00:00:03.722 --> 00:00:06.305
(upbeat music)

00:00:24.100 --> 00:00:26.077
- My name is Vincent Colliard.

00:00:26.077 --> 00:00:30.250
I'm 30 years old and I'm
a French polar explorer.

00:00:30.250 --> 00:00:35.250
I think every kid want to become
a Jedi, or someone special.

00:00:36.580 --> 00:00:38.530
I really wanted to become an astronaut.

00:00:40.810 --> 00:00:45.440
After reading adventure
stories at the age of 17,

00:00:45.440 --> 00:00:48.660
I had a dream to explore

00:00:48.660 --> 00:00:51.453
the most remote places on the planet.

00:00:53.360 --> 00:00:58.200
And I guess, yeah, I guess
that's where it all started.

00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:00.990
- [Narrator] My next
adventure awaits me in Alaska,

00:01:00.990 --> 00:01:02.600
together with Lea Brassy,

00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.460
I will spend 12 days in the
wilderness crossing a glacier.

00:01:06.460 --> 00:01:09.093
This will be Lea's first
big tour through the ice.

00:01:10.080 --> 00:01:13.260
As professional athletes and
social media influencers,

00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:15.740
we love extreme challenges.

00:01:15.740 --> 00:01:18.740
Through them, we can show our
followers the world out there.

00:01:22.460 --> 00:01:25.040
We land in Anchorage, capital of Alaska,

00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:27.193
the only US state with polar bears.

00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:29.550
The world's biggest forests

00:01:29.550 --> 00:01:32.473
and over 100,000 glaciers
can be found here.

00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:41.710
- Adventure is a constant
desire that pushes me forward

00:01:41.710 --> 00:01:43.703
and drives me into the unknown.

00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:49.720
I think it is a way of understanding how

00:01:50.690 --> 00:01:55.560
it is by living intense magical
moments in the wilderness

00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:59.733
that we realize how
beautiful our planet is.

00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:05.750
I believe that we all
have a responsibility

00:02:05.750 --> 00:02:07.853
towards these wild areas.

00:02:08.690 --> 00:02:11.803
And I also think that we all
have an adventurous instincts.

00:02:17.070 --> 00:02:18.980
- [Narrator] We drive about 300 kilometers

00:02:18.980 --> 00:02:20.940
East on the Glenn highway.

00:02:20.940 --> 00:02:23.323
On the map, it seems like a stone's throw.

00:02:27.200 --> 00:02:29.120
Our first stop is a simple wooden hut

00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:32.170
on the edge of the Wrangell
St. Elias National Park,

00:02:32.170 --> 00:02:34.143
the biggest national park in the US.

00:02:37.720 --> 00:02:39.810
- Oh, it works.

00:02:39.810 --> 00:02:40.810
- Yeah, it did.

00:02:40.810 --> 00:02:43.203
- That's awesome.
- And coffee is almost ready.

00:02:44.426 --> 00:02:46.843
(indistinct)

00:02:48.070 --> 00:02:49.210
- Thank you so much.

00:02:49.210 --> 00:02:50.660
It's the best way to wake up.

00:02:54.186 --> 00:02:55.603
It's ready, yeah?

00:02:58.573 --> 00:03:00.533
The weather is good.

00:03:00.533 --> 00:03:02.283
It's good for packing today, cause.

00:03:06.010 --> 00:03:07.980
- [Narrator] Planning is everything,

00:03:07.980 --> 00:03:10.943
spending 10 days on the ice
means planning strategically.

00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:14.250
Waterproof clothes, a tunnel tent,

00:03:14.250 --> 00:03:16.180
dry food, and a gas cooker.

00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:17.470
- That's gonna go in your bag, right?

00:03:17.470 --> 00:03:18.980
- [Narrator] Every extra gram is too much

00:03:18.980 --> 00:03:21.580
when you have to transport
everything by yourselves.

00:03:23.220 --> 00:03:24.300
But a left behind torch

00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:26.823
can already decide the
fate of a whole expedition.

00:03:31.350 --> 00:03:32.280
- Listen to that,

00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.190
if the bear does notice
you, face the bear,

00:03:35.190 --> 00:03:37.243
stand your ground and talk to it calmly.

00:03:38.247 --> 00:03:39.867
"Please teddy, don't eat me,

00:03:39.867 --> 00:03:41.787
"I'll give you some honey."

00:03:41.787 --> 00:03:42.830
(laughing)

00:03:42.830 --> 00:03:44.060
- It's funny, but it's pretty true

00:03:44.060 --> 00:03:45.547
and they're right.
- Yeah?

00:03:45.547 --> 00:03:46.870
- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

00:03:46.870 --> 00:03:49.440
Inside, I am freaking out,

00:03:49.440 --> 00:03:52.200
but on the outside, I
try to look at the bear

00:03:52.200 --> 00:03:55.140
and let him know that I'm
not running away from him

00:03:55.140 --> 00:03:56.375
and I'm not-

00:03:56.375 --> 00:03:57.208
- You're not a prey?

00:03:57.208 --> 00:03:58.041
- Yeah, prey.

00:03:58.910 --> 00:04:00.730
So yeah, it's good to be a predator,

00:04:00.730 --> 00:04:04.094
to think that in your mind,
you're like a predator.

00:04:04.094 --> 00:04:06.150
(gun cocking)

00:04:06.150 --> 00:04:07.100
- [Narrator] For me, this wouldn't be

00:04:07.100 --> 00:04:09.380
my first encounter with a bear.

00:04:09.380 --> 00:04:12.313
The gun is only meant in
case of extreme emergency.

00:04:14.162 --> 00:04:16.745
(gentle music)

00:04:19.230 --> 00:04:21.890
We continue our journey further South.

00:04:21.890 --> 00:04:23.540
Most parts of Alaska's wilderness

00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:25.750
can only be reached by plane,

00:04:25.750 --> 00:04:28.440
but before we dive headfirst
into our adventure,

00:04:28.440 --> 00:04:30.800
we take a last break in civilization

00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:33.670
and satisfy our most
existential human need.

00:04:33.670 --> 00:04:35.550
- [Server] How would you
guys like to order today?

00:04:35.550 --> 00:04:37.040
- [Lea] I would like a coffee please.

00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:39.063
- All right, a drip coffee or Americano?

00:04:40.250 --> 00:04:41.340
- Could you do latte?

00:04:41.340 --> 00:04:42.450
- We can do it in a latte.

00:04:42.450 --> 00:04:45.380
- Can I have a latte with a double shot?

00:04:45.380 --> 00:04:46.213
- All right

00:04:47.190 --> 00:04:49.560
- [Narrator] Here, we have a
random encounter with a trucker

00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:51.500
who used to work as a
fishermen in Cordova.

00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:52.510
- I spent 25 years-

00:04:52.510 --> 00:04:53.650
- [Narrator] Over 30 years ago,

00:04:53.650 --> 00:04:54.950
he witnessed one of Alaska's

00:04:54.950 --> 00:04:57.310
most devastating environmental disasters,

00:04:57.310 --> 00:04:59.210
when the Exxon Valdez oil tanker

00:04:59.210 --> 00:05:01.490
capsized in the Prince William Sound.

00:05:01.490 --> 00:05:05.190
- Were you at sea when
the Exxon Valdez happened?

