1 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: My body went forward and my left leg stayed where 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: it was, and I just hear this pop in my 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: left leg, and all of a sudden, I'm laying there 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: and I instantly knew something bad just happened to my leg. 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 2: We're on the second episode of our Alaska story series. 6 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 2: These harrowing tales of adventure are hard to beat in 7 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 2: terms of excitement and entertainment. As we listen to these, 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 2: we get a sense, albeit from a safe distance, some 9 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 2: fragment of what the storyteller felt in the climax moment 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 2: of their experience. We always learned practical things from these stories, 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 2: but stories of crisis, fear, and adventure are internal trial 12 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 2: test runs for us. Do you find yourself imagining how 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 2: you would have responded in a similar situation and what 14 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: would life be without difficulty? We spend our lives trying 15 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 2: to avoid it, but trials and tribulations consume the human 16 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 2: communication experience. We spend an incredible amount of time thinking 17 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 2: about crisis. We talk about it, we write about it, 18 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 2: we make movies about it, and constantly fetishize our responses 19 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 2: to crisis. 20 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 3: We've got four. 21 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 2: Wild Alaskan stories on this episode about big mountains, big 22 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 2: bears and a more internal struggle. The very last story 23 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 2: on this series, told by Steve Ranella, is one he's 24 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 2: never told publicly, but we decided to include it in 25 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 2: hopes that it might make a difference in somebody's life. 26 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 2: I really doubt that you're going to want to miss 27 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 2: this one. 28 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 4: There was just time frozen and me knowing that my 29 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 4: time had come and I had lived a good life 30 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 4: and I was at peace with it. 31 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 2: My name is Klay Knukem, and this is the Bear 32 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 2: Grease Podcast, where we'll explore things forgotten but relevant, search 33 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 2: for insight and unlikely places, and where we'll tell the 34 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 2: story of Americans who live their lives close to the land. 35 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 2: Presented by FHF gear, American made purpose built hunting and 36 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 2: fishing gear as designed to be as rugged as the 37 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 2: place as we explore. Henry Gannette became the chief geographer 38 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 2: for the United States Geological Survey in eighteen eighty two 39 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 2: and is considered the father of map making in America. 40 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 2: In nineteen oh one, he said this about Alaska. If 41 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 2: you are old, go by all means, but if you 42 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 2: are young, stay away until you grow older. The scenery 43 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 2: of Alaska is so much grander than anything else of 44 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 2: the kind in the world that, once beheld, all other 45 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 2: scenery becomes flat and insipid. It is not well to 46 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 2: dle one's capacity for such enjoyment by seeing the finest first. 47 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 2: I've been enamored with Alaska for a long time. These 48 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 2: stories continue to paint for me the unique challenges of 49 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 2: hunting America's last frontier. Our first story is told by 50 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 2: Alaskan god Austin Manalik about a doll sheep hunt in 51 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 2: Alaska's High Country meat. 52 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 5: Austin, So, I'm Austin and Elik, born and raised Alaskan, 53 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 5: thirty five years living up here and do some assistant 54 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 5: guiding currently and kind of like a Swiss army knife 55 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 5: of many things in the hunting industry. So trying to 56 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 5: figure out and making a living at the Alaska lifestyle. Eventually, 57 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 5: I guess kind of got there, which brought me into 58 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 5: an assistant guiding and spending the amount of time that 59 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 5: I wanted to a field still after start my family, 60 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 5: getting married, and then pretty soon there after having children, 61 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 5: and then the bills start coming that you don't see, 62 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 5: the mortgage, a truck payment, saving up to buy a boat, 63 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 5: and you know, fueling the addiction is you know, boats 64 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 5: bust out. 65 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 6: At other thousand is what it stands for. 66 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 5: So when you kick off a guided hunt in Alaska 67 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 5: as an assistant guide, which I am currently working towards 68 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 5: my registered guide license, you you don't know what you're 69 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 5: getting into with someone that's a flat lander from Michigan, 70 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 5: you know, or wherever they may come from, or like 71 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 5: a very accomplished hunter from Washington. 72 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 6: You just never know what you're getting into. 73 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 5: So when you start these hunts off, you can sus 74 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 5: someone out pretty good within the first ten minutes. This 75 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 5: is the kickoff of the Alaska season for sheep hunters. 76 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 5: And I linked up with a registered guide and he 77 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 5: flew me out, then he flew back, picked up the 78 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,799 Speaker 5: client and dropped him off, and then he dropped a packer, 79 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 5: very young, green behind the ears packer, twenty year old kid. 80 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,799 Speaker 5: That is the big kickoff. The big show is sheep 81 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 5: season for sure. I loved all sheep man. I love 82 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 5: smelling the perfume, the cologne of a doll ram, just 83 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 5: anyone you can put in your hands. 84 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 6: It's just it's something magical. 85 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 5: My spirit animal really the most handsome creature in my 86 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 5: opinion in the world. The white tuxedo with the gold 87 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 5: bowl tyes. You know, they're just cool. So we got there. 88 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 5: I had not been to this area, however, the packer had. 89 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 5: He had been there the year before, and it was 90 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 5: kind of the running joke. When I sat the packer down, 91 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 5: I said, tell me about everything you know about all 92 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 5: these sheep, the sheep that were missed, the sheep that 93 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 5: were spooked. I need to know everything because you can 94 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 5: only get when you're flying in to a place like 95 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 5: you can't wrap your mind around these giant mountains, even 96 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 5: with the best aerial mapping, it's just really tough. And 97 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 5: then making a decision can cost you the entire hunt, 98 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 5: because if you're going to do a big loop, it 99 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 5: can be three days, it can be five days. It 100 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 5: could be the end of the hunt before it began. 101 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,119 Speaker 5: And he said, man, I feel like I am being 102 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:55,080 Speaker 5: interviewed on forty eight hours like a murder suspect. I'm like, hey, buddy, 103 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,039 Speaker 5: you are you know we all hit it off. It 104 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,720 Speaker 5: was I knew it was going to be a great adventure. 105 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:06,359 Speaker 5: And the year previous he hiked up this ridge to 106 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 5: get a look into this drainage after sheep got spooked 107 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 5: and he found the ram and he was coming down 108 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 5: the mountain and the previous hunter and the guide were screaming, 109 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 5: and I believe they shot their rifle in the air 110 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 5: and he looked up. 111 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 6: He's like, what's going on? 112 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 5: He couldn't see, but a bear was chasing him down 113 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 5: the drainage and then he disappeared into the broccoli. 114 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 6: The dog here down low and he popped out. He's like, 115 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 6: what was going on. 116 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 5: They're like, oh my gosh, you're alive. You had a 117 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 5: grizzly on your tail. He's like, really, he had no clue. So, 118 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 5: you know, we're halfway through now about, and we've had 119 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 5: some rough weather. At this stage, we're like a real 120 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 5: cohesive unit. We've all shared our stories. That packer told 121 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 5: us a story about you know, that bear charged me 122 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 5: the year before and not this nine millimeter and my 123 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 5: dad made me these custom loads before I left. He said, 124 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 5: you're going to carry a handgun. And I'm carrying this handgun, 125 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 5: and you know, for this reason. And he got a 126 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 5: whole spit that didn't really fit that great like it 127 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 5: fit in there, but it was it was falling out 128 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 5: at any rate. 129 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:16,679 Speaker 6: We did the bigger loop. 130 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 5: We come around the corner, we find a ram, we 131 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 5: do a critical stock got in and he missed. The 132 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 5: client missed, and I was a bummer, and she went 133 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 5: up and over and said, Hey, no sweat, we still 134 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 5: got time. 135 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 6: We're gonna find him. We'll find another one. Don't worry. 136 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 6: A clean miss. I phone scoped it. I could see everything. 137 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 6: It's all right. 