[ Animals calling ] Narrator:
Previously on "Mountain Men"... the Alaskan winter
storms in early... Morgan: Looks like
there's a storm rolling in. Narrator: ...pushing Morgan
to the edge of survival. I'm not seeing much up here. This is really looking
pretty bad. You know, if you can't hunt
and you can't grow food, then you're gonna
starve to death. Narrator:
Tom bets on back-to-back wins
in Montana's high country. Tom: We trapped this place
last year, too. And I've made a good catch
out of here. There's a lot of sign
down here in the bottom. But that's not a guarantee
at all. Narrator:
And Rich loses his grip. Rich: Ohh, man! Ohh! [ Dogs barking ]
Man: Rich, you hurt? ♪ And be a simple kind of man ♪ Rich, you hurt?
What happened? Oh, I was going up the tree,
and the branch fell up there. I landed on this rock,
and I cut my hand. ♪♪ [ Retching ] My back, it's killing me. Ohh. ♪♪ [ Grunting ] I ran a line yesterday, and it ended up getting late
in the day... Ah. Oh. Oh. ...and fell out of the tree,
landed on this big rock. Aah! Knocked the wind out of me,
but I got home late last night, and so I thought this morning,
I'd feel better, but I'm worse than
I was last night. So I better get it looked at. Are you gonna be okay,
or do you want me to drive? No, I can go. [ Winces ] Hang on. Hang on. I never go to the doctor's,
so, I mean, I don't really want to go, but I don't think
I got much choice. It feels like somebody's
stabbing me in the back, so hopefully I ain't got
something real serious. But, uh, we're gonna find out. You just be careful. [ Barking ] Narrator: The nearest doctor
is 60 miles from Rich's home. The decision
to seek medical help is a last-resort option
during peak lion season. Rich: I should be hunting. Can't let my dogs
be out of commission. A lot of people out there
depending on me, and, I mean,
I can't let them down. I can deal with some pain,
but, I mean, this is a bad deal. ♪♪ Narrator:
While winter strikes early
in the Northwest, across the country,
in North Carolina, the last days of fall
are still counting down as Eustace Conway prepares
for his 36th year in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Eustace: This is my home. This means everything to me --
this big, wild, open forest, this way of living,
this type of freedom. This is the whole backbone
of my reality. That's kind of the essence
of the American dream. Narrator:
Eustace and his business
partner, Preston Roberts, have spent the last two years
building a logging business from the ground up, and now it's time
to start turning a profit. Eustace:
Last year, we did really good
with our lumber. We got a lot of trees.
We got that sawmill cranking. But we don't get paid for
just cutting these trees. We only get money when we get
the boards sold to somebody. Narrator: But there's one more
obstacle to overcome. Hardly anybody anymore knows how
to build with rough-sawn lumber. But if it's smoothed down
and planed, easy to build with, then a lot more people
would be interested in it. So the more people
that want what you have, the easier it is
to sell it and get your money. Narrator: To turn his stockpile
of rough-sawn boards into finished lumber, Eustace needs a specialized
machine called a planer mill. He's been hunting for
an affordable model for months and just got a lead from
an owner two counties over. ♪♪ Eustace: When I found out
this thing was available and that I could possibly
get it, I just was ecstatic. I was like, "Lady, please, don't
give this to anybody else!" Yeah, baby. Preston:
Eustace is pretty psyched about the prospects
of this planer mill. But we might get over there,
and this thing might have been sitting out in
the weeds for the last 40 years. We don't really know. But I do know that if this planer mill's working
and working well, it's gonna really improve
our lot. ♪♪ Eustace: It looks like a nice
country house right here. Hi! Hey! You're Diane? I am. Diane's just a really kind,
generous, welcoming person. Narrator:
Diane is offering Eustace
her vintage planer mill free of charge, in exchange for hauling it
off her property. Well, are you excited? Oh, I want to see
what you got. Well, you got your work
cut out for you, I tell you. Is that right?
Yeah. Planer's down that way.
Cool. All right.
Thank you. Man! This is a behemoth.
[ Laughs ] Oh, my gosh. That's an amazing piece
of machinery right there. Narrator:
The planer mill -- 5,000 pounds
of cast-iron engineering, able to finish a board
every six seconds, but it's 125 years old and hasn't been run
in over a decade. Oh, my gosh.
I had no idea. I had no idea it was this big.
I mean, I like it. But I don't know
how we're gonna get it home. I don't, either. Oh, my. You know,
before we get too crazy about figuring out how
we're gonna move this thing, we really need to see if
it's frozen up or not, Eustace, 'cause this thing,
if it's frozen, that's just --
it's just scrap metal. Don't talk about this
as scrap metal.
Yep. My gosh, we'll get it going
somehow. Well, maybe. I mean,
let's see if it turns. Here's the main shaft
right here.
That's a --
That's a cutter here. Let's see
if we can pull that. [ Grunts ] Preston: The ridge cap
on this building's gone, and so water's blowing in on it. And things can rust up. Uh, dirt can just blow in on it,
start piling in. And pretty soon, what happens is the metal parts
can't move anymore, so we just call it frozen. [ Grunts ] One, two.... [ Grunts ] If those pieces can't move,
it won't operate. If it doesn't operate,
it's useless. Again.
One, two... You're just wasting your time,
Eustace. [ Grunts ] [ Blows ] ♪♪ Narrator:
In the Purcell Mountains
of Montana, Tom Oar is determined to get
his 35th winter in the Yaak off to a better start
than last season. On the rebound from one of the toughest years
he's ever faced here, Tom's return to the high country
and its remote honey hole, Porcupine Creek, on the hunt for
a healthy haul of beaver fur. As long as I can trap enough
and tan enough, I can make a living doing this. But if I slack off any,
then I'm just treading water. Narrator: Tom's already
made this five-mile hike eight times this winter and so far has nothing to show
for the effort. Tom: We never give up
on the first try. We're still hunting. Whoa. There's people tracks here. ♪♪ What the hell would anybody
be doing up here? Fresh, too. I just... They can't be very old. Wonder what the heck
somebody's doing in here. Let's see where these go here. It's startling to
find human tracks because there are so few people that ever go out into the woods
here. Oh... Oh, oh. Somebody's got a beaver set
in here. Another trapper's gotten in here
and has set traps. Narrator:
Over-trapping a single area can deplete the beaver
population too quickly and make it nearly impossible
for Tom to find fur. Man, I don't know how long
this trap's been in here, but he's been in to check it
this morning. It's first come, first serve. I just got beat out is all. I should have been here
a few days earlier. Good luck to you, bud. But apparently,
he's ahead of me, so there's nothing I can do. Morgan:
I got to get over there, Narrator:
In Montana's Purcell Mountains, Tom's facing competition
from another trapper who may have upset the balance
on his line. Been running this line, and I
haven't caught anything yet. [ Chuckling ] I don't know if
it's gonna get worse or better, but hopefully, it'll pick up. We'll see what happens. Narrator: The traps
Tom left to soak overnight will be a good indication
of the creeks productivity. ♪♪ We don't got anything. Ohh, well, let's get on
to the next trap. Maybe we'll get something. ♪♪ There.
I got one more trap here. ♪♪ There's the trap.
It's still set. Well, three traps and no beaver. I didn't make any catches today. Apparently, the other trapper,
he's been through here and picked off the top of them
already. ♪♪ I'll just pull the traps
that I had set, and I'll just go on
to another place. But it's a bad deal
to be not catching anything, and a trapper can't afford
to do that for very long. ♪♪ Narrator:
In North Carolina, Eustace may
have found the machine he needs to finally turn a profit
on his logging business -- a 125-year-old planer mill that
turns rough lumber into boards, but it only helps him
if it still runs. [ Grunting ]
That thing's frozen solid. If something sits
for a long time, it just starts rusting together, and the rust on one part bonds
with the rust on the other part. And so the pieces of metal
won't move. See that?
What is that thing? That's the place
where you put oil in. That's the way old machines --
where they just keep them
full of oil all the time. Like a trough.
