10x03 - By a Landslide

[bunniefuu]

[Marty] When a homesteader
calls me and says the mountain

is sliding into our home...

[Liz] It's not a matter
of if it's going to come
crashing down,

it's a matter of when.

[Marty] I'm going to come
around it.

Let's hit it.

[Misty] That's enough.
Oh, that's enough lift.

You have footage
of this bear?

[Marty] Oh, my gosh.

[Misty] And got llamas
and pigs.

That was crazy.

[laughs]

[Marty]
No matter what happens,

you somehow push and drive
and forge ahead.

[Matt] Bring it in.
Just bring it.

...and get it done.

Welcome to Idaho.

You see that rail?

-[Misty] Yeah.
-[Matt] Yeah.

[Marty] Before that rail
got laid down
under that gravel bed,

Lewis and Clark
came through here
blazing a trail with axes

and hand tools and machetes.

Then came that rail.

Then came the homesteaders.

Then came the towns.

And then came...

[Misty] Us.

[laughter]

[narrator]
The Raneys embark
to Naples, Idaho,

a small village
in the state's panhandle,

named for the Italian city

from which the migrant
laborers came

who built the first rail line
through the region
roughly 130 years ago.

Naples still demands hard work
from its inhabitants

with its unforgiving winters,

blazing hot summers
and formidable predators,

including bobcats
and grizzly bears.

Struggling to blaze their own
trail are the Lordens.

My name is Mike.

[Liz] And I'm Liz.

[Mike] And we live
in Naples, Idaho.

We've been
on the homestead here
for just over two years.

[Liz] We're on a mountain.

[Mike] When Liz and I
purchased this homestead,

we really had no idea
how big the problems
actually were.

Our house is built directly
into the hillside.

The mountain has sloughed
down into the house.

This is life.

[Mike] This is life.

[Liz] Living next to this
mountain side,

it's not a matter
of if it's going to come
crashing down,

it's a matter of when.

There's definitely
a lot of predators.

We had an entire flock
of chickens completely
wiped out

by a bobcat this last winter.

[Mike] We're trying
to grow vegetables in clay,

essentially, and it just
is not working out.

[Liz] We're not able
to wait another year.

We have to get food preserved
or else I don't really know
what's going to happen.

[Mike] We need
the Raneys' help.

We have gotten in way
over our head.

[car honks]

[Mike]
Got some friends here.

-Hello.
-Welcome.

-[Liz] Welcome.
-[Marty] Who's who?

I'm Mike.
This is my wife, Liz.

-Hi, I'm Liz.
-Mike and Liz.

-And who's this guy?
-[Chris] Chris.

-[Marty] Chris?
-Chris.

-[Mike] I'm Mike. Pleasure.
-Nice to you.

[Liz] Hi, Liz.
Nice to meet you.

-I'm Mike.
-I'm Matt.

Nice to meet you.

[Matt] I have a question
real quick.

What is that?

That's a train track.

[train horn blaring]

-[Matt] Oh, my God.
-[Marty] Wow.

[Misty] You have a train
running through
your homestead?

-[Liz] Through our homestead.
-[Matt] Wait.

And the train goes
under your property?

[Mike] Goes straight
through our property.

[Misty] Goes
under your house?

[Mike] You can feel it
shaking in the house.

I mean, how many times a day?

[Mike] It really depends.

Sometimes it's every half hour
or sometimes it's...

-What?
-[Mike] ...you know,
once every two hours.

-[Marty] That is strange.
-[Matt] That's crazy.

So you called us here.

Why?

We need some help.
We need some serious help.

[Liz] We met.

I thought that he was funny
and cute, so...

Thanks. It worked out.

[Mike] We definitely, like,
didn't have this plan

from the beginning,
the homesteading thing
by any means.

The opportunity
that we saw was, you know,

being a lot more
self-sufficient.

[narrator] After dating
for two years in 2020,

the couple pooled
their savings

to buy a nine and a half
acre plot,

which came with some
unique features.

[Liz] It was pretty amazing
when we first saw the train
going through the tunnel.

For us, it wasn't really
a deal breaker, you know,
it was kind of cool even.

[train horn blaring]

[narrator]
Mike proposed to Liz

on the property's scenic
mountaintop,

and they set about
building everything

on their homestead
by themselves,

relying on the internet
for all their information.

[Mike]
As millennial homesteaders,

we don't actually know
what we're doing.

We saw maybe
if we do a lot of these
things DIY,

we might be able to maybe
get a little bit ahead.

When we bought
the property,

we kind of just saw that,

"Hey, this is a piece
of property

that we can own,
so let's go for it."

We never really
looked at the full picture.

The first problem
that we have here

is since our property
is a mountain,

we basically cut a small
notch out of the mountain

to build our homestead on,
and lacking the knowledge
we did,

we didn't know
enough to put

a retaining wall
against the fill
that we were exposing.

[Liz]
The first real big snow melt,

we had water seeping through
the block wall.

[Mike] It was like
a stream of water

just constantly running
into the house.

If we're not back there
digging the dirt away,

it's constantly filling up
behind there

and it's just putting
more and more and more

pressure against this wall.

It's really dangerous for us
to get behind the wall
right now.

I personally
lose sleep at night

just listening to all
the creaks and the pops.

[Liz] We wouldn't make it
through another winter
like this.

Over the last five years,
we've seen a big influx
of grizzly bears in this area.

[Mike]
We have a lot of signs
of bear here on the homestead.

If you take a quick walk
anywhere on the property,

you'll notice that most
of the stumps
are torn to pieces

by bears looking for food.

[Liz] I don't feel comfortable
bringing in any livestock

to our property until
we're really able
to figure out

how to get them
into a secure enclosure.

[Mike] Our garden,
it's pretty pathetic.

We don't have many flat spots
here on the homestead,

so I scraped out a flat spot
and in turn I scraped away
all the topsoil.

[Liz] If you touch the soil,
it's hard as concrete.

It's, it's much too hard
for seeds to grow.

[Mike] If Liz and I
cannot pull this homestead
together right now,

we're gonna have
to sell this property.

[Liz] We want to grow here.

We want to grow
old here together

and we want to be able
to raise our future
family here.

And right now,
it's just something
has to change.

Otherwise, we're not gonna be
able to do that.

[train horn blaring]

[Marty] Place looks amazing.

[Mike] Thank you.
This is what we've built
for ourselves.

[Marty] Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What's happening back here?

[Mike] Um, I think
it was a little bit
of ignorance.

We built our house directly
into this cut that I had.

And, yeah,
it's starting to fall apart
right into our house.

We had a few close calls
this year.

[Marty] Like what?

[Mike] In two different
occasions,

we had the whole house
shake from earth,

like falling into it.

[Marty]
Here I am on a mountain
of mud.

It's all avalanching down
against the house.

When they investigate
an avalanche,

they don't start
at the bottom.

They start at the top.

I need to investigate
what kind of dirt, rock, soil,

muck that I'm dealing with.

[train horn blaring]

[Misty] Is this your garden
right here?

[Liz] This is our garden.

You have like,
free standing water.

-Free standing water for...
-It's a really bad drainage.

No drainage.

[Misty] Just by looking
at a plant yellowing
can just mean water.

-It's just too much water.
-Too much water.

So it's like
there's no drainage

and when you got plants
growing in a swimming pool...

Uh-huh.

...it's just really hard
on them.

You're never gonna grow
anything in that.

And Mike and Liz are seeing
that firsthand.

Winter's just a couple
of months away.

If Liz is gonna be able
to grow food,

we need to come up
with a plan and fast.

Is this your greenhouse
right here?

-It is.
-Can we walk over?

Sure.

[Misty] I have a question.

Why is this lid metal
and not transparent?

Our thought
was the plastic roofing,

we were worried
that we're gonna put it up

and it would like break
within the first
couple of years.

So we're like, Well,
what if we put
a metal roof up,

and then as we go do windows?

And I mean, looking back,

it's really obvious that
the sun goes over.

Yeah, Yeah.

And now there's just no sun
getting into the greenhouse.

[Misty] And then you guys
are newly married.

-Yes.
-So how's the honeymoon been?

It's...

We never actually took, like,
an official honeymoon.

We just have been
honestly, like,

on our homestead
the entire time.

I feel like we have
gone through a lot
our first year of marriage.

So our homestead had nothing
when we moved here

and we've built it up
to this.

And it just feels like now
we're at a point

of we've almost hit a wall.

-Yeah.
-But we're only two years in.

-Yeah.
-You know?

Yeah.

Mike and Liz, they're young
and they don't have
the experience

and the knowledge
and the know-how.

We're showing up
kind of at the beginning
of their homesteading

dream and it's a mess.

They're making
all the mistakes
that you can make.

And this is a lot of blood,
sweat and tears,

a lot of energy.

And for it to be a total fail
is disheartening.

I'll follow you
because it's getting
a little warm.

-Okay, yeah, really warm.
-[Misty] Yeah.

How hot is it supposed
to get this week?

[Liz] Um,
a 100 degrees or so.

-[Misty] Yeah.
-[Liz] Maybe a little more.

