to prime
01:01:40that pump?
01:01:42Water bottles?
01:01:44A bucket?
01:01:45No.
01:01:48I'm not that smart,
01:01:49but I've always
01:01:50thought Clint
01:01:50was really smart.
01:01:52But neither one
01:01:53of us took
01:01:54a five-gallon bucket
01:01:54down to the lake,
01:01:56so there was no way
01:01:56to prime the pump.
01:01:58Then I realized
01:01:59I had not one,
01:02:00but two buckets.
01:02:03Clint, fill up
01:02:04this boot.
01:02:06That'll prime it.
01:02:08Clint, hold on,
01:02:09buddy.
01:02:10You sure?
01:02:11Oh, yeah.
01:02:12Got to get the job done.
01:02:14But will you
01:02:14do me a favor?
01:02:15So.
01:02:16Next time,
01:02:17remember to bring
01:02:17the bucket.
01:02:18All right.
01:02:21Again,
01:02:22the problem
01:02:23on the homestead
01:02:24was right under
01:02:25my feet.
01:02:31You're never
01:02:32going to make
01:02:32a very good
01:02:33bartender.
01:02:40The question is,
01:02:41am I ever going
01:02:42to get the water
01:02:43out of these boots?
01:02:43Clint!
01:02:58It's pumping now.
01:03:00Stretch that.
01:03:00Hold that.
01:03:02That's pumping.
01:03:06It's about ready.
01:03:09You got it.
01:03:10Clint, help me
01:03:14hold it.
01:03:15Oh, no.
01:03:19It's going to be
01:03:20a miracle if we're
01:03:20not soaking wet
01:03:21by the time
01:03:21this is done.
01:03:24Woo!
01:03:31Back on the
01:03:32homestead.
01:03:33I don't know
01:03:34if you can tell
01:03:34behind me.
01:03:38It's still a little
01:03:39hazy out.
01:03:41That fire that
01:03:42we've been dealing
01:03:42with for so long
01:03:43now, still burning.
01:03:46They're just
01:03:46letting it burn
01:03:47itself out.
01:03:48But check it
01:03:49out.
01:03:52No more
01:03:52frozen babies.
01:03:54The quail and
01:03:55rabbits are going
01:03:56to be so
01:03:57spoiled because
01:03:58they will be so
01:03:59warm and toasty
01:04:00all winter.
01:04:02Along with a
01:04:03member of Marty's
01:04:04build crew,
01:04:06Christy, Dax,
01:04:07and Charlie
01:04:07work on
01:04:08protecting the
01:04:09livestock in
01:04:10the new
01:04:10bear-proof shelter.
01:04:12Put it right here
01:04:13and drop it on
01:04:14this sheet right
01:04:15here.
01:04:16So all you've got
01:04:16to do is
01:04:17this hand,
01:04:18pick it up,
01:04:20let go with this
01:04:21hand,
01:04:22let the top just
01:04:23lay on the wall,
01:04:25push it up.
01:04:29There you go.
01:04:30Bam!
01:04:31All right.
01:04:31A couple screws.
01:04:32The barn is just
01:04:36so small that we
01:04:37didn't have room for
01:04:38the animal feed on
01:04:39top of the animals.
01:04:41So when the bear
01:04:42came around, one of
01:04:43the things that really
01:04:44attracted him was the
01:04:45animal feed that we
01:04:45had left out.
01:04:47And so the enclosed
01:04:48space, that's one more
01:04:50step that's going to
01:04:51help ensure the safety
01:04:52of the animals.
01:04:53Okay, so see every one
01:04:55of these lines?
01:04:56Every one of these
01:04:57studs right here?
01:04:58You're going to put a
01:04:58line down in the middle
01:04:59of it.
01:04:59The studs?
01:05:00Yep, so this is a stud
01:05:01going up and down this
01:05:02way.
01:05:03So in the center, just
01:05:04right, a line down that
01:05:05way.
01:05:06There you go.
01:05:07The new part of the
01:05:08barn will really help a
01:05:10lot because it's warmer
01:05:12for the rabbits and then
01:05:14they can have more
01:05:15litters of baby bunnies.