00:05:05.190 --> 00:05:08.963
- Within four hours I was
out there, after it hit.

00:05:10.710 --> 00:05:11.920
Within four hours.

00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:14.130
A friend of mine had a boat

00:05:14.130 --> 00:05:18.050
that took the coast guard
people out to the tanker

00:05:18.050 --> 00:05:20.430
while it was sitting on Bligh Reef.

00:05:20.430 --> 00:05:22.320
We pulled up next to the tanker

00:05:22.320 --> 00:05:24.890
and we were in a 65 foot boat

00:05:24.890 --> 00:05:27.090
and it's a flat calm sea,

00:05:27.090 --> 00:05:29.800
but the boat is go like this,
because all that crude oil

00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:33.070
was coming out on the
bottom of the tanker.

00:05:33.070 --> 00:05:36.500
And you could still, right now, today,

00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:39.450
go to Bay of Isles in
Prince William Sound,

00:05:39.450 --> 00:05:42.070
dig about six, eight inches down

00:05:42.070 --> 00:05:44.863
and you could still get
crude oil on your hands.

00:05:45.700 --> 00:05:48.460
- [Narrator] Just past
midnight on March 24th,

00:05:48.460 --> 00:05:50.600
this supertanker Exxon Valdez

00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:53.760
crashed into a reef, off the
coast of Southern Alaska.

00:05:53.760 --> 00:05:56.110
- [Reporter] One of America's
most magnificent waterways

00:05:56.110 --> 00:05:57.870
is blackened and befouled tonight

00:05:57.870 --> 00:06:00.480
by the biggest oil spill
in American history.

00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:02.400
- [Reporter] 240,000 barrels,

00:06:02.400 --> 00:06:05.260
11 million gallons of Alaskan crude oil

00:06:05.260 --> 00:06:07.636
escaped from the huge vessel.

00:06:07.636 --> 00:06:09.700
The oil industry's response plans,

00:06:09.700 --> 00:06:12.493
it promised to swift clean
up in the event of a spill.

00:06:14.700 --> 00:06:17.283
(gentle music)

00:06:24.070 --> 00:06:26.130
- [Narrator] The aftermath
of this manmade disaster

00:06:26.130 --> 00:06:28.181
still lingers today.

00:06:28.181 --> 00:06:32.890
250,000 marine birds,
almost 3000 sea otters,

00:06:32.890 --> 00:06:37.080
250 bald eagles, 22 orcas

00:06:37.080 --> 00:06:40.480
and billions of scythe eggs
perished in the oil spill.

00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.973
Many fishermen got sick or went bankrupt.

00:06:44.870 --> 00:06:48.680
As expected, our rental
car uses fossil fuels.

00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:50.160
It's almost impossible to find

00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:52.080
environmentally friendly alternatives

00:06:52.080 --> 00:06:53.623
in remote areas like here.

00:07:13.320 --> 00:07:15.520
Our pilot, Paul, flies
us in his Otter plane

00:07:15.520 --> 00:07:16.780
to the Miles Glacier,

00:07:16.780 --> 00:07:19.213
which is part of Alaska's
biggest ice caps.

00:07:22.190 --> 00:07:24.140
We know that this
comfortable way of traveling

00:07:24.140 --> 00:07:26.430
is at the expense of the environment,

00:07:26.430 --> 00:07:28.920
but our goal is to show
others the untouched nature

00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:30.870
and create awareness for protecting it.

00:07:32.543 --> 00:07:33.710
- What's that?

00:07:38.378 --> 00:07:41.406
- Are you excited?
- I'm excited.

00:07:41.406 --> 00:07:44.989
(plane propeller whirling)

00:07:47.232 --> 00:07:49.815
(upbeat music)

00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:25.670
- [Narrator] We behold the
gigantic Miles Glacier,

00:08:25.670 --> 00:08:28.130
the almost 50 kilometer long ice field

00:08:28.130 --> 00:08:30.920
lies 815 meters above sea level

00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.123
and extends towards
the Copper River Delta.

00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:36.993
That's where we want to get
to on our cross-country skis.

00:09:04.672 --> 00:09:07.922
(plane engine roaring)

00:09:11.470 --> 00:09:13.650
Now we're left on our own.

00:09:13.650 --> 00:09:17.250
For 10 days on the ice, we
brought 12 daily rations of food.

00:09:17.250 --> 00:09:20.150
We definitely have to make the
tour within this timeframe.

00:09:21.590 --> 00:09:25.120
For a case of emergency, we
packed a satellite telephone.

00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:28.300
We have to drag our luggage
over the ice by ourselves,

00:09:28.300 --> 00:09:30.300
but I am confident that we will make it.

00:09:31.350 --> 00:09:33.040
I was already here a few years ago

00:09:33.040 --> 00:09:35.263
to take part in the Icelegacy Project.

00:09:37.430 --> 00:09:40.250
- I really look forward
to being inside the tent.

00:09:40.250 --> 00:09:42.250
I dunno, I dunno how,

00:09:42.250 --> 00:09:43.720
I'll probably struggle all my life

00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:46.293
with the fact that I really
like to sleep in tents.

00:09:47.810 --> 00:09:50.050
Yeah, we'll take them together,

00:09:50.050 --> 00:09:51.000
we'll just pull it.

00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:56.740
- Nice and big.

00:09:56.740 --> 00:09:58.417
- That's good.
- Okay.

00:09:58.417 --> 00:10:00.470
Ooh nice, it's looking good.

00:10:00.470 --> 00:10:01.843
Same on the other side.

00:10:04.210 --> 00:10:06.563
Okay, (indistinct) , great job.

00:10:06.563 --> 00:10:10.273
I think we're good, good
to go in or to go skiing.

00:10:11.930 --> 00:10:14.120
- [Narrator] I participate
in the Icelegacy Project,

00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:17.600
for which I crossed 20 of
the world's biggest ice caps

00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:19.373
from Alaska to Antarctica.

00:10:21.300 --> 00:10:24.650
Together with the famous polar
adventurer, Borge Ousland,

00:10:24.650 --> 00:10:26.330
we combine our passion for the ice

00:10:26.330 --> 00:10:28.020
with protecting these unique areas

00:10:28.020 --> 00:10:29.543
in times of global warming.

00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:34.410
In cooperation with
international scientists,

00:10:34.410 --> 00:10:36.230
we collect ice samples and data

00:10:36.230 --> 00:10:37.900
that is meant to provide information

00:10:37.900 --> 00:10:39.373
about the global ice melt.

00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:44.900
The base of Icelegacy
is also Borge's home,

00:10:44.900 --> 00:10:47.133
on a small Island off the coast of Norway.

00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:54.500
- I did my first expedition in 1986,

00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:57.173
so I've been exploring for 30 years.

00:10:58.990 --> 00:11:01.270
I've seen the changes of the arctic.

00:11:01.270 --> 00:11:04.020
I actually saw it more than 20 years ago

00:11:04.020 --> 00:11:07.680
when I first started to go up there

00:11:07.680 --> 00:11:12.680
and now the ice is 200%
thinner than it was back then.

00:11:14.630 --> 00:11:19.262
And what we want to do,
Vincent Colliard and myself,

00:11:19.262 --> 00:11:23.160
is to cross the 20 greatest
ice caps in the world.