[train horn blaring]

[Matt]
All right, bit of a hike.

-[Chris] Yeah.
-[Matt] What is this?

[Chris]
This is one of the stumps
they had in question.

It's kind of recently been
pulled apart

or knocked apart by something.

[Matt] Something is definitely
pulling it apart.

So you're a firefighter.

Correct. Yep.

You kind of got your ear
to the ground as far
as what's happening.

And it sounds like
this spring,

there was more bear activity

than maybe
in previous spring.

Absolutely. Yeah.

This... this has been
the most bear encounters
with humans and livestock

that I can remember
in my, my time
growing up here.

So what it sounds like to me
as the weather probably made

food a little more scarce
early in the season

because spring
was a little too long.

And so bears,
they're probably taking
more chances

than they would...

-Yeah.
-...than if the food
was plentiful.

Walking around with Chris
and seeing different sites

where there could be possible
bear signs

was pretty eye-opening.

But just hearing his own
personal stories about

how much bear activity
has ramped up

just this year
versus all years past,

I mean, that's
the smoking g*n evidence

that I need to take this
bear problem

on the homestead
really seriously.

Yeah. Problem bears.

[Chris] Yep. Problem bears.

[Marty] Holy buckets.

Wow!

Woo!

-What a view!
-[Mike] Yeah.

I love it.

Woo.

Little mini paradise up here.

-[Mike] Right.
-[Marty] Wow.

-This is amazing.
-[Mike] Thank you.

-Yeah.
-[Marty] So I can see Canada.

I can see Montana
just from this one
vantage point.

-[Mike] And Idaho.
-[Marty] And Idaho.

[Mike] Yeah.

So I thought I heard
you say down there

that you came up somewhere
on this mountain
and proposed to Liz.

Mm-hmm. I did.

In this exact spot
right here.

This is a very special
spot for us.

-[Marty] I like it.
-[Mike] Yeah.

That was the best moment
of my life when she said yes,

right here.

[Marty] Well, I get it.

I have this sneaking hunch
you don't get up here

as much as you used
to because that
homestead is daunting.

Correct.

[Marty] It's very clear
that this little mountaintop

is really important to them.

I can't leave this property

without revisiting
that location

and leaving them
with something special.

Look at the mountain flowers.

[Mike] Everything,
man, it's beautiful.

[Marty] All right, so...

[Matt] I walked with Chris
this summer and spring

has been the worst
bear activity they've seen.

-[Misty] Oh, no.
-[Marty] Tough.

[Matt] So the predator problem
is definitely an issue.

And I'm glad that I'm here
to help these people

because they've got
a real problem.

See that?

-That garden?
-[Marty] Yep.

[Misty] They planted
those plants months ago.

They're like this big.

But what's crazy
is at a 100 degrees,

there is standing water
in there.

For all of that effort,
they are getting nothing.

Nothing will produce
come another month or so

because that's harvest time.

[Marty] That's a big one.

So our homesteaders
chose to dig out

a huge excavation spot
and build the biggest
homestead structure

that I've ever worked on.

But in the two years
since they built it,

they've got themselves
a sloughing landslide problem.

[train horn blaring]

And last but not least,

it has a train running
right through the property,
through a tunnel.

Not helping us.

We're trying to retain
a mountain

from sliding on
life and property.

All right,
so that's a big one,

because we start
messing around back there

without a plan,
we could create a landslide.

[narrator]
Marty will create a barrier
behind the cabin

to hold back the mountain
and a channel to direct water

away from the structure.

Misty will build a series
of raised beds

to utilize soil brought in
from outside the homestead

and ensure that their
garden greenhouse

receives enough sunlight
to thrive.

And Matt will upgrade
the Lordens' livestock

enclosure to protect it
from predators

and expand its capacity
to accommodate larger animals.

With the help
of a small build crew,

the Raneys have just
seven days

to dig this homestead out
from underneath disaster.

[Marty] So you guys
get thumbs up,

gold star for doing
all of those trades,

all of those skill sets
just the two of you.

Thank you.

[Marty]
Again, what you've done
there is pretty epic.

-Thank you.
-But your problems
are also epic.

-[Liz] Yeah.
-[Marty] All right?

I will also tell you this.

Many, many times
we'll meet the homesteaders

and we go,
"Hey, get ready to work.

-Roll up your sleeves."
-Yeah.

[Marty] But I'm not even
gonna say that.

I'm not saying it
to you three,

because I already know

what's going to happen
while we're here.

Yeah, we're ready.

So, see you tomorrow morning.

-[Mike] See you tomorrow.
-Thank you, guys.

So there isn't a ton of usable
space up here at all.

[narrator] Up at the cabin,
Marty and Misty
survey the property

in hopes of finding
a suitable landing spot

for the family's garden
and greenhouse,

which are in desperate need
of both sunlight and soil.

[Marty] I would say, Misty,

your only hope
is this corner right here.

You could look at that area
and figure out

how big of a footprint
you could get.

You could get
something there.

[Misty] There isn't
a ton of usable space

when it comes to this
ten-acre homestead.

It's on the side
of this mountain.

For me, we have to find this
new location

for the green house,
even if we have to make it.

One thing we haven't
talked about

is when you start baling

all of this material
to deal with this

crazy erosion house problem,

where is it all going
and can it go out
here creating...

-Yeah.
-...a bunch of usable ground?

Is that still the plan
dealing with the house?

I told those people
I'd have an answer for him

this morning and frankly,

my answer is give me
one more day
to think about it.

I'm hesitant to attack it.

That's a beast.

[Misty] No, it looks like
a cluster.

And if it ever slopes,
it's gonna be my fault.

I'll give you one day.

One day of me
on the excavator.

You telling me what to do,
what to clear,

and then I'll give
the homeowners

an answer tomorrow morning
about this.

It's a blessing in disguise.

I'll get to see
what kind of soil it is,

that's non-invasive.

I'll get it some type
of feeling

on what kind of mountain
I'm dealing with,

and then it's probably
going to help me

make a decision over here.

Okay, sounds good.

And I will have an ex
coming up that road

in the next 10 minutes.

[Misty] Okay.

[birds chirping]

[Marty] Here we are.

[narrator] Three miles east
of the homestead,

Matt and Liz visit her
neighbor, Savannah,

to review evidence
of a grizzly bear
presence in the area.

-[Savannah] Hi.
-[Liz] Hi, Savannah.

[Matt] Hello.

-[Liz] Savannah, this is Matt.
-[Savannah] Hi.

-[Matt] Hi.
-[Savannah] Nice to meet you.

[Matt] Nice to meet you.

Liz told me that
you had a bear
encounter recently.

[Savannah] Yeah.

[Matt] And that is a story
that I need to hear.

Okay.

Well, if we want to walk
on down that way,

I can show you exactly
where the grizzly bear was

when I saw him.

-Okay.
-[Liz] Yeah.

-[Matt] I'm following you.
-[Savannah] Okay.

So I'm standing right
on the edge of our porch,

and sure enough,
right down the road,

as if he wants to join me
for my cup of coffee

that I have, he just comes
strolling down.

We had been hearing that
they have a lot of problems

with livestock
in our neighborhood,

and so I know
it had got llamas

and pigs that, like,
you know, gotten into.

[Matt] This bear problem
sounds huge.

If we build something now,
they won't have a bear problem
ever in the future.

And making something
bear proof sounds like
an oxymoron, really.

But I think it's possible
with the right materials.

So you have footage
of this bear?

-[Savannah] Yes.
-Like, video?

-Yep. I got a video.
-Show me.

Oh, my gosh.

So that's, like,
we're standing right here.

[Savannah] It just kept on...

keep... took its little...

Took its time sniffing around.

What this shows me
is the problem is real.

And it's definitely something
that I have to take

into consideration
on all of my choices

for building
livestock structures

on this homestead for Liz.

-Yeah.
-Okay?

So thank you.

-Thank you for showing me.
-[Savannah] Sure.

Good luck, guys.

[Marty]
A little bit of compaction?

[Mike] Yeah, I like it.
You can keep coming even.

[Marty] Copy that.

[narrator] Up at the cabin,
Marty begins digging

into the Lordens' mountain
to create a flat space

where a garden can thrive.

[Marty] Where's that post at?

[Mike] You're good.

You got ten feet.

[Marty] So Misty wants
to create a garden,

but she needs material
and a flat surface.

That gives me an opportunity
to do two things,

dig into the mountain,
get her the materials
she needs.

But also the house
is only 50 yards away.

So if I dig into this bank,
I'll have a good idea

of what I'm dealing with
and why this mountain

wants to landslide
onto their house.

Marty is taking out
this corner over here,

and he's trying to gain us
real estate this way

and I think we gained
quite a bit of sunlight
already from it.

I mean, we'd be in the shade
still just five minutes ago
standing here.

[Marty] The material that
is behind the house
is sloughing

because there's not
a lot of rock in the soil,

but there is clay
which can compact.

There might be an opportunity
to actually use the clay
to our advantage.

[Mike] I like it.

[Marty]
That what I like to hear.