Yeah. It works its way down and keeps
it moving all the time. Oh, yeah, looks --
That's brand-new oil,
isn't it? It looks like oil. It's some motor oil
that we found. It's -- It's kind of,
sort of thick. I'd rather have
some really penetrating oil, but a man can't be too choosy when he's only got
what he's got. All right. Now, help me
turn that thing on three. Yeah.
You got to believe.
You got to believe. Preston: Try to get a wrench
and a cheater bar on there and turn it
with some mechanical force. [ Grunting ]
It's going.
It's coming. Look at it.
It's going. I know it. There it is.
Yeah! There it is.
Whoo! [ Both laugh ]
Right on! You got it busted loose. I love it! Eustace: The more it moves,
the more the oil flows. The more the oil flows,
the more it moves. Gonna spin around and around. And the more it spins,
the looser it's gonna get. Oh, yeah.
[ Laughs ] Coming back alive.
Look at that. I won't say this often,
Eustace, but I believe you were right
this time. I believe
it's gonna work. Yeah! [ Laughs ] Man. This is a lot to move
right here. Guarantee it. [ Grunts ] We're gonna have to
get something big enough to haul this thing home. Our little truck
won't even touch it. Oh, no. What can we do? Preston:
Here's a wonderful planer, but there is no way in the world
we're getting this guy home. It's just not gonna happen,
not with our rig. ♪♪ Narrator: In Montana, Rich
makes a rare journey into town to assess the damage
after a hard fall that left him in severe pain. I don't go to the doctor
very often, you know, so... Um, I can deal with some pain, but I'm gonna have to
go get it checked out. [ Coughs ] It isn't what
I really want to do. [ Grunts ] Hi, Rich.
I'm Dr. Biel. How you doing? Good.
What's going on today? Oh, well, I had a mountain lion
in a tree, and I was trying to get him
to move around, and I ended up falling
out of the tree, and I think I did something
to my back. Okay. Let's take a look
at where you hit. Okay. ♪♪ Aah! [ Grunts ] You're pretty sore over here,
too. Aah!
Right there. So we should probably
get some x-rays, make sure
that nothing's broken.
Okay. We'll just go down the hall here
real quick.
This wasn't what I was hoping
to hear. All right. Rich:
Hopefully I ain't got something
real serious, but, uh... Ooh...
...we're gonna find out. Narrator:
In the Ruby Valley, Rich prepares
for his moment of truth. Dr. Biel:
So here's your x-ray. If you
want to just sit right there... Okay. [ Grunts ] So this is on the left side,
where you hit. This one is the worst. This one probably could shift
if you're not careful. And then you've got this one
down here and this one. Well,
how many did I break? Four.
[Bleep]. How long does it take those
to heal? Four to six weeks. Four to six weeks?
Mm-hmm. As long as you have pain,
you're still broken. They're gonna hurt. And they're gonna hurt
for a while. If you fall again,
you could puncture your lungs. If that happens, you'll have to
come see me again, and we'll have to put
a chest tube in. [ Sighs ] Rich: Being out six weeks, my whole season's
gonna be down the drain. Okay, thank you.
You're welcome. Things are starting
to happen right now. One day at a time, but who knows
what's gonna happen tomorrow? [ Engine starts ] Half my lion season's over. I'm not sure
what the heck I'll do. ♪♪ Narrator: On the edge
of the Arctic Circle, Marty Meierotto has returned
to his trapline in the Alaskan Interior after spending
the last two seasons away. Marty: Trapping my old line --
It's produced decent fur. I'm getting a few marten, but it's not like my other
trapline in the Revelations. Narrator:
This year, Marty's looking
to maximize his catch by working two lines
in a single season. He'll trap here for four weeks then fly
to the Revelation Mountains, a region rich with fur
but prone to late winters. The strategy should provide
the best of both worlds. Marty:
I'll trap here as long as I can. Hopefully the Revelations
are getting a lot of snow. When I feel like
there's enough snow and it's cold enough
and if it's frozen... ...I can make it
to the Revelations. But for now, I'm just gonna
enjoy trapping my old line. Narrator: To make the first leg
of the season profitable, Marty's adding a trapline
20 miles south, along a river that's home
to mink, muskrat, and otter. Marty:
I've never trapped this country, so I'm hoping that the fur's
gonna be out there. It's a lot harder to trap, but I think I can make
some money and stay on track. ♪♪ Okay, these are mink tracks
right here. Mink are weasels.
They're almost like marten. So I'll just kind of follow
along the edge of this slough and try and find a decent spot where he may have went into
a hole or back under the ice, and I'll make a set there. Okay.
Ooh, there we go. That's a good spot for a set. He's got kind of a trail where he goes into a hole,
you know, under the ice. Well, that's a good spot. Narrator:
Mink are semi-aquatic carnivores
that hunt fish during the day and return to their burrows
at night. Marty: I'm gonna set this
right over the hole, and he'll hit those triggers, and, boom,
got the old steel necklace. Kill him instantly. That's all I'm gonna do.
That's the whole deal. So hopefully, the mink will either come in
or go out and get caught and I'll have him
the next time through. ♪♪ Narrator:
In the Great Alaska Range, Morgan Beasley's dream
of carving out a home
on the frontier is turning into the greatest
challenge of his life. He's heading out on
what's become a daily ritual -- the search for food. Morgan:
Come on, Rufus. Let's get going. I've been looking
around the area, trying to get a little food
coming in. But so far, no luck. Lead out. Narrator:
Since Morgan arrived here
12 months ago, he's struggled to find
a reliable food supply for his animals and himself. Now the early onset of
extreme winter weather has made the situation urgent. Morgan:
This deep snow has made finding
feed for the horses pretty difficult. That's kind of
the worst-case scenario. They're not putting on weight,
and so they're starving. And it's up to me
to bring food to them. Rufus and I are leaving
to scout downriver along some gravel bars
and islands. Narrator: Today's search area
is a frozen river four miles to the south that Morgan's named
Stonehenge Creek. So far, it's been a good source
of firewood but little else. Morgan: I know there's a lot
of brush down here, but I wasn't really
looking at it in terms of horse feed
last time I was down this way. Narrator:
Horses require a high-fiber diet and usually rely
on a combination of grass, fruit, and grains
to get their nutrients. Morgan:
I think if I go downstream
on Stonehenge Creek, there are some brushy islands
and... The only thing I can think of
that'll be even potentially good browse
for those horses. [ Whistles ]
Rufus, come. This is about the end
of the packed trail I've been using
to cut firewood on. Got to break trail again
from here. I was hoping not to have to
go so far to find something, but push on. Narrator:
Trudging through deep snow burns three times as many
calories as walking on trail, and with a limited food supply, Morgan can't afford
to waste energy. ♪♪ [ Grunts ] [Bleep] it. It's pretty tough breaking trail
in the snow. And you just can't go very far
very easily. ♪♪ What do we got here? Oh, there's a good one. There's a bunch of cottonwoods
right there. I know the old Indians and the mountain men
in the Lower 48 used to cut cottonwoods
for their horses. People in the past have
used cottonwood browse for horses
to get them through the winter. So I'm gonna have to
try to use it 'cause I'm running out
of options. That's cool, but they're on
the other side of the creek. So much snow's blown in here. It's really hard
to read the creek. And I don't really know
how much ice is on there. I wish I had my shovel with me. I'm not completely certain
this is all frozen over yet. This is a fast-flowing creek. Pretty deep. I got to get over there. You know, I'm hoping
this is gonna hold me. ♪♪ [ Ice cracks ] That's spooky. I can feel the vibration
of the water. ♪♪ Get off my heel. [ Ice cracks ] [Bleep] Narrator:
In the Ruby Valley, Rich prepares
for his moment of truth. Dr. Biel:
So here's your x-ray. If you
want to just sit right there... Okay. [ Grunts ] So this is on the left side,
where you hit. This one is the worst. This one probably could shift
if you're not careful. And then you've got this one
down here and this one. Well,
how many did I break? Four.
[Bleep]. How long does it take those
to heal? Four to six weeks. Four to six weeks?
Mm-hmm. As long as you have pain,
you're still broken. They're gonna hurt. And they're gonna hurt
for a while. If you fall again,
you could puncture your lungs. If that happens, you'll have to
come see me again, and we'll have to put
a chest tube in. [ Sighs ] Rich: Being out six weeks, my whole season's
gonna be down the drain. Okay, thank you.
You're welcome. Things are starting
to happen right now. One day at a time, but who knows
what's gonna happen tomorrow? [ Engine starts ] Half my lion season's over. I'm not sure
what the heck I'll do. ♪♪ Narrator: On the edge
of the Arctic Circle, Marty Meierotto has returned
to his trapline in the Alaskan Interior after spending
the last two seasons away. Marty: Trapping my old line --
It's produced decent fur. I'm getting a few marten, but it's not like my other
trapline in the Revelations. Narrator:
This year, Marty's looking
to maximize his catch by working two lines
in a single season. He'll trap here for four weeks then fly
to the Revelation Mountains, a region rich with fur
but prone to late winters. The strategy should provide
the best of both worlds. Marty:
I'll trap here as long as I can. Hopefully the Revelations
are getting a lot of snow. When I feel like
there's enough snow and it's cold enough
and if it's frozen... ...I can make it
to the Revelations. But for now, I'm just gonna
enjoy trapping my old line. Narrator: To make the first leg
of the season profitable, Marty's adding a trapline
20 miles south, along a river that's home
to mink, muskrat, and otter. Marty:
I've never trapped this country, so I'm hoping that the fur's
gonna be out there. It's a lot harder to trap, but I think I can make
some money and stay on track. ♪♪ Okay, these are mink tracks
right here. Mink are weasels.
They're almost like marten. So I'll just kind of follow
along the edge of this slough and try and find a decent spot where he may have went into
a hole or back under the ice, and I'll make a set there. Okay.
Ooh, there we go. That's a good spot for a set. He's got kind of a trail where he goes into a hole,
you know, under the ice. Well, that's a good spot. Narrator:
Mink are semi-aquatic carnivores
that hunt fish during the day and return to their burrows
at night. Marty: I'm gonna set this
right over the hole, and he'll hit those triggers, and, boom,
got the old steel necklace. Kill him instantly. That's all I'm gonna do.
That's the whole deal. So hopefully, the mink will either come in
or go out and get caught and I'll have him
the next time through. ♪♪ Narrator:
In the Great Alaska Range, Morgan Beasley's dream
of carving out a home
on the frontier is turning into the greatest
challenge of his life. He's heading out on
what's become a daily ritual -- the search for food. Morgan:
Come on, Rufus. Let's get going. I've been looking
around the area, trying to get a little food
coming in. But so far, no luck. Lead out. Narrator:
Since Morgan arrived here
12 months ago, he's struggled to find
a reliable food supply for his animals and himself. Now the early onset of
extreme winter weather has made the situation urgent. Morgan:
This deep snow has made finding
feed for the horses pretty difficult. Narrator:
In the Great Alaska Range,
for the first time in weeks, Morgan's found food
for his horses, but his plan to bring it home
just hit a snag. Morgan: Rufus, go lay down! [Bleep] [ Shouts ] [Bleep] Is it hung up? [Bleep] When I went
to make the back cut, the holding wood broke,
but then the tree didn't fall. It stayed balanced on its stump,
hung up in the tree next to it. Rufus, you could have
gotten squashed. Just 'cause the chain saw's
not running doesn't mean
trees aren't dropping. You be careful.
You be a good dog. ♪♪ I'm gonna try
to use this small spruce tree and just give the tree
a little nudge. Rufus, come here. 'Cause, you know,
if there's a weird tree, you don't want to
get close to it. I'm gonna show you
where the term "I wouldn't touch it with
a 10-foot pole" comes from. There we go. Just a little tap.
Right where I wanted it. Phew!
That was unnecessarily exciting. It's amazing how little force
it took to free that tree. That thing was just hanging
by a thread. Come on, Rufus.
