[BIRDS SOUND]
BEAR CLAW: You know, back when was makin' foldin' money, yeah,
I, uh, I did enjoy that.
But bein' a slave to society, you know,
there's important things in this world, food, and shelter,
and family, and good friends.
And, you know, it's not how much you make,
it's how much you spend, and I don't miss all that folding
money at all.
As long as me, and the dogs, and the horses are all fed and warm
and got what we need that's, and I got powder and lead
and a striker and a flint and a good knife,
and those are the comforts of this world to me.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: In the age of technology,
the electrical grid is expanding,
and the world is getting smaller.
For some, finding peace of mind means hiding out
where no one thinks to look.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
To escape, they redefine off the grid.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JOE RAY: There's new stuff to see every time you come in here.
It's like bein' a kid in a candy store, really.
Every time you come in or go out,
you're looking at things from a different direction,
and you always see something new.
Low here, fellas, real low.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: For nearly two years, Joe Ray has made his home below
the grid, in the Ozark Mountains of North Central Arkansas.
JOE RAY: This is it.
NARRATOR: Living almost entirely underground,
Joe utilizes caves for shelter, and he strategically stashes
food and supplies throughout the tunnels.
JOE RAY: Woo, come down here to get me a little bite to eat
before I get on back to bein' busy.
Gotta have some jerky.
This stuff here gives me good energy and keeps me goin'.
I'm almost out of it.
In this cave, you know, I mean the temperature stays
so right in here.
It doesn't ever get hot.
It always stays in the 60s.
So that, sort of, will let meats hang a little longer.
I make my own jerky here.
So, this is one way that I know I'll always have meat supply,
because the jerky will last me forever,
as long as I keep it in an airtight, semi-airtight thing.
Moisture in here will degrade it, but like I say,
I can airtight it, and I can keep it for a while.
But this is all I got left but
I'm gonna need to be goin', fillin' that up.
My rice supply is gettin' low.
I'm out of beans completely.
Head out and see if I can find me some fresh meat to eat.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
I'll just have to see what moves when I'm out runnin' around,
what I can stir up.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
[GUNSHOT]
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: Goodness gracious.
Well, I don't see any date on this.
Chuck, Todd, Stan, Jane, Stewart, Shamrelle, Loretta,
Trisha, and Bear Claw, the little guy on the end.
We have just got ready for church,
and we're standin' in the driveway by our old farmhouse,
and my mom called me her baby and I was.
[LAUGHS]
My brother, Stewart, it always drove him crazy.
NARRATOR: In the Clearwater Mountains just after sunrise,
Bear Claw is looking back on the road that led him here.
Today, he's celebrating his 60th birthday,
his 10th beyond the grid.
BEAR CLAW: I celebrate my birthday in the spring now.
You gotta live through winter to make it worthwhile. So,
I count winters.
NARRATOR: To mark the occasion, today he'll embark on a 65-mile
pack trip with his best friends to his favorite place on earth,
the big cedar woods of El Dorado Creek in Western Idaho.
BEAR CLAW: Well, today's the day.
Wakin' up this morning,
knowing that I'm headed out for a pack trip.
This is what I live for.
There's nothing more I would rather do.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: I'm glad you showed up.
It's about time for a break.
BEAR CLAW: You know, every time I come over here,
you're bent over a horse or riding in circles.
Imagine that.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: That sounds about right.
How's it going, buddy?
BEAR CLAW: Dang good, how about you?
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Pretty good. Watch out.
That horse is scared of grass, man.
BEAR CLAW: That's good. Imagine that.
He'd probably run off.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: He'd probably [inaudible].
BEAR CLAW: Yeah, it's good to see you.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: How's the run?
BEAR CLAW: Oh, man, it was great.
You ready to go on a little adventure.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah.
BEAR CLAW: Head for the high country?
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah, I gotta put some shoes on the fronts,
at least, and then we'll roll.
BEAR CLAW: Good. Good.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
CONAN ASMUSSEN: We're goin' up El Dorado, is that right?
BEAR CLAW: That's the plan.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: I haven't been up there in a while, either.
It's gonna be interesting to go up there.
I'm excited about it.
BEAR CLAW: Remember the last time we were up there,
them great big cedar trees?
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah. BEAR CLAW: Man.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah, those are huge like this is.
BEAR CLAW: Aren't they unbelievable?
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah.
