06x06 - Moose Mayhem

[bunniefuu]

There's a daunting assignment
ahead of this homestead.

[ Dogs barking ]

-This happened yesterday.
-It's every day.

It's happening over
and over again.

Last winter, there was wolves
circling my cabin,

And so I sat
clutching my shotgun.

We're in full-blown summertime
in alaska.

There's no greenhouse,
there's no garden.

I just recently hurt
my shoulder.

Marty:
she's down physically.

You step up and be your mom's
right hand.

This would be like a break it
or make it kind of week for her.

-Shelley is a strong...
-Awesome!

...independent alaskan woman
carving out a homestead

In the middle of nowhere.

This is a semi-automatic.

We're definitely gonna have
to condition these animals

To respect these homesteaders
where they live.

Misty: burn it!

Whoa! Clear!

Shelley: I've poured everything
that I had into this homestead.

I sold everything to do this.

Marty: where's the garden?
Where's the greenhouse?

What does this homestead need?

Everything.

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Marty: okay, buckaroos
and buckarettes.

We're headed to caswell
in the shadow of denali.


Something you're familiar with

Because we're the only family
that have climbed denali.

You know what I say?

Never trust anyone
under 20,320 feet.

Misty: that explains
my whole childhood.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: the raneys are
responding to an s.o.s.

From a homestead 100 miles
north of anchorage

In the susitna valley,

A region so far removed
from civilization,

Only the most
seasoned homesteaders

Would attempt to tame
this wild land.

My name is shelley jean plumb,

And I am born
and raised here in alaska.

This property that I have here
is amazing,

And I love it, but there's
all kinds of animals around here

That put our safety at risk,
and I need help.

-Hey, guys.
-Hello.

Marty: is it always sunny
on caswell creek?

-Misty.
-Marty raney.

Nice to meet you guys.

Matt: when you first step
onto this homestead,

I mean, this is
a cleared-out area

In the wilderness of alaska,
and it's really abundantly clear

Just how wild
this place really is.

This is an amazing
clearing you have.

You guys cleared a lot of land.

Did you do all this?
-I did, yeah.

So when you arrived,
what was here?

Nothing.

Whoa, you got a house,
I mean, you got a yard.

You got solar?
-Yeah.

I mean,
that all happened.

Marty: that's a tremendous
amount of work,

And I've got to ask you
the question --

Why did the work stop?

I just recently hurt
my shoulder.

Ended up having to have
surgery.

I've reached my limits,
and yeah, I mean, I need help.

Narrator:
just over a year ago,

Shelley plumb was living
a different life.

Shelley:
I was living just to work.

I found myself exhausted.

I found myself, at times,
depressed.

Narrator: taking a huge risk
to pursue her dream,

Shelley sold everything
and bought a 12-acre plot

In the middle of nowhere.

I just fell in love with it.

You got wetlands, you got
forest, you got creek.

My dream is to have a medicinal
plant business here

On this property for people
to come and harvest

And learn
about organic gardening.

Narrator:
shelley threw herself

Into carving out a livable
homestead.

Shelley: I have been go, go, go
for the last year and a half,

Building, cutting firewood,

And I just injured my shoulder.

Narrator:
the injury forced an end

To shelley's homesteading
efforts

At the most critical phase.

The next step is the garden
that would be sustainable

For my family, but the animals
are here all over.

So it absolutely
has to be protected.

My son, noah,
has a full-time job.

He can't be here to help me.

My daughter, sierra,
recently moved out here

But isn't used to the work that
goes along with homesteading.

It's something that I can't
do by myself.

How do you guys feel
about your mom

Carving out a homestead
in the middle of alaska?

It's the most impressive thing
I've ever seen.

You're big enough
to eat hay.

-Oh, man. Yeah.
-What's going on?

I got a full-time job
in wasilla,

And so I work
six days a week.

I can only come out here
so much.

What's your story?

Sierra: I moved up here
about a month ago.

-Really?
-Yeah.

Sierra:
it is kind of scary.

The only time I've ever
been off-grid is camping

Or staying at our cabin.

I'm a little concerned.