Let's cut some limbs. So I was pretty lucky that it
decided to fall away from me. It's a huge relief. This is the kind of stuff
I'm hoping the horses will like. I'm just gonna tie
a couple loops around here so I don't lose any
in the brush or so the whole load's
not shifting on me and, you know,
squeezing out everywhere. The horses don't like some of
this browse I'm bringing back, and I don't know
what I'm gonna do because, you know,
supplies are really low. But we'll cross that bridge
when we come to it. And, Rufus,
are you ready to go home? Yeah? All right. [ Grunts ] Come on. Let's get moving. Narrator:
Deep in the Alaskan Interior, Marty continues to hunt
for sign on the waterways south
of his Black River trapline. If this new country produces
fur, it could mean big profits. [ Engine shuts off ] Well, here's some,
uh, otter tracks. You can see
there's three of them here. It's hard to mistake an otter because
they're real unique tracks. They run, and they jump,
and they slide on their belly. And then they get up,
and they run, and they slide on their belly. And they just --
That's how they go. Because I don't get a chance
to trap that many of them, it's exciting for me
to be able to find otter sign and set on them. Where they go under the ice, that's where
you want to make a set. So I'll just follow
these things out until I find where
they go in the ice. And there'll be a hole. And that's -- that's where
I'll make my set. Otter sometimes
are worth a lot of money. Otter fur is nice
'cause it's real durable. So it makes real good hats
and gloves. Narrator:
A finished otter fur can fetch
up to $200 at market. Marty: The sign around here
is pretty encouraging. It seems like there's a lot
of fur out in the flats. All right, this is what
I was hoping to find. And that's where they came up
from underneath the ice. And you can see where
they just came through here. And it's all packed. Hopefully they'll use that
again. So all I have to do now is I'm just gonna set a 330
right there, right where they came out. It's a real simple set. Set it over in that hole,
and that'll be that. When they come up
out of that hole, he should just run
right into the trap. That's all I need to do. All right. Done. Simple. [ Engine starts ] Now that I got this trap set,
I'm gonna head on back. And then in the morning, I'm looking forward
to checking traps and hopefully catch something. ♪♪ Narrator: Across the country,
in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the century-old machine that will help grow Eustace
and Preston's lumber business is up and running, but now it's time to load it up
and move it out. It's really nice
to get this planer mill. I mean, this is gonna revolutionize
our whole lumber business. About ready
for this crosspiece? Yeah, I think we can
get him in there. All right. But the thing is
there's no way in the world we're gonna carry it home
on our little truck and trailer. So we're gonna use the rollback
to haul it home. It's gonna cost a lot of money,
but it'll be worth it. Well, there's the truck
right there. I love that.
[ Chuckles ] He's coming in here,
isn't he?
Oh, man. Come on in. Whoa! Man! That's outrageous. Whoo! Man!
You're a good driver! Just lucky, I guess.
Wh-What's your name? Mike.
Right on, Mike. Good to meet you.
I'm Eustace.
Good to see you. Good to meet you guys. Once he got the truck
in position, we got to get the deck
on the truck tipped down so we can hook to it
and winch it up. Go to the inside of it
right there. Okay. Eustace: I'm worried about
catching on that lip. I see that that lip
of that rollback is not underneath our sled
but on top of it. It might just
rip the bottom of it off. If you don't hook to
the right place on the machine, you'll just break a chunk
out of the machine. We don't want to break it. You just can't go out
and get new parts for a 125-year-old machine. Well, let's see what we can do
to get this thing on there. You want to?
Yeah. Okay. And that's a lot of power
he's gonna have there. The whole front of the truck's
off the ground. Okay, you're maxed out
already.
Yeah, I'm maxed out. Watch out.
That cable might snap. Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa. Narrator:
In the Great Alaska Range, Morgan returns to his homestead
with a Hail Mary -- a bundle of branches that could
solve his feed-supply problem if the horses take to it. Morgan: I really hope the horses
like to eat cottonwood. Icelandic horses are known as one of the hardiest breeds
in the world, capable of digesting
a little more roughage than your average horse. We're gonna put that
to the test. Come on, Rufus. If they don't,
it'll be a huge waste. I'll be out of options. Look what I got for you, kiddos. That's a new kind of snack. Red Light,
you want to give this a try? ♪♪ Oh, you like it?!
