sue aens the Brave and resilient woman

of Life Below Zero has captivated

millions of viewers worldwide with her

harsh Survival Life in Alaska’s

Wilderness but behind those authentic

scenes lies a little-known story before

becoming a reality TV star what

hardships and extreme challenges did Sue

face what about her pre- stardum life

might leave us astonished let’s uncover

the secrets of this extraordinary

woman’s Unexpected Journey medicinal

value of it when I need is to make a

balm so I can put it on my sore muscles

and Joints I had a tremendous amount of

surgery Life Below Zero a popular

documentary series on the National

Geographic Channel offers an authentic

perspective on the harsh lives of seven

individuals striving to survive in the

dangerous and isolated environment of

Alaska’s Wilderness both above and below

the Arctic Circle the series is not just

a tale of survival but also a journey

exploring the strength of human

willpower have to just carry them on our

shoulders we don’t want to cut them too

big we don’t want to cut them too small

cuz that means more cuts and more TR

each character in the show chooses a

different way to confront challenges

some battling nature on their own While

others rely on family support they live

in an unforgiving world where bone

chilling cold and the brutality of

nature leave no room for the week viewer

ERS witness them fishing hunting

foraging and enduring the coldest

winters among them stands out Sue Akens

who lives alone at kic River Camp a

remote and desolate location

identifiable only by its geographical

coordinates here in a nearly uninhabited

land Sue has become a symbol of

resilience and Independence these are

the two overflow tents and I’m not going

to have people using them for quite a

while so I want to Annex this one the

population in this area is exactly one

Sue herself Sue aens doesn’t just draw

viewers with her unique lifestyle but

also with her steel resolve and strong

personality throughout the series she

impresses audiences with her

extraordinary courage unwavering

determination and exceptional survival

skills she has braved the harshest

weather conditions and even dangerous

encounters with Wildlife yet she never

falters in 2013 Sue was invited by

National Geographic producers to join

the show and since then she has been a

part of Life Below Zero for over a

decade becoming the series most beloved

character the admiration for her stems

not just from her daring current

exploits but also from her incredible

life Journey which began when Sue was

just a young girl living in the

wilderness she moved to Alaska with her

mother after her parents divorce

eventually her mother left without a

word and that’s where it all began she

was abandoned in freezing cold an

Alaskan local handed her a gun telling

her she wouldn’t survive without

learning how to hunt from there she

continued her life in the wild pursuing

her lifelong dream of living alone

according to sue aens the life she

portrays on Life Below Zero warms her

heart she once said she needs absolute

isolation to feel happy a major win

against Life Below Zero producers Sue

Akens gained significant attention in

2017 when she decided to file a lawsuit

against the producers of Life Below Zero

in her lawsuit she claimed she was

forced to perform dangerous stunts to

create compelling scenes for the show

Sue’s complaints focused on a specific

producer whom she accused of not only

threatening her but also mentally

pressuring other crew members she

alleged that this producer frequently

engaged in verbal abuse and harsh

control even ordering her to overload

her snowmobile despite safety risks

according to the lawsuit filed in the US

District Court Sue was also forced to

delay medical treatment after a severe

accident all to meet filming

requirements she stated that while she

was aware of the dangers she felt

compelled to comply due to binding

contract terms with the BBC Sue also

criticized the show for portraying her

as a drunk and unstable individual even

deliberately devaluing Her Image to

attract more viewers ultimately the jury

sided with Sue Ain awarding her a $28

million settlement this was not only a

personal Victory but also a significant

milestone for other reality TV stars

sending a clear message that major

networks must take responsibility for

how they treat and portray their talents

fans also supported Sue with many

expressing that she was the main reason

they continued watching the show they

believed that without Sue Akens the

program would have long lost its appeal

this Victory not only solidified Sue’s

position but also emphasized the

importance of respecting those who

contribute to a Show’s success the bear

attack fortunately most of us will never

have to face the extreme challenges

endured by the past of Life Below Zero

with temperatures constantly below -60°

C and threats from Wildlife merely

imagining such conditions is exhausting

for individuals like Sue aens life in

this harsh land is not just a challenge

but a way to assert oneself Sue aens is

a Living testament to resilience and

courage in 2007 she fought for her life

during an encounter with an enraged

grizzly bear

the story began when she noticed a male

bear near her Camp burying a caribou

carcass right in the area she used as a

helicopter landing Zone knowing she

needed to clear the area she

unintentionally provoked the bear

triggering what she calls a push Alpha

Behavior where a weaker bear tries to

assert dominance the real test came when

she went to fetch water and had to leave

her weapon behind in a sudden moment the

bear lunged at her from the riverbank it

tossed her around like a toy even biting

her head but with survival instincts Sue

managed to shoot the bear causing it to

