He hauls the chain saw back up the sloping driveway and yanks the starter rope. The chain saw is low on gas. It sputters, unable to chew through the wood.

A cameraman—an intense man named Geoff—pulls up in a car behind them. It's an hour until Schweitzer's on the air. The cameraman takes in the scene, trying to make sense of it. "Um, I understand what's going on here," he says, "but it's really important that I set up." He wants them to back the truck up and let him go through so he can get to work.

That's not going to happen. "It's important that I set up, too," Mack says. There's a note of tension in his voice. Schweitzer marches back down the hill for his gasoline can. "Why don't we back up and use a hammer?" Geoff asks. No reply. Geoff asks the question again, louder now. Patience is wearing thin. They're running out of time.

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