黃石國家公園第一集:Winter

[00:00.00] [00:07.40] [00:09.40]NARRATOR: In the winter of 1807, [00:12.87] [00:12.96]a lone fur-trapper journeyed deep into the heart of the Rocky Mountains. [00:17.43] [00:21.24]Somewhere near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River [00:24.55] [00:24.64]he found a lost world. [00:26.47] [00:36.00]A wonderland, [00:37.51] [00:39.96]ruled by ice, fire and brimstone. [00:43.66] [00:52.04]A world of extremes that challenges all that strive to live here. [00:56.23] [01:37.68]A place that has become perhaps the most treasured wilderness on Earth. [01:42.39] [02:15.72]Winter in Yellowstone. [02:17.23] [02:20.44]Minus 40 degrees. [02:22.11] [02:24.80]Fahrenheit or centigrade, it doesn't really matter, [02:29.59] [02:30.32]at minus 40 the two scales read the same. [02:33.75] [02:36.56]For half the year, Yellowstone is frozen solid. [02:40.71] [02:44.48]Yet in the middle of this ice world there is scalding heat. [02:49.50] [02:54.56]This is no ordinary place and this is no ordinary winter. [02:59.50] [03:08.16]The fate of everything here lies in the hands of forces [03:11.78] [03:11.88]of almost unimaginable power. [03:14.39] [03:23.40]Yellowstone is deep in the heart of the Rocky Mountains of North America. [03:27.83] [03:29.16]An isolated high plateau defended by rugged peaks. [03:33.31] [03:40.88]And its location is what makes it so different. [03:43.99] [03:48.12]Right beneath Yellowstone a unique quirk of geology means that molten rock [03:53.43] [03:53.52]from deep in the earth comes unusually close to the frozen surface. [03:58.03] [04:03.72]No one knows why it happens right here, [04:06.59] [04:06.68]but its impact is what has made Yellowstone world famous. [04:10.30] [04:32.00]Yellowstone is the most extensive geothermal area on Earth. [04:36.23] [04:41.76]It has over 10,000 thermal wonders [04:44.59] [04:44.68]and more geysers than the rest of the world put together. [04:47.51] [04:59.92]Old Faithful is Yellowstone's most well-known geyser. [05:03.99] [05:04.84]It shoots 5,000 gallons of water [05:07.07] [05:07.16]150 feet into the air almost every hour. [05:11.07] [05:22.00]But the forces that fuel this spectacular display [05:25.27] [05:25.36]have an influence far greater than we can see on the surface. [05:29.19] [05:32.08]Paradoxically, it's all this underground heat [05:35.15] [05:35.24]that helps make the Yellowstone winter [05:37.31] [05:37.40]one of the coldest and toughest in America. [05:40.67] [05:49.12]It's November and winter is beginning to take hold. [05:52.71] [06:02.72](HOWLING) [06:04.11] [06:18.96]As it gets colder, one animal here gets stronger. [06:22.43] [06:24.52]Wolves. The winter is their time. [06:27.95] [06:29.96]Gradually, it weakens their prey. [06:32.91] [06:54.68]This is the Druid wolf pack, [06:56.51] [06:56.60]one of the largest and most powerful in Yellowstone. [07:00.03] [07:30.76]The pack have this bull elk surrounded. [07:33.51] [07:36.24]But there's a problem. [07:38.19] [07:39.16]The pack won't follow the bull into the river. [07:42.39] [07:42.48]They won't risk freezing to death in the ice cold water. [07:46.02] [07:54.24]What's more, now the elk's antlers are at just the right height [07:57.59] [07:57.68]to keep the wolves at bay. [07:59.79] [08:12.80]It's stalemate. [08:14.43] [08:18.12]But it's now the elk that has a problem of his own. [08:21.39] [08:24.24]Although it's only knee deep, he can't stay in this freezing water forever. [08:28.83] [08:38.48]A young female is not prepared to let him go. [08:41.71] [08:48.08]But the elk is strong. [08:50.07] [08:51.48]One-on-one he has the advantage. [08:54.11] [09:05.40]Her only support is another youngster. [09:08.15] [09:11.56]They are neither strong or experienced enough [09:13.86] [09:13.96]to bring this elk down. [09:15.87] [09:16.36]But it's enough to make him turn and run [09:20.06] [09:23.96]back to the river where he knows they won't follow. [09:27.39] [09:36.40]But the longer he stays in the freezing water, [09:39.35] [09:39.44]the weaker he will get. [09:41.39] [09:46.16]Others before him have waited here too long, [09:49.43] [09:50.84]and wolves are