Port Protection Alaska (2015)
Synopsis
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.
First Air Date: 2015-07-19
Last Air Date: 2025-08-04
Number of Seasons: 8
Number of Episodes: 90
Networks: National Geographic
Seasons
Season 1 (2015)
As winter looms, the residents scramble to finish the critical tasks that will carry them through the long, cold months ahead. Mary and Curly head out on a duck hunt that tests their limits and Sam hunts for a Sitka black-tailed deer.
Episodes:
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Ep. 1: Between Water and Wolves
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.
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Ep. 2: The Axeman Cometh
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.
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Ep. 3: Out of Luck
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.
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Ep. 4: Dead Standing
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.”
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Ep. 5: The Widow-Maker
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.
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Ep. 6: Tree vs. Truck
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.
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Ep. 7: Broken Lines
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.
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Ep. 8: The Devil's Club
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.
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Ep. 9: Predator Prevention
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.
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Ep. 10: Looking for Blood
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.
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