138 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 5: So we wake up, we have the coffee, and he said, 139 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 5: are we still really in this? He was like, man, 140 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 5: we got a hike out of here. This is gonna 141 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 5: be tough to get out of here. So we bailed 142 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 5: off this big shale slide. We're at the back of 143 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,839 Speaker 5: this base and about six thousand feet maybe a little 144 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 5: bit less. We dropped down about one thousand feet down 145 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 5: into this basin on a shale slide where you can 146 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 5: just run down the shale, and basically it's hey. 147 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 6: You need to just stay, just wait until I get down. 148 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 5: I'm gonna get out of the way and then you 149 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 5: come down to me, and then the packer will come down. 150 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:11,199 Speaker 5: So we don't kick rocks, they don't roll into each 151 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 5: other and you get hurt coming down. So we did 152 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 5: the mountain glissade down and we don't have any water left. 153 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 5: I'm like, yeah, we'll be down in ten minutes. So 154 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:24,440 Speaker 5: we get down. I'm like, oh, look at that. 155 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 6: This is beautiful. We're looking at this. 156 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 5: We're still really up high, I don't know, above four 157 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 5: two hundred and fifty feet at least, not a tree 158 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 5: in sight for I don't know, probably five ten miles, 159 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 5: like not even a shrub. And so we're in this 160 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 5: kind of broken rocky terrain with these boulders that are 161 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 5: the size of footballs to beach ball size, and there's 162 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 5: just a little pocket of water where I'm kind of down, 163 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 5: and they're sitting up maybe five yards away, maybe less, 164 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 5: and you know, there's a little rise about fifty yards 165 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 5: from but we can see this whole valley. But where 166 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 5: I'm at, I'm down in a hole, but all I 167 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 5: can see around me is shale and. 168 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 6: My client and the packer. 169 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,679 Speaker 5: The packer had when he was coming down going back 170 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 5: to his handgun in his case, his handgun fell out. 171 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 6: I made sure. 172 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 5: I'm like, hey, don't keep one in there. No one 173 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,079 Speaker 5: ever keeps any rifle chambered. I'm like, I will let 174 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 5: you know in a chamber around and so on a 175 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 5: sheep hunt. You're hiking around the mountains and usually don't 176 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 5: ever run into gris, and your rifle is usually on 177 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 5: your pack because if you've got it out and you 178 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 5: slip and fall, you drop your rifle, it's gonna maybe 179 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 5: bump scope, maybe not. So he just rifles are in okay, 180 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 5: And I usually don't carry a handgun hunting sheep, and 181 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 5: that has since changed after this moment that's coming up. 182 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 6: I'm filtering this water out of a diesel. 183 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 5: It's a diesel filter this, you know, diesel filters like 184 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 5: ten microns or something like that. 185 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 6: So it takes a while. 186 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:57,959 Speaker 5: We're sitting there and talking and thinking, you know, the 187 00:10:58,040 --> 00:10:58,719 Speaker 5: hunt's kind of done. 188 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 6: We're talking loud, and I'm. 189 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 5: Looking up at them, and the packer has his entire 190 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 5: handgun apart, and they're talking back and forth, and he's 191 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,400 Speaker 5: telling us the story about his dad custom rounds again 192 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 5: for like the third time. We're like, oh, okay, cool, 193 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 5: right on, and I got fifteen rounds in this meg 194 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 5: and magazine. I've got another fifteen in this one. Okay, cool, 195 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 5: you know, And he puts it all back together. A 196 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 5: couple of cosmetic scratches, No big deal, so beside, Zach 197 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 5: Forward puts the magazine back in and like, right when 198 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 5: I heard that noise, and he just kind of looks 199 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,199 Speaker 5: at us and says like he says, bears, guy's bears. 200 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 5: And that's kind of where I'm like, hey, sheep, boys, 201 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 5: sheep are like, hey, there's caribou over there or you know, 202 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 5: nothing threatening over here. Just kind of like we're noticing 203 00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 5: something and be aware. He said it like that, and 204 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 5: I'm like, oh sweet, my client, he has a griz tag. 205 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,839 Speaker 5: This could change the whole hunt as well. So I 206 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 5: put down the water. I kind of trot up to 207 00:11:57,640 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 5: him and keeping my head low, and I'm you know, 208 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 5: I'm maybe five yards maybe away from When I get 209 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 5: up to the rise and I look to my left, 210 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:11,199 Speaker 5: it's a soal grizz with three two year old cubs. 211 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 5: I look and as I made eye contact with that bear, 212 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 5: full blown charge. And I have seen charges. I've seen 213 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 5: bluff charges, and no one to shoot, no one to 214 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 5: hold them, no one to fold them. This bear is coming. 215 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 6: Four hour Lives. I grabbed my pack, screaming. 216 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:37,440 Speaker 5: Hey bear, bear, no, no, no, hey, just scream like 217 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 5: I don't know what came out of my mouth other 218 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 5: than the loudest noise I could possibly make. 219 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 6: I grab my pack. By the time that I had 220 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:46,319 Speaker 6: done that. 221 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 5: And screaming, I couldn't turn over my rifle and jack 222 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 5: around in and shoot. 223 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 6: It was right there. I mean two three steps. 224 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 5: I mean like I could have stepped once and touched 225 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 5: it with my rifle and tip of the nose and 226 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 5: I had Actually I got the gun out and I 227 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 5: grabbed a rock. I don't know, your mind is just 228 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 5: going I grabbed a rock because I was gonna throw 229 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,160 Speaker 5: that maybe a like a diversion or a hitter or 230 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 5: something as I'm screaming, and then maybe get one jacked 231 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 5: in as I'm getting chewed on and hopefully someone helps me. 232 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 6: But as I did that, what I heard was three gunshots. 233 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 5: You know, in that moment, your mind isn't thinking am 234 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 5: I gonna die? 235 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 6: Is someone going to die? Or are we all going 236 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 6: to die? 237 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 5: You are just like faced with this the realization something bad, death, malling, 238 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 5: something is going to happen, and I'm going through these 239 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 5: motions of like you can play it out in your mind, 240 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 5: you can think about it all you want, but in 241 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 5: that moment, it's just absent adrenaline shark eye life death 242 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 5: face on. 243 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 6: This is the moment. 244 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 5: And so in that moment, the packer he shot eight times, 245 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 5: and we know that because he counted how many he 246 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 5: had left. 247 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 6: I heard three shots. 248 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 5: It was it happened that fast, and all I saw 249 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 5: around this bear was basically like a halo. And those cubs, 250 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 5: those cubs, they all stayed right there on that far 251 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 5: not you know, forty yards away. They stayed there watching. 252 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 5: And when he shot, he shot in a complete halo. 253 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 5: It looked like around this bear, all I saw was 254 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 5: rocks flying around this bear at its feet, under its stomach, 255 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 5: over its back, over its head. And I'm like, oh, yeah, 256 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 5: I only heard three shots, but I saw a lot 257 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 5: of chaos going around that bear. I started screaming because 258 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 5: she she had turned and took off, running back towards 259 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 5: her cubs. And I know exactly how close that bear 260 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 5: was when she turned and like made semicircle of poop 261 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 5: that some of it may have splashed her onto our packs, 262 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 5: like it was a boot length away. 263 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 6: So she had spun and done that and just took. 264 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 5: Off getting into this this bear encounter, this packer saved 265 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 5: my life and his life and the client's life. It's 266 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 5: just no way around it. He he saved our bacon. 267 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,440 Speaker 5: So like we've we back up. You got one jacked in. 268 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,920 Speaker 5: I'm like, everybody, calm down. We're just gonna stay right 269 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 5: here and we're gonna wait. So we waited until our 270 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 5: nerves were calm. This is what we're gonna do. I 271 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 5: need to track and make sure this thing is not 272 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 5: when we're not injured whatsoever, and make sure that we 273 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 5: don't don't have to call the authorities and go through 274 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 5: with this process because it's it's very serious, you know, 275 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 5: shooting us sol with cubs or she a bear without 276 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 5: a tag. All wildlife in Alaska is taking incredibly seriously, 277 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 5: and the Wildlife troopers don't play. They have all the 278 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 5: beans in the world to get out there and save 279 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 5: you a you know, they'll be the first responders and 280 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 5: they'll save hunters all the time, but to check you 281 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 5: in places you didn't think you were going to be checked. 282 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 5: So it's you really really have to play by the rules, 283 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 5: exactly by the rules, even if your life depends on it. 284 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 5: So Bear wasn't wounded, Bear lived, Bear got the spoop. 