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00:00When a line of pronghorn tracks appeared in the wilderness at 20 degrees below zero,
00:04Hunter Kyle knew his chance had come.
00:06This was definitely a great opportunity to replenish his family's winter supplies.
00:11Without any hesitation, Kyle headed into the mountains with his son, Ben.
00:14The reason he brought his son was that a hunter must be trained from an early age.
00:19After climbing onto a ridge, Kyle spotted several running pronghorn through his binoculars,
00:24just as he had expected.
00:25He then turned to tell his son the plan.
00:27They would hike all the way to the opposite ridge.
00:30If they got close enough, Kyle would let his son, Ben, take the shot.
00:33Training the next generation was not just empty talk.
00:36Letting him try it himself was worth more than a thousand words.
00:40However, this hunt was not as easy as he had imagined.
00:43Compared to all kinds of common deer in North America, pronghorn are smaller in size.
00:47An adult male usually weighs about 50 kilograms.
00:50They can not only swim but also run extremely fast, second only to cheetahs.
00:54What's more, they have excellent eyesight and can easily see things several kilometers away.
01:00So, the difficulty of hunting them is obvious.
01:02Soon, the father and son crept all the way to the spot where the pronghorn had been.
01:08If everything went as expected, they could lie high on the ridge and aim and shoot downward.
01:12But before going up, Kyle gave Ben another warning, mostly about not being nervous and other words of encouragement.
01:18After a long period of preparation, the father and son crept and hopefully climbed the mountain.
01:24But the moment their eyes crossed the peak and saw the scene opposite, the two of them froze on the
01:29spot.
01:29There was nothing but empty space ahead.
01:31All that built up emotion for this?
01:33This proved that nothing in nature can be easily predicted by a hunter.
01:36What he thought was true was only what he thought.
01:39But this did not mean failure.
01:40After all, the pronghorn still had not realized that they had been targeted by hunters.
01:45Next, they only needed to keep tracking forward and wait for the right moment to strike.
01:49After an 8-kilometer mountain chase, the father and son finally stumbled over another ridge.
01:54But at that moment, on the edge of the horizon, some tiny animals appeared.
01:59These were the pronghorn the father and son had been chasing.
02:01Because the terrain here was very open with no cover at all, and right now, there was still a distance
02:07of about 400 meters between them,
02:09This raised the difficulty of the hunt to another level.
02:11But as the old saying goes, they were already here.
02:14So the father and son lay on the ground and slowly moved forward.
02:18The hardest part right now was judging the distance.
02:21Hitting the target accurately from 400 meters was nearly impossible.
02:24But getting too close would also alert the prey.
02:27Either way, one missed shot meant they would not get a second chance.
02:30So the father and son needed to maintain a distance that would not disturb the prey but still allow an
02:35accurate hit.
02:36After crawling forward for a while, Kyle sat on the grass and raised his binoculars to observe again.
02:42At this moment, the pronghorn were still grazing with their heads down and had not noticed them.
02:47At a distance of about 300 meters, it should be within the range of the rifle.
02:51Then, just like a sniper observer, Kyle pointed out a target for his son and encouraged him softly, telling him
02:57to shoot when he felt it was right.
02:59As Ben aimed with great effort, the pronghorn in the distance seemed to have noticed the father and son.
03:04They looked up alertly in their direction.
03:06When the gunshot rang out, Kyle saw through his binoculars that the target slowly fell to the ground.
03:11This made him extremely happy.
03:13He quickly patted his son on the head and praised him non-stop.
03:16At such a young age, he could hit a target from such a long distance.
03:19It seemed his eldest son was indeed very calm and gifted.
03:22Then the father and son slowly approached the prey lying on the ground.
03:26Kyle reminded Ben that when unsure whether the prey was dead, he should not appear in front of it but
03:31approach from behind as much as possible.
03:33After confirming that the pronghorn had been killed, Kyle began to tell some stories about Native Americans.
03:39After hunting an animal, they would feed it some grass, which meant giving thanks to the prey for allowing them
03:44to take its life.
03:45He believed the pronghorn must have been full of reluctance at this moment.
03:48If he could still run, he would never have allowed this.
03:51Then the father and son sharpened their knives and prepared to butcher the prey on the spot before taking it
03:56home.
