02x02 - Splash for Cash

[bunniefuu]

Back up, back up...

[narrator] Previously on
"The Last Woodsman...."

[bleep]

Scared the crap out of
me there.

Jared Douglas scrambles
to fund a bid on

an opportunity of a lifetime.

[Jared]
Forever Claim is the right to
harvest that timber

as long as your business stays
in business.

This is the holy grail!

But while racing to harvest
and haul big timber

to the barge...

The wood has to get
in the water.

So we really need to move fast.

...setbacks threaten to
destroy his future.

Come on,
you son of a [bleep]!

It's toast, man.

When we lose a machine
outright, it hurts.

It's like a man down
in the army.

Everything's lying on
my shoulders.

I have to keep going forward.
I have to push forward.

Roll with the punches.

It's how you handle the chaos
that's going to measure

if you're gonna be
successful or not in
this business.

Ready?

I'm gonna load
the trailer back on.

Go get another load.

Logging full throttle for
the past six days,

it's an all-out scramble for
the Cypress Creek crew.

Just 48 hours remain until
the deadline to fund

the Forever Claim bid.

To avoid defaulting, Jared must
splash and barge enough

big timber to secure
the final $200,000.

[truck horn honks]

[Jared] I got to get some
extra loads into the water

and ready for the long version.
Let's go get that money.

Since the loss of a yarder
last week, Jared hopes another

fat truck will make up
for time.

This one with him at the wheel.

We all got to pull
on the rope.

We all got to get this
thing done.

[Jared] One of my mentors once
told me you can never pay a man

for a job that you can't do.

I've done exactly what
every single person

in my company has done.

There's a brotherhood
in logging.

You live it.
You work within it.

They become your family.

I look at the people
that rely on me.

I can't quit.
I have to keep going.

And my crew knows that.

They know that I'm gonna be
out there hustling.

[Jared] We're hauling about
a 15-mile haul right now,

you know, we'll get three loads
a day per truck.

Three loads, that's
a substantial amount of money.

Ooh.
There's the loader.

You out here, right?

[man over the radio]

Hey, do you got a turn out
there, or do I got a back up?

[man over the radio]

Not much of one.

To load timber,
the 35-ton hauler

must be backed in,

avoiding a 1,000-foot drop
on one side.

[Jared] That's where you got to
get the road builder [bleep].

Just because you can turn
a pickup truck around doesn't

mean you can turn a logging
truck around.

[man over the radio]

OK, here we go.

[truck beeping]

I see that big sexy
red log loader in the back.

[man over the radio]

And there we go.
Locked and loaded.

We're gonna try to get
an 80-ton load.

Get a few minutes' sleep.

Life of a truck driver.

Further up the mountain...

Oh, pretty steep, Jim.

...fallers Jim Gardner
and Rob Winger push higher

into the untapped wilds of
Big Cedar Country.

What in the [bleep]?

But a winter storm
has left this face

a wind-blown mess.

There's a mountain of debris.

Yeah, big time.

Pacific gales can bring winds
in excess of 90 miles per hour,

causing widespread destruction
and a whole host of

problems for fallers.

It's hit all these tops that
are around us

and broke a bunch
of branches off.

On top of that,
the tops of these trees

are all lying around the wood
that we want to get at.

There's going to be a few
problems with this,

but it looks like we have lots
of really tall timber.

Holy shnikes!

-Ooh.
-Look at this!

It looks like a pretty nice
piece of wood.

The heavy leaner cedar,
it's kind of lean and heavy.

Heavy at the rock bluff,
not so much at the hill.

If it's solid, that's
a beautiful piece of wood.

Jesus!

It's not gonna be fun
getting an escape trail through

all this [bleep], especially
for a 50-year-old.

[Rob]
The last 30 years, I've been
outside pretty much every day.

I used to be the kid
on the crew.

And now it's like, holy [bleep],
I'm the old man.

And why am I still doing it?
I love it.

Plus, I don't have
enough money to retire.

The way I want to retire,
I want to buy a big farm

and just relax with
a bunch of animals,

that I can sh**t and eat.

[Rob]
What do you think, Jim?

[Jim] There's just
so much wrong with this.

Outside of being hit by
all these trees,

we've got ground debris.

When this comes down and hits
this, this stuff's gonna

teeter-totter everywhere.

Across the rock is not
really an option.

Down there is definitely
not an option.

Falling across that rock's
not an option.

I think my best bet is to
fall 'em up here,

but to do that,
I gotta follow it across

all this blowdown
in here.

Right there, there's two broken
ends on top of blow-downs.

That's a pivot point to flick
these 30-foot logs at me.

This 150-foot-tall leaning
tower of cedar is positioned to

fall straight up the hill
onto rocks and stumps

that could destroy its value.

Instead, Rob will aim
his undercut 45 degrees across

the hill and onto a softer bed
of debris, but with so much

blow-down, there's also
a high risk of blow-back.

It could hit that trunk
right there.

You're hiding behind the cedar,
but it flips the top of that

trunk back at you.

I know a faller, that, he fell
a tree, got out on his escape

trail, was standing on
the end of a windfall.

The tree hit that windfall,
pivoted and launched him

about 30, 40 feet in the air.

I can't remember what he broke,
but it was a lot of bones.

I definitely do not want
that happening,

so I'm gonna
have to...

There's a good
pivot point right there.

I'll buck that right there.

Try and buck this limbs
and this windfall down,

and then I'll work
on an escape trail.

I think that's what
I'm going to have to do.

[saw revving]

We've got our work
cut out for us.

Back near float camp...

[gulls cackling]

Oh, yeah.

...foreman Ross Davis
and mechanic Adrian Bailey

inspect the remains of
the grapple yarder to determine

how much can be salvaged.

-Cabs torched?
-Cabs ruined.

-Oh, yeah.
-Windows are all out.

Glass everywhere.

[Adrian] I feel bad
for the machine,

because I love
these pieces of equipment.

That's what really brought me
into this industry was the --

how interesting and unique this
West Coast equipment is,

and it's not exactly
pleasurable for me to watch

it burn to the ground.

At 120 tons, there's up to


and parts that can be sold.

And if Adrian and Ross can
avoid any more damage,

the extra cash could mean
the difference between

Jared funding or
defaulting on his bid.

All right, well,
first things first.

Let's get this thing
on the ground.

Our initial plan of attack is
to cut the boom up.

OK, hang on here.

[Adrian] There is a cable,
it's called the topping line,

and that holds it anchored to
the rest of the machine,

and we are going to
cut that line.

It's hazardous, as we are
dropping a 20-ton

boom to the ground.

And Ross being the second set
of eyes for me

is gonna be crucial.

-All right, well, be careful.
-Ready?

Oh, God!

[Ross] The biggest concern of
dropping this boom

is the cables.

Once that starts going
and unwinding,

[bleep] is gonna be whipping
all over the place,

and that'll snap you
and take your head off

in a matter of seconds.

[crack]

The variables of life.

[machine groans]

Whoa.
[bleep].

-[machine groans]
-Oh!

Oh!

[bleep]

[bleep] -- didn't see
that one coming.

What caught up?

The tail up in the shiv
up there.

-[Adrian] No.
-[Ross] That didn't go
as...as well as planned.

OK, we've just created
basically a booby trap.

Aye-yi-yi.

[Adrian] There's not really any
safe way to cut this again.

Now we have an uncontrolled,
massively heavy load hanging

over the ground like that,
we have to neutralize this

for sure, immediately.

[Ross] We're in a hurry.

Got barges coming
and they can't be delayed.

This one's taking a little
longer than expected.

OK, well, I got an idea.

We'll get the excavator...

try smacking it down and it
should pull through there,

I would think.
-Yeah.

[Ross]
What could go wrong?

[Adrian] A lot.

I trust Ross fully,
and when we work together,

I just know that he's not
gonna get me injured

or anything like that.
He's a really good operator.

[Ross]
That's as high as I can go.

He's watching out for me while
I work around him,

and together working on
this thing, we'll get it

dismantled fast.

[heavy clanking]

[bleep] you.

If that thing's
jammed in there...

that well...

it might not let go.

Please go.

[Ross] Son of a [bleep].

Back in the high country...

Fallers Jim and Rob are
battling blow-down

for a cedar worth up
to 25-grand.

Sometimes cleaning
the debris is more work

than falling the tree.

Much more good-er.

Got a nice trail,
escape trail now.

I think we're ready now.

So my plan, I'm gonna get
this heavy leaner.

Got a nice little bed for
it now.

-Yeah, looks good.
-I think I got all the pivot
points bucked.

I got this one bucked,
this one chunked out

in case it flips up.

So I was gonna clear some of
that out of there and then

throw this heavy
leaner up there.

And while I'm doing the
low side of the undercutting,

I wanna get you to watch if it
gets on top of all this

windfalls and comes sliding
like the Egyptians did

with the pyramids,
with the logs,

maybe it come
rolling back at us.

That's why I got a good escape
trail in behind here.

[Jim] Looks like a good plan.

If this massive cedar drops on
the cut logs up the hill,

it can now roll
straight back on Rob.

So it's critical he make
a heavy face cut to guide it

onto a safer bed of debris.

OK, let's do it!

[saw whirring]

[Jim] Rob's gonna be cutting,
and I'm gonna be

his eyes and ears.

This tree, it's leading
up the hill.

It could break off and go into
the direction that

it's not intended.

I'm just gonna watch out,
make sure nothing's gonna

hit him, make sure he's safe,
and we're gonna do

our job together.

Whoa!

[saw whirring]

That'll work.

It's going. it's going --
yeah, it is!

[timber crackling]

For [bleep] sakes!

[Jim] It landed right in the bed
that I wanted it to,

and it still broke...

which makes me think
there's rot in it if it broke

and I already had
a nice bed for it.

Yeah, this thing didn't
even hit anything and it broke.

[Rob] It is what it is.

Two miles below...

[Jared] The bigger the load,
the bigger the money.

The clock is ticking, as Jared
needs every last stick of

timber barged out for
a shot at his bid.

[Jared] This Forever Claim,
it's gonna give me a little

bit more home time so
I can watch my kids race

their dirt bikes or, you know,
be there for my wife.

And this takes a lot away
from your family.

I probably give more of my time
back to my crew than I give

back to my family,
so I need this claim.

He's peaking it up.

I think he's done.
Time to wrap her up.

Making sure the load's secure,
making sure nothing slides over

the front of the truck going
down the steep hill,

and we'll be on our way
to the beach.

Nice.
Nice and tight.

[indistinct]

[truck horn honks]

[Jared]
Feel that weight on there.

Totally different animal once
you put 100 tons on her.

Oof.
Heavy wood.

[man over radio]

Free now?

[man over radio]

Trailer brakes are locking up.

[man over radio]

Got plenty of air pressure,

I'm gonna go ahead
on them here.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[bleep]

[bleep] [indistinct]

What the [bleep]?

[bleep]

High above Float Camp...

Problem with the trailer brakes
right now.

That's [bleep] dangerous.

[Jared]
I disconnect the air supply.
Hooked it back up.

There's a part of me right now
that's thinking, what happens

if this happens on the way
down the mountain?

Maybe a blockage of air.

We're definitely gonna have
to monitor it on the way

down the hill.

I'm gonna have to really
look at the air gauges

and make sure I'm keeping
my air, make sure the brakes

are going to hold.

All right.

And here we go.

[truck horn honking]

Full load heading
down the mountain.

Definitely did not like
the brakes locking out.

Brakes fail,
we're in big trouble.

Here's a steep incline.

[brakes squeaking]

Didn't like that sound.

Lockup's acting up again.

Brakes stop working,

this truck will take off
like a [bleep] [indistinct].

Come on, baby!
Come on.

There we go!

The rough stuff's done.

Home stretch!

Now we're going to hit the main
line and pick up some speed,

make some money.

I have people counting on
me to succeed.

So every day is crucial.

Get these loads off
and get paid.

Me, my crew, and all of us
have seen this game.

Nicely done.

Five miles up the shore...

...Ross and Adrian struggle to
scrap the yarder,

and the 40,000-pound boom is
not going without a fight.

[Ross]
I can't believe this [bleep]
boom is still in the air.

I'm lifting up the back end of
the machine for 10 feet.

This thing's 120 ton.
It's just not working.

[Adrian] Hey, put your bucket
teeth around all the cables.

[Ross] Yeah.

[Adrian]
Oh, oh, oh, you almost had her!

[Ross] Holy [bleep]!

[indistinct]

[loud crash]

Nice work, Roscoe.

Look at that!

[Ross]
Look what held it up, just that
little [bleep] chunk in there.

Just wedged her up.

Hopefully we don't have
any more hang-ups.

Yeah.

This whole A-frame up here,
the gantry, whatever --

that's what holds the boom up.

And we'll just pull the gantry
off, and the rest of it

will stay as-is.

And then we can drag everything
off, and then basically,

it's a cutting show.

Do your worst.

[machine creaking, humming]

[loud clanking]

[bang]

[laughing]

-Woo-hoo.
-[Adrian] Bullseye!

[heavy clanking]

[laughing]

I do so much fixing.
All I do is fix, fix, fix.

I can't be fixin' all the time.
I need a break.

Nice!

Oh, yeah.

[Adrian] These machines are old,
amazing history.

A lot of guys won't be happy to
see us desecrating it in

this way, but just two guys
trying to get this thing

as ground-level as possible,
as fast as possible.

I'm having fun.

[Adrian] Ok, go for it.

Watch your toes.

Woo-hoo.

Woo!

-[Adrian] Rock and roll, buddy.
-[Ross] Rock and roll.

Smash it, bash it, k*ll it, eat
it, [bleep] sh**t it, burn it.

[Adrian]
Me and Ross are feeling good.

We got this job done almost --
until we get this thing on

a boat, and the scrap boys will
have their way with her,

and she'll rest in
steel heaven.

Back in the high country...

For [bleep] sakes.

...Jim and Rob's last giant
cedar shattered on impact

and lost half its value.

Didn't even hit anything
and it broke.

So they need at least one more
money tree to stand a chance

at recouping the loss.

Fortunately for them,
their redemption tree could be

just a few feet away.
-[Rob] Well, look at that!

It looks like a scratching
post to me.

[Jim]
That's a mountain lion!

I think, yeah,
I think you're right.

You can tell by all
the smaller claw marks.

[Rob]
Look at smaller claw marks --
one, two, three.

Probably not far off.
It's pretty fresh.

[Jim] They could be watching us
right now.

Oh yeah, cats are sneaky.

The cat scratch cedar.

[Rob]
This thing looks sound from
the bottom, but then you take

a little closer look.

There's carpenter ant holes
down here.

So who knows what --
if it's sound in the core.

Sounds good there.

But then you get to
the high side.

[knocking]

Sounds solid there.

[knocking]

Not so much there.

[knocking]

Definitely not solid there.

So this one's going to be
trickier to keep off the bluff.

But there is some meat in it,
so hopefully I can swing it

right up here.

Otherwise it's going right
on the bluff.

This cedar is highly unstable
at the base and likely to

fall straight down,
where it could explode.

But if there's still enough
holding wood to control it,

Rob will once again aim
his undercut across the side

hill toward a softer bed of
blowdown, where this time

it'll hopefully stay
in one piece.

[Rob] As long as I can keep
the two corners of my undercut

in the sound wood,

hopefully I can control
the direction of fall.

[Jim] You got it, buddy.

[Jim] There's so many
factors involved.

We got rock debris.

Ground debris.

There's just
too many variables.

It's nice to have a second set
of eyes in case something

goes sideways.
-Ready!

[saw whirring]

Look out!

Back up!

[saw whirring]

[Rob] Look out!
Back up!

[timber crackling]

Heads up!

[cracking, groaning]

[thwack]

[bleep]
Money shot.

Woo!

That was a nicer tree
than the leaner cedar.

Yeah, go figure.

Awesome!
[bleep] I love that.

If I could do this all day,
every day.

-Oh wait, I do -- I do!
-[laughing]

With this tree still
completely intact, Rob and Jim

should have just enough timber
on the ground to pay for

Jared's bid on
the Forever Claim.

The cat-scratch cedar was,
I thought it was gonna be a bag

of [bleep] with
the carpenter ant holes,

but they must've just
started chewing on it.

This is the nicest cedar
I've had all day, all week.

I bet you that cat's right up
there watching me,

just waiting to pounce.

I cut down her favorite
scratching pole!

Back down by the water...

[Adrian] Clocks are ticking.

...Ross and Adrian's salvage
mission moves on to

the next challenge.

To cash in on scrap steel
and parts, they must get all


onto a boat.

We've got to load a bunch of
the scrap into it and then this

big ugly hunk is going to get
pushed on.

I'll pull with this thing.

We'll hook that strap up to
you and we'll push with

the lug loader.

Then we'll have a better chance
of steering it.

[Adrian]
We've lightened it up a little
bit, got the boom and gantry

off, but this is still


And our ramp is about that wide,

so it's gonna be tight.

And there's gonna be
a decline going down to

the barge ramp.
And that's a lot of weight.

If we lose control of it,
like, it's gonna do some

damage to something.

I think we're just gonna
have to gamble with no brakes.

-What could go wrong?
-Ha-ha.

OK.

[truck beeping]

Hey -- you can be
the eyes there.

Which way we got to go?

-[Adrian] Yeah.
-[Ross] OK, let's go.

[Adrian] OK.

-That go this way?
-[Adrian] I think, yeah, yeah.

-Tell him to tighten it up.
-[Adrian] Tighten this up
a little bit.

OK.

We got to start
turning it that way.

A little more.
A little more.

Easy, Ross.
Ross.

Yeah.
[bleep].

You got to watch
your counterweight.

-Did I hit it?
-[Adrian] Just about.

[machine squeaking, creaking]

[squeaking, creaking continues]

-[Adrian] Oh, yeah, baby!
-[Ross] Nice job, buddy!

West Coast logging is never
a dull moment, brother.

[Adrian]
We had some ups-and-downs,
some excitement

and a bit of danger, and fear,
danger, excitement all hanging

out together.

Tons of good parts for Jared,
and there's a lot of weight

and scrap metal there.

Like, you know, there's good
money in these things no matter

how you cut it.

It's on to the next challenge.

Well, let's go back to logging.

[Jared] Best view in
the world, the Hercules.

After 10 all-out days
of production,

Jared and the crew are
down to the final hours.

To barge and deliver in time
before bidding closes.

It all comes down to
this moment.

Lots of time and effort has
gone in to get this log

barge out.
It's a great site.

Beautiful day
and we've got lots of wood.

I need to turn this log barge

into dollars in my bank account
right now.

Every bundle must be carefully
loaded onto the barge

so it can be hauled more than


But Jared's estimated profit is
based on volume and how much of

it hits the deck of
the barge undamaged.

Dave Lornie is running
the crane right now.

Are you out here, Dave Lornie?

Yeah, go for Dave.

How's things looking up there?

[Dave] Hey, you guys made some
nice bundles, lots of them!

Nice, nice, nice.

We're going to keep you guys
busy this season.

[Dave] Oh, yeah, boy!

[Jared] You know, it all comes
down to this last moment.

This is like the gold miners'
gold weigh-in, right?

This is just on a way
bigger scale.

There's the king
of the Klondike.

Now there's king of the coast.

[Jared]
It's impossible for loggers
to even know their costs.

It is a take a dart and throw
it at the board and hope

you land on the bullseye area,
because it's so hard.

Wreck your machine and your
costs go through the roof,

you lose money on that job.

We can't haul
because the river's blown out.

Just how efficient we are,
that's a huge...

driver on if we make
money or not.

Logging is like taking
a pitchfork to

a wheelbarrow full of cash,
throwing it over your shoulder

and hoping a dollar bill lands
in your pocket.

-[indistinct radio chatter]
-Yeah, go ahead.

[over radio] Do you think
we're gonna fill the barge?

Um...

[Rob] I think these two sharp
ones are yours.

I got this mangled-up one
and a mangled-up one.