Shelley is a strong, vibrant,
independent alaskan woman

Carving out a homestead
with her bare hands,

But she's down physically
with a daunting assignment

Ahead of this homestead.

Where's the garden?
Where's the greenhouse?

Is it bear-proof
and moose-proof?

Is she gonna do all this work
on her own?

Or is she tapping in to her
family, her kids for support?

-Show us around.
-Let's do it.

Narrator:
at the edge of the clearing,

Shelley and noah give matt
a chilling firsthand account

Of the all too real dangers
on the homestead.

This morning was crazy.

-Really?
-Yeah.

Yeah, I got woke up
about 4:00 this morning.

Dogs barking, and when
I got out there,

I saw moose --
a mom and two babies.

Where at?

Right there on
the other side of the creek.

-Okay.
-You want to see it?

What, what do you mean?

I caught it on the trail cam

And put a go-pro on cooper.

Oh, my god.

Be ready, cooper.

[ Dogs barking ]
[bleep]

Here in alaska,
the most dangerous animal

Is really the moose.

A moose weighs 1,500 pounds.

It's like a steamroller.

When they get mad, they attack.

That moose is not happy.

Shelley: no,
she's not happy at all.

Narrator: on the other side
of the property,

Misty assesses the clearing
with shelley's daughter,

Sierra, who recently moved
onto the homestead.

Look at this clearing.

This was some hard work.

-Yeah.
-Is this the garden?

Is this
what I'm looking at?

Sierra: this will be
the garden, yeah.

That's the goal.

We want to be able to can and
store food through the winter.

We want to be
self-sustaining.

My main concern
would be the moose.

Sierra and her family live in
the middle of nowhere in alaska.

There's a ton of wildlife here,

And as soon as you
start planning a garden,

That amount of animals
is gonna double.

You're not planting food.
You're planting bait.

So, it has to be protected.

Do you have experience
in gardening?

Never to this scale.

Do you see yourself here,
living, like in the future?

Absolutely, yeah.

My goal is to have
my own little cabin

And be out here
for the rest of my life.

My mom, she's incredibly
independent,

And she has a hard time asking
for help when she needs it.

My goal is to get to her level
and have the knowledge

And can-do-idness to do
what she does out here

And be her right-hand lady.

During this week, I'd love just
to work side-by-side with you

To kind of have you
step up to the plate

And be your mom's right hand.

Misty: I think this is gonna be
very eye-opening for sierra.

This will be, like, a break-it
or make-it kind of week for her.

Narrator:
across the homestead,

Marty takes a look
at caswell creek.

How many acres do you have?



Let me guess -- some of
it's across the creek.

Yeah.

-How much?
-A third.

-No way.
-Yeah.

-For real?
-Yeah.

This is the creek
right here.

My guess is you guys
don't cross this.

No.

It doesn't look easy
to get across.

No, it's not.

Is it rocky bottom?
Whoa, whoa!

Underneath, about four
to three feet of sludge.

Come over here, please.

I'm sorry.

Whoa, whoa!

Oh, the cameraman's down.

So, one foot at a time.

It's really tough
to get out.

-This is dangerous.
-It is.

We just learned that it's not an
easy stream or creek to cross.

Shelley lives on the threshold
of the alaskan wilderness,

But a small stream prevents her
from accessing firewood,

Moose hunting,
plant harvesting.

There's cranberries
over there.

There's also blueberries
and medicinal plants

That I could make money
from harvesting.

All of it lies on the other side
of the river.

That is the promised land.

Yeah, it's marvelous.

♪♪

This lady has a homestead with
property across a body of water.

So, how are you getting
across there?

She needs a bridge.

We're in full-blown summertime
in alaska.

There's no greenhouse,
there's no garden.

They've got
a lot of predators.

They've got a lot of reasons
why it hasn't happened yet,

But to me, they need a garden,
they need a greenhouse.

When you live this isolated
in alaska,

You can't depend
on the grocery store.

You have to grow your food
and store away as much food

As you possibly can to withstand
nine months of winter.

Matt:
check this video out.

This happened
this morning at 4:00 am.

[ Dogs barking ]

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah.
Oooh.

