07x03 - Where the Heart Is

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Marty: Alright, a little
morning coffee with this guy.

Oh, yeah.

I don't see any eggs yet.

You thought that was funny?

Come on, I want some eggs,
and I want them now.

And I'm not "yolking."

Maciah: Here we go.

It's not as easy as it looks.

Okay, this is my cellphone.
[ chuckles ]

Homestead...
Is where the heart is.

We're on the 40.

What's a quarantine
on a homestead?

We've been on our 40-acre
homestead

In hatcher pass, alaska.

Okay. Social distance.

I'm out here
in the middle of nowhere.

I don't see anybody anyways.

Narrator:
For the first time ever,

The raneys open
up their homestead...

We're documenting everything
ourselves.

Narrator: ...For an exclusive
self-shot glimpse

At their way of life...

Watch out.

...In the remote
alaskan wilderness.

Look at the size
of these tracks.

We are taking full advantage
of this quarantine.

[ rubble crumbles ] look out!

Narrator: As they push forward
on their own dream,

We reflect on some of
the biggest challenges

They faced keeping other
homesteaders' hopes alive.

Now it's officially a homestead.

Plus, the raneys check in
with some of the families

That have taken
their lessons and thrived.

Misty: How is it going?

Trust me, you have done so much
getting us moving forward.

I got to get back to it.

I got to go back to work.

Bye.

♪♪

Stay tuned.

♪♪

Narrator:
The raneys are three months

Into quarantine in the wilds
of south central alaska.

It's been a time filled
with big projects,

Strengthening the family bond,
and embracing family traditions

New and old.

So I think about this 40 acres,
this homestead,

I think about posterity.
I think about heritage.

I think about legacy.
I think about passing things on.

My ulterior motive
with everything I'm doing

Is to set my family up with
a legitimate off-grid lifestyle.

I think that
in the next few months,

I'm going
to make a herculean effort

To inspire these
other family members

To get excited about
this piece of property.

Narrator: One annual tradition

Marty hopes
will inspire his family...

The re-lighting of
the wood-fired hot tub.

There's a team effort involved
in getting that water hot.

You got to fill that tub.
You need firewood.

Somebody has to tend that fire,
right?

So there's
a little bit of effort.

Have you ever worn
a snorkel mask, alright?

You're in the water, right?
Your head's looking down.

And the snorkel goes up
out of the water

And allows you to breathe.

This is a snorkel stove,

Where the wood stove
actually is underwater

And a stovepipe goes up
and allows it to burn.

Cold air comes in,
the exhaust goes out,

The stove gets red hot,

And it heats the water
that surrounds it.

We're about to fill this thing
with water from our spring.

No chemicals.

Try to hook this up
to our spring,

And run all this line
over to the hot tub.

So let's see how much
line we have

And if it's going to work.

Marty: What are you doing?

I'm cleaning out the hot tub

Because we worked way too much

And it's time,
on a sunny weekend,

To finally have some fun, and
the hot tub needs to be cleaned.

I didn't even know know
it was the weekend

Because quarantine,
it's like I don't know...

I don't even know
what month it is.

I know, me too.

Crazy, huh?

But the weather
is supposed to hold

For three days,
and this is the time to do it.

Cool.
Alright, so when can I start

The fire in this stove?

When the water is up to here.

Okay.

How long you think
before we can start filling?

Right now. Oh, okay, cool.

Narrator:
For projects on the homestead,
both big and small,

It often takes
every family member chipping in.

Whoo!

Last year,
the raneys were called

To the broadhead homestead
in ohio,

Where reinforcements were needed
from an entire community.

It's hot inside that house
in the summertime,

And we have no way,
other than fans,

Of cooling down naturally.

They built a house
out of 30,000 tires.

They're black,
and black absorbs heat.

But the more of that black
we cover,

The cooler
the house will become.

Narrator: Marty meets with
a local contractor

Who has a natural solution for
the family's tire bale blues.

It's a perfect mix
of sand and clay.

Just add water just add water.

Marty: Mix it all together,

And you have a product
called cobb.

Get your people! Where are they?

Man: We got it.