No, the brand-new one.

Remember you got
brand-new wedges?

-That's yours.
-Mine's [bleep] chewed on
the corners.

Rob's my brother.
He is a true brother.

It's getting warm out.

I know you like the heat,
but I hate it.

Oh, I shine in this.

[Jim] We've worked together for


before that logging.

If you want, I can hang out
and hammer some wedges for

you if you want.
OK, that would be helpful.

OK.

There's something about falling
that really bonds you to

each other.

When you look after yourself,
number one, and your partner,

number two, that's a very
strong bond between two people.

And when you save somebody's
life, it's even stronger.

[Rob] Can't always be nice
unless you're Jimmy Gardner.

And when you feel it, it's gold.

On the coast of
the Pacific Northwest...

[over radio] Do you think
we're gonna fill the barge?

[Jared] Um...

Yeah, I think we have more than
we need, actually.

It'll be stuffed right full.

Well, that's good news.

Definitely shaping up to be
a great season.

Looking good.
Pretty impressed, Jared.

Once delivered, this barge
comes in at $212,000,

which combined
with a salvaged yarder,

gives Jared more than
enough to have made good

on his aggressive
Forever Claim bid.

[Jared] I feel like all roads
have led to this moment.

Everything is lining
up perfectly.

I've never been this
happy with my crew.

We've worked really hard to
make this deal.

I'm this close to having
a forever claim, like,

this close.
So I'm a little nervous, yeah.

It's [bleep] real.
It's a real thing right now.

It's happening.

[Jared] Three shots each.
Let's go!

[Jared] My crew is the most
important thing in this company.

Like, they're
just salt-of-the-earth,

hardworking, hilarious guys.

[Jared] To a good season!
Here we go!

Come on, Happy!
Happy Douglas.

Ah!

[bleep], like [bleep] John Daly.

[laughing]

Jared's operation is quite
a bit different this year,

he's solo,
doesn't have a partner,

kind of restricting him.

-[bleep].
-[Ross] The gloves are off.

The guy's a wild mustang
running through the bush.

He's taking on everything
he can get his hands on.

He's got lots of drive.

Adrian, just like starting
the tug, takes him forever.

-[laughing]
-You better watch
your [bleep] mouth.

Yep!

-[phone ringing]
-[cheering]

-Hello?
-[women over the phone]

[Jared] Yeah...yeah.

Hey, can you wait a minute?
One second.

Just getting in my room here.

[laughing]

-You there?
-[women over the phone]
Yes, sir.

I'm calling about the bid
you placed on

the Forever Claim.
-Yeah.

[women over the phone]
Unfortunately, there was
a higher bidder.

You got to be kidding me.

-[women over the phone] Yeah.
-By who?

--[women over the phone]
Looks like John Muhammad.
-John?

That's what I'm showing.

[bleep]

[deep sigh]
OK.

Thanks.

[Jared]
My bid for the Forever Claim,
which I thought was a lock...

I was a low bidder.

Somebody beat me.

John Muhammad.

Fierce competitor of mine.

[deep sigh]

[Jared] I was banking on
that for my crew's jobs.

I...

I fumbled the ball.

I have nothing lined up
for my company.

I have to scramble.

In logging,
always the unforeseen stuff

is what gets you.

You have to be able to pivot,
and these decisions have to

happen immediately.

I can't tell those people
they're not getting a paycheck.

The biggest chip on my shoulder
that I have is I've always

come up with the work.

And my crew knows that,
and they bank on that,

because they know that
I'm gonna be out there hustling,

and I do not want to
let them down.

I need to make this happen.

Yeah, it's not gonna
work, Jared.

[Jared] I don't want to see
people lose their jobs.

[saw whirring]

Back up!

This thing wants to go.

[crackling]

Nice sh**ting.

[Jared] If this doesn't
happen, I'm [bleep].

[bleep]

Oh-oh-oh-oh.

[Jared] We're going to work our
fingers to the bone.

It's going, it's going.

[Jared] We're gonna
bleed for this.

[expl*si*n blasts]

Now this is make-or-break.

You have to adapt or fail.