Most dangerous animal
in the woods is mama moose.

It's happening over
and over again.

Right now, these homesteaders
are not living

With these animals, you know.

Moose are gonna come on this
property no matter what,

And you deal
with that correctly,

In the right conditions,

Or it gets real dangerous,
real quick.

Let's go talk to 'em.

Matt: yeah, let's give 'em
a chat.

Narrator: the raneys have one
week to find solutions

For the plumbs' problems.

Misty:
so, we've talked.

Matt: I don't know how much
you've actually put your foot

Down and drawn a line
in the sand as far as, like,

"We're humans, we live here now,
you know, we're the alpha."

-Mm-hmm.
-"This tree line?

That's where
your property ends,

And this is where
our property starts."

What I would love to do
is start with a greenhouse

And a small,
scaled-back garden space.

And then we're gonna
get you access

To the other side
of your property.

Ooh! [ Chuckles ]

Narrator:
misty will cultivate a garden

And erect a greenhouse
with a pitched roof

Built for alaska's heavy snow
loads and extreme temperatures,

Providing a sustainable,
year-round food source.

Matt will help misty
build a fence around the garden

And teach the plumbs
animal deterrent techniques

To keep predators away
from their property.

Marty will construct a bridge
across caswell creek

To give shelley access

To 100% of the resources
on her property.

So, who runs a chain saw
in this family?

Right here.

I know you do, but you got
a bad shoulder.

Raise your hand,
'cause you're on that list

Starting tomorrow morning.

Okay.

Are you guys all workers?
-Absolutely.

-I am.
-Are you a worker?

-Yeah.
-Working.

Good, because we're doing this
in seven days.

-Right.
-I know, oh, my goodness.

You hear me?

Marty:
we made a lot of promises.

Will it happen?

For this family, we have to.

Narrator:
in central alaska,

The plumb
homestead is separated

From fertile land
by a muddy creek...

Whoa, whoa!

...and stalled by shelley's
chronic injuries

While her daughter,
sierra,

Lacks critical off-grid
skills to help...

We want to be
self-sustaining.

...and her son noah's job
limits his time to help out.

I work six days a week. I can
only come out here so much.

Narrator: the raneys have
just six more days

To fix the plumbs' problems,

Or the family will have
to pull up stakes

And their dream
will wither on the vine.

Well, let the fun begin.

The first priority is
to begin work

On the greenhouse and garden.

Given the scope of building
a reliable food source,

Marty's calling in help
from his oldest son, miles.

Marty: one thing we should be
thinking about right now

Is not this nice,
hot summer sunny day,

But six months from now
when there could be

How much snow
where I'm at right now.

How much?
-Six to eight feet.

-Six to eight?
-Yeah.

We got to think about something
that has less roof,

Meaning less snow load...
-Right.

-...meaning leaving you
with a structure

That could collapse
in the winter.

What we need is a greenhouse
that's narrow

So the roof
is not so broad.

-And tall.
-Right, it makes sense.

You know, a pitched roof
like this?

Narrator: using lumber cut
from the homestead,

Marty, misty, matt,
and miles will construct

An 8x16 foot greenhouse

With a pitched roof
and a rock foundation.

The surrounding outdoor garden
will have fruits and vegetables

In raised wooden planters,
plus a composter,

Creating fertilizer
for next year's crops,

And an eight-foot-tall
perimeter fence

Anchored
by teepee-style log posts,

Which will keep predators away
from the family's food supply.

It's real simple --


Due south right here.

Roll these tapes up, and we
will begin working on it now.

Let's call in matt.

There's only three months
of an amazing growing season,

But you have to
grow enough food

To hold you over
for the entire winter.

It's not gonna be no 4x4 tiny,
little raised bed.

It's gonna be massive,

And the only way
to pull that off

Is if all three of us
do it together.

Copy that.

Who's ready to rock?

Huh?

You have
no sense of humor.

So, those rocks big enough,
you think?

Yeah, I love it.

The foundation can be one
of the most expensive

Things about your structure,

And it also can be
incredibly time-consuming.

Right now, we're just using
these free

And gigantic boulders.