285 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 5: We went down the drainage and wouldn't you know it. 286 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 5: On our way out, I looked up and I said, 287 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 5: there's the ram that we've been circling. He came back 288 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 5: down there he is, and we snuck over there and 289 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 5: shot that ram about six hours later, said, dude, like 290 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 5: it or not, I told you, we are still in 291 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 5: this ballgame. Anytime you step foot in the wilds of Alaska, 292 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 5: you're in the ball game. 293 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 2: The timing of that packer pulling out his gun and 294 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 2: having it loaded and in his hand was uncanny. I've 295 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 2: never been charged by a grizzly, but I know it's 296 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 2: something that can never be forgotten. Everyone talks about how 297 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 2: fast it happens. Everybody talks about that this story could 298 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 2: have ended much different than it did if it hadn't 299 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,880 Speaker 2: been for that packer and his nine milimeter. Austin runs 300 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 2: a brand called Mission Alaska, and you can check him 301 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 2: out online and see what he's up to. Good story, Austin. 302 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,719 Speaker 2: Our next story is one perhaps that you've heard. If 303 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 2: you've been in the meat Eat your orbit for very long, 304 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 2: do you remember Steve and Giannis's meat tree story. It's 305 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 2: so good it's worth telling over and over. But I 306 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 2: have never heard Garrett Smith or Dirt Myth as we 307 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,200 Speaker 2: call him. I've never heard his full side of the story, 308 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:03,159 Speaker 2: and he played a unique role in this story. I 309 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 2: asked Jannis and Garrett to tag team on this one, 310 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 2: so here is their version of the meat tree. 311 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 4: All right, mister Newcombe, here comes the bear story from 312 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 4: Garrett William Smith a ka Dirt Myth aka Dirt Steve 313 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 4: Drew tag for Roosevelt Elk Bull Elk on a Fognac Island, Alaska, 314 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 4: short flight from Kodiak. I was brought on as cinematographer 315 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 4: document the hunt. Remy Warren was an additional hunter. Jannis Petelis, 316 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 4: Janni Timani the Eagle Latvian eagle was a long as 317 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:54,360 Speaker 4: a hunter, producer, storyteller, and Chris Gill was a second cinematographer. 318 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:55,400 Speaker 7: And then my buddy. 319 00:18:55,200 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 4: Patrick O'Connell was along as a production assistant. We land 320 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 4: in this floatplane on this lake, on a secluded island 321 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 4: surrounded by you know, the wild ocean. We set up 322 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 4: our camp, which includes setting up a bear fence. We 323 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 4: were forewarned that interaction with the Kodiak brown bear was likely, 324 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 4: if not imminent, And the plane takes off and as 325 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 4: as the drum of that that motor slightens us more 326 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 4: and more and eventually disappears. You You do have a 327 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,680 Speaker 4: moment of realizing that you're in You're in a spot 328 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 4: much bigger than yourself, and without speaking to it, there's 329 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:42,480 Speaker 4: a feeling of of clannishness that you uh, You're glad 330 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:46,159 Speaker 4: you're there with friends and co workers that you know 331 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 4: have proven themselves tried and true in the field in 332 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 4: similar situations. Remy had done this hunt before, I had 333 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 4: suffered greatly. I had success, But it's just it's it's 334 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 4: a It's an island in a landscape that truly defines 335 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 4: and tests any hard man or woman on their ability 336 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:11,399 Speaker 4: to persevere through weather and extremely dense vegetation, wet wet, 337 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 4: wet wet, an abundance of Roosevelt elk, which are amazing, 338 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 4: and an abundance of Kodiak brown bears, which are amazing. 339 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 7: A fog nag is a it's a wild place, maybe 340 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 7: one of the wildest places I've been. It's got a 341 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 7: Jurassic Park kind of feel to it. Everything's big. The 342 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 7: elk or giant, the golden eagles. We saw a giant 343 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 7: saky salmon that we caught were giant I think it 344 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 7: seemed to be big there. It's also very wet. It 345 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 7: never stopped raining, and I remember walking across hillsides and 346 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 7: remarking that it just felt as though you were constantly 347 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,199 Speaker 7: crossing a stream, like not only were you stepping in 348 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:57,679 Speaker 7: water marshy grass water, but that it was always moving. 349 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 7: We had a camp and an in a valley and 350 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,439 Speaker 7: we had to eventually find the elk. We had to 351 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 7: climb over a pretty big ridge. It took us at 352 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 7: least an hour to summit and then go down the 353 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,719 Speaker 7: other side of the ridge into a long drainage, and 354 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 7: that's where we found found these elk. You can actually 355 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 7: see the ocean from where we found the elk. Well. 356 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 7: Steve eventually harvests an elk. 357 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,800 Speaker 4: Steve has a shot and takes down this Roosevelt elk 358 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,159 Speaker 4: had a clean shot and it died down in this creek. 359 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,480 Speaker 4: It has one of its antlers broken off from fighting. 360 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 4: But massive body down in this really steep creek bed 361 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 4: in the water, which is a pain in the butt. 362 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 4: So Rammy and Steve and the crew start butchering. The 363 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 4: elk is totally dressed and begged. It's dark, so it's 364 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 4: too much meat to pack all the way back to camp. 365 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,679 Speaker 4: But in the daylight we had either pinned or just 366 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 4: remembered there was a taller tree in the landscape that 367 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,600 Speaker 4: kind of stuck out amongst all the dense vegetation, and 368 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 4: we start working towards that with half of the elk 369 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 4: between the six of us, just to give you u 370 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 4: and we're all strong dudes, all very familiar with having 371 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 4: heavy packs with meat loaded into them. So we pack 372 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 4: half of that elk up to this tree and hang it. 373 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 7: Now, when you draw this Roosevelt elk tag in the 374 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,879 Speaker 7: state of Alaska, you get a letter from the Alaska 375 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,919 Speaker 7: Game and Fish that says, this is an extremely tough 376 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 7: hunt and by the way, if you kill it is 377 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:42,680 Speaker 7: almost guaranteed that a brown bear will claim your kill. 378 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,120 Speaker 7: So get your meat away from the carcass and take 379 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 7: the rest of the proper precautions that you need to 380 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 7: take to take care of that. So we were expecting 381 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:58,479 Speaker 7: to have not altercations necessarily, but encounters with brown bears, 382 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:03,120 Speaker 7: especially once we had one had an elk down. What's 383 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 7: interesting is that up until that point, which I'm guessing 384 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 7: was four or five days into the hunt, we had 385 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 7: not seen a brown beerry. Yet it takes us a 386 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,360 Speaker 7: long time to pack this elk out. Six of us 387 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:18,880 Speaker 7: pack half of this huge elk out, and we don't 388 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:20,880 Speaker 7: get back to camp until I think three or four 389 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:21,919 Speaker 7: o'clock in the morning. 390 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 4: And because we had to have such a late, a 391 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,720 Speaker 4: long day and then late night, we decided to stay 392 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 4: around camp, kind of do a little R and R 393 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 4: and you know, dry our gear out. Life is good. 394 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 4: Remy still got a tag. We still have half an 395 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 4: elk hanging in a tree six hours away from camp 396 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 4: on a kind of a death hike. So the next day, 397 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 4: wake up early. 398 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 7: And we decided the next day we'll get up first thing, 399 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 7: and I said early, going there and get the rest 400 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 7: of the elk. So we hike over the ridge, down 401 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 7: the long valley towards where we had left this the 402 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 7: other half of the meat in a tree. We get 403 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 7: about four one hundred five hundred yards from this now 404 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 7: we can call it the meat tree with the meats hanging. 405 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 7: We're across a small creek or across the bottom of 406 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 7: the drainage, looking from one side across this creek and 407 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 7: looking up at this hillside where the meat tree is. 408 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:20,639 Speaker 7: And we sit there for a solid thirty minutes in 409 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 7: glass with binoculars. We survey the tree and the surrounding 410 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 7: area to see if we can find a bear. Nothing 411 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 7: seems to be there, nothing seems to be stirring, so 412 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 7: we head on in there. We come in there, taking 413 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:39,959 Speaker 7: the necessary precautions like you do in bear country, especially 414 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 7: when you're approaching a tree that has meat hanging in it, 415 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 7: which is we have bear sprays drawn. We're making a 416 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 7: lot of noise, a lot of hooting, a lot of hollering, 417 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:53,000 Speaker 7: and so forth. We pretty much march right up to 418 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 7: the tree. We get there, we inspect the location for 419 00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 7: bear sign and it seems as though a has not 420 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 7: been there, miraculously not showing up after half of an 421 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 7: elk's been hanging in a tree. 422 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, worst thinking, All right, half of this day is done. 423 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,479 Speaker 4: Let's eat some lunch, throw this meat in our backs, 424 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 4: get back to camp so we can continue to hunt 425 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 4: for remis tag. Sit down in a semicircle. I mean, 426 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 4: it's it's already been a big push just getting to 427 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 4: that tree. Everyone takes off their packs and we're just 428 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 4: you know, we're brothers in arms. We're joking and pats 429 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 4: making these bomber sandwiches and a. 430 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 7: Couple of reasons. And sandwiches are funny, but the biggest 431 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 7: one is as the sandwiches get passed out, I noticed 432 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:48,640 Speaker 7: that Steve's sandwich is just a little bit bigger than mine. 433 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,200 Speaker 7: And I remark to him, Hey, what's the deal? How 434 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 7: come my sandwich is as big as yours? He says, 435 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 7: if you want a bigger sandwich, you need to just 436 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 7: go get your own. Show. That's the last thing he 437 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:04,959 Speaker 7: said before Patrick O'Connell, who was boiling water on a stove, 438 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 7: and I can still remember the sound of that stove hissing, 439 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:10,600 Speaker 7: and that pot started to just shake a little bit 440 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 7: as the water was starting to boil. Pat says, hey, 441 00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:15,239 Speaker 7: did anybody hear that? 442 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:18,639 Speaker 4: As soon as he said, do you guys hear that? 443 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 4: We all looked the direction. We all had heard something. 