patient. [09:52.79] [09:57.44]Right now his strength is his only advantage. [10:00.67] [10:01.56]He has to try again. [10:03.31] [10:10.48]This time even the young wolves stay put. [10:13.31] [10:16.20]Without the support of the pack they never really stood a chance. [10:20.31] [10:21.28]And the pack have already decided that this early in the winter, [10:25.06] [10:25.16]a bull elk in his prime is just too strong. [10:28.51] [10:31.52]But as the winter gets colder [10:33.47] [10:33.56]and the snow gets deeper the tables will turn. [10:37.95] [10:48.96]By the end of November, [10:50.71] [10:50.80]the arc of the sun barely breaks above the trees. [10:53.95] [10:56.52]As its angle decreases, so does its power. [11:00.55] [11:13.28]And as the sun loses its hold over the land, [11:16.63] [11:17.64]other forces begin to take over. [11:19.94] [11:24.32]Yellowstone has a dark secret [11:27.35] [11:27.44]that affects everything that lives here, [11:30.27] [11:30.36]especially in the winter. [11:32.59] [11:45.24]It's only from high above ground [11:47.07] [11:47.16]that we start to get a glimpse of the true nature of this place. [11:51.23] [11:55.64]Yellowstone is a giant bowl 50 miles wide [11:59.75] [11:59.84]right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. [12:02.07] [12:05.40]There's nowhere else like it. [12:07.75] [12:09.68]And there's only one thing that could have created it. [12:13.22] [12:19.32]Three miles beneath this frozen surface [12:22.11] [12:22.20]is a colossal chamber of molten rock. [12:24.95] [12:26.28]Today it powers Yellowstone's geysers. [12:29.15] [12:30.24]But every million years or so, [12:32.54] [12:32.64]the pressure in this magma gets critical and the chamber explodes. [12:37.50] [12:41.28]The last eruption, 640,000 years ago, [12:45.75] [12:45.84]was more than 1,000 times larger than Mount St Helens. [12:49.27] [12:52.56]It blasted away mountains and ejected hundreds of cubic miles of debris [12:56.75] [12:56.84]into the atmosphere, burying half the USA with ash. [13:01.03] [13:07.16]The heart of Yellowstone is one of the world's biggest volcanoes. [13:11.55] [13:14.92]One day it will erupt again. [13:18.79] [13:18.88]It could be today or in another million years. [13:23.19] [13:27.40]But even as the volcano is sleeping, [13:30.07] [13:31.36]breathing quietly through its geysers, [13:34.31] [13:36.28]it has a profound effect on Yellowstone's winter. [13:39.43] [13:44.00]The volcano made Yellowstone's giant bowl but it didn't stop there. [13:48.75] [13:51.24]Ever since, the huge pressure below the surface [13:53.99] [13:54.08]has been pushing it higher into the air, [13:57.15] [13:57.24]and as it gets higher it gets colder. [14:00.51] [14:01.64]And now at its present altitude of 8,000 feet, [14:05.03] [14:05.12]this giant bowl simply accumulates freezing air [14:08.23] [14:08.32]from the surrounding mountains. [14:10.67] [14:12.40]In the winter, the sleeping volcano becomes a giant deep freeze. [14:17.39] [14:28.84]On the open plateau, right in the middle of this frozen volcano [14:32.79] [14:32.88]is an animal that has lived here since the last ice age. [14:36.39] [14:40.20]Bison are exposed to the worst of the Yellowstone winter, [14:44.79] [14:44.88]but they are built for it. [14:47.07] [14:50.00]Their thick coat is such good insulation [14:52.27] [14:52.36]that they only need a tiny amount of energy to keep warm. [14:55.95] [14:56.04]So they slow their metabolism right down and concentrate on feeding. [15:00.51] [15:08.76]With massive neck muscles they sweep their heads down through the snow [15:12.59] [15:12.68]to get to the grass beneath. [15:15.03] [15:17.64]But the grass has long ago put its summer goodness down into its roots [15:22.50] [15:22.60]and now has about the same nutritional value as cardboard. [15:26.47] [15:31.16]They will need to do all they can to save energy [15:34.03] [15:34.12]if they are to ward off starvation until spring returns. [15:37.63] [15:47.28]As the winter strengthens its grip, [15:49.79] [15:49.88]elk move into more sheltered valleys at the edge of Yellowstone. [15:53.87] [15:55.52]They don't have the bison's ability to move deep snow. [15:59.03] [16:03.68]But this brings them into the territory of the Druid pack. [16:07.75] [16:23.16]As the grazers are beginning to weaken, [16:25.87] [16:25.96]life for the wolves is getting easier. [16:28.75] [16:34.84]They are now successfully hunting about twice a week. [16:38.19] [16:41.32](GROWLING) [16:42.71] [16:46.72]They even have the energy to play. [16:49.23] [16:50.24]But their play has a purpose. [16:52.35] [16:52.48]It fine-tunes their hunting skills [16:55.59] [16:55.68]and helps bond the all-important pack structure. [16:58.91] [17:00.84]Though there are 16 of them, [17:02.67] [17:02.76]they can only hunt an animal as large as an elk if they hunt as one. [17:07.03] [17:13.16]The strength of the pack is what will get them through the winter. [17:17.59] [17:40.04]Bald eagles spot carcasses from miles away. [17:43.35] [17:46.84]But there is strong competition for a kill like this. [17:50.31] [18:15.52]A coyote. [18:16.79] [18:18.08]He has been shadowing the wolves, and moves in now they have gone. [18:22.27] [18:26.72](GROWLING) [18:27.94] [19:17.64]It's December, and even the great Yellowstone River [19:21.63] [19:21.72]is succumbing to the cold. [19:23.83] [19:25.76]It's only where the water runs fast that it still runs free. [19:29.51] [19:38.52]It looks uncomfortably cold, [19:41.03] [19:41.12]but then the water, at around freezing point, [19:43.35] [19:43.44]can be 50 degrees warmer than the air. [19:46.35] [19:49.04]Under the ice there's a rich supply of stone fly larvae [19:52.39] [19:52.48]waiting to hatch in the spring. [19:54.83] [19:57.00]Dippers make the most of these few small windows to a liquid world [20:00.78] [20:00.88]before they shut completely. [20:03.11] [20:16.16]Where the water stands still it is now frozen solid. [20:19.86] [20:23.28]Yellowstone Lake is 136 square miles, [20:26.98] [20:27.08]and now completely covered in three feet of ice. [20:30.31] [20:37.24]A coyote travels across this frozen desert looking for something to eat. [20:41.63] [20:45.32]It's a wonder that anything can survive here at all. [20:48.63] [20:50.68]Hundreds of feet beneath him on the lake bed, [20:53.27] [20:53.36]geysers erupt just like they do on land [20:55.87] [20:55.96]and they melt holes in the ice, [20:59.19] [20:59.28]the only sign that there is a lake here at all. [21:02.31] [21:13.04]As the year comes to an end, [21:15.03] [21:15.12]it seems hard to imagine this winter getting any tougher. [21:19.51] [21:19.60]But there's another twist to the volcano's story [21:22.55] [21:22.64]that is about to make things even worse. [21:25.51] [21:30.16]Over time the continent of North America has moved, [21:34.43] [21:34.52]inch by inch, over many millions of years. [21:38.87] [21:40.64]But deep down below the Earth's moving crust, [21:43.71] [21:43.80]the source of magma that fuels Yellowstone's volcano [21:47.39] [21:48.12]has stayed put. [21:49.79] [21:58.00]As the crust has moved over this volcanic hotspot, [22:02.39] [22:02.48]eruption after eruption has blasted a massive 500-mile-long scar [22:07.47] [22:07.56]right through the Rockies. [22:09.59] [22:15.96]In the winter this giant scar, called the Snake River Plain, [22:20.79] [22:20.88]funnels moist air from the Pacific Ocean [22:24.07] [22:24.16]right through the wall of the Rocky Mountains [22:26.87] [22:26.96]and up into Yellowstone's deep freeze. [22:29.63] [22:36.04]Here it finally freezes and falls as snow, [22:40.19] [22:41.16]huge quantities of it. [22:42.99] [23:00.04]Whilst everywhere around gets 10 feet of snow a year, [23:03.71] [23:03.80]thanks to the legacy of its volcano, Yellowstone can get as much as 50. [23:08.66] [23:18.56]Otters seem to thrive in the Yellowstone winter. [23:21.79] [23:31.52]But now that the rivers are not only frozen but covered in deep snow, [23:36.27] [23:36.36]they are struggling to find open water to fish in. [23:39.55] [23:56.00]They can't fish here, the fast flowing water is too dangerous. [24:00.55] [24:00.64]Somehow they need to find a way past the falls. [24:03.79] [24:53.64]With the falls safely behind them, the otters are forced to keep moving