1 00:00:01,586 --> 00:00:04,066 [speaking] 2 00:00:04,172 --> 00:00:07,212 [narrator] On thisGold Rush, Tony Beets drains the swamp... 3 00:00:07,310 --> 00:00:09,170 [Tony speaking] 4 00:00:10,068 --> 00:00:13,138 [narrator] ...in the hunt for gold. 5 00:00:14,103 --> 00:00:15,033 Something needs to change. 6 00:00:15,137 --> 00:00:18,027 This is our best shot right now. 7 00:00:18,137 --> 00:00:20,857 [narrator] Running out of time, Fred Lewis calls in the big guns. 8 00:00:20,965 --> 00:00:22,825 They're sluicing out of a mudhole. 9 00:00:22,931 --> 00:00:25,481 A actual mudhole. 10 00:00:26,586 --> 00:00:27,786 -[man] It's the last scoop! -[bleep] yeah! 11 00:00:27,896 --> 00:00:30,896 [narrator] And Parker hits a major milestone. 12 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:31,450 What a nice feeling. 13 00:00:31,551 --> 00:00:33,241 [honking] 14 00:00:33,344 --> 00:00:35,524 We got some pretty good numbers of gold out of this thing. 15 00:00:35,620 --> 00:00:37,830 -It's never enough. -[chuckles] 16 00:00:49,241 --> 00:00:50,831 [Parker] This season's been a hell of a season. 17 00:00:50,931 --> 00:00:54,411 With the whole Covid thing, I had no idea where we're going to end up, 18 00:00:54,517 --> 00:00:59,067 but, you know, we've had two wash plants pounding away all season. 19 00:00:59,172 --> 00:01:00,212 It's been really good. 20 00:01:01,206 --> 00:01:02,966 [narrator] Twenty-six-year-old Parker Schnabel 21 00:01:03,068 --> 00:01:06,138 is running two wash plants 24/7 22 00:01:06,241 --> 00:01:09,761 to build a war chest and buy new ground. 23 00:01:09,862 --> 00:01:13,832 He's about to enter phase two of his plan. 24 00:01:13,931 --> 00:01:17,171 We just got sluice removed over to the airstrip cut 25 00:01:17,275 --> 00:01:19,685 and it looks like it's going to produce some good gold. 26 00:01:19,793 --> 00:01:22,553 Big Red's just finishing up in the last cut. 27 00:01:22,655 --> 00:01:25,065 We're going to move Big Red down to the airstrip. 28 00:01:25,172 --> 00:01:26,662 I'm having it join Slucifer. 29 00:01:26,758 --> 00:01:28,688 We really need to get that ground mined out 30 00:01:28,793 --> 00:01:31,553 and show that way can produce their ounces out of it. 31 00:01:33,586 --> 00:01:35,306 [narrator] Over the last four years, 32 00:01:35,413 --> 00:01:40,453 Parker has moved almost three million yards of dirt from the last cut, 33 00:01:40,551 --> 00:01:44,521 and mine more than 12,000 ounces of gold, 34 00:01:44,620 --> 00:01:47,520 the richest ground he's ever mined. 35 00:01:47,620 --> 00:01:53,480 Now he needs the last 25,000 yards sluiced in just seven days. 36 00:01:57,344 --> 00:02:00,344 This is something that we need to do very efficiently 37 00:02:00,448 --> 00:02:02,098 if we're going to make it all work in time. 38 00:02:06,758 --> 00:02:08,658 We got a lot of work to do. 39 00:02:09,344 --> 00:02:11,314 We're short on people as well. 40 00:02:11,413 --> 00:02:14,003 We're going to try and do everything we can done here by the end of the week. 41 00:02:14,103 --> 00:02:16,903 Uh, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be a challenge. 42 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,790 We're working as hard as we can to try and make this happen. 43 00:02:20,896 --> 00:02:22,476 [Brennan] It's going to be a mad scramble here. 44 00:02:24,448 --> 00:02:26,098 Cross my fingers, knock on wood, 45 00:02:26,206 --> 00:02:30,096 whatever I got to do, just to try and ensure this cut will get finished. 46 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,720 Just trying to keep Big Red fed here with pay dirt as well. 47 00:02:37,827 --> 00:02:40,207 I'm doing tailings, and... 48 00:02:40,310 --> 00:02:43,620 doing both with one loader is... Keeps you really busy. 49 00:02:46,655 --> 00:02:48,135 [Brennan] That is not look [bleep] good. 50 00:02:49,793 --> 00:02:50,833 [bleep] 51 00:02:51,241 --> 00:02:52,141 [groans] [bleep] 52 00:02:54,413 --> 00:02:57,523 What in the [bleep] is on fire over here? 53 00:02:58,275 --> 00:03:00,545 Cut the power! 54 00:03:01,586 --> 00:03:02,756 Shut it down! 55 00:03:03,655 --> 00:03:05,545 The [bleep] is burning up here? 56 00:03:06,931 --> 00:03:08,171 Holy [bleep] 57 00:03:09,413 --> 00:03:10,073 The [bleep] is going on here? 58 00:03:11,896 --> 00:03:13,406 No [bleep] way. 59 00:03:15,517 --> 00:03:17,167 [engine turns off] 60 00:03:18,448 --> 00:03:19,718 Holy [bleep] 61 00:03:20,379 --> 00:03:21,999 Mitch, you gotta copy. Mitch? 62 00:03:23,068 --> 00:03:24,208 [Mitch] Yeah, Go ahead. 63 00:03:24,310 --> 00:03:26,000 [Brennan] The [bleep] wash plant is on fire. 64 00:03:26,103 --> 00:03:28,723 [Mitch] All right, man. But I'm on my way. 65 00:03:35,275 --> 00:03:36,275 What's going on? 66 00:03:36,379 --> 00:03:38,589 [Brennan] Holy [bleep] 67 00:03:38,689 --> 00:03:39,589 Gonna have a heart attack. 68 00:03:39,689 --> 00:03:40,829 [bleep] smoke bellowing out of there. 69 00:03:40,931 --> 00:03:42,381 [Mitch] You got to be kidding. 70 00:03:42,482 --> 00:03:46,662 [Brennan] Farsighted. Looks like it puke out of there. 71 00:03:46,758 --> 00:03:48,068 I was wheeling the cut and just [bleep] ran up. 72 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:51,590 [Mitch] Oh, there it is. 73 00:03:51,689 --> 00:03:55,309 We've got our return rollers gone. [bleep] 74 00:03:55,413 --> 00:03:56,593 That grease is probably catching on fire. 75 00:03:56,689 --> 00:03:59,099 There you can see all the bearings [bleep] out. 76 00:03:59,206 --> 00:04:02,826 [narrator] A roller bearing on the radio stacker, 77 00:04:02,931 --> 00:04:05,691 which feeds Big Red, has burned out. 78 00:04:05,793 --> 00:04:06,593 [Brennan] Oh, this is great. 79 00:04:06,689 --> 00:04:08,139 This is a big job. 80 00:04:08,241 --> 00:04:12,901 It's gonna take three or four hours to change that out. [bleep] 81 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:13,860 Man, the days are clicking away here. 82 00:04:13,965 --> 00:04:17,165 We've got to get this cut done. 83 00:04:17,275 --> 00:04:20,475 -We got a lot of work to do down there so... -Yeah. 84 00:04:20,586 --> 00:04:21,476 -...we can't be both places at once. -No, no. 85 00:04:24,172 --> 00:04:26,792 I'm gonna go grab Shane and see if he can come over. 86 00:04:26,896 --> 00:04:28,166 Okay. Perfect. 87 00:04:29,413 --> 00:04:30,593 [honks] 88 00:04:32,896 --> 00:04:34,516 [narrator] Now it's down to mechanic, Shane Smith, 89 00:04:34,620 --> 00:04:37,790 to get them back up and running. 90 00:04:37,896 --> 00:04:39,476 [Shane] She's pretty gnarly bound. 91 00:04:39,586 --> 00:04:40,826 There isn't a bearing left in here, 92 00:04:40,931 --> 00:04:42,691 so it's just running on a bare shaft smoking away. 93 00:04:42,793 --> 00:04:45,623 And there's parts on the ground. 94 00:04:45,724 --> 00:04:47,004 And we run everything right to the limit, so... 95 00:04:48,724 --> 00:04:50,104 It's all part of the game. 96 00:04:50,206 --> 00:04:52,546 Basically up to me to try and keep this thing running. 97 00:04:54,310 --> 00:04:56,410 I can pull this whole motor off. 98 00:05:01,068 --> 00:05:02,658 It's full of mud. 99 00:05:02,758 --> 00:05:03,928 That's kind of the maintenance that they got to keep their eye on. 100 00:05:04,034 --> 00:05:06,764 You can get the collar off the shaft. 101 00:05:09,551 --> 00:05:11,691 Yeah, it wants to be a little difficult today. 102 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:14,210 I love burning stuff up. 103 00:05:14,310 --> 00:05:15,070 It's my favorite thing. 104 00:05:16,551 --> 00:05:18,281 Burning it up, blowing it up. 105 00:05:18,379 --> 00:05:19,719 You got to have some kind of fun. 106 00:05:20,793 --> 00:05:22,173 Blaze or precision cutting. 107 00:05:26,896 --> 00:05:28,656 Getting closer. 