04x12 - The Off-Trail Tale/Star Eyes

[bunniefuu]

Hey, everyone-- it's me, Molly!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

[laughing]: Whooo!

♪ By plane or sled or snowshoe ♪

♪ She is ready to explore

♪ From Kaktovik down to Juneau ♪

♪ Always wanting to learn more ♪

Yeah!

♪ Together with her best friend Tooey ♪

♪ Always by her side And Trini!

♪ Discovering the outdoors ♪

♪ On adventures day and night

♪ Come along with Molly

♪ Molly

♪ Through fields of fireweed

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly

♪ From tundra to the sea

Mahsi'choo-- let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Yeah!

♪ She's Molly of Denali

♪ Come on ♪ Let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

MOLLY: "The Off-Trail Tale."

TOOEY: Thanks for letting me come camping with you two.

Happy to have you.

Race you to the trailhead!

[barks]

Whoa, hang on! Onee'!

Whenever you're camping in a new place,

it's important to look for details that the land gives us.

Why?

Because you can use those details

if you get lost to find your way back here.

Things can look really similar.

Without any markers, it's easy to get lost.

So, what do you notice?

[barks][gasping]: Suki!

[giggles]

Well...

There's a stream,

and a lake in that meadow.

Oh! And Denali!

"De-nah-li"?

I thought it was pronounced "De-naw-li."

[chuckles]: Well, some folks pronounce it that way.

Pretty hard to miss Denali.

It's so big, you can see it from everywhere!

Yup, that's a good one.

Our trail goes away from Denali.

So, if you need to get back here...

We'd walk towards Denali.

You're a natural.

What else do you notice?

[sniffs]

Do smells count?

Because I smell something really good.

Wax flowers.

[buzzing]

[creatures buzzing softly]Oh!

And I hear humming.

A beehive must be nearby.

Okay, now that we've got our bearings,

let's hit the trail.

Yes!Whoo!

[Suki barks]

[panting, barking]

Dad, wouldn't it be easier

to go back to our campsite instead of the parking area

if we got lost?

No.

A tiny campsite can be hard to find in all these trees,

unless you snap branches...

...like this,

when you leave the trail.

You can use those as markers

to find your way back.

If I get lost,

I'll just use this book to find my way back.

MOLLY:"How to Find Your Way Around Anywhere."

Anywhere?

[chuckles]: Impressive.

It says, "Find the moss growing on trees.

It only grows on the north side."

That isn't always true,

because, look.

In shady places, like here,

there's moss on this side of this tree

and on that side of that tree.

So, which one is north?

[chuckles]: Exactly.

Here, just in case.

This trail guidebook has a map

with all the landmarks around here.

It can help you find your way to the parking area

if you get lost.

Mahsi'.

But I won't go off trail

unless the world's greatest wilderness guide is with me.

[barks]My dad.

That's my Shahnyaa.

[Suki barks]

Ha!

Hey, why don't you kids grab firewood

while I finish setting up the tent?

Okay, Dad.

[Molly grunts]

[Suki panting]

[barking]

[giggles]

[chittering]

[barks]

[gasps]: Suki!

Come back!

Molly! Wait for me!

[chittering]

[Suki barking]

[yelps]

[panting]: Suki! Stop!

TOOEY: Suki! Stop!Suki! Come back!

[pants]: Over there.

[panting]

Gotcha.

[exhales]: Good thing.

My legs were about to give out.

You can't run off like that, Suki.

You could get lost.

[panting]

Uh...

Molly?

We're lost.

And I forgot to snap branches

when we were chasing Suki.

Maybe we could see the camp from up there.

[grunts]

[calling]: Eetaa'e! Eetaa'e!

Dad![barks]

Walter!

I don't think he can hear us.

Do you think he knows we're gone?

[calling]: Molly!

Molly!

Tooey! Molly!

Tooey!

[at normal volume]: Well, she has the trail guide.

[sighs]: Come on, Molly Doodle.

[branch snaps]

Find Denali and meet me at the parking area.

Hey!

We can use my book to find our way back.

That book said you should follow moss, remember?

Okay, so the moss advice wasn't great.

[spits] But there's probably

lots of other good stuff in here.

Oh, listen to this.

"There are all kinds of excellent ways

"to find your way out of the woods.

"Besides using moss to find true north,

you can also look for mushrooms."

Mushrooms?

"The fairies and pixies will leave a trail of mushrooms

to show you the way to go."

Fairies and pixies aren't real.

We can't trust that.

[sighs]: I guess your dad was right.

Whoever wrote this book

doesn't know what they're talking about.

Maybe this book is just a joke?

Fairies guiding you is pretty funny.

[gasps]: Dad's trail guide!

He said it has a map of this area

with all the landmarks on it.

Your dad gave it to us, and he's an expert

on finding your way through the woods.

We can trust it!

MOLLY: The dotted line is the trail.

These arrows are the woods.

These gray things are the camping areas.

TOOEY: We were at the first one.

Yeah, but my dad said

camp would be too hard to find.

He said to go to the parking area.

This is it, here.

This map of landmarks is great, but

we can't see any of them.

[sighs]: Hm.

[gasps]

Denali!

It's so big,

you can see it from everywhere.

[grumbles, barks]

Hm... Uh...

There!

Through those trees!

Quyana,Denali, for being so big.

We walked away from it

on the way to the campsite, so...

We'll walk towards it to find the parking area.

Lead the way,Denali!

♪ ♪

[sighs]

At least they have Suki with them.

And it'll be light enough

for them to see the parking area,

even at night.

TOOEY: I bet your dad is pretty worried.

Yeah.

[barks][groans]

If I'd remembered to snap branches,

we wouldn't be in this mess.

[Suki barking]

Suki! Don't!

Tooey, look!

A clearing!

Maybe we'll finally be able to see

some other landmarks.

[Suki barking]

[barks]

MOLLY: A meadow!

But is it our meadow?

I don't see a parking area

or the lake, or even the stream.

Me, neither.[sighs]

[water rushing softly][gasps]

[whispering]:Wait.

Listen!

[water rushing]

I can't see the stream,

but I think I hear it.

Me, too.

It's gotta be here somewhere.

[panting]

[moans][barks]

Not again!

♪ ♪

[panting]

[panting]

Where'd you go, Suki?

[water rushing]Well, at least the stream is getting louder.

Whoa!

Whoa!

BOTH: Whoa![barks]

[mutters]: Found the stream.

And there's Denali!

If we follow it downstream,

it will lead us to the lake,

which is right by the parking area.[Suki barks]

[panting]

Molly?

[calling]: Molly!

[exhales deeply]

Okay, Molly Doodle.

Find the meadow

and follow the stream, kiddo.

[sighs]

[Suki panting]

Feels like we should be at the parking spot by now.

[bee buzzing]Yeah.

[exhales]

Feels like we've been walking...

[bee buzzing, Tooey exhales]...forever.

[yelps]

This bee won't leave me alone!

[buzzing]

[bees buzzing softly]

BOTH: Bees![buzzing]

♪ ♪

Dad thought there was a hive near the parking area.

We have to be close!

TOOEY [gasps]: A lake!

Our lake?

[breeze blowing][sniffing]

It has to be.

There are wax flowers,

and the meadow, and the stream,

and Denali!

So where's the parking area?

WALTER [calling]:Molly!

Tooey!

[both gasp]

[Suki barks]

[splashing, barking]

♪ ♪

[both gasp]

MOLLY: Dad!

[Suki barking]

[panting]

We followed the trail guide you gave us.

It had a really great map.

Yeah, and we used that

to find all the things we noticed

before we went on the trail.

Denali showed us the way.

Mahsi'choo for being so big, Denali.

I'll never forget to snap branches

when I go off the trail again.

And I'll never use a book

unless it's written by someone I know I can trust.

And I'll never send you off for firewood alone again.

Still feel like camping?

Yeah!You bet!

[laughs]Okay, then.

Let's go!

♪ ♪

Hey, everyone!

Molly here to answer your questions

about life in Alaska.

Alonso in Nevada asks,

"What's a fun thing to do in the winter in Alaska?"

I like to snowshoe, and so do my friends.

ALL: Hey, Molly!

Whoo!

[giggles]

GIRL: Today, we're going snowshoeing.

The snowshoes help you so you don't sink in the snow.