Wendy: We've actually called in
some family,

Some friends,
some neighbors to come in

And help with cobbing the tires.

Marty: It's a lot of work.

It takes a lot of hands
to get it done,

And it will take everyone.

So this is a thermal
imaging camera.

If I just sh**t the bare tire,

It's about 91 or 92 degrees.

And then look...
Cool, comparatively.

That translates to about


That's a huge swing.

I mean, you can see it.
That camera is not lying.

Narrator: Back on the 40,
with so much to do,

It's a chance for marty

To pass on valuable
homesteading lessons.

You can't have hot water unless

You have wood
for the wood stove.

Look at my trusty
little assistant.

He just turned 9,
like, a couple days ago.

Gauge is amazing.

He is enthusiastic,
busy all day,

Active mind,
very active physically.

Good little helper.

What else could you
ask in a kid?

Look at that 9-year-old
just splitting wood.

Impressive.

♪♪

Narrator: Across the pacific,
matt and katie

Have just completed
their mandatory

Two-week quarantine
on the big island of hawaii.

Matt: Whoo!

Narrator: Now, as they explore
her father's cacao plantation

With son indy,
it gives matt time to reflect

On the wilderness and traditions
he's missing in alaska,



Matt: Come on, indy.
Let's go on a walk.

We're in hawaii right now,

But alaska is my home,
and that's the place I grew up.

My son indy
is definitely an alaskan.

Whoo!

So it's really important for me
to not only instill this love

For alaska that I have,
but it's important for me

To show indy
why it's so special, you know?

One of the hardest challenges
of staying quarantined

Has to be having a family.

[ indy babbles ]

We have one 2-year-old
full-on in his toddler mode.

There's a porcupine up there.

Matt: Porcupine sighting.

Do you see him?

One animal that I think a lot of
people don't associate

With alaska are porcupines,

And their trails
are really obvious

Because these are
fat little guys

And they kind of waddle,
and you can see the tracks here.

See this right here?

This is the porcupine.

Did you like that porcupine?
You like porky?

Mnh-mnh.

Narrator: The earlier a parent
can foster an appreciation

And respect for the wild
to a child off-grid, the better.

But it's never too late, as
the raneys taught homesteader

Shelley plumb's teenage
daughter, sierra, last year.

Sierra: 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-edness
to do what she does out here

And be her right-hand lady.

Narrator: Misty leads sierra out
of her comfort zone,

Teaching her the essentials
of homesteading in alaska.

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 going to watch.

[ chain saw buzzing ]

All the way
till 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. Easy, right?

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:
At hatcher pass, alaska,
for matt and katie,

Homesteader lessons
come in all shapes and sizes.

Quarantine, raney style.

[ chuckles ]

We are passing the time by
sharpening our survival skills,

And I'm going to do something
that I've never done before

And katie's never done before,

Which is a two-person bow drill

To start a fire.

Couple's... this is couples
therapy for quarantine.

I'm gonna stand.

Me and katie work
really well together.

We've always had, like,
a good working relationship.

Katie is a lot smarter than me

And I think
she has a stronger work ethic.

Hear that squeaky noise? Yeah.

That's good.

Wow.

Is this the hardest way
to start a fire?

[ laughs ]
oh, my god, there's smoke!

During a pandemic,

We have all the time
in the world.

I think it's a great idea
to get out there

And spend time with the family

And learn a survival skill
at the same time.

Oh, no!

Our shoelace broke!

You know what I like about this?

What?
We're spending time together.

[ laughs ]

We're not going to have
to do this every day, are we?

High five. Oh, high five.

[ laughs ]

Narrator: Coming up...

How's the tire home going?

Wendy: And here we got
some happy tomato plants,

And then back in the back corner
here we got potatoes.

Out of all the homesteads
that we've ever visited,

You take the cake
for the crazy homestead ever.

♪♪

Narrator: On the 40,
the raneys take advantage

Of their time in quarantine
by balancing fun traditions

With crucial projects
for the homestead.

Today, they welcome
a new generation of livestock.

What's the first type
of livestock

That usually shows up
on a homestead?

Chickens.

They are cheap,

You don't need
that big of a pen,

And you're going to get
a dozen eggs a day.