01:05:18Good job.
01:05:21Dax and Charlie are my
01:05:22teammates.
01:05:23You know, it takes all
01:05:24three of us to get stuff
01:05:24done around here.
01:05:26There's a lot of times I
01:05:26find myself being a little
01:05:27more lax on them because
01:05:28they do have some
01:05:29so many responsibilities.
01:05:30It's not just, you know,
01:05:32mom and kids.
01:05:32We all have to do things
01:05:33together.
01:05:38I feel like living this
01:05:39lifestyle, you really get
01:05:41to get back to the basics
01:05:42and the simple aspects of
01:05:44life.
01:05:46But it's only successful
01:05:47when you have a team
01:05:48working together.
01:05:50That's really important for
01:05:51my kids.
01:05:52I want them to know how
01:05:53things are done and how to
01:05:54appreciate things that
01:05:56we're given in life.
01:05:57Dax has just ran with this
01:06:00lifestyle.
01:06:01He absolutely loves it.
01:06:03And Charlie tries her best,
01:06:05but her personality doesn't
01:06:06fit as well with the off-grid
01:06:07lifestyle.
01:06:09But I ultimately think that
01:06:11her growing up this way is
01:06:13lending her to have more
01:06:15appreciation of the simpler
01:06:16things, even if she doesn't
01:06:18continue to live this
01:06:19lifestyle.
01:06:19There we go!
01:06:28Whoa, Clint!
01:06:29Clint!
01:06:30Back at the pond...
01:06:31Clint!
01:06:33Shut it off, Clint!
01:06:35Woo!
01:06:38I think it's safe to work on.
01:06:40So Clint and I took all the
01:06:42precautions because this tank was
01:06:44really dangerous.
01:06:46And once we filled the tank full
01:06:48of water...
01:06:49All right, let's start
01:06:50cutting.
01:06:51We assumed it was safe to
01:06:52grind on.
01:06:59Once I saw the water that we
01:07:01had put in there come streaming
01:07:02out, I realized that the tank
01:07:05was benign.
01:07:07I didn't see any residual fuel.
01:07:10I didn't see anything but clean
01:07:11water coming out.
01:07:13So that second we just got to
01:07:15work, we cut a few holes in it.
01:07:21And now we're ready to put it
01:07:24in place.
01:07:25Let's go.
01:07:26It's the final day of the re-rescue of the
01:07:53Adams' Alaskan homestead.
01:07:55All right.
01:07:56And with the well cleaned and the
01:07:58water line fixed.
01:08:00Hey, buddy, I'll grab the chain if you
01:08:02want to grab the axe.
01:08:03Marty is under the gun to install the
01:08:05new gray water disposal system.
01:08:08Clint!
01:08:09So now that Clint and I have safely cut
01:08:12these holes into this tank, it's time
01:08:14to put it in the ground and put it
01:08:16into action, she'll never deal with an
01:08:20unsanitary cesspool near the front
01:08:22door.
01:08:23Drop it down right there, please.
01:08:25Kristen!
01:08:26Yeah!
01:08:26Clint!
01:08:29All right.
01:08:31I worry that we're on a time crunch.
01:08:33And now that we know that the water line
01:08:35problem is from the gray water making it
01:08:38frozen in the wintertime, now we have
01:08:40to figure out what to do with all that
01:08:42gray water.
01:08:42Where does that water go now?
01:08:45Now, it's a thousand gallons.
01:08:47Yeah.
01:08:47Even though that sounds like a lot, it's
01:08:49not going to take very long for it to
01:08:51fill up.
01:08:52Okay?
01:08:53Okay.
01:08:53So we're going to introduce that gray
01:08:56water in this side.
01:08:57Mm-hmm.
01:08:57But we're going to allow that gray water
01:08:59to get out and go into a little leech
01:09:02field that can accommodate, I don't care
01:09:04how much water, that you guys discharge
01:09:06from the house.
01:09:07Okay.
01:09:08Based on that, we'll get started.
01:09:09Sounds good.
