04x03 - Shock and Awe

[bunniefuu]

[ Thunderclap ]

[ Wind howls ]

This homestead is without power
up to five times a week.

Power outages here can actually
be a life or death situation.

Anne:
ricky works away from home.

It's impossible for me
to keep up.

All of this
relies on one person?

It sounds like you need help.

We can't fail this homestead.

Out of my way
or I will crush you!

-Misty: whoa!
-Shocked?

Get away, mack! Get away!
That's money!

♪♪

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Feels like we literally
just drove into the jungle.

Look at this tree!

That plays into what these
homesteaders have told me.

They've got the power outages
happening,

Probably trees going
across the power lines.

This homestead, you know,
it's on the grid.

But the more rugged it gets,
mother nature pulls the plug.

Narrator: the raneys are heading

To east tennessee's
smoky mountains,

Where, for centuries,
those in the volunteer state

Have braved the extreme winds,
storms, and tornadoes

That destroy homes
and livelihoods,

Taking out power
for weeks at a time.

And one homestead lies
in an exposed hollow

Right in the crosshairs
of these deadly storms.

Anne: staying on this power grid
is not an option.

We need help
with this homestead

From people
that have experience,

'Cause we're kind
of getting burned out.

♪♪

Marty: wow.

This looks like the epitome
of smoky mountain homestead.

Hello! Anybody home?!

Hello.

All right, I'm thinking
you might be ricky?

Yes, sir, I'm ricky.

Nice to meet you.
Marty raney.

-Rachel.
-Hey.

Rachel, misty.
Nice to meet you.

-Anne.
-Nice to meet you.

How often are those storms here?

-Every afternoon.
-Every day?!

Every day.

And what about
the power situation?

How often does the power
go out here?

Probably five times a week.

-Misty: really?
-Five times a week?

Anne: yeah.

It's recording right now.
-Is it recording right now?

-Near.
-Near.

-Both: far.
-Narrator: three years ago,

Army veterans
ricky and anne reathiford

Went all in, investing $115,000

In this 20 acres
of untamed tennessee wilderness.

Anne: when we found this place,
I got goose bumps.

I believe I was put
on this earth to live here.

Ricky: my great-grandfather
was actually from this area.

It's almost like
I'm coming back home.

Narrator:
when she's not in school,

The couple's 16-year-old
daughter rachel

Helps with chores.

I love it on the homestead.

There's always something to do,

And there's no sleeping in
till 10:00. [ Laughs ]

Narrator: the property used to
have a country store --

Destroyed by storms
a decade ago.

Ricky: it's been our dream
to try to recreate it.

Ready to get me something
to get my day started here.

Narrator: from a smaller cabin,
they plan to serve

The local mountain community
by selling their meat and eggs.

But within weeks,
mother nature intervened.

♪♪

It's really scary
whenever big storms hit...

...especially if you're outside.

[ Thunder rumbling ]

Narrator: the constant storms
bring terrifying power outages.

Anne: when the power goes out,
it takes out the store.

Ricky:
we lose our freezers.

Our freezers have
all of our meat in it.

Narrator:
without reliable power,

There's no way they can sell
profitable, perishable goods

In their store.

The store's really not
producing income right now.

Money dries up,
we're done.

Narrator: living in a valley,

They can't even use
a wind turbine

To take advantage
of the severe weather.

♪♪

With their plans in ruins,

Ricky works as a long-distance
truck driver to make ends meet.

It really sucks, being away
from the homestead.

It sucks being away
from my family.

It's hard on all of us.

I've seen him cut wood
till 11:00 at night,

And get up 5:30 and go back
all the way to knoxville.

I don't know how he does it.

Ricky: I do feel guilty,

Leaving anne and rachel
here by themselves.

That's not fair to them.

Rachel: when my dad's away,
stuff breaks,

Mom and I don't know
how to fix it.

We just have to find a way.

Narrator: anne and rachel
also take care of 150 animals,

Including 6 goats,


Anne: it's impossible for me
to keep up with everything,

And a little depressing.

I think the low points

Are watching you
work yourself to death.

And then when you do come home,
that I can't enjoy it with you.

That's sweet, babe.

♪♪

Narrator:
with this family on the brink,

Marty wants a handle
on how much time

Ricky can devote to
his homestead.

What is a normal
work schedule for you?

I mean, how long are you
absent from this homestead?

Been away for a week and a half
at a time.

-The power's going out...
-Yeah.

...and you're raising
a young lady, right?

-Yeah.
-And you're not here to...

I'm not here to take care of it.
Okay.

I'm just thinking
about this creek

Coming down
the mountain there.

Does that thing run
year-round?

-Yes, sir.
-Really?

How did that store get its power


Waterwheel.

That store ran off
a waterwheel?

-Yeah.
-Off of this creek?

Off of this creek.

Well, that's a game changer
right there.

Marty: when ricky is working,
he's gone weeks at a time.

Meanwhile, this homestead
is without power.

Could the answer be
right under my feet?

♪♪

Narrator: across the homestead,
matt and misty

Want to see the workload that
anne takes on alone.

How many animals
are on the homestead?

-I'm guessing probably 150.
-Wow!

That sounds like
a lot of animals.

Wow!

All of this
relies on one person?

♪♪

It's getting really hard on me,
especially when she's in school.

Is there any time
for homework?

-I have to make time.
-Wow.

You guys are busy.
That's clear.

It sounds like
a massive undertaking

Just to keep this thing
alive day to day.

Yeah. I was literally loading
the wood stove after christmas

With an i.v. In my arm.
-Why?

Because I got the flu,
and then I got pneumonia.

Ricky went on the road.

-It sounds like you need help.
-Anne: yeah.

I can't do all this on my own.
I can't.

If three people
were working full-time,

We wouldn't be here.

They're just missing a very big
piece of the puzzle,

Which is ricky.

♪♪

Misty: what is this?

We have never visited
a homestead

That had their own
old timey general store.

-Misty: we have to go inside.
-Anne: okay.

We have to check this out.

How has business been?

Anne: we're losing money
right now.

I see one thing
right off the bat.

What?

Everything in here
is from a store, right?

Yes, because when we lose power,
everything goes bad.

Narrator: local homesteaders
do pass through,

Keen to buy fresh produce.

Misty: what you guys
needing today?

Woman: we wanted eggs.

The other thing is that
anne slaughters

And cuts her own meat,

And that would be wonderful,
if we could get her fresh meat.

Narrator: but no power equals
no perishable high-margin goods.

When you have a problem
such as power outages,

It has to be addressed.

They have this little store

Sitting right in the middle
of their homestead.

But on the shelves are things
that were bought with money.

It'd be amazing if it was honey

And canned goods and meat.

I mean, they have plenty.

There's this huge potential
that's just not being met.

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys, along with
a small build team,

Have just seven days
to save this homestead.

I will tell you right now,

Anne very easily
could break down.

The shop has huge potential
to really alleviate

A lot of the things.

I mean, maybe even have
the whole family be able to live

On the homestead
more full-time.

I get it.

The power outages are
a big deal.

Yeah.

They've got freezers
full of meat.

-Yeah.
-They've got supplies.

I'm thinking right now that we
come up with some kind of a plan

And build a waterwheel.

Hydroelectric.

I like the plan.

That's a pretty big task
to tackle.

Pfft.

You got seven days to come up
with a power solution here,

And you got water running
through the front yard.

-Mm-hmm.
-My plan is to tap in

To what's already here --

Water.

A waterwheel.

Will it work? We'll find out.

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning,
the raneys are back

With an excavator and a plan.

♪♪

I think this store has
huge, huge potential

To bring ricky
on the homestead full-time.

It would be very doable
to extend this space

To stock the shelves
with your amazing goods.

Personally,
I'm interested in seeing

If we can rob some hydroelectric
out of that creek.

That could be cool.

And I want to build
a waterwheel.

I'm all in.

Marty: I mean, I've never
built a waterwheel,

But it's possible.

It'd be awesome.

Marty:
you're not crying.

Well, tell me what's on
your mind. I got --

[ Voice breaks ]
I'm just happy.

♪♪

Narrator:
situated in a valley

And unable to utilize
wind power,

Marty plans to unplug
this homestead from the grid

And run it on hydro power.

He'll dam the reathifords'
creek, build a pipe system,

And force the water into a wheel
that drives an alternator,

Giving the entire homestead
off-grid power.

Misty wants the country store
packed with local customers

By making essential space
for refrigeration,

Canned goods,
and tanned hides.

And matt plans to
give the family a meat smoker

To max out livestock profits.

Marty:
but it's a big "if," okay?

Without power,
this homestead has no future.

And i, frankly, want to get
started right now.

What do you think?
-Where are my gloves?

Marty: good answer.

Yeah!
-Narrator: coming up,

Marty gets
a flood of inspiration

For his waterwheel...

Marty: are you available
for the next week?

I could be, but I doubt it.

...and the homestead power
strikes back.

-Misty: whoa!
[ Wood clatters ]

I got shocked!
-Shocked?

[ Siren wailing ]

♪♪

Narrator: in the smoky mountains
of tennessee,

The raneys have just six days

To reunite a family
on a failing homestead.

Financially,
we've put everything

That we've got
into this place.

Narrator: relentless storms
knock out their power...

Ricky: our freezers
have all of our meat in it.

...
Making it impossible

To sell perishable good
from their store.

Money dries up,
we're done.

Narrator: to make ends meet,
ricky works away,

Leaving wife anne
and daughter rachel

Struggling with
the homestead chores.

If the raneys do make it
possible for daddy to come home,

It'll be a lot taken off
of mom and i.

Narrator:
of all the raneys' fixes,

Delivering off-grid
hydroelectric power

Is the key to getting ricky
here full-time.

Misty:
yeah, let him scrape it.

It'll scare the snakes away
a little bit.

Narrator: misty and matt clear
the debris of the old store.

Misty:
oh, what's this? Ooh!

An old part of the chimney?

What is this?

Probably
the toilet plumbing.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: 40 miles north,

Marty visits
a waterwheel for inspiration.

Wow.
That's really impressive.

I'm fritz, this is john.

-Marty raney. John?
-Hi, marty.

-Good to meet you.
-Nice to meet you both.

This is incredible.

I would cut my right hand off
to see that thing in operation.

I think I got a machete
in there.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: upstream, a dam holds
a constant body of water...

...that's channeled through
pipes and flumes,

Turning the waterwheel.

Water on the wheel.

-Hey, water!
-There it goes.

Yeah!

Sweet! That is cool.

Is it possible to build a wheel

And have it generating
electricity in one week?

Only if you can obtain a wheel
that comes as a kit.

That's what I need.

Narrator: the revolutions
of this waterwheel

Power the mill's
corn-grinding stones

Via a series of pulleys.

Wow.
This is the big time.

You don't have to have
a pulley this size.

You can use a smaller pulley,

Or you could use a chain
and sprockets to gear it up.

You make it sound so simple.

It is simple.

Are you available
for the next week?

I could be, but I doubt it.

We're going to take the same
principle of this 18-foot wheel,

Turn pulleys, and gears

And have a generator
producing power.

Narrator:
by adding an alternator,

A hydropower system like this
could generate enough kilowatts

To power the reathifords'
entire homestead.

Wagon wheels and waterwheels --
that's what built america.

♪♪

Narrator:
back on the homestead,

Misty's ready to start work
on the store's foundations.

We're gonna kinda be
in this mad hurry

Because we're pouring a slab.

The concrete truck
comes in a couple hours,

And we're not ready.

Narrator: misty plans to expand
the reathifords' store.

First, she'll lay
a concrete slab

To protect the structure
from storms.

A skeleton of plywood framing
will support windows and doors,

And lumber from the homestead
will be reclaimed

To clad the entire building.

There'll be space to sell
refrigerated eggs and meat,

Shelving for jam, honey,
and pickled vegetables,

And an area for tanned hides

And a second story
for drying and storage.

A meat smoker will provide
yet another income stream.

You can't just pour concrete
right on the ground.

-Right.
-It'll crack and crumble.

Narrator: misty's got a no-cost
hack to reinforce the concrete.

Here we go.

We're going to do
a 12x12 cable mat

That's gonna sit inside
of that slab.

-Okay.
-Okay?

Matt: all this metal that
we put in here has to exist

In between the ground
and the top of our slab.

And I'm gonna raise it all up

With these handy dandy
flat shale rocks.

Narrator:
while misty, matt, and anne

Continue on
the new store's foundation,

Marty's back from his visit
to the water mill.

I've been in alaska
going on 50 years.

There's 3,000 rivers,


And I have never built
a waterwheel...

Yet.

Narrator: to save time, marty's
ordered a pre-cut waterwheel kit

To arrive tomorrow.

Is this beautiful or what?

Narrator: but now he needs
to find a place to position it.

I had no idea
there was bedrock here.

-Me neither.
-Let's use it to our advantage.

I'm thinking about
drilling right into it,

Anchoring some rebar, figuring
out some kind of a pillar.

-Yeah.
-One here, one here,

And right here in
the middle,

Put an 8-foot waterwheel.

Ricky:
this is incredible.

I'm loving this whole
waterwheel thing.

This is pretty much
a dream come true.

Narrator: marty will attempt

To take the reathifords
off the grid

And build a homestead
hydroelectric system.

First, he'll assemble
a pre-cut waterwheel

Supported by two concrete
pillars driven into the bedrock.

Then, 200 feet up the hill,

He'll dam the creek
to create a weight of water.

He'll then build a system
of pipes

And a wooden flume to connect
the dam to the wheel,

Forcing water into
the waterwheel's buckets.

As the wheel rotates,
cogs and pulleys

Work to spin an alternator
even faster,

Converting each revolution
into electricity.

Is this what you asked for?

That's exactly what
I asked for.

Where do you think --
-compliments of our neighbors.

Narrator: for the pillars,
marty's taken inspiration

From an old-school
tennessee export.

Wow!

Marty, you're insane!

-Is that cool?
-This is awesome!

Marty: the idea is to slip it
over the rebar

And fill this barrel
full of concrete.

You'll see two barrels
embedded into the bedrock.

♪♪

Watch your fingers.

That's money right there.

Narrator: with four tons of
concrete needed for the barrels

And the store foundation,
for 400 bucks,

Marty's called in
a local supplier.

See that?
That means my work starts.

No more talkie.

I've never poured concrete
in 90-degree temperatures.

And the sun is gonna
dry this concrete



So we're going to mix it
much wetter

Than I would pour in alaska

Because the sun is gonna bake it

And suck the moisture
out of it.

It's hot. [ Chuckles ]

Marty: start shoveling
into the fricking thing! Go!

Yeah, there!

Narrator: with the two
waterwheel barrels filled,

Marty has less than an hour
to pour and smooth

The foundation slab
for the store

Before the blazing tennessee sun
dries it out.

-What? Whoa!
-What are you doing?!

Misty: you were shaking
my face around!

Get ahold of it!

The raneys' methods
are a little unorthodox.

[ Marty laughs ]

♪♪

Why are we stopped?!

A lot of, uh, yelling.

[ Shouts indistinctly ]

[ Whistles ] grab the board!
Grab the board! Grab the board!

Rachel, get in there
and grab that board.

Pull!

Keep going, honey,
all the way to the end.

That's a girl.

The only thing you can do
is embrace it.

I think it's awesome

That the raneys can be here
and help us.

If they hadn't come, then daddy
would have no chance

Of ever coming home.

Narrator: coming up,
matt gets creative

With old toilet parts...

I can turn 'em into
a smoker.

...and marty's plans for
free power hang by a thread.

Marty: we're looking for that
this thing

Doesn't start tipping
and crush everything, okay?

♪♪

Narrator: deep in tennessee,
the raneys are battling

To save a homestead
crippled by failing power.

Ricky:
we lose our freezers,

Our freezers have
all of our meat in it.

Misty: watch out, everybody.
Watch out.

Narrator: a massive
store expansion could provide

Enough income for ricky
to stop trucking.

Marty, you're insane!

Narrator:
and marty's tasked with building

A dam, flume, and waterwheel

To bring hydropower
to the homestead.

Marty:
that's money right there.

♪♪

Narrator:
now, 200 feet up the hill,

Marty and ricky
have completed the dam.

Marty: we've done the best
we possibly,

Humanly can do
to capture the water.

A lot can be done with
a little bit of water.

I'm forever the optimist.

Narrator:
and back down the creek,

Misty and matt drive
the store build forward

With the help
of 16 year-old rachel.

What are you going to be
when you grow up?

I'm going to be, like,
a general contractor.

Cool!
You'll be like my dad.

You'll have to grow
a mustache.

-No.
[ Laughter ]

I'm having a lot of fun,
learning a lot of new stuff.

If you're real good, you can
just let it sit there and...

You got to be straight.

Narrator: while rachel gets
a lesson in nail gunning...

You gotta really lean over
and sh**t in like that.

[ Nail g*n fires ]
okay?

Anne, put this somewhere safe
'cause it's going back up.

Okay.

Narrator:
...misty and anne dismantle

The old store's
unreliable power.

-My arms ain't long enough.
-Matt: they're long enough.

[ Nail g*n fires ]
-misty: whoa!

[ Wood clatters ]

-Marty: what? What happened?
-You all right, mis?

I got shocked!

-Shocked?
-You okay?

It looked like a bad fall.
-No.

I got shocked

Trying to get
this stupid light off.

whoa!

Narrator: misty touched
a live wire

With her screwdriver,

Sending 110 volts
straight through her body.

[ Siren wailing ]

The safety team call
an ambulance

To check misty's heart.

[ Monitor beeping steadily ]

I'm just freaked out,

'Cause it definitely went
across and through.

♪♪

Marty: pretty crazy.

We came 5,000 miles to help
somebody get electricity,

And yet, over here there's power
that almost k*lled misty.

Okay. Okay.

[ Monitor continues
beeping steadily ]

Everything looks good? Okay.

Today was dangerous.
It's a lesson learned.

I should have flipped
the breaker.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning...

Look back there, buddy.

...marty arrives with
the pre-cut waterwheel pieces

He ordered
from a local supplier,

While misty, rachel,
and the raneys' build team

Get to work on framing
the store walls.

Okay, and here we go.

Rachel: I think we have made
so much progress today.

It is awesome.

So I can see the shelf now.

It's very real. [ Laughs ]

♪♪

Narrator: down in
the reathifords' garage,

Matt wants a spare liquor barrel

To give them
an extra income stream.

I see my dad using
those whiskey barrels

For his foundation on
the waterwheel.

That's given me an idea.

If I can get my hands
on one of those,

I can turn 'em into a smoker.

Narrator: if anne
sold smoked turkey strips,

She'd make $300 per bird.

First thing's first,
I gotta make a door on this.

Smell that?

[ Inhales deeply ]
oh, my goodness!

-[ Laughs ]
-[ gasps ]

That smells like whiskey.

We might have to
check people's i.d.s

Before they eat our turkey.
-[ Laughs ]

♪♪

Anne: I think having a smoker
in the store is a great idea.

I'm just picturing smoking ducks
and quail and chicken.

I think that would bring in
a lot more money

And hopefully
get ricky home sooner.

Narrator: for the chimney,

Matt's upcycled and sanitized
a toilet pipe.

And a $10 battery-operated stove

Will allow the smoker
to be tested today.

So you'll just fill up
the bottom with you wood chips.

Right.

And we can start
testing it out together.

I couldn't be happier with how
the smoker has turned out.

And it's time to put
the meat in there,

Let it smoke,
and taste the rewards.

♪♪

Narrator:
over at the hydropower site,

Marty and ricky assemble
the new $2,000 waterwheel kit.

[ Groans ]

Good, man.

♪♪

Thank you.

[ Water running ]

Well, here is a major problem.

It doesn't fit.

[ Grunts ] unbelievable.

Narrator:
the width of the spokes

Makes the wheel


Marty:
I was under the impression

I was to build
a 20-inch waterwheel,

But I never knew about
the full 2-inch,

Full 2-inch on the outside.

And...

It doesn't work.

'Cause if that waterwheel
doesn't spin,

We don't have electricity.

Here we go.

Narrator: coming up,
there's no room for error

As marty connects
his hydropower system...

Marty: oh, my lord.

Narrator: ...and his ambitious
plan threatens to collapse.

We're not going to make it.

We're leaving here tomorrow,
right?

♪♪

Narrator: in the smoky mountains
of tennessee,

The raneys have four days
to reunite a family

Suffering from failing power

And an absent father.

Ricky: it really sucks
being away from the homestead.

It's hard on all of us.

Narrator: for dad ricky
to stop trucking,

They need a bigger store
with reliable power.

So everything relies on marty

Delivering his off-grid
hydropower system.

♪♪

I've got the two pillars
that the waterwheel

Sits on and spins through.

I've got them one inch
too close. One inch.

They're set in concrete.

They are rebared into
the bedrock.

Narrator: to keep on schedule,
starting over isn't an option.

Let's try to jack these apart.

The only way to fix this problem
is to put a 10-ton jack

In between the pillars,
sideways,

And start giving
the pressure to it.

A very drastic step to take.

Since everything's been plumbed
and leveled,

Will it actually make
the whole problem worse?

Narrator: marty puts his faith
in a regular car jack

Forcing the barrels apart.

♪♪

-Marty: anything move?
-Ricky: no, not yet.

I'm not seeing it.

-Keep looking.
-Okay.

♪♪

Put the pressure on.

♪♪

See anything moving?

-Ricky: yeah.
-For real?

How -- how far?
I need to know.

Maybe 5/8ths?

Check the wheel.

Okay, there's a free wheel
through there.

Aw, yeah! That's gold!
Are you fricking kidding me!

Hey, miracles happen
around here every day.

Ricky:
one small step for man,

One giant leap
for the reathiford homestead.

This is incredible.

[ Exhales deeply ]

Narrator: over at the store,

Daughter rachel gets her hands
on a chain saw

For the first time.

Misty: safety, trigger.

-Okay.
[ Whirring ]

Misty:
rachel's only 16 years-old,

But actually,
she's super-hard-working,

Super-smart, and super-handy.

I foresee her being an asset.

Perfect! Now you just need to
do that three more times.

Today, I've learned
how to use a chain saw,

And I did a pretty good job,
too. [ Chuckles ]

Rachel, how's it look?!

-Perfect.
-Wow!

I hope, with the skills
I've learned today,

I can take some of
the pressure off my parents.

♪♪

-Narrator: the next morning...
-You guys.

...matt's ready to test
the whiskey barrel smoker's

First 12-hour cure.

Check this out.

Ah, man, look at that.

Just dig in!

They don't sell jerky like this
at the store, man.

This is delicious.

People will come
from miles around

Just to have
some of this meat.

Narrator: a week ago,

Power cuts were spoiling
the reathifords' own meat,

And selling any was
off the menu.

Now they can preserve
their livestock,

And, crucially, introduce
a high-profit income stream

To their soon-to-be-finished
store.

I believe this smoker's
going to be

A great asset
to the homestead.

Anne: I'm excited because that's
gonna bring in money,

And hopefully
get ricky home sooner.

♪♪

Narrator: over at
the hydropower system,

Marty must now channel the water
from the dam



To generate
off-grid electricity.

Here we go.

Narrator: marty's come up
with a no-cost solution

To give the system a flume.

So what I'm going to do
with the chain saw

Is accentuate this line.

This will be where the water
comes down the mountain

Right onto a waterwheel,

And hopefully
we get some motion.

Narrator: marty must position
his 300-pound flume

Above the waterwheel.

Look down through there,
you can see that

We've set two support
cross-brace trees.

Hopefully, they're
at the right elevation.

There's a lot of weight
going on these poles.

See how it goes.

♪♪

Marty: we're looking for
that this thing

Doesn't start tipping
and crush everything, okay?

♪♪

Hee! [ Laughs ]

Holy moly!

I don't care if you shot that in
with a laser from outer space,

That's pretty good
to the human eye, huh?

Absolutely.

♪♪

There's a dam way up there.

We got to get from the dam

To that end of that
log flume, all right?

Now get me some water.

Narrator:
now marty must connect

The back of the flume
to the pipe at the dam

Using 200 feet of plastic pipe
supported by a-frames.

♪♪

I think that's about as close
as I'm gonna get.

These little pissant little
a-frame supports every six feet,

We're not going to make it.

We're leaving here,
tomorrow. Right?

Yeah.

We're don't even have water
to this fricking' wheel.

But unless water comes down
that mountain

And turns that waterwheel,

Everything that I've done
over there is for naught.

♪♪

Narrator: one week ago,
the raneys arrived

At a homestead crippled by
lack of power.

Power outages here
can actually be

A life or death situation
for us.

Narrator:
their tiny country store

Was bleeding money...

I had 45 duck eggs to hatch,
and they all died.

...forcing husband ricky
to work away.

I can't do all this on my own.

To bring him home full-time,

Matt's built
a money-making smoker,

And the shell of misty's
store extension is complete.

Here we go!

But now, all the raneys' efforts
will be for naught

If marty can't complete
his hydropower system.

We're not going to make it.

We're leaving here tomorrow,
so listen carefully.

That tree's coming down,
and we'll get 60 feet of pipe.

We'll just strap it right to
this thing. Fair enough?

Yeah, I think
it's a great idea.

Narrator: marty plans to brace
the pipes to felled trees,

Removing the need
for so many a-frames.

[ Chain saw whirring ]

All right, this is it!

Get away, matt!
Get away! Get away!

[ Whistles ] walk the ex down
and pick it up!

Out of my way, or I will
crush you with an excavator!

All right, cut me loose!

Keep coming, keep coming.

That's all you got.

That's the last pipe
right there.

♪♪

Narrator: just before sundown,
the system is connected.

[ Whirring ]

It was a good day
on this homestead.

Everybody worked really hard.

But if we run water down that
log, it hits that waterwheel,

And it doesn't spin it,
I'm not going to be surprised.

You never know until you try.

Narrator:
all that's left to do

Is connect the gearing
and test the system.

If it doesn't work, the store
won't be profitable,

k*lling the reathifords' dream.

♪♪

It's the final day.

Marty installs the gears
and alternator,

The vital conduit that turns
wheel power into electricity.

This is where
the rubber meets the road.

If that mountain stream
could get this

To turn 10 revolutions
per minute...

Boom!

This tiny alternator can make
electricity for the homestead.

Narrator: while marty
connects up the alternators...

So let's move these in.

...misty, rachel, and anne
have used lumber

From the old shop
to make interior fittings.

Grab the first shelf, rachel.

Just going to let you do it.

Mm-hmm.

We're making the shop
come together.

Now this is starting to look
like a store.

Narrator: for over two years,

The reathifords
faced financial ruin --

Selling store bought goods at
a loss from their cramped store.

Ricky was forced to work away,

Leaving anne and rachel
toiling on the homestead.

Now for $1,800 worth of
concrete, windows, and lumber,

The family have
a 200-square foot country store

Large enough for a whole range
of homestead products.

You could actually become
a full-time homesteader.

I would love it.

Anne: the raneys have given us
a big leg up to get ricky home.

I've never seen a girl work
as hard as me.

Misty:
these are yours to keep.

Narrator:
the new store is complete.

Family, reathifords
and raneys please.

But if marty's hydropower system
doesn't generate power,

The shop won't get
refrigeration --

Leaving it unable to match

The income ricky earns
from trucking.

This thing right here, guys,
I'm really nervous.

And it's really
the moment of truth.

If we did this correctly,
you might here a little

Tennessee mountain music.

Narrator: marty's attached
a fork to the wheel

To strum matt's banjo...

If the wheel turns.

Matt, please go open
the gate valve up at the dam.

Please.

All right, I'm turning
the water on.

All right.

♪♪

All right.

Water's on!

This is it.
This is it.

-Come on, come on, come on.
-Misty: oh, my god.

Is it working?

-You guys!
-There's water.

I see water.
-Marty: where?! Where?!

There!

-Marty: yes!
-Misty: [ laughs ] yes!

Yeah! Yes!

Yeah!

Yeah! Yeah!

That's money!

[ Whistles ]
look at the light!

I knew it would work!
I knew it would!

♪♪

I swear to all of you,


Look you in the eye,

I didn't think
it was going to work.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: seven days ago,

The reathifords were
at the mercy of the grid,

Where one blackout
spelled disaster.

Now, a hydroelectric system
costing just over $3,000

Provides constant power
all over the homestead,

Allowing the store to stock
the vital perishable goods.

The raneys have helped
push us forward so much.

And we have that source
of electricity

Whenever the power's out.

And, I mean, that is just
an incredible thing.

I want to thank you for making
my husband's dream come true.

And I want to thank you
because you had no idea

How close we are
to getting him home.

[ Voice breaks ] and you...

You have the...
Undying admiration

Of a little tennessee boy

For helping me
get this right here.

I accept that
with the highest honors.

Your entire family
has touched us.

That's a fact.

Thank you, guys.

Misty: double hug. Bye!

Marty: enjoy that banjo.

[ Reathifords laugh ]

♪♪

Listen to that --
the raney pipeline.

We're getting a lot of water
flow, so that's a good thing.

Anne: I had
a lady and a gentleman

Stop at the waterwheel
this morning.

And she came in, and she hadn't
been in the old store

Since she was 12 years old.

The smoker works great.

Ricky: and we cannot keep
our turkey in stock.

Rachel:
if they hadn't come,

Then daddy might not have
ever made it home.

In the last two months,

I have focused mainly
on the store.

This is gonna be
a game changer for us.