108 00:05:30,827 --> 00:05:32,407 Get the new bearing back in. 109 00:05:36,655 --> 00:05:37,065 Nice snug fit. 110 00:05:39,068 --> 00:05:40,168 Put this back on. 111 00:05:43,620 --> 00:05:44,340 [Mitch] How's she looking, doctor? 112 00:05:44,448 --> 00:05:46,028 I think we're ready to go. 113 00:05:46,137 --> 00:05:47,617 [Mitch] Oh, yeah. 114 00:05:47,724 --> 00:05:48,724 You should be able to wash some rocks. 115 00:05:48,827 --> 00:05:50,137 -Thanks, man. -All right, man. 116 00:05:51,655 --> 00:05:52,755 Good luck down there. 117 00:05:52,862 --> 00:05:53,522 [Mitch] Oh, yeah. We need it. 118 00:05:55,172 --> 00:05:58,662 [narrator] It's cost Parker four hours downtime 119 00:05:58,758 --> 00:06:01,998 and $15,000 in lost gold. 120 00:06:02,103 --> 00:06:04,623 But Big Red is back in business. 121 00:06:04,724 --> 00:06:07,414 -[Shane] Did you hit that button? -Hit it. 122 00:06:07,862 --> 00:06:09,032 [engine starts] 123 00:06:10,103 --> 00:06:10,283 [machine whirring] 124 00:06:12,620 --> 00:06:14,310 [man] Whoo! 125 00:06:14,413 --> 00:06:17,793 He always gets it done, and he gets it done pretty darn quick. 126 00:06:17,896 --> 00:06:19,236 And that's what we need right now. 127 00:06:19,344 --> 00:06:21,074 [Mitch] All right, we're all good. Start shaker deck. 128 00:06:21,172 --> 00:06:23,312 -[Brennan] Keep you at the bypass? -[Mitch] Yeah. 129 00:06:23,413 --> 00:06:25,663 Hopefully, we could run full tilt here. 130 00:06:25,758 --> 00:06:27,548 Hey, Trey! Crank it up. 131 00:06:29,103 --> 00:06:29,283 [engine running] 132 00:06:42,448 --> 00:06:45,758 [Brennan] Thanks again, Shane. Appreciate it. 133 00:06:45,862 --> 00:06:47,932 Well, now that the plant's back up running smooth, 134 00:06:48,034 --> 00:06:50,664 I'm just going to pop back in the hole here and keep loading trucks. 135 00:06:50,758 --> 00:06:52,378 We've got to stay on schedule and focused 136 00:06:52,482 --> 00:06:54,482 and try and get this cut done, 'cause that's what our goal is. 137 00:06:55,896 --> 00:06:56,446 You got to get some pay dirt. 138 00:06:58,482 --> 00:06:59,592 Let's go! 139 00:07:08,551 --> 00:07:10,721 Not only are the operations not going really well, 140 00:07:10,827 --> 00:07:13,337 and now morale is down. 141 00:07:13,448 --> 00:07:15,618 People want to see gold. They're not seeing gold. 142 00:07:15,724 --> 00:07:17,904 [narrator] In Oregon's Elkhorn Mountains, 143 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,690 Fred Lewis and his crew of combat veterans are struggling. 144 00:07:22,344 --> 00:07:23,764 So far this season, 145 00:07:23,862 --> 00:07:27,862 he's mined just an ounce a quarter of gold. 146 00:07:28,551 --> 00:07:30,381 [Johnny] Getting a little worried. 147 00:07:30,482 --> 00:07:32,662 Halfway through the season now and... 148 00:07:33,275 --> 00:07:35,825 it's really not looking great. 149 00:07:35,931 --> 00:07:37,341 [engine starts] 150 00:07:37,448 --> 00:07:39,688 [narrator] One month ago, Fred opened the liberation cut. 151 00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:42,933 He believed it would save his season, 152 00:07:43,034 --> 00:07:46,484 but it's produced just 0.6 ounces of gold. 153 00:07:46,586 --> 00:07:50,656 That's just a constant, you know, [bleep] battle. 154 00:07:50,758 --> 00:07:53,308 I think the longest runtime we've had is, like, two hours, 155 00:07:53,413 --> 00:07:55,523 but, you know, eventually something breaks down on this mine. 156 00:07:55,620 --> 00:07:58,410 [narrator] They've suffered constant breakdowns 157 00:07:58,517 --> 00:08:01,207 of the wash plant and water supply. 158 00:08:02,413 --> 00:08:05,483 [Johnny] So far, this mine has not been paying out for us. 159 00:08:05,586 --> 00:08:07,756 What are we here for if no gold? 160 00:08:07,862 --> 00:08:11,482 [narrator] Last week, to keep the operation running, 161 00:08:11,586 --> 00:08:14,206 Fred convinced Marine buddy, Carl Smith 162 00:08:14,310 --> 00:08:17,520 to pay his running costs for a share of the gold. 163 00:08:19,655 --> 00:08:20,995 [Fred] It's great that we have an investor, 164 00:08:21,103 --> 00:08:22,663 but that puts us under a lot more pressure. 165 00:08:22,758 --> 00:08:24,548 You know, if we kept going the way we're going, I don't... 166 00:08:24,655 --> 00:08:27,205 I don't have another week. 167 00:08:27,310 --> 00:08:31,520 Maybe two weeks in, we running like this without something coming back in. 168 00:08:31,620 --> 00:08:36,070 [narrator] With everything on the line and now going deeper into debt, 169 00:08:36,172 --> 00:08:40,622 Fred has asked Kendell to call in another favor from his uncle. 170 00:08:40,724 --> 00:08:43,074 Hey! Freddy and Juan are here. 171 00:08:43,172 --> 00:08:45,212 [narrator] Gold recovery expert, Freddy Dodge. 172 00:08:45,310 --> 00:08:51,550 With him is master mechanic and tough fabricator, Juan Ibarra. 173 00:08:51,655 --> 00:08:53,685 -How's it going, guys? -[Freddy] What's going on? 174 00:08:53,793 --> 00:08:55,313 Good to see you, buddy. 175 00:08:55,413 --> 00:08:56,553 -[Freddy] you doing? Fred? -[Fred] Oh, good Fred. How you doing? 176 00:08:56,655 --> 00:08:59,335 So how's everything going so far this year? 177 00:08:59,448 --> 00:09:01,408 -They are not going well. -[Kendell] We're having a rough time. 178 00:09:01,517 --> 00:09:05,067 [Fred] We're not seeing the gold we were thinking we were going to see out of that cut. 179 00:09:05,172 --> 00:09:06,932 Just every time that we get up, start running, 180 00:09:07,034 --> 00:09:08,174 something kicks us right in the teeth. 181 00:09:08,275 --> 00:09:11,515 Pretty much on the brink of failure all the time. 182 00:09:11,620 --> 00:09:14,070 I think we're right now, the whole team's kind of down. 183 00:09:14,172 --> 00:09:15,622 Our morale's a little low. 184 00:09:15,724 --> 00:09:17,414 You know, they see the struggles and they're not seeing gold, 185 00:09:17,517 --> 00:09:19,717 -so it's... -Yeah, yeah. 186 00:09:19,827 --> 00:09:21,587 ...hard for us to keep them... 187 00:09:21,689 --> 00:09:23,899 That'll break your spirit easy, you know? Real quick. 188 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:25,450 It's happening. 189 00:09:25,551 --> 00:09:28,141 Good gold's a motivator, lack of gold is a kick in the teeth. 190 00:09:28,241 --> 00:09:30,551 We're getting kicked in the teeth quite a bit. 191 00:09:30,655 --> 00:09:33,855 [Fred] We can't even get going, let alone stay going. 192 00:09:33,965 --> 00:09:35,515 Well, let's watch it run. Fire it up. 193 00:09:35,620 --> 00:09:36,550 All right. Sounds good. 194 00:09:38,689 --> 00:09:40,589 [narrator] At the start of the season, 195 00:09:40,689 --> 00:09:43,029 Freddy and Juan redesigned Fred's wash plant 196 00:09:43,137 --> 00:09:46,097 and built new sluice runs. 197 00:09:46,206 --> 00:09:48,066 Now they need to find out 198 00:09:48,172 --> 00:09:51,312 why Fred's crew can't keep the plant running. 199 00:09:51,413 --> 00:09:52,973 So you think there's enough time in the rest of the season 200 00:09:53,068 --> 00:09:54,208 to be able to turn this thing around? 201 00:09:54,310 --> 00:09:56,310 I don't know. Fall's coming fast. 202 00:09:56,413 --> 00:09:57,143 The trees are yellowing. 203 00:09:57,241 --> 00:09:59,381 I know that worries me. 204 00:09:59,482 --> 00:10:02,382 [narrator] First stop, the water supply. 205 00:10:02,482 --> 00:10:03,932 This should have a valve and a two inch pump 206 00:10:04,034 --> 00:10:05,484 ready to go at all times. Prime this thing. 207 00:10:08,862 --> 00:10:10,762 This whole operation here doesn't seem very efficient at all. 208 00:10:16,793 --> 00:10:18,483 [Fred] Look at how mudded up this is already. 