00:11:23.160 --> 00:11:26.050
We want to go out there and
we want to tell the story,

00:11:26.050 --> 00:11:28.000
show what's going on

00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.600
and really get the message across

00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:32.930
what's happening out there.

00:11:32.930 --> 00:11:35.990
- For me, Icelegacy is linked

00:11:35.990 --> 00:11:37.863
with an expedition I did with Borge.

00:11:38.850 --> 00:11:42.720
In 2010, I joined him
sailing around the North Pole

00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:44.190
in one single season.

00:11:44.190 --> 00:11:48.073
What took three years for a
mission only a century ago.

00:11:49.420 --> 00:11:52.200
And that was a huge
eye-opening experience.

00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:56.810
- The glaciers, they are more important

00:11:56.810 --> 00:11:59.250
than people might think.

00:11:59.250 --> 00:12:01.340
They act as a freezer

00:12:02.180 --> 00:12:04.800
regulating the, keeping the planet cold,

00:12:04.800 --> 00:12:06.740
regulating the temperature.

00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:10.610
They reflect the energy from
the sun back to the space.

00:12:10.610 --> 00:12:15.440
And thirdly, a melting
glacier will sooner or later

00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:19.673
end up in the ocean and
contribute to sea level rise.

00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:24.313
- You want that?

00:12:25.789 --> 00:12:27.356
- Yeah, that's for the lips, huh?

00:12:27.356 --> 00:12:29.160
Okay, thank you.
- It's Good stuff.

00:12:29.160 --> 00:12:31.700
- [Narrator] Our first morning
on the glacier is sunny.

00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:33.730
The ice surface is solid,
- Looks good.

00:12:33.730 --> 00:12:34.563
- [Narrator] Good conditions.

00:12:34.563 --> 00:12:36.230
- Gonna be a really warm day.

00:12:36.230 --> 00:12:37.210
- I think that's the first time

00:12:37.210 --> 00:12:39.390
we see the mountains over there.

00:12:39.390 --> 00:12:40.840
They were in the clouds before,

00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:42.833
even when Paul dropped us.

00:12:43.870 --> 00:12:46.580
Shall we pack, like, shall
we finish and get going,

00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:49.770
because I think we should enjoy the day.

00:12:49.770 --> 00:12:51.844
How do you wanna store that?

00:12:51.844 --> 00:12:53.560
So, you wanna have the shovel

00:12:53.560 --> 00:12:56.640
and then get rid of the snow
around the flap of the tent.

00:12:56.640 --> 00:12:57.473
- Yeah.
- Yep.

00:12:57.473 --> 00:12:58.690
And I can take the snow pegs.

00:12:58.690 --> 00:12:59.523
- Okay.

00:13:05.192 --> 00:13:07.240
- Do you mind having the tent
with you on your sleigh, Lea?

00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:10.233
- No, I think I've got the space for it.

00:13:11.400 --> 00:13:13.950
Although I've never used two sleds,

00:13:13.950 --> 00:13:17.120
so I hope I'll be okay.

00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.580
- Oh yeah, you will.

00:13:18.580 --> 00:13:20.533
Okay, our sweet home is packed.

00:13:22.313 --> 00:13:23.670
- To the next one.

00:13:23.670 --> 00:13:25.260
- Yeah.

00:13:25.260 --> 00:13:27.610
- I love to see nothing
but snow when we leave.

00:13:28.770 --> 00:13:31.100
There was this funny saying in New Zealand

00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:34.667
once when I was younger and
traveling over there that says,

00:13:34.667 --> 00:13:38.720
"Take only photographs and
leave only footprints."

00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:40.970
And I thought it was a pretty.

00:13:40.970 --> 00:13:42.220
I don't know at that time

00:13:43.390 --> 00:13:44.330
I was very touched by it

00:13:44.330 --> 00:13:47.173
and I think it's pretty
accurate, it's cool.

00:13:52.351 --> 00:13:54.220
- I can't believe we're here.

00:13:54.220 --> 00:13:55.888
- I think that's the right (indistinct).

00:13:55.888 --> 00:13:56.863
- Yeah.

00:13:58.550 --> 00:14:01.160
- I guess I follow you, you go first.

00:14:01.160 --> 00:14:03.130
- I think we can go slowly

00:14:03.130 --> 00:14:06.090
and to have the body get used to it.

00:14:06.090 --> 00:14:08.200
- Oh yeah, I'll go slowly, for sure.

00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:09.400
- Yeah, we take it easy.

00:14:10.400 --> 00:14:11.480
All right.

00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:12.380
- Let's go for it.

00:14:22.040 --> 00:14:24.160
I wonder if these rocks were on

00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:30.190
have been free of ice for a long time,

00:14:30.190 --> 00:14:35.190
or if, because this used to
be a much bigger glacier.

00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:37.440
- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.900
What you can guess is that

00:14:39.900 --> 00:14:43.350
when you see the landscape
getting pretty round.

00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:45.530
You see like there, for example,

00:14:45.530 --> 00:14:49.133
and that's because it
was shaped by the ice.

00:14:52.300 --> 00:14:57.170
I'm really warm, I think
I need to do something.

00:14:57.170 --> 00:14:58.853
- I'm getting super warm as well,

00:14:59.803 --> 00:15:01.853
I think I'm gonna take off my base layer.

00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:05.823
- These Gators are also pretty warm.

00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:11.157
Okay.

00:15:11.157 --> 00:15:12.074
- Let's go.

00:15:15.270 --> 00:15:16.928
- Okay, I follow you.

00:15:16.928 --> 00:15:19.237
- You're cute, I need
to take a photo of you.

00:15:20.150 --> 00:15:21.040
Wait a minute.

00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:21.873
- Ski stand.

00:15:26.121 --> 00:15:27.170
- It's awesome.

00:15:27.170 --> 00:15:30.750
- [Narrator] It's unusually
warm today, even for summertime.

00:15:30.750 --> 00:15:33.840
If put together, the
100,000 glaciers in Alaska

00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.170
would cover the whole of Austria.

00:15:36.170 --> 00:15:39.013
But since the early 1980s,
they've been melting faster.

00:15:40.430 --> 00:15:42.460
I can already tell that
the landscape has changed

00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:43.773
in the past few years.

00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:48.570
- To me, icecaps are unique playgrounds

00:15:48.570 --> 00:15:51.820
where I feel alive and
connected to nature.

00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:54.120
I like how they challenge me,

00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:57.440
but they are fragile and
dramatically receding.

00:15:57.440 --> 00:15:59.240
Not only does the ice melt,

00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:03.233
but all the eco-system
around it is also affected.

00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:13.230
- What a day.

00:16:13.230 --> 00:16:14.260
- Yeah, what a day,

00:16:14.260 --> 00:16:18.260
it's good to finally connect with nature

00:16:18.260 --> 00:16:19.240
and the wilderness.

00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:22.110
- Yeah, I know, I was craving that.

00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:23.780
I was craving that.
- Yeah, me too.

00:16:23.780 --> 00:16:27.160
- It's so vast, and so, the colors are,

00:16:27.160 --> 00:16:29.040
I don't know, they're so beautiful.

00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:31.013
It's peaceful and quiet.

00:16:32.740 --> 00:16:33.810
Can we close the door?

00:16:33.810 --> 00:16:34.643
- Yep.