[narrator]
Later that afternoon,

the Raneys summon
homesteaders,
Liz and Mike,

and their friend Chris

to reveal a game
changing surprise.

Hello.
See anything different?

-Just a little.
-Just a little.

[Mike] Those things are huge.

[Matt] Okay, guys,
you are not gonna
believe this.

A train went by,
had these containers,

and they fell right
onto our homestead.

[Mike speaking]

[Liz] And now they're ours.

-[Mike] Wow.
-[Liz] This is cool.

[Marty]
A Dry Box is essentially

a homesteading cure all.

You need a safe,
durable, versatile structure
made out of steel?

Drop it in off a trailer.

Permanent building.
Snap of the fingers.

Get a Dry Box.

[narrator]
Dry Box shipping containers
are durable,

fixed-width boxes
with load bearing corners

and floors made
of corten steel

with a standard width
of eight feet.

The most common lengths
are 10, 20 or 40 feet.

Shortly after they became
a standardized

mode of transporting goods
in 1958,

architects recognized
the potential

of an affordable weatherproof
metal box

that could be stacked
and welded to others.

Today, shipping containers
are readily available

for personal use,
from building small homes
to offices,

even swimming pools.

[Marty]
If you don't want them,

I'll take... I'll take them
straight to Alaska.

[Liz] Straight to Alaska.

[Mike] When the three of us
came around the corner

and we saw the dry boxes
down at the bottom, like,

it was just kind of, "Okay.

This is getting really
serious here.

What are these guys
planning to do

with all those storage
containers?"

Well, we have ideas.

[Misty] We've all been
fighting over who gets what?

And actually,
for the first time ever,

like, we all won, right?

Because I wanted
a 20-footer.

He wanted a 20-footer
and Matt wanted the 40-footer.

[Matt] This long guy here,
the 40-footer.

-[Liz] Uh-huh.
-This is...

[Matt speaking]

Okay. Yeah.

[Mike] Okay.

[Liz] I don't think
anything can be more
predator proof

than a giant steel box.

So I think he's definitely
got the right idea

when it comes to having
a secure animal pen.

What are you gonna do
with yours?

[Marty]
Well, listen, I don't know,

but I feel humbled
that the Dry Box people

who didn't even know you,
if there ever
were homesteaders

that worked hard
and deserved such a gift,
it was you guys.

There's no way, no way.

I'm leaving this homestead
without using it
in a cool way.

-Definitely.
-Yeah.

[Marty] So I'm not sure
what that's gonna be,

but hopefully
I can live up to that promise.

-[Liz] Yeah.
-[Mike] Yeah, sounds good.

-Fair enough?
-[Liz] Yeah.

Thank you, Dry Box. Jeez.

-Thank you.
-[Marty] Thank you, Dry Box.

[Mike]
It's really unbelievable
to see the generosity that

people have to try
to help somebody out.

It's really cool.

I'm super excited to see,
like, what kind of projects
they have planned for them.

-[Marty] It's a big thing.
-[Mike] Yeah.

-[Liz] It's huge.
-[Mike] This is... Yeah.

-[Marty] So get some sleep.
-[Mike] Thank you so much.

[Marty]
Because we're gonna hit it
hard tomorrow.

-[Marty] Thank you.
-[Liz] We'll see you tomorrow.

-[Mike] Bye, guys.
-[Misty] See you guys
in the morning.

[Misty] It probably gets
morning sun here.

[narrator]
Over by the train tracks
at the current garden site.

Misty and Liz prepped
the greenhouse
for an ambitious move

up the mountain
that will provide
more direct sunlight,

giving their crops
a chance to flourish.

-[Misty] Okay,
so it's a little after 4:00.
-Yeah.

[Misty] And the greenhouse
is in the shade.

Oh, yeah.

[Misty] It doesn't get dark
until 9:00 right now
in the summertime.

That's five hours
of daylight

you're missing out on.

-Right.
-We're moving it.

-Okay. Yeah.
-You ready?

[Misty] Let's do it.

[machine whirring]

[Misty] It's gonna be really
hard to pick this greenhouse
with an excavator.

If we do, the whole thing
is gonna rip to shreds.

So I have an idea,
which is create
a little bit of bracing

and a little bit
of reinforcement.

We'll put them all together.

We'll drop the back
and just drag it.

Okay.

So we have our pick points
and we're ready
to pull this thing.

[Liz]
I'm ready to see it.

[Misty] I'm a little nervous.

[cheers]

So here's the plan.

We wrap these two chains
around these railroad ties.

[Marty] I don't want
to hurt your building,

but if you think
it'll make the trip,
I'll drag it.

[Liz] I'm willing to try it.

I trust you.
Let's hit it.

[Misty] Okay.

Let's go.

This greenhouse has to move.

I always get a little nervous
moving structures.

It can be dangerous.

There's the possibility
of somebody getting hurt

and you can damage
the structure.

But if anybody can do it,
it's my dad.

That's enough.

Oh, that's enough lift.

So now it's not about
the lift,

it's about the drag.

[Liz] I'm a little bit nervous
about moving the greenhouse

because it seems like
a little bit of a crazy idea.

It's really going to put Mike
and I's building to the test.

Like, did we even build
this thing strong enough?

Is it just gonna
completely crumble?

There you go.

Let's not break any windows.

Amen, sister.

[Misty] Oh, wait.
Hold. Hold, hold.

Hold for a sec.

[Marty] What?

What's the problem?

[Liz] There's a board that's,
like, propped up.

It's going to rip that off.

[Marty]
Misty, you want a hand?

[Misty] No. Good eyes, Liz.

That's what
you're looking for.

[Liz] We're good to go.

[Liz] Misty is super inspiring
to work with.

Not only is she super nice
and she just has this really

awesome energy about her,
but she's extremely
hardworking

and definitely a go getter.

Like, she's not afraid to get
in there

and get her hands dirty.

[Misty] Yep. Straight back.

[Liz] The back needs
to go that way.

[Misty] Okay, your back.

Yep.

A little left.
A little left.

Looks good.

[Liz] You're good
on this side, too.

[Marty] Okay,
so where is the optimum spot,
ladies?

[Misty] It's got to land
in the sun.

Don't get in the shade.

Just go straight back.

Ten feet or so.

Good, stop.

Down.

Whoo-woo!

[Liz] That was crazy.

[Marty] Did you think
when you woke up
this morning that that...

-[Liz] Not a chance.
-...would be here
instead of there?

[Liz] Not even a little.

[Misty] Now that we have
the greenhouse
in its new location,

the southern exposure
is amazing.

And for me to get this
all done in one day

is a very good start
to the beginning of this week.

I like how close
it is to your front door.

[Liz] I know, that's cool.

[Misty] And when it comes
to chores and food
and animals,

the closer it
is to your house,

the more protected it is.

[Marty] Also, it's after


[Liz] I know, and there's...

And that's been in the shade
for two hours down there

and the sun is baking
on this till sun down.

[Misty]
We're off to a good start

and now the real work begins.

[crickets chirping]

[rooster crowing]

[train horn blaring]

[Marty]
It's pretty crazy.

[narrator]
It's day three begins

on the Lordens'
northern Idaho homestead,

Marty embarks on his plan
to dig out the steep slope

threatening to crush
their cabin.

[Marty] So on day one,
I saw this ominous problem
they have.

I told them
I didn't have a clue
what we were gonna do.

It's too crazy.

So here we are working
on a homestead.

Nice couple, hardworking.

Everything here
they've built.

When you go behind the house,
you see the entire mountain

potentially could slide down
and scrape their house
off of its footing.

Serious business.

[narrator] Landslides
occur when weak
or fractured materials

resting on a steep slope
become dislodged
and move downhill

under the influence
of gravity.

They form in a variety
of ways,

including rockfalls,
shallow debris flows

and mudslides, and can
accelerate from an average

of ten miles per hour
to over 35 miles per hour.

Each year landslides
cause thousands of deaths

and billions of dollars
worth of damage worldwide.

If Marty can successfully
dig out the mountainside

and create a 15-foot buffer
around the cabin,

he'll use boulders
from the property

to construct a 25-foot long

arched retaining wall
to prevent landslides.

He'll also add
a drainage system
to divert water

that seeps out of the slope
away from the house.

[Marty]
Here I am on a homestead

with a whole mountain
above me,

and I'm starting
at the bottom.

The worst place to be
when dealing with a landslide.

The plot thickens.

This job is dangerous.

Every scoop of dirt
that I take out
of the side of this mountain,

it becomes even more
dangerous.

Oh, and guess what?

There's a train that runs
right under the property

and exacerbates the sloughing.

I'm hoping and praying
that Casey Jones

called in sick today.

[Marty]
We got a little bad news.

Misty's been exposed
to someone that has COVID.

In just a few days,
we're leaving this homestead.

I don't want
to leave this homestead
with projects unfinished.

[narrator]
Back at the Lorden
homestead...

You see the size
of these rocks?

[Mike] Yeah.
It's big rock.

It's got to be a lot of weight
just in that thing.

There is.

And there's some that
are ten times bigger.