BEAR CLAW: Them is the biggest trees I've seen in Idaho.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yup.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: All right.
HANS ASMUSSEN: Hello, Bear Claw.
BEAR CLAW: You are here.
HANS ASMUSSEN: Well, it's been a while.
BEAR CLAW: Boy, it has been a while.
How you doing, partner? HANS ASMUSSEN: Good!
Boy, it's good to see you. You're looking good.
BEAR CLAW: Yeah, right. You got a new gun?
HANS ASMUSSEN: Well, it's an old .44.
BEAR CLAW: That's pretty good.
Let me fondle that thing, would you?
I tell you what.
Huh.
You know.
HANS ASMUSSEN: They could be brothers.
BEAR CLAW: I think they used more metal back in the day.
HANS ASMUSSEN: In the old days? BEAR CLAW: You bet.
Plum good to see you, partner.
HANS ASMUSSEN: It's been a long time, been too long.
BEAR CLAW: Yeah.
HANS ASMUSSEN: You're in charge of the map.
We're gonna ride the Lewis and Clark Trail right here.
We're gonna go to the Laurel Creek campground there.
It takes off into the forest service lands,
and we're gonna go all the way up to El Dorado Creek.
NARRATOR: To reach the big cedars of El Dorado Creek,
it's a 65-mile ride across rugged terrain and untouched
wilderness, the kind of test Bear Claw's seeking to mark
his 60th birthday.
HANS ASMUSSEN: Lot of climbing, lot of long days,
jumping creeks, goin' uphill.
BEAR CLAW: My blood's boilin'.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
DAN BURTON: I'm just gonna tuck these propane tanks away.
I just don't want them to get blown over or knocked over or
anything like that.
NARRATOR: Outside the grid,
Dan Burton is always prepared to battle the elements.
DAN BURTON: Lake Michigan is no joke.
You know, a storm will roll in quicker than you think, so
you gotta take precaution.
NARRATOR: In the middle of Lake Michigan,
localized storms often bring high winds and heavy rains
to the Beaver Island archipelago.
DAN BURTON: There's a chance of, you know,
some heavier weather comin' in, which if you look around,
means somethin' from above comin' down.
You can feel it, it's getting breezy.
You know, I've had many a times where, you know,
it takes a day or two to get out of here,
just because you're dealing with the aftermath.
Living on an island, living in a harsh climate is always taking
more work than anywhere else, but what you give up
and what you gain is worth it.
This kind of life, you know, livin' in the boonies,
to me it's about, you know, dreamin' about something simpler
and then be able to say, you know, I did it.
The best thing to do, you know, I mean, as a whole, you know,
is to bunker down, just like anywhere.
You know, treat it like a tornado, you know,
get in the sturdiest room you got and hold on for dear life.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
DOC LEVERETT: I feel like hammered dog [bleep].
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JEANNY LEVERETT: You're a little warm.
Are you nauseous?
DOC LEVERETT: No, it's just a pain in my damn stomach.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Appendicitis?
DOC LEVERETT: No, it's higher.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Okay.
DOC LEVERETT: It (bleep) hurts. JEANNY LEVERETT: Hmm,
I'll see what I can find. DOC LEVERETT: Yeah.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Are you gonna be okay?
DOC LEVERETT: Yeah, I'll be okay.
JEANNY LEVERETT: You sure? DOC LEVERETT: Yup. I'm good.
Be careful, please.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Uh-huh, you be careful.
DOC LEVERETT: Yeah. Love you.
JEANNY LEVERETT: I don't wanna come back and find you,
find you dead.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: Five years ago Doc and Jeanny Leverett ventured
to Eastern Washington, heading above the grid in search
of health and peace of mind.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Love you too babe. Sleep well.
NARRATOR: Before their move,
Doc suffered from an array of health issues.
And some of those problems still plague him to this day.
DOC LEVERETT: Before we moved here,
I had five blood clots in my lung,
a small stroke at the age of thirty-five.
This was kinda my last ditch effort to save my own life.
If I kept living in the city
I think I would already be in the ground.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JEANNY LEVERETT: This is chamomile.
Can make a really good sleepy-time tea out of it.
These are rose hips.
These are the ticket.
Rose hips have 30 times more vitamin C per pound
than an orange does.
My husband always has health issues.
Everything from stomach ulcers to arthritis,
he's got a fused wrist.
I mean from head-to-toe, he's pretty much broken.
