0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains some strong language
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Five billion kilometres of roads network our planet.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10I don't like the drop down this side, 300-400 feet drop.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Instant death then.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Yet the desire to communicate and trade means new routes
0:00:15 > 0:00:18are being forged through increasingly challenging terrain.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21- Keep as close as you can. - I know but am I OK with that drop?
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Across Arctic tundra.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Zero visibility on the pass, we are mid-drift.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32Over mountain passes, through jungle...
0:00:33 > 0:00:37These roads fight a constant battle with nature.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Let's just calm it down.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42But their very existence is testament to man's ingenuity
0:00:42 > 0:00:46and driving them requires courage and determination.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Aw, whoa!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Petrol-head Charley Boorman and comedian Sue Perkins
0:01:02 > 0:01:05have been thrown together to drive across Alaska.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Their route will take them through the Arctic wilderness on the notorious Dalton Highway...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15..built in the 1970s to supply the Alaskan oil fields.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22This eight-day journey will show them the beauty...
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Oh, my God, there's an animal, there's a moose, there's a moose. Look at it.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- It's huge.- Unbelievable.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31..and the ferocity of Alaska.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35- This really has changed, hasn't it? - It's almost impossible now.
0:01:35 > 0:01:41- Ultimately their very survival will depend on them working together... - Don't worry.- I'm just tired, man.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44..in extreme conditions...
0:01:44 > 0:01:47There's nobody here but you and God.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48..avoiding gargantuan trucks...
0:01:48 > 0:01:51You're a speck on the road to them, you got to be out of the way.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57..on one of the world's most dangerous roads.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Let me drive quickly, Sue. You cannot stop here, get out, quick.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Alaska is a vast inaccessible country with very few roads
0:02:17 > 0:02:22and to cross the entire state most people would fly.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27But Sue and Charley are attempting to cross Alaska the hard way.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35They're taking a domestic 4x4 on a route only ever intended for 18-wheel juggernauts.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Starting on the Pacific Coast they'll travel north past the great
0:02:43 > 0:02:49Denali wilderness onto the town of Fairbanks where they'll meet the Trans Alaskan Oil Pipeline.
0:02:49 > 0:02:56It's here the real challenge will begin as they take on the perils of the Dalton Highway, the road
0:02:56 > 0:03:01that cuts through frozen wilderness to reach the rich Arctic oilfields.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03The route north will cross the Arctic Circle and wind
0:03:03 > 0:03:09through the Brooks Mountain Range before finally crossing the frozen tundra to reach the Arctic Ocean,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12the source of Alaska's oil and their journey's end.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19But their start is a small town called Whittier back on the Pacific coast.
0:03:25 > 0:03:32- This is the first car I may need a stepladder to get into, I've been dwarfed by a bumper.- The size...
0:03:32 > 0:03:35A caribou would just bounce off that.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Apparently up in Dead Horse, where we're going which is not particularly a great name to go to.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- Not welcoming is it.- They're just over minus 22 at the minute.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I've been nightclubbing in Glasgow, that doesn't hold any fear for me.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- No.- I'm sort of frightened by the icy roads, I've never been before.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54These massive trucks have the right of way and they're coming down
0:03:54 > 0:03:58apparently laden with God knows how many tonnes of equipment.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And it's 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle or something.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I've never been to the Arctic Circle and the people, you know...
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Hairy, the men are like bears, I mean this might be the only climate
0:04:10 > 0:04:16on earth you feel your masculinity is eroded, you may feel for the first time you're not the alpha male.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22- No, I can't see that. - Some bear-like man comes in with a couple of colt 45s.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26You're going to feel... You won't be pack leader here is all I'm saying.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Do you want to do rock, paper, scissors for who's going to drive?
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- I can do that, ready. - Ready, one, two, three.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34It's Alaska.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37OK, here we go.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Nine thousand, million miles to go.
0:04:44 > 0:04:50These two have vastly different levels of experience when it comes to travel.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Charley has explored six continents and circumnavigated the globe in search of adventure.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02Until now, travel for Sue has been about holidays and culture.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15I thought I'd do this nice easy Tarmac bit and you can do the really scary bit with the ice trucks coming
0:05:15 > 0:05:22towards you and sub-zero conditions on the road, I'll do the pottering around suburban community waving.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27They're on good safe roads now but for the last 500 miles of their journey
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Sue and Charley will be at the mercy of Arctic weather
0:05:31 > 0:05:35on a road built for huge commercial trucks to haul freight for the oil industry.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44The first hurdle on their road is Mt Maynard
0:05:44 > 0:05:47which blocks the route from the sea to the interior of Alaska.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51Luckily during World War II,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56the US military dug a two-and-a-half-mile tunnel straight through the middle of it.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58There's a green light, go for it.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59- But this one's red. - That one's green.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Yeah, but this one's red! - Yeah, but go for it,
0:06:01 > 0:06:06- see it's a green light. - That's man driving.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12It's a single lane tunnel so it could be a short trip if Charley gets this wrong.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19The tunnel was designed to operate at temperatures of minus 40 degrees.
0:06:19 > 0:06:25It's the first tunnel in the US to use jet engines to ventilate the shaft.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27- Can you just see light? - I've got tunnel vision.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I hope that's not a car coming our way, oh, lights.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36- Oh, yeah I knew there was something missing. - How do you turn the lights on?
0:06:36 > 0:06:40No idea, nope that's the windscreen wipers, this is good.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48- Bit bored of it now.- Yeah, gone slightly tunnel crazy.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Daylight.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08It's slightly overwhelming, isn't it?