I think it's time
to walk through this plan.

[Mike] Yeah.
I'd love to know
what you're scheming.

[narrator]
With the slope successfully
pushed back,

Marty shares
the next steps with Mike,

installing boulders
as a retaining wall

and creating a drainage system
to move water away
from the structure.

Probably right about in here,
to be honest is,

is gonna be where that
retaining wall comes.

So the size of these rocks
you think will hold the bank?

[Mike] I think so, yeah.

-After... I was skeptical
in the beginning once--
-Why?

Well, just because the weight,
you know,

it's... there's...
we're relying like
solely on dead weight here.

It seems like
we don't have any tiebacks

or anything like that.

So we're really relying
on the weight of the boulders.

And I was skeptical.

But the size of these
are massive.

You know,
there's not a question
in my mind anymore.

That's definitely
challenging for me

to surrender the control
of our property.

And we've done
everything here, Liz and I.

So it's very different
to have somebody come in,

especially with a piece
of equipment that size

and start doing
a project this big.

There's definitely some trust
going on there for sure.

We couldn't have done
any of this

had you not done
a good job on that foundation.

I appreciate it.
So you're confident
in that wall?

The plan is that
at this point,

if you sign off
on letting us backfill

the foundation
and then slope it
this direction...

Okay.

So, you don't want it
sloping in the front.

That's where you park
and I don't see...

It's... it's a little more

problematic getting
rid of water out there.

Yes, definitely.
Little easier back here.

Yeah. Okay.

[Mike] Everything
that Marty did today

still went through us,

but we're trusting the fact
that he's capable of doing it.

I was definitely skeptical
in the morning,

but I can see that he knows
what he's doing.

[Marty] I live on the side
of a mountain, too.

And if I, if I could pick up
a 12 or 16-foot wide flat spot


I'd take it.

[Mike] All day. All day, baby.

[Misty] There's this guy...

I mean, he's got 50 years
experience in this location.

He's like the guru
of gardening.

-Cool.
-Yeah.

[narrator] Five miles west
of the homestead...

[Misty] His name's Rio,
and he's kind of
a local legend.

I think it is worth
our while to just...

[Liz] Pick his brain a bit.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, that sounds cool.

[narrator] Misty and Liz visit
a longtime local homesteader

who has successfully grown
crops in this challenging
soil for decades.

-[Misty] Rio.
-[Rio] Hi.

[Misty] Hi.

Wow.

I can smell that from here.

-[Rio] The garlic?
-[Liz] Hello.

[Misty] Yeah.
Hi.

-How are you?
-Misty.

-[Rio] Misty, nice...
-[Misty] Nice to Meet you.

-Hi. I'm Liz.
-[Rio] Hi, Liz.

Thanks for having us out.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, thanks for having us.

[Misty] What Mike and Liz
do is pretty common,
especially for their age.

They turn to the internet
when they need information.

I want to change that
and have them

turn and rely on somebody
in the community.

I've heard of this
local legend, Rio,

that pretty much
has seen it all, does it all.

I'm only here a week.

To connect Liz
with someone like Rio
is the most valuable resource

I can give her.

[Rio] So, yeah.

So this garden
I started 30 years ago.

[Liz] Wow.

[Misty] So look at this soil.

-I mean, this is definitely...
-[Rio] So this soil has...

[Misty] ...not what the soil
looks like on the homestead.

[Liz] No.

[Rio] So this is,
this I build up over 30 years

by using cow poop,
Llama poop, Sheep poop.

On her homestead,
she's got just the little bit
of the native soil

then so much dirt work, right?

Just trying to get structures
in place and...

-[Rio] Right.
-...the footprint laid.

And now we're just left
with solid clay.

-[Liz] Mm-hmm.
-[Rio] Yeah.

So the clay
is a tough one because...

-[Misty] There's no drainage.
-There's nothing above it.

[Liz] No.

[narrator] Topsoil comprises
the upper layer of soil,

approximately
five to ten inches in depth

and holds the highest
concentration
of organic matter

delivering vital nutrients
to roots.

Its ability to hold water
and air creates an environment

where bacteria
and fungi can thrive,

necessary components
in the exchange

of nutrients with plants.

While natural topsoil
is abundant
in certain environments,

in areas
with significant erosion,

combinations of manure,

peat and compost
can be used in its place.

What advice would you give
to Liz, her just starting out.

I mean, she doesn't have
food and soil build.

Right.

Well, you're gonna
want an instant garden,
it sounds like.

Yeah, yeah.

[Rio] You're gonna
have to make raised
bed gardens

over the garden,
over the clay.

-[Liz] Gotcha.
-Okay.

-[Rio] Which is doable,
you know.
-[Misty] Yeah.

[Liz] Rio makes me
really want to reach out

to the community
because you can't just rely

on like the internet
for all of these things.

These are like real world
problems.

And there's a lot of people
out there that live so close

to me that have the experience
and they have the knowledge.

[Misty] So this is not
doom and gloom.

This is good.

And then just we'll hit up
a local farm for some manure.

It sounds like.

Today I learned from Rio
the importance of soil,

the importance of water,

and that you can really
do a lot

if you don't have that much.

Rio's Garden looks amazing.

It's incredibly vast
and it's super inspiring
and makes me feel like

I could, I could do something
like that.

So we'll go back,
we'll build raised beds,

we'll get a locate on some
peat and some manure...

-Mm-hmm.
-[Misty] ...and you'll be set.

But for growing food
for this winter,

we need to come up
with a different plan.

-[Liz] Okay.
-[Misty] Sounds good?

-[Liz] Yeah.
-[Misty] Okay. Thank you, Rio.

-[Rio] Yeah, sure.
-[Liz] It was a pleasure.

So excited.

[train horn blaring]

[narrator] As he races
to protect the Lordens' cabin

from threatening landslides,

Marty utilizes their most
valuable resource to bolster

the new retaining wall.

[Marty] Every single person,
including the homeowners

that came and looked at that
sloughing bank,

drove right by the answer.

A slight exposed outcropping,
a little nose of stone

on the side
of a steep mountain.

Look at this rock.

It's ten feet long or longer.

It's at least four foot thick.

We're looking
at tons and tons
of stone there.

This and a few other big ones
I see down there
is the game changer.

We actually might be able
to hold back the mountain.

[Mike] We got Marty over here
moving these huge rocks,

stacking them all up,
and I'm sitting
inside the house

and this entire house
is shaking, man.

And I do not like it at all.

We had the house shake
a few times when some
earth rolled into it,

but nothing like this.

This is, it's a lot.

It's a little stressful,
but I think
it's for the greater good.

And I would way rather have
Marty out here

doing something like this
than anybody else.

It seems that
the risk is calculated,
so I like it for now.

[train horn blaring]

[Marty] Hey, buddy.

[narrator]
In Idaho's panhandle

on the Lordens'
nine and one half
acre homestead,

Marty greets Mike
with questions about
an unexpected resource

and its purpose.

We bought these logs
with intentions to try to hold
that bank back up there,

build a retaining wall
out of them, essentially.

[Marty] Okay.
Why didn't you tell me
that on day one?

[Mike] Didn't really
cross my mind.

And I don't think
anybody really ever asked,

"Hey, do you have a plan
to try to attack this?"

[Marty] Okay.
So let's talk about trees.

-They have a shelf life.
-Sure.

If they fall down out here
on the woods

and are exposed
to the elements,

ten years,
eight years...

-[Mike] Mm-hmm.
-...six.

Depends on where you live.

So the homesteaders
come up with a plan.

Get a truckload of logs,

and then lay them horizontal
behind the house,

maybe at an angle.

Drive in some cedar
to hold them in place,

to hold back that
sloughing mountain.

In fact, that is a good plan.

But the question is,
is there a better plan?

You're both smart,
you're both competent,

and it's a good plan.

I'm not sure
it's the best plan
for the big picture.

-Okay.
-You guys ever gonna
have kids?

-Yeah, we plan on it.
-[Marty] For real?

I want to have the house
safe first.

-[Marty] Okay.
-That's my plan.

I don't want to bring somebody
into an unsafe environment.

It wouldn't be fair
to the kid to pull him
into something like this.

[Marty] Okay.

Well, that's a...
somewhat poignant statement.

So not only do we have
a mountain posing
a threat for life

and property crushing
their house.

If we can't fix it,
this family's future
is in trouble.

Save the house
to save the future.

-Thank you.
-No, no, thank you.

[train horn blaring]

[narrator] Down at the bear
proof livestock barn,

with the new Dry Box
container delivered,

Matt, Mike and Chris begin
the next phase of the build

moving the 8,000 pound
trailer into place.

[Matt] All right.
I think we're ready
to move this container.

We've got a good spot cleared
out behind, but the door,

unfortunately,
is on the wrong side
right now.

So this whole thing
needs to be spun
a 180 degrees.

-Okay.
-[Matt] So, that's the plan.

I'm gonna hook up the chains
on the other side.

You hop in the excavator
and just nudge this thing
from the bottom.

Just push it that way.

Okay. Sounds good.

[Matt] And then me and Chris
will rig up this other end

and keep you honest
so we don't smash this thing

into a crumpled can.

-Yeah, just try not to.
-[Matt] All right.

-Okay, let's do it.
-Let's do it.

[Matt] I was thinking
I was gonna have to build,

like, this massive,
just burly, beefy,

wood barn structure.

But now that we have
a Dry Box here,

I can use all this lumber
to flesh this thing out.

We can build
a roof off the side,
frame in a wall,

make some doors,
whatever we need
to turn this thing

into something really cool.

[Mike] Matt was saying,
it's really hard
to bear proof something.

We were going
for very bear resistant,

but now that they brought
the shipping containers in,

I think we might be able
to use the term bear proof.

It's gonna be very,
very strong.

[Matt] I had a thought.

Okay.

What if you're in a good spot
to swing?

What if I pushed
with the skid-steer that way?

[Mike] Yeah, I think
we could try that for sure.

Yep. Keep going.

[Matt] Yeah,
we got work to do.

Let's just get it in place
and just go on

with the next stage.

[Mike] Yeah. Let's do it.

[Matt] Okay. Here I go.

Whoa. That's close.

That worked out awesome.

[Matt] Yeah, that worked out
really good.

So check this out.

I think we're pretty much
right in the spot
we need to be.

-Yeah.
-[Matt] That was a sweet move.

-Good job.
-Yeah, that was smooth.

-I like it.
-[Matt] Good job.
Thanks, Chris.

-Thank you.
-[Matt] Thanks, Mike.

-Yeah.
-[Matt] This is it.

Final resting place
for this Dry Box.

Now let's turn it
into the dream shop and barn

that you've always wished for.

There we go.
I'm so excited.

-[Marty] Hey, Mike.
-[Mike] Yes, sir.

[narrator] Up at the cabin,
Marty updates Mike
on the progress

he's made with the stone
retaining wall.

[Marty] On day one,
we had this issue, right?

[Mike] Mm-hmm.

[Marty] And from one end
of your house to the other,

there's a pretty
formidable wall...

[Mike] Yeah.
[Marty] ...protecting it now.

[Mike] That's unbelievable.

We are in a thousand times
better situation
than what we had, man.

[Marty]
You have a big pile of stones
and an excavator,

anyone can build
a retaining wall.

But if you're building
a retaining wall to hold back
a mountain,

you better have a few tricks
up your sleeve.

Place those stones improperly,
in time, the wall will fail

and your problem
is ten times worse.

-It's really simple...
-[Mike] Okay.

...when you're building it.

Like this one over here,
that's a big rock.

-[Mike] The bottom one.
-Yeah.

[Marty] What would it take
to peel that rock off?

Man, quite a bit.

It would take a lot,
because look on top of it,
it has all that rock on top.

[Mike] Yeah, I see
what you're saying.

When I came around the corner
this morning and saw

the whole rock wall
basically completed,
it was instant relief, really.

Like, it's just such
a strong wall.

And Marty
did a fantastic job.

But at the same time,
Liz and I have lived
on this mountain long enough

to know that we do have
severe drainage problems,

especially during
the spring thaw,

and we still have
to address that

behind the house there
by the wall.

You see where this is...
the grave is going this way.

-[Mike] Mm-hmm.
-I mean,
this is compacted hard

as a diamond
with a thousand passes
carrying heavy stones.

Right, right.

So this is,
this is going to be
the best gutter in the world.

Okay.

Carrying water,
we got to figure out
how to get rid of it.

-Okay?
-[Mike] Yeah.

But for now,
I need you to sign off
on this wall.

-Do you think it's going
to hold it up?
-You got my check mark, man.

-For sure.
-Really?

Yeah, absolutely.

-[Marty] Okay.
-It's unbelievable.

The coolest thing about it,
the stone came
from your property.

I would have never
guessed that.

-It's okay.
-[Mike] Yeah.

Never take your homestead
resources for granted.

Yeah, absolutely.

I love it, man.
Thank you so much.

[Marty] Don't thank me.
We're not done.

[Mike] Okay.
Well, thank you
for this portion.

[Misty] Look at your sun.

[Liz] Look at all this sun.

[Misty] Look at the sun
up here.

[narrator]
At the greenhouse's
new location up by the cabin,

Misty and Liz begin plans
for raised garden beds
based on the wisdom gathered

from their visit with local
gardening guru, Rio.

[Misty] I love the fact
that Rio had multiple gardens.

I would love to create
something like that here.

There's a bunch of logs
up for grabs
that are no longer

going to be used for lumber.

So I think we just
kind of piece
this thing together.

I mean, what do you think?

I like that.
I really liked Rio's like
multiple garden system.

I think, I think something
like that could work
good here

because we are kind of like
fighting for space and,

like limited
on this mountain side.

[Misty] So, I'm thinking,
raise beds, with sand.

Yeah.

And an amazing compost
mixture because at this point
in the game,

that's the only solution.

-[Liz] That's what we need.
-Uh-huh.

[Misty] Raised bed boxes
out of logs.

[narrator] With the Greenhouse
in its new elevated position
by the cabin,

Misty will construct
a series of raised
garden beds nearby,

each holding
a mixture of manure,
sand and peat to ensure

that the Lordens' crops
will have more than enough
nutrients to thrive

throughout the growing season.

Okay, so you have a, you know,

-15 foot by 50 foot-ish space
to work with.
-[Liz] Okay.

-[Misty] Okay?
-[Liz] I think I can do it.

[Misty] Any shape,
any dimension.

-[Liz] Okay.
Sounds good.
-[Misty] Okay.

Okay.

I got a lot of really
cool information from Rio,

just like gardening
in general
and different techniques.

So I'm really excited to,
like, take all those things
and add it to give it like

my own little spin
and kind of add that

and have a successful garden
on our homestead.

I told you earlier,
I'm not an artist.

[Misty] Oh yeah.

You should see my drawing.

But that's just kind of
what I was thinking.

Like I thought like
a kind of like a long,
skinny one could look cool,

close to the greenhouse,
you know,
like the same direction as in.

And then just, like,
alternating what way
they're facing.

I love it.
So you tell me where it goes.

[Liz] Okay.
Oh, yeah.

Follow me.

[Misty]
There was a lot of mistakes

with the first garden,
and we're going
to change all that.

We got to take advantage
of the full sun.

Put in raised beds in a place
where they'll be able to grow
anything and everything.

Mmm, a little more.

Good.

Yeah.

-[Misty] Good?
-Good.

[Liz] We have a plan.

Aren't you going to ask me?

What you got in store
with this thing?

Exactly.

[narrator] Up at the cabin,
Marty and Mike begin
the final phase of the plan

to protect the Lordens home
from the relentless force
of the mountain behind it.

We're going to be dug down

a little bit sitting
right here.

-[Mike] Okay.
-We're going to have
metal roofing out there.

Just concave...

-[Mike] Channel.
-[Marty] ...to catch water.

We're going to dump
that water right in here.

It's a little bit cowboy,
but I think,
it's going to work.

[Mike] Yeah, that's right up
my alley, though.
I like it.

So now these kids have
a 100,000 pounds, at least,

of stone holding back
a mountain.

There is a space between
that rock wall

and their house
where water can collect.

Not good.

We need to redirect
this water under a sewer pipe
coming out of the house.

We're going
to need two things,

some metal roofing
and some drainage rock.

And guess what?

All those materials
are on the homestead.

The cost of this project is...

zero.

[Mike] I'd be very
delicate right there.

[Marty] Hey.

Delicate is my middle name.

Any water or snow
that is behind the house

will be shedding
into a barrel,
which gets us down

to ground level
and now we can just
trench that right across

into a drain system
after that.

Decent job for a cowboy
culvert.

[Marty] Cowboy culvert.

[Mike] It's really relieving
to have that plan in action.

Check mark.

Check it off the list.

-[Marty] Let's find something
else on the list.
-[Mike] Okay.

[Marty whistling]

[Marty] Hello?

Hello.

[Marty] We got a little
good news and bad news.

[Mike] Okay.

[Marty]
Let's cut to the chase.

Misty's been exposed
to someone that has COVID,

so a little bit of quarantine
happening.

I got a call that Misty
is sick and she's not going
to be here.

But on the homestead,
there's a lot of work

to get done
in the next three days.

So I make a call,
and guess what?

The calvary is here.

This is a longtime
Alaskan friend of ours
named Jimmy Kitchens.

Jimmy Kitchens,
he's helped us before.

He's travelled across
America with us.

More importantly,
he helped us personally
rebuild and come back

from the ashes in Alaska.

[Jimmy] Okay.

Ooh, that sounded good, Marty.

[Marty] And that's Jimmy Pikul
from Girdwood, Alaska.

Hey, how's it going?

Nice to meet you.

[Marty] We first met Jimmy
at an Alaskan homestead
about two years ago.

You're, like,
the best neighbour

that anyone could have
in Alaska.

Great.

[Marty] The best thing
about Jimmy Pikul,

he's got an amazing
work ethic.

[Jimmy Pikul]
We'll make it work.

