Me Tom and Nate went hot tent winter camping in the Alaska backcountry using snowmachines. We also went ptarmigan hunting. HOWEVER, everything went wrong! And it turned out to be a rough (but wonderful) trip.
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00:00This is Luke with the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel and this is my son Tommy and Nathan.
00:05And I'm here in the heart of Alaska with my friend Jake from the How to Alaska YouTube channel and his sons Cody and Luke.
00:11And we're about to go on an incredible snow machining winter camping adventure where almost everything goes wrong.
00:19I think you guys are going to enjoy this adventure.
00:22Are you ready Nate?
00:30We're going to have a good old time.
00:52Alright we've had some trouble with the trailer popping off the hitch so we've used some Alaskan ingenuity here.
01:05We've got pretty pink zip ties and an old piece of willow.
01:10I think that will actually work.
01:22We're trying to cross this big river here but you don't necessarily want to be the first one to cross.
01:35So we're looking for some snow machine tracks where someone safely crossed.
01:39Jake's all the way down the river here and he's trying to look for a place to safely cross.
01:46You can see here this is where overflow happens where water pops up and flows over the top of the ice.
01:52And then it's frozen again.
01:54But there's a lot of weird spots on the ice because the river will freeze and then the water levels will drop.
02:00And there will be these big air pockets in between the ice and the gravel bar or the water.
02:05And you can bust through into these little air pockets.
02:08It's crazy.
02:09So we're going to see if we can find a good spot.
02:11Alright well it looks like we can't find any really good places to cross the river.
02:15So we're going to pivot and we're going to try another spot here.
02:19Luckily it's Alaska so there's plenty of awesome places to go.
02:25Alright well originally we were going to try to ice fish for some big trout.
02:29But since we couldn't cross the river instead we're going to try to go up here
02:34and maybe catch a snowshoe hare or a grouse or a ptarmigan.
02:38But we need to drop the trailer off.
02:41And we're going to see if we can find a good spot.
02:44Since we couldn't cross the river instead we're going to try to go up here
02:47and maybe catch a snowshoe hare or a grouse or a ptarmigan.
02:51But we need to drop the trailer off and get our camp set up.
03:05Trailer!
03:08Yes!
03:10Guys!
03:18Got the tent up now I've got to get the stove assembled.
03:25Slide the rings over this thing.
03:34Alright we've got the tent set up. We've got some firewood.
03:37We're going to drop the trailer and take the snow machines up into the pass.
03:40See if we can't find some rabbits or ptarmigan.
03:43And hopefully we'll have a little something to cook up for dinner.
03:48Alright Tom you ready?
03:49Yeah!
03:50Alright.
04:07Alright.
04:14Right now we're looking for ptarmigan.
04:16And this time of year they turn white.
04:19So we're looking for an all white bird in the middle of all this snow.
04:32Oh look there's one, two, three, four moose up there.
04:36I think we've seen like 11 or 12 moose on this trip.
04:44Jake spotted some fresh ptarmigan tracks right there heading down into that gully.
04:48Maybe we'll go follow that.
04:50Nathan!
04:51What did you guys do?
04:53I think you hit a tree.
04:59Two more moose over that way.
05:01They're just everywhere up here.
05:06Woo!
05:19Well it's been a little eventful getting back to camp.
05:22Luke got his snow machine stuck in a gully.
05:25And it took a good 30-40 minutes for all of us to get it out.
05:28And by the time we got it out, Jake's snow machine had cooled down and the clutch froze.
05:34So it's not starting.
05:36Yeah, we're a good hour or so into just messing with snow machines.
05:41Watch out, you don't want this strap snapping back at you either.
05:48There we go.
05:50Alright, we towed the snow machine all the way back to camp.
05:53And we're going to get a fire started, get some food, and get this tent warmed up.
05:58Woo! It is cold out.
06:01Here's our bag of Vaseline and cotton balls here.
06:10You might want to back up this stuff.
06:14Yeah, that's burning good.
06:16Alright Nate, you want some chocolate milk?
06:18Whoa, we got chocolate milkshake!
06:21Oh yeah!
06:24Chocolate milkshake right there.
06:26Alright, should we get some dinner going?
06:28Yeah!
06:29I like it.
06:32Alright guys, we're going to have the most amazing tinfoil dinners ever.
06:36They've got a little olive oil and seasoned potatoes, carrots, onions, green onions,
06:41a little cilantro, basil, and Italian sausage with just a little bit of garlic.
06:46Oh yeah.
06:52You can put anything you want in tinfoil dinners.
06:54Just make sure the stuff that cooks the longest goes on the bottom.
06:58And then make sure you remember which side is up.
07:00And we kicked butt, which always...
07:07Woo, that smells good!
07:09Guys, I think this is perfect.
07:11Who wants a tinfoil dinner here?
07:19The key is that Italian sausage, man. It's so seasoned so well.
07:23You want one?
07:24Yeah.
07:29Our water froze solid, so we're sticking it here by the fire trying to thaw it out.
07:34Hey guys, did you like the tinfoil dinners?
07:36Yeah!
07:37Would you like to try some Calpis?
07:39Yeah!