0:07:08 > 0:07:13Sue and Charley are attempting this trip in spring known locally as "break-up"
0:07:13 > 0:07:18because the solid base of ice which holds the land, the lakes,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22the rivers and the roads together begins to melt and fall apart.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27At the start of their trip the higher temperatures will clear
0:07:27 > 0:07:35the roads of snow and ice, but as they head north the thaw will make their route far more treacherous.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- Look at that, isn't it beautiful? - That's a glacier there.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Oh, this is that lake.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- It's completely frozen. - Yeah, completely frozen.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53In the 1940s the tunnel gave rail and then road access to the interior of Alaska.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Hundreds of years before, Portage Lake formed part
0:07:57 > 0:08:01of an ancient trading route used by Native Americans.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Today the lake is used for winter sports and John Markel an ice expert
0:08:06 > 0:08:10is on hand to explain what dangers lie on the road ahead.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14It's interesting to find out what kind of conditions we have here.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19- So sheets of ice?- It probably is, we get layers in here.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24They need to determine how thick the ice is and Sue proves adept with the ice-pick.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Jesus, do not get in the way of someone with an axe.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31She's a natural axe murderer.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Yeah, done it a few times but always got away with it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38A lot of anger there.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43- You better believe it.- The coffee was strong this morning, wasn't it? - Yeah it was, yeah.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48This is actually the hard layer, let's see if I can get through that with a drill.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50You have a drill? Ooh, yeah,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52oh, John, that is,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55semi-arousing if I'm honest with you.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01- So there's at least 19 inches there. - Two foot.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Whoa, there we go.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Yeah, that is through.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09We could pretty much drive a bulldozer out here and it'd be fine.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13There's different ways of getting across the ice according the density?
0:09:13 > 0:09:17So we're approaching break-up, what's the best method then?
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Keep off it!
0:09:20 > 0:09:27At this time it's tricky wherever you go in Alaska whether it's this lake or down the highway.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31This ice is still thick but it's April and every day gets six
0:09:31 > 0:09:34more minutes of daylight than the last and it will quickly disappear.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36How long does this take to melt?
0:09:36 > 0:09:41This in break-up right now, this thing could be gone in two weeks around this time of year.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I haven't really got the gliding thing!
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I walk like a grandma, look at this.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Once we get into total break-up suddenly even the roads become
0:10:02 > 0:10:06unstable, they have to carry much lighter loads down these roads.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10You're saying the further north we go the more unpredictable the terrain is.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15As the sun returns above the Arctic Circle your days get longer and longer
0:10:15 > 0:10:19and everything starts melting and starts breaking down and soon it's summer time again.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21It's the circle of life.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Hakuna matata.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35This first part is not too bad.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39It'll lull you into a false sense of security.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47Their route takes them through Anchorage where over 40% of Alaska's 710,000 people live.
0:10:49 > 0:10:55They then head north into the vast interior towards North America's highest mountain.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58There's Mount McKinley, look at that.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Oh, my God, that is incredible, isn't it?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Look at that!
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Cocooned in their car Sue and Charley can only
0:11:07 > 0:11:13glimpse at the natural wonders on either side of the road.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Ever landed on a glacier before?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- No.- Me neither.
0:11:18 > 0:11:26To experience the real Alaska they will have to abandon their 4x4 for a couple of hours and take to the sky.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Oh, wow, look at that.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Charley is a keen flier and this proves an irresistible opportunity
0:11:34 > 0:11:37for him to show off his aeronautical prowess.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39This is an otter.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Is it? I heard you prefer beaver.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45I do prefer the beaver, but one can't be too choosy, you know?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Yes!
0:11:51 > 0:11:56Their pilot Paul has been flying this route for over 20 years
0:11:56 > 0:12:00ferrying climbers to inaccessible spots in the mountains.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Do people climb mostly in the summer?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04The main months
0:12:04 > 0:12:09are May and June because the conditions are best
0:12:09 > 0:12:15and you get more sunlight, in the winter it's the coldest place to be in the world.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Today he's picking up a party of four climbers from the Ruth Glacier.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Oh, my God, that's beautiful.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I feel completely humbled by this.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Beyond belief really, I love it up here.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13I thought the Dakar rally was fun but this is unbelievable.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15It's one small step for a woman.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19That's cool. Hi, everyone.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Is it your first trip up here?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Not mine.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Are you just constantly in a state of wonderment? It rearranges your mind.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- It does.- So where you guys from?
0:13:29 > 0:13:34- Chevak, Alaska, is where we grew up. - Just north of Anchorage.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37We just drove through there we're heading up the ice truckers road
0:13:37 > 0:13:42to Dead Horse, so we're just having this incredible experience.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Just when you think it can't get any more awe inspiring...
0:13:45 > 0:13:47You're right, we live here and this is awe inspiring.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49But this flight up was incredible.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Yeah, it's amazing, it's a lot bigger then I realise I think.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57It's so rare than I'm dumbstruck
0:13:57 > 0:14:03and I can't think of anything to say but this is the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen
0:14:03 > 0:14:06the landscape is just so overpowering you want to sink to your knees
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and it makes me tearful and joyous at the same time.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13I don't know, maybe this is the context some people get from religion
0:14:13 > 0:14:19that I personally get from the outdoors and just looking at it speaks more powerfully
0:14:19 > 0:14:23and more beautifully then I could ever so I'm just going to keep quiet.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Oh, my God, there's and animal there's a moose, there's a moose.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Where?- There's a moose in there.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Wow, isn't he beautiful, he's a big fella.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- Very big fella.- Right, get the gun!
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Stop! Not even in jest!
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- I got a good shot from here. - I've got a good shot from here.
0:15:00 > 0:15:06It's common to see wildlife by the roadside but moose represent a real danger to drivers.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08He is a big old bull.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13They can weigh up to 600kg each and high speed collisions cause
0:15:13 > 0:15:18hundreds of accidents and several fatalities every year.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Sue and Charley are now heading for Fairbanks,
0:15:21 > 0:15:26the main transport hub for the Dalton Highway, a road with a fearsome reputation.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31We're going to meet some truckers today and do a safety briefing which you have to do.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35I can already hear the boredom in your voice over you doing a safety briefing.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38What an insult to the Boorman name!
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I spit on your safety briefing!
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Do you know where I've been?!
0:15:41 > 0:15:48The oil industry requires tons of fuel, food and equipment and the Dalton Highway was built
0:15:48 > 0:15:51specifically as a supply route to the oilfields.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05The trucks hauling the loads are immense and capable of carrying up to 45 tonnes.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Avoiding them is the golden rule.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13The road has many steep hills and vicious corners and when heavily loaded, these colossal trucks
0:16:13 > 0:16:20would simply lose control if they tried to brake on the icy roads.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24When travelling at speed they literally cannot stop.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31So this is the sort of monster we're going to be coming up against.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Our little northbound four wheeler approaching that,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of haulage vehicle.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46Tim Ricards is the safety officer for a haulage firm that has over 150 trucks on this route.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51- So Charley and Sue, I understand you'll be driving up on the Dalton Highway, next couple of days.- Yes.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56OK, it's not like any road you've ever been on, you obviously have some experience in driving in some
0:16:56 > 0:16:58other countries but the Dalton Highway's
0:16:58 > 0:17:01probably the most treacherous road you're going to find.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03You got a lot of factors working against you right now.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07In addition to the weather, you've got to factor in that this is the last
0:17:07 > 0:17:09week and half of what we call ice-road season.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It's the last push to get freight that has to go over that ice road up north
0:17:13 > 0:17:15so there's a lot of traffic you're dealing with,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20a lot of people up there right now with agendas and their agenda does not concern you.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23You are in four-wheelers, you're a speck on the road to them you got to be out of the way.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The state crews maintaining the road come along
0:17:26 > 0:17:29with the plow and spread that snow out, now your road
0:17:29 > 0:17:32may look six feet wider than it really is but what you've got is a ditch
0:17:32 > 0:17:35that's been filled in with snow that looks nice
0:17:35 > 0:17:40and flat, if you think you've got a an extra four or five feet off to the right and you meet a truck
0:17:40 > 0:17:43coming towards you and you move over it will suck you into that ditch.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46So we're travelling on the most dangerous road at the most dangerous time
0:17:46 > 0:17:50with trucks in the middle of the road and no place to pull over
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- apart form a snow-covered ditch? - And they're probably 200 pounds.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57When we have a new driver going up on the road we give them a cheat sheet
0:17:57 > 0:18:02that's got mile markers that are listed, there's hills that you'll want to call out on,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07on the CB because quite frankly there are hills and corners you cannot meet traffic on.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Can we take one of your cheat sheets?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I'll give you whatever you need to have to prepare you for the road.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Now, just now.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I've got a window into what's coming and it's turned my stomach.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23I didn't know about the etiquette of the whole thing on the CB and making sure everyone knows where you are
0:18:23 > 0:18:31and what you're doing where you are on the road and he's just filled our heads with a tonne of stuff to do.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33I'm a little bit concerned.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Hey, Tim.- All right, you made it. - Yep.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43This is what the inside of these trucks look like.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49- It's nice, isn't it?- OK, so a little CB etiquette, so pull the mic off,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53you want to keep it short and to the point so
0:18:53 > 0:18:57let's say you're meeting a tractor one of the big trucks,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00one of ours so you're headed north and they're heading south.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- Hey, south bounder.- Very good!
0:19:02 > 0:19:04That sounds like a come on though.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06No, that is exactly what you'd say, hey, south bounder.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09- Hey, south bounder.- You're going to talk to them so let's say
0:19:09 > 0:19:13you're meeting them and they're coming with an oversized load.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Hey, south bounder, you've got a massive load so we'll get out of your way.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- Yeah, that's good it's a little wordy.- Still sounds pervy!
0:19:19 > 0:19:23In all seriousness you got to communicate on the radio, and the
0:19:23 > 0:19:27people up there they live and die by communication on that radio.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36The Dalton Highway is one of the most remote and exposed roads on the planet,
0:19:36 > 0:19:43with just two fuel stops and two towns on the entire 500 mile route
0:19:43 > 0:19:46The road was originally closed to the public
0:19:46 > 0:19:51and now everyone attempting it is advised to carry spares and winter survival equipment.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59The route begins in the rolling hills of mid Alaska, crosses the Yukon River
0:19:59 > 0:20:05and the Arctic Circle before reaching the halfway point and overnight stop at Coldfoot.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11Winding through the Brooks Range the road reaches the highpoint at The Atigun Pass before dropping onto the
0:20:11 > 0:20:19vast open wilderness of the Arctic tundra where the only signs of man are the road and the pipeline.
0:20:21 > 0:20:29Many of the bends and hills on this road are so notorious they have been given names by the truckers.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Knowing where you are at all times is imperative on the Dalton
0:20:32 > 0:20:38so the whole route is marked with mile markers counting down to Dead Horse.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40This things called the roller coaster,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42and this one here's called "Oh, Shit Corner".
0:20:42 > 0:20:48It's a downhill steep turn and one here called "Black Backside of Mickey".
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I don't want to know how it go that name but I'm sure Mickey remembers.
0:20:53 > 0:20:59The Dalton Highway now has stretches of Tarmac but the majority of it is gravel.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03It's frozen solid in winter but begins to break up in spring.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06There's our first big truck.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10He's a big boy.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17OK, there you go,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20your first bit of excitement.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- It was tanking along, wasn't it? - Yeah.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24That came out of nowhere.
0:21:24 > 0:21:30These big trucks see four wheelers as just an annoyance
0:21:30 > 0:21:35and then if we don't know the etiquette of how to chat and stuff like that,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37you know they get more and more annoyed.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40You've got your etiquette down though, haven't you?
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I hope so,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45we shall see.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49I don't want two tonne of angry truck up my ass because you've
0:21:49 > 0:21:51said something terrible on the CB.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I'm quite apprehensive about the whole thing.
0:22:03 > 0:22:11So look, there's the pipeline, that's what this road is all about is that pipeline right there,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17it's a hell of a pipeline, isn't it?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Those are the only two visible landmarks this highway
0:22:20 > 0:22:22and that pipeline,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26there is no other infrastructure.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33When the price of crude quadrupled during the 1973 oil crisis the US government moved
0:22:33 > 0:22:39heaven and earth to exploit the oil resource under Alaska's frozen seas.
0:22:39 > 0:22:47The Dalton Highway was completed in September 1974 in an astonishing 154 days.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53The pipeline the road was built to service has the capacity
0:22:53 > 0:22:57to pump 1.8 million barrels of oil each day
0:22:57 > 0:23:03and 85% of Alaska's revenue comes directly from this resource.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10This one may be where we use the CB to see nothing's coming so we
0:23:10 > 0:23:12can pull in because that was quite a nasty little bend.
0:23:16 > 0:23:22Yeah, but the conditions for us are pretty favourable at the moment.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Yeah, I think we need to get into the habit.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Give us your best CB voice then.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30My best CB voice.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Do a practice but not on the CB.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35OK, er...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39This is...what do I say?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Four wheeler south bound mile 52,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48checking curve, anybody about?
0:23:48 > 0:23:50We're north bound.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51We're north bound? Shit.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57This is four wheeler heading north
0:23:57 > 0:24:01just approaching Grayling Lake,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04please advise if we need to pull over.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09It always sounds pervy the way you do it.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15There it is, there's the Yukon.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Completely frozen solid.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Look at that,
0:24:20 > 0:24:21a valley of snow.
0:24:21 > 0:24:2520 new bridges were built to complete the road
0:24:25 > 0:24:30and the last one spanning the mighty Yukon River wasn't finished until 1975.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34- Look at it.- Amazing.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38It's so wide and snaky and such a long way off break-up by the looks of it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Late in the day, Sue and Charley reach the Arctic Circle.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Everywhere North from here gets at least one day of permanent darkness
0:24:46 > 0:24:50in the winter and one day of permanent sunshine during the summer.
0:24:54 > 0:25:01Look! Oh, my God. It's a lynx. It's a lynx, oh, my word.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Blown away now, just blown away.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Wow, well done for spotting it.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12They still have 300 miles to go.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17So far the weather has been on their side and Sue and Charley are growing in confidence.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21There are now trucks stacking up behind them
0:25:21 > 0:25:25but Sue and Charley have their eyes glued on the treacherous road ahead.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- This must be Oh, Shit Corner. - Oh, Shit.
0:25:30 > 0:25:36It just wraps around and around, and you're chugging up the hill.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It just came on me then,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42where were you on the CB? I could've been mown over by a truck. You're supposed to be giving it,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45"Hey, loverboy, we're coming up on Oh, Shit Corner."
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- I'm not very good with the CB. - You've got scared of the CB.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52I'm scared of all the truckers. I don't think they like me.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58This is four wheeler north bound to the truck behind us we're just pulling over to let you pass.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- Shit, fuck, we're fucked now. - It's all right, don't worry.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I'm just tired, man.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Right, do you want me to get on the radio to him?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Hi, north bounder, this is north bound four wheeler.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20We are in a ditch having pulled over rather unsuccessfully.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29'We are, can you unpickle us?
0:26:30 > 0:26:32I love you.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41They'd been warned about the lack of hard shoulder
0:26:41 > 0:26:47but it's only now they realise the snow on either side of the road is covering a 3ft drop.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Oh, our lovely car!
0:26:54 > 0:26:57That sound is the sound of suspension giving way
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and that's the axle.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Never felt love like I feel love right now.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08What are the roads looking like up here?
0:27:08 > 0:27:14- Are they looking OK? - The ice pack's starting to melt, it's going to be slicker up there.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Right, so really look out there.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20There'll probably be a lot of water on it and water be spraying
0:27:20 > 0:27:24it'll be pretty exciting. It'll be pretty easy for you to do that again.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- OK, thank you. - You guys be careful going up there.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Thank you, you're a real gentleman.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43- What a guy, huh?- He's the new Mr Perkins, I'm telling you now.
0:27:43 > 0:27:50I can't believe how you just turned that charm on so remorselessly just, bam, straight into it.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54I'm permanently on the CB going "We're coming this way, is there any traffic?"
0:27:54 > 0:27:58you haven't picked up the CB once and that why I hurtle into the destruction of death every second.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03Oh, I see, it's my fault now because I didn't pick up the CB!
0:28:03 > 0:28:08I'm on a 20:1 gradient blind because you're too scared to
0:28:08 > 0:28:11get on the CB to another man because he might think you're a bit gay.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12I'll see if there's anything.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27It's passed ten in the evening they pull in to the truck stop at Coldfoot.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38My membership to feminism is going to be rescinded
0:28:38 > 0:28:43because of two cardinal errors, firstly I drove a car
0:28:43 > 0:28:48off the road proving that this woman is a really bad driver and secondly, I then
0:28:48 > 0:28:53rung up, I CB'd a driver and put on this sort of horrible,
0:28:53 > 0:28:59sickly saccharine girl voice to try and lure him in like a honeytrap,
0:28:59 > 0:29:04I was the damsel in distress basically so I sort of behaved like...
0:29:05 > 0:29:08..maladroit and hooker at the same time.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Sue and Charley have been cooped up together for almost a week now
0:29:16 > 0:29:24so Sue takes the opportunity to meet one of only 75 people who live along the entire 500-mile route.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Hi, Jack, I'm Sue. It's nice to see you.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Hi, Sue, how do you do?
0:29:28 > 0:29:33Jack Readoff and his family have been here since before the road was built.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35He's a subsistence hunter and trapper
0:29:35 > 0:29:38who relies on the surrounding land and animals for his existence.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41We're allowed one moose per year we're very limited.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46- And that's for subsistence?- That's for subsistence hunting, one moose, one dall sheep, hopefully we'll get
0:29:46 > 0:29:47a couple of caribou.
0:29:47 > 0:29:52We start hunting caribou here within this next month right before they leave.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Right, so you need a big freezer.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Well, the outdoors is a freezer.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Jack's father bought this cabin from two gold miners
0:29:59 > 0:30:01who built it in 1932.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03So this is our home here.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- Close this door here so we don't let the heat out.- Take my shoes off.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08That's a bear I killed when I was 12.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- This is the bear you killed when you was 12?- 12-years-old.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14I was in braces.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18I was in braces and running around and didn't know a thing from a thing.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23People in this village typically take one bear every year.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27About half the people like bear meat and half the people don't.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29We'll walk down the trail here.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33This would be the kind of habitat where lynx would pass through.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36They would follow these hare trails.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Lynx is a cat and it's got excellent vision and excellent sense of hearing
0:30:41 > 0:30:46but also an excellent sense of smell, so they'd hunt through these kind of habitats.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50- I saw a lynx yesterday. - Did you really?- It was mind blowing.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54There's a ptarmigan track, you can see the wing marks.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59Jack learned his hunting skills and appreciation of the natural environment from his father.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02My dad said when they began building
0:31:02 > 0:31:07the Dalton Highway, "That's the beginning of the end,
0:31:07 > 0:31:12"they'll destroy this country," and he left. He lives in South Africa.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16I don't want to see this country destroyed.
0:31:16 > 0:31:23I don't have any intention of leaving, and so I will
0:31:23 > 0:31:28continue to fight for maintaining this wilderness characteristics.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31We're running out of wilderness in the world
0:31:31 > 0:31:35and the Dalton Highway is one of the last wilderness roads that doesn't...
0:31:35 > 0:31:40We have a pipeline here and a road, but it's basically wilderness.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49It seems to me that Alaska is the destination for people wanting to make a fast buck,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53whether it's gold, oil, through big game hunting.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Alaska does have that problem.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01The people of Wiseman were highly opposed to that road and pipeline being built through this valley.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03They were concerned that trophy hunters...
0:32:03 > 0:32:07and that the rape and pillage would begin,
0:32:07 > 0:32:12and to a large degree we've been able to hold the over-harvest back
0:32:12 > 0:32:16but we're starting to lose ground. They've just increased the bag limit on caribou to five,
0:32:16 > 0:32:22coming from a one caribou limit to five caribou, including cows on July 1.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26They can kill cow caribou with three-week-old neo-nate calves,
0:32:26 > 0:32:27which I feel is a complete travesty.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31- What happens to that three-week-old calf? - It dies, it dehydrates and dies.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34And caribou populations are easily over-harvested,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38and within five years I estimate that the herd will be decimated.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52The final and most challenging leg of Sue and Charley's journey will wind north
0:32:52 > 0:32:57through the stunning Brooks Range and up over The Atigun Pass.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00They will then journey out across the exposed arctic tundra,
0:33:00 > 0:33:04160 miles towards their destination of Dead Horse,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Prudhoe Bay on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17They're heading towards the Atigun Pass.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21At 68 degrees north and over 4,500 feet above sea level
0:33:21 > 0:33:25it's the part of the road most often blocked by snowfall and avalanche.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30Here comes a truck. Ask him what conditions are like?
0:33:30 > 0:33:34Hi this is north-bound four-wheeler calling to the south-bounder we just passed,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37can you let us know the conditions of the Atigun Pass up there?
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Thanks very much, we'll give it a go.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54You too.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57God, you're good at that.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59I'm just being polite!
0:34:05 > 0:34:10This route is exposed to the full ferocity of Arctic Storms,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14with frequent hurricane force winds of over 70 mph.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Avalanches are a huge problem
0:34:24 > 0:34:29and on average 4,000 feet of road are covered up by 12 feet of snow each year.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34The Alaskan State Department of Transport have machinery
0:34:34 > 0:34:38that can clear more than 3,000 tonnes of snow per hour.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Over here you've got this machine which, if there's a big avalanche,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50it just chews the ground up and then just spits it out
0:34:50 > 0:34:52over the other side of the road.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56All the snow comes in and then that big wheel at the back
0:34:56 > 0:35:00pushes the snow right out and right over, off the road.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Sue wants to speak to a Dalton veteran
0:35:09 > 0:35:12so, as Charley follows on behind on four wheels,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14she hitches a ride on Dave's 18-wheeler.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19Woo! Dave, it's a pleasure to be in your vehicle.
0:35:19 > 0:35:20I'm glad you could join me.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26He's got eight years of experience driving this route
0:35:26 > 0:35:29and today he's carrying a load of drill pipes up to the oil fields.
0:35:29 > 0:35:35- How big is this truck and how much does it weigh? - Right now we're about...
0:35:35 > 0:35:38- 78,000 pounds. - 78,000 pounds!
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Yeah - of pipe and everything.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45We're not real heavy. Could be a lot heavier,
0:35:45 > 0:35:49but just wanna take it easy, you never know when there might be a slick spot.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54So presumably this is a real black spot for accidents?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56It can be, yeah.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00I know guys that have died up here, not necessarily on this hill, but on the road.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you on the road.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06I guess just being in a blow, a severe blow.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10We call these delineators here, these reflectors on the side.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13You can't even see one delineator. You're just crawling.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16You're looking out your side window, with the window down,
0:36:16 > 0:36:23doing five miles an hour. It gets kinda scary, especially if you're by yourself or close to it.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26You have to respect the road, always pay attention.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29If you don't, you're done.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34The roads up here are a lot nicer in the winter time than they are in the summer time.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37These are all covered in ice, nice and smooth.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Once the ice goes away, this is what you get to deal with.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Between the rough roads and the mud and the water,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46it can be pretty scary.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53The first time I came up here I decided this was God's country,
0:36:53 > 0:36:55that there's nobody here but you and God.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05And you've always got your friend over there - the Alaskan pipeline.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Oh, yeah, you see that a lot on this road.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11- It kind of keeps you company. - That it does.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16And if it wasn't for that, then you wouldn't have a job, all the truckers wouldn't have jobs.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18That's right, this road wouldn't be here,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22the majority of Alaska wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for that pipeline.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26It's pretty contentious that drilling, isn't it, on the tundra?
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Oh, yeah, there's a lot of issues with that,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31whether or not it interferes with the wildlife.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36I, myself, I don't see where it affects it at all.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39But I guess for you it's important they keep oil flowing
0:37:39 > 0:37:43- for as long as possible because it's what feeds your family.- Absolutely.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Oil has fed my family for...
0:37:47 > 0:37:49well, this'll be three generations.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Thank you very much for letting me have her back.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Cheers, Dave. Happy trucking, my lovely.
0:38:07 > 0:38:13Heading north and gaining altitude the outside temperature has dropped by over 20 degrees.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It is freezing cold up here.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Oh, I'm going to freeze to death!
0:38:23 > 0:38:25You can just see up here...
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Oh, the wind chill is so extreme.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32I don't know if you can make out the cross here at the side of the road,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35but this highway is littered with these,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38and that represents another person who's lost their life...
0:38:40 > 0:38:43..on the Dalton freeway.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53- Oooohhh!- Oh!
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Oh, my God, you would just never survive that, would you?
0:39:07 > 0:39:10The state road crews are busy melting the frozen culvers under the road
0:39:10 > 0:39:13that allow meltwater to drain away.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17- Charley. We're just heading up the road. - Hi, Charley, welcome to the Arctic.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- It's a pretty amazing place. - Yes, it is.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24It's the only place in the world you can have floods and avalanches in the same day.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27So what are you doing here?
0:39:27 > 0:39:32Well, there are culvers that take the water underneath the roadway
0:39:32 > 0:39:35and they freeze up during the course of the winter with the overflow ice
0:39:35 > 0:39:40and then as the spring time melt starts to occur on these southerly slopes
0:39:40 > 0:39:46the water comes up and it floods underneath the road, we actually have to thaw these out with steam.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50So, that's the steam.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Wow, look at that, that's amazing!
0:39:53 > 0:39:58250 pounds, 275 degrees.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00My God! So that pipe is really hot?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- Oh, yes.- Oh nice, oh lovely!
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Have you heard anything about what's happening up the way?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10In an area about five miles long,
0:40:10 > 0:40:16in what they call mile 68 to mile 72 of the gas pipeline,
0:40:16 > 0:40:20the road is completely drifted over with 50-60 mile an hour winds,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24- Oh, my God.- Blowing snow. It was drifted up about four or five feet deep,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27There were 25 trucks stranded there throughout the night.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31It'll be blowing probably... er...
0:40:31 > 0:40:3660 or 70 miles an hour. There'll be no visibility, there will be blowing snow, blizzard conditions.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38We need to get up pretty quickly then...
0:40:38 > 0:40:41You better get the hell out of here, Charley!
0:40:48 > 0:40:53This is northbound four-wheeler calling out to the plough we just passed,
0:40:53 > 0:40:58can you give us an update on what the weather's like approaching Prudhoe, over?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Thanks pal.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05"Blowing all to hell," is what he said.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Wow, this is really starting to blow, isn't it?
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Yeah, this is really kicking off now.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Here we go.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36- Just nice and gently. - Yeah, I'm trying to. I'm going four miles an hour.
0:41:39 > 0:41:45OK, I'll try and drive on the trucker's grooves otherwise we're going to skate all over the place.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49That yellow line is detectable in the middle, so that's not a bad place to be.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Wow, this really has changed, hasn't it?
0:42:03 > 0:42:05This is almost impossible now.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09This is going to make getting to Prudhoe pretty difficult, I think.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Keep your eyes peeled on call outs and stuff.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17We might just have to call out every corner because the visibility is so bad.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22This is dangerous.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26It's a real blow, isn't it, just how everything suddenly changes?
0:42:26 > 0:42:29It's just like we've been subsumed by tundra.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Right, there is somebody out there.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47This is four-wheeler northbound, we're on mile marker 336,
0:42:47 > 0:42:51just checking to see if anything's coming.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55This is four-wheeler northbound, I can see you just now.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59We'll go nice and slow to let you by
0:42:59 > 0:43:04Go just here, cos we can see. That's not too close, that's about right here.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Er, we just saw you and we're just trying to make it easy for you, that's all.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41Try and keep more in the middle, more in the middle, yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49OK, you start calling out.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Yeah, I know, but I'm approaching the brow of the hill
0:43:52 > 0:43:56so I've got two options I either stay in the middle of the road and I don't hear anything.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00This is northbound four-wheeler just checking if anybody's nearby.
0:44:00 > 0:44:05Well, this is certainly the most scenic way to get irritable bowel syndrome.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Don't, I've shat my pants already.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20Mile 68 - we will. Thank you very much.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25OK, thank you very much for the information.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29There's so much snow around
0:44:29 > 0:44:33I'm starting to lose track of where the road begins and ends.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42It's like someone has draped a white sheet over my head.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45But I'm still carrying on driving at 45 miles an hour
0:44:45 > 0:44:47and my eyes are really struggling now.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54We were so complacent.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58We were so complacent. We just thought, "How hard can it be?"
0:45:06 > 0:45:11This is four-wheeler heading north, heading towards mile 68
0:45:11 > 0:45:14where the big drift is, please advise if anyone's around.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21OK, how far from that drift are you?
0:45:24 > 0:45:27OK, we're pretty close to you as well.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30OK, slow down, keep going.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33OK, there you are, there you are. We can see you, we can see you.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Keep going, keep going, Sue.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41- You just said slow down... - I know, just gently, gently.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46Yeah, then let me just deal with it, OK? Cos you're sending me a bunch of mixed messages.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54OK, thank you. Thank you, sir.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59- Go, go, go. - I can't see where I'm going.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Just go up there a bit, more into the middle there.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06This is the snow drift.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Shit!
0:46:09 > 0:46:15- I'm stopping, this is fucking crazy. - OK, let me drive quickly, Sue. You cannot stop here, Sue.
0:46:15 > 0:46:16Come on, get out, quick!
0:46:21 > 0:46:24- Quickly.- I'm putting it in drive.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Come on, quickly. Run, You cannot do this.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Quickly, Sue.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Come on!
0:46:39 > 0:46:42It's my lucky hat, man, and I'm not leaving it.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46We are a white out.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Oh, fuck! Quick.
0:46:48 > 0:46:49We're stopped here.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55Right get the diffs on and I'll radio.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02This is northbound four-wheeler.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05We are stuck in a drift approaching mile 68.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10I repeat, this is a northbound four-wheeler approaching mile 68, in a drift.
0:47:10 > 0:47:15We have zero visibility, calling all southbound trucks
0:47:15 > 0:47:18to get on the radio and let us know if you're coming down.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28You're perilously close this side.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30That's it, you're getting there.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43This is northbound four-wheeler approaching mile 68,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46we have zero visibility on the pass, we are mid-drift.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49This is calling out to all southbounders, if you can hear us
0:47:49 > 0:47:55let us know where you are, as we are down to zero delineator's visibility.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57OK.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01- That's it.- Yeah.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03This is bad.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06This is bad. This is zero visibility.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12You're reacting to so many stimuli,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15it's the wind, it's the snow drifts, then it's ice then it's oncoming trucks,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18the lights changing...
0:48:22 > 0:48:23Fuck me, this is bad.
0:48:26 > 0:48:32Just to advise there are big drifts at 64 and 68.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34Only 68, Sue.
0:48:47 > 0:48:48Let's just calm it down.
0:48:51 > 0:48:56This northbound four-wheeler, just hitting mile 353,
0:48:56 > 0:49:00just wondering if there's any southbound guys out there we need to keep clear of?
0:49:08 > 0:49:15This is pretty tough, so it's good to hear a friendly voice coming through the CB. It's cheering us along.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42We're going as far as Prudhoe.
0:49:49 > 0:49:50Roger.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53You might want to blaze a trail for us
0:49:53 > 0:49:56because we're having trouble in some of these bigger drifts.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Look at those glowing big old lights.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18He's going to lead us in.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Tell him he's a hero.
0:50:31 > 0:50:36- He's a hero.- You're a hero. You've sorted us right out.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39It's good to have somebody who knows the road on our back.
0:50:57 > 0:50:58- You all right?- Yeah.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10- HE EXHALES - Wow!
0:51:10 > 0:51:13You get very shouty in a crisis, Charley.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17I know. Well, I try to be shouty so that I can get the person to do
0:51:17 > 0:51:20exactly what I want them to do, straight away.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29You made it!
0:51:29 > 0:51:31You are just a saviour.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Oh, no, no, no.
0:51:34 > 0:51:40Just a normal person, trying to make sure that other people enjoy their trip.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43We did. We weren't enjoying it at mile 68,
0:51:43 > 0:51:46but when you turned up it became a whole lot more fun, I tell you.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49It can get a little interesting at times, it sure can.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52It sure can. You're a star, mate, you really are.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56You talked us through it cos we were panicking a bit there.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59Yeah, you could kinda hear on the CB!
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Yeah, I lost my... Well we couldn't see anything!
0:52:02 > 0:52:05We didn't know what was up, what was down, what was left, what was right,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and then, just, there you were.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09And that's the way the road is,
0:52:09 > 0:52:12sometimes you can see OK, then the next second
0:52:12 > 0:52:17you're wondering where you're at and why you're doing what you're doing.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Well, I know why you're doing what you're doing cos you're really good at it,
0:52:20 > 0:52:23But I don't know what we were doing out there!
0:52:23 > 0:52:26We were like a pack of clowns with four wheels underneath us.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29Oh no! Well, you have yourselves a great time.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33- OK, take care. - Take care, Sweetie.- Take care.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37Be safe. Thank you very much sir, you're a star.
0:52:37 > 0:52:42I tell you what I'm sort of a combination of buzzing and elated
0:52:42 > 0:52:46and really tearful. And the tearful bit I've felt all the way along
0:52:46 > 0:52:50but the elation just is that thing where you've come that close to being dead,
0:52:50 > 0:52:57that close to being mushed off the road by 76,000 pounds worth of unrelenting juggernaut.
0:52:57 > 0:53:02You know, you don't get these highs unless you experience that terror, and I don't know...
0:53:02 > 0:53:04I'm not as used to it as Charley, you know?
0:53:04 > 0:53:07I think I'll just stick to the funfairs.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10After 1,000 miles we've ended up here with the stink of aviation fuel
0:53:10 > 0:53:14and loads of sort of crappy beaten up trucks and it's just a wasteland.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17It's about minus 20 and the wind chill's unbelievable.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20This isn't a trip for tourists, the destination is bleak.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23The destination is business, the destination is money.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27There was a couple of really dodgy moments and it's really bad weather
0:53:27 > 0:53:30but we did it and I feel a great sense of achievement.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33I feel a little bit embarrassed about being a fledgling on the road,
0:53:33 > 0:53:35but we did it.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40The next morning, the storm has passed.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45The permanent population of Prudhoe Bay is just over 200
0:53:45 > 0:53:50but at any one time there can be up to 10,000 oil workers housed here.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56It's a company town, constructed purely to service the men
0:53:56 > 0:53:58and machines of the oil industry.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06There is a total ban on alcohol and almost everything you see here -
0:54:06 > 0:54:10every nut and bolt, every vehicle,
0:54:10 > 0:54:14even the accommodation blocks have been driven up the Dalton Highway.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19But Sue and Charley's journey started on the Pacific
0:54:19 > 0:54:23and won't be complete until they reach the frozen Arctic Ocean.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27Well, this is the road that leads to the ocean so I'm just going to follow it
0:54:27 > 0:54:28and see how far we can get.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Yeah, it's not particularly far away. It's only a couple of miles.
0:54:32 > 0:54:33Buckle up, reduce speed.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37It's like a checkpoint.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43OK, restricted area. Ah, tush! We've been on mile 68!
0:54:43 > 0:54:47There's a box there, where the stop sign is.
0:54:47 > 0:54:52- Just here?- Do you see? Right by the stop sign there's a button.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54'Uh, you haven't got a badge?'
0:54:54 > 0:54:56No, we wondered if we could get to the ocean from here.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00'No, we can't allow you on the field, sorry.'
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Is there anyway that we can see the ocean from around Prudhoe Bay?
0:55:03 > 0:55:08- 'If you don't have a badge we can't let you on.'- And there's no other way we can do it?
0:55:08 > 0:55:13- 'Uh-uh.'- And even giving you my best English accent and a cheesy grin won't cut it for you?
0:55:13 > 0:55:16'It's a great English accent, but I'm sorry, no, we can't.'
0:55:16 > 0:55:20- Oh, bless you!- OK! - Listen, I understand a voice can only go so far, you have a good day.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24Oh, that's a shame, it's a shame. We're going to have to find another way,
0:55:24 > 0:55:29I don't want to end it here, I really don't. I just think it's too... It's not fitting.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Look, I reckon we go to the airport and we find a plane.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Surely they must fly around here all the time.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16- Oh, my gosh.- Light!
0:56:16 > 0:56:18- Oh!- Oh-oh!
0:56:18 > 0:56:21Oh, my God, that is incredible.
0:56:21 > 0:56:26The whole way to the sea. Look, we're just dropping down into the sea now.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30God, look at that.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32- What a journey, well done. - Cheers, well done.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35This has been a journey of over 1,000 miles and I think
0:56:35 > 0:56:39it's going to take me about a thousand lifetimes for me
0:56:39 > 0:56:42to process some of the things that I've seen along the way
0:56:42 > 0:56:47That's the light at the end of the tunnel and I want to walk right into it and get a bit of heat off it.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50What this road is about is communication, we've had to find
0:56:50 > 0:56:55a way to communicate along the way, we've had to develop a shorthand to help each other out.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58But when it came to it, I couldn't have found a better companion
0:56:58 > 0:57:01to kind of make up for my inadequacies, as it were,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04and we ARE very different and we have a very different mindset
0:57:04 > 0:57:09but actually when push came to shove in that ravine in that cold and when there was zero visibility
0:57:09 > 0:57:10he was perfect.
0:57:10 > 0:57:16Kind of takes your breath away a little bit emotional actually.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20I think for me it's been a secret ambition to come and drive the ice road
0:57:20 > 0:57:23and it's been a truly kinda magical experience.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27There were moments of yesterday's drive that I really didn't enjoy
0:57:27 > 0:57:29and I must say I've been around the block a few times
0:57:29 > 0:57:36and that one really was a moment that has ranked the top three
0:57:36 > 0:57:40of sort of, "Oh, my God, I think I'm going to die," moment
0:57:40 > 0:57:44but you just put it down to some of life's great experiences
0:57:44 > 0:57:47and I've been fortunate enough to have a few of them.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50I can't stop staring at that sun.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54Just over there, the next stop is the North Pole.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56All right, I'll race you there.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59Nah, you go ahead.
0:58:01 > 0:58:07I think the greatest irony of all is that the oil industry, which I am ambivalent about, at very best,
0:58:07 > 0:58:14has provided the road by which one can travel and see the most pristine wilderness on the planet.
0:58:14 > 0:58:20And it's exactly that kind of contradiction which sums up this place probably perfectly.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24There's a fox, an Arctic fox just there.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:52 > 0:58:55E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk