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00:00Previously, on The Last Woodsman...
00:14Honey shot, Rob. F*** ya.
00:17The final days on the float camp lease yield a much needed payout.
00:22477 bundles should be a full one, buddy.
00:25But when Jared gets a do-or-die ultimatum...
00:29I don't want to take your float camp. If I have to, I'm going to do it.
00:32No more excuses, Jared.
00:34...his chance at a lifetime logging claim is on a razor's edge.
00:39F*** me.
00:53I think you've got to pull the barge out on this back corner.
00:56There you go, you got her.
00:59Early morning in the Pacific Northwest, Jared Douglas lands his float camp barge at its new outpost, the forever claim.
01:11I'm bringing all the crew, all the equipment, everything I got.
01:16I'm trying to show John that we don't f*** around here at Cypress Creek logging and we're going to get this done.
01:25In five days, Jared owes the next timber royalty of $100,000, plus the $50,000 shortfall from the last log barge.
01:35But another big ticking clock also begins.
01:41Fire shift is looming very fast upon us.
01:45I'm definitely feeling the pressure.
01:47To give it all we can give it before the heat drives us out of the woods.
01:50So we will monitor our crossovers.
01:56Crossover is when the humidity and temperature cross each other.
02:02So now we are in high.
02:05That is like a match ready to go off in the forest.
02:09Once a crossover starts, you have to immediately stop activity.
02:14This could happen any day.
02:22Further up the mountain.
02:27We've been a devil's club down here.
02:30Jared's team of fallers hunt for the biggest trees at the end of their life cycle.
02:39Booyah!
02:40With veterans Chris Hersix and Brendan Bowman leading the charge.
02:47There's a lot of protocol put in place when it starts getting too hot.
02:54You have to pay attention, especially running a chainsaw.
02:57There's thick moss on trees and as soon as dry cedar gets lit up, it's going to go.
03:05This is some high value timber right here.
03:08Yeah?
03:09It's been a while since I've seen a tree like this.
03:11It's got a few limbs on it for sure, but it's not one of them.
03:14One that shoots out with marms.
03:16It's like that's just a full on pipe all the way to the top, really.
03:22Sounds pretty solid.
03:25If it was rotten, you'd hear more like a drum sound.
03:29There's definitely a high grade lumber here.
03:31This is a money maker for everybody.
03:33Money growing to the sky.
03:35This is the kind of stuff that we've been chasing.
03:39So this is like really important to have this thing saved out as best we can.
03:43I'm going to really have to plan this one out, make sure I got a good spot to put it.
03:47It does have kind of a bit of a lean like up the hill.
03:51It kind of brings in a little bit of an obstacle for this one.
03:55There's a couple trees in behind it that it could hit and that would be hazardous to myself and potentially somebody else.
04:01I learn something new every day.
04:05To never, never take anything for granted.
04:09Never, never think that, oh, I've done this long enough.
04:14It's no big deal.
04:15Like always second guess yourself.
04:17And that carries on in life, right?
04:19Like, are you sure you want to do that?
04:22Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.
04:25That's where you want to put it though.
04:26That's the best spot.
04:28That's going to lessen the impact of this tree on the ground.
04:31That's where we're going to get the most money out of this thing is down there.
04:35And the best product.
04:37Looks like it's going to go that way, but you don't really know until you start cutting into it.
04:42Might take a little inspiration, but ah, it looks like it'd be doable.
04:48I just got to make sure I take my time on the undercut and make sure she's pointed the right way in.
04:53Yeah, for sure.
04:54One of them ones that take your time and do it properly.
04:58The boss is normally pretty happy about that.
05:00Yeah.
05:01I don't think you'd be too happy if I smash this thing.
05:04So yeah, I mean.
05:05No.
05:06No, probably not.
05:12To keep this high value cedar from crashing backwards onto Brendan and into other trees,
05:17he'll carefully carve a face cut 180 degrees in the other direction,
05:22hoping it's enough to send it toward a soft bed of underbrush.
05:26Better get otter.
05:29Better get otter.
05:59That's not a good sign.
06:14Looks to me like it wants to go back up the hill.
06:17Not where I want to put it.
06:20Our only option is to use wedges on the low side to try and pick this thing up.
