Gold Rush: White Water

Dustin: ALL RIGHT. SO, WHAT'S THE DEAL?

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO JUST STAND BY.

WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING THE BUGS OUT OF THIS THING.

Narrator: DEEP IN A REMOTE ALASKAN CANYON,

"GOLD RUSH" VETERANS FRED HURT

AND HIS SON, DUSTIN --

THE DAKOTA BOYS -- ARE BACK...

LET'S DO IT. ...SEARCHING FOR GOLD.

BUT THIS TIME, THEIR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.

Dustin: JUST HOLD ON TO ME.

AAH!

WHOA!

PULL. PULL. PULL. PULL. PULL.

MAN, I LOVE YOU, MAN. COME ON. WHY YOU GOT TO HAVE A PROBLEM?

LOOK, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR NO MORE OF THAT DUSTIN.

Man: WE'RE THE ONLY REDNECKS CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO THIS

-OH! -DUSTIN!

Fred: WE'RE JUST KIND OF IN THAT ZONE

BETWEEN CRAZY AND INSANE.

IF YOU'RE SCARED OF DYING, NEVER GONNA LIVE.

OH, NO, NO, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!

OH

HE'S GOT NO AIR. FRED!

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

BOY, IS IT GOOD TO GET...AIR.

OH THE BRIDGE IS GONNA GO!

GET OUT! GET OUT!

THIS IS GOLD MINING TO THE EXTREME.

WHOO!

WE FOUND GOLD!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Dustin: WHOO!

ALL WE NEED IS ONE LITTLE POCKET OF GOLD.

THINK ABOUT IT -- ONE POCKET OF GOLD.

I WANT TO GET ENOUGH GOLD, IT'LL JUST MOUND UP LIKE THAT.

AH, THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT.

WE GOT EVERYTHING PRETTY WELL SET UP.

ALL WE GOT TO DO IS WALK INTO IT AND START MINING.

THIS IS A GENUINE TREASURE HUNT.

Narrator: FRED HURT HAS BEEN HUNTING FOR GOLD HERE

FOR ALMOST A DECADE,

FIRST DOWN THE VALLEY AT PORCUPINE CREEK,

WHERE HE MINED WITH TODD HOFFMAN.

HEY, GUYS, UH, THIS IS A NEW MEMBER OF OUR TEAM.

UH, WELCOME ABOARD.

WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY?

Narrator: THE NEXT YEAR...

OH! ...FRED TOOK OVER TODD'S MINE

AND BROUGHT IN HIS GREENHORN SON, DUSTIN.

-I'M DOING GOOD. -HUH?

HOLY

SO, THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.

Man: HE'S DEFINITELY GOT THE GOLD FEVER.

WE GOT HIM HOOKED.

WHOO! WE DIGGING NOW.

Narrator: FOR 3 YEARS, THEY MINED A MASSIVE PIT

USING CONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES...

THIS IS IT. THIS IS WHERE I'M GONNA GET MY NUGGET.

...AND TOOK HOME OVER 3/4 MILLION IN GOLD.

I THINK TONIGHT IS A THREE-BEER NIGHT.

GOOD JOB, FRED.

Narrator: THEN, WHEN THE PIT BECAME TOO DANGEROUS...

...FRED AND DUSTIN HEADED UPRIVER

TOWARDS THE SOURCE OF THE GOLD.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT McKINLEY CREEK.

THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF BIG-TIME PAYOFF.

THEY'VE SPENT THE LAST 2 YEARS

IN THE WILD PLUNGE POOLS OF McKINLEY CREEK,

SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE JACKPOT,

DIVING IN WHITE WATER WITH A SUCTION DREDGE.

NOW, THE DAKOTA BOYS RETURN

FOR A NEW SEASON AT McKINLEY CREEK...

THERE IT IS, FRED. HOT DAMN.

THAT IS THE CREEK, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

...ONE OF THE DEADLIEST GOLD MINING LOCATIONS IN THE WORLD.

Fred: WHEW! LOOK AT THAT WATER COMING OVER THAT FALLS.

IT'S KICKING BUTT.

YEAH. THAT'S A LOT OF SNOWMELT.

IT'S SUPER DANGEROUS, RIGHT NOW, DOWN THERE.

AND WE'RE GETTING IN IT. ARE WE CRAZY OR WHAT?

A POCKET OF GOLD ON THIS CREEK

COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM 1 TO 4 MILLION BUCKS.

I THINK THAT'S GONNA MAKE YOU A WEALTHY MAN.

AH, I CAN'T WAIT.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S DO IT.

5,000 FEET UP, HIGH IN THE CHILKAT MOUNTAINS,

A SERIES OF GLACIERS ERODED GOLD

FROM THE MOTHER LODE OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.

THEIR MELTWATER CARRIED IT DOWN THE RUGGED CREEKS,

CREATING DEPOSITS OF GOLD

WORTH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

THE LOWER STRETCHES OF THE CREEK ARE ALL BUT MINED OUT.

BUT UPSTREAM, ON DUSTIN'S CLAIMS,

THE RAGING WHITE WATER HAS KEPT OUT

EVEN THE TOUGHEST MINERS --

TILL THE DAKOTA BOYS BEGAN DIVING HERE.

I BELIEVE THAT ONE IS YOURS.

YEP.

HAVE A GOOD TRIP.

WHOO!

400 FEET OFF THE DECK.

WHOO! LOOK AT THAT VIEW.

