Twenty-five years ago, Mick Dodge left the modern world behind. He ventured into a remote corner of the United States known as the Hoh Rainforest, which is hidden away in the Pacific Northwest. In this moss-covered world resembling Middle Earth, Mick kicked off his shoes and made his home in the trees, hidden in the moss. Though many know the legend of Mick Dodge, few know the man. In this special series sneak peek, get a first look at Mick and witness the primal life he lives.
After waking up in the stump of an old tree, Mick sojourns to a remote spot called the Highlands a place that looks out over the entire valley and holds special significance to his family. The purpose of his journey: to fulfill his father's dying wish by spreading his dad's ashes over the land. But before Mick can carry his dad up to the mountains, he will first have to remember where he stashed him.
In the Hoh Rainforest, Mick uses a prized bow and arrow gifted to him by his grandfather. But when he goes to retrieve it from a stash, it's gone, stolen from its hiding spot. Mick makes a plan to replace the bow utilizing the age-old economy of bartering and trading. There's only one man he knows who can craft him a new one: a legendary archer named Norm. To find the currency he needs for the trade, he'll head to The Boneyard, which is filled with remnants and scraps from previous logging.
Living in the Hoh Rainforest, Mick Dodge doesn't have easy access to food. He survives off mostly vegetation, but he also needs protein. After almost a week without a decent meal, he sets out to scour the Olympic Peninsula for protein. As he begins his outing, he shows just how desperate he is becoming investigating elk feces for larvae eggs to eat. Then, Mick runs into a man named Will of Stone, who joins him in the food hunt at the river.
Mick is fighting a bad case of Beaver Fever, an illness that's left his belly aching. For a remedy, he'll rely on a time-tested healing process he's devised using only the forest. The first step is a trip to the forest physician, Doc Gair, who has been living in the woods practicing forest medicine for ages. The two men collect natural ingredients to brew up a cure-all elixir.
It's a holiday weekend at the Olympic Peninsula and tourists have flooded the area. The usually peaceful Hoh Rainforest has been taken over by hikers, campers and hunters. To escape the chaos, Mick Dodge journeys deeper into the forest toward a special place where he knows he can find refuge from the intruding city dwellers. After a long and dangerous hike, Mick finds that his go-to sanctuary has been compromised and is forced to come up with a new plan.
It's a holiday weekend at the Olympic Peninsula and tourists have flooded the In the far western corner of Washington state, off-the-grid pioneer Mick Dodge and his wild dog Gabu have been relying on each other for survival for more than two years. Gabu is as wild as her master and often runs off on her own for hours. But with bear, cougar and elk roaming the forest, Mick knows it is much safer for the duo to stick together. When Mick can't find Gabu for nearly two days, he worries that she may be in danger and sets off on a mission to track her down.
Encroaching loggers are forcing Mick Dodge's friend and student, Will of Stone, from his cabin in the woods. Although Mick is accustomed to sleeping in tree stumps and living off the land, Will still has one foot in the modern world and is not ready to give up the roof over his head.
With his birthday approaching, Mick Dodge prepares for an epic celebration. But unlike most people, Mick doesn't celebrate with cakes and balloons.
When Mick Dodge hears that some poachers are scheming to steal trees from a protected area in the Hoh Rainforest, he and his friend Moss Hopper team up on a risky mission to sabotage the heist. Hoping to catch the poachers in the act, Mick and Moss plan a stakeout and prepare for battle.
Winter is approaching and Mick Dodge knows that he needs supplies to help him endure the bitter months ahead. Although the wild provides Mick with most of the tools he needs to survive, there are a few essential items that can only be found in the modern world.
With winter just around the corner, Mick Dodge is on an important mission to track down and harvest his main source of food for the coming months, chanterelle mushrooms - a delicacy that appears in the Pacific Northwest only once each year.
With winter looming, Mick Dodge sets out on his annual migration to a cave close to the ocean, where he can take refuge during the toughest time of year. But before Mick can reach the safety of his underground shelter, he must move 150 pounds of gear to the opposite side of the mighty Hoh River.
A trip to a maple grove ends unexpectedly.
Mick helps remove trespassing hunters from his friend's property
A trip to a maple grove ends unexpectedly.
Mick ventures off to find a leather goods crafter who will help replace his lost clothes.
Mick searches through the forest for food supplies
Survival lessons are taught to a man from the city.
Mick heads into town after scavenging for food in the forest.
Mick risks his safety collecting items of use during a storm.
Season 3 launches with a rafting excursion on the Hoh with a good friend and Mick resorting to mud when his clothes take a hike. Later, he heads to town when he gets a craving for a burger and shake.
With his aches and pains starting to slow him down, Mick seeks help from a Makah medicine woman.
Mick travels to a secret cove, where the super moon's extreme high tide can bring a seafood harvest.
Mick rallies the troops in hopes of bringing his friend Karl's dream to life for his 65th birthday.
July 4th invites the kind of reckless behavior that threatens Mick's home.
Mick makes wine from berries found in the woods.
Mick relocates some valuables to his base camp in preparation for the winter season.
Mick goes to the dentist after natural remedies fail to alleviate the pain of a toothache.
Mick creates a feast to celebrate the end of summer.
In the northwest corner of Washington state, Mick Dodge and his fellow forest-dwelling friends gather for an annual wilderness competition. Following in tradition of early tribal games and the Greek Olympiad, the comrades compete in their Olympic Mountain Games, showing off the survival skills they have perfected over time.
Mick Dodge has called the Hoh Rainforest his home for the past three decades, and he rarely ventures far from the wild. But now he’s planning to leave it all behind to attend the wedding of his friend Shay, whom he considers like a daughter.