444 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 4: Pat was the first to mention, and it wasn't something 445 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 4: that was lingering. And then it was like there was 446 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 4: a sound that Pat reacted to and looked and we 447 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 4: all look over and there's a Kodiak brown Bear running 448 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:40,640 Speaker 4: faster than anything I've ever seen, run towards our group. 449 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 7: In that moment, everyone seems to get tunnel vision. Later 450 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:53,320 Speaker 7: interviewing everybody, no one else can remember what anyone else did, 451 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 7: their movements, their positioning, which is interesting. Everybody went to 452 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 7: tunnel vision, but we were sitting in sort of half circle. 453 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 7: Stee was actually laying down on his side, sort of 454 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:08,160 Speaker 7: propped up like Jane Fonda doing her exercises, eating his sandwich, 455 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 7: and the rest of us were sort of a half 456 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:13,919 Speaker 7: circle around him. Well, here comes this bear, And in 457 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 7: that moment, all I can really remember is as the 458 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 7: bears coming towards us, it doesn't really look like a bear. 459 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 7: There's a brown mass. The edges of the brown mass 460 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:26,439 Speaker 7: are fluffy, they're almost glowing as the sunlight sort of 461 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 7: touches the tips of the bear's fur. The fur itself 462 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 7: sort of has a jiggly yellow rolling characteristic to it, 463 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 7: as the muscles underneath it move and the fur and 464 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 7: the fat move across it in the almost waves. The 465 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 7: center of this brown mass has white teeth and small 466 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:50,159 Speaker 7: yellow eyes. 467 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 4: I had never I got to speak for myself, I 468 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 4: had never been in a situation like that where a 469 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:03,160 Speaker 4: predator or a life form of such obviously superior strength 470 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 4: covering a distance so fast that all this thought process 471 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 4: happens afterwards, we see it all of a sudden, it's 472 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,520 Speaker 4: in our group under the meat tree. My lizard brain 473 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:20,560 Speaker 4: reaction was flight. I'm not ashamed at all. I mean, 474 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:24,159 Speaker 4: it wasn't a choice, you know, fight or flight. I 475 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 4: remember the freeze frame of that bear's shoulders and size 476 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 4: and speed, and I'm not surprised at all that I 477 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 4: basically rolled, like spun around and separated myself from the 478 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 4: rushing on slot by a tree. 479 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 7: By the meat tree. We knew that we'd have, like 480 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 7: I said, interactions with bears. Before sitting down, or as 481 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 7: I sat down to have my sandwich, I had specifically 482 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 7: taken my pistol, which was in a holster on my backpack, 483 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 7: and I had taken it out of the holster and 484 00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 7: set it down next to me. I also knew that 485 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 7: I had bear spray on my belt in a bear 486 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:08,040 Speaker 7: spray holster for whatever reason. I had also two trekking 487 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 7: poles that were laid there next to me. But in 488 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 7: the moment that the bear is bearing down on us, 489 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,960 Speaker 7: my brain does not go to the pistol in orderes, 490 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,760 Speaker 7: it go to the bear spray. Instead. I find myself 491 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 7: on two feet standing there like Pete Alonzo clutching two 492 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:30,720 Speaker 7: trekking poles, and as the bear's head is within striking distance, 493 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 7: I swing at the bear's face. The next five minutes 494 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 7: of the story actually takes about two seconds to transpire, 495 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 7: but in that moment I thought, well, it's gonna roll 496 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 7: me over, I might as well go down swinging. When 497 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 7: I swing and I feel that I connect, I'm surprised. 498 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 7: Then I'm ten times more surprised when the last thing 499 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 7: that I thought would happen was that the bear somehow 500 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 7: reacts to this getting touched by my trekking poles. The 501 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:03,800 Speaker 7: bears almost one hundred and eighty degrees and turns out 502 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 7: of there and leaves our little area. Now from stories 503 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 7: told to me, Patrick never got off his butt next 504 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 7: to the stove, watched the whole thing from there. Chris Gill, 505 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 7: one of our photographers, stood up, immediately tripped backwards and 506 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 7: was staring at the sky as the bear came in 507 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 7: and out. Remy Warren made a football type juke move 508 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 7: to go one way and then the other way to 509 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 7: get out of the bear's way. Steven Ranella never got up, 510 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 7: maybe had the bear step on his foot, because later 511 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 7: his ankle became very sore. I'm bewildered. I'm standing there. 512 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 7: I don't know what's happened, but as the bear's leaving, 513 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 7: it almost looks as though it's leaving with one of 514 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 7: our crew. 515 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:56,000 Speaker 4: Jannis grabbed a trek and pull and batted it in 516 00:30:56,040 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 4: the face. Steve could smell its breath. I mean, everyone 517 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:06,320 Speaker 4: had their own moment in time with this massive brown bear. 518 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 4: And then immediately also this is all in matter of seconds, 519 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 4: immediately realized these crew members that I respect and love 520 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 4: and want to protect are having an interaction with this 521 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 4: massive bear, and maybe there's something I can do. So 522 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 4: I peek around the bottom the downhill side of the tree. 523 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 4: And when Yanni had smacked it in the face, you know, 524 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 4: by chance or because of that, well, it decided to 525 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 4: get out of there below the meat tree the downhill side. 526 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 4: As I was peeking around. 527 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,360 Speaker 7: Garrett Smith somehow, as he's moving around the tree, he 528 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 7: trips backwards like imagine you're heels tripping as opposed your 529 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 7: toes tripping, and he goes to fall on his butt 530 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 7: and actually lands on the top of the bear. 531 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:59,080 Speaker 4: And that sucker clip me with its massive shoulder and 532 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 4: flip me on to its back. I mean, nothing compares 533 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 4: to that first moment of back to back, the speed 534 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 4: of which I found myself riding a Kodiak brown bear 535 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:21,880 Speaker 4: down a mountain side. It was my brain was not 536 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 4: able to process that this actually was happening. I mean, 537 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,480 Speaker 4: when you put yourself, when you choose a lifestyle to 538 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 4: test your strength and will against nature, often there's always 539 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 4: a part of you that knows, at any point a 540 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 4: factor outside of you your control can happen, and you 541 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 4: just hope that you can cope with it and deal 542 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:43,800 Speaker 4: with it in. 543 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 7: A way that allows you to survive. 