on. [24:58.31] [25:02.68]Open water has become a rare thing in Yellowstone. [25:05.99] [25:09.16](BISON GRUNTING) [25:10.83] [25:16.68]Out on the frozen grasslands, the bison are struggling, too. [25:20.59] [25:22.88]This year is already the snowiest for the last decade, [25:26.39] [25:26.48]snowier than many of this herd have experienced in their lives. [25:30.47] [25:32.36]Now, as the snow gets deeper than a critical four feet, [25:36.03] [25:36.12]the effort of swinging this massive head back and forth for so little reward [25:41.11] [25:41.20]is becoming too much. [25:43.15] [25:50.20]Though the snow front is passing through, [25:53.03] [25:53.12]it's followed by the wind, [25:54.91] [25:55.00]which now starts to scour the heart of Yellowstone. [25:58.31] [26:20.48]A bison's coat can keep it warm down to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. [26:24.83] [26:28.52]The wind chill is now pushing these bison to that limit. [26:32.47] [26:43.96]But these are the last wild bison herds in America [26:47.55] [26:47.64]which have survived here for tens of thousands of years. [26:51.67] [26:51.76]They know what to do. [26:53.71] [27:07.32]To move is risky, it will tap into their now dwindling energy reserves. [27:12.18] [27:14.60]But this year, it's a gamble worth taking. [27:17.59] [27:25.52]Their way out is a river whose water is not frozen. [27:29.03] [27:30.52]A thermal river fed by warm water from Yellowstone's geysers, [27:35.54] [27:36.04]an ancient route which leads to a place where, if they're lucky, [27:40.11] [27:40.20]they will be able to survive. [27:42.39] [28:03.20]It's January, and night is twice as long as day [28:06.63] [28:06.72]in Yellowstone's deep freeze. [28:08.95] [28:10.24]The wind and the storms have gone, [28:12.87] [28:12.96]but now the clear skies suck any last trace of heat into space. [28:17.15] [28:20.28]As morning comes, something extraordinary has happened. [28:24.23] [28:35.04]All moisture in the air has turned to ice, [28:37.91] [28:39.08]diamond dust. [28:40.47] [29:47.76]But this is a cruel beauty. [29:50.75] [29:50.84]Minus 66 Fahrenheit was recorded here in Yellowstone. [29:55.11] [29:55.20]Off the record, it gets colder still. [29:57.99] [30:07.08]This bison is still out on the open plateau. [30:11.39] [30:11.48]The deep snow with its windblown crust has made it almost impossible to feed. [30:15.95] [30:16.60]The extreme cold will now tip the balance of survival further, [30:20.55] [30:20.64]most likely too far even for a bison. [30:23.23] [30:43.72]A red fox can stay in the cold heart of Yellowstone all winter, [30:48.23] [30:48.32]so long as it can find food. [30:50.59] [30:55.28]It's looking for mice [30:56.63] [30:56.72]that survive the winter insulated beneath the blanket of snow. [31:00.63] [31:04.52]The fox is light enough to move about on the delicate crust [31:08.03] [31:08.12]but the mice are six feet beneath it. [31:10.83] [31:35.16]It listens for the tiny sounds of its prey moving about below, [31:39.75] [31:39.84]but must take great care not to scare them away. [31:42.95] [32:38.12]The otter family has arrived at Yellowstone Lake. [32:41.27] [32:42.32]Here they can fish in the holes kept open by the underwater geysers. [32:46.47] [32:55.24]But every time they catch something, [32:57.87] [33:01.04]this coyote has been watching and waiting. [33:04.03] [33:33.16]The otter dives under the ice to hide its fish from the coyote. [33:37.15] [33:44.52]The coyote can't see the otter because of the thick cover of snow. [33:48.63] [33:52.40]But he can hear him. [33:54.15] [34:01.12]The otter emerges without the fish. [34:04.39] [34:05.04]He's stashed it somewhere under the snow. But where? [34:09.55] [34:32.44]A huge Yellowstone cutthroat trout. [34:35.43] [34:40.16]With the help of the otters, a wily coyote can catch fish, too. [34:44.71] [35:11.64]The thermal river has led the bison to one of the main geyser fields. [35:15.87] [35:20.60]Here the heat from below comes close enough to the surface to melt the snow. [35:24.99] [35:30.28]And a bison can graze as if it were spring. [35:33.11] [35:42.12]The same volcanic forces, so massive that they created the weather [35:47.06] [35:47.16]that drove the bison here, now offer comfort. [35:51.55] [35:58.80]The only problem is, the grass that the bison now relish [36:02.34] [36:02.44]has such a high concentration of silica that it wears down their teeth. [36:06.79] [36:08.04]And it's laced with enough arsenic to slowly poison them. [36:11.79] [36:20.52]For these bison, it's not an easy choice to come here. [36:24.03] [36:27.56]But as long as they don't have to stay here too long [36:30.23] [36:30.32]it's a lot better than facing the Yellowstone winter head on. [36:34.23] [36:43.36]Incredibly, there is life that thrives here. [36:46.47] [36:48.72]In Yellowstone's thermal springs, [36:50.87] [36:50.96]the temperature is a constant near-boiling. [36:53.91] [36:55.84]Yet here are huge colonies of heat-tolerant microbes. [36:59.27] [37:03.28]As the boiling water flows out from the centre of springs, [37:07.15] [37:07.24]it cools, forming bands of different temperatures, [37:11.07] [37:11.16]each with a different collection of microbes [37:13.51] [37:13.60]with a totally different colour. [37:15.98] [37:21.64]Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the wonders of the natural world. [37:25.83] [37:29.40]It's thought that it was in conditions like this [37:32.31] [37:32.40]that life on Earth first started. [37:34.86] [37:51.12]It's now February, [37:52.83] [37:52.92]and when almost everything else in Yellowstone is on its last legs, [37:56.70] [37:56.80]the Druid pack is reaching peak condition. [37:59.79] [38:02.68]And it's now that the young females come into season. [38:06.03] [38:10.04]Hanging back from the pack is a lone male wolf. [38:13.23] [38:17.48]He has no territory of his own but follows the pack, [38:20.51] [38:20.60]scavenging from their successes. [38:22.95] [38:27.16]But right now, food is not his priority. [38:30.63] [38:35.88]The young females won't mate with the pack's alpha male [38:39.07] [38:39.16]as he is their father. [38:40.99] [38:43.60]So the intruder could well be in with a chance, [38:47.19] [38:47.28]as long as the alpha doesn't see him. [38:49.87] [38:50.20](WOLVES WhINING) [38:51.71] [38:56.32]Whilst the pack are distracted, one female sneaks away. [39:00.19] [39:05.72]She won't give up the security of the pack for him, [39:09.03] [39:09.12]so they meet close by in secret. [39:11.58] [39:24.04]But the pack are now coming their way. [39:26.79] [39:42.32]The alpha male is on to him. [39:44.62] [39:49.52]He won't tolerate any other male in his territory, [39:52.39] [39:52.48]let alone with one of his females. [39:54.94] [39:55.96]When wolves mate, they become locked together for up to half an hour. [40:00.15] [40:00.84]The intruder can't break free. [40:03.19] [40:43.12]For now the alpha male has done enough. [40:45.75] [40:45.84]He's seen the intruder off and he needs to return [40:48.59] [40:48.68]to reassert his position in the pack. [40:51.03] [40:58.80]The intruder retreats to a precarious life in the shadows. [41:02.95] [41:04.36]But whatever happens to him, so long as he was coupled for long enough, [41:09.03] [41:09.12]he will have young brought up [41:11.03] [41:11.12]in the security of one of the strongest packs in Yellowstone. [41:14.63] [41:25.28](WOLVES HOWLING) [41:27.15] [41:48.52](WhIMPERING) [41:49.99] [41:52.52]Since the beginning of winter, [41:54.03] [41:54.12]Yellowstone's herds have been getting steadily weaker. [41:57.66] [42:00.28]Now at the end of February, [42:02.43] [42:02.52]the tables have completely turned to favour the Druid pack. [42:06.83] [43:16.84](WOLVES HOWLING) [43:18.75] [43:18.84]As February turns to March, it seems like the winter will never end. [43:23.07] [43:25.88]But now the clear, cold days have gone. [43:28.59] [43:30.88]The snow still comes, but it's a wet snow [43:33.75] [43:33.84]that strips the warmth from you faster, [43:36.51] [43:39.68]now, when you are right at the end of your strength. [43:42.83] [44:04.40]But there is hope. [44:06.23] [44:07.12]Now is the turning point of the winter. [44:09.79] [44:15.24]At the spring equinox, there are 12 hours of night, [44:18.35] [44:18.44]and 12 hours of day. [44:20.35] [44:21.76]From now on, light starts to win over dark. [44:25.51] [44:37.48]March is also the turning point in the history of Yellowstone. [44:41.39] [44:43.84]On 1st March, 1872, [44:46.63] [44:46.72]American President Ulysses S Grant [44:49.43] [44:49.52]recognised the extraordinary wonders of Yellowstone [44:52.63] [44:52.72]by making it the world's first national park. [44:55.71] [45:16.40]The park's creation marked the beginning of a new era [45:19.59] [45:19.68]where the world's wild places would be valued [45:22.91] [45:23.40]simply for being wild. [45:25.07] [45:39.12](BIRDS CAWING) [45:41.07] [45:51.08]Now, as the days lengthen, [45:53.11] [45:53.20]the winter starts to loosen its grip on Yellowstone. [45:56.51] [46:04.08]But with the end of winter, also comes the end of the wolves' reign. [46:08.39] [46:19.44]On a mountain peak right on the edge of Yellowstone, [46:22.83] [46:22.92]footprints in the snow are the sign that a challenger has appeared [46:26.46] [46:26.56]to reclaim this land. [46:28.51] [46:36.36]A grizzly bear mother with her new cubs emerges from her den. [46:41.11] [46:44.36]For six months, snow and ice have ravaged Yellowstone, [46:48.31] [46:48.40]but she has slept underground, waking only to give birth to her cubs. [46:53.03] [46:53.12]And then from time to time, to feed them. [46:55.95] [47:04.48]As winter gives way to spring, [47:06.63] [47:06.72]she leads them out into the wilderness for the first time. [47:10.42] [47:16.12]In Yellowstone's great volcano, [47:19.35] [47:19.44]in spite of everything the winter has thrown at them, [47:23.19] [47:23.28]most have made it through. [47:25.35] [47:38.44]The forces that have helped keep Yellowstone [47:40.63] [47:40.72]in the grip of such a deep winter have finally let go. [47:44.83] [47:46.60]It is the sun that will now dominate once more. [47:49.71] [47:56.84]Its power will now take over, [47:59.27] [48:05.16]bringing new life to this place. [48:07.59] [48:21.84]But also it will bring new challenges [48:24.67] [48:25.72]that all will have to face [48:27.99] [48:29.76]in the heat of Yellowstone's summer. [48:32.75] [48:48.00]Bringing Yellowstone's unique, natural beauty to the screen [48:51.31] [48:51.40]would have been impossible without the tireless help of the local experts [48:54.91] [48:55.00]that know it like the back of their hand. [48:57.79] [48:57.88]Each has their own story to tell. [49:00.67] [49:00.76]JEFF hENRY: I was born the night of a blizzard [49:02.59] [49:02.68]and my mother has always told me that [49:04.27] [49:04.36]she thinks that's why I'm so in love with winter. [49:06.59] [49:10.80]NARRATOR: Ex-park ranger and photographer [49:12.95] [49:13.04]Jeff Henry's 30 years of experience in Yellowstone [49:16.27] [49:16.36]helped the BBC crew unlock some of the national park's hidden secrets. [49:20.99] [49:22.64]But they could never get hold of Jeff once the snow started to fall. [49:26.79] [49:29.56]Winter's by far my favourite season. [49:32.79] [49:32.88]I wish I could be the reverse of a bear and hibernate in the summer [49:36.99] [49:37.08]and just wake up in the autumn, be looking at a new winter. [49:41.03] [49:41.12]I get really excited when the first snows come in the autumn. [49:45.67] [49:46.96]Snow to me is a mystical, magical substance. [49:51.39] [49:52.44]I've always thought that it's very coarse of the English language [49:55.00] [49:55.08]to have just one word for it. There's snow and then there's snow, [49:58.39] [49:58.48]and then there's snow and then there's snow. [50:00.63] [50:00.72]Fresh snow that falls from the sky and it's here in Yellowstone, [50:03.43] [50:03.52]tends to be light and fluffy, is vastly different from the snow [50:07.43] [50:07.52]that's been underground for three or four months. [50:09.87] [50:14.40]NARRATOR: Three million tourists travel each year [50:17.27] [50:17.36]to enjoy Yellowstone's spectacular wilderness. [50:20.35] [50:20.44]When winter arrives, however, the crowds disappear. [50:23.95] [50:29.04]But for the last 30 years, Jeff has enjoyed a very unusual way [50:33.11] [50:33.20]of both staying for the winter and indulging his love of snow. [50:36.63] [50:39.48]His task is to stop the few buildings in the heart of Yellowstone [50:42.91] [50:43.00]being completely swallowed. [50:44.79] [50:47.12]Jeff becomes what is officially known as a roof shoveller. [50:50.90] [50:52.72]The reason I do that is the snow loads can sometimes, at least some years, [50:56.59] [50:56.68]become so heavy they can crush buildings or break parts of buildings. [51:00.11] [51:03.12]NARRATOR: Jeff must clear up to three metres of compacted snow [51:05.99] [51:06.08]from the roofs, before it falls on anything wandering beneath, [51:09.67] [51:09.76]including himself. [51:11.79] [51:11.88]If the building were to avalanche on top of me, [51:14.03] [51:14.12]it would be the end of the line for me. [51:16.11] [51:18.52]NARRATOR: From December onwards, Jeff spends five months [51:21.51] [51:21.60]clearing snow off Yellowstone's roofs. [51:24.16] [51:24.24]Timing is critical. If he starts a roof too early, [51:27.59] [51:27.68]fresh spring snow will undo all his hard work. [51:30.47] [51:30.56]Too late, and the roof may collapse. [51:33.23] [51:39.28]JEFF: This particular roof has a pitch that's steep enough [51:42.11] [51:42.20]that the snow will avalanche off if it's undercut. [51:45.43] [51:46.52]And to undercut the snow, [51:48.27] [51:48.36]I have to first dig some channels or trenches with a shovel. [51:52.47] [51:56.24]After I've cut those channels, I can lay a steel cable into each trench. [52:00.75] [52:01.96]And I pass that cable underneath the snow pack, [52:04.15] [52:04.24]between the snow pack and the shingles. [52:06.75] [52:06.84]And after the snow is undercut, it will avalanche off. [52:09.91] [52:20.24](WHOOPING) [52:22.62] [52:22.72]Oh, I have to admit I get a tremendous kick out of the work. [52:25.95] [52:26.04]Little me at 190 pounds can move [52:29.23] [52:29.32]untold tons of snow in one swoop. [52:31.47] [52:39.64]NARRATOR: Jeff is especially drawn to what are know as cornices, [52:42.83] [52:42.92]the overhanging shelves of snow that cling to the edges of roofs. [52:46.51] [52:46.60]It's kind of a love/hate relationship. [52:48.75] [52:51.04]This lovely pattern, there's lovely lines in the snow. [52:53.87] [52:53.96]You can see the major lines between major wind events, [52:57.11] [52:57.20]but you can see more minor lines, I guess, between more minor wind events. [53:02.67] [53:02.76]It's almost like the growth rings on a tree. [53:05.32] [53:05.40]It's just absolutely beautiful. [53:07.83] [53:08.76]Fascinating. [53:10.07] [53:10.16]I can't wait to get up there and destroy it. [53:13.19] [53:14.92]Cornices are especially threatening, [53:18.03] [53:18.12]structurally, because there's so much weight hanging out [53:20.55] [53:20.64]over the edge of the building. [53:22.67] [53:22.76]It's not uncommon for an eaves to break when it has a big overhang. [53:26.54] [53:26.64]Ah! [53:28.03] [53:28.12](LAUGhING) [53:29.39] [53:34.20]I love to do this work. I love to move snow. [53:36.66] [53:36.76]It's a thrill, it's exciting, it's fun. [53:39.51] [53:42.44]I can honestly say there's no place else I'd rather be. [53:45.11] [53:47.36]NARRATOR: But there's one building that's a real challenge for Jeff. [53:50.95] [53:51.04]JEFF: The Canyon General Store is approximately 50 years old, [53:53.67] [53:53.76]52 years old, something in that range. [53:55.79] [53:55.88]And I've cleared this building for about half of its life. [53:59.83] [53:59.92]It's by far the largest building that I have to do. [54:02.19] [54:02.28]I often joke that it is the Bismark of the enemy fleet. [54:05.15] [54:09.00]And it takes me a great many working days, [54:11.56] [54:11.64]as many as 40 of 50 working days per winter. [54:14.91] [54:19.92]NARRATOR: This roof collects more snow than any other in the park. [54:23.23] [54:23.32]Instead of using gravity to remove the compacted snow, [54:26.43] [54:26.52]Jeff has to rely on sweat and toil. [54:29.11] [54:32.68]But he's perfected his own methodical precision labour-saving technique. [54:36.91] [54:39.48](JEFF GRUNTING) [54:41.15] [54:41.56]Well, I try to cut the blocks large enough [54:44.51] [54:44.60]so that they'll be stable when I move them across the roof. [54:47.63] [54:47.72]But not so large that I can't move them. [54:50.51] [54:53.72]On this particular building this year, there'll be somewhere in the order [54:57.71] [54:57.80]of 3,000 blocks of snow. [55:00.43] [55:00.52]So I always reason that if I could save just one or two percent of the effort [55:03.83] [55:03.92]that it takes to move each block, [55:06.51] [55:06.60]that would be one or two percent times 3,000. [55:11.23] [55:14.48]That's why I work in this checkerboard pattern, [55:17.47] [55:17.56]and move all the blocks that I just cut. [55:19.94] [55:20.04]And I don't have to go back and forth [55:21.31] [55:21.40]between the saw and the shovel that often. [55:24.19] [55:24.76]I suppose in some ways, analogous to Yellowstone's wildlife in the winter [55:29.70] [55:31.64]where they have to be so mindful of their energy equation, [55:36.07] [55:36.16]they cannot consistently expend more energy than they take in. [55:40.79] [55:42.32]And if they do, [55:44.07] [55:45.32]it's the end of the line. [55:46.46] [55:54.12]NARRATOR: Fifty days spent alone on a roof [55:56.47] [55:56.56]gives Jeff a lot of time to just think. [55:59.35] [56:00.52]Sometimes I find my imagination runs away with me. [56:03.47] [56:03.56]I think about how this snow not very long ago was [56:08.31] [56:08.40]warm sea water in the South Pacific Ocean. [56:12.02] [56:12.12](PANTING) [56:13.31] [56:13.40]In just over three or four months it will be water vapour [56:18.07] [56:18.16]or liquid water, seeping into the earth here in Yellowstone [56:23.02] [56:23.12]or flowing down the Yellowstone River. [56:25.03] [56:27.36]NARRATOR: Jeff's snow clearing work allows him to be [56:29.43] [56:29.52]in the most beautiful parts of the park when no one else is around. [56:32.91] [56:35.60]JEFF: And I think everybody appreciates a little bit of solitude. [56:40.62] [56:41.80]I guess that's part of the reason I do the work that I do [56:43.91] [56:44.00]and spend as much time as I can in the park in the winter. [56:47.47] [56:47.56]Occasionally, it just seems to me that I'm the only person for miles around [56:51.75] [56:51.84]and that's a special feeling, especially in the early 2 1st century. [56:55.51] [56:57.72]I know that my parents first brought me here when I was six months old, [57:00.99] [57:01.08]and essentially I've spent my entire adult life here in Yellowstone. [57:04.95] [57:05.04]I don't know if I believe in destiny in the general sense, [57:08.03] [57:08.12]but I do believe that it was my destiny to come here [57:10.15] [57:10.24]and to spend most of my life here. [57:12.51] [57:12.60]Because of the work I do in the winter here, [57:14.15] [57:14.24]I've had a special opportunity, I think, to make empirical observations [57:18.31] [57:18.40]about the way things have gone in terms of winter weather in Yellowstone. [57:23.03] [57:23.48]I don't think there's any question that things are warmer and drier overall [57:26.63] [57:26.72]than they were when I first got here. [57:29.31] [57:29.92]I've always been dreading the day when I got too old to do this, [57:34.55] [57:34.64]but over the last 10 years or so it seemed that [57:37.43] [57:37.52]maybe Yellowstone would run out of snow before I got too old to move it. [57:41.39] [57:41.48]There's good snow this year, so I certainly hope it continues, [57:45.15] [57:45.24]certainly hope there's snow to move in Yellowstone [57:46.91] [57:47.00]long after I'm not able to do it any more. [57:49.87] [57:50.44]We'll see, I guess. [57:52.15] [57:54.84]I like the challenge when I first climb up onto the roof [57:57.51] [57:57.60]and take that first block of snow off, [57:59.31] [57:59.40]and then when I take the last block off a roof, [58:01.86] [58:01.96]I certainly feel a sense of satisfaction. [58:04.31] [58:04.40]I also immediately start thinking about next season [58:06.96] [58:07.04]when I'll be able to do the same building again. [58:09.31] [58:11.76]Yellowstone will always be my special place. [58:14.63] [58:17.63]The End [58:44.63]

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