[ cheering ] robie: this place was a boomin . you couldn t get through this town down there. but it s dead now. about eight or ten coal mines shut down at one time. coach: let s go! it s the same halftime speech every single week. quentin: there is so much negativity surrounding this place that no one ever focuses on the positive. they see us as ignorant or hillbillies. daniel whitt: overdose capital of the east coast. quentin: but there s more here than just poverty and illiteracy and drugs. there s a lot of good people here. coach: when you walk on this field, you better have tunnel vision. don t look left, don t look right. you look at that scoreboard, and that should burn in your heart. do you understand me? we got some ground to make up. and once we make that ground up, we ll take off. let s go. i took a walk through this beautiful world felt the cool rain on my shoulder found something good in this beautiful world i felt the rain getting cold
lola: yes. after strip mines are done here, the land s usually just useless. so, we re trying to make a purpose. pumpkins, watermelon, we re just trying to figure out what will grow on it. anthony: so there is life after coal? lola: there s life after coal. so what do you think about that squirrel? anthony: oh man, it s good. lola: it s good, ain t it? anthony: thank you. drema: they call it wild and wonderful west virginia. anthony: it is. and, your girls are how old? lola: my girls are nine, eight, six, and three. anthony: taught any of them to shoot yet? lola: yeah, all of them can shoot. anthony: all of them? lola: all of them. they think their mommy is a big hero, too, cause she killed that big buck last year. anthony: yeah. how big was this thing? lola: 250, it weighed 250 lbs. anthony: you dragged that thing out of the woods yourself? lola: mhmm. anthony: dress it? lola: yes. anthony: cook it? lola: yup. leshawna: we don t rely on n
anthony: lola cline is a single mother of four children. and in many ways, emblematic of both the difficulties and inherent strengths of people around here. anthony: where do you find them? trees or on the ground? lola: trees. anthony: mostly up in the trees. lola: squirrels are more like it s a waiting game. find us a place and see and watch for movement. anthony: she and her best friend, leshawna huff, hunt together, raise kids together, and do their best to get by in a changing world that can get very hard. anthony: when did you first go hunting, how old were you? lola: my grandpa took me when i was about six. i just love this place.
Anthony Bourdain digs deep into the proud, often misunderstood culture of West Virginia, as he traverses a 5,000-foot mine, observes the demolition derby-like.
anthony: taught any of them to shoot yet? lola: yeah, all of them can shoot. anthony: all of them? lola: all of them. they think their mommy is a big hero, too, cause she killed that big buck last year. anthony: yeah. how big was this thing? lola: 250, it weighed 250 lbs. anthony: you dragged that thing out of the woods yourself? lola: mhmm. anthony: dress it? lola: yes. anthony: cook it? lola: yup. leshawna: we don t rely on nobody. lola: yup, there ain t nothing i can t do, and if i don t know how to do it, i ll learn. we re not a bunch of pregnant women bare-footed with no teeth. i got all mine, you see? anthony: what s the best thing about living in this area and what s the worst thing? leshawna: the best thing is the people here. lola: there s probably nobody in these hollows that i couldn t go say, hey, i m hungry, would you fix me a sandwich? anthony: and worse thing? drema: see somebody that s on pills. or drunk. or out here just fightin