Dale Matson
I was drafted during the Vietnam era and after my training,
I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks Alaska until my discharge. The
Alaskan state flower is the Forget-Me-Not and I haven't forgotten Alaska. I
intended to go back but have not done so.
There are quite a few reality series TV shows centered on
the “Off the grid” lives of folks who live in the Alaskan outback. I have
followed most to one degree or another. “The Last Alaskans” is the latest and
very best of this genre. The show follows the lives of three families and a
single man living alone estranged from his wife and children. They are allowed
to remain in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska until they
and their offspring die. Then no one will be allowed to live there. There is
additional background on the program here: http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/the-last-alaskans/about-the-last-alaskans/
The series has excellent reviews including the Wall Street
Journal and the New York Times. Alaska’s two major newspapers offer a mixed
perspective with the Fairbanks paper being very positive and the Anchorage
paper being negative. In the latter case, I believe it is more a function of a
reviewer who often feels obligated to be critical. I base this on reading some
of her other reviews.
The filming is excellent. The quality of the footage
is the absolute best of any series. They even use a drone for overhead filming.
There is an intimate focus on the activities of daily living. There is great
detail in filming the hands and facial expressions of the people. These folks
are involved in the serious business of living each day as it is presented,
being resourceful and finding enough to eat. The game is not plentiful. Bob Harte stated that there is less game per square
mile there than in the lower 48 states. Some of the film footage of this stark
landscape could be an individual landscape photograph. Everything this far
north is understated including the spindly trees. There is an abundance of fish
and caribou if you are in the right place at the right time. It is the moose
however that provides enough meat to get through the winter. The background
music is not “Creepy” as the Anchorage paper’s resident cynic Emily Fehrenbacher
put it. I find the music both haunting and fitting.
The People are easy for me to identify with since
most came from the Midwest also. I’m not sure folks born and raised in Florida
would ever find this much snow and cold an attractive place. In fact it is a
harsh, barren and difficult place to live…. to survive in.
Why would people be attracted to a place like this? For
those who live there, it is not just the location but also a way of life. Ray
Lewis (who reminds me of a younger Tom Selleck) said it is a difficult life but
a simple way of life. Certainly there
are no “YUPPIE nightmares” like the tail falling off the pool sweep. Certainly
they don’t worry about who is in or out of power in Washington or how to do an
electronic funds transfer. If there is a home invasion robbery it will be a
bear and not a person. They can make it and have the skillsets to live there
but could they ever live in “civilization” again?
What they do worry about is more basic than that. They worry
about making a mistake that would get them killed like falling through the
river ice. I held my breath as I watched Bob Harte climb a limbed tree to
adjust a radio antenna. Hearing the sound of another human voice is necessary
for him, even if it is only on the radio. He noted that he should have died 10
times already and as I watched him land his plane, I believed every word of
this lonely man.
The people don't seem to exhibit a lot of humor or joy but
they do reflect contentment and a
sense of determined independence. Their human qualities and care for one
another are very evident. There is no acting no matter how good, that could portray
the genuineness of these people who have been shaped, hardened and softened by
their environment.
Why are we here watching? We are watching because we too wish for a
simpler life and must find it vicariously. In their world, “Yes” means yes. The
nuances of life are analog not digital. There is respect toward one another and
the lives that must end in death at their hands for them to survive. They are
the top of the food chain and are cognizant of it. Could we give up the many
possessions that possess us? No. This show is our respite. It is our visit to
the wilderness and to a way of life more suited to and understood by the brain
in our head as it has evolved to this point. Thanks for sharing your lives with
us. We are not only entertained, we are edified and reminded.
Trail name Padre.
Watched the season finale and hope there is a season II.
ReplyDeleteThere is a season II in the works. Great!
ReplyDeleteSeason 2 begins in April and has moved to the Discovery Channel.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/last-alaskans-moves-discovery-channel-875014
I watched the first episode of season 2 and was immediately drawn back into the lives of the families. Bob Harte was not a part of the program and I wonder if he will remain in Fairbanks. It sounds like a younger person will be introduced in the next episode. What a wonderful program!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Bob Harte is a part of season 2 after watching episode 2.
ReplyDeleteEpisode 3 was wonderful. These people are gritty, rough hewn and real, living a basic and simple existence. their emotions are only skin deep and honest. It is a joy to watch this show so beautifully done with music to match. Bob Harte remains fragile.
ReplyDeleteEpisode 4. I don't think Bob Harte will ever be back to his cabin. The living requires a robust individual. Saying that he was usually 170 lbs down to 123 is way too frail for the lifestyle. Sorry Bob, glad you have your wife to help. Tyler and Ashley Selden seem well stocked for the winter with meat and fish. They are the new generation.