01:09:10Okay.
01:09:10All right.
01:09:12Let's hit it.
01:09:13So we're going to set the tank, put foam
01:09:16over it, and then at least four feet
01:09:18of dirt.
01:09:22I say we cut in that.
01:09:23I'll start plumbing.
01:09:26Give me that black pipe quickly.
01:09:28All the little pieces, all the little
01:09:30pieces, and a big piece.
01:09:31What are we cutting it with?
01:09:32That sawzall?
01:09:33Yes, sir.
01:09:34We've got a lot of work to get done
01:09:35on this homestead.
01:09:36I'm trying to get everything where it
01:09:38won't freeze again, and it's quite a
01:09:40process to do all these repairs.
01:09:42So we have a four-inch black PVC pipe
01:09:45coming out of the house that will
01:09:47accommodate all the water that they
01:09:49can discharge.
01:09:50It goes into a trench at least four
01:09:53feet deep, and then we've solved
01:09:55that problem.
01:09:57Arr!
01:09:57Permafrost!
01:10:02You're not going to believe I hit
01:10:03permafrost right here.
01:10:04Ten feet back last year.
01:10:06I had to thaw it with a space heater
01:10:07to get this water line in.
01:10:09Did you hear that story?
01:10:11Last year, Marty was stuck when
01:10:14permafrost threatened to keep him
01:10:16from running the water line to the
01:10:18homestead.
01:10:20Ten-foot trench.
01:10:21Perfect.
01:10:22First 50 feet, money.
01:10:24The last 20 feet, that gravel's
01:10:30frozen.
01:10:31Boom, there it is.
01:10:33Permafrost.
01:10:38If we were in Tennessee, I could
01:10:40just leave Christy with a nice
01:10:43water well, and they could go out
01:10:45there 12 months a year and pull up
01:10:47water.
01:10:47They'd be fine.
01:10:48Not here.
01:10:49The only way to really ensure that
01:10:51this family gets water year-round
01:10:53is to connect the water line,
01:10:56insulate it, introduce it into the
01:10:57bottom of the house.
01:10:58All efforts trying to keep the water
01:11:01thawed in a place that gets 70
01:11:05below zero.
01:11:07Here we are, 10 feet to go.
01:11:09How are we going to do it?
01:11:11Excavator can't reach under the house.
01:11:14We have to pick and shovel through
01:11:17one quarter inch at a time.
01:11:18Many years ago, this was a very
01:11:23important tool.
01:11:25Why?
01:11:25Because permafrost is rampant in
01:11:28interior Alaska, and that's where
01:11:31there are many gold mines.
01:11:32So they would actually, believe it
01:11:34or not, find some gold, melt the
01:11:37frozen ground, just like we've done
01:11:39with a heater, but they would have to
01:11:41build a fire, and that fire would
01:11:43thaw the ground, and inch by inch,
01:11:45they'd make their way through the
01:11:47frozen ground that they had just
01:11:49thawed, until they had to build
01:11:52another fire.
01:11:53Okay, there you go.
01:11:55Here we are at the finish line.
01:11:58We finally have thawed and picked
01:12:01our way to success, hopefully.
01:12:04Now we can get the water line into
01:12:06the house.
01:12:07All right.
01:12:11Clint's got the excavator bucket this
01:12:13close to my head.
01:12:14That said, I don't care, because one
01:12:16inch at a time, we're getting from the
01:12:18house to that tank before we leave.
01:12:21Making it?
01:12:22Yeah.
01:12:23Did it go?
01:12:26Yeah.
01:12:27Money?
01:12:29Clint!
01:12:29Get the tank in there!
01:12:32We're burning daylight, even though the sun
01:12:34never goes down!
01:12:39Which side's in?
01:12:40I don't remember.
01:12:41It doesn't matter.
01:12:43I think that's the, I think we want it
01:12:44spun, though.
01:12:46This side's higher.
01:12:50The clean-outs on this side, they won't
01:12:52run over it over here.
01:12:56It's money, Clint.
01:12:58As this day progresses, it's getting a
01:13:00little hectic, and there's a lot of
01:13:02work to be done, and I'm going into
01:13:04homestead mode.
01:13:05Watch out, I might have to move this
01:13:06pipe a little bit.
01:13:07I'm yelling at everybody, hand me that
01:13:09pipe, hand me the cutters, the glue.
01:13:11I feel like Dr. Rainey.
01:13:13No more Mr. Nice Guy.
01:13:16This pipe is a clean-out pipe.
01:13:18Whatever happens to the sewer line,
01:13:20you've got to be able to access it.
01:13:22So if we were to take this cap off
01:13:24in January, this sewer line would be
01:13:28frozen in a day or two.
01:13:29So this is a critical thing to have
01:13:32on your line.
01:13:33People think it's for smell.
01:13:35It is, but it's to protect cold air
01:13:37from going down your line.
01:13:39So right now, Christy thinks she's
01:13:41getting a gray water system.
01:13:43See this sewer line?
01:13:45It goes straight into the bathroom,
01:13:48and it's hooked into a big white thing
01:13:51that flushes.
01:13:53That's a first for this homestead.
01:13:55We've got the tank in place,
01:14:08and the only thing left to do now
01:14:10is dig the leach field,
01:14:12but it looks like a bomb went off.
01:14:14I can't leave this homestead like this.
01:14:16So even though the sun ain't setting
01:14:18till one, time's up.
01:14:21There's a lot of work to get done.
01:14:33There's no time to sit,
01:14:35contemplate,
01:14:36or just relax.
01:14:38Let's go!
01:14:39Let's go!
01:14:40And sometimes,
01:14:41when the going gets tough,
01:14:43Clint's nowhere to be found
01:14:45on this homestead.
01:14:45So, what does he get up to?
01:14:49Hey, Glenn!
01:14:50Take a load off!
01:14:51Hey!
01:14:56Oh, man!
01:15:02Hey!
01:15:03I'll be right in!
01:15:08Yeah, usually when Marty yells,
01:15:11Clint, this is what I'm doing.
01:15:12It's been pretty relaxing.
01:15:15Don't tell him.
01:15:19What?
01:15:22Oh, no.
01:15:30Coming through!
01:15:32There's only three hours left
01:15:34to re-rescue the Adamses' Alaskan homestead.
01:15:37Watch out, partner!
01:15:38And before he leaves for good,
01:15:41Marty scrambles to finish
01:15:43the new gray water system.
01:15:45Watch out!
01:15:46We've designed
01:15:47a very basic leach field
01:15:49made up of a labyrinth
01:15:51of trees and branches
01:15:53and clean gravel
01:15:54that can accommodate
01:15:55all of that gray water
01:15:57coming from the house.
01:15:59How deep's the trench?
01:16:01Chris!
01:16:02Yeah!
01:16:04The sheer number
01:16:05of all of the things
01:16:07they get done
01:16:08is overwhelming.
01:16:09Hey, buddy!
01:16:10You guys feel free
01:16:11to cover it all.
01:16:12Lay it right in there.
01:16:13Please.
01:16:14I was starting
01:16:15to get nervous
01:16:15about him being able
01:16:16to get through that permafrost
01:16:17and get plumbing
01:16:18to the house in time.
01:16:20It's all coming together
01:16:21and it's actually happening
01:16:22and it looks like
01:16:24it might actually get finished.
01:16:26Watch out, bud.
01:16:27Please.
01:16:29Coming in hot!
01:16:30Tell him to start
01:16:33filling, please!
01:16:34So once we complete
01:16:36this system,
01:16:37we've accomplished
01:16:39two things.
01:16:40They'll never deal
01:16:41with an unsanitary cesspool
01:16:43next to their cabin
01:16:45and...
01:16:47Woo!
01:16:48Discharged water
01:16:49won't be able
01:16:50to go down
01:16:50and freeze
01:16:52the water line.
01:16:53It's a win-win.
01:16:55All right, young lady,
01:17:03check this out.
01:17:04We've got a four-inch
01:17:06wastewater line
01:17:07going that direction.
01:17:08Okay.
01:17:09Come over to here.
01:17:09The line goes down.
01:17:11All of it's insulated
01:17:12with a two-inch
01:17:14rigid foam
01:17:15over the top of it
01:17:16and plastic.
01:17:17So there's no way
01:17:17this line's ever
01:17:18going to freeze.
01:17:19And this is not
01:17:20necessarily a clean-out,
01:17:22but it's where
01:17:23you could pump this system.
01:17:24Okay.
01:17:25Some people would say,
01:17:25oh, you have to pump
01:17:26it every year,
01:17:27but I wouldn't go
01:17:28more than two years
01:17:29before you had it pumped.
01:17:31From here to here,
01:17:33underneath me,
01:17:34a long ways down,
01:17:36covered in insulation,
01:17:37is a 1,000-gallon tank.
01:17:38And from this tank
01:17:39all the way
01:17:40to the edge
01:17:40of those trees
01:17:41is a 30-foot-long
01:17:44leach field.
01:17:45Yeah, we just came up
01:17:46from Little House
01:17:47on the Prairie
01:17:48to modern day.
01:17:49Oh, yeah.
01:17:50One more thing.
01:17:51Let's go.
01:17:51Let's go.
01:17:54Hey, Adams family.
01:17:56Oh, wow.
01:18:00What do you think?
01:18:01Wow.
01:18:02Have you ever seen
01:18:02one of these before
01:18:03in your house?
01:18:05Nope.
01:18:06So we've tied in
01:18:07the kitchen sink,
01:18:08the bathtub,
01:18:09the shower.
01:18:10Everything drains
01:18:11into this system.
01:18:13There's no more
01:18:13gray water
01:18:14that'll ever surface
01:18:16in the yard
01:18:17ever again.
01:18:17So when it's 60 below
01:18:19and you've got to
01:18:20go to the bathroom,
01:18:21is it fun?
01:18:23No.
01:18:23It's not?
01:18:25She's probably
01:18:26the biggest complainer
01:18:27out of all of us.
01:18:28I think Charlie
01:18:29should have the honors
01:18:31and see if this thing works.
01:18:34Oh, it's even
01:18:35all hooked up
01:18:36and has water in it?
01:18:37Let's see if it works.
01:18:39Give it a try.
01:18:43Wow.
01:18:43Four days ago,
01:18:46the Adams' water supply
01:18:48was compromised
01:18:49by an excess
01:18:50of gray water
01:18:51freezing the line
01:18:52and from vermin waste
01:18:54contaminating the well.
01:18:56Today,
01:18:57they have a gray water
01:18:58disposal system
01:18:59repurposed
01:19:00from a 1,000-gallon
01:19:02fuel tank,
01:19:03a 30-foot-long
01:19:04leach field
01:19:05made from downed trees,
01:19:07and a newly
01:19:08insulated well.
01:19:10And they have
01:19:11a brand-new
01:19:11indoor toilet
01:19:12giving the family
01:19:14potable water
01:19:15and a waste-removal
01:19:16system that will
01:19:17never be compromised
01:19:18again.
01:19:19I never thought
01:19:20I'd be so excited
01:19:21about a toilet.
01:19:22We're so excited
01:19:24to have a flushing toilet.
01:19:26That means no more
01:19:27going outside
01:19:28at 40 below zero
01:19:29and freezing your
01:19:30butt off.
01:19:32Like, literally.
01:19:35And, you know,
01:19:36poor Charlie.
01:19:37She's lived this life
01:19:38pretty much her whole life.
01:19:40Just to see her face
01:19:41light up over flushing
01:19:42that toilet
01:19:43was wonderful.
01:19:44It's such a step up
01:19:45for us.
01:19:46It means no more
01:19:47packing honey buckets
01:19:48out to the outhouse
01:19:49when it's cold.
01:19:49No more using
01:19:50the honey bucket.
01:19:51Like, we can be
01:19:51civilized people now.
01:19:53My new throne.
01:19:54Okay, this thing
01:20:09looks pretty nice.
01:20:09It does.
01:20:10It's pretty strong.
01:20:11Yep.
01:20:14Fair protection.
01:20:15After you.
01:20:17You're welcome.
01:20:19Oh, yeah.
01:20:20It's warm in here.
01:20:20It is warm in here.
01:20:24Last week,
01:20:26the family's sources
01:20:27of protein
01:20:28were exposed
01:20:28to Alaska's
01:20:29extreme elements,
01:20:31with the rabbits
01:20:32succumbing
01:20:32to the freezing cold
01:20:34and attacked
01:20:35by a wandering bear.
01:20:37Today,
01:20:38they've framed
01:20:39their woodshed
01:20:40to become
01:20:40a 10 by 20 foot structure
01:20:42complete with
01:20:44insulated walls
01:20:45and flooring,
01:20:46roosts for the quails,
01:20:48and enough space
01:20:49to safely house
01:20:50their protein sources
01:20:51for years to come.
01:20:54This is kind of
01:20:55a big space,
01:20:56and quail are this big.
01:20:57Right.
01:20:58So you have
01:20:58other plans here?
01:20:59We do.
01:20:59We have some
01:21:00big plans already.
01:21:01Dax has big plans
01:21:02of doing two stories
01:21:03so that we could have
01:21:04the quail on the bottom
01:21:05and maybe the rabbits
01:21:06on the top.
01:21:07Kid's amazing.
01:21:08He is.
01:21:09He's already thinking.
01:21:09He is, yeah.
01:21:11He's doing it for me.
01:21:12He makes it easy for me.
01:21:13Wow.
01:21:13They have values
01:21:14and they have a work ethic.
01:21:16They're smart.
01:21:17I mean, I'm really impressed.
01:21:19So take a bow as a mall.
01:21:22You're welcome.
01:21:23Okay, after you.
01:21:29I'm really impressed
01:21:30and inspired
01:21:31by the three of you
01:21:33as a family.
01:21:34And I'm glad
01:21:35that I came with the crew
01:21:37because to find you
01:21:39without water
01:21:39and a big cesspool
01:21:41in the front yard
01:21:42and rabbits being attacked
01:21:44by black bears,
01:21:45I'm going to tell you,
01:21:47I wasn't happy.
01:21:48But I feel really good
01:21:49right now.
01:21:50And thanks for working
01:21:50hard alongside us
01:21:51to get all this stuff done.
01:21:53I mean, you kids
01:21:54are very well-behaved
01:21:55and very respectful
01:21:56and hardworking.
01:21:58You have chores
01:21:58and you're, you know,
01:21:59you're mature
01:22:00and yet you're still kids.
01:22:03What do you think?
01:22:04Do you think we're
01:22:04better prepared
01:22:05for the next bear?
01:22:07Oh, yeah.
01:22:07We've got just to store
01:22:09all the animals
01:22:10and the food now.
01:22:11Can the bear get in there?
01:22:13I don't think so.
01:22:14I don't think so either.
01:22:15I think we'll be safe.
01:22:17Is it because we
01:22:18built that building
01:22:19and just tried to
01:22:21think about it
01:22:21a little bit harder?
01:22:22Yeah, you guys
01:22:23helped us a lot.
01:22:26I'm so incredibly
01:22:27proud of my kids.
01:22:29Facing all the challenges
01:22:30together,
01:22:31living this lifestyle
01:22:32and to have Marty
01:22:33come back twice
01:22:34has helped set us up
01:22:35and secured us
01:22:36for carrying on
01:22:38and being really successful.
01:22:40We're going to go
01:22:41so much further now.
01:22:42I think we're
01:22:43very well set.
01:22:44Well, thank you
01:22:45for letting me come.
01:22:46Maybe someday
01:22:47I'll come back here again,
01:22:49but it's time to go.
01:22:51Christy and her kids
01:22:53are living proof
01:22:55that you can homestead
01:22:56anywhere.
01:22:57It's their sanctuary.
01:22:58It's their refuge.
01:22:59It's their future.
01:23:02Thank you so much.
01:23:03Take care.
01:23:05You make the best of it.
01:23:07Bye.
01:23:07Bye.
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