Whoo-hoo!

Let's go!

Alright. We're gonna go.

♪♪

What are you guys carrying?



Let me give you a hand.

Are they still warm?

- Yeah.
- Kind of.

Marty: Okay, quickly.
Got to move quickly.

♪♪

When you get your baby chicks,
they're usually really fragile,

So they need some special care.

Alaska can be kind of tricky

'cause it's incredibly cold
in the springtime,

And that doesn't really work
when you have baby chicks

'cause they need to have, like,
being at the beach weather.

Aww.

Misty: How are they doing?

Here, grandma mollee.

Let's help grandma mollee.

Let's give her this whole box.

What about this one?

And then pass them
one at a time.

Just pick them up, baby.

Grab them one at a time.

When it comes
to raising livestock,

I think there's
a huge importance

With involving children
on the homestead

Because once you
show him one time,

He knows how to do it
for the rest of his life.

This one's my favorite.

Narrator: The raneys instill
homesteading values

At a young age,

But often
it isn't always that easy.

Before their plea for help
two years ago,

The colorado counter family
struggled to get teenagers

Bridgette and haylie
to adapt to homestead life.

Sounds like moving from the city
onto this homestead

Has been really boring for them.

But if there's anything
that our family can do

To impress upon them
how special it is,

I think that's going to help
them fight boredom.

Narrator: On day one,

Matt discovers an unused
but vital structure

Which could prove the cure
to the girls' apathy.

You got a chicken coop here?

- Yeah.
- This is like a chicken mansion.

Where's the chickens?

We need a run.
Do you want chickens?

Yeah. I think that having
chickens would be fun.

I actually have
a phobia of them,

So I would not go in there.

You do not have a phobia.

Just take it from me.
I've raised chickens.

They're actually
a really fun project.

You might change your tune,
is what I'm saying.

Okay.

Let's do it.

My goal is to make sure these
girls have skills, you know,

So they feel more useful
on the homestead,

And I think a really good start
is just getting this chicken

Coop whipped into shape
and ready for chickens asap.

[ grunts ]

I haven't done this hard
of work in two years.

Hey, you guys are k*lling it.

You look like you guys
are happy.

I saw a genuine smile.

I'm not so bored anymore.

Well, what's the cure
to boredom?

It's doing something. Yeah.

This looks amazing.

Thank you.

All you got to do
is throw the wire in there,

And backfill it. Done.

Cool.

I feel like, you know, it's been
a me and bridgette project

As far as ownership
over the chicken coop.

Did feel a sense of achievement.

Bridgette: I felt accomplished
that we got it done.

As far as fencing goes,
these chickens are secured.

Take that shovel
and just throw it.

[ laughs ]

Yeah, exactly.

You guys worked together
as a family, you know,

Get all that hard stuff
out of the way,

Then you can have fun out here.

Yeah.

♪♪

Narrator: Before the raneys can
introduce their new chicks

To their own coop,

Step one... nurture them
in a smaller brooding cage.

Mollee: So, these guys
you can name

Because they're laying hens.

This guy's poppy.

That guy's poppy?

Having gauge involved
is awesome.

Kids love anything
that is a baby.

To have him involved
on a homestead

And starting that whole process
here is going to be

The greatest learning experience
for gauge.

Guess what. With their light,

They have to stay
really warm, right?

So you want the feeders and
the water to be where it's warm.

Misty: You know what you do?

You reach in
and you do each one,

And you dip their beak.

That one already
figured out the food.

This guy is just drinking like
an alcoholic.

Thirsty. They're all just
thirsty, though.

♪♪

Narrator: With the baby chicks
content in the brooder,

Marty takes grandson gauge
under his wing

To complete the raney
family's annual tradition.

Marty: Okay,
here it is the next morning.

What do you see?

Wow, it's ice iced!

It's ice.

Punch it.

Is it hard?

Yeah.

Wow. Come on, punch it.

Whoa! That actually scared me.

Misty: Gauge being on the 40
and being around my dad

Is really good.
My dad's really hardworking,

So definitely at a young age,

All four of his kids
were expected to work.