544 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 4: Well. When I got knocked onto that bear's back, and 545 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 4: it was only was able to happen because the hillside 546 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 4: was steep enough, I was, I was far enough uphill 547 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 4: and in that matter had gained the height that its 548 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:03,920 Speaker 4: shoulder clipped me on my hip and knocked me onto 549 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:11,720 Speaker 4: its back, and instantly feeling its shoulder muscles and its hide, 550 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:16,719 Speaker 4: I instantly knew I was dead. And it was very calming, 551 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 4: and you know, like in any accident, time stills and 552 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 4: slows down. I was totally cognizant and aware that I 553 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 4: was riding a brown bear in Alaska, and that the 554 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 4: outcome was I was being you know, dropped into the 555 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:37,680 Speaker 4: brush and mauled. There was no there was no there 556 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 4: was no mentality that, you know, maybe I could knife it, 557 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:44,560 Speaker 4: or maybe I could flee from it, or maybe all 558 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:48,400 Speaker 4: of it would end up okay. There was just time 559 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 4: frozen and me knowing that my time had come and 560 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 4: I had lived a good life and I was at 561 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,760 Speaker 4: peace with it. The rest of the crew see this 562 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:02,840 Speaker 4: happen and think it has me, and and it's jaws, 563 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,000 Speaker 4: you know, maybe fifty feet later, I mean a couple 564 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 4: seconds later, I fall off the bear and then, you know, 565 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 4: I assume that that's when it's going to turn in 566 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 4: my life, and just slamming into an alder and I'm okay, 567 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 4: I'd like get on my knees or something. And I'm 568 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:26,640 Speaker 4: telling this, I have goosebumps, and often I do because 569 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:31,000 Speaker 4: it's so vivid in my memory. And I see the 570 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,279 Speaker 4: rest of the crew running towards me, ready to get 571 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:38,400 Speaker 4: their brother. I run back to them. Everyone's okay, everyone's 572 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,879 Speaker 4: in shocked, but reacting in a very logical way. 573 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:47,359 Speaker 7: Like I said, it happened in two seconds. There are 574 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:52,359 Speaker 7: sandwich fixings and parts and pieces spread out all over 575 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 7: underneath the met tree. Now nobody goes to pick those up, 576 00:34:57,680 --> 00:34:59,799 Speaker 7: and everybody's pretty shook up, and there's a lot of 577 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 7: going on and a lot of people. You're taught to 578 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,399 Speaker 7: yell hey bear when you're in bear country to keep 579 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:08,960 Speaker 7: the bears away or to let them let the bears 580 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,320 Speaker 7: know that you're around. In that situation, when someone yells 581 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 7: hey bear, everybody starts pointing bear spray and guns in 582 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,000 Speaker 7: the direction wherever the person is looking that just yelled 583 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,319 Speaker 7: hey bear. So we immediately made a rule that no 584 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,400 Speaker 7: one could yell hey bear anymore unless they actually saw 585 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 7: a bear. But we pretty much circled up, collected our gear, 586 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 7: and Steve actually climbed into the meat tree and handed 587 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,839 Speaker 7: down the second half of the elk, which we then 588 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 7: loaded onto our backpacks. And then we moved as what 589 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:46,320 Speaker 7: you would see an army platoon in an old army movie, 590 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:50,880 Speaker 7: moved through the jungle where there's sort of everybody you know, 591 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 7: pointed in a different direction and sort of you're making 592 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:57,480 Speaker 7: a circle, and you got eyes in every direction. And 593 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:01,480 Speaker 7: we moved as this sort of group down away from 594 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:04,399 Speaker 7: the meat tree, crossback across the creek and got out 595 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,080 Speaker 7: into a big meadow where you could see easily one 596 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 7: hundred yards in every direction, which is where we probably 597 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 7: should have been having our sandwiches and tea in the 598 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:16,839 Speaker 7: first place. I can remember that what my wife said 599 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 7: when I called her maybe three or four days after 600 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 7: the event, and before I could even start telling her 601 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:26,480 Speaker 7: what had happened, she could sense in my voice that 602 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 7: I had experienced something of great magnitude. 603 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 2: It's still hard to imagine dirt being carried on the 604 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:41,359 Speaker 2: back of that bear that far. I've been fortunate enough 605 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:42,920 Speaker 2: to spend a lot of time in the field with 606 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:45,279 Speaker 2: Dirt over the last couple of years, and he's a 607 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,440 Speaker 2: uniquely genuine person. I'd say it would be impossible to 608 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,280 Speaker 2: not like him, especially when you see his work ethic 609 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,879 Speaker 2: and his continual upbeat attitude and old Yannis. I can't 610 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,040 Speaker 2: say enough good things about Yiannis either. Thanks for the story, guys, 611 00:37:01,239 --> 00:37:06,640 Speaker 2: I'm glad that you're alive. Our next story is told 612 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:08,600 Speaker 2: by another Alaskan guide. 613 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:10,760 Speaker 3: His name is Caleb Martin. 614 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:16,360 Speaker 2: He's gonna be taking us high into Goat Country. Meet Caleb. 615 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:21,160 Speaker 1: My name is Caleb Martin. I'm a lifelong Alasson born 616 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 1: and raised. Avid bow hunter. I've shot thirteen mountain goats 617 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,480 Speaker 1: with a bow. Now I'm a big game hunting guide. 618 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:34,040 Speaker 1: I guid an Alaska mountain goat, dull sheep, and Kodiak 619 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,840 Speaker 1: brown bear. I average around one hundred to one hundred 620 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 1: and ten days in the field and solo hunt ninety 621 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:44,520 Speaker 1: plus percent of the time. So this year I found 622 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:48,560 Speaker 1: out in February that I drew a mountain goat tag 623 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,319 Speaker 1: in an area somewhat close by to an area I've 624 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,479 Speaker 1: been before, but it was kind of the next unit 625 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,680 Speaker 1: over a big steep country. 626 00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 8: I'm wet. 627 00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:00,040 Speaker 1: You know mountain goats, you know they thrive in the 628 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,560 Speaker 1: other coastline in Alaska and southeast coastline because it's really wet, 629 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:06,440 Speaker 1: steep train they can get away from predators, they can 630 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: regulate their body temperature, and has got great feed for him. 631 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,360 Speaker 1: So I booked a flight earlier in the year with 632 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 1: a air service I'd used in the past, and he 633 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:17,800 Speaker 1: could fly me in there, but he was going to 634 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:21,480 Speaker 1: fly me in late in the evening because from his 635 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,160 Speaker 1: experience he had found out evening flights in that area 636 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:26,760 Speaker 1: he can normally sneak in between storms, and that's exactly 637 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:27,280 Speaker 1: what happened. 638 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:28,239 Speaker 8: I worked out pretty well. 639 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:33,080 Speaker 1: August sixth I'm touching down eight o'clock in the evening, 640 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:36,440 Speaker 1: fairly uneventful flight. We saw some goats on the way in, 641 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: but not in my unit. Landed and set up temporary 642 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:45,360 Speaker 1: camp for the evening. And so the next day, August seventh, 643 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:49,280 Speaker 1: it was drizzly raining on and off, but got into 644 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:52,320 Speaker 1: some goats. Being so early in the season in August, 645 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:56,239 Speaker 1: typically people hunt goats more later in the year, but 646 00:38:56,320 --> 00:39:00,440 Speaker 1: with my busy guiding schedule this year, I only had 647 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: the beginning August to hunt this tag. But the consequence 648 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,239 Speaker 1: of that is that the ghosts this time of the 649 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: year are much higher on the mountain, and so, you know, 650 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,160 Speaker 1: the goats that I did spot that day, I spotted 651 00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:15,280 Speaker 1: a couple of good herds and a couple of billies, 652 00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:18,279 Speaker 1: but they were in really far off reaches, and I 653 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:20,360 Speaker 1: was it was kind of starting to set in that 654 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 1: you know, this is gonna be a kind of above 655 00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:27,560 Speaker 1: average goat hunt. I've hunted a lot on Kodiak and 656 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 1: those areas, you know, the tallest peak, you know you're 657 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:35,239 Speaker 1: maxing out at like four thousand feet, but here, you 658 00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: know it, you're looking at five six thousand feet, super 659 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:43,280 Speaker 1: steep faces, really thick brush. Everything's still live, still green, 660 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:47,080 Speaker 1: So the vegetation super thick salmonberry's are just getting started. 661 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 1: And it was just kind of starting to be like, Okay, 662 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,360 Speaker 1: this is going to be a grinder, Especially solo packing 663 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:55,760 Speaker 1: out an entire goat. 664 00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:58,520 Speaker 8: You know, you're looking at packing out between. 665 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:00,480 Speaker 1: One hundred and twenty and fife hundred and fifty pounds, 666 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,120 Speaker 1: depending on what you'd carry with you. So when I 667 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:05,360 Speaker 1: go into these kind of hunts, I like to carry 668 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:07,920 Speaker 1: a lot of different safety gear, and I've learned over 669 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,959 Speaker 1: thirteen different hunts that carrying rock climbing and repelling gear 670 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,440 Speaker 1: can come in extremely handy. So I carry a black 671 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:19,840 Speaker 1: Diamond rock climbing harness, a device to repel down with me, 672 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,920 Speaker 1: and on this particular hunt, I carried about one hundred 673 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:26,520 Speaker 1: yard climbing rope with me. On the eighth I started 674 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 1: making my way up the mountain and man, it was beautiful. 675 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:32,359 Speaker 1: I just kind of linger and work my way up, 676 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,240 Speaker 1: and it actually ended up taking me about eight hours 677 00:40:35,239 --> 00:40:38,839 Speaker 1: to get up to the sub alpine level where I'd 678 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 1: seen goats but not so high to be up and 679 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,160 Speaker 1: kind of their natural walking paths in that area, and 680 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:48,239 Speaker 1: finally I make it up there at the end of 681 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:52,200 Speaker 1: the day, and now I'm about two thousand, twenty five 682 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:56,680 Speaker 1: hundred feet of elevation and get up there, find a 683 00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:59,120 Speaker 1: flat spot for the evening with a little trickle of 684 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:02,200 Speaker 1: water next to it, and threw up tent for the 685 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,680 Speaker 1: evening and called it good and just crashed. And so 686 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 1: I slept that night, and I woke up the next 687 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:11,880 Speaker 1: morning after you know, making some coffee from a little 688 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:15,800 Speaker 1: trickle a mountain of water, and it rained, started raining 689 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,400 Speaker 1: sometime in the middle of night, rained all through the 690 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:21,920 Speaker 1: next night. August night, they unzipped the tent and it 691 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: just socked in. Can't see ten feet. So some days, 692 00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:28,440 Speaker 1: like August ninth, it was a tent day. I just 693 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:32,120 Speaker 1: spent twenty four hours in a tent, reading books on 694 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: my phone, looking through my pictures and my videos that 695 00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:39,800 Speaker 1: I took, and just trying to stay in my little 696 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,960 Speaker 1: cocoon and not spread scent over bump into any animals. 