Put 'em in place,
get 'em square, done.

We have the rocks
as a foundation.

Are they perfectly level?
No.

Are they gonna move up and down
with spring and thaw?

Yeah.

We're gonna drill through
the rock, boom.

Then, this will fit in the hole.

Drop it in.

And then we can set
the building on here...

This one's pretty square
right here.

Okay.

...and adjust the building
with a wrench very easily,

Get it perfectly level.

Would you break the bond
on that,

Or you just roll with it?

What do you say, miles?

-Break it.
-It's just the right way.

Let's break the bond.

The band's back together.

Number one daughter misty,
number one son miles,

Number two son matt.

I love when we visit homesteads
in alaska

Because we don't have
enough time,

We don't have enough people,

So we're gonna pull
in a family member.

This time, it's miles.

Readjust the nut.

Tell me why.

Just because
it's faster that way.

-You've heard of superman?
-Mm-hmm.

-You've heard of iron man.
-Mm-hmm.

-You've heard of batman.
-Mm-hmm.

Marty: miles is more powerful,
stronger,

Gets more done than
all those guys put together.

and miles wears his underwear
on the inside of his pants.

[ Chuckles ]

♪♪

♪♪

There's a lot of trees
to be cut down here, right?

-Yes ma'am.
-With shelley's son, noah,

Away from the homestead
for work, misty teaches

Sierra a valuable
homesteading skill.

A lot of this beetle k*ll
has to go.

It's a complete fire hazard.

You need firewood and we need
building materials.

Yeah, it's a resource.

Sierra has the same blood
that shelley does.

She's her daughter.
I know it's in her.

I know it's inside of her
to work

As hard as her mom does
and step up.

I'm gonna step back.
Okay.

And I'm just gonna watch.

All the way 'til
your wedge pops out.

Did your wedge pop out?
Yeah.

First time, cool.

Great.

And with the littler guys,

You can even give them
a little push.

Sweet!
I did it!

First one!

I'm intimidated to use
the bread slicer at work,

So this was
a huge thing for me.

I'm excited.

I have to run the chain saw
to keep my house, you know.

That's all I have, is wood heat,
so it's a serious thing.

You have to do this
a thousand more times.

Let's find some more trees
to cut.

-Awesome.
-Okay.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
to bridge the divided homestead

And make resources accessible
on the other side of the creek,

Marty is scouting the property
for two large spruce trees.

All these trees are a threat
to the solar panels

'Cause of this wind.
-Oh, absolutely they are.

I don't like pulling trees.

Yeah, they could fall right
on them and break them.

And last but certainly
not least,

When you look up
that spruce tree right there --

Call all of these beetle
k*ll spruce gasoline on a stick.

That's how flammable it is.

Mm-hmm, yeah.

Narrator: to unite the two
halves of the plumb homestead,

Marty will build a 30-foot
long wooden bridge

Across the creek
that can help support loads

In excess
of 1,200 pounds,

Allowing shelley access
to the plants

She wants to harvest for
a potential off-grid business.

Let's just start
with the biggest,

Most threatening tree of all
and get it out of the way.

Shelley: I am so glad these
trees are coming down.

The solar panels
are my main investment.

Looks a little tight in there,
you think we can get it done?

It's tight.
It's tight.

It's real tight.

You want me to move the truck?

No.

Let's have some fun.

Is there anything that
you want to get rid of?

And you can put it out there
in the path of the tree

And we'll try to crush it.
-Should I go get it right now?

-Yeah, go, darling.
-Alright.

This ought to be interesting.

No way.
-How's this?

-No.
-Yes.

-No.
-I don't want it in my house.

Marty: you better ask
your kids about that.

No, they'll thank me
later.

Yeah, let's do it.

That's what
it's gonna be.

Right there.

This might be
a first for me.

I've thought about it before,
by the way.

You asked me what I didn't
like the most,

Something to get rid of.
That was my first thought.

I hate that tv.

Listen,
I'm gonna do it,

But it's probably the craziest
thing I've ever done.

[ Laughs ]

[ Chain saw buzzes ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Oh, my lord.