Gauge just being around
that kind of mentality

And seeing the importance
of that I think is good for him.

Marty: As you can see...

It froze a quarter inch
last night.

Are your hands clean? Yep.

Okay, because this is very
clean mountain water

In a hot tub
that also got clean,

So it's perfectly clean.

And did you know that
this was overflowing last night?

It was overflowing.

Where do you think
the water went?

I don't know.

Well, look down here.
So once we start filming,

You're going to see it trying
to seep out of these cracks,

These vertical cracks where
these boards come together.

But this type of wood
is cedar, right?

So when that board gets wet
and that board gets wet,

They get bigger, they swell.

And that makes this joint right
here that can leak, not leak.

This will be full. And you'll be
in there doing the back float.

What?

What's it called? Back float?

Are you a good swimmer? Yeah.

Well, today, we'll organize
all this insanity,

Cut some firewood,
we'll start a fire there,

But the main thing is I think
everyone's pretty excited

About starting the stove
and the snorkel stove

And then allowing that wood
stove immersed in water

To heat the water
to 104 degrees.

Okay, let's get back to work.

Wait. What?

I got to do a chop.

You got to what? Chop one.

Alright. Chop some wood.

I'm just gonna probably...

We're going for it. Hit it.

Good man.

Narrator: Coming up...

Drop in the wood.

Better stand back.

Watch out.

[ mollee laughs ]

Narrator:
In hatcher pass, alaska,

The raneys are taking
advantage of their time at home,

Passing along valuable knowledge

To the next generation
of raneys.

In the cabin,
class is in session.

Hey, everybody.

So we are doing home school.

And it's been
kind of interesting.

We got thrown into this, right,

Along with all the other kids
in america.

And some days are good
and some days are bad.

But this is pretty much how

We've been spending our days,
doing home school.

Wolves.

"did you know that
the biggest wolf,

Is 26 to 30 foot, 38 inches?"
wow, that's big.

Misty: There's been a lot of
eye-opening moments.

It has been really fun,
but super challenging.

So well done, teachers.

You're amazing at what you do
with a whole bunch more kids.

I just...
I'm, like, in awe of you.

"wolves are really
beautiful animals."

Whoo-hoo!

[ chuckles ]

Narrator:
On the 40, the activity
inside the family cabin

Is just as vital as outside.

Today, mollee prepares
an alaskan homestead staple.

I love the sourdough.
There is the little tricks

That you kind of fine tune
as far as how to rise it,

Even scoring the top of it.

What kind of flour you use.

And so, yes,
there is some secrets to it.

This is what I like
about mollee.

Never stops working. Never.

And what do you got
going on now, please?

Well, I have way too much
sourdough starter.

And so I thought
I'd do some bread today.

You know what it looks like?
What?

[ chuckles ]

Look! That's dirty.

Get that out of here.
It looks like bunny boots.

Oh, good lord.

You want to know something cool
about sourdough bread?

Since you've climbed
mount mckinley before?

You want to hear something?

What? In 1910,

They called it
the sourdough climb.

I know, they put it
in their coat.

You already know,
but I thought it was amazing

Because they went to
the north summit of denali.

Two sourdoughs, which are like
old-time alaskans,

And all they had for food
and drink was

Some sourdough bread
and a thermos of hot chocolate.

And they made the top and back,

And they carried a spruce
pole over their shoulder

To drive in the top to prove
to people with a telescope

From far away.

Toughest guys on the earth.

The sourdough climbers
they're called to this day.

Pretty cool, huh?
Yeah, that's an awesome story.

So sourdough bread
must have nutrition

Or something in it, right?

Yeah. It's good for you.
Sourdough, oh, yeah.

Family meals when the kids
were going up,

Dinner was always at the table.

Now that they're gone
and have their own family,

When they come on the homestead,
everybody shares

In preparing it,
so it's definitely a highlight.

So, this is my last loaf
out of three.

Longest process
is just letting it rise,

And it takes 12 hours
in a warm place to rise,

And then you punch it down
and knead it, and another

Four hours before you cook it
and put it in the dutch oven.

So it's quite a long process,
but it's very delicious.

I know what you're doing
behind my back.