[Marty] Jimmy's been working
alongside Misty
on her projects...

[Misty]
And then our big doors here.

Big glass doors.

[Marty] ...which makes
him the perfect person
to step into her shoes.

So let's talk about work.

What are you guys
doing right here?

[Liz] Misty,
she's actually given us, like,
such a good lay of the land.

Like, we know
exactly what to do.

We can bring
what she was thinking to life.

I think we have a good plan,
um, put in place,
and I think we can do it.

[Marty] What are you doing?

We're going to put in,
like, a nice shaded roof area
for the new animal pen for...

for not just for the chickens,
but for potential

new livestock coming
on the homestead.

-Wow.
-So we're about to cut long,
basically columns

and a little bit
of a Stonehenge beam.

[Marty] All right, Pikul,
you're up here with Liz,

and Kitchens,
you're with Matt.

We'll talk later.
I got to get to work.

-[Liz] All right.
-[Marty] Thank you.

[Liz] Sounds good.

[Marty] How serious
was this problem?

[Mike] Nothing else on
this property mattered to
me when you showed up...

except this right here.

[narrator] Up at the cabin,
Marty meets with Mike
and Liz to reveal

his defense against
their homestead's
greatest threat.

[Mike] We had an extreme
issue going on here.

Not just the earth pushing
in the water,
going through the house,

the drainage everywhere,
um, you fixed it, dude.

Your homestead fixed it.

[Mike] Somehow.

You had a rock quarry.

And just for the record,
doing the math here,

I would say there
could be easily


-50 tons.
-[Mike] Yeah.

[Marty] I mean,
look at how much

-weight there is.
-[Liz] Yeah, it's crazy.

[Marty] All right.
So if you want big rocks
as big as a minivan,

they're in that quarry,

and if you want drainage rock,
that's in the quarry as well.

So you have both.

I've never seen that.

Crazy. Yeah.

So you have a very
giving homestead.

It's giving.

[narrator] Just days ago,
the Lordens' cabin
was at the mercy

of a crumbling mountain
that threatened to sweep
their home off its foundation.

Today, using only resources
found on their homestead,
the structure is secure.

Thanks to a sprawling
rock wall,
newly-graded slope,

and a vital drainage system
designed to prevent
excess water

from breaching
their foundation.

[Liz] I think it's incredible.

I think it's more than
I ever could have
even imagined.

And I feel, I feel very safe.

When I first met this couple,
they told me
they had postponed

having a family because
this homestead is dangerous.

Now, with the cabin safe,
the mountain at bay,
I think we have time

now to focus on the future
and the rest of the property,

including the very
top of the mountain.

But what happened here
was 100 percent pure,
unadulterated homesteading.

This cost me
and you guys zero.

[Liz] Mm-hmm.

I can't believe
that you pulled these out
of our mountain.

Seriously.

You're living
the homesteading dream

because you have
a dream property.

It really is.

So what's your extent
of using heavy equipment?

Um, driven a tractor
quite a bit.

[narrator]
Down by the livestock barn,

Jimmy Pikul gives Liz a lesson
in operating a valuable
homestead resource,

the skid-steer.

-Want to take a look at it
and see what's going on?
-Yeah.

-Should I hop in there and...
-Yeah.

The Raneys came
and helped me out
on my homestead.

I learned a lot from them
and I just want
to pass this down

to Liz by getting
her on a skid-steer.

They're going
to be able to tackle
more projects

and between the two of them,
they're going to,

they're going
to get a lot more done.

This is your joystick.

So it's going to be forward.

You're going to just kind of
play around with it for a bit

and then you'll get,
you'll get the feel for it.

Okay.
So, that'll be the bucket.

And then this is forward,
okay.

And then turning.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

I think that makes sense.

-[Jimmy Pikul] Simple, right?
-Kind of like a tractor.

Um, when it comes
to the heavy machinery,
Mike definitely,

in the past has, like,
taken over the majority
of that stuff.

I think, like, my confidence,
I would just rather like,
kind of stand back and,

like, do something else
while he takes care of that.

Okay. We're going to,
we're going to load up
a few of these logs here.

-Pick them up top.
-[Liz] Okay.

So I just, like, just, like,
pull forward to these guys.

[Pikul] Yep. We'll start out
with those two.

Okay.

[Liz] So it's my first time
driving the skid-steer today,

and it was definitely
a little bit nerve-wracking,

but ended up being
pretty easy and fun.

I don't really know
all the controls

and I'd rather just
take it slow,

but it was fun
to try something new.

Uh...

How was that?

Looks good.

But how does it feel?

-Feels good.
-You're doing good.

We'll dump a pile
and just slowly work
down this way.

[Liz] Okay.
Sounds good.

-[Pikul] A lot of work.
-Yeah.

[Liz] I'd say it boosted
my confidence, you know,

kind of reminded me
that I can do things
even though I might

not be perfectly good
at them right away.

It's still okay
to try new things
and kind of like,

get out of your comfort zone
a little bit, because I think,

that's how you learn and grow.

-Okay.
-Okay.

I'll meet you down there...

-[Liz] Okay.
-...for another load.

All right.
Sounds good.

-[Matt] Have you heard
of Stonehenge?
-[Jimmy Kitchens] Yeah.

[Matt] We're going
to make log-henge.

[narrator]
Over at the livestock barn,

Matt gets Jimmy Kitchens
up to speed on his plan

to construct a bear proof
enclosure for Mike and Liz.

We're going to scribe
the bottom of this log
to fit on both these rocks.

Not just one, two.

'Cause we got two logs
for our little log-henge
going in here.

-[Jimmy Kitchens] You see
the ribs on that container?
-[Matt] Yeah.

[Kitchens] You can kind of
eye it to those because
that's kind of level, right?

Oh, that's...
that's totally level.

Let's get these logs set.

I'll get the saw.

-Yeah.
-And I'll get cutting.

Heck yeah.
Let's go.

Let's do it.

I've known Jimmy Kitchens
for a long time.

And just having him here,
I mean, as a friend
is amazing,

but he's so good
with log work and framing

and just imagining
crazy things outside the box

that he's going to help
me so much.

Are we going to get
it on our first try?

That's money.

[Matt] I think
it looks amazing.

[Jimmy Kitchens]
We drilled down into the rock
and then into the log

and then hammer
a rebar into the rock

and then set the log
on top of that rebar.

And that's where it's staying
the rest of its life.

All right.

Going down.

There it is.

[Matt] Okay.

I'm going to come out
a little bit.

Nice, guys.

Very nice.

We are level.

That thing looks amazing.

-[laughing]
-Holy cow! You...

-[indistinct chatter]
-[Jeanne] Ah!

The original homesteaders
were families.

I had no idea
that I would be reaching
out to Liz's parents,

Mike's parents, to help us
with this workload.

[Marty] Let's start pushing.

[narrator] Up at the cabin,
Marty begins his last minute
push to create

a bear proof retreat
on top of the mountain
for Mike and Liz.

[cheers]

[Marty] I've got this idea
to take a Dry Box
to the top of the mountain.

There's a reason
they don't have a road
there now.

It's steep.

I don't even think
the excavator can do it alone.

I'm going to need Clint
on the skid-steer.

I'm not even sure
that's going to work.

That said,
if we get it to the top
in one piece,

these kids may be left
with the coolest mountaintop

"retreat" in the entire
state of Idaho.

[narrator] Marty will use
the excavator to drag

the four ton
Dry Box container,

300 feet in elevation
to the top of the mountain.

He'll then build a 12 foot
by 12 foot deck
overlooking the edge

of the cliff,
integrating multiple trees
through holes in the platform.

Clint.

[coughs]
I have to let the dust settle.

It's pretty, pretty crazy.

Whoa.

[metal squeaking]

[Marty] Okay.
We made it.
There it is.

This is probably
the coolest thing

on any homestead
we've ever done.

We got to the top
of a mountain.

We'll cut a door
and a window in here.

We'll make it bear proof.

More importantly,
look at the view.

I can't see any cabin.

I can't see any house
that's higher than
this in the mountains.

You're standing in Idaho
on a little mountaintop...

This is epic.

[Jimmy Pikul] Good.

Nice.

[Liz] Okay.

[narrator]
Over at the log pile,
Liz and Jimmy Pikul

gather lumber to construct
the raised beds

that will populate
the Lordens' new garden.

[Jimmy Pikul]
It was a big loss
to lose Misty.

It's a lot of work.

I can see what she does.

She gets a lot of things
done real quick.

But if we all
pull together, I think
Liz can have a garden

up and running by the end
of the week.

[Liz] All right, Jimmy.

I got them all unloaded,
so I think we need to start
rearranging them now.

[Jimmy Pikul] All right.

Something like that?

Something like that.

And then this one
will cut in half
and put on either side.

[Jimmy Pikul]
That'll be the two ends.

-Yeah.
-[Liz] Yep.

[machine buzzing]

Even though
Misty's not here with us,
she laid out a good plan

for these raised beds
and the greenhouse.

We have a lot of work
ahead of us,
so we're really going

to have to hustle
to get this job done.