Narrator:
in the wilds of central alaska,

The raneys have only
five more days

To rescue the struggling
plumb family.

Shelley: I have a torn shoulder,
and there's no way

I could ever build what I need
to sustain my family by myself.

Narrator:
to secure their food source

And ensure
total self-sufficiency,

A wildlife-proof greenhouse and
garden are under construction.

You have to grow
enough food

To hold you over
for the entire winter.

Misty introduces
homestead novice sierra

To essential
off-grid skills.

First one!

You have to do this
a thousand more times.

Now, marty is felling
a spruce tree

That will be used
to bridge the creek.

Oh, my lord.

Awesome!
[ Chain saw stops ]

Whoo!

That was pretty weird.

-[ Chuckles ] sorry.
-Pretty strange.

No, it's good.

Who needs to sit in front
of a tv

When you have alaska all around
you at its best?

Let's clean this up
and get back to work.

Shelley: alright.

Narrator:
over at the garden,

Work continues
on the greenhouse.

Hand me that drill, miles.

Make myself useful.

We got some big beams holding
this greenhouse together.

No snow load will be too large.

The only problem is we're gonna
have a garden

Outside of that greenhouse,

And we're gonna need
some fencing

That can actually keep
the animals that live here out.

We're gonna run rails


Which is basically that mark,
and you're gonna have, like,

This fortress fence
above ground.

Narrator: an eight-foot fence
will be built around

The 30x40-foot garden
and greenhouse perimeter,

Tall enough to keep
alaska's largest pest,

The moose,
out of the garden.

The support posts will
be arranged teepee-style

And placed aboveground
to keep them from rotting.

Matt: putting a fence post
aboveground in alaska

Prevents from any sort of
freezing, thawing, heaving.

Narrator: and the raneys have
another hack in mind

To preserve the lifespan
of the support posts.

We're gonna burn it!

Matt: this is just an old tried
and true homesteader trick.

I mean, older than the hills.

If you burn any piece of wood,
you cure it up, it gets harder,

And it becomes
a lot more waterproof.

So, teepee
so that it stands.

Matt:
hold it just like that.

Boom,
the first fence post.

We'll put some rails
on it.

And we'll put a cross brace
on the bottom.

It'll be solid.
-It'll be solid.

-Sweet.
-It looks really good.

-Nice.
-Yeah.

We got to build 20,


Narrator:
as misty and sierra get to work

On the rest of the fence posts,

Noah has returned
from his job...

-Grab that barrel.
-Okay.

Narrator: ...just in time to
help matt with a project

That will enrich the garden's
soil and protect its scraps.

Nice.

If you have a garden,
especially in alaska,

Composting is a must.

It's basically taking waste

That would just be
thrown away in the dump

And turning it
into fertilizer --

A total no-brainer.

We cut a hole in there, boom,
opens up,

Frame it up,
we'll build it around this.

-Right.
-It's real simple.

Using a 50-gallon drum,
matt will reinforce the door

And surround it with a bear-
and wolf-proof frame.

A piece of all thread will run
through the center

And connect
to a gear system,

Allowing the composter
to easily rotate,

A necessary function
for even decomposition.

Let's see what we got.

For the gears...

This is perfect.

The ol' three-speed.

...noah has an idea to repurpose
an old homestead keepsake.

This thing still works.

Shelley: oh, my gosh,
you found it!

-What are you doing?
-Look at this.

Oh, my gosh, what are you doing
with that?

Don't break it!
-Come find out.

Look what I found.

[ Laughter ]

Matt: oh, my lord.

This thing looks really cool.

So, I got a lot of scraps
left over from the mill.

Four foot long
and three foot wide.

You're right,
you're right.

And I got some old bikes
and a water barrel,

And voilàà, the ingredients
to a composter.

Alright, keep feeding me
some ends.

Using that mechanical advantage
of the crank and the chain...

Oh, yeah.

...is what we need 'cause
shelley's got a bum shoulder,

And making this as easy
as possible for her is the goal.

It's high enough you could put
a wheelbarrow right in there.

It's starting to really look
like a finished product.

It's looking good.