209 00:10:18,586 --> 00:10:21,096 [Juan] Yeah. 210 00:10:21,206 --> 00:10:22,616 That didn't take long at all. 211 00:10:22,724 --> 00:10:26,004 Looks like the water here, Fred is our biggest issue, huh? 212 00:10:26,103 --> 00:10:28,453 Without fresh water, Juan, looking at this, 213 00:10:28,551 --> 00:10:30,551 they're going to be done in an hour and a half. 214 00:10:30,655 --> 00:10:31,515 Then they're gonna be losing most of the fine gold. 215 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:35,590 Once your water turns to a milkshake, 216 00:10:35,689 --> 00:10:37,999 -you know as well as I do what happens. -Yeah 217 00:10:38,103 --> 00:10:39,553 it steals that fine gold. 218 00:10:39,655 --> 00:10:41,205 They're sluicing and out of a mud hole. 219 00:10:41,620 --> 00:10:43,550 Actual mud hole. 220 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,690 I mean, look at how dirty it is. 221 00:10:47,793 --> 00:10:48,793 When your water is that dirty, 222 00:10:48,896 --> 00:10:50,656 it's grabbing that fine gold, right? 223 00:10:51,344 --> 00:10:52,594 That silt dam right here, 224 00:10:52,689 --> 00:10:54,069 -hits that silt dam and that silt falls. -Yep. 225 00:10:56,172 --> 00:10:57,072 Drops out. 226 00:10:57,172 --> 00:10:59,662 We got the logs to do it. 227 00:10:59,758 --> 00:11:01,858 -Yeah,. -Lay a log across this son of a gun. 228 00:11:01,965 --> 00:11:04,405 -Once you get silt going downhill... -It stays going down. 229 00:11:04,517 --> 00:11:06,477 It wants to come going down. 230 00:11:06,586 --> 00:11:07,516 And it worked great. 231 00:11:07,620 --> 00:11:09,720 I bet we quadrupled the water run time. 232 00:11:09,827 --> 00:11:10,447 Right now, it's a mess. 233 00:11:10,551 --> 00:11:11,591 [Juan] Yeah, it is. 234 00:11:13,103 --> 00:11:14,553 Hey, Brad. Kendell. 235 00:11:14,655 --> 00:11:16,515 They're out of water or it's too muddy. 236 00:11:20,517 --> 00:11:21,927 All right, guys. Let's shut it down! 237 00:11:22,034 --> 00:11:22,284 Shut it down! 238 00:11:23,137 --> 00:11:26,617 -Let's talk for a minute. -Yes, sir. 239 00:11:26,724 --> 00:11:28,344 Hey, misfits can I get you guys all by the loader? 240 00:11:28,448 --> 00:11:29,448 We need to have a meeting. 241 00:11:34,793 --> 00:11:36,213 Nothing's efficient about this. 242 00:11:37,068 --> 00:11:38,068 Kinda like a monkey [bleep] a football. 243 00:11:41,586 --> 00:11:43,896 You got serious water issues as your biggest problem. 244 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,140 You ran 35 minutes and then you silted up. 245 00:11:47,310 --> 00:11:48,100 So we want to put silt dams in. 246 00:11:50,172 --> 00:11:51,452 Well, who's good with a chainsaw? 247 00:11:52,379 --> 00:11:53,619 You're the chainsaw guy? 248 00:11:53,724 --> 00:11:55,214 So what we want to do is, we want to put 249 00:11:55,310 --> 00:11:57,450 a log across this upper pond and put a silt dam on it. 250 00:11:57,551 --> 00:12:00,481 That will help stop that silt as it comes across. 251 00:12:00,586 --> 00:12:02,236 It will get that dam, it will drop out. 252 00:12:02,620 --> 00:12:04,210 So we need tarps. 253 00:12:04,310 --> 00:12:06,520 We need-- But first, we need a log. 254 00:12:06,620 --> 00:12:07,720 Cut to 35 feet. 255 00:12:07,827 --> 00:12:09,657 We'll need a couple of guys to help us string that 256 00:12:09,758 --> 00:12:12,308 two inch line all the way up here to this top pond from the lower pond. 257 00:12:12,413 --> 00:12:13,723 And the silt dam, will not work 258 00:12:13,827 --> 00:12:14,587 when this pond's empty, 259 00:12:14,689 --> 00:12:16,619 I'm going to lay the hose. 260 00:12:16,724 --> 00:12:18,034 I'll help John lay all the hose and everything. 261 00:12:18,137 --> 00:12:18,927 -Get everything straight away. -All right, cool. 262 00:12:19,034 --> 00:12:20,834 He does need some muscle. 263 00:12:20,931 --> 00:12:22,171 Yeah, guys, ask all the questions 264 00:12:22,275 --> 00:12:23,855 you guys have while they're here. 265 00:12:23,965 --> 00:12:26,545 These guys, they're the best at what they do take advantage of it. 266 00:12:26,965 --> 00:12:27,545 To work, guys. 267 00:12:27,655 --> 00:12:29,515 Good. Good. Good. 268 00:12:31,758 --> 00:12:36,758 [narrator] Silty water flows from the sluices into the settling pond. 269 00:12:38,655 --> 00:12:44,475 Instead of settling, the silt is flowing through to the feeder pond, 270 00:12:44,586 --> 00:12:48,406 where it's re circulated to the plant, clogging the riffles, 271 00:12:50,379 --> 00:12:52,409 causing gold to flow out of the sluices. 272 00:12:54,655 --> 00:12:56,995 Freddy's plan. 273 00:12:57,103 --> 00:12:59,483 Build a dam to filter out the silt 274 00:13:00,758 --> 00:13:03,098 and provide clean water for the wash plant. 275 00:13:05,034 --> 00:13:07,414 [Fred Lewis] Today, it kind of feels more like the military for me. 276 00:13:07,517 --> 00:13:09,857 Everybody's got tasks, they're all going to complete their task. 277 00:13:09,965 --> 00:13:11,065 And the operation's gonna get better. 278 00:13:11,172 --> 00:13:13,662 So having Freddy and Juan here is fantastic. 279 00:13:14,827 --> 00:13:17,027 [narrator] The crew start on the silt screen dam. 280 00:13:19,344 --> 00:13:23,214 We got an old tree pile where we cut all of our trees on our hillside. 281 00:13:23,310 --> 00:13:24,690 Stack them all up. 282 00:13:24,793 --> 00:13:27,383 We're grabbing one 35 footer. 283 00:13:27,482 --> 00:13:29,002 We're going to yank her off the hill 284 00:13:29,103 --> 00:13:30,623 and then get her set up down below. 285 00:13:30,724 --> 00:13:31,904 So we have a little silt dam 286 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:37,690 and help us maintain some cleaner water for longer. 287 00:13:38,241 --> 00:13:39,481 Give us more run time. 288 00:13:40,724 --> 00:13:43,904 [narrator] Kendell's plan, winch the two ton log 289 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,690 down the slope using the side by side. 290 00:13:49,310 --> 00:13:50,660 You want it under or over? 291 00:13:50,758 --> 00:13:52,098 -That's fine. -All right. 292 00:13:52,206 --> 00:13:53,306 All right, here we go. 293 00:13:53,413 --> 00:13:54,243 On in. 294 00:13:54,344 --> 00:13:55,724 -All right. -[Fred] Whoa! 295 00:14:01,310 --> 00:14:02,100 Kendell! 296 00:14:08,965 --> 00:14:09,825 Whoa! Whoa! 297 00:14:10,551 --> 00:14:12,721 [narrator] On Fred Lewis's claim, 298 00:14:12,827 --> 00:14:16,547 gold recovery expert Freddy Dodge calls a halt. 299 00:14:16,655 --> 00:14:20,445 As nephew Kendell attempts to move a two ton tree trunk. 300 00:14:22,517 --> 00:14:24,407 [Fred] That log, if it comes at you, 301 00:14:24,517 --> 00:14:25,477 you can't get away from it, right? 302 00:14:25,586 --> 00:14:27,786 Uh, yeah. Not quickly. 303 00:14:27,896 --> 00:14:29,716 -That's for damn sure. -No, you can't get away from it. 304 00:14:29,827 --> 00:14:33,207 -Yeah. -I mean, end up smashing the machine and you. 305 00:14:33,310 --> 00:14:35,450 -Okay. -All right. Get the track. 306 00:14:35,551 --> 00:14:37,071 -Absolutely. -Right. It's too dangerous, man. 307 00:14:37,172 --> 00:14:38,862 -Good call. -Love you, bud. Don't want you dead. 308 00:14:38,965 --> 00:14:39,135 Thank you. 309 00:14:41,689 --> 00:14:45,169 That wasn't a very good idea. [bleep] comes off there. 310 00:14:45,275 --> 00:14:47,065 He's smashed, dead, hurt, dead, I don't know, 311 00:14:47,172 --> 00:14:51,622 but they need a different piece of equipment for that. 312 00:14:51,724 --> 00:14:53,834 [narrator] Infantry scout sniper, Stuart McKenzie, 313 00:14:53,931 --> 00:14:56,931 brings in the 30-tonne excavator. 314 00:14:57,758 --> 00:14:59,828 [Freddy] Right there, keep coming up. 315 00:15:05,068 --> 00:15:06,688 Now, bring your stick in. 316 00:15:06,793 --> 00:15:10,723 Bring your stick in, crack back. Right there. 317 00:15:13,827 --> 00:15:15,097 Use those foot pedals. 