Gold Rush

Narrator: IT'S THE HOFFMAN CREW'S SECOND SEASON MINING FOR GOLD.

WE'RE READY TO GO.

Narrator: AGAIN, THEY ARE RISKING IT ALL

TO STRIKE IT RICH IN THE FROZEN NORTH.

IF WE DON'T GET GOLD THIS TIME, WE'RE IN TROUBLE.

Narrator: TO GET TO THE GOLD THIS SEASON,

THEY HAVE TO MINE THE KLONDIKE WAY.

THEY'RE BATTLING A SEA OF BLACK MUCK...

OH!

...TO FIND OUT IF THERE IS ANY GOLD ON THEIR NEW CLAIM.

I'M FRICKIN' NERVOUS.

DOWN SOUTH AT PORCUPINE CREEK...

HOLY COW.

..."DAKOTA" FRED IS HIT WITH DEVASTATING NEWS.

OUR HOUSE IS GONNA GO UNDERWATER.

Narrator: AND 16-YEAR-OLD PARKER SCHNABEL

DESPERATELY SEEKS A NEW SOURCE OF GOLD.

OOH, WHAT'S THAT?

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: AT QUARTZ CREEK IN THE KLONDIKE...

IT'S 45 DAYS INTO THE 150-DAY MINING SEASON.

Todd: LOOKS LIKE A BIG PILE OF MUD,

BUT I CAN SEE A PLAN STARTING TO FORM, AND...

I DON'T KNOW. WE'LL FIND OUT.

Narrator: DAVE TURIN PUSHES ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF BLACK SLUDGE

OFF OF THE HOFFMAN DIG SITE WITH THE D8 DOZER.

Turin: WE GOT TO DO WHAT WE GOT TO DO.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO.

IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN GET IT OUT OF HERE.

Narrator: IF DAVE CAN REMOVE 8 FEET OF THIS MUCK,

HE SHOULD GET TO THE GRAVEL LAYER

THAT THEY HOPE HOLDS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS' WORTH OF GOLD.

Turin: YEAH, IT'S WORKING PRETTY GOOD.

I MEAN, I'M GETTING THE JOB DONE.

Narrator: THE HOFFMAN CREW ALREADY WASTED $5,000

STRIPPING AN AREA ON THE CLAIM

THEY LATER FOUND OUT HAD BEEN MINED 60 YEARS AGO.

IT'S JUST FRUSTRATING.

Narrator: NOW, ON NEW GROUND,

THEY HAVE WON THE FIGHT AGAINST CENTURIES-OLD PERMAFROST.

WHOA! THERE WE GO!

THEY RIPPED IT UP...

THAT IS A BIG CHUNK OF ICE.

...SO THAT IT CAN MELT IN THE SUMMER SUN.

BUT THIS NEW GROUND IS UNTESTED,

THE HOFFMAN CREW HAS NO IDEA IF THERE IS GOLD HERE,

AND IT'S DANGEROUS WORK.

Turin: THE SOIL IN THE YUKON -- I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

YOU SEE THAT SINKHOLE?

OH

WHOA!

THIS IS NOT GOOD.

EASY.

EASY.

WHOA!

Narrator: THE BLACK MUCK JUST ABOVE THE PAY GRAVEL

MELTS UNEVENLY,

CREATING HOLES ACROSS THE DIG SITE.

THE D8, THE ONLY MACHINE THEY'VE GOT TO GET DOWN TO THE GOLD,

IS SINKING IN AN 8-FOOT DITCH.

GREG REMSBURG GETS DAVE'S S.O.S. CALL.

Might -- Might need some help.

Remsburg: DAVE'S STUCK, AND I GOT TO GO PULL HIM OUT!

Let's go. Come on, let's go!

Right there. Whoa, whoa.

Right there.

Pull back, pull back, pull back, pull back.

Whoa!

AH!

I'M GONNA GO BACK A LITTLE MORE.

Yeah, right there. Go ahead.

WHAT A DAY!

Narrator: ON A DIG SITE 100 YARDS BY 50,

THERE MAY BE 15,000 TONS OF MUCK TO MOVE

BEFORE THEY HIT PAY GRAVEL.

THIS IS TERRIBLE TO PUSH WITH. IT'S TOO SOFT.

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN?

YEAH, I'M WITH YOU.

BUT HOW ARE WE GONNA DEAL WITH THIS MESS?

Narrator: 1/3 OF THE WAY INTO THE SEASON, EVERY DAY IS PRICELESS.

BEFORE THE CREW SPENDS MORE TIME

RISKING THEIR LIVES CLEARING THE MUCK,

THEY WANT PROOF THAT THE GOLD IS THERE.

BREAKING THE RULES. YEAH, IT'S DANGEROUS.

IT'S RIDICULOUS.

SHOW ME SOMETHING THAT'S TANGIBLE, THAT'S EVIDENCE.

YOU KNOW, GIVE ME SOMETHING.

Todd: WE'LL GET ON THE SAME PAGE, OKAY?

WE'RE NOT GONNA MOVE AHEAD UNLESS EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE.

WELL, HE BETTER HAVE SOMETHING.

I BELIEVE THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO STRIP THAT AND RUN THAT.

BASED ON WHAT?

I'M WITH GREG. I DON'T GO OFF OF FEELINGS.

I'M SORRY, JACK, BUT SHOW ME SOMETHING, MAN.

YOU CAN'T JUST SAY, "LET'S GO ON A FEELING."

Narrator: LAST SEASON IN PORCUPINE CREEK,

JACK WAS CONVINCED THAT AT THE BOTTOM OF HIS PRIZED GLORY HOLE,

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN GOLD WAS SITTING ON BEDROCK.

WE KNOW IT'S THERE. ALL WE GOT TO DO IS GET IT.

Narrator: THE CREW SPENT ALL SUMMER AND $250,000 ON JACK'S HUNCH,

BUT THEY PULLED ONLY $20,000 WORTH OF GOLD

OUT OF THE GLORY HOLE.

LAST YEAR, WE SPENT THE WHOLE SUMMER

DIGGING ON A HOLE BASED ON A FEELING,

A GUT FEELING.

AND THEN WE START STRIPPING HERE ON A FEELING.

I AGREE WITH THESE GUYS.

BEFORE WE START MOVING, BEFORE WE GO DOING SOMETHING ELSE,

I'D LIKE -- I'D LIKE TO SEE THE GOLD

BEFORE I START GOING AFTER IT.

WELL, HERE'S THE DEAL, DAD.

IF THESE GUYS AREN'T ON BOARD,

I MEAN, WE GOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

LET'S GO.

Remsburg: I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE WILLY-NILLY GOLD MINERS AGAIN THIS YEAR.

WE DID THAT LAST YEAR AND LOST OUR ASS.

I NEED TO SEE SOMETHING. I NEED TO FEEL IT.

IT HAS TO BE TANGIBLE,

HAS TO BE SOMETHING I CAN SEE, FEEL, AND TOUCH.

IT TOOK US A WHOLE SEASON LAST YEAR

UNTIL WE FINALLY GOT INTO STUFF,

AND THEN WE HAD IT TAKEN AWAY FROM US,

AND I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN.

WE GOT AN ISSUE. I GOT TO TAKE CARE OF IT.

I GOT TO GO SOUTH AND TAKE CARE OF IT.

Narrator: THE HOFFMAN CREW HAS LAID DOWN THE LAW.

THEY ARE NOT GOING TO RISK THEIR LIVES

UNTIL THEY ARE SURE THERE IS GOLD UNDER THE 8 FEET OF MUCK.

TO GET THE PROOF HE NEEDS, TODD NEEDS HELP.

HE HEADS TO SEE A KLONDIKE MINER

WHO'S WORKED THE BLACK MUCK FOR 20 YEARS.

Todd: I NEED HIM.

WE'LL JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS HERE.

JUST... THIS OUGHT TO BE GOOD.

Narrator: 600 MILES SOUTH AT PORCUPINE CREEK...

DAKOTA FRED PLANS TO RUN DIRT ON AN UNTESTED MACHINE

HIS SON, DUSTIN, HAS NICKNAMED "THE BEAST."

THE BEAST IS PRETTY POWERFUL.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

SO WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT IF IT WORKS.

Fred: FIRE IT UP!

Narrator: EVER SINCE DAKOTA FRED REMOVED THE HOFFMANS' OLD WASH PLANT...

GET THAT THING OUT OF HERE!

...THE DAKOTA BOYS HAVE BEEN DIALING IN THEIR NEW DEROCKER.

IT'S HERE NOW, AND WE'RE GONNA PUT IT INTO ACTION.

Narrator: THEY'RE BANKING ON THE DEROCKER

TO EXTRACT THE GOLD FROM PORCUPINE CREEK DIRT.

I NEED TO SEE SOME GOLD, KEEP MY BILLS RUNNING.

Narrator: AFTER 40 DAYS, FRED AND HIS SON, DUSTIN,

ARE FINALLY READY TO RUN DIRT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

BRANDING THE BEAST. THIS IS OUR DAKOTA BOYS MARK.

AND FIRE WATER PUMP UP.

Dustin: I THINK IT'S GONNA WORK JUST PERFECT, FRED.

YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK?

Fred: I THINK I'M READY TO RUN DIRT RIGHT NOW.

I'M GONNA JUST THROW SOME IN THERE

JUST TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, SEE HOW IT ACTS,

SEE IF IT'S DOING WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO.

Narrator: FRED LOADS HIS FIRST BUCKET OF DIRT OF THE SEASON.

THE DEROCKER IS DESIGNED TO WASH GOLD-RICH DIRT FROM BOULDERS.

THE MATERIAL FLOWS ALONG THE WAVY DECK

WHILE JETS WASH THE ROCKS.

ANY GOLD FALLS INTO THE SLUICE BOXES BELOW.

BUT FRED HAS NEVER RUN DIRT

THROUGH A MACHINE LIKE THIS BEFORE.

THE DAKOTA BOYS HAVE NO IDEA IF THE DEROCKER

CAN HANDLE THE LARGE PORCUPINE CREEK BOULDERS.

BETTER GET BACK.

HEY, DUST! ANOTHER BIG ONE COMING THROUGH -- A BIG ONE!

I THINK IT'S GONNA FILL UP AND THEN JUST...

START FALLING OFF, I HOPE.

* DA DA DA *

Narrator: AFTER A TENSE MOMENT,

THE DAKOTA BOYS' NEW DEROCKER IS WORKING PERFECTLY.

THIS IS AWESOME. THIS IS...

IS A GREAT SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT RIGHT NOW.

IT REALLY FEELS GOOD -- EXHILARATING.

I FEEL CHARGED RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: UP AHEAD...

TODD SEEKS HELP FROM A KLONDIKE LEGEND

TO LOCATE THE GOLD AT QUARTZ CREEK.

DUDE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING.

PARKER SCHNABEL WAGES WAR... COME ON!

...AGAINST CENTURY-OLD MINING EQUIPMENT.

LOOK AT THAT BEAST!

Narrator: AND DAKOTA FRED AND HIS SON, DUSTIN...

START.

...HIT ONE BRICK WALL AFTER ANOTHER.

I'VE JUST NEVER SEEN SO MANY THINGS GO WRONG.

Narrator: IN THE KLONDIKE,

TODD HOFFMAN IS ON THE HUNT FOR INFORMATION.

TO CRUSH A CREW REBELLION AT QUARTZ CREEK,

HE HAS TO PROVE THAT UNDER 8 FEET OF THICK MUCK...

THERE'S GOLD.

THERE'S AN OFFICE RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: TODD'S BROUGHT DAVE

TO MEET NEIGHBORING MINER DUTCHMAN TONY BEETS.

HEY, MY NAME'S TODD. YEAH, I FIGURED THAT ONE.

YEAH.

TONY BEETS. TONY.