Let's get out of here.

Narrator: on caswell creek,
marty assesses the water

His 30-foot bridge
will have to span.

So, this has king salmon in it.
Yeah.

Does it have reds?
Yes, it does.

So it's got sockeye salmon
in it.

Yes, sockeyes, mm-hmm.

So, you understand that...
Yeah.

...we have to treat this --
tread lightly.

Tread lightly
and treat this

Lily pad-infested stream
with reverence.

Marty: on this homestead,
a river runs through it,

And that river
has salmon spawning in it.

Thus, it's protected.

There's laws, there's rules.

No one's driving an excavator,

No one's driving a bobcat
into that river.

So, how do you get


Resting on either side?

You got to think
outside the box.

And in this case,
the box is round.

We will grab the back of this
with the pincher

And try to have
this roll across the river.

Yep.

Here we go!

Narrator: if marty fails to
place the logs correctly...

Sweet!

...he'll damage
the protected waterway.

Marty:
okay, stand back, kid!

Whoa!
Clear!

Narrator:
deep in the heart of alaska,

The raneys are fighting to save
a homestead on the brink.

Recently hurt my shoulder.

Ended up having to
have surgery.

Misty's greenhouse and garden

Will provide crops
and self-sufficiency...

Noah: it's starting to really
look like a finished product.

...with a composter
that will enrich the soil

And a fence
to keep away animals...

So, teepee.

Boom, the first fence post.

Matt:
it'll be solid.

Marty:
okay, stand back, kid!

...as marty attempts to span
a protected creek with logs...

Whoa!
Clear!

Whoa, that was
really close.

Oh, my gosh.

♪♪

♪♪

Whoo-hoo!

If there ever was a time
to use the adage

"The grass is always greener
on the other side",

It's now on this homestead.

Berries, firewood,
medicinal plants --

It's all reachable.

And now, all we have to do
is finish it.

♪♪

♪♪

-It's really square.
-You should be good to go.

Narrator:
at the greenhouse,

Misty begins
attaching a plexiglass siding...

Oh, let's start
at the top up here.

...which will help the structure
retain heat and moisture,

Allowing plants to grow
during the cold winter months.

I like it right there.
Do you like it right there?

-Yeah.
-Okay.

Pretty exciting!

[ Laughing ] yeah!

Shelley: the height of it,
I think, is over the top.

It's high.

Eight, nine feet,
that's excessive, I think.

If you want them shorter,

Moose have jumped over
six-foot high fences.

My concern is how -- what type
of fence is this going to be?

Just a bunch of teepees?

If you're uncomfortable
or you don't see that

In the bigger plan,
that's okay, shelley.

The reason why we show up

Is 'cause people are
at their breaking point.

They're all tapped out.

They're physically, mentally,
and emotionally, financially --

They're just done.

And in this case,

It's all of the above
with shelley, you know?

What if we put them
in the ground,

And if you're okay with having
to replace that fence

Sooner than the teepee idea,
I think that's okay.

Yeah, I like that.

I want to look out and see
the greenhouse

And the view still
and not a bunch of teepees.

This is shelley's homestead.

She has a very specific
plan for it.

The least that I can do
is build her something

That she actually likes.

I love everything
that's happening here.

It's, like,
I'm so grateful.

Shelley: I've done it
by myself for so long.

I'm afraid to ask for help,
and I need it.

Misty: shelley and I had
different ideas

When it came to this fence.

Her idea is just to do
these single posts.

It'll go really fast,
which is great,

But now it's time
to get to work.

♪♪

When you're out
in the middle of nowhere,

You're left
with the tools that you have.

And here we go!

Let's turn the excavator
into a hammer...

And these fence posts
into a nail.

And look how fast it's going.
Look at all the posts.

Could you imagine
doing that by hand?!

-Yeah, it looks good.
-We'd be here forever.

Now that we have
these fence posts in...

[ Drill whirring ]

...we're gonna run these rails
from post to post

As high as we can go

And then wrap this whole fence
in chicken wire

'Cause there's a lot of animals
that want to enter from below.

-I'm real happy with this fence.
-I am, too.

-It's coming along.
-I really like it.

Thank you
for doing that!

♪♪

[ Howling ]

Matt: come on over here.
This should be good.

Narrator: in the wilderness
beyond the homestead,

Matt teaches sierra
the first step in protection

From dangerous predators
like wolves and bears.

All these animals,
they definitely know

Someone's out here,

But are they just gonna push
these people over, you know,

Because they're not really
making a stand

For themselves out here?

We're definitely gonna have to
condition these animals

To respect these homesteaders
and where they live.

Have you ever fired a g*n
on this property?

Uh...
Not since I've been here.

Well, let's do it today.

We made that sweet target, and
we're gonna be sh**ting slugs.

-Yeah.
-So, here we go.

Safety's on.

And it's live
and ready to fire.

Awesome. And just sh**t
whenever I'm ready?

Yep.

♪♪

Sweet. [ Laughs ]
that was cool.

Not bad.

It's incredibly important
that we keep the g*n noise

Prevalent
to keep the animals away,

And now I'm gonna be able to be
out there sh**ting that g*n,

And I'm pretty proud
of myself.

Matt: ready, fire.

♪♪

[ Laughs ]
okay. Two shots.

Right in the same hole.
[ Laughs ]

We're making more noise,

And we're making more of
a presence and a footprint --

A human footprint --

Than has ever been made on your
property, you know, right now.

It's gonna be a lot of help,
just to keep things out.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
after building a fence to keep
the garden safe from animals...

Misty: okay, we got some
raspberries to plant.

Narrator:
...misty and the plumbs

Plant the crops that will make
the homestead self-sufficient.

Okay, so, the first plant's
going in the ground.

-Are you ready?
-Yeah.

-We have a lot of herbs.
-Yes.

So, I thought,
like, create, like,

A little herb garden,
maybe over here.

What do you think?
I think that's great.

Misty: getting the herbs in
here, it's such a good start

Because these are
really valuable.

I know.

There's food back
on the homestead!

Now I can pass the baton
to sierra,

And I think
she'll run with it.

I'm so excited about
having lavender, thyme,

And tomatoes
to just munch.

Narrator:
a week ago, the plumbs

Could not grow food on their
remote alaskan homestead

Due to moose
and other invasive wildlife.

Now they have a greenhouse
and a 1,200-square-foot garden

Surrounded by a 6-foot-tall
reinforced fence

That keeps animals out,
both big and small,

All for just 300 bucks.

To look out there
and see the garden is great.

I mean, I just keep
thinking of all the things

That I'm gonna do with it.

[ Laughs ]
it's really cool!

♪♪

Sierra: the transformation from
first to last day is incredible.

The garden space
and the greenhouse,

It's all just so amazing.

Okay. Last little bit
of water. Nicely done.

I love how green and full
it is.

-Ohh!
-It's great!

♪♪

Okay. Go this way.
Okay, stop.

Narrator: in the nick of time,
matt and noah

Have finished
their bear-proof composter.

-This is pretty b*mb-proof.
-Noah, is it working?

Yeah.
You gonna ride it?

-Yeah, can I get on it?
-Yeah.

Narrator: all that's left to do
is a test run.

[ Laughs ]

You barely have to pedal.

Matt: this is, like, the alaskan
original composter.

-Thanks a lot, man.
-Absolutely. Thanks for helping.

Whoo-hoo!

♪♪

If we don't get shelley to the
other side of this property,

I have failed shelley
on this homestead.

We got to make it happen.

Narrator: seven days ago,
the raneys arrived in alaska

To find shelley plumb
on the verge of failure.

Predators and dangerous wildlife
roamed her property,

A creek divided it...

-Whoa!
-[ Laughs ]

...and her daughter, sierra,

Lacked any usable
homesteading skills.

My goal is to be
her right-hand lady.

Narrator:
now the raneys have completed

A wildlife-proof garden,

And marty's racing to build
a bridge for shelley

Before time runs out.

You want to get
that long one?

Narrator:
after a week of grueling work,

Shelley's been sidelined
by her injured shoulder,

Leaving sierra
to carry the workload

And prove she has become the
valuable help her mother needs.