His mind is good though, and his love for me is awesome.
This is gonna make him feel so much better.
If he's happy, I'm happy.
If he's miserable, we're all miserable.
Let's head back to see how he's doin'.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
This is the magic, go to bed medicine.
These rose hips are gonna be really nice,
crush 'em up a little bit.
Cheesecloth is really awesome. It's got little holes in it.
Liquid just comes right through there.
It's kinda like a teabag that you would get in the store,
without anything in it. It's a strainer basically.
Hey, sweetie.
DOC LEVERETT: Hey.
JEANNY LEVERETT: How you doin'?
DOC LEVERETT: I've had better days.
JEANNY LEVERETT: I got some stuff.
I'm just gonna.
It's not that hot.
Try that. The glass is a little warm, but.
DOC LEVERETT: I think she likes me being sick as much as I hate
being sick.
JEANNY LEVERETT: I like you being sick because then
you realize you actually need me.
It's why I secretly poison your food at night.
[LAUGHS]
JOE RAY: Let's take a walk and go.
NARRATOR: In the Ozark Mountains,
Joe Ray spends most of his time below the grid.
But when survival dictates, he's forced to the outside world.
Today, he's emerged in hopes of trapping small game,
to provide enough meat to sustain him for the month ahead.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JOE RAY: Yeah, these tall briars out here are a tough bunch
to put up with. They, uh,
they attack me more than I attack them.
But, I mean, that's just part of life out here.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
I've got hog trails goin' off through here.
I got hog tracks.
I know we got hogs up here.
If one comes out here right now, I'ma warn y'all,
I'm gonna take off.
I'm going up a tree, because these things are super nasty.
They got tusks.
They can rip you up in just a second.
Yep, I've got them a waller here, hog waller,
that's where they come up and roll in the mud.
It protects 'em.
Gets to beat rid of the bugs, the lice.
You can see where they've been rubbing on here,
on their tusks and scratchin' around.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
This could be a good score for me.
See if we can't catch these babies, and dress 'em up.
NARRATOR: In the middle of Lake Michigan,
winds exceeding 35 miles per hour have hit Beaver Island,
leaving widespread damage and debris.
Now, Dan Burton has emerged to survey the aftermath.
DAN BURTON: A little bit of the aftermath of a wind storm.
You know, these beach trees, they get so old and hollow
where the storm, the wind just hits 'em and busts them
tops right off, and it leaves you this to deal with.
It'll take a little cleaning up, you know, some firewood.
We got a lot of property to check,
so I'm gonna keep movin' and we'll assess the damage.
[Bleep].
Yeah.
You know, welcome to my world.
This is what I gotta deal with today.
A tree landed right on my truck.
It's the only truck I got.
It's what I use to get, you know, firewood.
I go hunting and fishing with this truck.
So, yeah, I'm gonna have to fix the truck.
I got a game plan.
I'm gonna try and get a hold of a buddy of mine,
my friend Randy.
Titus, come on, buddy.
He's a logger out here.
He's one of the few loggers that are left on the island.
He lives about a mile through the woods from my house.
Uh, he's actually one of my closest neighbors.
See if I can get him to give me a hand.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: Can we drink water?
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Let's do it.
BEAR CLAW: I'm sure they're plum thirsty by now.
Okay.
When I got to Idaho 10 years ago, Han and I,
our first pack trip, we saddled up, and I rode Conan's horse.
We came to Fish Creek, and we came down to the big cedars,
and those are the biggest trees I ever seen in my life.
It's out in the middle of nowhere.
The cedars are tremendous.
The energy is amazing.
The first time we were here in this meadow,
I had a dream of my father, and the day before we rode in there.
So, I'm always thinking of that.
Uh, I know he's looking down on me, and this is just a real,
real sacred place to me.
NARRATOR: Beyond the grid, Han and Conan are helping Bear Claw
mark the occasion of his 60th birthday,
with a 65-mile pack ride to the big cedar woods.
Bear claw's favorite place on earth.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Kind of a bank a little bit, but
I think we could probably, well, let me try it out.
It's a pretty big drop.
Whoa, buddy.
That was a big one, huh?
Geez.
That's not too good.
The out is a little rough.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
Whoa!
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: Whoa, whoa!
Conan.
I got her.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: Bear claw, Han, and Conan must work quickly
to remove 300 pounds from their horse's back,
to help pull her to her feet.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Let her up, before her head's in there.