697 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:44,760 Speaker 8: And it was kind of funny. 698 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:47,719 Speaker 1: I unzipped the tent twice that day, and at one 699 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:50,479 Speaker 1: point I had a pretty decent black bear at about 700 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,799 Speaker 1: two hundred yards and then another instance, I actually saw 701 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:56,759 Speaker 1: a billy on the other side of the valley. While 702 00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:00,680 Speaker 1: the forecast wasn't too hopeful, you know, everything was going 703 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:05,640 Speaker 1: extremely well. I was having a very good experience. August 704 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:08,799 Speaker 1: tenth came around. I unzip the tent door and it's 705 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:12,000 Speaker 1: still kind of foggy, but I look right where that 706 00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,840 Speaker 1: black bear was the day before. There's a billy standing 707 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:17,200 Speaker 1: right there, two hundred yards outside of the tent, and 708 00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:19,759 Speaker 1: the wide open straight from my tent door straight out. 709 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:22,440 Speaker 1: I zip the tin up a little bit more and 710 00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:25,359 Speaker 1: I just watch him for a bit, and then after 711 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,920 Speaker 1: a little while he kind of goes up on the 712 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,759 Speaker 1: rocks and beds down. So I try to make as 713 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,759 Speaker 1: little as movement as possible and unzip the tent and 714 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,799 Speaker 1: grab my gear and slip up into the rocks to 715 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:39,719 Speaker 1: try to get out of view. At one point I 716 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:42,040 Speaker 1: thought I could come up level with the goat and 717 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:45,400 Speaker 1: make about a seventy yard shot straight across, but it 718 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:46,880 Speaker 1: might be able to see me. And the wind was 719 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:49,480 Speaker 1: a little finicky, and I was like, WHOA, just be patient, 720 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 1: Why are you rushing. It's opening morning. 721 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:52,360 Speaker 8: You gotta go. 722 00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:55,120 Speaker 1: It's betted, you know, Just take the long way round, 723 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:58,319 Speaker 1: and it just worked out textbook. 724 00:42:58,920 --> 00:42:59,080 Speaker 7: You know. 725 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: It came all the way round out of you came 726 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,440 Speaker 1: over the top. I knew kind of where I'd want 727 00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:06,720 Speaker 1: to shoot from and it would be a close shot, 728 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:08,479 Speaker 1: and so I just started looking around. 729 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:09,880 Speaker 8: Sure enough, I peek. 730 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,400 Speaker 1: Over to my left and there there's the top of 731 00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:16,239 Speaker 1: a goat's back right there. So I range find it 732 00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:18,680 Speaker 1: thirty one yards and I could tell the direction of 733 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:19,479 Speaker 1: the goat is coming. 734 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:21,320 Speaker 8: And as soon as the top of its back. 735 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:24,680 Speaker 1: Breaks the ridge, I come to full draw. It takes 736 00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:27,320 Speaker 1: two more steps and it's given me a perfect broadside 737 00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:29,840 Speaker 1: shot and it's looking away from me, and I just 738 00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:33,359 Speaker 1: give it a nice double lung, clean break thirty one 739 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:38,600 Speaker 1: yards passed through the goat turned spins, goes about twenty 740 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:42,360 Speaker 1: yards and falls over. And it's like ten o'clock in 741 00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:46,520 Speaker 1: the morning, opening morning. Gotta goat down solo with my bow. 742 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:50,480 Speaker 1: You know, the range trickling down. But it's not bad. 743 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:57,120 Speaker 8: That just happened. So that evening. 744 00:43:57,160 --> 00:43:59,160 Speaker 1: The pilot texts me after he got done with his 745 00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:01,799 Speaker 1: bear tours for the and said, hey, I could get 746 00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:03,640 Speaker 1: you at one o'clock. 747 00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:04,480 Speaker 8: Can you make that? 748 00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:09,480 Speaker 1: And I'm like, man, it's only a mile. It's straight downhill, 749 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:13,319 Speaker 1: but it's a mile. It's like no problem. And I 750 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:17,799 Speaker 1: even start looking at photos, thinking, man, the route I 751 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:21,000 Speaker 1: went up was okay, but I reader I seen a 752 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:23,600 Speaker 1: couple of ridges that now that I'm up top, maybe 753 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:24,919 Speaker 1: I could cut over a little bit. 754 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:26,799 Speaker 8: And make an even better route down. 755 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:30,279 Speaker 1: So wake up this morning. I'm like, I don't even 756 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:32,520 Speaker 1: eat breakfast or coffee this morning. I just get in 757 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:36,000 Speaker 1: a gotta go mode, suck it down tight everything's on 758 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:37,680 Speaker 1: there because I'm gonna have to beat some brush. 759 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:38,719 Speaker 8: I'm gonna have to go. 760 00:44:38,680 --> 00:44:42,000 Speaker 1: Down some cliffs, some rocky stuff, and I'm going down 761 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:44,040 Speaker 1: this other area. And I could tell right off the 762 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:47,320 Speaker 1: bat like man, maybe I should have sticked to the 763 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:50,080 Speaker 1: route I was familiar with. And that's always a little 764 00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:52,960 Speaker 1: bit of a gamble there too. So I start going 765 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:56,160 Speaker 1: down through the brush and it's getting steeper and steeper. 766 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:00,279 Speaker 1: So I'm coming down through these alders. I got one 767 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:02,560 Speaker 1: trek and pull in my hand. I got a full goat, 768 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:06,600 Speaker 1: all the hide, all the meat, and all my spike 769 00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:09,000 Speaker 1: camp and gear, and then all my camera gear on 770 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:11,800 Speaker 1: top of it. And I'm just pushing through this brush 771 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,319 Speaker 1: and keeps catching my pack, catching my pack, and I 772 00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:14,920 Speaker 1: pushed through it. 773 00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,319 Speaker 8: At one point, well, my. 774 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,520 Speaker 1: Pack was getting caught, and when I pushed through, my 775 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:24,400 Speaker 1: body went forward and my left leg stayed where it was, 776 00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: and I just hear this pop in my left leg, 777 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:32,360 Speaker 1: and I'm just down on the ground on my face. 778 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:35,720 Speaker 1: I got all my load and packing gear and everything 779 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:38,879 Speaker 1: on top of me, and my left leg is screaming, 780 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:40,920 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, I'm laying there and I 781 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:49,200 Speaker 1: instantly knew something bad just happened to my leg, you know, 782 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:53,560 Speaker 1: immediately I go back to that internal dialogue. Okay, I'm 783 00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:55,920 Speaker 1: on a steep mountain side, I'm really high up. 784 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:56,680 Speaker 8: I'm solo. 785 00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:00,520 Speaker 1: I'm fifty miles into the wilderness by air plane. 786 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:02,640 Speaker 8: You got lue leg. What can you do? 787 00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:05,640 Speaker 1: But I sat down on my butt, got my whole 788 00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:08,560 Speaker 1: pack and everything on, and I just start scooting from 789 00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:11,120 Speaker 1: one alderbush to the other a little bit out of time. 790 00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:14,120 Speaker 1: I just get in this. Okay, you gotta move. You 791 00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:18,239 Speaker 1: can't stay here. You gotta move. And I start scooting down, 792 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:21,200 Speaker 1: scooting down, going from alderbush all the bush and I'm 793 00:46:21,280 --> 00:46:24,759 Speaker 1: just on my butt plowing through salmon Berry's that are 794 00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:28,439 Speaker 1: four foot tall. And at one point I come out 795 00:46:28,480 --> 00:46:31,680 Speaker 1: of this thick shrubbery and it's just this open face 796 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:33,160 Speaker 1: and there's no alders. 797 00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:35,560 Speaker 8: It's just wide open and there's a. 798 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:38,600 Speaker 1: Little trickle water, little waterfall going down the middle of it, 799 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:41,480 Speaker 1: and it's straight down. I'm at the top of it, 800 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:44,239 Speaker 1: and there's I can't climb back up. I got one 801 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:46,520 Speaker 1: hundred plus pounds on my back. I got nothing to 802 00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 1: grab onto and I'm thinking, I can't move. I need 803 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:53,440 Speaker 1: to get rid of my pack or I'm going to 804 00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:57,439 Speaker 1: fall down this face. And so I had to cut 805 00:46:57,480 --> 00:47:00,960 Speaker 1: my pack loose. And it was a nerve and terrifying, 806 00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:04,880 Speaker 1: you know, you have like at the moment, you know, 807 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:07,440 Speaker 1: I'm kind of thinking, Man, I've spent all year shooting 808 00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:09,880 Speaker 1: my boat, preparing now my two thousand dollars bow, I'm 809 00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:11,600 Speaker 1: about to let rip down to this mountain. 810 00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:14,399 Speaker 8: But you got to come to terms with. 811 00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:18,280 Speaker 1: Yourself, Like Caleb, it's you or the gear. You're about 812 00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:21,279 Speaker 1: to fall, Like, make a decision. And I let that 813 00:47:21,360 --> 00:47:24,680 Speaker 1: pack roll and it just starts going end over and over, 814 00:47:24,719 --> 00:47:26,160 Speaker 1: and I'm just watching stuff fly. 815 00:47:26,840 --> 00:47:28,480 Speaker 8: You know, it's going through the trees. 816 00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:31,440 Speaker 1: But I'm watching it because the bottom line is it 817 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,320 Speaker 1: still got my tent and my sleeping bank. I'm hurt, 818 00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:37,719 Speaker 1: but worst case scenario and I can get in my 819 00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:41,040 Speaker 1: sleeping bag. I get my tent of a super bright 820 00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:43,719 Speaker 1: orange tint for this exact reason, and somebody could come 821 00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 1: find me if they need to, and I will survive. 822 00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:51,520 Speaker 1: But I watch it roll all the way down, and 823 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:54,239 Speaker 1: then I was able to maneuver and scoot on my 824 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:57,360 Speaker 1: butt get down this waterfall, and finally get down to 825 00:47:57,440 --> 00:48:00,919 Speaker 1: my pack. Now I'm on kind of this platte that's 826 00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:03,560 Speaker 1: about one hundred yards across before it drops down again. 827 00:48:04,040 --> 00:48:06,360 Speaker 1: And so I'm like, Okay, I can't scoot on my 828 00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:09,440 Speaker 1: butt across here. I need to find out can I 829 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:12,600 Speaker 1: put weight on my leg? And if I can't put 830 00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:16,120 Speaker 1: on weight on my leg, now it's time to determine 831 00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,160 Speaker 1: do I need to get rescued or can I make 832 00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:19,720 Speaker 1: this happen? 833 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:20,360 Speaker 8: Yes or no? 834 00:48:21,239 --> 00:48:24,319 Speaker 1: And first I stand up without the pack. I put 835 00:48:24,320 --> 00:48:26,759 Speaker 1: weight on the inside of my leg, and I mean, 836 00:48:27,040 --> 00:48:31,440 Speaker 1: talk about a terrifying experience I've never felt before. Worried 837 00:48:31,520 --> 00:48:34,680 Speaker 1: that my leg's gonna collapse, my bone's gonna stick out 838 00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:38,520 Speaker 1: the side of my shin or something. Right, and I 839 00:48:38,680 --> 00:48:42,000 Speaker 1: stand up and everything's pretty good. And then I take 840 00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:44,600 Speaker 1: about two steps and I put weight on the outside 841 00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:48,000 Speaker 1: of my leg and dam I'm just dropped instantly right 842 00:48:48,040 --> 00:48:51,080 Speaker 1: on my face. And at that point, I was thinking 843 00:48:51,080 --> 00:48:54,000 Speaker 1: about ditching my gear ditch and my goat ditch and 844 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,839 Speaker 1: my goat meat. So that's not an easy decision to 845 00:48:56,840 --> 00:49:00,000 Speaker 1: just be like should I ditch everything and go for it? 846 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:03,640 Speaker 8: So I'm like, okay, well, let me just see what's 847 00:49:03,680 --> 00:49:04,000 Speaker 8: going on. 848 00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:07,120 Speaker 1: I put my whole pack on and I kind of 849 00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:08,880 Speaker 1: hobbled a little bit six inches. 850 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:12,360 Speaker 8: It's like, okay, so you can move forward. So I 851 00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:13,439 Speaker 8: just start doing that. 852 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:16,160 Speaker 1: I took my knife and I cut a couple piece 853 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:20,120 Speaker 1: of alders as crutches as little checking poles, and I 854 00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:22,879 Speaker 1: can move six inches at a time. And it's like, yeah, 855 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:26,000 Speaker 1: I can't move fast, but I can move. And then 856 00:49:26,040 --> 00:49:28,720 Speaker 1: I also was like, man, you got a repelling harness 857 00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:31,719 Speaker 1: and climbing rope, so if you get into a hairy situation, 858 00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:34,080 Speaker 1: rope up, and then you want to at least fall 859 00:49:34,120 --> 00:49:37,520 Speaker 1: off the mountain. And so I start pushing forward and 860 00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:40,960 Speaker 1: get down back into some cliff faces, and I come 861 00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:44,240 Speaker 1: to an area and I'm like Okay, I can repel 862 00:49:44,320 --> 00:49:47,879 Speaker 1: from this point to this point below me. I could 863 00:49:47,920 --> 00:49:52,239 Speaker 1: re anchor up, work my way down a creek bed 864 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:54,800 Speaker 1: about a quarter mile and make it back to the 865 00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:59,839 Speaker 1: lake and I'm home free, and so roll my pack over, 866 00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:03,680 Speaker 1: and I realized in that moment that my rope was gone. 867 00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:07,080 Speaker 1: It was somewhere on the mountain above me, and I 868 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:10,239 Speaker 1: had no idea and I did not even realize that 869 00:50:10,360 --> 00:50:13,759 Speaker 1: I lost it when I cut my pack loose. And 870 00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:17,160 Speaker 1: it took me another five hours to get down there 871 00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:22,120 Speaker 1: from that point. So I finally made it off, soaking wet. 872 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:25,960 Speaker 1: My rain gear and everything is just completely shredded, but 873 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:28,880 Speaker 1: came off the mountain missing a lot of gear, but 874 00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:31,440 Speaker 1: had all my meat, had my hide, had my goat. 875 00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:34,960 Speaker 1: Got to the landing strip ten minutes before the pilot landed. 876 00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:38,600 Speaker 8: So I got back to. 877 00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:42,880 Speaker 1: The orthopedic surgeon and the basic diagnose was at a 878 00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:45,000 Speaker 1: full thickness rupture. 879 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:45,400 Speaker 8: Of the ACL. 880 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:51,640 Speaker 1: I had a tear in my PCL of moderate grade 881 00:50:51,719 --> 00:50:55,319 Speaker 1: sprain in my LCL and my MCL. I had a 882 00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:58,600 Speaker 1: fracture in one of my bones in my knee, and 883 00:50:58,680 --> 00:51:01,920 Speaker 1: my entire knee was full of fluid from the trauma 884 00:51:02,080 --> 00:51:05,120 Speaker 1: of not only falling, but repeatedly falling down the mountain. 885 00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:11,960 Speaker 2: That sounded painful and stressful. It's hard to imagine what 886 00:51:12,040 --> 00:51:14,440 Speaker 2: it would feel like to have that happen to you 887 00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:18,440 Speaker 2: that far back, and that alone. That goat hunting is 888 00:51:18,480 --> 00:51:21,200 Speaker 2: not for the faint of heart. And this just happened 889 00:51:21,239 --> 00:51:24,080 Speaker 2: in August of twenty twenty three, so we hope that 890 00:51:24,120 --> 00:51:27,960 Speaker 2: you're healing up strong, Caleb. He hosts a podcast called 891 00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:31,680 Speaker 2: The Alaska Outdoors Podcast that you can find online if 892 00:51:31,719 --> 00:51:33,680 Speaker 2: you want to learn more about what he's up to. 893 00:51:37,640 --> 00:51:40,600 Speaker 2: Our final storyteller is none other than Meat Eater's own 894 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:45,040 Speaker 2: Steven Ranella. I'm grateful that he told this story, and 895 00:51:45,080 --> 00:51:48,200 Speaker 2: I think you'll come to understand why he hasn't told 896 00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:51,960 Speaker 2: it at length before. I'd advise parents to listen to 897 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,319 Speaker 2: this one first before you decide if it's age appropriate 898 00:51:55,400 --> 00:51:56,640 Speaker 2: for your kids. 899 00:51:57,040 --> 00:51:57,640 Speaker 3: Here's Steve. 900 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:04,120 Speaker 9: I spend about, you know, usually added up a month 901 00:52:04,239 --> 00:52:07,919 Speaker 9: or so in Alaska every year. Most of the time 902 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:11,319 Speaker 9: I spend in Alaska. The biggest block of time I 903 00:52:11,360 --> 00:52:14,400 Speaker 9: spend in Alaska is when I spend two weeks every 904 00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:16,200 Speaker 9: summer at a fish shack. 905 00:52:16,280 --> 00:52:18,399 Speaker 3: We have on an Island in. 906 00:52:18,600 --> 00:52:23,520 Speaker 9: Southeast Alaska, and that's largely where this story takes place. 907 00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:27,400 Speaker 9: This is a story I've never told publicly, and I 908 00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:30,719 Speaker 9: hesitate to do it now. Almost a problem for me 909 00:52:30,800 --> 00:52:33,920 Speaker 9: is as a writer and someone who does TV. So 910 00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:37,239 Speaker 9: many of the stories I have, I use them as 911 00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:40,320 Speaker 9: quick as I make them. But this story never really 912 00:52:40,600 --> 00:52:44,239 Speaker 9: fits in. It just doesn't fit in any place. It 913 00:52:44,239 --> 00:52:46,360 Speaker 9: has to do with a guy I grew up with, 914 00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:50,239 Speaker 9: a friend of mine named Eric Kern. We went to 915 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:55,080 Speaker 9: school together, so we different elementary schools because we were 916 00:52:55,080 --> 00:52:57,520 Speaker 9: a little bit far apart, but then they put us 917 00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:00,680 Speaker 9: in the same you know, junior high. We went to 918 00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:06,120 Speaker 9: high school together. I have just all these memories with 919 00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:09,319 Speaker 9: him as kids, like. 920 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:11,480 Speaker 3: Details, you know, weird details. 921 00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:14,400 Speaker 9: I remember one time me and him were sitting on 922 00:53:14,480 --> 00:53:18,719 Speaker 9: the Pure Marquette River in Michigan with our girlfriends and 923 00:53:19,560 --> 00:53:21,720 Speaker 9: we kind of thought it was raining in a weird 924 00:53:21,719 --> 00:53:23,640 Speaker 9: way a little bit, and then we realized we were 925 00:53:23,719 --> 00:53:27,799 Speaker 9: sitting had a campfire underneath a couple of trees that 926 00:53:27,840 --> 00:53:31,920 Speaker 9: were just loaded with turkeys, and there was so many 927 00:53:32,040 --> 00:53:35,040 Speaker 9: droppings hitting the ground that it made it seem like 928 00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:39,279 Speaker 9: a weird light rain shower coming through and I remember it. 929 00:53:40,239 --> 00:53:43,560 Speaker 9: His mom bought this heater for their house that burned 930 00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:48,520 Speaker 9: cherry pits. She would buy these big truckloads of cherry 931 00:53:48,560 --> 00:53:50,600 Speaker 9: pits and he'd have to go out in his driveway 932 00:53:50,640 --> 00:53:53,359 Speaker 9: and rake them around in the sun till they got 933 00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:57,319 Speaker 9: all dried out. She could use them to burn. And 934 00:53:57,920 --> 00:53:59,719 Speaker 9: but one of the bigger decisions in my life he 935 00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:03,360 Speaker 9: was involved in. So when we got out of high school, 936 00:54:03,360 --> 00:54:05,319 Speaker 9: of course we went to regular college. We both went 937 00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:08,759 Speaker 9: to regular college in Michigan, and then he split and 938 00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:12,280 Speaker 9: he he came out to Montana to do a PhD program. 939 00:54:13,520 --> 00:54:15,080 Speaker 3: And it took me, like I think, it took me 940 00:54:15,120 --> 00:54:15,880 Speaker 3: an extra semester. 941 00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:18,200 Speaker 9: Yeah, it took me an extra semester to finish college 942 00:54:18,440 --> 00:54:19,239 Speaker 9: because I kind of. 943 00:54:19,560 --> 00:54:21,280 Speaker 3: Bumped around a lot to different schools. 944 00:54:22,640 --> 00:54:25,839 Speaker 9: And when I decided to go to graduate school, I 945 00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:29,319 Speaker 9: got accepted with a full ride at Colorado State. But 946 00:54:29,360 --> 00:54:31,840 Speaker 9: now I got accepted just regular accepted to a graduate 947 00:54:31,880 --> 00:54:36,480 Speaker 9: program in Montana. And you know, all logic would say 948 00:54:36,480 --> 00:54:38,640 Speaker 9: that you'd go to the place you didn't have to 949 00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:42,880 Speaker 9: pay to go. But Eric came home and he was 950 00:54:42,880 --> 00:54:44,560 Speaker 9: in Montana, and he really wanted me to go to 951 00:54:44,600 --> 00:54:47,759 Speaker 9: Montana and me and him were down in this bar 952 00:54:47,880 --> 00:54:50,200 Speaker 9: I'm sure it's not there anymore called bo Nicky's, and 953 00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:52,120 Speaker 9: sitting in bow Nicky's. Man, if it was there, I 954 00:54:52,120 --> 00:54:56,120 Speaker 9: could show you exactly where we were sitting. And he 955 00:54:56,239 --> 00:55:01,000 Speaker 9: convinced me, based on hunting and fishing information, he convinced 956 00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:04,480 Speaker 9: me to go to Montana for graduate school, and that, 957 00:55:04,719 --> 00:55:07,719 Speaker 9: you know, changed my life. I met all the is, 958 00:55:07,880 --> 00:55:10,040 Speaker 9: I met all these writers, and you know, became a 959 00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:12,680 Speaker 9: writer and had things happen to me that wouldn't have 960 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:16,719 Speaker 9: happened otherwise, it'd have been a completely different path if 961 00:55:16,719 --> 00:55:21,560 Speaker 9: we hadn't had that conversation in that bar. As we 962 00:55:21,600 --> 00:55:23,960 Speaker 9: got older, you know, I was I was the best 963 00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:28,160 Speaker 9: man in his wedding. He stood in my wedding. You know, 964 00:55:28,200 --> 00:55:31,880 Speaker 9: we got older, yet we had children. Eric had a daughter. 