[ laughter ]

Narrator: Food is one of the key
necessities of survival,

The ability to cultivate
and prepare meals

Is absolutely critical.

But when the raneys arrived
on the shields/roou homestead,

They found a couple struggling
to harvest even the basics.

We're at the end of our rope
because what else do we do?

Everything that we had been
growing is covered with mold.

Lou: Now our only food source
is ruined.

And in terms of hunting and
trapping, I'm at a zero.

The idea of k*lling your own
animals for food is scary.

Narrator:
To help eliminate their
dependency on the supermarket,

Matt takes lou on his first hunt
to teach him

What it takes
to harvest deer in the wild.

[ g*n c*ck ]

♪♪

First things first.
Get this thing filed dressed

As soon as possible
and up off the ground

Because you want the meat
to cool down.

It's very warm, huh?

Yeah,
and that's actually a bad thing

Because you don't want
that meat to be spoiled.

Lou: I was very apprehensive,
but, you know,

To go and hunt in this way
is probably about as pure

As you can get in terms
of harvesting your meat.

This is food.
This basic survival.

♪♪

[ moose lows ]

♪♪

Narrator: To supplement the
raney family's meat supply,

Mollee is getting a head start
on this year's crops.

Three days ago,
I started all these.

These are tomatoes right here.

The very first thing to come up
was sunflowers,

These big guys are here.

And today I moved them
because they're going too fast,

Which means they're going to be
long and spindly and not sturdy.

So I took out of the sun.

It's pretty warm in here,
which is really the kicker

About getting them to sprout,
is the heat of your house.

And I don't know
what happened here.

There's none there.

Maybe I forgot to
put seeds there.

That's always a possibility.

So just a little bit of a mist
every day

Helps them to keep them
from getting dried out.

Doesn't take much water.
Down below is pumpkin...

Sweet, small, sweet pumpkins.

Zucchinis are right here.

And then bell peppers.

Peppers are the hardest ones

Of all of them to sprout.

Everybody's been complaining
that it takes two

To three weeks
to get theirs to sprout.

Well, guess what.

These guys sprouted
in five days.

Marty:
Do you have a green thumb?

No, I don't. Let me see it.

Maciah.
Maciah, close up on the thumb.

Okay, okay.

[ laughter ]

Narrator: Coming up...

There are benefits
to living off-grid.

There are sacrifices,
but is it worth it?

Narrator: On the raneys'


There's one place that serves
as a refuge from the wilderness

And a hub for the family...
The cabin.

Okay, so when I build a cabin
or a house or whatever,

I like to have stone in the
entryway for obvious reasons.

It's durable
and it lasts forever.

So when your four kids,
melanee, miles, misty, and matt,

Come in 365 days a year
with either mud or snow

Or whatever
dripping off of them,

The stone entryway is a great
place to get all that stuff off,

Let it get dry, melt,
whatever it needs to do,

And it doesn't hurt the house,
the floor,

And there's
virtually no cleanup.

That said, I decided to put an
inlay of a heart in the stone.

These little things
are easy to do.

So any job, a simple stone floor
can be enhanced

With the slightest amount
of creativity.

Give it a special touch.

Homestead...
Is where the heart is.

Narrator:
Solid craftsmanship combined
with homestead ingenuity

Creates structures that stand
the test of time.

Last year, marty set out
to preserve the legacy

Of a fellow alaskan homesteader
who passed, leaving his cabin

In the care of his family.
[ bell ringing ]

Nice doorbell.

Wow. Cool place.

Who did the artwork in the log?

That would be tom. No.

Yeah.
There's all sheep, animals...

Wolves, caribou.

Look at this fireplace.

This guy wasn't afraid
of hard work, was he?

Not at all.

I get what he was
attempting to do here.

I get it.

But it gets kind of complicated

To build a masonry fireplace
that actually does work.

It became decorative
because it doesn't work.

Oh, this is the chimney.
[ laughs ]

I wouldn't stand too close
to this, cameraman.

I got to tell you,
this thing's kind of sketchy.

Marty: No homesteader
can survive a winter

Without a proper heat source.

The chimney has to be fixed now.