318 00:15:15,206 --> 00:15:16,616 -I am. -'Cause you gotta use two things. 319 00:15:16,724 --> 00:15:17,794 I've seen you grab 'em again. 320 00:15:17,896 --> 00:15:19,476 -Yeah, I know, I won't. -You can't do two things. 321 00:15:19,586 --> 00:15:20,376 Roger that, I get ya. 322 00:15:20,482 --> 00:15:22,172 So come up with your stick. 323 00:15:22,275 --> 00:15:24,235 Be ready, 'cause if your hands are on there 324 00:15:24,344 --> 00:15:25,214 and you have to come down fast, 325 00:15:25,310 --> 00:15:26,620 your hands are already there. 326 00:15:26,724 --> 00:15:27,214 -Gotcha. -They're at where they need to be. 327 00:15:32,620 --> 00:15:34,000 Keep coming towards ya. 328 00:15:34,103 --> 00:15:36,213 Keep coming. Now curl your bucket. 329 00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:37,830 Curl your bucket as the stick's going out. 330 00:15:37,931 --> 00:15:41,071 See what happens, see how balanced we are. 331 00:15:41,172 --> 00:15:42,142 [Stuart] Are we good to go? 332 00:15:42,241 --> 00:15:42,861 [Freddy] Looking good, man. 333 00:15:42,965 --> 00:15:44,755 Only drop it once. 334 00:15:44,862 --> 00:15:46,762 [Fred] Hey, just take it nice and slow and you won't drop it. 335 00:15:46,862 --> 00:15:47,862 You're good, you're good. 336 00:15:47,965 --> 00:15:48,405 Watch out for that rock right there. 337 00:15:48,517 --> 00:15:49,337 Steady. 338 00:15:51,862 --> 00:15:53,212 [Stuart] Oh. 339 00:15:53,310 --> 00:15:54,480 [Freddy] He was nervous. 340 00:15:54,586 --> 00:15:55,926 I would be, too, 'cause he doesn't have 341 00:15:56,034 --> 00:15:57,244 very much time in the machine, 342 00:15:57,344 --> 00:15:58,834 and he's got people's lives in his hands, right, 343 00:15:58,931 --> 00:16:03,141 if he does something weird? So... But he did good. 344 00:16:03,241 --> 00:16:04,791 [Stuart] Next up, what we're gonna do in this process is, 345 00:16:04,896 --> 00:16:06,336 we've gotten a tree off the hill, 346 00:16:06,448 --> 00:16:08,518 brought it down. 347 00:16:08,620 --> 00:16:10,930 Uh, Kyle and Fred are gonna finish de-limbing it 348 00:16:11,034 --> 00:16:12,554 and make sure it's smooth, 349 00:16:12,655 --> 00:16:13,335 'cause we have to put tarps on it, so we don't want it to rip. 350 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,450 [whirring] 351 00:16:19,793 --> 00:16:21,343 Right now, we're getting the final steps here, 352 00:16:21,448 --> 00:16:22,788 we've got the log cleaned also, 353 00:16:22,896 --> 00:16:24,756 so it doesn't pop any of the tarps we're putting over it. 354 00:16:24,862 --> 00:16:26,862 [Kyle] We got Stuart digging out his flat spot, 355 00:16:26,965 --> 00:16:28,235 so we can go lay it across. 356 00:16:28,344 --> 00:16:29,384 As soon as we get 'em in place, 357 00:16:29,482 --> 00:16:30,902 then we can start setting everything up 358 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:32,280 for the new de-silting system. 359 00:16:32,379 --> 00:16:33,309 that Freddy and Juan are kind of helping us with. 360 00:16:33,413 --> 00:16:36,003 Okay, let's walk it in. 361 00:16:37,034 --> 00:16:38,344 Okay, spin to your right a little. 362 00:16:38,448 --> 00:16:40,208 A little more. 363 00:16:40,310 --> 00:16:42,410 What? 364 00:16:42,517 --> 00:16:44,137 [Kyle] What, have you done that before, Freddy? 365 00:16:44,241 --> 00:16:45,031 -Uh-uh. -[Kyle laughs] 366 00:16:45,137 --> 00:16:47,337 Finito, finale, we're done. 367 00:16:47,448 --> 00:16:49,408 Well, Fred, we'll make you a silk curtain. 368 00:16:50,724 --> 00:16:51,104 We'll unfold this. 369 00:16:53,172 --> 00:16:54,692 Just take it that way. 370 00:16:54,793 --> 00:16:56,833 [narrator] The tarp will force silk to settle... 371 00:16:56,931 --> 00:16:57,481 [Freddy] Hang on right there. 372 00:16:57,586 --> 00:16:59,756 Fold it in half. 373 00:16:59,862 --> 00:17:02,102 ...allowing clean water to flow back to the intake pond. 374 00:17:05,655 --> 00:17:07,515 We've got a chain for weight down in the bottom. 375 00:17:07,620 --> 00:17:08,930 It's going to be a little tricky getting it in there. 376 00:17:09,034 --> 00:17:11,834 Somebody may end up on their rear in the mud. 377 00:17:11,931 --> 00:17:13,551 Johnny, cross the log. 378 00:17:13,655 --> 00:17:14,715 [narrator] Staff Sergeant Johnny Stanz 379 00:17:14,827 --> 00:17:16,897 suffered severe brain injuries 380 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,410 when his truck was blown up 381 00:17:19,517 --> 00:17:22,027 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. 382 00:17:22,137 --> 00:17:24,027 [Johnny] Crossing the log. 383 00:17:24,137 --> 00:17:25,307 [narrator] Ever since, 384 00:17:25,413 --> 00:17:27,313 he's had trouble with his balance. 385 00:17:32,310 --> 00:17:34,410 [Fred] My hand. 386 00:17:35,310 --> 00:17:38,140 Thank you. Thank you kindly, your highness. 387 00:17:38,241 --> 00:17:39,101 Chivalry is not dead. 388 00:17:39,206 --> 00:17:40,826 Chivalry is not dead! 389 00:17:40,931 --> 00:17:42,141 [Freddy] Keep your chain out of the water. 390 00:17:42,241 --> 00:17:44,381 Lower it down. 391 00:17:47,413 --> 00:17:49,723 So put a screw and you're in. 392 00:17:49,827 --> 00:17:51,967 And then take your chain, so it's sunk in the water, 393 00:17:52,068 --> 00:17:52,998 but then screw it to the log, 394 00:17:53,103 --> 00:17:55,313 so we don't lose it under water. 395 00:17:56,103 --> 00:17:57,593 Got it. 396 00:17:57,689 --> 00:17:59,309 [machine whirring] 397 00:17:59,413 --> 00:18:01,763 [Freddy] Touching, Fred? 398 00:18:01,862 --> 00:18:03,142 [Fred] Yes, it's touching. 399 00:18:03,241 --> 00:18:04,341 [Freddy] That's probably close enough, huh? 400 00:18:05,620 --> 00:18:07,520 Well, there it is, Fred. 401 00:18:07,620 --> 00:18:09,590 The sediment just hits that and drops? 402 00:18:09,689 --> 00:18:11,139 Yep. So picture you're a piece of silk, right? 403 00:18:13,689 --> 00:18:15,339 You're coming across your pond, right? 404 00:18:15,448 --> 00:18:16,688 You're floating in the water. 405 00:18:16,793 --> 00:18:19,553 So it's going to do the same thing that sand does. 406 00:18:19,655 --> 00:18:20,925 And then fall, 407 00:18:21,034 --> 00:18:22,284 and keep sinking. 408 00:18:22,379 --> 00:18:25,279 So basically, this is going to allow us to run more. 409 00:18:25,379 --> 00:18:26,409 We're looking at more pay and more gold, 410 00:18:26,517 --> 00:18:28,307 so that's the key. 411 00:18:28,413 --> 00:18:29,243 Ready to fire up, Fred? 412 00:18:29,344 --> 00:18:30,864 I sure am. We've done a lot. 413 00:18:30,965 --> 00:18:33,475 I can't wait to see how it turns out. 414 00:18:33,586 --> 00:18:34,716 Right now, we've got this top pond full. 415 00:18:34,827 --> 00:18:36,897 It's filling up the bottom ponds, 416 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:37,970 so we're gonna be able to run a lot longer. 417 00:18:38,068 --> 00:18:40,378 Yeah, let's do it, let's fire it up. 418 00:18:43,344 --> 00:18:45,244 [narrator] Now it's time to find out 419 00:18:45,344 --> 00:18:48,214 if clean water means more gold. 420 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,620 Water coming out the other end right now after our sump dam 421 00:18:53,724 --> 00:18:55,524 is way clearer 422 00:18:55,620 --> 00:18:58,240 than it was before, you can almost see through it. 423 00:18:59,034 --> 00:19:00,834 So it's definitely working. 424 00:19:00,931 --> 00:19:02,831 Once again, you guys came through big, 425 00:19:02,931 --> 00:19:04,971 done stuff that's changed the way we're gonna work around here. 426 00:19:05,068 --> 00:19:07,338 We'll get a lot more pay through the kernel because of it. 427 00:19:07,448 --> 00:19:08,448 We're doing the right things. 