06:25You look at a little wedge and it doesn't seem like much, but like an eighth of an inch of left of the bottom of a tree.
06:32It can be upwards of a foot movement on the top.
06:34So a one inch wedge can move a tree six to eight feet.
06:39I'm being stubborn.
06:45It does want to go back up the hill.
06:49Come on.
06:51me.
07:04Down the mountain.
07:07We got fire season right around the corner coming in hot.
07:10Bush mechanic Adrian Bailey is tasked with a vital mission to bolster fire defense on the claim.
07:17You can absolutely not operate a logging company without fire trucks and firefighting equipment during the summer.
07:24You have to have fire trucks and it's important that they actually function.
07:28His challenge, bring life back to an old fire truck that's broken down on the job site.
07:41Fire trucks don't live a very nice life out here because they go and sit and they sit and they sit and then they run for a day or two and they sit more.
07:52They always leave around to die and then it becomes my problem to sort it all out.
07:57Story of my life.
08:01Go out and pick up the pieces, pull out of the weeds, the bees and the prickles.
08:05So I just have to see what it will and won't do kind of a thing.
08:10Can't really check it all over.
08:12I can't even pop the hood where it's at.
08:14I'm going to have to get it out of here.
08:17Yeah.
08:18I'm just going to have to drag this thing out.
08:20I'll go get a machine.
08:21Well, I have two frayed straps.
08:32I should have grabbed some more stuff on my last trip to the shop.
08:36And I didn't.
08:37And here we are.
08:38Fire is pretty violent and vicious and it escalates pretty quickly.
08:46And it's our job to try and get on them before they get out of control.
08:49Sometimes they do get out of control, but that shows the importance of having good firefighting equipment and having it readily available and functioning so that you can extinguish a fire.
08:59We're kind of in fire season now and it only takes about a week of real hot weather to dry the push out.
09:05So it's a priority that I get this thing going.
09:09Good, good, good, good, good.
09:14Well, I actually thought this strap was going to break and it's a soldier.
09:17I'm so happy.
09:19We're going to give this thing a flash and see if it'll start up.
09:25Okay.
09:26This is an old mechanical engine, so it's a pretty good chance this thing will flash up, thankfully.
09:31And there's a reason these things have survived in the forest industry so long because they're nice and tough and simple.
09:38And they take the abuse and they are easy to maintain and carry on.
09:44So let's give it a crank.
09:56Not far away.
10:17What's going on?
10:22Oh, there's a fat truck accident.
10:27Swerving for a pothole and hit one of my crumbies.
10:31Jared is on site less than 10 minutes.
10:34Already faces his first crisis of the day.
10:40I got to get down there and make sure everything's okay.
10:42Holy .
10:51That's not what I need right now.
11:00What if there was someone in that truck?
11:02We can't have this right now.
11:18I can't have this right now.
11:32On the roads of the forever claim.
11:37Little craters developing everywhere around here.
11:39Not great.
11:44Jared and Brad race back to the scene of the truck collision.
11:47The suspected cause, a stretch of road that has now been deemed undrivable.
11:53One of my trucks was in an accident.
11:55The truck was swerving for a sinkhole.
11:58That is never good.
11:59Oh, yeah, right here.
12:03You can see the big depression here where the trucks have been going through.
12:06Oh, yeah.
12:08Oh, my God.
12:10Imagine driving 100 tons down that.
12:12Ah, no thanks.
12:19Yeah, that's a hole.
12:22That's a doozy.
12:23Worst case scenario, it loads spills, loses traction, and goes off the corner.
12:31We need to find a good, bindable gravel to fill that hole.
12:36We have to bring a grader in to do it, so this is what has to happen.
12:40I'd say it needs to be filled from there.
12:44The start of this rock here.
12:47Yeah.
12:49Yeah, it'll be a few yards for sure.
12:50A few loads of gravel to bring this back to grade.
12:54It's going to take a lot of lovin'.
12:56Let's go make some chicken soup out of some chicken .
13:05Back up the mountain.
13:13He's talking.
13:18He's lifting.
13:21She doesn't want to go yet.
13:23She'll go, buddy. She'll go.
13:25It can't all be easy.
13:29What we did out here was easy.
13:30Everybody would be doing it.
13:31There we go, boys.
13:32Oh, there she goes.
13:45Winner!
13:47Nice work.
13:49That's a beauty chunk of wood.
13:54Beautiful tree.
13:56Woohoo!
13:58Money log!
13:59Hell yeah, man.
14:00I can't believe how far you swung this thing around.
14:02That when he got six wedges buried in it.
14:05It was lifted up.
14:06I was like, okay.
14:07Anytime now.
14:08Yeah, you can go.
14:10I got to get a drink.
14:13It's starting to feel like work.
14:15Well, you deserve it after getting that.
14:17That expensive high dollar cedar down, man.
14:21Nice work, man.
14:22Yeah, Jerry's going to like this one.
14:26I would hope so.
14:38Further down the mountain.
14:39Okay.
14:40No fuel up here.
14:41So, um, something down the line is, uh, either plugged or, um, not working properly.
14:56So, I'll have to trace it back and see where it takes me.
15:00Adrian troubleshoots an abandoned fire truck that will bring added protection.
15:05And a fire season that already threatens to become one of the region's worst on record.
15:16So, it's got a primary kind of a catch screen that comes here to the tank.
15:22This little fella right here, it has, um, a screen in there so it catches the water and garbage first
15:27before it goes through the pump.
15:30And then after the pump, you have your technically primary and secondary fuel filters.
15:35Pretty good chance that just the first ones are plugged.
15:38Usually you've got algae.
15:39Those tanks sit in the sun and then they get cold in the winter and hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold.
15:43And you get octopuses inside your fuel tank.
15:46Octopus is the algae that grows in fuel systems.
15:50I can't even believe that life has created a creature that actually grows inside the fuel tank.
15:55a toxic substance like diesel fuel.
16:00So, I'll clean that guy out.
16:03Get all the shmoo out of there.
16:06Okay.
16:08So, this is just the process of diagnosis of, uh, figuring out why I'm not getting fuel at the injectors.
16:17It doesn't look super nice.
16:19Oh, there's octopus in here. Look at the octopus. See?
16:22Get out of there, bud.
16:25You dirty dog. Get out of there. Hey.
16:28That guy's trying to stop us from operating.
16:31And he's clogged up these fuel filters.
16:34Break clean. Horrible for your skin.
16:37Cleans everything though. Just a magical, magical chemical.
16:41It's not really a good practice, but once again, um, they call it the Bush League for a reason.
16:47Being a Bush mechanic was my dream when I was about 17 years old.
16:52Okay, moment of truth.
16:54And then as I kind of achieved the goal that I dreamt in my late teens, it started to kind of fade.
17:01And, um, you know, I want something new. I want something else.
17:04If there's anything in life that you want and desire, I think if you can come up with a way to get there in your own mind, you can achieve anything.
17:11Oh, yeah, baby.
17:15The job hasn't changed, but I have.
17:17And, um, so I'm slowly trying to guide myself away from it to something else that's going to keep me excited and motivated for the next chapter of my life.
17:30Transmission goes in gear. That's fantastic.
17:33I've been slowly practicing the musical pursuits.
17:36I'm kind of hoping to find a band pretty soon and, uh, you know, pursue life in that direction.
17:41At least give it a try or I will grow old and sad because I will be wondering what could have been if I had tried.
17:48Uh, brakes not releasing.
17:57Just airing it up right now.
18:00Got to get full pressure and try to get the brakes to release and hopefully they do.
18:05Old drum air brakes very commonly stick on and they can be a royal pain in the ass for some poor mechanic to deal with.
18:13Builds air. Starts. Shuts off.
18:21Brakes apply, but they don't actually release.
18:27I'm going to have to go tickle them.
18:33Oh, look at that. The shmoo coming out of the air tank. That's just glorious.
18:38Stop. There we go.
18:41Oh, it got me. Not the hair.
18:46Oh, it got me again.
18:50My hair is the most important thing to me and I need to look after it.
18:53This long ago, I sold my soul to the gods of rock and roll.
18:58And you know what they told me?
19:00You got two choices now, boy, rock or die.
19:02I don't see a lot of guys in this industry with long hair anymore.
19:06For good reason. It is dangerous for me as a mechanic.
19:09There's a lot of things I get caught in.
19:11And my biggest fear is losing my hair because without my long hair and musical pursuits,
19:16I'm just another ugly nutsack and there I am nothing.
19:21So, those are both drained and we're looking okay there.
19:27Okay, okay, okay.
19:29I need to jam my own air directly into this and that should release the spring brake.
19:38And I will hopefully be able to smash it with a hammer and free up the brakes a little bit.
19:42And as long as they release, I'll be happy.
19:45Oh!
19:57Okay.
19:59Let's just see what it will do with some air.
20:04Oh.
20:08Wow.
20:10Nice.
20:14Okay.
20:15Beauty.
20:17That is released.
20:24Before I give it the big check mark all around, I better check the actual fire gear
20:30and make sure we can pump water and hose the bush.
20:39Come on, babe.
20:45Come on, babe.
20:49Oh, yeah.
20:52Oh, yeah.
21:01There she goes.
21:02There she goes.
21:08Okay.
21:10Bumps to go.
21:12Bumps alive and healthy.
21:25Maybe it's time to take this thing for a spin.
21:26Okay.
21:28We've got brakes.
21:41Okay, we got brakes, it shifts, it steers, we're looking pretty damn good so
22:10and I'd say we're pretty well ready for fire season, at least for now.
22:21Dude, it's starting these wedges early so that this tree doesn't have a chance to sit back.
22:27What are you feeling, Rob? It's tight.
22:30Oh.
22:40Morning up on the mountain.
22:56It's getting warm out.
23:01Jim Gardner and Rob Winger are already hard on the hunt for their next timber giant.
23:06It's getting tropical.
23:16It's gross. I know you like the heat, but I hate it.
23:18Oh, I shine in this.
23:19that.
23:27Oh, yeah.
23:29Is that the one?
23:31Yeah, this is the one.
23:32We've got a big hammer fur.
23:39Very high value.
23:43This is going to be really straight.
23:45There's no branches for at least 100 feet.
23:49So everything you see is going to be all clear.
23:52Here the top's blown off.
23:54Hopefully it's not full of water.
23:57If that's the case, I'm going to have to let this thing drain.
23:59You can bore it, I guess.
24:01Heck yeah.
24:01Good plan.
24:03The top of my tree was broken off.
24:05And there's a very real possibility of water pooling up.
24:14If water's collecting on the inside, it doesn't have a place to escape.
24:17And the only place it can escape is the holes that we're creating.
24:20So we have to get it drained out to keep it as safe as possible.
24:23If left undrained, the water inside this tree could heat up on the chainsaw muffler
24:29and spray back on Jem at nearly 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
24:35Last week, I had a cedar full of water and sprayed water all over my hand,
24:39and it burned on my hand.
24:41So if this thing's full of hot water or pitch, it would be worse,
24:46because that can get on your muffler and start on fire.
24:49No water?
24:50No water.
24:51Perfect.
24:52Perfect.
24:53Look at this.
24:54Big ooey goo.
24:55Oh, there's the pitch.
24:57As a matter of fact, there was water up there,
24:59and it's drained out as the year's going on,
25:02and now it's just filled up with sap.
25:03So that's what we're dealing with right now.
25:05Now, if we're sitting here with this saw going and blasting,
25:08and this is on top of the saw spitting at you.
25:10It's going to start your saw on fire.
25:12Look at that.
25:12Oh, yowzers.
25:14It's like honey.
25:18Hear it?
25:19Yep.
25:20Sounds like a toilet's flushing.
25:23It might have a couple different options for a lay,
25:29but there's two angles I could shoot for, either one here or one there.
25:33There's a bit of a hollow there.
25:35It might break in right there.
25:36If you put it right here,
25:37at least it'll just break on the other side of the road, hopefully.
25:40Yeah.
25:42Really great idea.
25:43We're going to put it down the hill slightly,
25:46which is going to keep this nice, steady progression.
25:49It's a nice big ramp so that if this straight tree lands on this straight ramp,
25:54it lands flat, no bumps, no lumps, no breakage.
26:05To keep this fur from shattering,
26:07Jim will aim his undercut straight across a flat section of road.
26:11But if there's still a vein of combustible sap inside,
26:19it could touch off on his chainsaw muffler
26:21and blow fire straight back on it.