NOW, THE HARD PART STARTS.

THE GRUELING JOURNEY TO THEIR MINE SITE

IS A WALK IN THE PARK

FOR THE 39-YEAR-OLD EXTREME SPORTS FANATIC.

Dustin: IT'S SO HARD TO MINE HERE.

BUT IF YOU'RE SCARED OF DYING, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA LIVE.

ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GO AHEAD.

Narrator: BUT FOR 72-YEAR-OLD FRED,

IT'S A LITTLE HARDER.

HANG ON, MAN. I GOT TO GET MYSELF DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

SOME PEOPLE CALL ME "BIG BOOT," 'CAUSE I GOT ONE LEG

THAT'S, UH, BENT, TWISTED, CROOKED.

I WORKED IN REFINERIES, CONSTRUCTION WORK.

NOTHING SLOWS ME DOWN.

HEY, I'VE BEEN MARRIED FOR 40 YEARS.

BUT IT TOOK ME THREE WOMEN TO DO IT.

REALLY SKETCHY SPOT.

JUST SO YOU KNOW, YOU CAN USE THE LADDER A LITTLE BIT,

BUT IT'S ALL BANGED UP.

Fred: GET OFF THAT ROPE. GET OUT OF THE WAY.

FRED LIKES TO THINK HE'S IN CHARGE.

HE'S GOT HIS WAY OF TALKING DOWN TO ME.

AND I DON'T THINK HE MEANS IT.

BUT WHEN HE DOES IT,

IT'S ENOUGH TO SET YOU OFF.

OH, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

Fred: JUST WOBBLED A LITTLE BIT. THAT'S ALL.

BUT HE'S MY DAD. I LOVE HIM.

SO, I GOT TO TAKE CARE OF HIM.

LET'S GO.

DON'T UNCLIP UNTIL YOU'RE GOOD AND SAFE UP THERE, FRED.

Dustin: NICE.

GOOD JOB, FRED.

-ALL RIGHT. -IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK OVER HERE.

-I'M TELLING YOU. -THIS IS WHERE WE BELONG.

Narrator: THIS TUNNEL WAS BLASTED OUT BY OLD-TIMERS

100 YEARS AGO.

THEY BUILT A FLUME TO DIVERT THE RAGING TORRENT,

THEN MINED THE DRIED-OUT PLUNGE POOL

AND REAPED OVER 4,000 OUNCES OF GOLD

WORTH OVER $5 MILLION TODAY.

OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS, FRED AND DUSTIN

HAVE BUILT THEIR OWN MINE SITE TO FIND GOLD

IN THE PLUNGE POOLS JUST ABOVE THE FALLS.

Dustin: WE JUST GOT TO TURN THE KEYS AND JUST START DREDGING.

-HOLD UP. -HOLY

UGH!

Fred: OH, MAN.

THE WATER MUST HAVE COME UP 8 FEET.

IT'S ALL GONE, MAN -- EVERYTHING.

THERE AIN'T A THING LEFT. NOTHING.

ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT, EVERYTHING THAT WAS OUT HERE,

JUST WASHED AWAY.

DREDGE, ALL OF OUR AIR LINES.

THAT WATER JUST PUNCHED THROUGH THERE.

IT JUST WENT STRAIGHT OUT OF THERE.

HOLY

I THINK WE HANDED IT THE THING.

AND, UH, AND MOTHER NATURE JUST WENT ON A RAMPAGE.

WITHOUT THIS GEAR, WE GOT NO SEASON.

Dustin: DREDGE, AIR COMPRESSORS,

GENERATORS THAT -- JUST SUPER EXPENSIVE.

WELL, I JUST ABOUT PUT JUST ABOUT ALL THE CASH

THAT I COULD EVEN THINK OF PUTTING INTO THIS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL WE GONNA DO.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

I MEAN, WE DON'T QUIT.

MAYBE WE CAN GET AN INVESTOR THAT WOULD, UH,

COME ON BOARD WITH US.

WELL, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO ANY OF THAT STUFF.

I CAN DIG A HOLE.

BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONVINCE SOMEBODY TO GIVE ME MONEY.

I'M GONNA SEE WHAT I CAN DO.

Narrator: TO SALVAGE HIS MINING SEASON,

FRED RESORTS TO DESPERATE MEASURES.

WE'RE RIGHT ON THE VERGE OF SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY BIG.

SO, I'M JUST GONNA HAVE TO BITE THE BULLET

AND HAVE TO ASK FOR A LOAN

FROM THE LAST MAN I WANTED TO BORROW MONEY FROM.

GOT QUITE AN OPERATION GOING HERE.

WOW.

I IMAGINE IT'S GONNA BE

A LITTLE BIT OF A SURPRISE FOR HIM.

THERE HE IS, RIGHT THERE.

HEY, UH -- HEY, TODD. OVER HERE.

Todd: LOGAN, WHO IS THAT? IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?

Narrator: UP AHEAD, THE DAKOTA BOYS REFUSE TO GIVE UP.

Dustin: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING.

FRED!

THIS IS WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.

Fred: YEAH!

Narrator: TO RAISE THE MONEY HE NEEDS TO SAVE HIS MINING SEASON,

FRED HURT HAS COME TO OLD RIVAL

TOFF HOFFMAN.

Fred: TODD HOFFMAN.

Todd: FRED HURT.

I THINK I GOT A LITTLE PROPOSAL

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