02x01 - Alaska

[bunniefuu]

[upbeat music]

Hey, everybody. Let's G-O go!

♪ With ABC, --, and Do-Re-Mi ♪

♪ There's endless people and places to see ♪

♪ From the classroom they can search and explore ♪

♪ With every adventure you learn more ♪

♪ They visit countries near and far ♪

♪ They love to learn wherever they are ♪

♪ They see the world in a brand new way ♪

♪ They make great new friends every day ♪

♪ ABC, -- and Do-Re-Mi ♪

♪ Come along and you will see ♪

♪ The more they travel the more you know ♪

♪ Get ready, let's G-O go ♪

[Do-Re-Mi] Oh, aren't they so cute?

[--] The cutest ever.

[ABC] Hey, Do-Re-Mi and --.

What are you looking at?

[laughs] Only the most adorable thing ever.

Aw, gee, thanks.

[laughs] We're talking about the puppies on the whiteboard.

Oh. [chuckles] Of course.

Those dogs are part of a riddle the teacher left for the class.

Riddle? You mean...?

Yep. Time for another game of...

[all] Guess the Lesson!

[ABC] Teacher said, "At midnight the sun is still in the sky.

Art carved in wood stands many feet high.

A sled pulled by dogs is an adventure for all.

Climb the highest mountain, over , feet tall."

Where in the world is the teacher talking about?

[all] Let's search it!

[Do-Re-Mi] There's dogsledding in Maine, Minnesota, Colorado,

Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska.

Let's see if any of those states have a midnight sun.

[all] Alaska!

Even though Alaska is next to Canada,

it's still part of the United States.

Wow. It's so close to the North Pole

that in some places in Alaska,

the sun never goes down between late May and early August.

That's what they mean by "midnight sun."

Alaska is so big.

It's the biggest of our states.

-To be precise. -[all laugh]

[--] Oh, here's a fun fact.

The three biggest states after Alaska,

Texas, California and Montana,

can all fit inside Alaska.

Wow. Look!

This says that the highest mountain peaks

in the United States are all in Alaska,

and the highest one is called Mount Denali.

[--] You're right. It's over , feet high.

Riddle solved!

So now that our search is done,

it's time for some fun in the midnight sun.

[all laugh]

Then let's G-O go!

-Look! -[gasps]

[Do-Re-Mi] An orca.

[--] And there's the Alaska state mammal, a moose.

Ooh, there.

That sign says "Denali National Park and Preserve".

[ABC] Come on!

Hike!

[phone rings]

Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Whoa!

ABC, --, Do-Re-Mi.

Welcome to Denali National Park.

-Thanks. -I'm Jennifer.

I'm a park ranger at the Denali dog kennels.

What brings you to Alaska?

The midnight sun, the highest mountain,

the tallest art carvings we can find, and--

A dogsled ride! Check!

By the way, why did the dogs stop in the middle of the road?

Because you told them to.

-I did? -[laughs]

The word we use to tell the dogs to stop

is "whoa."

Oh.

What's the word you use to get them to G-O go?

There are a few different words people use, but I use this one.

[whispers]

Can I say it now?

Yes. Hang on tight.

-Hike! -[barking]

[all laugh]

This is amazing!

Over , square miles of wilderness

is protected inside this park.

Cars and motorcycles aren't allowed,

so you have to travel by bikes, skis, snowshoes,

or my favorite way of all, dogsledding!

It's my favorite, too. Hike!

[all] Yahoo!

Denali is the only national park in America

with rangers that are dogs.

Oh, these are the prettiest dogs--


oh, rangers-- [chuckles] I've ever seen.

They're all Alaskan huskies,

born and raised for thousands of years

to run, pull a sled, and live in the very cold winter weather.

It doesn't feel very cold.

Not now in the summer.

But in the winter, temperatures can drop

well below zero degrees.

Brr.

In the winter, it's colder in Alaska

than anywhere else in the United States.

So Alaska's not only the biggest state.

-It's the coldest, too. -[laughs]

[Jennifer] Thousands of years ago,

the people who first lived here

took their kayaks out of the rivers in the winter

and added runners, kind of like skis,

so that their dogs could pull them over the snow

to their villages.

Now, I want you to meet the newest additions

to the Denali kennels, Lucky, Annie, and Polly.

Nice to meet you.

Huskies have extra thick fur, thick skin on their feet,

extra hair in their ears,

and a furry tail they use

to cover their faces when they sleep

to protect them from the cold.

She looks like a wolf.

Is that because the first dogs who pulled the sleds

were closely related to wolves?

Yes. Over many generations,

they became today's dogs and man's best friend.

And Do-Re-Mi's, too!

[all laugh]

What other fun things do you want to do

while you're here in Alaska?

We're hoping to see some tall art carved in wood.

Oh, you must mean totem poles.

Yes, totem poles.

I know just the person to visit in the town of Ketchikan.

It has the largest collection of totem poles in the world.

-Wow! -Thank you.

Oh, yes.

What an unexpected surprise. I'm Pat.

Nice to meet you, Pat.

Park Ranger Jennifer told us you've been carving totem poles

for more than years.

Oh, my. Has it been that long?

I suppose when you love what you do,

the time just flies by.

How long does it take you to carve a totem pole?

A -foot totem pole like this one

might take me a couple of months to finish.

How did you learn to carve totem poles?

Ah, the art of carving totem poles

has been a tradition in my family

for hundreds of years.

My father taught me.

Your family has lived in Alaska that long?

Yes. My ancestors first came to Alaska

thousands of years ago.

Their children, their children's children,

and everyone who thinks of themselves

-as part of their family -[roars]

are called Indigenous people.

We are part of the Tlingit tribe,

one of many different Indigenous groups and languages in Alaska.

[Do-Re-Mi gasps] Is that a fish?

It is. Totem carvings often include fish,

eagles, bears, ravens, human faces,

and even mythical figures.

How do you decide what to carve?

Each figure on the totem

represents a different part of that story.

What kind of stories?

Come. I'll show you.

Here at Totem Bight State Park,

there are many different totem poles,

and each has its own story.

[gasps] They're beautiful.

Look at this one.

[Pat] That's the sea monster pole.

[all] Sea monster?

The story starts with the top figure on the totem.

Come on!

Okay! We're ready.

You're standing on the hat of the village watchman,

who stands guard on top of the pole.

Under the watchman are two eagles.

Under the eagles are faces

that stand for clouds and mountains,

the eagle's home.

Under that is a black fish holding a seal,

figures that represent the world under the sea.

And the creature with the big, long beak

is the mythical sea monster.

Is that who the watchman is standing guard against?

It is. The tentacles and the face below the sea monster

show an octopus that's coming for the human below.

Thank you for showing us these amazing works of art.


The artist who made this totem pole was so talented.

You're very welcome. And you're right.

Art carved in wood. Totem poles, check.

Where are you three off to next?

The highest mountain in the USA.

[phone rings]

ABC, Do-Re-Mi, --.

You're here just in time.

And we're almost to the summit of Mount Denali.

The very top?

Yep. One thing I've learned is just take it step by step.

Eventually, you can climb even the highest mountain.

[Do-Re-Mi gasps] Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti...

[all] Whoa.

[ABC] The midnight sun.

Go to the top of the highest mountain

in the United States, check.

And we saw the midnight sun.

[ABC] Best day ever!

Ready?

[both] Ready!

Ta-da!

Uh, it's very... woody.

Woody? Oops. [grunts]

That's better.

[ABC] What a totally terrific totem pole.

Thank you.

Another amazing adventure with friends...

[all] Check!

[all laugh]

[ABC] Now it's time to sing along.