-[Liz] Cool.
-[Jimmy Pikul] Sweet.

Nice job.

One down, eight to go.

Something like that.
Yeah.

-All right.
-[Jimmy Pikul] Yeah.

-So,
shall we go get more logs?
-Yep.

-Okay.
-[Jimmy Pikul] That's good.

All right, good.

Check this out.

[narrator]
At the livestock barn,
Matt and Jimmy Kitchens

continue their efforts
to customize
and secure the 40-foot roof.

-[Matt] Jimmy.
-Hey.

[Matt] Looking really good.

I'm just over here whittling.

I'm trying to put something
cool on this beam,
make it pop.

But I'm adding
these little eagle heads
with some feathers

and just trying to give
the homesteaders
something cool.

[Matt] It already
looks amazing.

I'm ready to put the metal on.
Let's do it.

Okay.
Ah, let me help you.

Let's not cut my hands
right off.

This is looking good.

We need to get this roof
on so we can get a fence
around this thing...

[Jimmy Kitchens] Yeah.

[Matt] ...and then we start
bringing those chickens
in here

and then maybe get some
bigger animals in here,
if we have time.

I'm a bit of an animal.

Oh, okay.

That was it.

It's a done deal.

[machine whirring]

[Matt] This thing will never
fall off in a million years.

Good.

The majority of the roof
is on there.

We just need
to overlap the top.

-[Jimmy Kitchens] Yeah.
-Cut it.

Let's get it done.

-[Jimmy Kitchens]
That's what we're doing here.
-[Matt] Sweet.

We're almost there.

-[Jimmy Pikul] Ready?
-[Liz] Yep.

[narrator] Up at the garden,
as Liz and Jimmy Pikul
continue prepping

the new raised
beds for planting...

[narrator] ...Misty checks
in with some bad news.

Hello.

Misty.
How are you doing?

[Misty on phone]
Like yeah. I'm, like,
so bummed that I got sick.

Like, super sick.

[Liz] Oh, no.

I'm sorry to hear that.

[Misty coughing]

-[Jimmy Pikul] Oh.
-Oh, yeah, she...
It's not so good.

[Misty on phone] Yeah,
I tested negative a bunch,
but I did have, like,

a direct contact
with somebody
who tested positive, so.

Oh.

[Misty on phone]
I'm really sick, but, um,

yeah, maybe in the next
couple of days,
I'll be better.

Yeah.
Yes.

Hopefully you can rest up
and start feeling good again.

[Misty on phone]
How's everything going there?
Is it going okay?

-Good.
-Yeah, it's going good.

The weather cooled down
a little bit, so it's not
quite so hot working.

But we got,
I don't know, like,
half the raised bed is done.

Yep, we got five of them.

They look really good.

We should finish it.

Finish it up today
and get some
material in there.

[Misty on phone] Thanks.
Okay.

Sorry, I can't be there.

Hey, you just take
care of yourself.

-[Liz] Yeah.
-[Jimmy Pikul]
That's important.

Definitely.

[Misty on phone] Yeah, I will.

[Liz] Well, rest up
and we'll see you soon.

-[Jimmy Pikul] See ya, Mis.
-[Liz] Bye.

-[Misty on phone] Bye.
-[Jimmy Pikul] Bye-bye.

-[Misty on phone]
See you, guys.
-[Liz] See ya.

With Misty not being here,
I'd say Jimmy
is the next best thing.

We work together
pretty good as a team.

Really good, I would say.

I think that we can do it,
like, exactly
how she was thinking.

We should
be able to pull it off.

-[Liz] Yeah.
-[Jimmy Pikul] Yep?

-Cool.
-[Jimmy Pikul] I like it.

[Marty] Well, we barely
touched the road up
because why not?

-It's cool.
-[Renee] Yeah.

-[Bob] Yeah.
-[Jeanne] It's cool.

[narrator] At the top
of the mountain with less
than 48 hours remaining,

Marty meets with both
Mike's and Liz's parents

to share his plan
for repurposing
one of the dry boxes.

Holy cow!

You put that...

[Jeanne] Oh, wow!

[Renee] That's awesome.
[laughs]

[Bob] It is amazing.

[Renee] How on earth...

This is amazing.

[Marty] What do you think?

-[Renee] Wow!
-[Bob] It's amazing.

[Marty] Come up
and look at this view, please.

-[Renee] Incredible.
-[Renee] Oh, my gosh.

[Marty] So if this Dry Box
gets a door, if it gets a big
picture window,

if it gets a few other
cabin amenities,

would you guys ever spend
the night up here
and hang out?

-[Renee] I would.
-[Jeanne] Heck yeah.

-Absolutely.
-For sure.

[Marty] I'm going
to be honest with you.

We burnt to the ground
a year ago last...

[Renee] I'm sorry.

[Marty] So we rebuilt
on top of a cliff...

-[Renee] Right.
-[Marty] ...like this.

The view is so amazing,
I want to...
I just wanted to enjoy it.

I don't care
if it's one minute a day
or one minute a month.

-We've got to enjoy this.
-[Renee] Yeah.

-[Bob] Yeah.
-So if I got you the materials
for a 12X12 deck,

could the four of you build
a 12X12 deck up here?

[Renee] Yes.
Absolutely.

-And I could just let you go?
-[Renee] Yes, absolutely.

[Bob] Guaranteed.
Yeah.

[Marty] Based on that,
I will get the materials
here today.

Are you guys
available tomorrow?

[Jeanne] Yes.

Nothing says family
more than a homestead.

The original homesteaders
were families.

I had no idea on the day
I landed that I would be

reaching out to Liz's parents,
Mike's parents.

Anyone that I could get
to help us with this workload.

Both sets of parents
responded.

Both sets of parents
are amazing.

-So...
-[Renee] Okay.

[Marty] Guys, how about this?

You guys can decide exactly
where this goes.

You guys can decide where
and how big you want
that deck.

[Renee] Perfect.

[Marty] You got to let me know
because I got to get
the materials.

-Okay. Sounds good.
-[Dan] Heck yeah.

Very, very nice to meet you.

-[Renee] Thank you.
You, too.
-[Bob] You also.

[Renee] I never realized
that the view
was so beautiful.

[Jeanne] Oh, my gosh.

[machine whirring]

[narrator]
At the livestock barn,
Matt assembles

one of the final touches
necessary for feeding
larger animals.

[Matt] We're about ready
to put sheep inside this pen,
but they need a place to feed.

I'm going to build
a really quick feeder.

Something that anybody
can build.

It's a really
fun little project

and it'll probably take,
like, 20 minutes.

So, let's get right into it.

[machine whirring]

Let's stand this puppy up.

I framed up this whole thing
using materials

that were just left over
from the sawmill.

I used the fencing leftovers
to build what essentially

is now a trough
for hay to go in top.

And this entire bottom
can be filled with grain.

I really like this design.

It doesn't take long,
and it's a really good
beginner project for anybody

to get started feeding
their livestock quick.

[train horn blaring]

[Jimmy Pikul] Hey, Liz.

I think we got our load
of sand and manure.

[Liz] Oh, cool.

Yeah, that's awesome.

We could almost start
filling these beds, huh?

[Jimmy Pikul]
I think so, yeah.

Let's get this wood
a little flatter in here.

[Liz] Okay.

[narrator]
Up at the greenhouse,
with the raised beds framed,

Liz and Jimmy Pikul
begin the next step
in executing Misty's vision

for the upgraded garden.

[Liz] Woo-hoo!

-[Jimmy Pikul] Yeah,
there it is.
-[Liz] Yeah.

[Jimmy Pikul]
What I did to cut-offs,

chop down the wood
in smaller pieces

and that's going
to hold the moisture.

[Liz] Okay.

And it's not going
to dry out as fast.

[Liz] Perfect.
That's a really good idea.

And then Rio,
he's the one that gave us
all the info.

He said, like,
the manure is really,
really good.

And the sand is also
really good for drainage,

so that things like
don't get plugged up,

especially
for the plants that,

like, need that
well-drained soil.

So he said,
this is like the perfect
mixture.

-[Jimmy Pikul] Oh, good.
-[Liz] Cool.

[Jimmy Pikul] Okay,
let's go gardening.

All right.
Sounds good.

[Liz sighs] I never thought
I would be so excited
to shovel manure

or to have a big pile
of manure show up at my house.

It's awesome.

So, Misty and Rio came up
with a plan
for our garden beds.

You do the sand first
and then the manure
and the peat moss

and the topsoil
on top of that.

And everything kind of just
gets mixed together
after it gets wet.

And it's all really
good for the plants.

So it seems like
this is kind of maybe like
the end goal for the garden.

I think that this will be like
the permanent spot.

The soil will be really,
really good and I'll keep
adding to it year after year.

So that we can hopefully
have a really bountiful
garden up here.

Alright, Jimmy, I think
we should grab the garden hose

and like completely soak
this and then I think

I want to plant
those tomatoes in here.

Yeah, they look like
they want a home.

Yeah, I think so.

[Jimmy Pikul] Permanent one.

-All right.
-[Liz] Cool.