This is the Winner Creek Trail in Girdwood, Alaska.

Never done this trail before.

GIRL: We wanted to learn more about this trail,

so we found this video to watch.

MAN: This video is about

the Lower Winner Creek Trail in Girdwood, Alaska.

It's three miles long,

which should only take about an hour to snowshoe.

The trail ends at the beautiful Winner Creek Gorge,

so bring your camera.

GIRL: An hour? That's easy.

BOY: We're gonna time

how long it takes us to do the trail.

♪ ♪

We have been hiking for about minutes now.

GIRL: Teegan, you want to race?

[laughing]

It feels like we have been walking for a long time.

BOY : Winner Creek Gorge.

BOY : . miles.

GIRL: I think we're almost there.

We finally made it!

The gorge is so beautiful.

It took us two-and-a-half hours to get here.

BOY: So the video was wrong.

GIRL: It didn't take us one hour.

Maybe we should have watched another video.

WOMAN: You guys want some cocoa?

KIDS: Yeah!

♪ ♪

GIRL: Mmm, cocoa.

It was a perfect Alaskan day.

♪ ♪

Mahsi'choo!

Thanks for asking, and see you next time.

MOLLY: "Star Eyes."

MOLLY: Letter for Mom.

Recycle.

Letter for Dad.[panting, barks]

[gasps]

No way!

What are you so excited about?

It can't be!

It is!

What is?[barks]

Okay, so there's this lady...

Is this a long story?

Should I be sitting down?

Mm, probably.

Her name is Tacusna,

and she's a friend of Grandpa Nat's

from boarding school.

And she also studies volcanoes,

which is why they're super-good friends.

She writes these really fun letters to Grandpa

and he reads them to me.

♪ ♪

"So, I am now Mama to a baby vole

"who follows me everywhere.

Up the stairs, down the stairs."

So cute!

I wish she'd write me a letter.

If you wrote to her, she might write you back.

You think?

Worth a try.

♪ ♪

I mailed it, and Shchada'awas right.

She wrote me back!

"Dear Molly..."

[gasps]

She's writing from Iceland!

On a glacier, waiting for a volcano to explode.

Oh, wow, that's awesome!

Listen to this.

"Whenever I miss Alaska,

"I look up to Nek'eltaeni and feel close to home again.

"It may seem odd that I can see him in Iceland,

"but as my elders taught me,

"Nek'eltaeni made the world safe for all people,

not just Alaskans."

Nek'eltaeni the constellation?

The Ancient Traveler?

Yes.

[bell jingling]Molly!

I just got a letter from Tacusna.

So did I, Shchada'a.

Ooh, did you get tothe part

where she invites us to visit?

[gasps]

"My cabin's got wood heat

"and no electricity,

"just the way I like it,

"but I can offer you and Molly

moose soup and two warm beds."

I didn't get to that yet.

I only got as far as her waiting for a volcano to erupt.

It did, a few days ago.

So she's on her way home.

We'll give her some time to get settled, then go visit.

Woo-hoo!

I can't wait!

GRANDPA NAT: Hm, blueberry jam for Tacusna,

overnight bags, snacks,

spare batteries.

I think we're set.

Since when do you wear glasses, Shchada'a?

[chuckles]: Oh, just at night sometimes.

They help me see things that are far away.

Pretty fancy, huh?

[laughing]: Yeah!

How far away is Tacusna's house, Shchada'a?

miles northeast.

We'll be there in time for dinner.

I can't wait to meet her.

Have a great time, Molly Doodle.

And give our love to Tacusna.

[barks]

Sorry you can't come, Suki.

Nenahaal'yàa!

We'll be back tomorrow afternoon.

[engine starts]Safe travels.

WALTER: Have fun!

♪ ♪

[gasps]

Look at all those stars, Shchada'a!

GRANDPA NAT: Sheefish Lake.

Halfway there. [chuckles]

We'll keep to the left by the river.

[wolves howling, snowmobile stops]

[wolves howling]

Or maybe not.

Those wolves are right where we want to go.

How can you tell?

Years of practice, Shgguya,

listening to the zhoh.

[wolves howling]

We'll go around the other side of the lake,

keep a good distance.

[engine running]

♪ ♪

[howling]

Are you stopping to check the map?[engine stops]

I'm not using a map, Shgguya.

How do you know where we're going?

I was using the river as a guide,

just as our ancestors did.

But since we had to leave the river,

I am using the Traveler for guidance.

[gasps]

Tacusna wrote about him in her letter.

She saw him in Iceland.

Yes.

The Traveler, or Ancestor, as some think of him,

looks over us no matter where we are.

Tacusna wrote that all the stars are a part of him,

and that long ago,

he came to Earth to help us.

He changed the dangerous animals

into useful animals, and sent us food to eat.

That's right.

Then he went back to the sky,

and now each group of stars is part of his body.

Tacusna says that

when you're able to see the Traveler in the sky,

it's something special.

Yes.

It takes practice.

I learned that the stars over there

are his tail.

Isn't that the Big Dipper?

That's what my star chart at home says.

Different cultures see different things in the sky.

I see the Traveler's tail.

And...

That is his nose.

In the evening, at this time of year,

his nose lines up with the river.

So, if we can't follow the river,

we follow that.

So, if his nose is to the left,

then we should go left.

Exactly. [chuckles]

Between Tacusna's letter and what I shared,

you have learned many things.

I'm glad you are talking about the Ancestor

with great respect.

Ready?Ready.

[engine starts]

[thudding, engine grinding]

Oh, no! No! Ooh, my glasses!

Don't worry![engine stops]

♪ ♪

I'll find them.

I'm great at finding stuff.

[glasses crunch]

[gasps]

[groaning]: No.

Well, maybe I can still see through them.

[groans]: Gee.

My eyes are fine for driving,

but I can't see the stars at all.

I think we'd better turn around

and follow our tracks back home.

[sighing]: Okay.

I'm sorry, Shgguya,

but if I can't see the sky,

I can't get us to Tacusna's house.

Unless...

Maybe I can guide us?

You're sure, Molly?

You see it clearly?

Loud and clear.

[gasps]: I can be your Star Eyes.

Then on we go, Star Eyes.

[chuckles]

Perhaps one day,

the Ancient Traveler's heart

will make its way known to you.

[engine starts]

I'm not letting his nose out of my sight for a second.

♪ ♪

Whoa!

Is he following us, Grandpa?

I think he wants to rejoin his herd.

MOLLY: Oh, yeah.

♪ ♪

[giggles]: That was so cool, Grandpa.

Oh, no, stop!

[snowmobile stops]I lost the nose.

[sighs]

I shouldn't have looked away.

And now I forget how it's shaped.

Don't worry, Molly.

I know it by heart.

First,

two stars, one on top of the other.

Then a bright star to the right,

then many stars making the curve of his nose.

It's so many stars,

it's hard to remember.

Wait, do you have a pen?

[pen scratching]

Mm...

Mm, mm...

Found it!

And now I can't forget what his nose looks like,

no matter how many caribou distract me.

[exclaims]

Shchada'a, I can't see the sky,

let alone the stars.

There's a clearing up ahead.

Can we speed up?

We have to drive carefully in the woods, Shgguya.

Can you tell me what time it is?

MOLLY: :.

Shouldn't we be there by now?

Well, we got delayed a bit.

But I am getting worried about the time.

MOLLY: Two stars-- one on top,

bright star to the right...

Found it.

Go left, Shchada'a.

Why are you worried about the time?

Because as the Earth turns,

the Traveler walks and the stars move.

In a few minutes, his nose will no longer

be lined up with the river.

It won't be a guide for us anymore.

So if we don't get to Tacusna's

in, like, ten minutes...

We'll have to turn around.

[groans]

Oh! Wait.

I see something!

Do you see that,Grandpa?

Oh, I do!

That's either Tacusna's house...

Or a shootingstar.

Let's see.

[gasps]: We're here.

[engine stops]We made it!

Tacusna set out lanterns for us.

And look!

They're in the shape of his nose,

pointing right to her cabin.

Tacusna, hello!

We made it.

Thanks to you, Nek'eltaeni.

Tsin'aen,Tacusna,

and mahsi',Grandpa.

GRANDPA NAT: Molly!

Come meet Tacusna.

Coming!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