How To Live Like A Mountain Man

NORTH ALASKA RANGE, ALASKA There are fewer people per mile in Alaska than almost anywhere on earth. Some of the most bare land is north of the Alaska Range, where mountain people Marty Meierotto run 150 miles of trap roads. This is Jack London’s territory: no towns, no roads. It’s just winter with temperatures close to 60 below, and the state’s 30,000 grizzlies and 11,000 wolves. Up here, there wouldn’t be a 911 if everything went sideways. One mistake – a broken, disoriented sled at nightfall – can be deadly. Meierotto must be self-sufficient: he is a pilot, navigator, hunter, master mechanic. He is also ready to face trouble and lives by a simple saying: “The moment you turn your back on this place, it will kill you.” But the rewards are great. Out here, where no one else is, is where a mountain man can feel himself most.Marty’s wilderness safety tips » Always have a plan to break — and hope you don’t. “You have to consciously think the worst all the time… The worst will happen eventually.” » Carry spare spark plugs in each jacket and pants.Wild moments from last season Meierotto’s feathery flight into the storm’s nest during his annual trip to his winter trap.BLUE MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINARead more: How to tell when a climbing man is lying West North Carolina is known as the High Country. Here, the Blue Ridge Mountains become one of the tallest mountains on the East Coast, nearing 6,000 feet. This could be the Land of Beulah — there are wild turkeys and deer to shoot (Daniel Boone hunted here), and nutritious vegetables like kale that grow all winter. However, it’s hard to live if you’re a mountain person giving up most modern ways. Winter brings snow and cold, and in summer comes the cicadas of Appalachian harbor, wooden rattlesnakes and southern copperheads. You have to work non-stop – tilling, planting, repairing something – for these mountains to give life. No wonder there’s always the hustle Eustace Conway had to eat 5,000 calories a day – an amount worthy of a Tour de France – just to gain weight. Conway said: “What do I have to do for a living? I live to make a living”.Eustace’s advice to live — and thrive »In the mountains, if you’re not always doing something, you’re doing something wrong.» A chainsaw is your best friend. Treat it well. » Daylight here is precious. Use all.Intruder Alert from Previous Part Conway battles intruders in chicken coops and wild places that threaten both the food supply and the peace of 1,000 acres, Turtle Island.YAAK VALLEY, MONTANARead more: how to play reverse psychology in a far northwest corner of Montana that is the lone Yaak Valley. This beautiful country is still home to many old elk, grizzly bears and tamaracks that are taller than humans. Don’t let its pretty face lull you: Yaak is not for the weak. The nearest supermarket is 100 km away. The cold, green winter coming down from Canada can last seven months. Summer’s main activity? Chop firewood for next winter. Here a mountain man had better have a rifle to get enough meat for long winters and to keep grizzlies from hunting with garden rake-sized legs. Where is this Tom Oar and his wife wrestled for a living from the mainland, practicing their lost skills in making buckskin and velvet items from the hunted Oar animals. He followed in the legacy of more than 3,000 mountain men who once roamed the highlands of Montana.Tom’s Hunting Guide for Wild Montana » Up here, it’s out the door and into the food chain. Forget that is in your danger. » Sprinkle two old antlers together that can attract a hound to your hunting spot. » Be a shot shot. “If you have to buy meat in the store, that’s the beginning of the end,” says Oar.Desperate measures from last season The worst fire season in living memory threatens to engulf Oar’s wooden house, then a grizzly swarm ravages his garden, forcing limping Oar to embark on one last trench deer hunt to get more food for the winter.Mountain Men airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. KST on HISTORY.Read more: Refrigerant recovery