NARRATOR: If her nose is submerged,
her lungs could fill with fluid.
A potentially critical situation.
BEAR CLAW: It's okay, girl.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Hang on, hang on, hang on.
Hang on, hang on.
I'm gonna loose it with my knife...
BEAR CLAW: We gotcha.
Watch her legs.
NARRATOR: As Yuma struggles, they must work cautiously,
one kick could deliver enough force to break a human bone.
[HEAVY SPLASHING]
BEAR CLAW: Whoa, whoa!
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Get her head up, get her head up.
[DOGS BARKING]
All right. Give her a shot.
Come on. Off them feet.
Come on, hiya.
Come on.
Come on. We got it.
Come on.
She's out on that log.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
There you go.
Hey, come on, sweetheart.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
[Inaudible].
BEAR CLAW: Piece of cake.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Oh, man. BEAR CLAW: Love you, girl.
Love you, girl.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Bath time!
Ha, ha, ha, ah [bleep].
Maybe we'll find a better spot to cross.
BEAR CLAW: No offense, but I'm goin' around.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: I'm with you, boss.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
DOC LEVERETT: Hell's bells.
NARRATOR: Above the grid in Onion Creek Washington,
Doc Leverett is battling an illness,
while his wife Jeanny works on further treatment
to ease his pain.
DOC LEVERETT: When you're kinda down for a little bit,
it feels kinda odd.
It's like I'm not pulling my fair share out here.
And I know she won't, she'll tell you,
she likes to take care of me, she would prefer me laying,
you know, but, I feel kinda useless.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JEANNY LEVERETT: I'm getting some water.
What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna do a sock therapy
for my husband.
I know it sounds really crazy, but what you do is you get some
really cold water and this is glacier runoff so,
it's gonna work great.
You put your socks in there, get 'em real cold,
and then you wring them out, slip 'em on his feet at night,
and then when he wakes up,
he's gonna hopefully feel a lot better.
What it does is that it promotes circulation,
and it flushes all the bad stuff out of the, out of the system.
I need him back on his own two feet again.
DOC LEVERETT: ...go ahead, go ahead. Just.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Okay. It don't matter which one.
DOC LEVERETT: Put it on!
JEANNY LEVERETT: Little crabby.
DOC LEVERETT: It's freezing.
JEANNY LEVERETT: I'd heat it up, but it won't work so,
it's kinda pointless.
DOC LEVERETT: It's so cold, it's supposed to start increase
the circulation? JEANNY LEVERETT: Uh-huh.
DOC LEVERETT: It's cold.
Who the hell told you this?
JEANNY LEVERETT: It's something I read in one of them
Live off the grid books, and you know Outdoor living, and.
DOC LEVERETT: Oh, we know how [bleep] accurate
those things are.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Hey, it worked for the pioneers.
DOC LEVERETT: No, it didn't.
They didn't have no [bleep] books that they read.
Some, Jim Bob.
JEANNY LEVERETT: All these theories come from them, though.
DOC LEVERETT: Okay.
JEANNY LEVERETT: The herbal medicine comes from them.
Cold socks come from them. DOC LEVERETT: Okay, okay.
I'm just lashing out 'cause my [bleep] feet are cold.
JEANNY LEVERETT: You'll be fine, I promise.
[LAUGHS]
LEO COX: We'll take a little sashay.
JOE RAY: Okay.
NARRATOR: In the Ozark Mountains,
Joe Ray has emerged from below the grid to hunt for much needed
protein.
JOE RAY: Been doing any hunting?
LEO COX: Just a little scouting here and there.
NARRATOR: With large feral hogs in the area,
he's recruited Leo Cox, a fellow hunter to help the cause
and ensure nothing goes to waste.
LEO COX: I like this right in here, Joe.
Come around this root right here.
JOE RAY: Oh, this is gonna be a perfect place here.
LEO COX: Uh-hmm.
JOE RAY: Set a snare up, maybe two here.
Bailing wire. [LAUGHS]
It's, what would you do without it?
LEO COX: It's hillbilly welding rod.
[LAUGHTER]
It's the best stuff ever.
I didn't know they made muffler clamps for years.
I just, I just use bailing wire.
JOE RAY: Yeah.
LEO COX: We need, we need it about that high, don't we?
A little more?
JOE RAY: Yeah. So, when we set this up here like this,
hogs gonna come through here and they're gonna hit this.