00:16:51.520 --> 00:16:54.000
- [Narrator] The weather
changes the next morning,

00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:55.903
it might start snowing any moment now.

00:16:57.220 --> 00:16:59.943
I test our satellite phone
to make sure that it works.

00:17:07.080 --> 00:17:08.230
- So just for your information,

00:17:08.230 --> 00:17:11.080
the phone is staying here in
the sleeping bag all the time,

00:17:11.080 --> 00:17:13.003
in case you need to access it.

00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:15.473
Say I'm in trouble.

00:17:17.840 --> 00:17:18.990
- Do you see something?

00:17:19.910 --> 00:17:22.073
- Not yet, coming soon.

00:17:22.073 --> 00:17:25.390
- Well, it says, do you
have it on, is it working?

00:17:25.390 --> 00:17:28.113
- Yeah, I have five bars of network.

00:17:29.040 --> 00:17:32.163
- Well, it says connection status error.

00:17:33.210 --> 00:17:35.260
- Connection status error, one more time.

00:17:36.916 --> 00:17:37.816
- How can that be?

00:17:38.990 --> 00:17:41.940
- I really hope it's because
we're surrounded by mountains.

00:17:44.520 --> 00:17:45.353
- Is that possible?

00:17:45.353 --> 00:17:46.373
- Yeah, that's possible.

00:17:48.508 --> 00:17:51.020
- You're telling me those
words are super reliable.

00:17:51.020 --> 00:17:52.614
- No, no, they are they are.

00:17:52.614 --> 00:17:56.040
- It's the only way we can ask for help

00:17:56.040 --> 00:17:59.573
or just give news or receive news.

00:18:01.580 --> 00:18:04.223
Oh well, at least it stopped raining.

00:18:06.270 --> 00:18:07.860
- [Narrator] As long as
the weather is on our side,

00:18:07.860 --> 00:18:10.440
we have to try and get as far as possible.

00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:13.090
Sudden changes in weather
often come without warning.

00:18:14.790 --> 00:18:19.790
- Vincent, do you know
where is the sun cream?

00:18:20.385 --> 00:18:21.218
Vincent?

00:18:23.931 --> 00:18:24.764
Vincent?

00:18:25.842 --> 00:18:26.675
- Yeah, Lea.

00:18:26.675 --> 00:18:28.473
- Do you know where is the sun cream?

00:18:33.249 --> 00:18:34.895
Will you reply to me?

00:18:34.895 --> 00:18:37.250
- Well, I'm a little bit busy right now.

00:18:37.250 --> 00:18:38.540
- Okay, where are you?

00:18:38.540 --> 00:18:40.803
Okay sorry, I'm sorry.

00:18:51.329 --> 00:18:52.170
- What do you want?

00:18:52.170 --> 00:18:53.542
- Sorry.

00:18:53.542 --> 00:18:55.699
(laughing)

00:18:55.699 --> 00:18:58.147
- I'm starting to getting
pissed, I was like,

00:18:58.147 --> 00:19:00.943
well, he should reply to me, sorry.

00:19:02.450 --> 00:19:04.700
(laughing)

00:19:06.300 --> 00:19:08.210
There's not much intimacy, is it?

00:19:08.210 --> 00:19:09.043
- No.

00:19:12.870 --> 00:19:17.730
Well, today's going to be nice snow

00:19:17.730 --> 00:19:20.710
until we get to a complicated area.

00:19:20.710 --> 00:19:22.705
- Yeah, what complicated means.

00:19:22.705 --> 00:19:25.110
- Well, crevasses and up and downs,

00:19:25.110 --> 00:19:28.240
and we really have to navigate,

00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:30.173
you know, to find a smooth way.

00:19:31.659 --> 00:19:36.507
So it might be a little more
tricky than the past days.

00:19:37.350 --> 00:19:38.290
But the good thing is that

00:19:38.290 --> 00:19:40.450
we get really close to the ice edge,

00:19:40.450 --> 00:19:42.310
which means the water is nearby.

00:19:42.310 --> 00:19:46.763
- I'm expecting some
beautiful formations as well.

00:19:49.350 --> 00:19:51.360
Okay, are you ready?

00:19:51.360 --> 00:19:52.307
- Yeah, ready.

00:19:55.560 --> 00:19:58.873
Ready to move on and get to the water.

00:20:00.523 --> 00:20:03.106
(gentle music)

00:20:08.560 --> 00:20:10.780
- [Narrator] I'm addicted to
the feeling of being outdoors

00:20:10.780 --> 00:20:12.880
and knowing that I'm completely on my own.

00:20:13.840 --> 00:20:14.850
But being on the ice

00:20:14.850 --> 00:20:16.960
also means being under extreme physical

00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:18.373
and psychological strain.

00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:22.130
My mentor, Borge, taught
me how to overcome them.

00:20:44.040 --> 00:20:48.000
- I come from really the lucky generation,

00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.240
where we have experienced so much growth

00:20:52.600 --> 00:20:55.460
and had a very good life.

00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:56.350
But I'm not sure

00:20:56.350 --> 00:20:59.320
that that this going to
last into the future,

00:20:59.320 --> 00:21:02.163
unless we do something and act.

00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:08.947
We are now at my Island (indistinct),

00:21:10.084 --> 00:21:14.410
and I built this place

00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:16.230
because everything I like to do is here.

00:21:16.230 --> 00:21:20.400
Is kayaking, climbing and diving.

00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:23.970
And my goal with this place

00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:28.970
is to make it into a
climate neutral resort,

00:21:30.890 --> 00:21:33.290
where we produce our own energy,

00:21:33.290 --> 00:21:37.290
where we grow our own food.

00:21:37.290 --> 00:21:40.340
And I think you have to start somewhere

00:21:40.340 --> 00:21:41.940
and why not start with yourself?

00:21:48.340 --> 00:21:52.510
- Expeditions for me is adventure.

00:21:52.510 --> 00:21:57.510
And I think adventure is a moment

00:21:58.010 --> 00:21:59.653
that takes you into the unknown.

00:22:00.520 --> 00:22:05.520
It's a place where failure and
success are linked together.

00:22:07.260 --> 00:22:09.660
It's definitely a place
where life is authentic.

00:22:12.370 --> 00:22:14.000
Living in the outdoors

00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:17.140
and connecting with the natural elements

00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:21.353
has taught me the importance
of resource conservation.

00:22:36.909 --> 00:22:38.070
- [Narrator] I don't want to tell Lea,

00:22:38.070 --> 00:22:40.810
but the next stage of our
expedition worries me.

00:22:40.810 --> 00:22:42.430
Here, below the fern line

00:22:42.430 --> 00:22:44.350
where more ice melts than forms.

00:22:44.350 --> 00:22:46.900
Treacherous crevasses
hide underneath the snow.

00:22:46.900 --> 00:22:48.870
A false step can be fatal.

00:22:48.870 --> 00:22:52.203
- Come on (indistinct) something
pretty interesting here.

00:22:53.300 --> 00:22:54.133
- I'm coming.

00:22:55.350 --> 00:22:56.967
That looks pretty deep.

00:22:56.967 --> 00:22:59.290
- Do you remember when
we talked about crevasses

00:22:59.290 --> 00:23:00.353
and the dangers?

