Port Protection Alaska
★ 7.1 · 2015 · 60m · Reality · Drama
Port Protection is home to the few who have left behind normal society and chosen a different life in a remote Alaskan community, where survival of the individuals and community cannot sustain without the other. The stakes are high. The land is rugged and unforgiving and the seas which surround Port Protection are cold and merciless. With risk comes a reward more profound than mere survival: a world of beauty and freedom with the security of community and without the constraints of bureaucracy. In Port Protection there are no clear roads to survival, inhabitants must carve one themselves.
Episodes
1. Between Water and Wolves45m · Resourcefulness is key to survival in Port Protection and for 56-year resident Sam that means making the most of what he’s got. He sets out to extend the wear of his boots using mink oil — but first he must find and trap the minks. Gary heads to the shore to forage for sustenance, but extreme tides come only twice a month, so he must act quickly in order to find his dinner. Meanwhile, couple Hans and Timbi are determined to turn their property into a working farm, but recent injuries create a setback and they must rely on others in the community for help.
2. The Axeman Cometh45m · Winter’s end is approaching and the change of season brings new opportunities while closing the door on others. Sam has heard from other fishermen that halibut have been caught nearby. After months of living off of frozen food, he’s eager to catch some of the savory fish. Meanwhile trapping season is coming to a close and that means Gary is losing one of his main sources of income. He sets out for one last trapping trip in an effort to get enough fur to help meet his expenses for the year. Curly gets word that a massive tree is threatening a local house, and Mary sets out on the inexhaustible hunt for firewood.
3. Out of Luck45m · The residents of Port Protection deal with the forces of nature, yet again. Curly decides to support the community and take on pesky beavers. Sam finds it’s time to start his garden and encounters bad soil so he has to search the surrounding area for the necessary ingredients to sweeten it up. Rough weather and high winds complicate Timbi’s situation when she suspects she has a life-threatening blood clot and can’t leave the island. Meanwhile, Gary sets out to do some king salmon fishing and encounters another competitor, which jeopardizes his attempts to catch a fish.
4. Dead Standing45m · Spring has come to Port Protection and with it a host of chores and opportunities. Mary Miller takes advantage of bear season and heads into the nearby woods to hunt her first black bear. Gary Muehlberger sets out to trap a beaver in the hopes of teaching Port Protection’s newest resident, Amanda Makar, how to skin and treat it for its fur. And Hans and Timbi Porter overcome their recent surgeries and hike up a nearby mountain for firewood to an astonishing patch of land known as “the blow down.”
5. The Widow-Maker45m · The spring season progresses and the residents of Port Protection encounter tasks and challenges. When Curly tries to be a good neighbor by helping his friend Jiggy with a rotten tree that threatens to fall on his house, he finds his experience and determination tested. Mary passes the torch of knowledge to Amanda, teaching her the finer points of how to hunt and track game, to provide her with the tools to survive on her own. Sam readies the fire patrol boat, staging a fire drill with other community members, which involves setting a real fire.
6. Tree vs. Truck45m · Spring has arrived, and in Port Protection that means there is work to be done despite erratic bursts of rain, sleet and snow. Hans and Timbi set out to put up a greenhouse in order to grow fresh vegetables and herbs for the year, but they’ll have to make it with supplies they can piece together on the island. Sam scours the burned-out wreckage of Jack’s old warehouse for materials to build a portable hunting stove. Mary must travel to town through brutal weather to acquire supplies she needs for the spring hunting season. And Curly takes Amanda out for a grueling lesson in dropping trees and collecting much-needed firewood.
7. Broken Lines45m · Timothy “Curly” Leech and Amanda Makar set out to catch halibut with some borrowed equipment. Gary Muehlberger decides to test his mettle — and age — by returning to some old hunting grounds to catch a “hooter” and see if he’s still “got it.” Resident inventor and all-around DIY’er Sam Carlson tries to cobble together a vertical access wind turbine out of junk and scrap metal from an old shipyard. And Hans Porter sets out to test the pH levels of the town’s water supply, only to discover a dead-standing tree threatening the town’s pipeline.
8. The Devil's Club45m · The community of Port Protection encounters tasks and challenges as Gary goes shrimping, something he hasn’t done for a while. Meanwhile, Timbi searches for a natural remedy for Hans’ aches and pains. Curly tries to pull a tree from the forest, and Sam takes a camping trip into the island’s wilderness to hunt bear.
9. Predator Prevention45m · Spring has arrived and the residents of Port Protection complete essential builds and chores. Hans and Timbi take a giant step in realizing their dream of owning a working farm, by constructing a large duck pen. Sam forges staples, a small but critical tool, before heading out on his skiff to harvest firewood from the beaches surrounding Port Protection. Across the island, Mary reaches a remote mountain lake in order to catch freshwater trout, but a late spring squall has put the trip in jeopardy. Using milled wood from local trees, Curly attempts to breathe new life into his old truck by building a new flatbed, one that will provide the community with more firewood during the long, cold winter ahead.
10. Looking for Blood45m · Gary makes a supply run to Wrangell, Alaska, and is asked by Hans and Timbi to bring back some very precious cargo — ducks — that the whole community is counting on. Meanwhile, Hans and Timbi call on their neighbors, Mary and Amanda, to help them finish the duck barn in time for the Gary’s return. Curly, needing meat for the summer, sets out on a solo bear hunt. Sam and his friend Stuart try to solve the mystery of the town’s water shortage.More Like This
Bering Sea Gold
2012 · ★ 6.4
In the frontier town of Nome, Alaska, there’s a gold rush on. But you've never seen gold mining like this before — here, the precious metal isn't found in the ground. It’s sitting in the most unlikely of places: the bottom of the frigid, unpredictable Bering Sea. And there are a handful of people willing to risk it all to bring it to the surface.
More info →
Chefs vs Wild
2022 · ★ 6.2
In each episode, two different world class chefs are dropped into the wilderness where they’ll embark on a grueling and unprecedented mission – survive and forage enough wild ingredients to create a restaurant worthy, five-star meal.
More info →
Men in Trees
2006 · ★ 6.6
Relationship coach Marin Frist knows what to look for, what to avoid and what will make her happy. As the many fans of her two bestselling books could tell you, we're all in charge of our own happiness. But like many people full of advice, she fails to apply it to herself. On her way to a speaking engagement in Alaska, she learns that her fiancé has cheated on her. Slapped in the face with personal failure, a snowstorm then leaves her stuck in a small town full of the one thing she really doesn't need—available men.
More info →
Mountain Men
2012 · ★ 6.5
Profiles of some of the men who choose to live off the grid in the unspoiled wilderness, where dangers like mudslides, falling trees and bears are all part of everyday life.
More info →
Deadliest Catch
2005 · ★ 7.2
Forty-foot waves, 700 pound crab pots, freezing temperatures and your mortality staring you in the face…it's all in a day's work for these modern day prospectors. During each episode we will watch crews race to meet their quota and make it home safely.
More info →
Life Below Zero
2013 · ★ 7.3
Viewers go deep into an Alaskan winter to meet six tough and resilient residents as they try to stay one step ahead of storms and man-eating beasts to make it through to spring. The closest neighbor to Sue Aikens is more than 300 miles away. Eric Salitan subsists solely on what he hunts and forages. Chip and Agnes Hailstone catch fish for currency in bartering for supplies, and Andy and Kate Bassich use their pack of sled dogs for transportation.
More info →