Narrator: Marty reinforces
the hartley cabin chimney,

Making the fireplace
functional again

While maintaining
its custom design.

This chimney is another legacy
of tom archer.

Hopefully when we're done,
it'll...

No one will ever know the chaos
that's underneath this.

♪♪

It looks incredible.

You sure? I am sure.

Weather, snow,
freeze, thaw, rain,

Bring it.

This thing is going to be here
longer than the cabin.

Oh, honey, I love that.

Oh! Tom's reel up there.

Oh, my gosh.

Water is going to run off
of this and just look beautiful.

Narrator:
The hartleys can sleep soundly
knowing that the cabin is safe

And tom's homesteading legacy

Is preserved
for generations to come.

And I hope you approve.
Hope you approve.

♪♪

Much like tom did
with his cabin,

Marty implemented a creative
twist for his own chimney.

So I often thought how much
heat... besides smoke,

How much
heat is going up a chimney.

So I decided to do
this cactus-style chimney.

It's real simple.

The main smoke will travel up
the main chimney,

And these chambers,

And more importantly,

Every square inch of this metal
serves as a radiator.

And more importantly,

Out of respect for the matriarch
of the homestead, the lady,

There's no muss
and no fuss carrying in firewood

And chips and debris,
especially this time of year

When it's going to get
real muddy outside.

So our system is real simple.
Reach out the window...

If it's 50 below zero outside,
you don't have to dress up

And stock a bunch of wood.
Just open that window,

Get the firewood,
load the stove, shut the door.

This is an old stove,
about at least

A 30-year-old stove.

Done.

Right? So we had this old
antique drill.

Can you see that?

What I did was basically drill
it into the wood back there,

The framing,

And then stone around it and use
the actual handle and the drill,

The entire thing
as a glove warmer.

♪♪

There you go.

And it works perfectly.

♪♪

Narrator:
Over the past four years,

The raneys have rescued
dozens of homesteads

On the brink of disaster,

But the global pandemic
has proven one thing...

That a self-sufficient lifestyle

Is more valuable now
than ever before.

Now the raneys check in
with homesteaders

To see how they've thrived

Since their rescue
and throughout the crisis.

♪♪

When we came around the corner
in the truck

And had our first glimpse
of the broadhead homestead,

I couldn't believe my eyes.

All I saw were old tires
wired together,

And in between
the tire spaces and gaps

Was stuffed plastic bottles
and what looked like garbage.

I just thought that we finally
came to a homestead

That we would just
turn around and drive away.

Is it all tires?
To the whole back wall

All the way down.
It's all recycled materials.

The biggest problem is just that
the tires are not covered.

We're having a huge wasp
and bee problem.

We're having bats
get in the house,

Snakes nesting in the walls.

Wendy: Our planter's filling up,
and it's...

Well, that's not even sanitary.

What do you think mom and dad
need help with?

Other than the mudding?

Um... The house.

What part of it? All of it.

It's extremely important
for me to have

A safe place for my family.

Narrator: While on the broadhead
homestead,

The raneys revived
the family's dreams,

Eradicating pests
from their tire walls,

Establishing an indoor garden,

And insulating the walls
from the elements.

Now the raneys check in
with the broadheads.

How are you guys?

We're doing good.
How's the tire home going?

We did a lot of work
on the inside.

I don't know if
you can see behind us or not,

But we got some walls done.

More importantly,
you guys have the only

Sit at the kitchen table
and reach over

And pick some spices
for your meal setting.

Yeah.
How's that indoor garden going?

This is the musical... not room.

This is the musical corner.

I built this guitar. Years ago.

This guitar
has been a lot of fun,

Kind of a novelty,
but it does play.

[ sour notes playing ]
it's out of tune.

I wrestled with the banjo
for a long time, you know.

Oh, by the way, I didn't know
I have a glove in here

To deaden the sound
because without that in there,

I get a lot of complaints.

[ banjo playing ]

Now I just get less complaints.

I'm the worst banjo player
in the world.

But I think every house,
every certainly homestead,

And every cabin needs music.

It's very rewarding

And it's inspiring,
and in this family,

It's an integral part
of our lives.

