In Season 8 of the History Channel’s Mountain Men, fans were surprised to hear that Marty Meierotto planned to quit the show.
For eight seasons, viewers watched the skilled survivalist venture out into the Alaskan wilderness, where he spent the sub-zero winters living in a one-room cabin. During the fleeting daylight hours, he set up his trapline, which caught everything from lynx to mink to marten.
Marty was as much a part of the series as the other men who share their outdoor skills with viewers.
“This is my church,” Marty shared in an earlier season of Mountain Men. “This is where I feel most like me.”
So, why did the married father of one leave Mountain Men and reality TV behind? Here’s what he had to say about closing this chapter.