428 00:19:08,551 --> 00:19:10,241 If the gold's there, we'll catch it. 429 00:19:10,344 --> 00:19:11,724 No matter how much gold is in the ground, 430 00:19:11,827 --> 00:19:13,207 every minute the plant's running, 431 00:19:13,310 --> 00:19:16,550 you're catching it, so run, run, run. 432 00:19:18,620 --> 00:19:20,970 Everything's looking really good, 433 00:19:21,068 --> 00:19:22,788 gotta keep going. 434 00:19:22,896 --> 00:19:24,586 Keep going! 435 00:19:38,517 --> 00:19:40,167 [narrator] At Paradise Hill, king of the Klondike, 436 00:19:40,275 --> 00:19:42,475 Tony Beets, 437 00:19:42,586 --> 00:19:46,446 is running 350 yards of mega cut pay dirt 438 00:19:46,551 --> 00:19:48,791 through his trommel every hour. 439 00:19:48,896 --> 00:19:52,336 Ruby Mahoney clears tailings in the loader. 440 00:19:58,827 --> 00:20:02,027 You know, after everything that's happened last year, 441 00:20:02,137 --> 00:20:04,717 I think all of us really wanted to have 442 00:20:04,827 --> 00:20:08,757 a really good season, kind of, like, a resurrection season. 443 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:29,830 Morning. 444 00:20:30,172 --> 00:20:31,282 Good. 445 00:20:33,862 --> 00:20:35,072 Sure. 446 00:20:35,172 --> 00:20:38,212 [narrator] This morning, Tony's grandson, Eagan, 447 00:20:38,310 --> 00:20:39,520 son of his daughter, Bianca, 448 00:20:39,620 --> 00:20:41,660 who isn't part of the gold mining business, 449 00:20:41,758 --> 00:20:44,588 is here to learn the ropes. 450 00:20:58,551 --> 00:20:59,341 Yeah. 451 00:20:59,827 --> 00:21:00,787 Okay. 452 00:21:13,275 --> 00:21:15,205 [Eagan] Yeah. 453 00:21:19,965 --> 00:21:20,235 Yeah. 454 00:21:28,793 --> 00:21:30,693 And what they did right, too? 455 00:21:44,655 --> 00:21:46,275 Go for Kevin, go for Kevin. 456 00:21:50,413 --> 00:21:51,723 I am on my way there now. 457 00:22:02,275 --> 00:22:04,135 No, that's [bleep] terrible. 458 00:22:04,241 --> 00:22:05,721 It's not washed at all. 459 00:22:07,206 --> 00:22:09,336 [narrator] The trommel uses water jets 460 00:22:09,448 --> 00:22:10,828 to blast pay dirt off rocks, 461 00:22:10,931 --> 00:22:15,591 sending gold-rich material down to the sluices. 462 00:22:15,689 --> 00:22:17,589 The dirty tailings indicate that the trommel 463 00:22:17,689 --> 00:22:19,789 isn't washing the rocks properly 464 00:22:19,896 --> 00:22:24,306 and is discarding them still covered in gold. 465 00:22:39,620 --> 00:22:40,830 [narrator] They head down the hill to check the pump 466 00:22:40,931 --> 00:22:43,341 that supplies the trommel. 467 00:22:48,517 --> 00:22:50,447 [Tony speaking] 468 00:22:55,551 --> 00:22:57,551 No water. 469 00:22:57,655 --> 00:23:00,065 [Tony speaking] 470 00:23:00,172 --> 00:23:01,172 [Kevin] The valve is sucking so much air, 471 00:23:01,275 --> 00:23:03,585 the pump can't deliver enough water. 472 00:23:04,724 --> 00:23:07,594 [narrator] The valve used to control water supply 473 00:23:07,689 --> 00:23:10,279 from the pond into the system is cracked 474 00:23:12,137 --> 00:23:14,407 and sucking in air, 475 00:23:14,517 --> 00:23:16,307 causing the pressure in the pump to drop. 476 00:23:18,068 --> 00:23:21,308 By the time it gets up to the wash plant, 477 00:23:21,413 --> 00:23:24,623 the water pressure is too low and it can't wash 478 00:23:24,724 --> 00:23:27,934 the gold-rich dirt from the rocks, 479 00:23:28,034 --> 00:23:31,104 so gold is lost in the tailing. 480 00:23:34,275 --> 00:23:35,445 [Tony speaking] 481 00:23:56,586 --> 00:23:59,586 [narrator] To fix it, Tony heads to his boneyard, 482 00:23:59,689 --> 00:24:03,099 the largest in the Klondike to search for a replacement valve. 483 00:24:08,344 --> 00:24:09,384 Yeah. 484 00:24:14,827 --> 00:24:15,757 Come on, Doyle. 485 00:24:17,068 --> 00:24:17,238 Good boy. 486 00:24:32,551 --> 00:24:35,761 Yeah, didn't quite fit. Where will that be? [bleep] 487 00:24:40,517 --> 00:24:42,857 [Kevin] We got this whole boneyard and we can't find a valve. 488 00:24:42,965 --> 00:24:45,715 There's got to be one somewhere in all this crap. 489 00:24:51,896 --> 00:24:54,756 That looks a little nicer. 490 00:24:56,275 --> 00:24:57,205 Nice, heavy duty [bleep] too. 491 00:25:08,241 --> 00:25:10,031 [narrator] Every hour the plant is down. 492 00:25:10,137 --> 00:25:14,757 Tony is losing two and a half thousand dollars in gold. 493 00:25:20,758 --> 00:25:21,898 So right now, the water still a little high. 494 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,830 If you take the valve off now 495 00:25:23,931 --> 00:25:25,971 all that water in the ponds gonna come straight out. 496 00:25:26,068 --> 00:25:27,168 It's gonna make a giant mess. 497 00:25:27,275 --> 00:25:29,545 So we're gonna have to drain the pond first. 498 00:25:29,655 --> 00:25:35,375 [narrator] The leaking valve is set below the water level of the pond. 499 00:25:35,482 --> 00:25:41,452 If the pond is full, when they take it off, nearly half a million gallons of water 500 00:25:41,551 --> 00:25:46,281 will flood the yard. Before he can change the valve, 501 00:25:46,379 --> 00:25:50,449 Kevin must pump enough water out of the pond to bring the level down. 502 00:25:50,551 --> 00:25:52,481 [Kevin Beets] Once the water's down. We're gonna come down, 503 00:25:52,586 --> 00:25:56,786 rip the valve off with a new one in, hook everything back up. 504 00:25:56,896 --> 00:25:57,826 Open up the water. 505 00:25:58,241 --> 00:25:59,411 It's losing again. 506 00:26:00,793 --> 00:26:03,973 But for now, we just gotta wait for it to get low enough. 507 00:26:04,068 --> 00:26:08,658 [narrator] Until then, Tony's whole operation is down. 508 00:26:34,724 --> 00:26:37,384 [Kevin Beets] How much lower is this? 509 00:26:37,827 --> 00:26:40,517 I think so. Yeah. 510 00:26:40,620 --> 00:26:44,070 [narrator] In the Klondike, a cracked valve has shut down 511 00:26:44,172 --> 00:26:46,452 Tony Beet's operation. 512 00:26:46,551 --> 00:26:49,831 To replace the valve, he must drain the pond. 513 00:26:49,931 --> 00:26:51,791 But that could take all day. 514 00:26:51,896 --> 00:26:56,616 And every hour he's losing over two and a half thousand dollars in gold. 515 00:27:21,344 --> 00:27:23,214 [narrator] Impatient to get sluicing 516 00:27:23,310 --> 00:27:28,520 Tony decides to take a gamble, and open the valve while the pond is still full. 517 00:27:54,586 --> 00:27:59,026 [narrator] After an hour draining the pond, the yard is flooded, 518 00:27:59,137 --> 00:28:02,827 but the pressure is low enough to replace the broken valve. 519 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:08,170 Yeah. 520 00:28:37,862 --> 00:28:39,032 I got four here. 521 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:55,480 [all laughing] 522 00:28:56,137 --> 00:28:57,717 Which one? 523 00:28:57,827 --> 00:28:59,717 There's a hammer right over here. 524 00:29:34,551 --> 00:29:36,591 Yeah. Let's go. 525 00:29:45,206 --> 00:29:47,276 [narrator] After a day's downtime. 526 00:29:47,379 --> 00:29:50,379 The trommel is back washing paint. 527 00:30:05,965 --> 00:30:07,335 I don't know any better than that. 528 00:30:18,620 --> 00:30:19,100 [dramatic music playing] 529 00:30:26,413 --> 00:30:27,663 It's the last scoop. [bleep] Yeah. 530 00:30:34,689 --> 00:30:37,999 We're done, buddy. Good job. 531 00:30:42,137 --> 00:30:43,337 [narrator] After just five days, 532 00:30:43,448 --> 00:30:46,448 Mitch and Brannan have finished running pay 533 00:30:46,551 --> 00:30:50,141 in the last cut. Two days ahead of Parker's one week deadline. 534 00:30:54,379 --> 00:30:56,239 -Nice work. -Yeah, you two man. 535 00:30:56,344 --> 00:30:58,214 That is a good feeling to have that cut down. 536 00:30:58,310 --> 00:30:59,140 I can't believe how fast we got through it. 537 00:31:00,655 --> 00:31:01,655 What a nice feeling. 538 00:31:02,724 --> 00:31:03,974 We could break big right down, 539 00:31:04,068 --> 00:31:06,828 haul it down to the Airstrip, get it set up in back running. 540 00:31:06,931 --> 00:31:09,551 There's no reason we can't have this wash by running here in a day or so. 541 00:31:09,655 --> 00:31:12,065 Yeah, You bet. Okay. 542 00:31:12,172 --> 00:31:14,592 [narrator] Mitch prepares Big Red for the move. 543 00:31:14,689 --> 00:31:17,029 All these pins out of here and lower this thing down. 544 00:31:20,551 --> 00:31:22,621 Get it on the road. 545 00:31:22,724 --> 00:31:25,694 There's no more gold here, so we got to take it where there's some ground to run. 546 00:31:33,068 --> 00:31:33,998 Here we go. 547 00:31:38,862 --> 00:31:40,592 Alex, get right there. 548 00:31:42,275 --> 00:31:43,095 Get it on the road. 549 00:31:45,310 --> 00:31:46,900 I'm gonna head down to the Airstrip. 550 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,310 Hopefully, Brennan's ready with wash plant 'cause, uh, we're coming. 551 00:31:52,965 --> 00:31:57,025 [narrator] Four hours later, Mitch sets off on the three mile journey 552 00:31:57,137 --> 00:31:58,717 to the Airstrip Cut. 553 00:32:02,172 --> 00:32:03,972 I'm glad we don't have to go too far here. 554 00:32:04,068 --> 00:32:07,788 You watch that thing in the mirror. That's rocking side to side. 555 00:32:07,896 --> 00:32:09,586 Come on, little girl. Nice and easy. 556 00:32:11,517 --> 00:32:13,067 Oh. We're in the trees. Pretty good over there. 557 00:32:20,344 --> 00:32:23,314 Well, here we are. 558 00:32:31,137 --> 00:32:32,377 Nice and easy. 559 00:32:33,344 --> 00:32:34,904 Keep going. Keep going. 560 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:35,170 Keep coming. 561 00:32:36,965 --> 00:32:38,305 Left. some more left. 562 00:32:38,689 --> 00:32:41,309 Watch yourself. 563 00:32:41,413 --> 00:32:42,593 Hold there. 564 00:32:45,551 --> 00:32:46,451 Ready? 565 00:32:47,827 --> 00:32:48,477 Seven degrees. 566 00:32:48,586 --> 00:32:50,136 [bleep] Are we good? 567 00:32:51,655 --> 00:32:51,995 That is perfect. 568 00:32:55,793 --> 00:32:59,343 That looks great. You look at how the sugar tax leveled up. 569 00:32:59,448 --> 00:33:01,238 Sluice surrounds right where we want him. 570 00:33:01,344 --> 00:33:02,104 [bleep] It's coming together nicely. 571 00:33:03,586 --> 00:33:04,066 Whoo. Good job. 572 00:33:16,241 --> 00:33:18,141 [narrator] With Big Red, 573 00:33:18,241 --> 00:33:25,591 finally on its pad at the Airstrip, Parker heads to the Last Cut with his crew 574 00:33:25,689 --> 00:33:32,899 to look back on four years mining over twelve thousand ounces of gold. 575 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,410 Well, I don't know whether to be happy or sad that we got through it already. 576 00:33:36,827 --> 00:33:38,137 I mean, I'm proud. 577 00:33:39,172 --> 00:33:40,862 Can't complain about cleanups either. 578 00:33:40,965 --> 00:33:42,375 They seem to already know. 579 00:33:42,482 --> 00:33:43,862 I still can complain about any cleanup. 580 00:33:43,965 --> 00:33:46,895 -Yeah, Yeah. [laughing] -You never know. 581 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:47,170 [all laughing] 582 00:33:49,620 --> 00:33:52,310 This is one of the biggest cuts you guys have made, isn't it? 583 00:33:52,413 --> 00:33:53,933 There's a lot of rocks came out of there. 584 00:33:54,034 --> 00:33:57,764 If you put everything you removed back except for what we wanted, 585 00:33:57,862 --> 00:34:01,032 what we took out of here would fit in a bucket. 586 00:34:02,862 --> 00:34:04,282 Yep. 587 00:34:04,379 --> 00:34:07,519 [narrator] They've moved over three million yards of dirt, 588 00:34:07,620 --> 00:34:09,760 enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys Stadium 589 00:34:09,862 --> 00:34:16,452 to get a four gallon bucket of gold worth over $20 million. 590 00:34:16,551 --> 00:34:21,521 With the final twenty five thousand yards they clear this week, 591 00:34:21,620 --> 00:34:26,030 this could be Parker's biggest gold producing cut ever. 592 00:34:26,137 --> 00:34:28,167 Everybody did a good job with it, you know. 593 00:34:28,275 --> 00:34:30,375 I didn't hear any horror stories. 594 00:34:30,482 --> 00:34:33,452 It was like two years ago when sluicifer caught on fire. 595 00:34:33,551 --> 00:34:34,031 We're like, okay we're done. We're out of here. 596 00:34:37,137 --> 00:34:39,477 Then we ended up coming back following year. 597 00:34:39,586 --> 00:34:43,856 I think the funniest thing was you bringing the wash plant in backwards 598 00:34:43,965 --> 00:34:45,655 That I'm gonna never forget. [bleep] 599 00:34:45,758 --> 00:34:46,858 [all laughing] 600 00:34:47,620 --> 00:34:50,450 I'm just happy we got it all done. 601 00:34:50,551 --> 00:34:52,101 For the most part, it did go pretty [bleep] smooth. 602 00:34:53,655 --> 00:34:55,305 I think he did good. 603 00:34:55,413 --> 00:34:57,863 We've got some pretty good numbers of gold out of the thing. 604 00:34:57,965 --> 00:35:03,825 You're cleanups were just consistently good over and over again. 605 00:35:03,931 --> 00:35:05,861 Even when you hit that sand spot. 606 00:35:05,965 --> 00:35:09,165 You know, when you thought things were gonna drop off, you pushed right through it. 607 00:35:10,275 --> 00:35:13,475 You guys did a heck of a job here, that's for sure. 608 00:35:13,586 --> 00:35:16,136 Well, I tell you what, I feel old after this one... 609 00:35:17,620 --> 00:35:20,170 ...after the Airstrip. 610 00:35:28,482 --> 00:35:30,722 Fred, This doesn't look good to me. 611 00:35:31,310 --> 00:35:33,100 I don't like hearing that. 612 00:35:33,206 --> 00:35:37,376 [narrator] In Oregon, gold guru, Freddy Dodge is on a mission to save rookie 613 00:35:37,482 --> 00:35:41,282 mine boss Fred Lewis's operation. 614 00:35:42,137 --> 00:35:44,207 After he clean the water supply, 615 00:35:44,310 --> 00:35:49,100 wash plant Colonel Nugget has been running nonstop. 616 00:35:49,206 --> 00:35:52,066 Now, Freddie he's focused on the most important thing of all. 617 00:35:53,586 --> 00:35:54,516 Pay dirt. 618 00:35:55,034 --> 00:35:57,034 So this is your pay? 619 00:35:57,137 --> 00:36:00,477 Yeah, we've been pulling off this pay, but so full of rock, it's hard to move. 620 00:36:00,586 --> 00:36:05,716 I'm having a hard time thinking it's not getting diluted with the topsoil. 621 00:36:05,827 --> 00:36:10,027 -It seems like it's just... -If this is pay, it doesn't look like very good pay to me. 622 00:36:10,137 --> 00:36:13,827 Not in this situation, not an alluvial deposits. 623 00:36:13,931 --> 00:36:15,481 It looks more like slip. 624 00:36:15,586 --> 00:36:16,686 It's come off the hill with maybe some glacier boulders mixed in. 625 00:36:16,793 --> 00:36:19,593 It is what it looks like to me. 626 00:36:21,586 --> 00:36:26,066 [narrator] Master Sergeant Stefan Generally has been digging this pay 627 00:36:26,172 --> 00:36:28,592 from the Liberation Cut for four weeks. 628 00:36:31,827 --> 00:36:34,827 You know, we need to find gold, because right now we're just 629 00:36:34,931 --> 00:36:38,861 I mean, he's hemorrhaging money to keep this operation going. 630 00:36:38,965 --> 00:36:44,585 All I know is I'm just about to the end of my rope. 631 00:36:45,206 --> 00:36:45,376 Something needs to change. 632 00:36:48,275 --> 00:36:50,025 -Stefan. -Yo. 633 00:36:50,137 --> 00:36:52,897 It's first time I came up to really look at the cut. 634 00:36:53,862 --> 00:36:54,762 I'm not liking the look of the dirt I see. 635 00:36:55,827 --> 00:37:00,307 Well, all this right here is all over burden. 636 00:37:00,413 --> 00:37:02,413 From what I pulled off before and I dropped it there. 637 00:37:02,517 --> 00:37:04,927 Don't mess with that side hill anymore. 638 00:37:05,034 --> 00:37:06,314 That's all garbage. 639 00:37:06,413 --> 00:37:09,143 That's all... mainly slip that slipped off this hill. 640 00:37:09,241 --> 00:37:11,071 It hasn't been reworked. River gravels from what I see. 641 00:37:11,172 --> 00:37:14,452 -Okay. -But look for those rounded river gravels. 642 00:37:14,551 --> 00:37:15,591 -Oh. We've got a lot of... -No, this is just dirt. 643 00:37:15,689 --> 00:37:18,099 It's got a few rounded rocks in it. 644 00:37:18,206 --> 00:37:19,716 -This is... -Well, yeah, that's overburdened. 645 00:37:19,827 --> 00:37:23,477 -Yeah. So I haven't... -You start getting a lot of round rocks, 646 00:37:23,586 --> 00:37:25,026 just radio, me, I'll come over and check it out. 647 00:37:25,137 --> 00:37:27,027 So... so picture a stream bed, right? 648 00:37:27,137 --> 00:37:29,277 -We're all the rocks around. -Tumble and tumble. 649 00:37:29,379 --> 00:37:31,899 That's exactly right. So, look for that. 650 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,620 What I would do is probably back up here 651 00:37:33,724 --> 00:37:36,864 about fifteen feet and punch a hole deep as you can. 652 00:37:38,620 --> 00:37:46,450 The gold on the Elkhorn Claim was washed down from the mother lode by two rivers. 653 00:37:46,551 --> 00:37:50,311 [narrator] Heavy gold sits at the bottom with the big river rocks 654 00:37:50,413 --> 00:37:52,933 rounded by years of water erosion. 655 00:37:53,034 --> 00:37:56,144 We need to make some money. We need to find some gold. 656 00:37:58,689 --> 00:37:59,789 About ten feet down, now. 657 00:38:01,827 --> 00:38:01,997 Let's see if I can... 658 00:38:04,413 --> 00:38:05,313 Here we go. 659 00:38:06,655 --> 00:38:09,025 Take a look at this stuff here. See what it looks like? 660 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:12,310 That looks pretty damn good. Move on. 661 00:38:14,310 --> 00:38:17,340 I've seen a lot of [bleep] ground stones. 662 00:38:17,448 --> 00:38:19,238 Now I think I need to take a look at this. 663 00:38:30,137 --> 00:38:31,547 I'm seeing a lot of this. 664 00:38:32,931 --> 00:38:35,761 A lot of rounded stones in here. 665 00:38:35,862 --> 00:38:37,342 Hey, Fred. Where you at, bro? 666 00:38:39,965 --> 00:38:40,135 What you got? 667 00:38:42,413 --> 00:38:44,553 This is pretty much down there about, 668 00:38:45,655 --> 00:38:48,335 I don't know, maybe ten, twelve feet stuck in the wall. 669 00:38:49,344 --> 00:38:51,344 I was looking at the bucket as I brought it in. 670 00:38:51,448 --> 00:38:55,928 And I'm like, number of rounded rocks versus cracked the bedrock. 671 00:38:56,034 --> 00:38:56,934 This is rounded rock. 672 00:38:57,034 --> 00:38:57,524 That's what I thought. 673 00:38:57,620 --> 00:38:59,760 I like it. 674 00:38:59,862 --> 00:39:01,032 You know, the only way we're going to find out is to run some of it, right? 675 00:39:01,137 --> 00:39:02,717 Right. This is our best shot right now. 676 00:39:02,827 --> 00:39:06,137 I'd say every ounce of this dirt, 677 00:39:06,241 --> 00:39:08,381 -everything below three feet, -Directly to the Colonel. 678 00:39:08,482 --> 00:39:09,382 Colonel's hungry man. Sound feeder. 679 00:39:09,482 --> 00:39:11,832 Let's do it. Let's get to work. 680 00:39:11,931 --> 00:39:13,211 -Good job Stefan. -Cool. 681 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,070 Got enough pace. We'll just give it a go and see what happens. 682 00:39:18,517 --> 00:39:20,067 I just feel like we're on the brink of failure 683 00:39:20,172 --> 00:39:22,142 -all the time, every day. -My fingers are crossed, 684 00:39:22,241 --> 00:39:25,141 but pretty much make or break If this doesn't produce, 685 00:39:26,724 --> 00:39:28,034 I don't know how this is gonna pan out. 686 00:39:39,965 --> 00:39:44,615 [narrator] When the miners close out a cut, they always reclaim the land. 687 00:39:47,034 --> 00:39:50,524 Putting it back to how it was before they worked it. 688 00:39:51,275 --> 00:39:52,545 You know, it's just kind of weird. 689 00:39:52,655 --> 00:39:54,475 You look at all this and, you know, you get used 690 00:39:54,586 --> 00:39:59,966 to driving out in the same spot, seeing Big red set up here and, uh, yeah 691 00:40:00,068 --> 00:40:02,618 it's going to be a little bit different, driving by it every day and not stopping. 692 00:40:02,724 --> 00:40:05,484 But, you know, all these old cuts, they'll end up flooding out 693 00:40:05,586 --> 00:40:07,926 over the winner and be nice ponds. 694 00:40:08,034 --> 00:40:09,904 Wildlife really likes it. 695 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:13,480 And... you know, in a hundred years, nobody will ever even know we were here. 696 00:40:28,034 --> 00:40:34,724 Three generations of Beets gather for the weekly gold weigh. 697 00:40:34,827 --> 00:40:38,207 It's nice to have you fix that valve up those tailings look a lot cleaner. 698 00:40:38,310 --> 00:40:39,310 I mean, yes, you know, we got it back together. 699 00:40:39,413 --> 00:40:41,723 It seems we're working pretty good, 700 00:40:49,068 --> 00:40:52,338 You know, Kevin. If he can't be handsome, he might as well be handy. 701 00:40:52,965 --> 00:40:54,685 [all laughing] 702 00:40:57,034 --> 00:41:00,284 [narrator] To reach his three thousand ounce season goal, 703 00:41:00,379 --> 00:41:03,169 Tony needs a hundred ninety five ounces every week. 704 00:41:08,862 --> 00:41:10,382 What you got? Three, four. 705 00:41:10,482 --> 00:41:11,282 Ten. 706 00:41:12,655 --> 00:41:13,135 Twenty. 707 00:41:13,241 --> 00:41:15,521 -Thirty. -Forty, 708 00:41:16,724 --> 00:41:18,594 -Fifty. -Five. 709 00:41:18,689 --> 00:41:20,549 -Sixty. -Five, 710 00:41:20,655 --> 00:41:22,095 -Seventy. -Four. 711 00:41:22,206 --> 00:41:25,166 -Eighty. -[chuckles] Ninety, 712 00:41:25,896 --> 00:41:30,236 -One hundred. One ten. -Twenty. 713 00:41:31,172 --> 00:41:33,382 One forty. 714 00:41:34,068 --> 00:41:35,618 One fifty. 715 00:41:35,724 --> 00:41:36,724 -Good. -One sixty. 716 00:41:36,931 --> 00:41:39,211 Seventy. 717 00:41:40,551 --> 00:41:45,521 -One eighty one... -Point seven six. 718 00:41:45,620 --> 00:41:50,590 [narrator] Taking their season total to two thousand and nine ounces 719 00:41:50,689 --> 00:41:53,589 worth over three point six million dollars, 720 00:41:53,689 --> 00:41:57,929 but still short of their weekly target. 721 00:41:58,034 --> 00:42:04,484 To hit his goal, Tony now needs to run 24/7 with no delays. 722 00:42:12,931 --> 00:42:14,451 No. Then you have to swim in it. 723 00:42:28,206 --> 00:42:30,516 Well, guys, I don't know what the gold weigh is going to be, but, 724 00:42:30,620 --> 00:42:32,900 these guys were able to run a full day. 725 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:39,520 Fred Lewis's crew gathers for a gold haul they hope will turn the season around, 726 00:42:40,620 --> 00:42:42,930 Thanks to Freddie and Juan, they have clean water, 727 00:42:43,034 --> 00:42:47,624 a working wash plant and better pay. 728 00:42:47,724 --> 00:42:49,454 It's been a hard season for you guys already. 729 00:42:49,551 --> 00:42:51,381 I'm just hoping, with what we've done. 730 00:42:51,482 --> 00:42:53,032 You guys will be able to finish the season strong and run. 731 00:42:53,137 --> 00:42:55,307 At least get some gold. 732 00:42:55,413 --> 00:42:57,003 -Yeah, it was a good run. -A hell of a lot longer. 733 00:42:57,103 --> 00:42:59,383 Yeah, that's for sure. 734 00:42:59,482 --> 00:43:00,662 We're not looking to make bricks, but it will be nice 735 00:43:00,758 --> 00:43:02,448 to put a little something in the pockets. 736 00:43:02,551 --> 00:43:04,621 A little something for the effort, huh? 737 00:43:05,965 --> 00:43:07,515 Hoping it's a good way. 738 00:43:07,620 --> 00:43:08,830 Even if there's not a lot of gold, the only way you're going to get 739 00:43:08,931 --> 00:43:10,381 what is here is run, run, run. 740 00:43:10,482 --> 00:43:12,972 -Here we go. -Here we go. 741 00:43:13,068 --> 00:43:14,928 [narrator] So far, in four weeks, 742 00:43:15,034 --> 00:43:19,384 the liberation cut has only produced zero point six ounces. 