Even the toughest Alaskans sometimes need a helping hand.

Alaskans must complete their final tasks before the freeze, as winter approaches.

Strenuous labor represents just a part of life for isolated Alaskans.

At the onset of dark winter, the clock is ticking for Alaskans to brace for what lies ahead.

To survive dark winter, Alaskans call on old traditions and learn new techniques.

With their futures uncertain, Alaskans must adapt to old and new surroundings to survive.

Hard lessons must be learned to survive during the dark winter in the Arctic.

Sue must build new furniture from scratch. Ricko traps a dangerous foe. Jessie constructs a new workshop. The Hailstones journey through a treacherous storm.

Alaskans take to the frozen trails to harvest much-needed resources for dark winter.

A lifelong dream is within reach in the Arctic, and only Mother Nature stands in the way.

Sue settles back into life at Kavik; Ricko replaces the cabin stove; Jessie struggles to free his four-wheeler from the frozen mud; Chip and Agnes hunt an apex predator.

The Hailstone family rushes to prepare camp for a possible storm; winds jeopardize Sue's camp and livelihood; as goose season opens, Ricko teaches his daughter to hunt; Glenn heads out to replenish his family's meat supply.

Sue sharpens her survival skills; Jessie sets out for food and medicine; Glenn burns a manmade structure to the ground so that nature can reclaim its rightful place; the Hailstones embark on a traditional hunt for valued seal meat and oil.

The everyday struggles of living in the Alaskan wilderness where one wrong decision could be deadly.

Sue rips out her old kitchen to build a new one; the Hailstones go picking for vegetables; Ricko goes fishing with his kids; Jessie goes beaver hunting.

Alaskans make the transition into the Arctic summer; the Hailstone family contends with a natural obstacle; Jessie harvests food; Sue hustles to protect Kavik before clients arrive; Ricko and his children face a deadly threat.

Sue deals with a flooded runway; the Hailstones patch their fishing net before the run of fish occurs in Kiwalik; Ricko and his children head out to secure camp food; Jessie builds a new raft to haul firewood throughout the summer season.

In Alaska, summer is spent preparing for what lies ahead; the Hailstones spend a night on the water; Sue Aikens battles river currents to source coal; Ricko DeWilde secures food with nets made by his late mother; Jessie Holmes gathers firewood.

With the summer ending, Alaskans must overcome exhaustion, injury and failure; after seeking medical aid, Andy returns home to pick up the pieces; Jessie harvests salmon; Sue searches for winter food; the Hailstones gather key resources.

As summer wanes, Alaskans race against Father Time to harvest nature's bounty.

Alaskans scramble to secure provisions before winter; Andy Bassich must secure clean water to grow vital crops; Sue Aikens stalks a herd of caribou; Jessie Holmes returns to a familiar area to hunt a dangerous predator.

At the edge of the warm season, Alaskans prepare to pay winter's cost; Ricko DeWilde heads out on a proxy moose hunt to aid a village elder; Sue Aikens builds an arctic entryway; Jessie Holmes works to finish his dream cabin before conditions worsen.