03:56In the past, Kyle had done all this work alone, but as his son grew older, he began to join
04:02in.
04:03He needed to learn and grow gradually through practice.
04:06Then Ben dug out the bullet he had fired from the prey.
04:09He believed it would be a very good souvenir for him.
04:11Next, under Kyle's guidance, Ben cut off the two tenderloins from the back.
04:16These were the strips of meat close to both sides of the spine, which hunters regarded as the best part
04:21of the prey.
04:21With each gentle slice of the knife, the whole prey was cut into large and small pieces of meat and
04:27put into bags.
04:28After packing up the hide, they could carry the prey home.
04:31The father and son talked happily, saying that mom would surely be glad when they got home.
04:35Kyle encouraged Ben once again.
04:37For an 11-year-old boy, his father's approval and his mother's smile were all he pursued at this age.
04:43In Dead Horse Canyon, New Mexico, Kyle was still working hard on his 300-acre small farm.
04:49Since he cleared the blocked stream a while ago, the water here had become more abundant than before.
04:54Although the water quality was poor at the moment, Kyle had no other solution.
04:58After filling a jug with water, before he could take a sip, Kyle suddenly noticed a strange footprint in the
05:04mud ahead.
05:06Ever since he came to this land, he had been very sensitive to wild animals.
05:10Obviously, it was left by some animal that had come to drink water.
05:13When he walked closer, it looked a lot like a mountain lion's.
05:16But in terms of size, it did not seem to be as big as a mountain lion's.
05:20The only possibility was a lynx.
05:22But even for a lynx, this was a very large one.
05:25At least in Kyle's career as a hunter, he had rarely seen such large lynx footprints.
05:30After confirming it was a lynx, Kyle had some thoughts in his mind.
05:34Normally, no one would think a lynx could threaten cattle.
05:36But after all, the calving season was approaching.
05:39Kyle believed that if the lynx was hungry enough, it would definitely take the risk to attack a calf.
05:44Anyone who has been scratched by a cat knows how painful a single swipe of its paw can be.
05:49So no matter what, this lynx could not be left alive.
05:52After packing a full bag of supplies, Kyle picked up the cloth bag and headed into the mountains.
05:57What came next was a test of wits and experience.
06:00When he reached the stream, Kyle planned to set three kinds of traps to teach the lynx a lesson.
06:05The main idea was to go all out with fancy tricks.
06:08The first spot he chose was under a big tree beside the stream.
06:12It was not far from where the footprint was found.
06:14So theoretically, the success rate would be relatively high.
06:18Kyle then explained his first method of setting a trap.
06:21Placing a trap on the animal's regular path and camouflaging it.
06:24There was no scent, nothing visible at all, because the trap was buried under the soil and hidden.
06:29Kyle had used this same method to catch coyotes before.
06:32The only difficulty was making the animal step over the trap.
06:35That was why the big tree growing on the narrow riverbank played a big role.
06:39Together with the riverbank, it formed a perfect terrain.
06:42All he needed to do was lay a dry tree root across the path,
06:46leaving only the trapped section open for the lynx to pass through.
06:49Most animals would choose the easier path, and this trap took advantage of that trait.
06:53Kyle then continued walking along the stream, trying to find a suitable spot for the second trap.
06:58After passing through a very dense patch of woods, Kyle found an excellent location.
07:03Kyle called the second trap a scent trap.
07:05As the name suggested, it used scent to lure the prey over.
07:08The earlier trap without bait, he called the blind set, meaning no attractant was used at all.
07:13It was all down to chance.
07:15But in reality, this scent trap was not that different from the blind set.
07:19Both were leg-hold traps, buried in the soil, and camouflaged.
07:23The only difference was that this trap had one small extra item,
07:26the stinky bait he had used to trap coyotes before.
07:29This stuff was made from bison meat, marinated for more than three years.
07:33It smelled overwhelming to humans, but animals loved its scent.
07:36After sticking the bait into the soil, Kyle carefully arranged some dry branches over it.
07:41This was also to guide the lynx to step exactly on the center of the trap.
07:45Cats are usually sensitive about where they place their paws.
07:48Because of the soft pads on their feet, they generally try to avoid hard branches.
07:52Even a cat picks the soft places to step.
07:55Naturally, it feels more comfortable on leaves.
07:57After the setup, if the lynx came to sniff the stinky bait,
08:01it would step right on the soft fallen leaves, and that would trigger the trap perfectly.
08:05Next, Kyle found a spot for the third trap.
08:08It was a shady area, but when the sun set, it would be hit by the evening sunlight.
08:12Kyle's third trap was designed exactly to use the sunlight.
08:16It was a can jar he used to hold bear oil, with a metal sealing lid inside.
08:20Now, Kyle was going to use this shiny, light-reflecting metal lid.
08:24First, he punched a hole in it, then hung it under a tree with a rope,
08:28and finally set a trap underneath.
08:29The principle was actually simple.
08:32Although lynx are nocturnal animals, in reality, they start becoming active three hours before nightfall.
08:38At that time, the sun had not fully set yet, and the evening light would shine on the can lid.
08:43When the breeze blew, the lid would reflect the sunlight.
08:46Even from far away, the lynx would notice the beam of light.
08:49Like most cats, lynx are full of curiosity.
08:52When they come over to investigate the lid, the trap under their paws would catch them.
08:56That is why curiosity killed the cat.
08:58Early the next morning, Kyle had just gotten through a freezing cold night.
09:02At this moment, he truly understood what it meant to be freezing cold.
09:06To warm up quickly, he decided to check the traps he had set the day before first.
09:10Walking around would get his body warm again.
09:13However, the first blind set trap did not seem to work well.
09:16Sure enough, relying on chance was just too random.
09:19Facts proved that relying too much on chance actually meant no chance at all.
09:23He then went to check the stinky bait trap.
09:25The result was about the same.
09:26It seemed the lynx was not very interested in this strong smelling stuff.
09:30The only difference was something had tripped the trap's iron chain and pulled it out of the soil,
09:34but it had not caught any prey.
09:36It must have been another animal not interested in the stinky bait.
09:39So the question was, of the three traps Kyle had set yesterday, two had already failed.
09:44What were his chances of catching the lynx today, one-third or one-half?
09:48Kyle then reset the trap and headed toward his last hope.
09:51After walking through the dense woods, he could not help but cry out in surprise.
09:55A large lynx was actually lying in the trap.
09:58Judging by its size, this must be the one that had left the footprints, because it was huge.
10:02He never would have guessed that after all the tricks, the can jar worked the best in the end.
10:07Curiosity really did kill the cat.
10:09Kyle touched the big lynx, now frozen solid, and felt nothing but satisfaction.
10:14After packing up the trap, Kyle hoisted the big animal onto his shoulder.
10:17If nothing went wrong, this pelt would bring Kyle $300.
10:21It really was killing two birds with one stone.
10:24The ranch was protected, and he had made some money.
10:26Now he would go home and talk it over from the bottom of his heart.
10:29What does it take to build a ranch?
10:31First, you have to have land.
10:33This is a 300-acre wilderness.
10:36It used to be a small farm, but it had been abandoned for years.
10:39So far, Kyle had spent eight weeks trying to restore it.
10:42For two months, Kyle had cleared brush here, repaired fences, and driven off all kinds of predators from time to
10:48time.
10:49Although he was here alone, he had lived a fairly full life.
10:52But with winter coming to an end, he still had two difficult tasks left.
10:56The first, of course, was the water supply.
10:59Although on the first day he arrived here, he had dug out the stream to widen the flow that had
11:03only solved the source of the water.
11:05Since the water in the stream kept flowing, and the water level was very shallow,
11:09it was still far from enough for a herd of cattle to drink freely.
11:13After choosing a relatively flat area on the edge of the pasture,
11:16Kyle's plan was to find a way to build a small dam here.
11:19Based on the terrain, it would become a small pond.
11:22Then it would hold more water, and the cattle could drink more easily from the shallow bank.
11:26After digging two gaps on each side of the stream,
11:29Kyle brought in a large log about one and a half meters long and laid it across the middle.
11:34This way, he could block the water upstream to make it easier to build a stone dam downstream.
11:39However, first he had to find plenty of stones from all around.
11:42Every spring, when the snow melts, this stream has very strong currents.
11:47If the dam was not strong enough, it would be washed away.
11:50But after summer, the water would get less and less,
11:52and the stream would gradually dry up during the dry season.
11:55So, Kyle needed to make the water basin as large as possible
11:59so that there would be enough fresh water to feed the first batch of 16 old cattle.
12:03After finding some large stones,
12:05Kyle placed them one by one into the mud at the bottom of the stream.
12:08As one large stone after another was stacked up,
12:11the original stream slowly turned into a small pond.
12:14For now, Kyle was very satisfied,
12:16because the terrain here was a gentle downward slope neither steep nor deep.
12:21As the water from upstream slowly flowed down,
12:23it would be enough to support a small herd of more than 10 cattle.
12:27With the first task successfully completed,
12:29Kyle was about to face his final task, repairing the fence.
12:32Over the past two months, Kyle had rebuilt and repaired roughly 10 kilometers of fencing.
12:37Now, only less than 100 meters remained.
12:40If he could finish this last section of fence today,
12:43he could immediately call his father to get ready to bring the cattle over.
12:46Dragging the chainsaw wearily to the fence,
12:49Kyle looked at the old, broken barbed wire lying on the ground.
12:52The fences had originally marked the boundary,
12:54but they were now rotten beyond recognition.
12:57Fixing them would take some effort.
12:58Besides, there was a tall juniper tree nearby, blocking the path of the wire.
13:03When the wire was first put up, the tree was small,
13:05but it had since grown several stories high without anyone noticing.
13:09The original barbed wire had gotten caught in the tree, leaving a complete mess.
13:14It seemed that to repair the fence, this tree could not be saved,
13:17and even several small trees next to it would have to go too.
13:20After making up his mind,
13:22Kyle started the chainsaw and began cutting wildly into the pine tree.
13:26Because the juniper branches were extremely dense,
13:29the chainsaw could not reach inside,
13:31so Kyle had to work from the outside in,
13:33sawing off the branches little by little.
13:35After cutting them, Kyle pulled out the broken pieces by hand,
13:39making it easier to keep cutting the rest.
13:41But he never expected that this simple pulling motion would lead to an accident.
13:44With a scream, Kyle stopped all movement.
13:47He said his left shoulder had dislocated.
13:49At first, the cameraman did not believe it,
13:51and asked concernedly if he needed help.
13:53Only in the end did Kyle explain what had happened.
13:56About 20 years ago,
13:57Kyle was thrown by a horse and tore a tendon.
14:00As he got older,
14:01his shoulder joint became increasingly unstable.
14:03He had suffered many dislocations in recent years.
14:06The pulling motion just now had directly caused this.
14:09However,
14:10Kyle was highly experienced with this kind of situation.
14:13Gritting his teeth through the pain,
14:15he refused the cameraman's offer of help,
14:17then used his right hand to push the joint back into place by himself.
14:21Although his shoulder still hurt badly,
14:23the work in front of him still had to be finished,
14:25just more carefully.
14:26Next, Kyle worked even more carefully,
14:29cutting the huge juniper tree into small pieces bit by bit.
14:32Fortunately, even though it looked thick and lush on the outside,
14:36it was actually made up of many thin trunks,
14:38so it was much easier to cut than a single thick tree.
14:42Finally, to the sound of the chainsaw motor,
14:44Kyle sawed it straight into a post.
14:46This trunk could then be used as a support pillar.
14:48It would be sturdier than any other post.
14:51Barbed wire was a great invention.
14:52It could mark the boundaries of a ranch.
14:54Although it could not stop wild animals from entering,
14:57it could keep the ranch animals from escaping.
14:59Compared to wood,
15:01barbed wire was a very cost-effective product.
15:03After completing the fence repairs for the entire ranch,
15:06Dead Horse Canyon had finally turned a new page.
15:09A brand new farm would soon officially operate here.
15:12This is the Cimarron Valley in New Mexico.
15:14Three generations of Kyle's family were finally together today.
15:18The grandfather's name was Jerry.
15:19At noon yesterday,
15:20Jerry had already driven 16 head of longhorn cattle to the Cimarron Valley.
15:25These were local specialties he had brought all the way from Texas.
15:28If nothing went wrong,
15:29these cows would give birth in the coming spring.
15:31So these 16 cattle would be Kyle's first startup capital.
15:35Before this,
15:36he had spent two months building a 3-0-0-acre small farm.
15:41Now, father and son were going to drive the cattle all the way there.
15:44For his grandson Ben,
15:46this was his first time herding cattle.
15:48So no one expected him to be of much help.
15:50It was the participation that counted.
15:52After opening the Iron Gate,
15:54led by Kyle,
15:55the herd officially began the 2-4-kilometer journey.
15:58As a professional cattle rancher,
16:00Jerry reminded Kyle before leaving that,
16:02as long as the herd was on the right path,
16:04there was no need to interfere with them.
16:06Just let them walk at their own pace.
16:08Forced intervention would only add more uncertainties.
16:11The first obstacle they encountered was a platform more than 150 meters high.
16:16That meant Kyle and the herd were in a canyon right now.
16:19To get to Dead Horse Canyon on the other side,
16:22they first had to walk out of the canyon and climb to the high ground,
16:25then descend into the other canyon.
16:27There was basically no way to go around.
16:29So the herd had to follow a rough path and climb up the mountain slowly.
16:32He had originally thought herding cattle would be quiet and peaceful,
16:36but the reality turned out to be a chaotic scene of noise and commotion.
16:39Whenever a cow strayed from the path,
16:41Kyle would shout loudly with Ben, trying to call the cow back.
16:45For a moment, the scene was truly chaotic.
16:47The two old cows that had left the herd were not familiar with Kyle,
16:51and besides, the old man had shouted a little too loudly, which scared them.
16:55Naturally, the more they chased, the worse it got.
16:58The main reason cows accidentally strayed
17:00was that the nearby bushes blocked their view,
17:02so Kyle had to ride his horse up to intercept them.
17:05In the end, it took a long time to find them in the bushes.
17:08It was a close call.
17:10They almost suffered a loss on the way.
17:11Kyle then drove the mother cow and her calf back to the herd
17:14and continued forward.
17:16They had only covered one-third of the journey so far,
17:18and many challenges lay ahead.
17:20After a long walk,
17:22Kyle finally drove the herd to Dead Horse Canyon,
17:24but they could not relax yet.
17:26They could not let their guard down until the herd was inside the farm.
17:29The farm gate was a small opening only four meters wide.
17:32He had to let them pass through safely, without scaring the cows.
17:36And so, amid Kyle's shouts,
17:38the cows slowly entered the pasture one by one,
17:41except for the last two.
17:42There are always a few troublemakers in every group,
17:44and cattle are no exception.
17:46If I had heard Kyle shouting like that,
17:48I wouldn't have been happy either.
17:50But when the old cows tried to escape to the other side,
17:52Kyle rode his horse and blocked them back.
17:55In the end, only one calf had not entered the farm.
17:58The little one was terrified at this moment,
18:00with no idea where its mother had gone.
18:02It hesitated back and forth in place for a long time,
18:05and finally reluctantly walked into the fenced farm.
18:08When father and son saw the task was complete,
18:10they were overjoyed.
18:12Kyle even raised his arms and cheered,
18:14ready to burst into song.
18:15Looking at the dozens of cattle in the field,
18:18Kyle had officially completed his transformation.
18:20Although he would still go hunting in the future,
18:22it would no longer be his main means of making a living.
18:25With his own business now, he would grow rapidly.
18:28As a father, he just wanted to have something
18:30he could pass on to his son.
18:32This farm might one day be Ben's basic security,
18:35but that is another story.
18:36After a short rest,
18:38Marty began to cherish every minute and every second,
18:40stockpiling wood frantically.
18:42He wanted to make sure that during these six weeks of darkness,
18:45his wife and children would have enough food to eat,
18:47and enough wood to keep warm.
18:49For Marty, leaving his wife and daughter for several months every year
18:53was difficult for himself as well as for the mother and daughter.
18:56After all, this was not a colorful world
18:58where you could buy everything with money.
19:00Each of them had to deal with all the difficulties they faced on their own
19:04without any help.
19:05His little daughter Noah was very obedient,
19:07helping her father collect firewood beside him.
19:10She obviously enjoyed this rare parent-child time very much.
19:13For Marty, accompanying his daughter as she grew up
19:16was an extremely important thing.
19:18But no matter how important it was,
19:19it had to be based on the premise that he could support his family.