[Jimmy Pikul] Garden hose.

[Liz] Garden hose.

In the short time
that I worked with Liz,

you could really see
her confidence grow.

And now that
she has this knowledge
and all this resources,

she's taken ownership
in this process.

And I'm really impressed
with everything
that she accomplished.

[Liz] I think these tomatoes,
since they're already
doing pretty well,

I think they're going
to really like it in here.

-[Jimmy Pikul] I think
they're going to love it.
-[Liz] At least I hope.

Yep. Come back tomorrow,
they'll be up to here.

Yeah.

Wouldn't that be something?
Tomatoes ready to eat.

[Marty] I think
that we've probably come
over here, four feet.

That way
we can get on this thing.

[narrator] On top
of the Lordens' Mountain,

Marty puts Mike's parents,
Dan and Renee
and Liz's parents,

Jeanne and Bob,
to work building a one of
a kind observation deck.

There's where the deck
will be right there.

That's epic.

First thing we need to do
while I'm here before I leave

is I'll help you set
these two posts.

Thank goodness
the parents showed up

because I'm running
out of time.

But we've got
to have a deck.

We were building
our log cabin,

stopped construction
to build the deck.

Why? The view
was so commanding.

And it was a place to relax
and get away from the work.

So I'm just doing
on this homestead
what I did on our own.

And trust me, this family,
they'll be on this deck

enjoying
it the rest of their lives,
just like we are.

Please get a 4X6 here.

Help him.
Help him.

[grunting]

[Marty] Check it.

Look at that.

-[Marty] That beam's
critical, right?
-[Renee] Yes.

So if you sign off on it,
we'll pen it and we'll start
rolling the floor.

Fair enough?

Only if you sign off on it.
You?

I will sign off on that.

[Marty] Right in my hand,
please.

Stay right there, Jeanne.

That's it, girl.
Whoa-oh, easy.

That is a 12-foot deck.

Imagine sitting
on this in the next
couple of hours.

Imagine sitting right here
and looking at this.

[Jeanne] I like it.
It's beautiful.

You're in my way, Marty!
[chuckles]

Marty's style is very much
like our style.

That's kind of how we raised
Liz is just to go for it

and take what comes your way
and do what you got to do?

[Marty] Okay, so I got to go.

You guys are on your own.

Does it look okay?

Let me look at that.

Look at that.

One last request.

When you guys start laying
your boards out, your decking,

I'm thinking it might be cool
to leave the section out

and let those trees just
come up through the deck.

-Yes.
-[Marty] You think
the kids will like it?

[Renee] I think so.
[Jeanne] They'll love it.

[Marty] Would that be cool?

I love it.
See you.

[narrator]
Over at the greenhouse,
Liz prepares to show Misty

the finished gardening system
that the two of them
started just seven days ago.

I had just enough time
with Misty to kind of, like,
learn a lot of stuff from her.

So even though she's sick,
I feel like she passed enough
information along

to where I can be really
successful growing
in this greenhouse.

You were definitely right
about moving further up

the mountain
and having more sun.

That looks so good.

[Liz] I know.
I love it.

[Misty speaking]

[Liz] Lots of herbs.

I'm so excited.

And then the shelf,
it just looks so good
and so much light.

[narrator] One week ago,
the Lordens' greenhouse
was a tin roofed shed

that promised little growth
for crops,
and their garden languished

with a lack of sun
and topsoil.

Today, an elevated
perch provides
maximum sun exposure

for a series of raised beds
and upgraded soil mixture,
brings desperately

needed nutrients,
and a polycarbonate
roof ensures

that the greenhouse sustains
a year round supply
of fresh produce.

[Misty speaking]

It looks so amazing.

Like, better than I could
have ever imagined.

And I'm so happy, like,
kind of convinced me to,

like, just get out
of my comfort zone a little,
like, switch things up

even though it wasn't like
exactly how I pictured
it in my mind.

You know,
I think trusting the process
and trusting people

that have the knowledge,
you know,
it's definitely worth it.

[sheep bleating]

[woman 1] Hi, boys.

How are you doing?

[narrator]
Over at the livestock barn,

Matt has one last surprise
for Mike and Liz.

[woman 1]
There you go, come on.

[Matt] Little nudge.

[woman 1] Here we go.

[Matt] There.
Get on that side, Liz?

-[woman 1] Here we go.
-[Liz] Come on.

This way.

[Matt] Here we go.

-All right, bring them there.
-[Mike] Real smooth.

[Matt] Yeah, come on in.

[Liz] We all of a sudden
have sheep on the property,
two of them.

And they're so cute.

It's like the gift
that keeps on giving.

So, a new addition.

We got air vents high and low.

-[Mike] Nice.
-We got bear proof door.

To make this bear proof,
we got this huge 4x4 beam.

We got bent rebar.

It's all screwed in.

We framed it on the inside,
and then all you got to do is,

go like this,
and it'll, drop it right in.

-[Liz] Wow.
-[Mike] Awesome.

[Matt] Hopefully these sheep
have a somewhat long
and happy life,

but also provide
these homesteaders

with much needed
protein in the future.

It might be too big,
but if you're going to go big,

you might as well go
homestead big.

-[Liz] Yeah.
-[Mike] I like it.

[narrator] A week ago,
Mike and Liz
had a chicken coop

that was vulnerable
to predators

and incapable of housing
larger livestock.

Today, thanks to a steel
Dry Box container
and a roof made

from upcycled materials
found on the homestead,
their new sheep will enjoy

a bear proof enclosure,
complete with custom carvings,

making the structure
one of a kind.

[Mike] The biggest sign
of approval was when
we got the sheep.

They came right in,
went straight to the feeder.

The sheep love it.

[Liz] The sheep are amazing.

The new shipping
container barn is amazing.

Like, it's all just,
It's all, like,

-almost too good to be true.
-Mmm-hmm.

This barn and run area
is not bad for all.

I mean, pretty much.

I would say, like,
right from the property.

[Mike] Yeah.

Got the Dry Box donated.

Dude, I love it.

I think when you say not bad,
this is...
You outdid yourself.

This is amazing.
It's so cool.

[Matt] Well,
I appreciate that.

-Yeah.
-You're, you're so welcome.

Hey, thanks for your help,
Chris, so much.

Thank you.
We appreciate it.

I'm really excited for your,
like, future journey.

[sheep bleating]

[birds chirping]

-[Marty] Hey. Welcome.
-[Liz] Oh, my God.

[Mike] You got to be
kidding me, man.

Look at this thing.

[Mike] This is unreal.

-[Marty] You like it?
-[Liz] Oh, my God. I love it.

[Marty] Now,
just for the record,
your parents built this.

-They did?
-[Marty] All four.

-They really did?
-[Marty] Did you know this?

-Is it safe?
-Pretty good.

-It's pretty safe.
-[Mike] Yeah.

[Marty] I trust them.

I would have never guessed,
it would be this nice.

[Liz] This is amazing.

[Mike] It's unbelievable.

[Marty] Your parents
were working
on this deck yesterday,

and they blurted out
that tomorrow
is your anniversary.

So, we fired up the saws
and we carved this little
bench seat for you.

[Mike] It's cool.

[Liz] I love it.

[Marty] So we have this.

And feel free to slide
it in the bear's arms,

and he'll hold
that for a long time.

Damn.

[Marty] Does that date
mean anything?

[Mike] You guys, man...

[sobbing]

[Marty] Hey.

It's okay.

It's okay, partner.

We rolled into this homestead
and I don't think I ever,
on day one,

told the people,
I don't know about this one.

I had to think
about it a little bit.

Fortunately,
your amazing ten-acre
Idaho wilderness

homestead had all the answers.

They were all right here.

All right here.

There's a lot of work
left here,

and we don't have
any doubt that you guys are,

uh, will be a complete
success.

Thank you.

[Marty] Hey, you're welcome.

[Liz] Thank you.

You guys,
it's just been such a big
inspiration.

We're so grateful
that you've put us ahead
enough to be able to,

like, start living our lives
rather than worrying
about our house falling over.

[Mike] Yeah.

Thank...
You guys, you saved us.

You saved our house.

[Marty]
When we first got here,

Liz and Mike both said,
we might not make it here.

Brother, thank you so much.

Seriously. Thank you so much.

Thank you, sir.

But guess what?

Tomorrow is their
one year anniversary.

I feel pretty good about them
being here on their
ten-year anniversary.

And most likely
there'll be more than just
two homesteaders

enjoying this beautiful
life in Northern Idaho.

[Mike] Since the Raneys left,
we are not worried about
the wall behind the house.

We have so much
room back there.

[Liz] Things have improved
so much in our new garden
and greenhouse area.

The raised beds have
helped so, so much.

[Mike] Everything is going
really good with the sheep

and the chickens
in their new enclosures.

They're very secure,
very safe.

[Liz] I think that we have
a lot of dreams,

just including
being able to raise our
family here in a safe place.

I think that we're really
well on our way.

We would really like
to say thank you
to the Raneys for helping us,

for putting our mind at ease
and for making our
homestead way safer.