Narrator: In hatcher pass,
alaska, the raneys

Are relying on each other
to complete projects

While they quarantine.

Now they check in

On another collaborative
homesteading family,

The broadheads.

You guys have the only
sit at the kitchen table

And reach over and pick some
spices for your meal setting.

How's that indoor garden going?

So, all of our plants are, like,
super happy in here.

They're, like, waist high.

And then we've got onions
and ginger

And turmeric growing here.

A dozen happy tomato plants,

And then back in
the back corner here,

We got potatoes
and some cucumbers

Going on there.

That's amazing, guys.

That looks amazing, and they
look almost as tall as you.

They are, yeah.

How's your family making out
with the covid right now?

Pretty decent.
Some reduction of hours,

But no losses of jobs.

This whole thing
really hasn't impacted us

Too much. We were already

Well supplied with toilet paper.

[ laughter ]

Had water, essentials,
and food and everything.

Those of us that have made
this choice are better off.

Listen to what you just said.

I've said the same exact words

Because we don't live
on top of each other.

You by far, hands down,
take the cake

For the crazy homestead ever.

Who builds a home out of a stack

Of 30,000 tires?

I hope we run across
other homesteaders as crazy...

I mean, as confident as you two.

Thanks, marty.
And I'm sure you don't say that

To all of the homesteaders.

I don't, I don't.

The broadheads
taught me one thing...

Where the true rubber
meets the road.

Bye-bye.

Bye, guys. Bye, you guys.

Narrator:
Working together is the key
to success on any homestead.

[ whistles ] whoo!

That teamwork is paying off
as the raney family

Welcome spring with
the lighting of their hot tub.

Tell mollee
what you're doing, please.

So, I'm gonna put this
in here so it fills up.

Try to poke it with your...

It's frozen, huh?

Gauge was very helpful splitting
some of the firewood.

Look over here, please.
We're going to fill this full.

You need precisely
the right-sized firewood

To go in the stove
to heat that water quickly.

Thank you, gauge.

So drop in the wood.

Ready? Don't try this at home.
Look out.

Mollee: What are you doing?

What we'll do is we'll just

Do some of that.

You better stand back.

♪♪

Watch out.

[ mollee laughs ]

Boom!

This door slides.
It's designed to allow air

To draft.
When it gets really hot,

You can shut it down.

Well, we're trying
to start the fire.

Look up here.
Smoke's bellowing out of there.

Feel like a cooking show.

Now that we started the oven,
all you got to do is fill it up,

Let it heat up,
strip off all your clothes,

And jump inside. Whoo-ha!

Marty: Let's hear a "whoo-ha!"

Whoo-ha!

Good one.

Narrator: As the sun sets behind
denali, marty and mollee

Reap the benefits
of their family's teamwork.

Marty: Dun, dun.

Dun, dun.

Dun, dun.

Mollee: [ chuckles ]

Dun, dun.

Dun, dun.

Let's check the temperature.





[ sighs ]

I don't know if
my phone's working.

The battery was dying.

Me and my sidekick here.

Misty and maciah just left
with gauge.

And mollee and I thought
we would do our first

Hot tub of the season.

I'm very grateful and very
thankful.

There are benefits
to living off-grid.

There's benefits to
living in the mountains.

It's hard work.

There are sacrifices,
but is it worth it?

Oh, gosh.

Yeah, it's worth it.

It's more than self-sufficiency.

It's more than self-reliance.

It's more than self-subsistence.

It's basically
self-preservation.

I never thought I'd ever say
anything like that, but...

It's just one more benefit
of this lifestyle.

Once the world,
if it does get back to normal,

I can just see a lot of people.

Take that leap and buy
that piece of land

And build that cabin
and try to live simply

And deliberately,
as the expression goes.

It's only when they do that
that they'll reap the benefits

And know they should've
done it a long time ago.

Here she comes, floodwaters
heading down the road.

There's one, two, three, four.
There's four culverts.

All of them are frozen.

Look, solid ice.

Matt: Worst case scenario
has happened.

We have a widowmaker.

Alright, so I'm about to drop

A homestead b*mb on you guys
right now.

That's insane.