The ‘Port Protection’ Cast Must Really Love the Alaskan Wilderness — They Won’t Leave (2024)

The yearning for self-sufficiency — away from bureaucratic rules, social constraints, and government legislation that seems to favor everyone but the average tax payer (never forget the time citizens banded together to beat hedge funds and financial institutions with their own schemes, only for the federal government to immediately swoop in and put a stop to it during the whole GameStop fiasco) — and it's enough to get a person to ask themselves: Do I really need all this?

Which is probably why shows like National Geographic's Port Protection are so popular: It gives viewers at home the chance to vicariously live out their off-the-grid wilderness lifestyle fantasies all from the comfort of their own couch, a bowl of snacks at their side that they purchased with money from their job that probably adheres to a regimented schedule.

Where is the cast of 'Port Protection' now? First up: Gary Muehlberger

Sam Carlson

Sam Carlson has resided in Port Protection for over 50 years and it appears he's still living there until this very day. In January of 2023 it was reported that he suffered a health scare in the form of a heart attack, but it looks like he made a full recovery which was confirmed months later after the incident.

Lauded for his ingenuity and hunting prowess, Carlson is often referred to as "The Engineer" by residents of the area. He eschews technology and even though he clearly saw some benefit to having a reality TV series based on his life, he doesn't appear to want to get his family involved as his wife never appeared on the program.

David Squibb

Mary Miller

Matt Carlson

Matt Carlson grew up under the tutelage of his father, the "Engineer" himself Sam, in Port Protection, but moved away from the insular community where he was living with his then-fiancé Kaylee Burk and his daughter Shipley in Ketchikan, Alaska. He worked as a Captain of Baranof Fishing Excursions during his time there; however, the pair ultimately split.

This seems to have prompted Matt to head back to Port Protection, where he reunited with his father. The duo are purportedly seen in the wilderness together, tracking game, and fishing. Despite going to the mainland and living outside the nature-dwelling realm, Matt apparently hasn't lost a step at all. Looks like Sam not only taught him well but Matt learned well, too.

Timothy "Curly" Leach

Fans of the show were enamored with Curly and Mary's friendship in the series, and like many cast members, Curly Leach seems to have stuck to his guns when it comes to roughing it out in the wild — he's still in Port Protection and he still outright refuses to use money to get by, instead relying on trading, bartering, and exchanging services for his way of life.

Who are some of your favorite Port ProtectIon cast members that weren't featured in this article? A number of personalities have made appearances on the series who are all about self-sustaining living. And if you're thinking about getting in on this way of life, there are plenty of guides out there that'll teach you how to do it, along with social media users who will show you some of the tips and tricks that they've learned as a self-sufficient individual.