As soon as they hit this. LEO COX: Zip!
JOE RAY: It'll slide right up on 'em.
And they'll just, you know, the more they fight
the tighter it'll get.
It's, uh, definitely something that they won't get away from.
LEO COX: And they'll probably squeal and we'll hear them
and come a running.
JOE RAY: Yeah, exactly.
We'll know the hunt is right here.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
DAN BURTON: Oh, [bleep].
There's trees down over here, too.
What do you say, Randy?
RANDY OSBORNE: Hey, not too much.
What's up?
DAN BURTON: Nah, I'm dealing with the same mess
you got going here, man.
Trees, trees.
RANDY OSBORNE: Ah, a little wind.
DAN BURTON: Trees. Yeah, a little wind.
RANDY OSBORNE: Yeah, a little wind.
NARRATOR: Outside the grid, Dan Burton has set out to recruit
logger Randy Osborne to help remove a fallen tree
from his truck, in the wake of a storm.
DAN BURTON: She was pretty rough,
what did you think of that storm?
RANDY OSBORNE: Geez.
Woke me up, scared the dog. God.
Well, how's everything fare over at your house?
DAN BURTON: Well, I got a mess to deal with,
but most importantly, I got one on right top of my Jeep pickup.
RANDY OSBORNE: Oh, God. DAN BURTON: Yeah.
RANDY OSBORNE: You will run, right?
DAN BURTON: Yeah, yeah. RANDY OSBORNE: Okay.
DAN BURTON: So, I was gonna see if I could maybe help you
do something and have you help me lift it off.
RANDY OSBORNE: Yeah, I think I could.
DAN BURTON: One of your booms, you know,
with one of your logging trucks.
RANDY OSBORNE: Yeah, I got the logging truck I could try it.
DAN BURTON: Cool.
And then whatever you want me to do, I'll just, you know,
trade you hours, and. RANDY OSBORNE: Yeah.
Maybe I'll let you cut a little firewood.
DAN BURTON: You're the guy I needed, man.
RANDY OSBORNE: All right. DAN BURTON: Thanks, Randy.
RANDY OSBORNE: Yup.
NARRATOR: Out here on Beaver Island,
there's a code amongst locals to always offer something
when asking for anything in return.
Manpower is often used as currency.
So, Dan will aid in Randy's storm cleanup,
before they tend to Dan's damaged truck.
DAN BURTON: It's nice to be able to repay the favor, and,
you know, help him get his firewood and whatever, you know,
he needs, done you know.
Well, Randy is pretty much the only logger left on the island.
RANDY OSBORNE: Twenty some years around here.
I heard there was a job up here.
The guy was, kinda, he just got into an accident.
He had his, half his foot taken off from a log.
So, he couldn't do much.
So, I was his only cutter for a while.
I wasn't very good.
I wasn't very fast, but at least I, I kept going.
I wouldn't give up.
Learned a lot in 20 some years.
DAN BURTON: That's a nice trailer, man.
RANDY OSBORNE: It is. I like it.
NARRATOR: These fallen trees will help Randy heat his cabin
in the months to come.
And after lending a hand here,
Dan has earned Randy's help in return.
DAN BURTON: Let's go fix the truck.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: In Onion Creek, Doc's recovering from an illness
with the help of Jeanny's natural remedies.
For the past six hours, they've been hunkered down inside
their 10 foot by 10 foot tree house to recuperate.
JEANNY LEVERETT: ...give me a kiss. I love you.
DOC LEVERETT: My stomach is killing me, and I can't sleep.
I need to get back into, into the game.
Being sick kinda, kinda proves the point that it's good
not to do this solo and by yourself.
You need somebody to lean on.
Jeanny is my kickstand.
I rely heavily on Jeanny for,
for the knowledge of the plants and the herbs.
And I have to trust her, trust her knowledge.
I'm a little better, I'm standing a little stronger,
I think I'm doing something right.
I think we are doing something right.
Cannot sleep.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: This is toilet paper so to speak, squatting paper.
We might not be using this for a day or two.
NARRATOR: In the Clearwater Mountains, Bear Claw, Han,
and Conan are more than halfway to the big cedar woods,
a journey to celebrate Bear Claw's 60th birthday.
HANS ASMUSSEN: Whiskey.
NARRATOR: Today their pack horse, Yuma,
faced near disaster on the trail.
