Y 'GRIZZLY ADAMS' NEARLY DIED AT HOUSE HE WON'T GIVE TV WINNERS; Survivalist was squatting in Alaskan home to stop Midland couple moving in after they won it on TV Wilderness show.
Byline: EXCLUSIVE MIKE LOCKLEY Sunday Mercury WriterTHE grizzled mountain man preventing a Warwickshire couple from moving into the dream Alaskan home they won on a TV reality show, has been rescued by helicopter from the frozen wilderness.
Duane Ose was reportedly airlifted from Ose Mountain, the off-the-grid homestead he and new wife Ellie-Mae were squatting in.
They brazenly moved into prevent Emily Padfeld and Mark Warner claiming the property they won in February on BBC2 ratings-buster Win the Wilderness.
Ose, at 78, was in no condition to endure a chilling wasteland where today the thermometer's mercury has plunged to -10.
The former cement business boss's stance almost cost his life.
He had, Alaskan newspapers reported, suffered a broken back.
The New York Post has since revealed Ose, who languished bedridden for 10 days in the most unforgiving corner of America's 49th state, was treated for a bladder infection and severe dehydration.
He and Ellie-Mae, whose tousled blonde hair and coke bottle figure contrast sharply with her husband's gnarled, Grizzly Adams features, were discovered by state troopers in the pine property.
The home has no running water, they had no satellite link to civilisation and temperatures outside had slid to lethal levels. Their wooden stove malfunctioned and they survived on cold, tinned food.
Ellie-Mae, the Alaskan press reported, also needed medical assistance.
Emily and Mark, who run Hill Farm in Southam, Warwickshire, were among six who competed for Ose Mountain - the former home of Ose and late wife Rena - on the hit reality show.
last month's dramatic rescue has cleared the way for the likeable pair to finally collect their prize.
And they won it the hard way. They endured "the freezer" for a month. They are, to their credit, not cracking open the champagne.
It is a three-storey lodge, 100 miles from the nearest city, Fairmont, and with only wolves and bears for neighbours, built by Ose 20 years ago.
He and his wife decided to quit their home because the sub-zero outback was too much for ailing Rena, who suffered heart problems.
They selected an easier existence in Minnesota.
Things soured rapidly following 76-year-old Rena's death seven months ago.
Ose, who claims to have once been abducted by aliens, soon found Ellie-Mae, a blonde decades younger than the bearded woodsman, through the internet, the US press has reported.
He announced Ose Mountain, a property he built in 1990 on the shores of Minchumina Lake, was to be their love nest, refused to acknowledge the competition result and railed against "faux foreigners" having the keys.
As Ose bluntly stated on Facebook: "Still waiting on the courts to get Mark and Emily OFF MY BACK.....or should I post 'An Update on Win the Wilderness' staged fiasco that prohibited American participation against my wishes."
" He added: "Wake up please, the show wasfiction."
" But he has no legal right to the home - he and Rena were paid a sixfigure sum for it by the show and deeds were signed. However, those close to the Korean War vet say Ellie-Mae is now pulling the strings.
Ose has paid a heavy price for his askew values.
Respected Alaskan journalist Craig Medred reported Ose was last month taken by National Guard helicopter to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
The alarm had been raised by a pilot charted to ferry supplies to the couple.
He found Ose, who has written books on such diverse topics as life in the Alaskan wilderness, the ancient art of dowsing and his extremely close encounter with beings from another planet, bedridden and unable to move. His bride was with him.
According to Medred, his daughter Carol Hansen hoped the accident would make her father, who wears a black patch over one eye, see sense.
"For us, this may be a blessing in disguise," she said.
Speaking from hospital, she added: "I have not talked to any doctors yet. t. he troopers are talking to my dad right now.
""he pilot who saw him, he said he thought my dad was going to live."
The drama did not end there. The New York Post later issued an appeal after Ose simply vanished following medical treatment.
A bulletin from the Fairbanks Police Department asked "for the public's assistance in locating Duane Arthur Ose. Duane is 78 years of age with a left eye patch.
"Duane was last seen by his family a few weeks ago. However, he was seen at the Super 8 Motel in Fairbanks on or about 29/11/20."
T" he appeal was updated days later: "It has been determined Mr Oseflew out of Fairbanks on 17/12/20 on a flight to the Midwest. He is not believed to be missing at this time."
It is understood Ose, who allegedly donned the eyepatch after being shot by a previous wife, is back in Minnesota.
It appears he has accepted he is not robust enough for Alaska at its most savage. Bizarrely, Ose - or whoever controls his Facebook site - has blamed the pilot who, in late October, took the couple to squat there.
In an angry post, he alleged they were simply abandoned.
""he pilot was paid cash in advance, as requested, but did not do safety or working checks on solar power, battery banks, internet, communications working and supplies," he claimed.
Through the protracted stand-off, 53-year-old Mark and Emily, 37, have avoided confrontation.
That's despite spending an arduous month in the frozen Alaskan forests to claim their prize.
Viewers watched them clear trails, eat bear stew and swim in icy waters.
Three months ago, the couple called for more commonsense to prevail in the stand-offwith Duane. They said: "If Duane Ose wishes to return to Ose Mountain, he knows it would only take a
Skype or phone call to discuss it, as we have never wished to take the mountain offhim, simply to try and continue his wishes, which is why we have tried to keep him in the loop all the way along.
We are not going to enter into a public slanging match (as previously stated).
"Duane, contact us directly and we can sort this whole mess out, but please do this in person."
And they openly voiced concern when Ose was reported missing, posting: "We had a message overnight from Duane's daughter Carol that she had requested a wellness check by the Fairbanks PD on her Dad.
"It is believed that Duane and Ellie-Mae checked out of the Super -8 in Fairbanks recently and their whereabouts now are unknown.
"We are extremely worried for their safety, in particular Duane who, when last seen, was frail and confused.
"Please will our Alaskan friends get in touch with the PD if they have seen them to set their families minds at rest (as well as ours). We pray for them to be located and our fears to be unfounded."
Duane Ose decided to take on Mark and Emily - a battle they didn't want - and appears to have lost.
In doing so, he took on Alaska's most untamed territory - and lost at a terrible cost.
CAPTION(S):
| Duane and wife Rena, who died
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Author: | EXCLUSIVE MIKE LOCKLEY Sunday Mercury Writer |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England) |
| Geographic Code: | 1U9AK |
| Date: | Dec 20, 2020 |
| Words: | 1184 |
| Previous Article: | Close encounter of third kind for Survivalist. |
| Next Article: | Knives left in bread at park. |
| Topics: | |