00:23:01.220 --> 00:23:03.360
Well, this is a good example

00:23:03.360 --> 00:23:06.363
of how dangerous crevasses can be.

00:23:07.350 --> 00:23:10.590
Well, this one is a
small one, so it's okay,

00:23:10.590 --> 00:23:13.923
but when they're similar shape but bigger.

00:23:15.090 --> 00:23:18.860
You see there a wall of ice on both sides,

00:23:18.860 --> 00:23:23.460
and when it's like this and shaped as a V.

00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:25.880
So pretty wide on the top, but-

00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:26.713
- Narrowing.

00:23:26.713 --> 00:23:28.080
- Yeah, narrowing, exactly.

00:23:28.080 --> 00:23:30.363
And if you would fall on one of them,

00:23:31.490 --> 00:23:33.363
imagine with the weight.

00:23:34.340 --> 00:23:35.173
- You get stuck.

00:23:35.173 --> 00:23:37.500
- You would stuck to the bottom.

00:23:37.500 --> 00:23:40.120
And also probably the fact of panic,

00:23:40.120 --> 00:23:43.110
the ice around you will start melting,

00:23:43.110 --> 00:23:45.273
so it will progressively digest.

00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:48.700
So you will be basically, yeah,

00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:50.130
you'll be digested by the crevasse.

00:23:50.130 --> 00:23:53.890
And that's why these ones are very scary.

00:23:53.890 --> 00:23:56.542
- So you have to be
rescued very quickly then?

00:23:56.542 --> 00:23:57.375
- Yeah.

00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:03.543
(gentle music)

00:24:17.144 --> 00:24:18.549
- You think it's okay?

00:24:18.549 --> 00:24:19.800
- Yeah.
- You're sure?

00:24:19.800 --> 00:24:20.883
- Yeah, sure.

00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:28.733
- Well, that's not my
favorite part, to be honest.

00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:35.530
- Okay.
- That's okay.

00:24:40.866 --> 00:24:42.310
One ski after the other.

00:24:42.310 --> 00:24:43.172
- What was that?

00:24:43.172 --> 00:24:44.573
- [Vincent] One ski after the other.

00:24:44.573 --> 00:24:48.020
One, you can put the
skis on the other side,

00:24:48.020 --> 00:24:51.800
first, establish a good base,
and if you feel comfortable,

00:24:51.800 --> 00:24:54.730
then you get the other ski in the front.

00:24:54.730 --> 00:24:58.293
Really take your time, take
your time, I've got you.

00:25:02.309 --> 00:25:03.146
- Fucking hell.

00:25:03.146 --> 00:25:04.414
- [Vincent] Good.

00:25:04.414 --> 00:25:06.640
- It's okay?
- It's okay, it's okay.

00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:07.670
- It's okay.

00:25:07.670 --> 00:25:09.193
- It's not easy, it's not easy.

00:25:09.193 --> 00:25:10.860
- No problem at all.

00:25:13.975 --> 00:25:18.975
Okay.

00:25:26.751 --> 00:25:29.555
Do you think we've made
it through the worst part?

00:25:29.555 --> 00:25:30.388
- Sorry.

00:25:30.388 --> 00:25:32.856
- Do you think that was the worst part?

00:25:32.856 --> 00:25:35.290
(indistinct)

00:25:35.290 --> 00:25:37.220
- And also when we go close to the lake

00:25:37.220 --> 00:25:39.740
on the ice edge it will be like this

00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:41.420
and even more complicated.

00:25:41.420 --> 00:25:42.253
- Okay.

00:25:42.253 --> 00:25:43.840
- Sometimes we'll just take off the skis

00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:46.220
when it gets too difficult.

00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:49.463
I think right now we have
couple of crevasses to pass,

00:25:50.360 --> 00:25:52.700
to traverse and then I think we're safe

00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:53.900
back in the good ground.

00:26:25.010 --> 00:26:27.660
- [Narrator] We can see
the glaciers end from a far

00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:30.400
but the last kilometers are the toughest.

00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:33.720
It's as if the Miles Glacier
doesn't want us to part,

00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:35.603
like in an endless ice maze.

00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:03.092
(screaming)

00:27:12.668 --> 00:27:15.418
- We're prisoners of the ice now.

00:27:32.169 --> 00:27:34.553
(indistinct) Bear tracks.

00:27:36.213 --> 00:27:38.733
One, two, three, four,
yeah, going this direction.

00:27:40.100 --> 00:27:41.600
- They're pretty big, huh.

00:27:42.570 --> 00:27:46.030
- Yeah, it's either a
young, maybe young brown,

00:27:46.030 --> 00:27:49.083
young brown bear or polar black bear.

00:27:50.280 --> 00:27:51.830
(indistinct) check it out here.

00:27:53.760 --> 00:27:56.260
The claws, do you see the claws here?

00:27:56.260 --> 00:27:58.153
- Oh, I see way too many claws.

00:27:59.090 --> 00:28:00.823
I'm not laughing at it, I mean.

00:28:02.030 --> 00:28:03.283
I'm just in awe.

00:28:04.646 --> 00:28:06.803
- It's (indistinct) the size of a hand.

00:28:06.803 --> 00:28:10.333
Even my nails are pretty
small compared to these claws.

00:28:14.505 --> 00:28:17.200
- I have a pepper spray
in my day bag, yeah?

00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:19.346
- Yeah, that's good, yeah that's good.

00:28:19.346 --> 00:28:21.096
Yeah, yeah, for sure.

00:28:22.047 --> 00:28:25.300
That's okay, 'cause it's so open,

00:28:25.300 --> 00:28:28.160
if we see one here we'd
have the time to react

00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:30.227
because we could see him on a distance.

00:28:30.227 --> 00:28:32.190
- Okay.
- But that's good.

00:28:32.190 --> 00:28:33.133
- It's impressive.

00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:35.340
- Well, what really amaze me,

00:28:35.340 --> 00:28:38.424
is imagine having a bear
crossing a glacier there.

00:28:38.424 --> 00:28:41.630
- Well, I guess, I mean, it
must have crossed at some point.

00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:44.180
It doesn't look too old,
does it, you see the claw.

00:28:45.588 --> 00:28:46.930
- It's really good detail here.

00:28:46.930 --> 00:28:48.187
- Yeah, that one is-

00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.290
- So I really guess these tracks

00:28:51.290 --> 00:28:54.433
are from a black bear, fairly small,

00:28:55.430 --> 00:29:00.430
and further down we might
see brown bear tracks.

00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:03.260
And you can make a difference between,

00:29:03.260 --> 00:29:05.040
like a brown bear and the grizzly.

00:29:05.040 --> 00:29:08.100
The brown bear leaves nearby the shore,

00:29:08.100 --> 00:29:09.560
so they are way bigger,

00:29:09.560 --> 00:29:11.400
'cause they feed on a lot on salmon,

00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:15.080
and the grizzlies are
much more in the interior.

00:29:15.080 --> 00:29:18.040
So they eat berries and
they also eat salmon,

00:29:18.040 --> 00:29:21.700
but the amount of salmon
that is closer to shore

00:29:21.700 --> 00:29:24.600
is more important, that's
why they call it brown bear.

00:29:24.600 --> 00:29:26.610
Shore and grizzly is interior.