26:28I got my extinguisher on the ready here, Jim.
26:31Nice.
26:31So you set,
26:32start your saw on fire.
26:34Let's do it.
26:41Further downhill.
27:08We got to round up some equipment.
27:11Jared and Brad are under the gun
27:14to fix a hazardous stretch of road
27:16and get fat trucks back to Hawley
27:18before the last log barge of summer arrives.
27:22It's a road.
27:24It's not going to be a real quick fix.
27:27The biggest thing overshored on is time.
27:29We need to get this happening now
27:31because that barge is coming.
27:32I guess I'm going to have to try to use a grater.
27:47Okay.
27:48Nice blade on it.
27:49We'll push some material around.
27:53Lots of coolant.
27:57The oil's good.
27:58The f***ing key switch is f***ing broken.
28:05Of course it is.
28:07Can you get the key in the arm position?
28:08I can jump the solenoid?
28:10No, it's dead.
28:13Nothing there.
28:13The key switch is f***ing broken.
28:15I think I'm cursed.
28:19I think I'm literally f***ing cursed.
28:21Got to get the f***ing wood to the f***ing barge
28:24before John Muhammad takes my f***ing b***h.
28:29He's a f***ing b***h.
28:41Back at the forever claim.
28:43It's dead.
28:45What should be a routine fix
28:47has turned into a struggle
28:48to reopen the most important artery on the claim.
28:51can anything go right today doesn't seem that way i'm just about at my wits end find some jumper
29:01cables i'm just gonna try the old jump start here these aren't the best looking connections
29:09i'm frustrated to the no end okay but i'll give up just my scottish coat of arms says never give
29:17up just don't people have been saying that for years why don't you pack it in i don't i just keep
29:23going lean into it grind greater you have to what are you gonna do fail you just have to keep
29:30pressing forward lean into it and keep going we're gonna get this done son of a bitch
29:35sounds like there's lots of juice there it just won't engage the starter
29:44turn it on everything lights up i'll jump the other battery there's two batteries okay
29:50jared's a calm cool cucumber most of the time but when he starts uh being quiet and looking intense
29:58you know that's that's when i can feel that he's actually under a lot of pressure okay
30:03yeah try it one more and every every load we're not getting is a load we're further and further
30:10behind filling that barge so most people will just turn around and run from it uh boss man
30:15jared's not gonna happen and i know he's gotten to this point in his career because he's just
30:20overcome these these obstacles
30:34we got smoke we got fire
30:39i got a road to fix we finally got some tools to do it it took a little while but we're right back to
30:45where we need to be hopefully we can get this thing up the hill now and start spreading some rock and fix
30:49that issue grader's a pretty good tool for fixing the road but i'm not a grader operator i know enough
30:55to be dangerous just hoping this old girl bailed me out of my issues here with any luck we're hauling in
31:02the morning and making things happen
31:19up the mountain
31:27it's like you're getting into that pit scene
31:30yeah it's just starting to ooze out here
31:33fallers jim and rob encounter one of the leading causes of chainsaw fires
31:38tree sap there too yeah oh and there yeah oh yeah it's really going there
31:44well no fires yet well you can sure tell how wet it is there from all you just touch you just touch
31:50right there and it's your hands sticky it's just right in every pore
31:55okay let's do it so i'll scribe around the back side okay cut that low side up i'll start giving her
32:10okay okay so what we're doing is starting these wedges early so that this tree doesn't have a chance
32:28to sit back now we're actually tapping and letting it push forward tapping cutting and letting it push
32:34for it again preventative measures more pitch a cup of pitch coming out here coming out this seam here
32:41so pitch everywhere there's going to be voids in there once this pitch is all gone the pockets of
32:48air because it was pockets of pitch so now there's going to be air in there not quite holding this
32:52thing together the way we need it to or want it to so we'll just be aware of what's exactly it's doing
32:58as we're cutting as we're wedging just paying attention and looking and just ready to skedaddle if things go sideways
33:16it's tight looks like it's wanting to sit back rob oh
33:29what are you feeling rob it's tight in spots but it is slowly lifting slowly lifting you want
33:48me to go faster slower no that's good that's perfect okay is it cut up nope not quite totally
33:54but it looks like it's going to be very shortly i'll just keep giving her okay
34:24here we go float camp you want to see our house let me give you an introduction we are going into
34:45the kitchen this is where all the magic happens to keep everybody happy we got mounds chocolate chip
34:51cookies i think i'll take one of those for myself and this is a first aid room so if you get wounded
34:57you come here people get wounded we usually just throw them off the barge rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms
35:0355 rooms it's big it's a big house bathroom now see this that sucks the smell of poo out of here
35:11very important so in here is kind of the games room we watch football games movies
35:17these this is the beer fridge a little bit of booze in there you can come in here and have a workout
35:23yeah that's that's a good one and this is the helipad
35:31i'm going to get it
35:35i should have known better
35:47i should have known better
35:51Oh, what was that?