So, this evening, expert horse trainer Conan will take
an opportunity to work with his horse and prepare him
for whatever lies ahead.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: I've been teaching this Mohawk horse
to lay down for a while.
I like to do it every once in a while in different locations,
so he just gets used to it.
He's getting pretty good at it.
Give me your foot.
Come on.
Lean back.
Good boy.
C'mon.
Good boy.
No.
Whoa Hey!
Whoa, good boy.
Good boy, yeah.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: The bell is to help me sleep at night.
And what it is, is I'll hear him where he's at.
And I'll wake up during the night.
A horse is the best thing for the inside of a man.
BEAR CLAW: It is an old saying.
An old cowboy saying.
You throw a saddle on a horse, you climb on a horse and
no matter what's going on in the world, it totally disappears.
And all you do is ride away and think of your family,
and think of your friends, and think of who takes care of us,
and that's a great life.
RANDY OSBORNE: Oh, yeah.
DAN BURTON: See what I got. RANDY OSBORNE: Yeah.
I see your problem.
You shouldn't have parked underneath that tree.
NARRATOR: Outside the grid on Beaver Island,
Dan Burton has helped his friend Randy deal with property damage
in the wake of a storm.
Now, to repay the favor, Randy will help try to remove
a fallen tree from Dan's truck.
RANDY OSBORNE: See if it'll start.
Aw, cool. DAN BURTON: Whew!
RANDY OSBORNE: All right, all right, I'm gonna lift it up.
When you see that coming up, get the hell outta there, all right?
DAN BURTON: You got it, man. RANDY OSBORNE: Okay.
DAN BURTON: Well, I'm a little nervous.
I've seen these things slip up outta these clutches before.
So, I ain't gonna be here long.
RANDY OSBORNE: Go, go, go!
All right.
DAN BURTON: Whew! Nice job, Randy!
Thanks, Randy.
RANDY OSBORNE: No, problem.
What are you gonna do with the tree now?
DAN BURTON: Cut it up for firewood, probably.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
In most locations, you know, where you have access to salvage
yards and things, you wouldn't even put money into a truck
like this.
But on Beaver Island, a truck like this has got, hopefully,
you know, another 100,000 miles to go.
It's just too valuable to throw out.
Somebody you know is gonna need it,
or you might need it yourself.
This was off a truck that I originally brought
to Beaver Island.
The truck's long gone, but the topper's gonna be used again.
Build a little truck camper.
It's gonna be nice, having a roof over my head.
This is gonna be used for a long time.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JOE RAY: Yeah, let me grab my gun over here.
Good to go.
NARRATOR: In the Ozark Mountains,
Joe Ray has re-emerged from below the grid after
a twelve-hour wait, to reunite with Leo and investigate
the snares they set for feral hogs in the area.
JOE RAY: Damn, looks like we've had some success.
LEO COX: I mean!
JOE RAY: We got a sow, hey, wait, wait,
something is still moving up there, look.
LEO COX: And we got a little one too.
JOE RAY: Little fellow up there is grunting and growling.
I think we ought to let it go. LEO COX: All righty, then.
JOE RAY: It'll, uh, grow up, his mama will be plenty of meat
for us for a while. LEO COX: You betch ya.
JOE RAY: He'll get a little bigger and we'll have
a little more meat next time.
Let's go!
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
JOE RAY: We want to thank the good Lord and Mother Nature.
You'll be feeding us, it wasn't for a lost cause.
We're not gonna waste any of ya; that's it.
LEO COX: I think we get that rope around that elm tree,
right there.
Nicely done.
JOE RAY: She's a big one.
LEO COX: Dang betcha. That's gonna be good.
JOE RAY: Tired as hell.
Well, the work starts now.
LEO COX: Yes, it does.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: In the Ozark Mountains,
Joe Ray and Leo have managed to trap a two-hundred-pound
feral hog.
They must work quickly to process the animal,
to ensure nothing goes to waste.
JOE RAY: A lot of people want,
might wonder why I'm not helping him.
Sometimes it's better with only one person slinging a knife.
LEO COX: That's right; somebody, somebody will get cut.
JOE RAY: One person slinging a knife is enough.
LEO COX: That's plenty.
This is the part that can make you or break you.
JOE RAY: There you go.
LEO COX: As long as you don't bust that intestine,
you're doing pretty good. JOE RAY: Yeah.
LEO COX: These intestines, here.
JOE RAY: Yeah.
LEO COX: When they made sausage, that's what they used to use.
