Q&A: Randy & Dale Barks Talk 'Sons Of Winter'

The Discovery Channel's new series SONS OF WINTER follows the story of The Barks family, who live in far Northern Saskatchewan. Randy, his wife Tara and their three sons, Dale, Shane and Kole are homesteaders who have opted out of the modern rat race to live in a secluded area that is virtually devoid of other human beings.

Besides the normal challenges of their lifestyle, eldest sons Dale and Shane have embarked on a 90-day rite of passage that will send them far out into the wilderness during the winter.

Randy and Dale recently spoke to me by phone about the show, Dale and Shane's big adventure and the difficulties of convincing marriage-worthy women to commit to living away from civilization.

Q: So Randy, the obvious question is...you and your family, you live out in the wilderness, away from other people..how did you get a TV show?

Randy: (laughing) Well, that's a weird one, Rick. The family and I, we're living up there..about a year ago last October. I convinced Tara to come out for a couple of days at the end of October and visit civilization. It's tough to pull ourselves away from the cabin, but I said, "Yeah, we'll see a few people and our family and then we'll be back, set for the winter." So we took off for a couple of days and we had a couple of back-to-back blizzards that just knocked the forest flat. It literally plugged the trails so badly that it was almost before Christmas before we could get back to the cabin.

During that time, we get a call from a guy claiming to be Scott Gurney, the producer of DUCK DYNASTY. He'd heard about our family and wanted to know if we could talk about maybe doing a show. So it was all a pretty weird thing. We happened to be near a landline because of a blizzard knocking trees down.

Q: I'm assuming that there was a family discussion about the show and the challenges of having cameras around recording your lives. What were the family's thoughts about the idea?

Randy: Honestly, I just thought it was a scam there to start with. I didn't even return the call for awhile. Eventually we did and we said 'no.' Repeatedly. For quite awhile. Because Tara and I, we didn't want to mess with our life. Our life is pretty good and quiet. But we eventually decided that there was no way we could have made this happen on our own. So we'll chalk it up to the Good Lord wanting it to happen and we said "let's go." And yeah, it's been different having people around when otherwise there's almost no chance of having another human around outside of our family. That takes some getting used to, for sure.

Q: Dale, a substantial part of the show this season is centered on the 90-day trip of discovery that you and your brother set off on in the first episode. There are some challenging moments for the two of you during the experience, some moments that don't go all that well. How did you feel about having cameras around to document both the good and the bad decisions you made?

Dale: I definitely was a bit awkward at first. But my brother and I had done this type of thing before, although we had always also had our father along. But we just kept doing what we knew needed to be done. And after the first couple of days, the crew were just our friends along for the trip. We really didn't think much about them. We just handled things as they came and it felt pretty natural. So it was like every day life for the most part.

Randy: We had come to an agreement..we really had to set the stage for the winter that these crews are there to follow us along. And yeah, get in our face and what not. But we were to lives as close to normal as we could. And they were not to interfere. Unless these guys, or anybody, actually asked for help. Because with these guys out on their own - as they would have been otherwise - it was important to capture reality. So we made an agreement that short of live or death, these guys were not to interfere. Just be there.

Q: Randy, I'm assuming you've seen at least some of the episodes from the show. So the flip side of the presence of cameras is that you and Tara got the chance to see your sons in a way that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Randy: You know, it was so cool for Tara and I and Cole (their youngest son) to catch a glimpse into what was going on with our boys so many miles away while we were living our lives. Being so out of touch with what was going on over there, it was so neat to not only  hear the stories as we would have anyway, but actually see them. It was pretty neat that way.

Dale: They weren't so happy with all the dirty dishes they kept seeing in our cabin, though.

Q: Well, if that's the worst thing your parents have to complain about, then you're doing okay.

Randy & Dale: (both laughing)

Q: Dale, you and your brother obviously had some expectations about what this grand 90-day adventure was going to be like. For you specifically, how long did it take for you to say to yourself, "This is not what I expected."

Dale: I guess it hits all through the winter. Different things would happen and it would catch us by surprise. It seemed like it was always different than we expected it to be, but we had to just push through it. That's all you can do, really.

Q: In the first episode, there's a little segment where your parents talk about the difficulties of finding women in the wilderness and how difficult it might be for you and your brothers to find a partner. Is that something you've thought about?

Dale: Yes. Oh, I think about it lots. Many times a day. (laughing)

Randy: Like I've said, we're raising three healthy young men here. (laughing)

Q: It's fascinating to me to see how you live as a family and the closeness of it. But is there ever a time where you think to yourself, "If I see this same group of people again today, I"m going to scream."

Randy: I can only speak for myself, but I can honestly never recall a time when I felt like that. Either towards my wife or my children.

Dale: I feel the same way. We get along really well. I mean, it's surprising in a way that my brother and I got long so well for so long in that little cabin of ours. But the worst that would ever happen is that one of us would have to sit on our bed and stay out of the way of the other one for awhile.

Randy: And it's not that we get along all the time and that we never scrap. Please don't think that at all. We're not perfect. But there's a difference between scrapping and rubbing each other raw and just not wanting one another's company. I think we have a pretty good combination. We can rub each other the wrong way and still see that it's pretty good to be together.

Dale: There's too many things that can happen if you decide you want to strike out on your own because you're mad at someone. It's generally not a good idea. So we learn to get over things fast and move on.

Q: Randy, in the show you talk about the decision-making process that led you and your family to your cabin. You were a teacher, but you and Tara felt drawn to the wilderness and to nature. What advice would you give to someone who's at home watching the show and is thinking "I think that's what I want to do with my life?"

Randy: I say dream big. I think this kind of existence resonates in the heart and soul of more men than dare speak about it. And whatever one's dream is, I say pursue it. Keep your family close and your God closer. But go ahead and chase those dreams and live each day to the fullest. You know, we're not promised more than the moment we've got, so let's make the most of it.

Q: Watching your show and some other similar shows, I'm always struck by the thought that I suspect viewers don't really comprehend how difficult a lifestyle you lead. Sure, they hear how tough it is, but they don't really understand the toll the daily hardships can have on a family.

Randy: That's absolutely true. And I don't say that as a way to scare anyone off of giving it a shot. But we're foolish if we don't look at reality. And in hindsight, when we first moved up for a five-month span over the winter thirteen years ago, there were so many things we got away with. There were so many moments that we look back and think "How were we okay with that?" We've learned so much and part of learning is realizing how much should have gone wrong and didn't. We got away with lots. But people can't be afraid of the unimaginable.

Q: Dale, we talked earlier about the difficulties of finding a woman who is willing to be part of your very challenging lives. So if there's a woman at home watching the show and thinking that she might like to give the wilderness a try, what advice would you have for her?

Dale: You need a sense of adventure, for sure. And you need to love the person you're with, because if you don't, it's going to be a very long life.