00:29:26.610 --> 00:29:28.750
- Okay, well, that makes sense.

00:29:28.750 --> 00:29:31.133
- But well, anyway, they
both have sharp teeth.

00:30:01.550 --> 00:30:03.480
- [Narrator] Finally we
reached the frontier cliff

00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:06.960
and the Miles Lake reveals
itself in front of us.

00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:08.840
We're too weak to jump for joy,

00:30:08.840 --> 00:30:11.670
but a deep feeling of happiness arises.

00:30:11.670 --> 00:30:12.960
It is a gift to experience

00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.263
this wonder of nature with all senses.

00:30:17.340 --> 00:30:19.680
The silence here is indescribable

00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:21.453
but it also makes us thoughtful.

00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:24.740
How much longer will the Myles Glacier

00:30:24.740 --> 00:30:26.423
still exist in all its glory?

00:30:57.050 --> 00:30:58.380
Now we have to pack our luggage

00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:01.380
from the slides onto inflatable rafts.

00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:02.620
The next 30 kilometers,

00:31:02.620 --> 00:31:05.403
we will ride down the gentle
currents of Copper River.

00:31:06.300 --> 00:31:09.270
Our final destination is
the Port City Cordova,

00:31:09.270 --> 00:31:10.570
where our expedition ends.

00:31:18.620 --> 00:31:20.220
After 10 days in the wilderness,

00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:21.280
the Million Dollar Bridge

00:31:21.280 --> 00:31:23.950
is the first sign of civilization.

00:31:23.950 --> 00:31:25.790
Where once gold panners dug,

00:31:25.790 --> 00:31:27.160
you can now find one of the few

00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:30.130
salmon sonar stations worldwide.

00:31:30.130 --> 00:31:32.300
Shane Shepherd, who
works for the Department

00:31:32.300 --> 00:31:35.890
of Fish and Game, supervises
the isolated station.

00:31:35.890 --> 00:31:38.190
We take a night of rest
in an actual bed here.

00:31:41.154 --> 00:31:43.987
(water splashing)

00:31:46.320 --> 00:31:48.400
- So this is your working tools?

00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:52.460
- Yeah, I'm out here with the
Alaska Department of Fishing.

00:31:52.460 --> 00:31:53.994
- It's good to be on here.

00:31:53.994 --> 00:31:54.827
- Absolutely.

00:31:54.827 --> 00:31:57.380
Would you guys like to come
and see our sonar operation?

00:31:57.380 --> 00:31:58.950
- Would love to.
- Fantastic.

00:31:58.950 --> 00:32:01.470
- As you can imagine,
we're really into outdoor

00:32:01.470 --> 00:32:02.860
and we're really curious too,

00:32:02.860 --> 00:32:05.440
every time we can stop in the river and.

00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:06.883
- Oh yeah, come on up.

00:32:08.997 --> 00:32:10.193
Just watch your step here.

00:32:15.660 --> 00:32:17.770
- Oh, I love to see some vegetation.

00:32:17.770 --> 00:32:20.270
- Yeah, beautiful greenery right now.

00:32:20.270 --> 00:32:21.323
The rush of summer.

00:32:22.790 --> 00:32:23.960
Welcome to our office.

00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:25.482
- Thank you.

00:32:25.482 --> 00:32:27.870
- Wow, it's a cute little shack.

00:32:27.870 --> 00:32:30.040
- We're out here to count salmon

00:32:30.040 --> 00:32:33.240
that are migrating to
their home spawning grounds

00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:36.370
in order to spawn, reproduce
for the next generation.

00:32:36.370 --> 00:32:38.470
And then those fish are going to die

00:32:38.470 --> 00:32:40.280
at the end of that spawning event,

00:32:40.280 --> 00:32:41.920
and we are accounting those fish

00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:44.700
in order to provide
information for managers

00:32:44.700 --> 00:32:47.100
in town, back in Cordova,

00:32:47.100 --> 00:32:48.730
that are making management decisions

00:32:48.730 --> 00:32:51.180
related to the commercial
fishery of these fish.

00:32:51.180 --> 00:32:53.650
When to fish, how long
we're going to fish for,

00:32:53.650 --> 00:32:56.290
are we gonna close certain areas?

00:32:56.290 --> 00:32:58.470
Yeah, so that's our real purpose out here.

00:32:58.470 --> 00:32:59.890
Right now, there are two species

00:32:59.890 --> 00:33:01.320
that are running at the same time.

00:33:01.320 --> 00:33:02.820
We have Sockeye salmon,

00:33:02.820 --> 00:33:04.530
they're also known as red salmon.

00:33:04.530 --> 00:33:07.310
And then we have Chinook salmon,
also known as King salmon,

00:33:07.310 --> 00:33:08.700
they're are running at the same time.

00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:10.000
- These are the biggest salmon?

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:10.870
- Yeah.
- The kings?

00:33:10.870 --> 00:33:11.703
- Yeah, king salmon,

00:33:11.703 --> 00:33:14.790
you get the largest of any salmon species.

00:33:14.790 --> 00:33:17.620
They can be upwards of a meter long

00:33:17.620 --> 00:33:21.170
and weigh somewhere in the
range of 50 to 70 kilos

00:33:21.170 --> 00:33:22.310
at their heaviest.

00:33:22.310 --> 00:33:25.110
But the average is down more
around like 10 kilos or so.

00:33:26.070 --> 00:33:27.420
But they're, they're big fish.

00:33:27.420 --> 00:33:29.250
- What you guys are doing is so great

00:33:29.250 --> 00:33:32.170
because right now I see the resource

00:33:32.170 --> 00:33:36.010
nowadays completely
differently than 10 years ago.

00:33:36.010 --> 00:33:37.640
And right now, when I see the resource,

00:33:37.640 --> 00:33:41.340
and we were, for example,
together going down the river

00:33:41.340 --> 00:33:44.173
and seeing the salmons, this is just gold.

00:33:46.197 --> 00:33:47.270
What you guys are doing is amazing,

00:33:47.270 --> 00:33:49.690
'cause it really needs to get some help

00:33:49.690 --> 00:33:52.600
to spawn this 300 miles.

00:33:52.600 --> 00:33:53.840
- Thank you.

00:33:53.840 --> 00:33:54.813
- It's really important.

00:33:54.813 --> 00:33:56.360
- It's a big responsibility,

00:33:56.360 --> 00:33:58.160
and it's something that
I feel really honored

00:33:58.160 --> 00:33:59.750
to be able to participate in.

00:33:59.750 --> 00:34:03.490
You know, these fish they're
kind of magical fish.

00:34:03.490 --> 00:34:04.740
They're really important.

00:34:07.250 --> 00:34:09.320
- [Narrator] Two sonar
units, one on the ground

00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:10.290
and one in the water

00:34:10.290 --> 00:34:12.483
collect data on the salmon passing by.

00:34:13.540 --> 00:34:16.543
This enables Shane to predict
changes in the fish stock.

00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:19.640
In times of climate change

00:34:19.640 --> 00:34:21.660
and an intensive use of resources,

00:34:21.660 --> 00:34:23.830
such measurements are
important to protect the fish

00:34:23.830 --> 00:34:25.780
and sustain the fishermen's livelihood.

00:34:34.250 --> 00:34:36.180
It's great to see how Shane does his work

00:34:36.180 --> 00:34:38.270
at the Million Dollar Bridge.

00:34:38.270 --> 00:34:40.833
Our unconditional love
for nature connects us.

00:34:41.998 --> 00:34:43.750
- I don't know, I mean, I guess
I got involved in all this

00:34:43.750 --> 00:34:46.680
just because I really love being outside,

00:34:46.680 --> 00:34:49.150
working outside and
really loved the animals.

00:34:49.150 --> 00:34:52.760
And a big part of it is that
it's such a rewarding job

00:34:52.760 --> 00:34:56.110
to be a caretaker for a
species that's so important.

00:34:56.110 --> 00:34:59.517
And that has a clear, like
the stuff we do out here

00:34:59.517 --> 00:35:01.320
has a clear role in management

00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:02.480
that's actually affecting

00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:04.180
what's going on with that species.

00:35:05.060 --> 00:35:08.330
But I think another part of it
that I just fell in love with

00:35:08.330 --> 00:35:10.580
and like keeps me coming back is,

00:35:10.580 --> 00:35:13.690
is living in such a
beautiful place like this

00:35:13.690 --> 00:35:16.810
and waking up every day, walking outside.

00:35:16.810 --> 00:35:18.893
- I have to say, I'm a little bit Jealous-

00:35:18.893 --> 00:35:20.380
(laughing)

00:35:20.380 --> 00:35:21.580
- The culture here in America

00:35:21.580 --> 00:35:23.563
is definitely one of consumerism.

00:35:24.490 --> 00:35:27.720
And I think when you grow
up in that kind of culture

00:35:27.720 --> 00:35:29.780
you almost have an instinctual desire

00:35:29.780 --> 00:35:33.840
to fill any kind of emptiness in yourself

00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:36.490
or to seek happiness through stuff,

00:35:36.490 --> 00:35:38.453
through acquiring and buying things.

00:35:39.430 --> 00:35:41.130
- I think it's the society.

00:35:41.130 --> 00:35:44.370
I guess a society that
based on consumerism

00:35:46.713 --> 00:35:49.910
is a sick or is a ill society in a way.

00:35:49.910 --> 00:35:52.370
- I think that we get disconnected,

00:35:52.370 --> 00:35:53.203
like we were saying,

00:35:53.203 --> 00:35:56.200
where you lose touch
with what is real in life

00:35:56.200 --> 00:35:57.260
and what really matters.

00:35:57.260 --> 00:35:59.140
This is one of those
places too in the world

00:35:59.140 --> 00:36:01.170
where a subsistence lifestyle

00:36:01.170 --> 00:36:03.350
is more approachable than
almost anywhere else.

00:36:03.350 --> 00:36:06.133
Where there are still those
natural resources intact.

00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:08.810
- It's the only places I've been traveling

00:36:08.810 --> 00:36:11.320
to quite some different locations.

00:36:11.320 --> 00:36:13.540
Alaska is one of the rare places

00:36:13.540 --> 00:36:16.760
where I've seen so many
people living off the grid

00:36:16.760 --> 00:36:19.970
and pulling out, picking
up, gathering, hunting,

00:36:19.970 --> 00:36:22.410
and taking from nature in a nice way,

00:36:22.410 --> 00:36:24.160
So they could have it in-

00:36:24.160 --> 00:36:26.208
- In a sustainable way.
- In a sustainable way.

00:36:26.208 --> 00:36:28.320
- And sustain it for.

00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:30.720
So that's why we like Alaska.

00:36:30.720 --> 00:36:31.553
- Beautiful.

00:36:35.070 --> 00:36:37.230
- An hour away to Cordova, right?

00:36:37.230 --> 00:36:38.665
- Yay.

00:36:38.665 --> 00:36:40.598
- It's gonna be good.

00:36:40.598 --> 00:36:44.250
- It's gonna be nice to
meet a new small community.

00:36:44.250 --> 00:36:45.290
It's pretty, isn't it?

00:36:45.290 --> 00:36:46.660
- For sure, yeah.

00:36:46.660 --> 00:36:50.470
As far as I remember, about
2000 people (indistinct)

00:36:50.470 --> 00:36:52.127
- Very little.

00:36:52.127 --> 00:36:54.450
- The kind of community
that I'm sure you'll like

00:36:54.450 --> 00:36:56.980
and I remember I really
liked it last year.

00:36:56.980 --> 00:36:58.023
- Yeah.
- Yeah.

00:36:59.620 --> 00:37:03.740
It's nice people, some people
who decided to come there

00:37:03.740 --> 00:37:05.780
and live there, close to nature.

00:37:05.780 --> 00:37:07.890
- You can really live from nature,

00:37:07.890 --> 00:37:09.120
like you can hunt and fish

00:37:09.120 --> 00:37:11.540
for most of your meat from there.

00:37:11.540 --> 00:37:12.373
I can imagine that.

00:37:12.373 --> 00:37:13.450
- You can hunt and gather.

00:37:13.450 --> 00:37:14.455
- Yeah.

00:37:14.455 --> 00:37:17.038
(gentle music)

00:37:22.280 --> 00:37:23.540
- [Narrator] In my early 20's,

00:37:23.540 --> 00:37:26.440
I earned my living by working
on a fishing boat in Alaska.

00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:29.110
Ever since I've loved this country.

00:37:30.180 --> 00:37:32.470
It fascinates me to see
how small communities

00:37:32.470 --> 00:37:33.863
like Cordova function.

00:37:35.090 --> 00:37:35.923
Quite naturally,

00:37:35.923 --> 00:37:38.270
they live off the things
that nature gives them.

00:37:43.770 --> 00:37:45.890
- Is it possible to have a mix of

00:37:45.890 --> 00:37:49.866
like salmon and rockfish tacos?

00:37:49.866 --> 00:37:51.650
- Yeah, we can do that.

00:37:51.650 --> 00:37:54.549
Do you want the salmon grilled or fried?

00:37:54.549 --> 00:37:55.437
- Grilled

00:37:55.437 --> 00:37:57.290
- We're back in town?

00:37:57.290 --> 00:37:59.510
- It's good to not have dry food anymore.

00:37:59.510 --> 00:38:01.840
- Yeah, so rockfish?

00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:03.998
- I think this is real salmon

00:38:03.998 --> 00:38:07.350
and that one is fried rockfish.

00:38:07.350 --> 00:38:09.073
We can just share if you want.

00:38:10.776 --> 00:38:13.193
- And I'm gonna go like this.

00:38:18.681 --> 00:38:20.000
It tastes really good.

00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:23.110
- Yeah, dry food is okay
when you're outside all day

00:38:23.110 --> 00:38:25.563
but there's nothing like fresh food.

00:38:27.350 --> 00:38:29.970
Is there things to see in Cordova?

00:38:29.970 --> 00:38:31.413
Do you have memories from it?

00:38:31.413 --> 00:38:33.410
- I think the most interesting thing

00:38:33.410 --> 00:38:35.948
in downtown is to go to the harbor.

00:38:35.948 --> 00:38:36.781
- Yeah, look at the fishing boats.

00:38:36.781 --> 00:38:38.041
- Yeah, yeah, fishing boats.

00:38:38.041 --> 00:38:39.470
There's so many fishing boats.

00:38:39.470 --> 00:38:41.890
I remember from last
year it was about 500,

00:38:41.890 --> 00:38:45.983
so it's like 2000 people in
Cordova and there is 500 boats.

00:38:50.100 --> 00:38:51.120
- [Narrator] For the coastal region

00:38:51.120 --> 00:38:52.440
of the Prince William Sound,

00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:53.930
a recovery center was founded

00:38:53.930 --> 00:38:56.403
after the oil catastrophe in 1989.

00:38:57.840 --> 00:39:00.070
Ever since the Exxon Valdez damage,

00:39:00.070 --> 00:39:02.500
its goal is to protect
and preserve the region

00:39:02.500 --> 00:39:05.433
as an intact ecosystem
for future generations.

00:39:08.374 --> 00:39:10.426
- Hi there.
- Hi.

00:39:10.426 --> 00:39:11.259
- Good, you?

00:39:11.259 --> 00:39:12.720
- Vincent
- Hi, I'm RJ.

00:39:12.720 --> 00:39:14.461
- Hi RJ, Vincent.

00:39:14.461 --> 00:39:15.600
- I'm Lea.
- Lea, Elizabeth.

00:39:15.600 --> 00:39:17.030
- Lea, good to meet you.

00:39:17.030 --> 00:39:18.240
- All right.
- Nice to meet you too.

00:39:18.240 --> 00:39:20.603
- We've been rafting the Copper River.

00:39:22.350 --> 00:39:23.830
- [Lea] We've just arrived here.

00:39:23.830 --> 00:39:26.280
- So you dodged crevasses and cataracts

00:39:26.280 --> 00:39:28.059
and made it all the way here?

00:39:28.059 --> 00:39:30.373
- Yeah (indistinct), absolutely.

00:39:30.373 --> 00:39:33.373
(seagull squawking)

00:39:39.240 --> 00:39:41.640
- The big advantage we have in our state,

00:39:41.640 --> 00:39:44.430
is that when we became a state,

00:39:44.430 --> 00:39:47.040
rather than a territory,
we adopted a constitution,

00:39:47.040 --> 00:39:48.743
basically just like the US.

00:39:49.610 --> 00:39:52.110
And it spells out the priorities

00:39:52.110 --> 00:39:53.710
and the management of resources.

00:39:53.710 --> 00:39:56.390
And the constitution
requires the state of Alaska

00:39:56.390 --> 00:39:58.570
to manage all of its resources,

00:39:58.570 --> 00:40:01.330
for long-term sustainability
and resilience.

00:40:01.330 --> 00:40:03.330
And the other thing they did
was they set up a priority,

00:40:03.330 --> 00:40:08.080
who gets to use the fish that
come back, you know, for fish.

00:40:08.080 --> 00:40:10.790
The number one priority is the escapement,

00:40:10.790 --> 00:40:13.150
those fish getting into
the system to reproduce.

00:40:13.150 --> 00:40:16.450
That's the number one
priority of state management.

00:40:16.450 --> 00:40:18.698
- The work of fishing game.
- That's right.

00:40:18.698 --> 00:40:20.510
- [Vincent] To count the
salmon, going upstream,

00:40:20.510 --> 00:40:21.750
making sure there's enough.

00:40:21.750 --> 00:40:22.610
- That's right.

00:40:22.610 --> 00:40:25.550
The second priority of managing those fish

00:40:25.550 --> 00:40:28.230
is to make sure that tribal communities

00:40:28.230 --> 00:40:31.680
and isolated Alaska
residents have fish to eat,

00:40:31.680 --> 00:40:33.200
that's called subsistence.

00:40:33.200 --> 00:40:35.600
So subsistence is the second priority.

00:40:35.600 --> 00:40:37.390
If there's a limited
number of fish available,

00:40:37.390 --> 00:40:40.050
first come spawning, second
comes subsistence use.

00:40:40.050 --> 00:40:43.190
After that sport fishing
and commercial fishing

00:40:43.190 --> 00:40:45.350
can be utilized on
anything that's in excess

00:40:45.350 --> 00:40:48.730
of subsistence and replenishment.

00:40:48.730 --> 00:40:50.873
So it's a phenomenal management system.

00:40:52.319 --> 00:40:53.850
One of the things we're attempting to do,

00:40:53.850 --> 00:40:57.580
is to build a system of
knowing, a knowledge system,

00:40:57.580 --> 00:41:00.810
about our region, 'cause the
world's too freaking big.

00:41:00.810 --> 00:41:05.130
So what can we accumulate,
you know, for our region

00:41:05.130 --> 00:41:08.470
and kind of be like the
electronic ancestor,

00:41:08.470 --> 00:41:10.100
you know, village is very cool.

00:41:10.100 --> 00:41:11.620
I worked with tribal communities

00:41:11.620 --> 00:41:14.190
in the upper region, as well as here.

00:41:14.190 --> 00:41:16.240
And one of the things you have there

00:41:16.240 --> 00:41:19.170
is this deep respect for
elders and elder knowledge.

00:41:19.170 --> 00:41:22.820
Incredibly traditional deeply interested

00:41:22.820 --> 00:41:24.350
in an elder's perspective.

00:41:24.350 --> 00:41:27.610
And that's because here somebody
that's 80 or 90 years old,

00:41:27.610 --> 00:41:29.730
they've accumulated cultural knowledge

00:41:29.730 --> 00:41:32.600
and natural system knowledge
beyond what the brightest

00:41:32.600 --> 00:41:34.660
and best of the young folks can know.

00:41:34.660 --> 00:41:37.040
So in my mind, I'm helping build a toolbox

00:41:37.040 --> 00:41:38.590
for the next generation or two.

00:41:40.310 --> 00:41:41.500
- [Narrator] We end our expedition

00:41:41.500 --> 00:41:44.520
into the wild beauty
of Alaska and Cordova.

00:41:44.520 --> 00:41:47.470
In five hours we'll be
back in the big city.

00:41:47.470 --> 00:41:49.830
Tours into the untouched nature like this,

00:41:49.830 --> 00:41:52.730
show me that we don't
need much to be happy.

00:41:52.730 --> 00:41:53.940
What I've learned from this journey

00:41:53.940 --> 00:41:56.450
is that we have to rethink our way of life

00:41:56.450 --> 00:41:59.090
if we want to preserve
our nature at its best

00:42:00.690 --> 00:42:03.490
- The balance between
nature and the human beings

00:42:03.490 --> 00:42:07.270
just that everyone is in a decent scale,

00:42:07.270 --> 00:42:09.480
in good dimensions.

00:42:09.480 --> 00:42:11.723
There is enough nature
for each individual.

00:42:12.870 --> 00:42:14.203
It's so important.

00:42:15.780 --> 00:42:17.030
- It looks like everyone,

00:42:18.090 --> 00:42:20.470
the people here are really in tune

00:42:20.470 --> 00:42:23.110
with the rhythm of nature.

00:42:23.110 --> 00:42:24.400
- Where it's the right moment

00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:27.393
for the right salmon for the right bird.

00:42:27.393 --> 00:42:29.140
- It's just very, appreciative.

00:42:32.130 --> 00:42:37.030
- It's so fine how they
know the schedule of nature

00:42:37.030 --> 00:42:39.357
so well, it's wonderful.

00:42:40.764 --> 00:42:42.847
(water )