Whoo Hoo, We had a baby boy we named Blaze on May 24th! Blaze, as in, blaze a trail. Everything has been crazy busy for us since then and I wish I could have had a few hours to myself these last 2 months to sit down, be all by myself in my own thoughts and write stories but as a new mother, and very happily so, that just isn’t a reality for me right now.
Blaze Charles Selden at 2 months
When I had our little girl Sydney, I went through an excruciating 60 hour labor, 48 hours of that with close contractions and completely un- medicated. Needless to say I was a bit traumatized and nervous about how number 2 would go. I come from a long line of good Catholic baby havers and it just doesn’t seem fair to me that I have such a hard time. I have a Great Aunt for instance, that gave birth 21 times! Marguerite was a very special woman running a farm in North Western Minnesota with her husband. She just passed away this past winter at a ripe old age, non worse for the ware. I believe the number of first cousins my mother has is 141!!!! That’s firsts mind you. I thought with all this prolific breeding going on in my family I would just spit kids out like watermelon seeds like everyone else did. I was induced with our new son Blaze and worked at having him for 30 hours. When he was finally being born it became evident that he had a tight cord wrap around his neck that had to be cut while he was still mostly inside. It was a very scary experience. He was born lifeless and ghostly white. After 4 minutes of oxygen and other work he was back and in good shape. Those 4 minutes were excruciating for Tyler and I not knowing if we could celebrate having our son quite yet. Today he is more than thriving at 2 months and over 13 lbs, smiling and making good eye contact. In pregnancy, I gain a lot of weight and my birth experiences were both rather hairy, I believe we Seldens are done making babies. We have one of each now and feel like we won the lottery so we are going to take the money and run. Also factor in I turned 35 this summer and that sounds like a good time to quit for me.
During the time Tyler had off of work right after I had Blaze Tyler put all of our starts in the garden, gave the yard a spring cleaning and put things together for the shop where we sell trapline products at in Pioneer Park. Then my parents came up to meet the new baby and hang out with Sydney. Right after my folks went back to Minnesota Sydney started teething and we came down with an awful respiratory virus that took 3 weeks to get out of our house. As soon as the virus left smoke from the many Alaska wildfires came and settled in our valley under a high pressure system. The smoke was the most intense I have seen since we moved up here and I had to stay in the house for 5 days with the windows and doors shut up for the sake of the baby. We don’t have air conditioning and the temperatures were in the 90’s. It was a long and miserable week. I was so happy the day the smoke started clearing out to below Hazardous levels I spent all day outside, meanwhile Sydney had a low grade fever from teething as well as diarrhea. That same night I was allowed outside with the baby again Sydney’s diarrhea and fever erupted into a high fever and a urinary tract infection that put us in the Emergency room till 2am on a Friday night. June was a rough month but we emerged happy and healthy once again.
The next week we got a call from the Production Company, Halfyard Productions that runs The Last Alaskans to let us know that Discovery decided to terminate the show. Though it’s possible some other channel may decide to pick the show up at some point we aren’t counting on it and we are still under Discovery Channels terms and conditions till our contracts are expired next year. So basically they won’t be using us but they still own us for a while yet. More about the Discovery Channel experience to come when I am no longer in contract with them. We are all disappointed but knew it was going to end sometime. Everyone on the Last Alaskans cast are friends. We all know each other and we get together when we can and keep up with each other. You have to be pretty scrappy when you decide to live your life as a trapper in the wilderness this day and age. The show was a nice break for everyone on the show to get ahead a little in life in our own ways. Emphasis on a little for those of you would be greatly mistaken to think any of us got rich off of the show. It was a very modest income! It helped Charlie a bit with the launch of his guiding business for instance and we are very thankful for that because young Charlie will now be Tylers new boss. Tyler will start working with Charlie’s guiding outfit, Double Shovel Outfitters, later this month. Meanwhile, Tylers other employer, Logweavers, has enough work building a couple of log houses to last us this summer and next summer. We are grateful for summertime work. We are also hopeful the coming trapping season treats us well and so do the fur markets.
Sydney took my lawn gnome from my perennial garden and claimed as her ‘friend’
I’ll try to write again a few times before I leave for the winter but with a newborn and a toddler time is pretty precious. Hopefully next summer I can get back to regular posts. I regret not being able to write as much as I like to. I will try to respond to questions people have the best that I can. Meanwhile, Nancy has spent a considerable amount of time for over a year now writing about her experiences in the woods with Bob Harte and it should get published sometime this fall so keep a look out for that.
I sure hope with all the fuss about the show being removed that DC will reconsider. We looked forward to the new season. Congratulations on Blaze.
It would be nice if they reconsidered but I don’t have much hope
Congrats on baby number two! My God your labor sounds terrible. All of my babies, three were natural also. But I was blessed with quick labors. The third child was born after 3 hours of extremely intense labor. So the short of the labor the worse it gets lol!
But I digress, the reason I’m here is to say to you that
Watching The Last Alaskan was the best thing for me to watch during my winter break. ( I installed Gardens as my trade. )
And although I love nature and being outdoors all of the time, I’m not sure if I could do what you two have done. Although you have each other! And I am sure that makes all the difference in the world! The two of you, said so many inspiring things that I would actually make note of them and turn them into banners of positive thoughts. I hung on every word!!
I so so wish there was going to be more to watch. That’s frustrating when you get to know people and then they are gone from your life.
Thank you for the Memories, and good luck to all of you going forward.
Everyone on you on The Last Alaskans was amazing.
And every time I saw the little excerpts of Bob, listening to his voice, it brought me to tears. To this day it still does. He was a man I could have shared a life with.
Again thank you for sharing a piece of YOUR lives with all of us out here!
Much love from Cape Cod Mass.
Pam
I can’t think of a better way to spend some free time than read your post. As I read I see you as you were on the show. We still have 8 recordings that we watch from time to time. It was a very good show great for families. We have a natural love for all the cast. God bless and keep you and the family.
Since I am technologically impaired at age 70 I just found this post. You and your family are so interesting to watch I am saddened there will not be any more episodes to watch. You have got to be so amazing to bring 2 youngsters into your lifestyle. I’m sure they will appreciate how they were raised. Good luck and God bless.
Congratulations on your little fellow. Being a Mom is an awesome job. I loved all the stages my little one went through, and continues!! He’s 25. What a privilege it is to raise 2 little people!
Enjoy!
Kim
couldn’t agree more Kim
Aww your babies are beautiful. Congratulations having Blaze. I’m so glad your all friends out there in the wilderness. My husband and I keep watching all reruns. We do miss the last Alaskans. Wish someone would pick you all up. You not only have to be a certain type of individual to live out in the woods, and off the land, but a special individual with strength and appreciation and respect for each other. Thank you for sharing your real lives with us. May God bless each and everyone of you. Be safe always.
Hi Tyler and Ashley , Loved the show , wish someone would pick it up and continue.. Will this stuff be available around Christmas or will it be down when you go back to the closest thing to Heaven on earth and the trapline ? Hope the family is doing good .
Thanks Greg
Hello,
Thank you. Thank you for asking. Our ‘store’ will be open till we leave for the trapline in Sept. We won’t be available or near any sort of ‘civilization’ around Christmas time. We are having good weather here this summer. Our garden is doing well and we are beginning preparations to go back ‘out’- Ashley
Loved the series. Wish you guys were still on with new series! When do you think the cookbook will be available? Want those recipes I know are so good. Especially the bread. Hope your about done & ready to publish it. Hope you, Tyler & your adorable kids are all doing well.
Love the show. I had no idea that life in Alaska backwoods could be so hectic. You do a great job telling your story. Hope you get time to write a book about all of your experiences.
Thanks for taking the time to share your journey.
Hi Ashley, Special Thanks for our Bad Ass Wolf, & My Bone Chimes, We Love Them & proudly Display them in our living room. Loved reading about your past year in the Woods. So Much Work you & Tyler do out there, it’s definitely not an easy life but Very fulfilling. I bet.Does your pump still bring water into your cabin? My husband was just saying yesterday you need a really good camera, start taking pictures of the Northern Lights, Wildlife you see, bet you could sell them for extra $$. We hope to make it to Alaska one day to experience those Northern Lights When you make it back to Nebraska give us a shout out, we’d Love to take You & Your Family out for Dinner. We will be waiting for a fox, Tyler said he’d put us on the list. Waiting for Tyler’s book to be published. Take Care Don’t work so hard. Love Carmen & Dan Fox
I am sorry to know The last Alaskans is not continuing. I enjoy it so much
I know it’s been a while now since your show has canceled, I am so sad about this. The discovery channel needs to get its shit together. However, we know they never will. Hollywood big wigs… Yada yada yada… anyhow… The last Alaskans was my FAVORITE SHOW!!!! You have two beautiful children, enjoy every second. Wish I could come out and babysit for you. I am a retired nurse and adore children. Good luck with everything, be safe and God bless…
So happy to have found you here…I miss the show and was really disappointed to learn it has been dropped. I thought all this time it was gonna pick up after the pandemic eased. I hope you all came thru well. I thought of all of you there often during the pandemic peak…I was like y’all are the luckiest people…lol! Congratulations on your son and maybe we will see y’all again soon. I couldn’t live your life style but you have encouraged me to realize my connection to the natural world around me..even here in the city. Bye for now from sunny Florida 🌞
Watching all the reruns for all seasons and episodes. Hope your thriving in the wild in 2023
Ashley,so loved watching you and Tyler starting your lives and family on The Last Alaskans. Congratulations on your latest child, Blaze. So sad when they decided not to continue the show. All of the families and lives that it let us get to see, be a small part of, and enjoy are missed so much. Also searching for reruns now. Bless you all. May life be good and safe to all of you.
My husband and I would watch last Alaskans faithfully every week. So bummed they would get rid of a such a wonderfully clean show. All you Alaskan folks are so much fun to watch! I would get exhausted just watching what you had to do just to survive every day! I’d love to try it if I were 40 years younger!!! Anyway… best of luck