965 00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:35,440 Speaker 9: We lived near each other. I would oftentimes, you know, 966 00:55:35,480 --> 00:55:38,680 Speaker 9: stay at his house for extended periods of time. He 967 00:55:38,719 --> 00:55:41,920 Speaker 9: would come up to my fish shack every summer, and 968 00:55:41,960 --> 00:55:44,279 Speaker 9: it was just an annual tradition, and we just kind 969 00:55:44,320 --> 00:55:47,520 Speaker 9: of fell into this habit of just being friends and 970 00:55:47,560 --> 00:55:52,280 Speaker 9: not thinking about it much. Eric eventually had this horrible 971 00:55:52,360 --> 00:55:54,000 Speaker 9: tragedy and one of the reasons I don't like to 972 00:55:54,040 --> 00:55:59,560 Speaker 9: talk about this is because Eric survived. He survived by 973 00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:01,560 Speaker 9: his wife. He's a very very dear friend of mine, 974 00:56:02,360 --> 00:56:07,960 Speaker 9: and they lost their daughter in a automobile accident, and 975 00:56:08,000 --> 00:56:10,920 Speaker 9: it was she didn't die immediately. It was just it 976 00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:14,480 Speaker 9: was the most brutal thing I've ever witnessed. And we 977 00:56:14,520 --> 00:56:16,880 Speaker 9: spent time down there with them, my wife and I 978 00:56:16,960 --> 00:56:19,640 Speaker 9: spent time. I spent time down there with them and 979 00:56:19,719 --> 00:56:23,839 Speaker 9: in a hospital down in Denver. It was just the 980 00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:28,920 Speaker 9: most horrible thing I've witnessed. And Eric's wife was just 981 00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:33,239 Speaker 9: like so, you know, resilient and ultimately, but it was 982 00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:38,240 Speaker 9: it was terrible on Eric. And about a year, maybe 983 00:56:38,719 --> 00:56:43,040 Speaker 9: a year after this, we're up at our fishek like 984 00:56:43,040 --> 00:56:45,359 Speaker 9: we would do every summer he would come up, we'd 985 00:56:45,400 --> 00:56:47,680 Speaker 9: fish halbit and I have all these pictures of him 986 00:56:47,680 --> 00:56:51,560 Speaker 9: over the years holding different halibit and stuff. And one summer, 987 00:56:51,719 --> 00:56:54,239 Speaker 9: a couple of years prior to this, he and I 988 00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:58,239 Speaker 9: had been out fishing in with some other guys and 989 00:56:58,280 --> 00:57:01,239 Speaker 9: we're two different boats and we're coming back in pretty 990 00:57:01,320 --> 00:57:01,880 Speaker 9: rough season. 991 00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:05,680 Speaker 3: We finally made it into sheltered water and. 992 00:57:05,960 --> 00:57:07,839 Speaker 9: The waves are so bad we couldn't see the boat 993 00:57:07,880 --> 00:57:09,400 Speaker 9: behind us, and so we're just kind of hanging out 994 00:57:09,400 --> 00:57:11,719 Speaker 9: in this little sheltered channel waiting to find out what 995 00:57:11,719 --> 00:57:13,640 Speaker 9: happened to the boat behind us, make sure they're all right. 996 00:57:14,400 --> 00:57:16,439 Speaker 9: And that took a mooch and rod, so like a big, 997 00:57:16,520 --> 00:57:20,800 Speaker 9: you know, ten foot very light action salmon rod, and 998 00:57:20,840 --> 00:57:24,280 Speaker 9: had this little teeny bucktail jig, and I decided to 999 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:25,920 Speaker 9: drop it down and see if I could jig up 1000 00:57:25,920 --> 00:57:29,480 Speaker 9: a little rockfish in this little channel, and hooked into 1001 00:57:29,480 --> 00:57:31,960 Speaker 9: this pretty nice hal but about a forty pound halbit. 1002 00:57:32,760 --> 00:57:34,840 Speaker 9: We had such a riot land in that halbit on 1003 00:57:34,880 --> 00:57:37,800 Speaker 9: that little jig, on that mooch and rod, and it 1004 00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:40,280 Speaker 9: shredded this little bucktail jig. The only thing left was 1005 00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:44,880 Speaker 9: like the lead head and some thread. And I came 1006 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:47,560 Speaker 9: back and stuck that bucktail jig in a two by 1007 00:57:47,680 --> 00:57:51,920 Speaker 9: four doorframe and it lived there. And it was there 1008 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:57,320 Speaker 9: that summer following the death of Eric's daughter. And the 1009 00:57:57,360 --> 00:58:01,720 Speaker 9: weirdest thing, man, is uh. At that time we had 1010 00:58:01,800 --> 00:58:04,240 Speaker 9: this at our fish shack. We had this pro pane 1011 00:58:04,920 --> 00:58:09,480 Speaker 9: refrigerator and it was old there was always given us problems, 1012 00:58:11,240 --> 00:58:14,760 Speaker 9: and we had a carbon monoxide detector that sat next 1013 00:58:14,760 --> 00:58:18,080 Speaker 9: to that that sat next to that fridge because it 1014 00:58:18,080 --> 00:58:21,160 Speaker 9: was always given us problems with the combustion element on there. 1015 00:58:22,160 --> 00:58:25,600 Speaker 9: And Eric was up and our carbon monoxide detector goes 1016 00:58:25,640 --> 00:58:29,360 Speaker 9: off by the fridge, and me and my brother Danny 1017 00:58:29,400 --> 00:58:31,160 Speaker 9: get down there and we looked around. We figure out 1018 00:58:31,160 --> 00:58:34,600 Speaker 9: the problem. I don't want to go into a bunch 1019 00:58:34,680 --> 00:58:37,200 Speaker 9: of details, but this little apparatus had become like kind 1020 00:58:37,200 --> 00:58:41,680 Speaker 9: of discombobulated, so it wasn't burning efficiently. Got it fixed, 1021 00:58:42,960 --> 00:58:45,840 Speaker 9: The carbon monoxide detector was still fine. Left it there 1022 00:58:45,920 --> 00:58:48,840 Speaker 9: next to the fridge. The carbon monoxide detector wouldn't never 1023 00:58:48,880 --> 00:58:49,360 Speaker 9: went off. 1024 00:58:51,320 --> 00:58:52,800 Speaker 3: But Eric, he. 1025 00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:55,360 Speaker 9: Refused to sleep inside of that fish shack for the 1026 00:58:55,360 --> 00:59:00,320 Speaker 9: rest of that trip. Was so concerned about carbon monoxide 1027 00:59:00,400 --> 00:59:02,479 Speaker 9: that he would not sleep inside of that fish shack. 1028 00:59:03,480 --> 00:59:07,080 Speaker 3: Okay. He in other. 1029 00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:11,640 Speaker 9: Words, he wanted to hang on to life with such 1030 00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:18,200 Speaker 9: tenacity that he wouldn't sleep in there. Meanwhile, I'm in 1031 00:59:18,240 --> 00:59:22,280 Speaker 9: there with my kids, okay. And if you want to 1032 00:59:22,320 --> 00:59:26,040 Speaker 9: talk about holding on to life with tenacity, I hold 1033 00:59:26,080 --> 00:59:30,360 Speaker 9: on to my children's lives with great tenacity. And had 1034 00:59:30,400 --> 00:59:32,920 Speaker 9: I thought there was any issue being in that shack, 1035 00:59:33,240 --> 00:59:35,280 Speaker 9: I would never have allowed that my kid to be 1036 00:59:35,360 --> 00:59:38,280 Speaker 9: in there, but I knew it was fine, the detector 1037 00:59:38,360 --> 00:59:41,320 Speaker 9: was fine. But that that always sticks in my head, man, 1038 00:59:41,840 --> 00:59:44,960 Speaker 9: that he wouldn't sleep in there. He slept outside. But 1039 00:59:45,000 --> 00:59:51,960 Speaker 9: then he goes home. And there's like so many details 1040 00:59:51,960 --> 00:59:53,919 Speaker 9: of this i'd give, but I don't want to give, 1041 00:59:54,200 --> 00:59:57,080 Speaker 9: just like I already feel like I'm violating. I feel 1042 00:59:57,080 --> 00:59:59,840 Speaker 9: like I'm violating some level of respect just talking about it. 1043 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:04,040 Speaker 9: There's so many details i'd give, but he goes home 1044 01:00:04,080 --> 01:00:09,000 Speaker 9: and takes his own life, and like that little detail 1045 01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:11,360 Speaker 9: about that carbon monoxi ideal just always will stick in 1046 01:00:11,400 --> 01:00:17,040 Speaker 9: my head. So the last place I saw him was 1047 01:00:17,080 --> 01:00:22,080 Speaker 9: there at the shack fish and Halibit And we really 1048 01:00:22,120 --> 01:00:24,280 Speaker 9: have any kind of decorations in our shack, but we 1049 01:00:24,400 --> 01:00:28,720 Speaker 9: keep a big picture of Eric in the shack. So 1050 01:00:28,920 --> 01:00:31,480 Speaker 9: every time I go to Alaska, most of every time 1051 01:00:31,480 --> 01:00:34,240 Speaker 9: I go to Alaska and I walk into that shack, 1052 01:00:34,960 --> 01:00:37,640 Speaker 9: he's there and all and so many of our friends 1053 01:00:37,720 --> 01:00:42,200 Speaker 9: from from those years that knew him well hang out there. 1054 01:00:42,520 --> 01:00:47,400 Speaker 9: And it's like that single picture has turned. 1055 01:00:49,040 --> 01:00:49,120 Speaker 8: It. 1056 01:00:49,440 --> 01:00:52,280 Speaker 9: Like the single picture in the shack almost makes the 1057 01:00:52,360 --> 01:00:53,200 Speaker 9: shack like a. 1058 01:00:55,000 --> 01:00:56,760 Speaker 3: I don't know, man, like a mausoleum. 1059 01:00:57,440 --> 01:01:00,280 Speaker 9: It's not overpowering, but it's just there and and I 1060 01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:02,400 Speaker 9: always have this tight association with. 1061 01:01:04,480 --> 01:01:07,240 Speaker 3: You know, that shack with Alaska. 1062 01:01:07,040 --> 01:01:09,960 Speaker 9: With him having seen him there, and it's just in 1063 01:01:10,360 --> 01:01:14,400 Speaker 9: that setting sticks in my mind. Well, I'll tell you 1064 01:01:14,400 --> 01:01:18,520 Speaker 9: something that we wrote below the picture. There's this Rudyard 1065 01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:23,360 Speaker 9: Kipling poem. In the poem, I memorize the poemhen I've 1066 01:01:23,360 --> 01:01:27,520 Speaker 9: always liked it. It goes, what of the hunting hunter? 1067 01:01:27,640 --> 01:01:32,920 Speaker 9: Bold brother? The watch was long and cold? What of 1068 01:01:32,960 --> 01:01:35,080 Speaker 9: the quarry you went to kill? 1069 01:01:35,920 --> 01:01:41,000 Speaker 3: Brother? He crops in the jungle? Still? Where is the 1070 01:01:41,080 --> 01:01:43,480 Speaker 3: power that made your pride? Brother? 1071 01:01:44,120 --> 01:01:49,000 Speaker 9: It ebbs from my flank inside? Where is the haste 1072 01:01:49,240 --> 01:01:50,160 Speaker 9: that you hurry by? 1073 01:01:51,080 --> 01:01:55,960 Speaker 3: Brother? I go to my lair to die? 1074 01:01:56,360 --> 01:02:00,479 Speaker 9: And so on the bottom of the picture we wrote 1075 01:02:00,720 --> 01:02:05,120 Speaker 9: where is the haste that you hurry by? And if 1076 01:02:05,160 --> 01:02:08,520 Speaker 9: there's a thing I think about, man like, if there's 1077 01:02:08,560 --> 01:02:10,520 Speaker 9: a useful part of this, if there's a. 1078 01:02:10,480 --> 01:02:14,160 Speaker 3: Justification for kind of sharing this, it's that you. 1079 01:02:14,400 --> 01:02:22,680 Speaker 9: Really don't know what's going on with the people around you. 1080 01:02:24,760 --> 01:02:28,200 Speaker 9: And if there's people you're concerned about, you have to 1081 01:02:28,240 --> 01:02:30,280 Speaker 9: pay attention and you have. 1082 01:02:30,320 --> 01:02:32,760 Speaker 3: To be more than a detective. 1083 01:02:33,920 --> 01:02:37,600 Speaker 9: Right, He wouldn't sleep in a room because a carbon 1084 01:02:37,640 --> 01:02:42,760 Speaker 9: monoxide detector went off in that room. How do you 1085 01:02:43,920 --> 01:02:48,440 Speaker 9: know what's going on with people? A friend of mine 1086 01:02:48,520 --> 01:02:52,960 Speaker 9: lost a buddy of his to suicide, and he was 1087 01:02:53,000 --> 01:02:54,920 Speaker 9: telling me one day that now when he asks people 1088 01:02:54,960 --> 01:02:57,760 Speaker 9: how they're doing, and they go good, he said, and 1089 01:02:57,760 --> 01:03:00,600 Speaker 9: I always follow up with, but how are you really doing? 1090 01:03:02,080 --> 01:03:05,760 Speaker 9: And I think that that's important, and I don't always 1091 01:03:05,800 --> 01:03:08,560 Speaker 9: take that advice. But the thing is, when I go 1092 01:03:08,600 --> 01:03:11,800 Speaker 9: to Alaska and I walk into our shack, I'm reminded 1093 01:03:11,880 --> 01:03:16,160 Speaker 9: of that all the time. And perhaps hearing about this, 1094 01:03:16,840 --> 01:03:20,479 Speaker 9: you know, will maybe change something someone does. 1095 01:03:21,600 --> 01:03:22,320 Speaker 3: I'll tell you. 1096 01:03:22,240 --> 01:03:28,200 Speaker 9: That's the last thing I'll say about it. As folks 1097 01:03:28,200 --> 01:03:31,120 Speaker 9: have pieced together the chronology of events, I can tell 1098 01:03:31,160 --> 01:03:34,840 Speaker 9: you that I feel that if someone had called him 1099 01:03:34,840 --> 01:03:37,200 Speaker 9: that morning, you know, and said, like, how you doing, 1100 01:03:37,480 --> 01:03:38,680 Speaker 9: I feel like he'd still be here. 1101 01:03:50,080 --> 01:03:53,720 Speaker 2: Suicide isn't something that's fun to talk about, and honestly, 1102 01:03:54,240 --> 01:03:56,320 Speaker 2: I never thought it would come up on this podcast, 1103 01:03:56,840 --> 01:04:00,080 Speaker 2: but it's incredibly relevant to this day and age, and 1104 01:04:00,120 --> 01:04:03,120 Speaker 2: it wouldn't take long to find the staggering statistics of 1105 01:04:03,200 --> 01:04:06,000 Speaker 2: the people who take their own lives each year The 1106 01:04:06,080 --> 01:04:11,080 Speaker 2: reasons are too varied and too complex to address right now, 1107 01:04:11,200 --> 01:04:15,920 Speaker 2: but what Steve emphasized is well taken in that as friends, 1108 01:04:16,400 --> 01:04:19,040 Speaker 2: we need to work to be more aware, we need 1109 01:04:19,040 --> 01:04:21,920 Speaker 2: to probe for deeper answers, and we need to stay 1110 01:04:21,960 --> 01:04:23,360 Speaker 2: close to the people. 1111 01:04:23,240 --> 01:04:24,800 Speaker 3: That we call our friends. 1112 01:04:25,320 --> 01:04:28,880 Speaker 2: Or maybe the tables are turned and you're the person 1113 01:04:28,920 --> 01:04:32,600 Speaker 2: that's in crisis listening right now, and in that case, 1114 01:04:33,120 --> 01:04:36,640 Speaker 2: I want to tell you that you are valuable enough 1115 01:04:37,000 --> 01:04:40,040 Speaker 2: and that your life is meaningful enough that if you're 1116 01:04:40,120 --> 01:04:43,920 Speaker 2: hiding some deep stuff, find a way to share it 1117 01:04:44,240 --> 01:04:48,920 Speaker 2: with someone you trust. I personally find incredible hope in 1118 01:04:48,960 --> 01:04:51,720 Speaker 2: the midst of trying times of which me and my 1119 01:04:51,880 --> 01:04:55,360 Speaker 2: family have had our fair share, and that hope for 1120 01:04:55,440 --> 01:04:59,160 Speaker 2: me I find in a personal connection with God for 1121 01:04:59,240 --> 01:05:03,600 Speaker 2: me that is very very real, very functional, very powerful 1122 01:05:04,240 --> 01:05:08,520 Speaker 2: and available to all. I can't thank you enough for 1123 01:05:08,560 --> 01:05:11,800 Speaker 2: listening to Bear Grease. We've all got a lot to 1124 01:05:11,840 --> 01:05:14,400 Speaker 2: be thankful for this fall, and I wish you the 1125 01:05:14,440 --> 01:05:15,400 Speaker 2: best in your hunting. 1126 01:05:15,840 --> 01:05:16,360 Speaker 3: Good luck. 1127 01:05:16,440 --> 01:05:19,920 Speaker 2: If you're out there, elk hunting, whitetail hunting, bear hunting, 1128 01:05:20,080 --> 01:05:25,000 Speaker 2: squirrel hunting, grouse hunting, whatever you're doing, be careful out there, 1129 01:05:25,440 --> 01:05:28,800 Speaker 2: be aware and celebrate the fact that we get to 1130 01:05:28,840 --> 01:05:31,800 Speaker 2: do what we do. Be sure to check out First 1131 01:05:31,880 --> 01:05:35,200 Speaker 2: Light's new whitetail gear. They've got a whole line of 1132 01:05:35,200 --> 01:05:38,000 Speaker 2: stuff that's made for whitetail deer hunters in the South 1133 01:05:38,280 --> 01:05:40,720 Speaker 2: at first light dot com. Check it out and I 1134 01:05:40,800 --> 01:05:43,720 Speaker 2: love it. I hope you guys all have a great week, 1135 01:05:43,920 --> 01:05:46,880 Speaker 2: and I look forward to talking to all those folks 1136 01:05:46,920 --> 01:05:48,320 Speaker 2: on the Render next week.