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