Gold Rush

Narrator: SEVEN DOWN-ON-THEIR-LUCK MINERS

HAVE VENTURED TO THE EDGE OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

TO FIND GOLD IN THE FROZEN NORTH.

LET'S TEAM UP AGAIN AND REALLY HIT IT HARD, 100%.

IN TOUGH TIMES,

THEY ARE RISKING EVERYTHING ON AN UNKNOWN CLAIM.

WHAT'S TO SAY THAT THIS MINE IS GONNA PAY?

THEY'VE DRILLED TEST HOLES AND ARE ON THE GOLD.

WE'LL DO A LOT BETTER THAN WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR.

Narrator: NOW THE HOFFMAN CREW FINALLY GETS DOWN TO PAY DIRT.

Turin: FINALLY, WE'RE THERE.

WHOO-HOO!

BUT GETTING THE GOLD OUT OF THE FROZEN GROUND

IS PUSHING MACHINES...

A LOT OF THEM ARE PLUGGED.

Narrator: ...AND MEN TO THEIR BREAKING POINT.

YOU GUYS CAN GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW.

THIS AIN'T A LOVE STORY. IT'S A FRICKING GOLD MINE.

Narrator: DOWN AT PORCUPINE CREEK,

RIVAL MINER "DAKOTA" FRED

FIGHTS TO KEEP HIS HEAD ABOVE WATER.

OH, LORD. IT'S BAD.

Narrator: AND AT BIG NUGGET MINE,

16-YEAR-OLD PARKER SCHNABEL MUST MOVE MOUNTAINS...

WE'RE GONNA DO IT. WE'RE GONNA DO IT!

Narrator: ...TO STAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION.

THIS IS THE AMERICAN DREAM. THIS IS WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: AT THE QUARTZ CREEK GOLD CLAIM

UP IN THE KLONDIKE...

THE HOFFMAN CREW FINALLY HAS A BREAKTHROUGH.

IT IS THEIR SECOND SEASON MINING,

AND THIS ONE IS MAKE-OR-BREAK.

Turin: TELL YOU WHAT --

I'M JUST GETTING SICK OF THIS BLACK MUD.

I'M HAVING A GOOD DAY BECAUSE I'M SEEING THE LAST OF IT

GET OUT OF OUR PIT RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: 60 DAYS INTO THE SHORT 150-DAY GOLD-MINING SEASON,

THEY ARE FINALLY HITTING PAY DIRT.

YEAH, I'M EXCITED.

WELL, I SEE WHITE QUARTZ.

THIS SHOULD BE WHERE THE GOLD IS.

WHOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!

GOOD NEWS, YOU GUYS.

WE HIT GRAVEL. LET'S GET A --

OUTSTANDING. OUTSTANDING.

FINALLY, WE'RE THERE.

WELCOME TO THE KLONDIKE.

Narrator: SINCE THEY ARRIVED,

THE HOFFMAN CREW

HAS BATTLED THE BRUTAL LANDSCAPE...

HOLY COW.

Narrator: ...RIPPING THROUGH 8 FEET OF FROZEN EARTH...

THAT IS A BIG FREAKING CHUNK OF ICE.

Narrator: ...FIGHTING BACK A SEA OF MUD

TO GET DOWN TO GOLD-BEARING GRAVEL.

NOW IT'S FINALLY TIME TO GET TO THE GOLD.

I WANT A HUGE PILE OF PAY DIRT HERE,

SO DAVE'S BRINGING IT OUT.

SO, THIS IS THE FIRST BUCKET

OF GOLD-BEARING GRAVEL RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS IT? HERE WE GO.

ONE STEP CLOSER.

SO, WE'LL REACH OVER AND GRAB IT. BOOM.

PROCESS IT.

Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME

SINCE THEIR FAILED ROOKIE MINING SEASON,

THE HOFFMAN CREW IS READY TO RUN PAY DIRT THROUGH THE WASH PLANT.

BUT THEY'VE NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO TEST THEIR COMPLEX MACHINE.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, BUT THEY'RE ALL GONNA WORK.

IT'S GONNA WORK GOOD.

THERE ARE TWO MAIN COMPONENTS --

A SHAKER AND HYDRAULIC RIFFLES.

FIRST, THE PAY DIRT DROPS INTO THE SHAKER.

THE DIRT AND ROCKS IMMEDIATELY GET WASHED.

ANYTHING OVER TWO INCHES IS DISCARDED.

GOLD-BEARING MATERIAL

IS WASHED DOWN INTO THE HYDRAULIC RIFFLES.

HERE, 1,500 GALLONS OF WATER A MINUTE

ARE PUMPED THROUGH 2,400 TINY NOZZLES

ONTO A SERIES OF METAL RIDGES.

BECAUSE GOLD IS 19 TIMES HEAVIER THAN WATER,

IT FINALLY SETTLES IN THE RIDGES

WHILE THE REMAINING DIRT IS FLUSHED OUT

OF THE WASH PLANT.

THE RIFFLE SLUICES ARE A FINELY TUNED SYSTEM.

GETTING GOLD -- AND A LOT OF IT --

DEPENDS ON THE HOFFMANS GETTING THEM JUST RIGHT.

Todd: THIS AN OLD SHAKER.

YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW UNTIL YOU GET INTO IT

AND START RUNNING IT HOW MANY ISSUES YOU REALLY HAVE.

PRETTY CLOSE TO GETTING THIS THING GOING HERE.

ARE YOU READY?

JACK, CAN YOU TURN THE SHAKER ON?

LET'S TRY EVERYTHING.

FIRST TIME WE'VE HAD EVERYTHING RUNNING.

IT'S JUST PURRING.

WE'RE READY TO GO.

