Ep 1. Winter's Dawn

The Last Alaskans is a reality television show following a handful of families who live deep in the remote wilderness of Alaska, far away from civilization, often for long stretches without contact with other people. Season 3 Episode 1, titled Winter's Dawn, follows the astonishing lives of four of these families as they navigate the biting cold and brutal wilderness during the coldest winter months in the region.

The episode begins with Susan, a bush woman who inherited the land on the Kenai River where her family has lived for generations. Susan raises sled dogs to help her hunt and gather food during the harsh winters. She finishes up her winter preparations for her sled team and ensures they are all in good health. She shows how she feeds them raw meat to provide the fats and proteins they need to be healthy, then takes them out for a run. Susan and her dogs chase a moose for miles, and Susan eventually manages to kill it and bring back important sustenance for herself and her dogs.

The show then shifts to Heimo, an experienced outdoorsman, and his wife Edna who have been living in the area for decades. They set up camp in a nearby area and spend the entire episode chopping firewood and cooking food, preparing for what they know will be a long winter season. Heimo and Edna also spend a significant amount of time reflecting on their lives and the love they share for each other. They have learned to live with very limited resources, and for them, everything they do in preparation of winter is life or death.

Next, the show introduces Tyler and Ashley, who are both former city dwellers that have only been living in Alaska for a few years. They live in a small house with their son and a number of sled dogs. Tyler discusses the unique ways they provide for themselves like making their own candles from animal fat, chopping their own wood, and taking garbage to the dump over 60 miles away. As temperatures start to plummet and snow builds up outside, Tyler and Ashley prepare for the worst of winter. They emerge from their house to explore the nearby woods for firewood and end up finding a wolf that they had previously encountered. They discuss the balance of nature and the respect they have for the animals they share the land with.

The last family introduced in the episode is Bob and his daughter Talicia, who live a very unique lifestyle. They live out of a small cabin that was built by Bob's in-laws and has its own interesting backstory. They spend their days doing target practice with arrows and hunting small animals like rabbits, ensuring they don't run out of the vital protein they need to survive. Bob and Talicia talk about the solitude of living in the woods and the unique challenges it presents. They also discuss the heavy weight of responsibility they carry, as they know that if something goes wrong, they are all on their own.

Winter's Dawn showcases the daily lives of these families and the unique challenges they face living hundreds of miles away from civilization, all while braving the bitter cold of winter. The episode gives a glimpse into their resourcefulness and how they rely on one another to survive. The viewers will witness the quiet beauty of life in the wilderness, the sounds of the snow crunching underfoot and the wolves howling in the distance. It is a sobering reminder that survival in the wilderness is about more than just a return to simpler living; it is hard, cold, and often uncompromising.