743 00:43:22,413 --> 00:43:23,523 Now, let's see what you got. 744 00:43:26,896 --> 00:43:27,966 There's a quarter of an ounce. 745 00:43:28,068 --> 00:43:30,618 -There you go. Half ounce. -Half ounce. 746 00:43:31,551 --> 00:43:33,761 Nearly three quarters of an ounce. 747 00:43:33,862 --> 00:43:35,032 [all cheering] 748 00:43:35,137 --> 00:43:36,587 That's over half what you've done. 749 00:43:36,689 --> 00:43:38,339 Yeah, the entire season up until this point. 750 00:43:38,448 --> 00:43:40,478 -In one day. -In one day. 751 00:43:40,586 --> 00:43:43,276 Point seven four is really good, I think, 752 00:43:43,379 --> 00:43:44,239 compared to what we found the entire offseason. 753 00:43:44,344 --> 00:43:46,764 Dude, is this from one day? 754 00:43:46,862 --> 00:43:47,902 -Yeah. -Yeah. 755 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:49,790 [narrator] Thanks to Freddy and Juan. 756 00:43:49,896 --> 00:43:55,376 They've got more gold in just one day, than the whole of the last month. 757 00:43:55,482 --> 00:43:58,142 But their total is still less than two ounces. 758 00:43:58,241 --> 00:44:00,591 And this is a starting point, I think with the stuff they've done here, 759 00:44:00,689 --> 00:44:03,719 showing us so we could improve on our operation. 760 00:44:03,827 --> 00:44:05,447 Now you could run, run, run. 761 00:44:05,551 --> 00:44:07,381 And that's what you're gonna have to do. 762 00:44:07,482 --> 00:44:12,762 At this rate, they could get over thirty five ounces by the end of the season. 763 00:44:13,793 --> 00:44:15,343 We're turning a corner. 764 00:44:15,448 --> 00:44:17,968 I want to [bleep] tell more, but I'm ecstatic that we're improving. 765 00:44:18,068 --> 00:44:20,338 A little bit of hope in a lot of hard work goes a long way, boys. 766 00:44:20,448 --> 00:44:22,788 You're on your way, though for sure. 767 00:44:22,896 --> 00:44:24,756 [All] That's great. Let's go. 768 00:44:25,724 --> 00:44:26,624 [chatting] 769 00:44:27,862 --> 00:44:30,622 You're welcome. Lucky man. 770 00:44:30,724 --> 00:44:30,834 Thank you. 771 00:44:32,413 --> 00:44:35,723 Well, I don't know if there's going to be enough gold in the ground here, 772 00:44:35,827 --> 00:44:37,857 but at least they're running now and they'll find out. 773 00:44:37,965 --> 00:44:41,445 You know, I can't thank him and Juan enough for helping us so much. 774 00:44:41,551 --> 00:44:45,311 And now it's time to get some gold. 775 00:44:45,413 --> 00:44:47,523 I am stoked now to keep going with this season. 776 00:44:47,620 --> 00:44:49,860 Still not a ton of gold, Fred. But you know what? 777 00:44:49,965 --> 00:44:53,685 -It's a start. -It's a better and swift kick in the ass. 778 00:44:53,793 --> 00:44:55,143 [laughs] That's for sure. 779 00:44:55,241 --> 00:44:56,901 Well, at least they ran a full day. 780 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,520 They haven't done that before. 781 00:44:58,620 --> 00:45:00,720 No three quarters of an ounces is not that huge of a cleanup. 782 00:45:00,827 --> 00:45:02,587 But honestly, it's a start. 783 00:45:02,689 --> 00:45:05,239 Hopefully, with these repairs, we'll be able to keep on run and get more gold. 784 00:45:06,034 --> 00:45:07,214 Ready Juan? 785 00:45:07,310 --> 00:45:07,590 Yep. Let's go, buddy. 786 00:45:09,482 --> 00:45:11,242 Let's go to work, man. Go get some gold. 787 00:45:23,137 --> 00:45:28,307 [narrator] Parker's crew gathers to find out if the new Airstrip Cut will pay out 788 00:45:28,413 --> 00:45:32,213 and weigh the final gold from the Last Cut. 789 00:45:32,931 --> 00:45:34,171 That doesn't look too bad. 790 00:45:37,689 --> 00:45:43,519 Twenty, forty, sixty, hundred, hundred thirty, 791 00:45:45,310 --> 00:45:46,830 hundred thirty eight point six five. 792 00:45:46,931 --> 00:45:52,211 [narrator] Worth over two hundred sixty thousand dollars. 793 00:45:52,310 --> 00:45:53,450 Well, I guess having a down day for the bearing and then 794 00:45:53,551 --> 00:45:56,621 prepping up for the move. I guess it's okay. 795 00:45:57,413 --> 00:45:58,213 I mean say it's acceptable. 796 00:45:58,586 --> 00:46:00,616 Yeah, we'll take. 797 00:46:00,724 --> 00:46:02,624 -I'll take it. That's sure. -Better than nothing. 798 00:46:03,310 --> 00:46:05,380 Next up, the new Airstrip Cut. 799 00:46:05,482 --> 00:46:07,552 Yes, Lucifer has been running good. 800 00:46:07,655 --> 00:46:08,995 Hey, haven't really been any issues 801 00:46:09,103 --> 00:46:12,523 and was good potential in that ground. 802 00:46:12,620 --> 00:46:13,590 It's looking pretty good. You want to see? 803 00:46:13,689 --> 00:46:14,719 Yeah. Let's see it. 804 00:46:15,413 --> 00:46:17,243 -All set, Doumitt? -All shot. 805 00:46:17,344 --> 00:46:18,624 You see what the cleanup play? 806 00:46:19,827 --> 00:46:22,137 Ten. 807 00:46:22,241 --> 00:46:24,901 Twenty, forty, eighty, a hundred. 808 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:25,830 One hundred thirty. 809 00:46:26,620 --> 00:46:29,480 Hundred and forty four point two five. 810 00:46:30,793 --> 00:46:31,933 -That's not bad. -No. 811 00:46:32,034 --> 00:46:35,074 For first clean up. Historically bad. 812 00:46:35,172 --> 00:46:38,412 [narrator] Almost $275000 dollars 813 00:46:38,517 --> 00:46:41,587 from their first week in the new Airstrip Cut, 814 00:46:41,689 --> 00:46:45,689 taking their season total to 5450 ounces, 815 00:46:45,793 --> 00:46:50,723 worth almost $10 million. 816 00:46:50,827 --> 00:46:54,617 If the Airstrip cut stays like that, we could have a record year. 817 00:46:54,724 --> 00:46:56,794 Well, let's hope so, 'cause Big Red's gonna be coming down pretty shortly. 818 00:46:56,896 --> 00:46:59,406 Yeah. 819 00:46:59,517 --> 00:47:02,027 Yeah, once we get both plants, tandem like that, that'll be sweet. 820 00:47:02,137 --> 00:47:03,787 Yeah, and thank you guys 821 00:47:03,896 --> 00:47:06,376 for dealing with the amount of jumping around we're doing. 822 00:47:06,482 --> 00:47:07,932 I just I really appreciate it. 823 00:47:08,034 --> 00:47:09,454 No worries. 824 00:47:09,551 --> 00:47:10,451 And Shane, thanks for keeping this stuff rolling. 825 00:47:10,551 --> 00:47:12,071 -No worries. -Much appreciated. 826 00:47:12,172 --> 00:47:13,072 It's all good. 827 00:47:13,172 --> 00:47:15,862 Come on, Mich, over here, buddy. 828 00:47:15,965 --> 00:47:16,585 All right. Thanks, guys. 829 00:47:16,689 --> 00:47:18,449 See you guys later. 830 00:47:21,310 --> 00:47:23,240 Gold's good, and that's all that matters. 831 00:47:23,344 --> 00:47:26,104 And the best thing is both plant through nearest trip cut right across from each other, 832 00:47:26,206 --> 00:47:29,586 and it's pretty cool to plant side by side everybody there to help out when needed. 833 00:47:31,448 --> 00:47:33,718 On the nextGold Rush... 834 00:47:33,827 --> 00:47:35,617 During the plants down, it's never good man. 835 00:47:35,724 --> 00:47:39,214 Rick Ness battles to keep his wash plant running. 836 00:47:39,310 --> 00:47:41,210 Shut the pump off! Shut the pump off! 837 00:47:41,310 --> 00:47:44,140 Tony Beets is on the hunt for more land. 838 00:47:44,241 --> 00:47:48,101 The risk of getting the trees through your windows is they won't come through the cab. 839 00:47:48,206 --> 00:47:50,166 Now you got to have your eyes open. 840 00:47:50,275 --> 00:47:53,095 And Parker Schnabel doubles down on new ground 841 00:47:53,206 --> 00:47:56,686 Here we go. Yeah. 842 00:47:57,793 --> 00:47:59,103 So cut's gonna be underwater. 843 00:47:59,206 --> 00:48:00,546 Get out of the way.