Is it any good?! You gonna try some more? Well, it seems like
Nicety's eating it, and he's the leader of the herd. He kind of makes
a lot of decisions. And if he'll eat it, I think
the rest of them will, too. What do you think? Is it worth eating? Mmm!
Yeah? You like it? Lucha, you like it, too, huh?
All right. Good deal. I'm really happy to
see them eating, uh, some local food here. They seem to be pretty into it. They're eating it with relish,
and, uh, they're not stopping. So that's a great sign. It means it's something
they find palatable. Now it's just a matter of me monitoring their health
and digestion and getting a whole lot more
of it to the barn. I think one of the most
satisfying sounds there is is the sound of horses
eating contentedly. It's incredibly relieving
to see them eating it and to kind of know
that there's hope. Since I got the horses' bellies
full -- a paramount importance... Good boy, Rufus. ...now I just need some meat. I'm doing everything I can, but I really don't have
a lot of time left. Something's got to work. Looks like I better go get
a whole bunch more cottonwood. ♪♪ Narrator:
In the Blue Ridge Range... Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa. ...Eustace just bet
his financial future on a 125-year-old planer mill. But first he needs to
get the 5,000-pound machine home in one piece. Preston: That won't work.
Gonna pull it off of the sled. We're sliding
everything along. It looks like
it's working good until the sled runs into
the back of the truck. The sled stops,
but the machine doesn't. The machine's coming off
the front of that sled. Narrator:
If the mill falls off the sled, its framework could crumple
under its own weight. Got to hook the sled
and the piece. Preston: I think the more meat
you got, the better. So Eustace hitches a chain
around both pieces and gives it another try. Wait, wait, wait. Oh... Hold on a minute. We're, uh,
losing that sled. It's, uh,
caught down there. This one beam's just not
coming with the program. It needs to join the party, or the whole thing's
gonna kind of fall apart. It was just this one piece. Hammer and nails, please. Hammer and nails. All right,
tighten up that chain. Let's see what we can do. Everybody clear?
Yep. Clear. We gonna run out of daylight,
boys. All right, come on. Okay. Preston:
This is a huge machine. It's moving. And he's got to pull it uphill,
you know, with a wooden sled, and he's got all the friction
of that concrete. So I hope
that it gets up on there. Right now, there's so much
resistance on the back, it's just kind of bowing
and, uh, dragging too much. We're gonna see if we can level
the truck bed out a little bit. But then the truck --
the front of the truck's just floating
in the front of there. The tires are off the ground. It's crazy, but I'm hoping
we'll lift it some, pull it some,
maybe level all that. Once we get it forward,
the tires will go back down. We can level it back up
a little better. [ Creaking ] I think we're more
than halfway there, even though we're a quarter
of the way there. [ Laughs ] I really do.
I think we got it now. Preston:
When that machine finally slides
up onto the back of that truck, you know, and he starts setting
it down and leveling it up, I'm like, "Hallelujah." It's on there! Whoo! Man! I love it. What do you say, brother? Right on. Good job. That thing is heavy,
isn't it? It's so heavy.
[ Laughs ] The whole front of the truck
was coming up in the air. And I've hauled a lot of weight,
and it's never done that before. Wow. I can tell
you operate it a lot. You're good at it.
Phew! Good luck. [ Laughter ] Eustace:
It was a real team effort,
all of us working together. We used every minute
of that day, and, uh, we can get
the real satisfaction that we're headed home. Looking good
over here. Looking good. Man, he's a good driver,
isn't he, Preston? We've got a whole lot of work
left to do here, but we've come this far. I don't think there's anything
gonna stop us now. We're just gonna have to
keep going and going till we're planing boards
with this mill. Narrator:
Next time on "Mountain Men"... Morgan fights the hunger... Morgan:
I really want fresh meat. I know my muscles
just feel weak. I'm just gonna try my hardest
and work myself till I drop. Narrator:
...while Marty's season
is up in the air. I can't see
where I used to land. Like, the river's just changed
completely. Narrator:
And as Tom tries to rebound
in the high country... Tom: I hit a stump. Narrator: ...the mountain winter
takes its toll. I think I might be here
for a while.