19:23So going to work with his wife and daughter
19:25might be the most thoughtful decision he could make.
19:27Anyway, the future was still worth looking forward to.
19:30Today was Marty's last day at home.
19:32Soon, he would take his equipment
19:33and head alone into the wilderness of northern Alaska.
19:36He wanted to stay at home with his wife and children,
19:38but if he did not leave today,
19:40he was afraid he would no longer have the chance to go.
19:43At present, there were still about four to five hours of daylight,
19:46but it would take him at least four hours just to fly to the Revelation Mountains.
19:50So once the polar night arrived, he would really have no chance.
19:53He was carrying a lot of equipment this time.
19:56Not only more fuel for his snowmobile than usual, but also more traps.
19:59These traps had to be enough for him to set up a trapping line as long as 50 kilometers.
20:04So basically, he took as many as he could.
20:07After all, to some extent,
20:08the number of traps represented how well he would perform.
20:11There were not only small traps for pine martens,
20:14but also several large ones for catching wolves.
20:17In the wilderness, anything could happen.
20:19So it was always right to make more preparations.
20:21As for fuel, it was actually the same as the traps.
20:24The longer the trapping line, the more he had to travel.
20:27And naturally, the more fuel he would burn.
20:29Right now, Marty only wanted to get there early,
20:32finish building the house, and bring his family over.
20:34After loading all the goods,
20:36he stuffed the plane engine cover inside.
20:38And that was basically done.
20:39By then, his wife Domenico and daughter Noah had also come out.
20:43Within just 24 hours, Marty had prepared enough firewood for them,
20:47and there was still more than half a reindeer stored in the refrigerator.
20:50In any case, the mother and daughter would have no problem getting through the winter.
20:55If nothing went wrong, they would meet again in the Revelation Mountains in six weeks.
20:59Then Marty kissed his wife and daughter goodbye,
21:01and climbed alone into the small bush plain.
21:03Since the snow was not thick enough yet,
21:06Marty did not change to skis this time.
21:08With a roar of the engine,
21:09Marty flew into the sky without looking back.
21:12Parting was inevitable,
21:13but we could look forward to the next meeting.
21:15After a flight of more than four hours,
21:17Marty had arrived near the Revelation Mountains.
21:19At the first glance,
21:21Marty couldn't help but gasp.
21:22It was not because of how spectacular the scenery below was,
21:25but mainly because every year,
21:27the Revelation Mountains were the first area to get snow.
21:30Yet now,
21:31there was not the slightest sign of snow here,
21:33and the temperature had even reached a surprising 10 degrees Celsius or so.
21:37It was far too unusual for winter,
21:39but this was understandable.
21:40After all,
21:41ever since the documentary was filmed,
21:43every winter had been extremely unusual.
21:45After parking the plane steadily on the open ground,
21:48he did not need to rush to think about hunting.
21:50No snow meant no work for Marty,
21:52so next,
21:53he could focus all his attention on building the house properly.
21:56The next day,
21:57it was still the same deserted wilderness,
21:59still the same little yellow tent.
22:01Marty got up and looked at the sky helplessly.
22:03There was really no sign of snow at all,
22:05so his energy could be temporarily all placed on construction.
22:08The walls of the wooden cabin in front of him were basically formed.
22:11This was the result of his hard work over the past five weeks.
22:15Marty stood outside the house,
22:16looking at the square wooden box in front of him.
22:19Although the uneven thickness of the logs outside might bother someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder,
22:24it looked pretty good to Marty.
22:26After all,
22:26he had done his best.
22:27Next was to make the ridge of the roof.
22:29It needed to bear the weight of the roof logs,
22:32and also take into account the snow that would accumulate on the roof later.
22:35The most difficult part was how to get these thick logs onto the roof.
22:39At this moment,
22:39his rich experience came into play.
22:42Since one thick log could not be moved,
22:44he chose four thin logs instead,
22:46carried them up one by one,
22:47and then assembled them into a hole.
22:49In theory,
22:50the load-bearing capacity would not be greatly reduced.
22:53However,
22:54these logs were seven meters long,
22:56which was still a considerable weight for Marty.
22:58Fortunately,
22:59he could do the same as before.
23:00Prop one end up on the frame first,
23:02then lift the other end up with a burst of strength.