07:41It's a soft drink from Japan.
07:44It's not carbonated, but it's made from fermented milk.
07:47Yep, it's called Calpis.
07:49Or in English, they call it Calpico.
07:51Cody, then give it to me.
07:53We'll make that the...
07:54That's really good.
07:56Bottoms up!
07:57Try some Calpis!
08:01I want Calpis!
08:02It's almost like it's got citrus in it.
08:04Nathan, you want hot chocolate?
08:06Nathan, you're melting your boot again.
08:08Pull your boot in.
08:09Did that warm you up, buddy?
08:11Yeah.
08:12Oh, good.
08:13Well, we had a lovely dinner and a lovely sit by a warm fire.
08:17But Jake and his boys are going to head home and take care of that broke-down snow machine.
08:22And me, Tom, and Nate are going to sit here and camp all night.
08:26Tomorrow, we've got some fun planned.
08:28I think we're going to try to go and see if we can't do a little hunting and maybe do a catch-and-cook.
08:33We'll see what happens.
08:35Alright, see you guys!
08:43We've got a long way to tow that snowmobile.
08:57Here, come on. I've got your beds all made up, guys.
09:02Why don't you go and take off your jackets?
09:04No.
09:05Do you know why I'm doing that?
09:07Because it's kind of cold for the mat.
09:09Now, can I leave you guys for a little bit? I need to go clean up.
09:12Well, I popped outside for a few minutes to get the camp all ready for night.
09:15And I come back in and both boys are out stone cold, man.
09:19Well, the weather is a whole lot better.
09:21I come back in and both boys are out stone cold, man.
09:24Well, the weather is a whole lot warmer than the last time we used this tent.
09:28It's 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
09:30And so, it is really toasty in here.
09:33And you can see, there really isn't hardly any frost on the tent.
09:37Just a little bit down here, but it's more like condensation, really.
09:41So, I think we're going to be really warm tonight.
09:44And I'm glad. I'm getting old, man.
09:47I need to be toasty warm at night.
09:52Oh, yeah. That's toasty.
09:56Got no cell service out here.
09:58So, I'm using my Garmin inReach Mini to text Becca and let her know we're safe.
10:02And everything's okay before we go to bed.
10:05So busy fidgeting with everything.
10:07I never got a chance to eat a full tin foil dinner.
10:10So, I shoved this one underneath the stove and it's warmed it up.
10:14I think I'm going to have some dinner.
10:17There's a few things I love as much as a good mandarin orange.
10:21But these are a bit hard.
10:24I better thaw them out.
10:25I'm going to lay my oranges here by the fire.
10:28And I'm going to hop into bed and watch a show on my phone.
10:31And I'm going to go to sleep.
10:32And I'm going to see you guys in the morning.
10:37It's about 8 in the morning right now.
10:39And we've got the fire going really good.
10:42Nathan's still asleep.
10:43We've got the fire going really good.
10:45Nathan's still asleep.
10:46So, me and Tommy are going to watch shows on my phone a little bit.
10:49You want to watch Star Wars?
10:51Yes.
10:55Alright, Nathan. You sleep well?
10:56Yeah, but anyway, we're watching Star Wars.
10:59No, man.
11:10That's a rock.
11:14Let's defrost some sausages here.
11:17Well, Jake and his family were kind enough to let us have some of the fresh eggs.
11:20They're hens laid.
11:21We're going to make hard-boiled eggs here.
11:32See, there you go.
11:44There I can go.
11:57Hey, boys. I think I hear snow machines.
11:59Oh, ho.
12:01I think we've got guests.
12:05Woo hoo.
12:06Good morning.
12:07Good morning.
12:08Here, guys. Let's get dressed.
12:10That sounds like me.
12:13Yeah.
12:16Yes.
12:17Yeah.
12:20We have a pretty fun agenda planned for today.
12:22We're going to take the snow machines up into that valley a little further than we went yesterday.
12:26And we're going to go look for ptarmigan.
12:28And hopefully, we'll catch them and we'll be able to cook them up for lunch.
12:32And so, I'm going to go ahead and kind of get everything packed up a little bit so that we don't have to fuss as much after we get back from hunting.
12:39But, yeah, I'm looking forward to this.
12:43Yeah.
12:49We're mostly packed up.
12:50You guys warmed up.
12:51Let's get ready to go hunting.
12:53But we've got to get hungry, so I'm bringing some hot dogs.
13:00There we go.
13:14Are you having fun, Nathan?
13:15Yeah.
13:16Good.
13:17There's two moose right over there by the trail.
13:19We've got to be real careful.
13:21Don't want to get kicked to death by a moose.
13:23There's one moose right there.
13:24There's another one over there.
13:26And there's one thing in the ground right up there.
13:29There's a moose.
13:30There's a moose.
13:31There's two moose over there.
13:32And there's one over there.
13:34The moose look tiny from here, but their heads are about seven foot tall.
13:38Jake went down the gully where we got stuck last night to go find a helmet.
13:43Check out those three moose are right there behind him.
13:46The reason why there's so many moose up here is because the snow is shallower up here near the top of the mountain
13:52because the wind blows it away.
13:54Also, these little shrubs around here, these are willows.
13:57And the moose eat the bark off the willows.
14:02He pulled his ears back.
14:03He's chasing the other one away.
14:05When they pull their ears back, that means they're angry.
14:08I think he's going to walk away from us.
14:10Try to avoid the moose.
14:13Yeah, moose scare me more than bears do.
14:17I don't like moose.
14:27Jake must have saw something.
14:28He's got the gun out.
14:30Oh, I think he's aiming at something.
14:35There you go.
14:36One down, man.
14:37That's beautiful.
14:39They're so pretty.
14:40I'd love to get you on some birds, but I figured since I was that far away.
14:44Just do it.
14:45Just get one.
14:46Just get one.
14:47Might even get a snowshoe hare.
14:49You can see there's some hare trails right there.
14:54So we were taking this snow machine up a hill and hit the kill switch and the machine died, of course.
14:59And we couldn't get it turned back on.
15:01Something's wrong with the machine.
15:03All right, guys.
15:04We've been monkeying with this machine.
15:06It looks like it's properly stranded here.
15:09And that's why you come with friends.
15:11You don't go snow machining in the backcountry of Alaska by yourself.
15:14Machine's broke down.
15:16It's a little bit of an emergency situation.
15:18What's the first thing we do?
15:19Build a fire?
15:20Drink our own urine.
15:22Can you tow that machine out?
15:23Or are you with that one?
15:24Or do you have to get some friends to help you?
15:26I can't tow it out with this one, no.
15:27All right, guys.
15:28Make sure to go to Jake's channel, How to Alaska, and click subscribe.
15:32Because after he gets done with all these engine repairs, he's going to need your support.
15:36So make sure you do that.
15:38Please.
15:39Please.
15:40We're going to squeeze onto two machines and see if we can get back to camp.
15:44We've sent out a help message with our Garmin inReach.
15:49So hopefully some friends with a machine that can tow that one out will be coming along.
15:55We're heading back to camp.
15:57And look what I found.
16:01Yeah.
16:02Big glob of moose hair.
16:04I wonder if they're biting each other.
16:06But moose are like reindeer.
16:07They have these big hollow hairs.
16:09All right.
16:10We're halfway back to camp.
16:11We're just taking it slow and steady.
16:13This machine was not meant to carry 250 pounds of me plus another 100 pounds of them.
16:20We're going to test the brakes good.
16:34So we see if the hot dogs are done.
16:37All right.
16:39Are they cold or hot?
16:42Lukewarm.
16:43Giving them another five minutes.
16:45Are they cold or hot?
16:47Lukewarm.
16:48Giving them another five, ten miles.
16:50They would have been perfect.
16:56We've got to thaw our buns out.
16:58We froze our buns off.
17:02All right.
17:03Who wants one?
17:07What?
17:08We've got ketchup shave ice here.
17:09I was saying the other day.
17:11I've never.
17:13Our heroes.
17:15We're saved.
17:16We don't have to cannibalize the children.
17:18Aren't they so pretty?
17:20So it wasn't like he was rallying the machine or anything.
17:23Should we go clean that ptarmigan?
17:25Were they going to go up and tow the snow machine all the way back?
17:28In the meantime, we're going to go and clean that ptarmigan up.
17:31Oh, man.
17:32Aren't these ptarmigan pretty?
17:33They're a brownish color in the summer, and then they turn white in the wintertime.
17:37But they're the Alaska state bird right here.
17:39And Jake knows a lot more about cleaning these than I do,
17:42but I'm going to give it my best go since he's busy rescuing a snow machine.
17:48Look at the color of that meat.
17:50See how it's dark purple like that?
17:52It's because there's very little fat in it.
17:55Wild meat is extremely lean.
18:00All right.
18:01So there's a bit of meat.
18:03There's the meat.
18:04There's the legs.
18:06Now, I know a lot of people like to eat the gizzards and hearts and stuff,
18:08but my family, not so much.
18:10So we're just going to take this home.
18:12Well, I was going to show you guys how to cook a ptarmigan over an open fire,
18:15but I apparently left all my salt and pepper at home.
18:19And because of all the craziness today,
18:22I think we're just going to continue that part of the video at the house.
18:29We're working on this thing and see if we can't get it running again.
18:33Well, let me pull that other plug.
18:36That's the way it should.
18:38What did you do, Jesse?
18:43That sounded promising.
18:48I think we might be getting out of here.
18:50Hey, Nate, you having fun?
18:51Yeah.
18:52You ready to go home?
18:53Yeah.
19:06We made it back alive.
19:08Tommy, are you okay?
19:09You tired?
19:10All right, guys.
19:11Well, we made it back in one piece,
19:13but now we got some ptarmigan to cook.
19:15Hey, Nathan, your seat's over here, bud.
19:20It is late, and I am going to bed,
19:22and I will see you guys in the morning.
19:36I forgot the ptarmigan!
19:38Oh!
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19:54Thanks for watching.
19:56Luke, Nate, and Tom here with the Outdoor Boys,
19:59and today we're going to be hot tenting it in the back country of Alaska.
20:04This is going to be great!
20:06Yeah!