36:21You?
36:22Holy .
36:24That works good.
36:25Yeah, man.
36:25Wedging and cutting, wedging and cutting, wedging and cutting.
36:28If it was just me, I would have been so far behind,
36:30I wouldn't have been able to catch up.
36:33That helped out so much.
36:35Perfect placement, too.
36:36Exactly where you said it was going.
36:40That's a nice piece of wood.
36:41That went perfect, Jim.
36:43It went exactly where you wanted it to.
36:45Minimal breakage.
36:47Yeah, that was perfect, Jim.
36:49Perfect.
36:50Yeah, not a bad shot.
36:52Not a bad shot.
36:53That was, like, right on the money.
36:55The best case scenario happened.
36:57Yeah, there's one more for the bucks.
36:59Another truck filler.
37:00Beautiful lumber, though.
37:02Third of a truck load in one tree, right there.
37:04Jared's going to be pretty darn happy.
37:15Further down the mountain.
37:18Coming.
37:20Jared's fleet of fat trucks are at a standstill until he and Brad can get a damaged stretch of road repaired.
37:26Good.
37:38Thank you, sir.
37:43Slow is smooth and smooth and fast.
37:47Just hoping this old girl bailed me out of my issues here today.
37:51Try the best I can.
37:52To scrape what I can into the hole and pack it down.
37:55.
37:56Yes, sir.
38:18.
38:19.
38:22Yeah, it's looking good, actually.
38:32I think we're maybe one more pass.
38:37I'm pretty impressed.
38:40You know, Jared made me believe he wasn't good on the grader,
38:42but he's making it happen here.
38:44You can tell the road surface has bolstered up right
38:46where we want it to be.
38:47Now the boss can put grader operator on his resume.
38:50He needs to be looking good for the cab.
38:56The fruits of our labor here, and it's all coming together.
38:58I think the fat truck drivers are going to be really happy with this.
39:00They're going to come around the corner in the morning
39:02and just say, good job, guys.
39:04You've got her.
39:05Victory!
39:08What a day.
39:20It's supposed to be clean, and there's spider webs everywhere.
39:28We got the fat trucks back up to speed.
39:31Adrian got us ready for fire, and everything's moving again.
39:35But I'm worried it's too little, too late.
39:37I'm hoping that John's a reasonable man.
39:46I need more time to get up off the floor.
39:53Hey, Jared.
39:54Hey, John.
39:55How's it going out there?
39:58Going well?
39:59No, not exactly.
40:03We've had some setbacks.
40:06And I need to ask for another week for the log barge.
40:12OK, well, that's not going to cut it.
40:14I've got commitments, customers.
40:16They're counting on that wood,
40:18which means I'm counting on you to get those frickin' barges out.
40:22I could try.
40:23That's the job.
40:24You took it on.
40:25Yeah.
40:27You've got three days.
40:29OK.
40:29Figure it out.
40:30Three days, we'll have the log barge filled.
40:36Next time.
40:44Got smoke there?
40:46Oh, I hate fire season.
40:52Oh!
40:53I've got a barge coming,
40:56and I need to get the $150,000 royalty on that barge.
41:01We've got three bundles heading out of the booming ground.
41:04We've got to get those back.
41:05All I can do with this problem
41:06is throw everything I can at it.
41:10Got to fire.
41:11If we can't do this,
41:13we've got to make sure we cool the ground,
41:15get everything saturated here.
41:17I lose float camp.
41:18I lose the forever claim.
41:19I lose everything.
41:20F*** me.
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