flee despite suffering a dislocated hip

and excruciating pain she dragged

herself back to Camp unable to contact

anyone she had to survive alone for

nearly 2 weeks before being discovered

and taken to the hospital miraculously

Sue made a full recovery although her

body still Bears scars a testament to

her extraordinary physical and mental

strength these scars tell the story of

her life or death battle and stand as a

symbol of the unyielding Spirit of a

woman living in the wild marriage and

personal life sue aens the strong woman

known Through Life Below Zero had a

turbulent life before becoming a

renowned TV personality although she

often avoids discussing her past Sue

occasionally shares notable fragments

about her personal life

particularly her stories of marriage Sue

has gone through three marriages each

with its own unique story her first

marriage in the early 1980s ended in

tragedy when her husband passed away due

to a brain injury just a few years after

they tied the knot although they had no

children the memories of her first

husband left a deep imprint on Sue’s

heart in 1987 Sue married Eddie James a

barber in Portland Oregon they were

together for 17 years and had three

children one son and two daughters

however their marriage did not last

forever and they decided to divorce in

2004 despite their separation Sue

maintained a close relationship with

Eddie especially during the last years

of his life Eddie passed away in 2009

leaving Sue with profound sadness with

Bittersweet humor Sue once joked to

actress Melissa m y that she was like a

Black Widow since both of her first two

husbands had passed away however Sue did

not give up on love she entered her

third marriage but this time the story

ended in heartbreak when her husband

betrayed her to pursue a younger woman

upon discovering the truth Sue decided

to divorce and continued her independent

Journey her ex-husband later remarried

his mistress but Sue did not let the

past hold her back since then then sue

is not officially remarried but found

new hope and love in 2021 she got

engaged to Michael Heinrich marking the

beginning of a new chapter in her

adventurous life a challenging

Journey before becoming a standout

figure on Life Below Zero Sue Akens

appeared on several other television

programs focusing on life in Alaska in

the 2010s she was featured on Sarah

Palin’s Alaska and fying Wild Alaska but

these shows did not bring her the fame

she hoped for instead they caused more

trouble than benefits in 2013 suu

Discovery Channel alleging she was

underpaid during her time on Flying Wild

Alaska she also claimed that the

Network’s portrayal of her on television

severely impacted her ability to make a

living in real life to create exciting

footage they required her to perform

dangerous tasks she was familiar with

but paid her an inadequate amount in

return while other reality TV stars

earned up to half a million dollars for

Less demanding roles Sue felt the

treatment was unfair after one season on

the show she didn’t receive compensation

worthy of her effort in 2016 she reached

a settlement with Discovery and decided

to Le the show realizing the pay wasn’t

worth continuing although her time with

Discovery was less than ideal

it opened a new opportunity for her the

producers of Life Below Zero noticed her

from her role in previous shows and

recognized her as a perfect fit for

their new series while Sue was still on

Flying Wild Alaska they reached out to

her and secured a deal after leaving

Discovery she transitioned to working

with National Geographic and the rest is

history however the pay from the new

show was also not a dream figure despite

her hard work and millions of fans

Sue earned only $4,000 per episode A

Modest some compared to the scale of the

show in fact some other stars of Life

Below Zero earned less than half of that

even though the show’s audience rarely

exceeded 1 million viewers per episode a

remarkable weight loss Journey Sue Akens

as she first appeared on Life Below Zero

and the Sue Akens viewers see a decade

later seem like two completely different

images a candid and open IND individual

she has publicly reflected on her weight

before beginning her weight loss journey

in 2014 Su participated in an ask me

anything session on Reddit humorously

describing herself as a chubby

50-year-old woman in interview with the

survivalist Sue revealed that in 2018

she committed to a lifestyle change and

began her weight loss Journey amid

lingering injuries she had sustained

over the years Sue found an opportunity

to recover and gradually build a

healthier life however she admitted that

certain familiar exercises became more

challenging due to her body’s reduced

flexibility what stands out about Sue is

her Relentless work ethic viewers of the

show often notice her performing

physically demanding tasks preferring

manual labor over relying on machines

over time viewers witnessed her dramatic

transformation from a woman who

self-identified as a chubby little

monkey Sue lost a total of 75 lbs in

just one year but for Sue the goal of

losing weight was not merely about

appearance but also about preparing for

old age at 57 she set a goal to improve

her health before reaching 60 enabling

her to carry out daily tasks more easily

as her body aged Sue takes pride in her

journey on Instagram she once wrote it’s

no secret that I’m a lovable little

monkey but this year I’ve shed a

significant amount of weight this

statement reflects not only her

willpower but also her adaptation to the

harsh life in Alaska through each

episode of Life Below Zero viewers not

only Marvel at the natural beauty but

also witness the challenging lifestyles

of its characters among them Sue Akin

stands out as a symbol of resilience

tenacity and extraordinary adaptability