Narrator: FINALLY IT'S TIME

TO PUT THE HYDRAULIC RIFFLES TO THE TEST.

CHRIS! HOO!

LOOK AT THE HOLE. LOOK UP.

LOOK AT THESE HYDRAULIC RIFFLES.

LOT OF THEM ARE PLUGGED.

Man: YEP. RIGHT HERE, UNDERNEATH.

HARDLY ANY OF THEM ARE OPEN.

THE CREW QUICKLY DETERMINES

THAT THE WATER THEY'RE PUMPING IN FROM THEIR FEED POND

IS FULL OF DIRT,

AND IT'S CLOGGING UP THE NOZZLES.

THE ROOTS GOT IN THERE AND FILLED UP THE TUBE WITH ROOTS,

SO THIS WILL BE AN ONGOING ISSUE UNTIL IT'S ALL GONE.

I MEAN, DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO PLUG AN 1/8-INCH HOLE.

YOU KNOW, I'M AFRAID THEY'VE GOT SO MUCH CRAP IN THEM,

THEY'RE GONNA KEEP PLUGGING UP.

YOU'D HAVE TO DO THIS ALL DAY LONG.

Turin: TODD, YOU SEEN ENOUGH?

THE REAL PROBLEM WITH THOSE HYDRAULIC RIFFLES --

THEY'VE GOT SUCH SMALL HOLES THAT THEY KEEP PLUGGING UP.

SO WE GOT TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD FILTER SYSTEM

IN ORDER TO MAKE THOSE WORK.

I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT.

Narrator: WITHOUT FIRST FILTERING THE WATER

FROM THEIR HOLDING POND,

THE HOFFMAN CREW WON'T BE ABLE TO RUN DIRT.

WELL, WE BASICALLY NEED A FILTER ON THE FRONT END, JAMES.

I MEAN, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO

FRICKING EITHER MAKE THIS FROM SCRATCH --

I DON'T EVEN KNOW.

THE CREW IS NOW 61 DAYS BEHIND,

AND THEIR MINING SEASON IS SLOWLY SLIPPING AWAY.

THE ONLY THING BETWEEN THEM AND THE GOLD NOW

IS A BASIC WATER FILTER.

WELL, I'LL TRY TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.

JAMES HAS GOT TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE --

ONE MORE THING.

SURE HE CAN COME THROUGH AND TRY TO SAVE OUR BACON.

Narrator: THEIR FATE RESTS IN THE HANDS

OF MECHANIC JAMES HARNESS.

600 MILES TO THE SOUTH

AT THE HOFFMANS' OLD CLAIM IN PORCUPINE CREEK...

...MINING HAS GROUND TO A HALT.

FRED HAS LEFT THE CLAIM,

LEAVING SON DUSTIN WITH A LIST OF CHORES.

Dustin: HE SAID, "FIND GOLD."

HE WROTE, "FIND GOLD," ON HERE.

WHAT IN THE HELL'S THAT?

Narrator: IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS,

DAKOTA FRED'S HAD ONE SETBACK AFTER ANOTHER.

FIRST, HIS 270 EXCAVATOR BROKE DOWN.

Dustin: NOTHING.

WE ARE OUT OF OPERATION.

Narrator: AND THEN DISASTER STRUCK

IN HIS HOMETOWN OF MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA.

Fred: OUR HOUSE IS GONNA GO UNDERWATER.

Narrator: FRED WAS FORCED TO ABANDON HIS DREAMS OF GOLD

TO HEAD HOME AND ASSESS THE DAMAGE.

YOU JUST WONDER HOW MUCH A GUY CAN TAKE.

Narrator: MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA,

HAS SEEN ITS WORST FLOODING IN 40 YEARS.

OVER 4,000 HOMES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.

I GUESS WE'LL SEE WHAT WE'RE GONNA SEE.

Narrator: FRED IS ABOUT TO FIND OUT

IF HIS IS ONE OF THEM.

Fred: WOW. LOOK AT THE LITTLE CABIN.

HO. GOT UP AND FLOATED AWAY.

USED TO BE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.

WOW. LOOK AT THE WATER COMING OVER THE ROAD!

THIS WATER WAS 5 FEET HIGHER THAN IT IS RIGHT NOW.

MAN.

THIS IS ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS' LOADERS HERE,

AND IT WENT UNDERWATER.

THERE'S MY LITTLE HOUSE.

HOLY COW. LOOK AT THE WATER.

WOW. WHAT A MESS. WHAT A MESS.

OH, LORD. IT'S BAD.

OH, LORD.

THAT'S GONNA BE TOUGH.

Narrator: COMING UP...

SO, JUST KEEP HER OUT OF IT.

DUDE, IT'S NOT JUST ME.

Narrator: A NEW LOVE DERAILS HARNESS

WHEN TODD NEEDS HIM MOST.

I'M LIKE A FAT BATMAN,

AND HE'S LIKE A BROKEN-DOWN ROBIN.

Narrator: FOR DAKOTA FRED, THE BAD NEWS KEEPS COMING.

Fred: THE HOUSE IS DESTROYED.

Narrator: AND AS PARKER SCHNABEL PUSHES FOR MORE GOLD...

WHOO!

Narrator: ...HIS INEXPERIENCE STARTS TO SHOW.

ME!

Narrator: AT THE BIG NUGGET MINE IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA,

16-YEAR-OLD PARKER SCHNABEL

ALREADY HAS OVER 10 OUNCES OF GOLD WORTH $16,000

THIS SEASON.

BUT HE HAS RUN OUT OF PAY DIRT.

LET'S GO FOR AN ADVENTURE.

Narrator: HE'S ON THE HUNT FOR VIRGIN GROUND --

GROUND THAT HE HOPES HAS NEVER SEEN A SHOVEL.

FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS,