Old River

If you crave wildness on a massive scale, come for a journey along the Utukok River, in the far northwest corner of arctic Alaska. On a ridge overlooking the sprawls of green summer tundra, host Richard Nelson stumbles across a cache of stone artifacts, connecting this seemingly empty land with an ancient human story. This is not just a wild land; it is also a homeland for the Inupiaq people who still hunt, travel, and sustain their cultural lives here. These silent stone tools bring back Richard’s own memories of living in a nearby Inupiaq village and hearing stories that connect him to this place.