Life is pretty simple. Stay warm and dry. Find food, eat it. Procreate. Isn’t that much of the appeal of heading into the backcountry? Strip away the extraneous and refocus on the basics, even if the fundamental for most of us means open a package of freeze-dried chimichangas.

Over the past week, VBS has surprised with “Heimo’s Arctic Refuge”, a wonderful, low-key film series on Heimo and Edna Korth, the last human residents of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Heimo looks and sounds just like Bill Murray’s long-lost Alaskan twin and is absolute delight to follow around the bush–the filmmakers wisely let him do most of the talking and resist the temptation to play up the culture shock of urbanite pilgrims in the wild. Compared to Heimo, though, who wears his 35 years in the Arctic as naturally as his salt and pepper beard, the visitors in their new Gore-Tex and skinny corduroy pants look as vulnerable as newborn puppies.

Heimo moved to Alaska in 1974 in search of a wilderness experience that didn’t exist in the Lower 48, married Edna, and settled in what would become ANWR. When the federal government created the refuge, it grandfathered the six families living there; the Korths are the last to remain. They subsist on fish, caribou, beaver, and other wildlife, moving between three cabins to minimize their impact in any one place.

The series consists of five parts, each of which is long by online standards–roughly 10 minutes a piece–but you might find them hopelessly addictive. Part of the appeal lies with the gregarious guide Heimo, who is as natural on screen as his brother from another mother Murray. The Wisconsin native is a charming and gregarious host, more than willing to share what he’s doing and how he lives. And that might be the most magnetic attraction, getting a glimpse into a life reduced to the simplicity of hunting, eating, staying warm and dry, and on special occasions watching Predator on a generator-powered TV. When Heimo shows the VBS host how to skin a rabbit with just your hands, it’s astounding how easy and clean it is–and it serves as a reminder how far we’ve come from our roots as hunters and gatherers.

The chapters of “Heimo’s Arctic Refuge” are self-contained enough that you don’t need to watch them in order, except for 4 and 5, which are posted here. If you want to check out the whole series, swing by VBS.

Part 5: Heimo catches and skins a rabbit, the Korths visit the grave of their daughter, who drowned in a nearby river.