JOE RAY: Yeah. The original casings.
LEO COX: Yeah, the original casings.
This is your good frying stuff, right here.
This is the tenderest part of a pig.
The inner loins.
That'll be that'll be good table fare, right there.
It's a nice ham. Right there.
Not a bad day of hunting.
JOE RAY: Yeah, this is a good day.
NARRATOR: Joe and Leo split the meat 50/50 and part ways.
After drying his share, Joe will have enough protein to last
a month.
But whenever Joe takes a hog,
he always uses every part of the animal,
including the fat.
JOE RAY: We'll take our cans.
The, uh, wick for these is really super easy.
Using, a, uh, some old shoestrings here.
These are about set up; I'm fixin' to take 'em back
and distribute 'em through the cave, here.
Off we go folks.
I got a lot of meat to eat and, uh, Leo got some meat and, uh,
I got light what more can I ask for?
It will all turn around and come back to you.
You treat the earth right, and, uh, it will treat you right too.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
DOC LEVERETT: Hey sweetie?
JEANNY LEVERETT: What?
DOC LEVERETT: Come here.
NARRATOR: Above the grid in Onion Creek,
Doc Leverett is finally on the mend,
after 36 hours battling illness.
DOC LEVERETT: Hurry, before it's gone.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Before what's gone?
DOC LEVERETT: C'mon! JEANNY LEVERETT: What?
DOC LEVERETT: Come hither, woman.
Sit down, sit down.
Plant thy ass.
Look where that's going.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Thanks.
To?
DOC LEVERETT: To you.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Yeah, I know, right.
DOC LEVERETT: Thank you. JEANNY LEVERETT: You're welcome.
DOC LEVERETT: Much, much appreciated.
I should be sick more often.
[LAUGHTER]
JEANNY LEVERETT: Makes you wonder what people are doing
on the other side of there.
The world could've ended, we'd never know.
DOC LEVERETT: Yeah.
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
BEAR CLAW: Easy, baby.
NARRATOR: In the Clearwater Mountains, Bear Claw, Han,
and Conan have covered over 60 miles on horseback to celebrate
Bear Claw's 60th birthday.
Their destination is Bear Claw's favorite place on Earth,
the big cedar woods, just ahead.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: There they are.
The start of the big ones.
BEAR CLAW: Best oxygen in the world, under these cedars.
You notice they're getting bigger, and bigger around,
and my blood's starting to boil.
Look at ol' great grandpa over there.
Man is that a beautiful tree, or is that a beautiful tree?
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah, it is.
NARRATOR: Reaching over 150 feet high,
these massive cedars are believed to be over
1,000 years old.
When Bear Claw first left Wisconsin behind,
he took shelter here within this ancient forest.
BEAR CLAW: Woo! Woo! Woo!
We're here, buddy.
Oh.
Hey, buddy boy.
It's absolutely amazing.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: You can't imagine it until you get here,
you know?
It's nice to be back.
BEAR CLAW: Makes me feel like a little kid again.
I had a grand plan when I was a kid, but
you guys put the final pieces of the puzzle together
in my life to make me as happy as possible.
I'm living my dream.
This is a place that I have always searched for.
I didn't know it existed.
I didn't know I'd get this far on that journey.
NARRATOR: On the edge of civilization,
dreams are sometimes fulfilled in the most unlikely of places.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Kinda wanting to be that guy in Jeremiah Johnson
called Bear Claw, wasn't it? BEAR CLAW: Absolutely.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Yeah. BEAR CLAW: Absolutely.
CONAN ASMUSSEN: Pretty well hit that nail on the head,
didn't ya?
♪ [MUSIC] ♪
NARRATOR: Though the unexpected
often tests grit and resolve along the way.
DAN BURTON: It's gonna be nice having a roof over my head.
JEANNY LEVERETT: Twenty-five more years?
DOC LEVERETT: Twenty-five more years.
NARRATOR: At the end of the day, success makes the journey
more worthwhile and the reward that much sweeter to savor.
LEO COX: You know the other day I had a whole can of seasoning
salt break loose in my pocket? [LAUGHTER]
Might as well.
Now, that looks better, don't it?
JOE RAY: Oh, yeah.
LEO COX: To the hunt, my friend. JOE RAY: Absolutely.
[LAUGHTER]
LEO COX: Aren't you glad I lose stuff in my pockets
all the time? JOE RAY: Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]