23:05After carrying one up,
23:06he carried another.
23:07Although this stage was very tiring,
23:09it was still the best way he could think of.
23:11After putting both logs on the roof,
23:13Marty nailed them together with a few heavy hammer strikes.
23:16Fixed together like this,
23:18they formed a very sturdy beam.
23:20Next were the other two logs.
23:21After carrying them up in the same way,
23:23he could start roofing.
23:25After nailing all four small beams together,
23:27next,
23:28Marty placed halved logs on the roof as a guide.
23:30This way,
23:31he could directly cut the straight line distance from the beam to the wall.
23:35He first used the chainsaw to gently mark the line to be cut.
23:38Then he removed the wood pieces from the roof
23:41and finally cut off the excess part along the line he had just drawn.
23:44The only problem was not to cut into the nails he had just hammered in.
23:48So when doing the previous step,
23:50he always had to think about the next step.
23:52After cutting the entire wall,
23:53he gently pushed off the excess part on top,
23:56and the whole cut was very neat.
23:57Next,
23:58he just needed to repeat the previous operation three times.
24:01In the end,
24:02only the roofing part was left,
24:03but that was not something to consider today.
24:06He was tired and needed to rest.
24:08A few days later,
24:09the snowfall that had been delayed for four weeks
24:12finally came to the mountainous areas of northern Alaska.
24:15The conditions were now finally suitable for trapping.
24:18Although the wooden cabin had not been finished yet,
24:20Marty was not in a hurry at all.
24:22It would be at least one month before his wife and children arrived,
24:25so he might as well set up the traps as soon as possible
24:28and take his time with the other work whenever he had time.
24:31In fact,
24:31Marty had already made a plan early on.
24:33If he wanted the highest efficiency,
24:35he must avoid taking repeated routes as much as possible.
24:39Then,
24:39circling around the tent as the central point
24:41was the most suitable way.
24:43So Marty's plan was to start from the tent,
24:45enter the valley,
24:46circle around the mountain,
24:47and return to the tent.
24:49In this way,
24:49he would not take unnecessary detours
24:52and thus achieve higher efficiency.
24:54After loading a large number of traps
24:56and spare gasoline into the sled,
24:58Marty set off.
24:59The circular route planned by Marty
25:00was about 50 kilometers long in total.
25:03Although he had not officially traveled this route yet,
25:05based on rough estimation,
25:07he had prepared 150 different traps.
25:10On average,
25:10that was about five or six traps every two kilometers.
25:13The exact number would need to be adjusted
25:15according to the actual situation.
25:17In fact,
25:18the first round of setting traps every year
25:20involved a huge amount of work,
25:22especially at a time like now,
25:24he not only had to set everything up again
25:26but even plan the route from scratch.
25:28Usually,
25:29trappers would use a large number of small clamp traps
25:31to catch pine martens.
25:33Although pine martens were small in size,
25:35each of their furs could be sold for at least 100 US dollars.
25:39The market had been good in the past two years
25:41and the price could reach up to 200 US dollars.
25:44Furthermore,
25:45they had the characteristics of being large in number
25:47and easy to catch.
25:48So these seemingly insignificant little creatures
25:50often accounted for more than half of a trapper's annual income.
25:54For setting traps,
25:55the hardest part of the first setup
25:57was cutting trees and building suitable climbing frames.
25:59And the difficulty of the route lay in planning.
26:01Sometimes he even needed to open the road manually.
26:04For example,
26:05the small open area in front of him
26:07was covered with young trees.
26:08You could say these young trees were big
26:10but they were actually quite small.
26:12But if you said they were small,
26:14they still had some impact on the snowmobile.
26:16So that was the main reason why Marty carried a chainsaw with him.
26:19Although opening up a narrow path did not take too much time.
26:23After all,
26:23there were only about 3 to 4 hours of daylight each day now.
26:27With all these factors combined,
26:28Marty simply could not work fast.
26:30For instance,
26:31in the 4 hours that had passed today,
26:33Marty had only set up 24 traps.
26:36Given the current situation,
26:37once it got dark,
26:38there was nothing he could do.
26:40So,
26:40Marty did not try to show off.
26:42He headed back at once.
26:43He would have to continue working hard tomorrow.
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