Summary
Highlights
A year after buying an abandoned homestead in interior Alaska, the team begins four months of intense work to prepare it for winter. Projects include fixing ATVs and trucks, building roads, and repairing and demolishing cabins.
The K-truck needs repairs for an engine coolant leak. The opportunity is used to bring supplies to the cabin and build stairs. Drainage issues caused by excavation are identified and addressed.
After a week, significant snow melt creates challenging trail conditions. The trail has caved in and formed sinkholes due to clay expanding and contracting with freezing and thawing. The team highlights the difficulties of Alaskan breakup season.
The K-truck is fixed and modified with a new bumper system, a 6,000lb winch, a new battery, coolant, and gauges to monitor battery, water temp, and oil pressure. Spare parts are also acquired for future maintenance at the cabin.
After a month and a half, the cabin area is overgrown, requiring a weed whacker. The team transports more ATVs, and a discussion about purchasing numerous ATVs from Facebook Marketplace ensues. The K-truck's winch drains the battery.
The snow machine's skis need replacement, and its battery is dead. A mini excavator (Case 26C), the smallest available with a fully enclosed cab, is acquired. The excavator is immediately put to use to cut drainage ditches and level a hill.
A basic ATV trail is established, but mud holes are a concern. An experiment using a bag of cement for a mud hole is attempted. The K-truck's engine overheats due to a coolant leak, which is later identified as a disconnected hose clamp.
The garage floor is protected with deck sealer to prevent rot from mud and moisture. The team begins working on the trail, seeking gravel to fill mud holes. The excavator gets stuck multiple times in the clay-rich soil.
To combat getting the excavator stuck, a wooden platform is built to move it across muddy areas. Nephews arrive to help with projects. They help install interlocking tiles in the garage to protect the floor. The K-truck overheats again.
The shed's electrical system, damaged by a fire, is repaired. The wiring for the lights and an outlet is fixed. A family gathering takes place, and a new dump trailer is purchased. A large tree falls, narrowly missing the excavator.
A drainage ditch is dug, and a perforated pipe is installed to remove water. Scrap wood is used to fill the ditch, acting as a permeable layer for water flow, a cost-effective alternative to rocks. The trail is covered with cleared material.
More dead trees are cleared for road construction. The K-Truck overheats due to a mud-covered radiator, which is cleaned. The team continues mining gravel and spreading it on the road. The electrical system in the shed is finally completed, and organizers are installed.
The shed is cleared out to prepare it for conversion into a bunkhouse. Dead spruce trees are used to fill holes. The excavator platform is reinforced, and the road building continues by digging and covering the trail with gravel.