How you feeling? Good?
-Good. Yeah. Doing good.

Today, sierra manned up
on her own.

She just went for it
and took charge.

♪♪

You just see
something like that,

And you think, like,
"this person's gonna be okay."

Narrator:
just seven days ago,

Sierra plumb
had zero off-grid skills.

Now, with misty
and matt's guidance,

She can operate a chain saw
and fell trees,

Has learned to fortify
the homestead's human footprint,

And is taking lead
on construction

Of her first
wildlife-proof garden --

A priceless education
for zero cost.

I felt a lot of growth
for myself

Because I learned
how to make this place home.

It's like a dream come true.

Shelley: sierra is ready to go
to that next step

And transition from being
a dependent to a partner.

♪♪

Narrator:
back down at caswell creek...

Oh, yeah. Oh, that's money.
Look at that. Okay.

I would love to help.

It's not gonna be hard
on your shoulder.

...marty's ready to place
the decking on the bridge...

Come on in, kid.

...that will give shelley access
to lucrative resources

On the previously unreachable
section of her property.

If we don't get shelley to the
other side of this property,

It will be the end
of this homestead.

We got to make it happen.

But once I get the decking
on these two logs,

Shelley will be able to break
on through to the other side.

Last screw.

[ Whirring ]

Whew!

Okay.
You can be the first one.

♪ I got a bridge,
I got a bridge ♪

Narrator: one week ago,
shelley's homestead

Was divided by caswell creek,
and she was cut off

From one-third of
the resources on her land.

Now, built from the trunks
of two large spruce trees

Felled on her property,

Shelley has a bridge that can
take her to the other side,

All for just $250 worth
of planks and hardware.

-It's so nice, huh?
-It's pretty cool, isn't it?

-We're across to the other side!
-Yeah.

There's a lot of great,
useful plants here.

The bridge is phenomenal.
It looks fabulous.

It's opened up windows
and opportunities.

I can move forward with the
medicinal-plants business here.

I couldn't have asked
for anything more.

I love it.
Let's forage.

Right here,
we have the labrador tea.

You get a serious wound,
you're bleeding,

Labrador tea will promote
clotting instantly.

Right here,
we have what's called

A lingonberry,
or a cranberry.

It's great for acid reflux.

It's great for stomach issues.

It's just an all-around
fabulous thing.

So, this right here is one
of my most favorite berries.

The cloudberry
is just phenomenal.

There's this whole other
plant life to your property

That you just couldn't access.
Right, yeah.

When we crossed that creek
and we started looking around,

It was crazy to see
how shelley's face lit up,

And that passion and that drive
to actually start a business

Made me realize
this is one homesteader

That is gonna be
very successful.

This is fascinating,
and I would pay money

To learn and experience
the woods of alaska

And what it has to offer.

Yeah, it's totally amazing.

That was
a tough week, right?

That was a solid week,
for sure.

You guys have now access
to all your property.

So much
has happened, right?

Now it's officially
a homestead, you know?

It's got a garden,
it's got a greenhouse,

And it's not a homestead until
you can grow your own food.

So, the help that has come
from the raneys

Has absolutely given me
the start that I needed.

[ Exhales sharply ]

So, to the plumbs,
see ya later.

-Alright, guys.
-Bye, guys.

-Bye, guys.
-Thank you so much!

Marty: this family has been
set up for a bright future.

All's well...in caswell.

That's it!

♪♪

Shelley:
thank you, raneys, for coming.

Thank you for giving us
such wonderful gifts.

So, I'm out here on the edge
of my property

Where there was
a lot of predators,

But now our family's safe.

To put the garden in
and the fencing

And the greenhouse
is just amazing.

There's no words
'cause there's no way

I could have done that.

I am so happy
with my greenhouse.

I am so happy with the fence.

It's really given me a hope

That I'll be able
to grow my own food.

Because of the bridge,

I started my business
here on this property.

And sierra has been an enormous
help in everything here.

And living out here by myself
would be a lot harder

If I didn't have her here
helping me.

Together we make a great team,

And we're just gonna keep on
growing, one seed at a time.