ReplyDeleteEpisode 5 was excellent with more on the Lewis family. I love the way the camera catches the looks on the faces of the family members and the close ups of them doing simple tasks. Everything is quiet and subdued. Here is an interesting link about keeping this series real.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2015/06/the-last-alaskans-animal-planet-behind-scenes-producers/
Episode 6 was satisfying since Heimo finally got his moose for winter meat. He had delayed this hunt in order to finish his cabin. We saw Charlie Jagow introduced. He is a 20 year old resident of the refuge who is making his own way. He is young but has the survival skills of a journeyman resident. I hope Bob Harte's health is improving. This series continually has me pulling for the residents. Will they have enough to eat? Will they have a sturdy shelter built in time for winter? Will they be safe from predators? It is a simple life lived on the edge.
ReplyDeleteWow! what a final episode. It makes me sad the season has ended once again. The cinematography has gotten even better. You can see the fire reflected in Edna's Korth's glasses as they burn down their flooded, moldy former cabin which held so many memories including the drowning death of one of their four daughters. The final show was about beginnings and endings. Charlie Jagow is the new Bob Harte beginning where Bob Harte ended with the construction of a professional quality log cabin. Both are pilots and have their own planes. Ashley Selden said that she felt "Rich" having enough food and fur. It is the statement that best describes the attitude of those who live this subsistence existence.The problems with the Wolverine robbing their bait and animals from their traps reminded me of the same problem Marty M. experienced last year in Mountain Men. Of course, I hope there is a 3rd season and still worry about Bob Harte's health.
ReplyDeleteYear 3 began Wed the 22nd on the Discovery Channel. This is good news indeed!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like there are four episodes in season 3. The first episode maintained the quality of the first two seasons. Heimo got his Cairbou. Tyler's brother was added as they boat their way up the Yukon to the camp with his wife flying in with the other dogs later. Young Charlie Jagow was added last year and is a wilderness wunderkind. His cabin is almost finished as a solo effort. Even at a young age he seems suited and skilled for solo wilderness living. I saw no evidence this year of Ray Lewis and his family and would miss them if they weren't a part of this season's cast. It looks like the long awaited and anticipated return of Bob Harte may happen by episode three with hints at his return in the first episode with his voice and face briefly interjected.
ReplyDeleteActually I noticed that there are six episodes not four with the final episode to air on the last Wednesday in April.
DeleteI watched the 2nd episode (recorded from Wednesday) last night. How wonderful it was to see Bob Harte, a much healthier man back at his cabin. His illness was not disclosed. I can only imagine how disturbing it must have been for him to see that some unknown intruder had been staying in his cabin. Tyler Selden and his brother stopped by a deserted cabin on their return by river to his cabin. The cabin was built by a deceased trapper and was trashed by bears. He came back to a cabin that had been flooded once again and commented that he would have to move his location. That sounds like a good idea. Heimo and Edna greeted their daughter and granddaughter who were flown in by plane. He commented that having enough wood for winter early on is good in case you become injured and it would be easy to become injured with the lifestyle they lead.
ReplyDeleteI watched the 3rd episode and I am disappointed that the Lewis Family has not been a part of this season. However, it was so good to see Bob Harte again with lots of time devoted to him. I guess I identify with him the most since we both are realizing our limitations and infirmities and how this restricts us from experiencing all the seasons of the wilderness. As Bob walks, I can see a stiffness that I too exhibit. But....he is still there, recovering, gaining strength and perhaps hoping to overwinter there next year. He is a man who fully appreciates daily the life God has given him. Tyler Selden and his brother carrying a stove to their new cabin site reminded me of a friend and me carrying a new stove into an earth sheltered home I had built into a southeastern Wisconsin hillside. The stove so symbolizes the final fitting of a new place when it is installed and fired up for the first time. Having the annual wood supply nearby cut, stacked and covered for the winter is both a thing of beauty and a comforting sight psychologically. It means independence of sorts also. Some of my favorite times were spent cutting, splitting and stacking wood with my sons.
ReplyDeleteI continue to be impressed with young Charlie Jagow. He is experienced, skilled and has the necessary connectedness to the wilderness to make a go of it. He is a good planner, careful and meticulous in his preparation and execution of his plans.
ReplyDeleteEdna and Heimo bid farewell to their visiting daughter and her infant. I can sense the pain in their hearts that they suspect none of their girls will come back to live there on a permanent basis, although they still hope for this.
The Seldens are getting much needed help from his family building their 'final' cabin and Tyler is being meticulous about it. There is the usual man chatter trash talking as they work.
All the families in the series express a willingness to accept the dangers of wilderness living and things over which they have no control like grizzly bears breaking into their gear or worse yet, into their cabins. All of them also understand their unique place in a way of living that is disappearing. Certainly they have more in common with the late John Muir than their contemporary Elon Musk
I recorded episode 6, watched it and saved it to watch again. This is simply my favorite tv show. It is a reality series that is real. The camera work and music are wonderful. The people are basic too. It was good to see Bob Harte back, if only for a short period. Perhaps he will be well enough to live year- round again with his dog Ruger. (Gee, I wonder where he got the name?).
ReplyDeleteThe Seldons, Korths, and Charlie Zagow getting their moose for the winter meat was a sense of closure. Past seasons have not been so kind. I think I will keep episode 6 available to view a few more times. I mourn the fact that I would not be robust enough at age 72 to live this very arduous and dangerous lifestyle any longer. I know there are other off the grid folks in the wilderness and hope they continue to remind us in our materialistic culture, how little we need and how the simple life makes us more human not less human. What a series! Thanks to the Discovery Channel for continuing this series and I hope there is a season four that would include the Lewis family again.
I was previously unaware that Bob Harte had passed away in July of 2017. He lived a full and rewarding life. I am thankful he was willing to share some of it with us.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquisitr.com/4392086/bob-harte-from-the-last-alaskans-has-passed-away/
I to was sad to learn of his passing. I'm glad he shared his passion for life up there. He was a good man and person on the show.
DeleteI think some of Bob Harte's ashes landed in our yards too.
DeleteThe Last Alaskans will begin a new season March 29th 2018. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteNot seen yet. Watching show now on Animal Planet. Still not figure out what happened to Charlie's parents.
DeleteHere is some information on his parents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GakZB-lBes4
DeleteI'm not sure what happened. This is the latest information I have.https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2018/01/last-alaskans-season-4-2018-bob-harte/
ReplyDeleteIf you know something please comment.
I got this via email today. They have been renewed but there is no specific date for the start of season 4.
ReplyDeletehttps://premieredate.news/tv-series/2376-the-last-alaskans.html
It was announced today that the new season for the Last Alaskans will resume November 25th.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/last-alaskans-renewed-at-discovery-channel-1158068
ReplyDeleteThe Last Alaskans had a 2 hour rerun on November 18th as a prelude to the new season beginning at 10pm on November 25th. The program is so good, I watched the entire November 18th rerun. Can't wait to see the new season of my favorite program. I believe I forgot to mention the Hayden siblings (Susan and Daniel) who were introduced last season. They were born and raised in ANWR. Charlie Jagow's sister Susan had an extended visit with her brother also.
ReplyDeleteI watched a taped episode. It was episode one of year four tonight. This years cast consists of the Seldons and their new daughter Sydney, the Korths with their daughter and grand daughter soon to join them and Charlie Jagow. I noticed two quick views of the late Bod Harte also--miss him. I miss the Lewis family from season one also. All the families are totally dependent on the land with a narrow balance between abundance and scarcity. In this episode, the eagles were villains because of their predation of the ducks. Fire had destroyed a large area where Charlie and his father before him had cut trap lines through the woods. He first surveyed the burn area by plane and then walked a section too. Tyler and his brother had a successful Caribou hunt. There was more use of drone footage. The cinematography and music were excellent as usual. For me it is the fastest hour on TV and I look forward to the next episode.
ReplyDeleteSaw a recorded episode 2 last night. The son in law of the Korths is also with their daughter and granddaughter. Big problems with mold that needed to be dealt with in their cabin. Heimo had a problem with mold in one of his cabins that was so bad, he had to burn the cabin down. Lots of memories as the cabin burned to the ground. I don't know if the Hayden siblings will be a part of this year's program. Bob Harte appeared in a large segment of this program with posthumous footage. I believe the Fairbanks footage was mostly (if not all) new footage with the bush footage a repeat. Imagine 40 years, living in the bush. It made me sad to see him in such a weak but hopeful state in Fairbanks. Charlie Jagow was followed as he hunted. What wilderness skills for someone of any age let alone someone this young. He is the real deal.
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday was another great episode. Heimo's daughter and her husband both got a Caribou, hunting with Heimo. He is passing on the family torch. You can just see his daughter's natural affinity for and skills in the the wilderness life. This is quite different than her life in the lower 48 states yet her transition back to wilderness living was as if she had never left her parents. The Seldons successfully drove a point well inside their cabin which will improve their quality of life quite a bit. Such a basic thing as water close at hand is cause for joy. No more carrying a child and two pails of water from the river for Ashley. Imagine how much water they needed with all of the sled dogs needing water daily also.This series is about the most basic activities in life like food, water and shelter. Personal safety is another issue with all the cast members carrying big caliber revolvers in holsters on their hips. The women are very much the equals in sharing the load. Bob Harte was included again with posthumous footage. Even though it is painful to watch, his continued presence allows him to remain a part of this series. There is no doubt in my mind that he lived his life to the fullest, even though his final years were alone. His former wife was his wife once again caring for him in his final days. I remember his comment that he should already be dead with his airplane crashes a few years back. There is so much joy in living life in the most basic of conditions. John Muir and others would understand.
ReplyDeleteI watched Season 4 episode 4 last night. Words cannot express how captivated I am by the quality of the program, the videography and the people. Bob Harte has a continued presence in the series and Heimo went back to fetch some things from Bob's cabin for Bob's wife. A previous episode where Tyler and his brother come across a derelict cabin made me think at the time, of the probable destiny of Bob's cabin. I'm not sure all of what previously aired regarding Bob but some of it was unfamiliar to me. It was a 50 mile boat trip from Heimo's cabin to where Bob lived. Both he and Heimo had known each other since the two first arrived. Looking at photos of both men when they were young and robust was a poignant moment. You could see that it was difficult for Heimo as he removed items from Bob's cabin for Bob's wife. The items included an "Alaska number 9 wolf trap" a short wave radio and a rocking chair. The camera focused on spider webs on the remaining traps. Nature was beginning to reclaim her territory that Bob once resided. It reminded me of another cinematic moment where Edna and Heimo watch their cabin that was filled with mold and mildew, burn and as it burned, the flames reflected in her sunglasses and memories went through her mind. This experience triggered thoughts of his own eventual death. As he looked at Bob cabin, you could imagine him thinking about similar items in his own cabin and his own history in the wilderness. He had spent 5 years by himself and said he could never do it again. At age 74, I think about my own passing also and envy Heimo that he is still young and hardy enough to continue this way of life that he loves so much.
ReplyDeleteI was happy for Edna who now has family around during Heimo's trips away from home. Their daughter Krin Nelson is a good blend of her parents and a wonderful wife for Scott and mother to Colby. Scott has a heart to learn.
Charlie Jagow once again showed that he has what it takes already at such a young age. He is a young version of Bob Harte and both are/were pilots. Charlie is really carrying on the wilderness life having been raised in the wilderness with his sister. Wanting to use his father's rifle/shotgun was another way of keeping the family tradition alive and showing respect and love for his father. As he was cooking a rabbit for himself, I noted once again what a splendid job he did building the cabin. You could see however that he hopes for a woman to share it with and raise his own family there.
The episode on Sunday the 31st spent quite a bit of time with Bob Harte's wife Nancy returning to his cabin with their daughter Talicia and granddaughter Carmella. The main reason for the return was to spread his ashes on a particular ridge on which the couple spent special moments together when Nancy still lived with Bob. My late father was an outdoorsman and it made me think of his life too. I don't believe he was happier than when he was out in his boat fishing for the elusive lunker bass at our summer cabin on Tipsico Lake. Nancy showed her dormant skills with a rife by shooting a partridge for dinner. Tyler and his brother (Dylan?) built a sturdy log smokehouse and because of a successful moose hunting trip were quick to hang the moose there. The season was still warm and it was important to smoke the meat to preserve it. I am reminded of the story of Chris McCandless (Into The Wild) who shot a moose and most of it spoiled because he didn't know how to preserve the meat.
ReplyDeleteHeimo and his daughter Krin had another unsuccessful Moose hunt while her husband Scott prepared a log ramp and space for the boat and motor during the winter. Heimo dropped Krin off to hunt her way back to the cabin which shows his trust for her wilderness skills. Heimo respects Scott who continues to learn the necessary wilderness skills and is contributing in this family's survival. If Scott and Krin remain, it will extend Heimo and Ednas' time in the wilderness before they 'age out'. Heimo continues to hope that Krin will want to continue to remain there with them. There is always the continuing pressure to have enough meat on hand for the winter.
The episode on Sunday the 6th Focused on Tyler trying to find his way to the lake and to find his trap line after the forest fire. It was good news because the trap line trail had been spared the ravages of the fire. Tyler would only need a couple of days to clear the deadfalls. He could now set trap lines. While he was out, Ashley towed her new daughter on a sled and checked snares for rabbits. My wife shook her head marveling at her grit.
ReplyDeleteThe bad news for Charlie Jagow was that the woods through which his trails were cut were destroyed by fire. The saying goes, "It has burned, it is burning or it's gonna burn." Fortunately, Bob Harte had given his trapping trails to Charlie prior to his death. Charlie flew into the area by plane and set up camp not too far from Bob's cabin. His wilderness skills continue to amaze me. There was a nice overhead shot with Charlie standing on the river near his plane with the vast wilderness stretched out before him.
Edna caught some nice Grayling through the ice after Heimo drilled some holes with his auger. Heimo then took his snowmobile further to try and bag a moose. No luck! It is interesting that Tyler, Charlie and Heimo all carry a 3/4 handle axe for marking blazes and testing the ice. And that is an ongoing concern. Charlie noted that he had fallen through the ice 3 times. Heimo said that if you fell through the stream could carry you for miles under the ice and you would never be found. Finally, That is a pretty boss snow mobile that Heimo runs around on.
The episode on January 13th focused on Heimo's family and the Seldens. Charlie Jagow was not a part of this episode. Krin did get her moose but it was not filmed. Heimo is still looking to bag his moose as he runs his trap lines. Coming back to her Alaskan roots Krin noted that it was a "rewilding". She is really at home in the wilderness as she hunted for the kill site where wolves killed a moose. Watching her find the site was amazing and the purpose was to set a snare to catch a wolf that would return to the site. She said "I can smell the [dead] moose" when she was near the kill site. She is a very knowledgeable and skilled trapper having learned well from her father Heimo but she has her mother's spirit. She even left tracks designed to look like moose tracks as she left the area where she set the snare. It surprises me that she doesn't use snow shoes in the deep snow. It looks like her husband Scott takes care of their child and does most of the home chores. He still has a lot to learn.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching Tyler working with his sled dogs. He is quite partial to using dogs for travel vs a snow mobile. There was a camera on the sled and we all went along for the ride. Tyler and Ashley made sausage together for the first time from the smoked moose meat. They seemed to be having fun. Meanwhile their daughter crawled on the floor or was carried around by Tyler while Ashley finished. It sounds like another child is in their future. Tyler compared himself to a Salmon jokingly, that donates to the next generation and then dies. He is a sturdy lad in the prime of his life. Once again, both families are living very full lives enjoying those lives and living those lives with just the basics. Heimo stated that very few could live this way and commented on a fallen down cabin abandoned by 2 young men. When Heimo came across the cabin years ago he noted that the men were so anxious to leave that their meal was still on the stove when they left to catch the plane out. Heimo stated again, referring to the Scotts, "I hope they stay on". He has stated more than once that if anything happened to Edna, he would not stay by himself. (He did stay by himself for 6 years when he was younger.) If the Scotts stay, I suspect Heimo would stay also even if Edna died. Bob Harte was lonely but it was his failing health that made him leave.
Sorry I missed discussing the episode 2 weeks ago and I deleted it. Feel free to offer up some comments on what impressed you.
ReplyDeleteLast Sundays episode was maybe the last of the season. I was pleasantly surprised that the Discovery folks were able to have Bob Harte be a part of this full season even after his passing. It was tastefully done. He was not just a part via past footage but also footage I don't remember seeing before. He was also a part before dying by allowing Charlie Jagow to use his trap line trails after Charlie's burned in a forest fire. It seems like some of the program participants like The Scotts and the Seldens are only residents during trapping season and the season ended with the Scotts and Seldens about to leave for the season. This included Tyler's sled dogs. As I continue to be pulled into their lives, I am hoping with Heimo and Edna that the Scotts will extend their stays in the wilderness in the future. I was glad for Scott that Heimo helped him get a Wolf. Charlie and Tyler both had good trapping seasons. We all watched..and watched. Some said to themselves, "I wish I could do that" (me for example) but at my age of 74, I don't think Heimo will still be there. Some said, "I could do that" and maybe will in some other remote location. Bob Harte talked about writing a book. He could have done that and I wish he had. I don't believe in reincarnation but Charlie is so much like a younger version of Bob Harte. I hope Charlie finds himself a young lady with the backwoods skills like Krin Scott or the willingness to learn those skills. Still wish the Lewis family would again be a part of the series. Hoping to continue commenting next year and with God's Grace and Mercy, I will. Pax et Bonum Dale+
What kind of radio did Bob have in his cabin, ham radio, short wave, satalite?
ReplyDeleteI am open to correction on this but I believe it was just an AM radio. He had an antenna on a large pole for it. I think he could get a Fairbanks radio station with it.
Delete