to harsh environments a woman who who

continues to push forward despite all

obstacles while going about her daily

tasks Sue Akens suddenly noticed

footprints in the snow she quickly

recognized them as traces of a wild

animal and began tracking them drawing

on her extensive experience in Alaska’s

harsh conditions Sue determined they

were tracks of a wolverine however upon

closer inspection she realized the

footprints were larger than usual

signaling that the Troublesome creature

might be an adult and dangerous

Wolverine as she analyzed the tracks she

shared with the camera that only an

inexperienced person would think of

confronting such a creature with a

small. 22 caliber rifle without

hesitation Sue drove her snowplow back

to Camp to retrieve a stronger weapon a

30-30 rifle when she returned she

carefully loaded the gun explaining that

such a large weapon provided greater

safety in dangerous situations like this

she didn’t rule out the possibility that

more than one Wolverine might be lurking

around her Camp as it wasn’t the first

time sheep faed them these animals had

frequently stalked and troubled her over

the years in the episode Sue also

provided an intriguing historical lesson

about the land she calls home she

explained that kavic the name of the

area originates from the Eskimo language

meaning Wolverine the name was no

coincidence as as when the region was

first explored many Wolverines were

found inhabiting the area extreme

weather conditions and isolation Sue

Akens resides at kic River Camp a place

that serves both as her home and

headquarters located in the Arctic

National Wildlife Refuge where

temperatures can plummet to

-60° fahren – 51° C this is one of the

harshest regions on Earth demanding

extraordinary survival skills although

Sue has Wi-Fi and some Modern Equipment

Technology isn’t always reliable in such

conditions as the sole resident of kavic

she cannot rely on weather forecasts or

Advanced devices instead Sue has

developed manual weather prediction

methods to prepare for storms or drastic

climate changes she began by crafting a

wind turbine to monitor wind direction

followed by using a barometer to measure

atmospheric pressure not stopping there

Sue also uses a Fitzroy storm glass a

classic but reliable weather tool to Aid

in making more accurate predictions life

in kak requires complete self-reliance

from hunting and Gathering to basic

survival skills Winters are incredibly

harsh with only a few hours of sunlight

each day while Summers though short

bring 24 hours of daylight making sleep

a challenge additionally Arctic winds

exceeding 60 mph turn movement into a

significant challenge yet despite kic’s

many dangers it offers a rare and

pristine Beauty those who have visited

this place for a few months each year

attest that amid Nature’s harshness kic

possesses an undeniable and unique

Allure accommodation at kic River Camp

kic River Camp is a unique destination

where photographers and filmmakers have

the chance to capture Unforgettable

moments amidst The Majestic Arctic

scenery located near the Refuge the camp

not only offers an adventurous

experience but also opens up

opportunities to explore the pristine

beauty of the region while anyone can

book a stay at kic River Camp the

popularity of the show Life Below Zero

makes finding an available spot of

challenge in its early days the camp

could accommodate up to 83 guests at a

time but that number has since been

reduced to 12 to 20 people better suited

to the operating conditions and

environment despite the limited capacity

the camp remains fully booked from June

to September providing a stable income

for Sue Akens however for Sue the camp

is more than just a source of income she

dreams of transforming kic River Camp

into the first fully Green Camp on the

North Slope an ambitious yet realistic

goal though it will require additional

time to achieve the pain of losing her

niece many believe that the most

challenging moments of Sue Akin’s life

were the days she braved the freezing

cold of the Arctic risking her life in

Sub-Zero temperatures however Sue aens

Has endured significant pain and Trauma

Beyond her on-screen appearances Sue

Akens has been married three times two

of her husbands tragically passed away

while her third husband was discovered

to have been unfaithful with a younger

woman unfortunately for Sue As Time

passed more heartbreaking events

unfolded in her life in 2023 an

emotional moment occurred during season

21 of Life Below Zero when Sue aens

opened up about the profound losses in

her life and the importance of family on

television she paid a heartfelt tribute

to her late sister and her niece Drew

McClurg who passed away at just 19 years

old although the cause of Drew’s death

was not disclosed the silence only

deepened the emotional weight of the

loss fans rallied Around Sue aens

showing strong support on social media

platforms especially Twitter they not

only offered condolences but also

praised her resilience and courage their

words of encouragement were like a warm

fire amidst the cold Alaskan Winters

reminding Sue that she is not alone in

facing adversity Sue Akin’s life both on

and offscreen is a blend of Wild

Adventures and profound pain from living

in isolation amidst Untamed nature to

overcoming extreme challenges she has

inspired Millions people admire her

ability to turn what seems impossible

into a natural way of life looking to

the Future many wonder what lies ahead

for this extraordinary woman would you

be willing to live a life like Sue Akens

facing isolation and challenges in such

an unforgiving environment share your

thoughts in the comments below thank you

for joining us and don’t forget to stay

tuned for more fascinating stories to

come