Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: IN THE ALASKAN SUBARCTIC WINTER,

BRUTAL COLD IS UNRELENTING.

BUT FOR THE GOLD-MINING FLEET...

GOTTA HAVE FIRE.

WISH WE WERE LOOKIN' AT NUGGETS RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: THE HEAT IS RISING.

THE D.N.R. SAYS EVERYBODY'S GOTTA BE OFF THE ICE APRIL 15th.

THE CLOCK'S TICKIN'.

IT JUST CRUNCHED THE WHOLE SEASON DOWN

INTO THIS LITTLE COMPACT TIME,

AND YOU GOTTA BUST YOUR ASS TO GET WHAT YOU NEED TO GET DONE

IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

Narrator: 100 MILES FROM NOME,

SHAWN POMRENKE AND CREW ARE ROUGHING IT

IN SEARCH OF THE NEXT GREAT HOT SPOT.

ANYTIME THE MINING'S BEEN THIS HARD AND THIS DIFFICULT,

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN WORTH IT.

THIS IS GONNA BE WHERE WE ALL GET ENOUGH GOLD TO RETIRE.

Narrator: BACK IN TOWN, AT THE CLARK...

Emily: WE HAVE LIKE 2 1/2 WEEKS LEFT,

BUT WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT WORK AS BEST AS WE CAN.

Narrator: FOR EMILY RIEDEL AND ZEKE TENHOFF,

GREENHORN SCHOOL IS IN SESSION.

IF HE HAS A ROCK JAM,

THE SLUICE BOX FLOW WILL DECREASE.

THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED,

AND WE FOUND OURSELVES ON SOME PRETTY GOOD GOLD.

AND WE GOTTA GO DOWN THERE AND JUST MOVE MATERIAL.

DON'T COME BACK WITHOUT SOME GOLD.

Narrator: AT THE PADDY WAGON,

ROOKIE DREDGE OWNER KRIS KELLY AND HIS LITTLE BROTHER...

OH.

ARE FINALLY OUT FROM DAD'S DARK SHADOW.

NOW, I HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT MYSELF.

IT'S ALL ON ME.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE LAST 10 SECONDS OF THE GAME,

I WANT THE BALL.

THAT'S ALL I GOTTA SAY.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: OFF THE COAST OF NOME,

ON CLAIM 14...

HEY, EZEKIEL, WHAT'S THE, UH, GROUND LOOK LIKE DOWN THERE?

YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK THAT THESE SANDY AREAS

MIGHT BE PLACES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DREDGED

BECAUSE THERE'S SO LITTLE OVERBURDEN ON THEM.

Narrator: WITH THE FIRST WEEK OF DREDGING IN THE BOOKS,

THE UNLIKELY ALLIANCE OF ZEKE AND EMILY IS

STILL HOLDING STRONG.

WE FOUND GOLD ON VERY TINY AMOUNTS OF OVERBURDEN

ON THE SLUICE BEFORE.

SOUNDS GOOD.

RIGHT NOW, IT'S PRACTICAL FOR ZEKE AND I TO WORK TOGETHER

IN A BUSINESS CAPACITY.

WE KNOW WE'RE ON GOOD GOLD. WE GOT 2.8 OUNCES IN, LIKE,

BASICALLY ESSENTIALLY 8 OR 9 HOURS.

Narrator: SO FAR THIS SEASON...

ZEKE'S EQUIPMENT AND SKILLS...

YEAH, THAT COORDINATE'S GOOD. YES.

Narrator: ...ALONG WITH EMILY'S GPS HOT SPOTS AND GREENHORNS...

Zeke: 2.8 OUNCES.

Narrator: ...HAVE BROUGHT IN A COOL 3,300 BUCKS.

OKAY, YEAH, I'M STARTING TO SEE SOME

QUITE DECENT GOLD DOWN HERE.

Narrator: NOW...

DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE HAVE A GOOD SPOT FOR SHELBY AND JEN

TO START DIVIN'?

Narrator: TO CASH IN ON THE SHORT SEASON,

THE PAIR MUST KEEP THE GREENHORNS ON GOLD...

10-4.

Narrator: EVERY SINGLE SHIFT.

SO BEAUTIFULLY EASY.

OKAY. HERE WE GO. DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT.

BUT -- BUT IT'S REALLY NOT AND I'M COLD.

EVEN IF IT'S FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME,

WE COULD MAKE SOME DECENT MONEY

IF WE ALL GET OUR HEADS IN THE SAME GAME

AND WE HIT IT HARD AND WE GRIND.

HOW I'M DOIN' THAT IS LAYIN' DOWN GLOW STICKS

ON THE TRAJECTORY THAT I KNOW THE GOLD TO BE GOING.

WE'RE GONNA SEND IN SHELBY NEXT.

AND THEN, WE'RE GONNA SEND JEN IN.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALL THE LADIES SPLASHIN' AROUND UP IN THERE.

ZEKE IS A PROSPECTOR.

HE EXPLORES, AND HE LOOKS,

AND HE LEARNS HOW TO READ THE BOTTOM.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ZEKE KNOWS REALLY WELL

HOW TO FOLLOW GOLD AND HOW MUCH THERE IS IN THAT AREA.

GO STRAIGHT DOWN.

AND THEN YOU GET OVER HERE, AND THAT'S END OF THE HOSE.

BOOM. RIGHT THERE. LITTLE HANDLE.

AND THEN, ALONG HERE, I DUG THROUGH THE OVERBURDEN

AND EXPOSED THE PAY LAYER.

AND THEN, I PUT A GLOW STICK, LIKE, EVERY 3 OR 4 FEET.

AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE.

GLOW STICK, GLOW STICK, GLOW STICK.

IN THE -- IN THE CENTER OF A LITTLE CIRCLE,

THERE WERE SOME FLAKES OF GOLD.

AND THEN, I STACKED LITTLE WHITE ROCKS LIKE A LITTLE CAMPFIRE.

THIS ALL NEEDS TO BE DREDGED. ALL OF THAT LOOKS GOOD.

IT SHOULD BE PRETTY APPARENT TO YOU.

Narrator: HEADING DOWN FOR HER SECOND DIVE UNDER THE ICE...

SO GO GET MASKED UP.

Narrator: CERTIFIED DIVE MASTER SHELBY JOHNSON.

THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS DEFINITELY LET ME FULFILL A DREAM.

IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT I KNEW WAS GONNA BE A CAKEWALK.

BUT, UH, I GREW UP WITH BROTHERS,

AND BROTHERS ALWAYS WERE TELLIN' ME THAT I COULDN'T DO THINGS.

I ALWAYS HAD SOMETHIN' TO PROVE.

Zeke: ALL RIGHT. HOW DOES THAT FEEL WATER-WISE?

IT FEELS FANTASTIC, ZEKE, THANK YOU.

OKAY. IT LOOKS PRETTY DOWN HERE.

DEFINITELY LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN THE LAST PLACE.

OKAY. I SEE THE GLOW STICKS.

'KAY.

AW, ZEKE, THIS IS SO CUTE.

YOU'RE SO SWEET.

YOU SEE THOSE LITTLE PIECES OF GOLD THERE IN THE LITTLE CIRCLE?

YEAH, I DO.

SHELBY, SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOIN' FOR.

SO THERE'S, LIKE, A WHOLE BUNCH OF THOSE LITTLE PIECES,

AND THEY'RE UNDER THE ROCKS THAT ARE IN FRONT AND, LIKE,

ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THAT'S SO GREAT.

ISN'T IT SO PRETTY? IT'S SO PRETTY.

IT'S SO PRETTY!

I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. I'M MOTIVATED.

GOT SOME GOOD SUCTION.

Narrator: WHILE SHELBY FOLLOWS THE TRAIL,

100 MILES TO THE EAST, AT THE BLUFF...

...MR. GOLD.

BOY, THAT'S A PRETTY VAST AREA RIGHT HERE. THAT...

THERE'S A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER.

Narrator: SHAWN POMRENKE IS BLAZING A NEW ONE.

CLAIMS GO FROM HERE TO HERE,

SO WE JUST GOTTA CHECK OUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF HERE.

Narrator: THIS WINTER, SHAWN'S INVESTED NEARLY 30 GRAND

ON AN EXPEDITION TO FIND GOLD DEEP IN THE WILD.

PROSPECTING DOWN AT THE BLUFF THIS WINTER,

IT'S A WHOLE NEW AREA.

IT'S NOT LIKE THE TOMCOT,

WHERE I'VE BEEN ON THERE 15 YEARS AND KNOW --

KNOW THE BOTTOM LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND.

I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

Narrator: FOUR DAYS AGO...

THIS MIGHT BE THE -- MIGHT BE THE SPOT.

Narrator: ON THE FIRST DIVE HOLD OF THE SEASON...

THERE'S GOLD IN THE AREA.

Narrator: THE MISSION GOT ITS FIRST TASTE OF SUCCESS.

AND HERE'S ONE OF THOSE OTHER BEACHLINES.

FIND SOME GOLD THERE.

Narrator: RISKING THE FAMILY NAME AND THE FAMILY BUSINESS,

SHAWN AND HIS CREW ARE LOOKING TO STEP IT UP.

I MEAN, IT'S A BIG RISK AND SPENDIN' A LOTTA MONEY DOIN' IT,

BUT HOPEFULLY, IT PAYS OFF BIG.

I THINK I COULD CONQUER THE BLUFF

JUST BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE JOE.

WELL, WE SHOULD GET EVERYTHING TOPPED OFF, FUELED UP.

Narrator: BUT JUST OVER ONE WEEK INTO THE TRIP...

HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOIN' ON FUEL?

WE'RE GETTIN' PRETTY LOW ON THE TRACK TRUCK.

I GOT A LITTLE.

I GOT A QUARTER TANK IN MY SNOW MACHINE.

THOSE ARE ALL EMPTY.

Narrator: THERE'S A MAJOR PROBLEM.

WE'VE ONLY GOT 2 DAYS AND -- BEFORE YOU BURN

200 GALLONS OF GAS ALMOST.

ALL THOSE BREAKDOWNS,

THE MONKEY HEATER BREAKIN' DOWN AND BURNIN'...

WE BURNED A LOTTA GAS.

NEED TO GET MORE FUEL IF WE'RE GONNA FIND

SOME GOLD AROUND HERE.

Narrator: UNDERESTIMATING THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IT WOULD TAKE

TO GET THERE AND RUN THE ENGINES,

THEY'RE LEFT WITHOUT EVEN ENOUGH TO MAKE IT BACK TO TOWN.

SON OF A BITCH.

WE RAN OUTTA FUEL. DEVASTATING.

IT'S NOT A MORALE BOOSTER AT ALL.

I'M GETTIN' MY ASS KICKED OUT HERE.

IT SUCKS.

THERE'S A VILLAGE JUST IN FROM HERE THAT WE CAN GO HEAD UP,

GET SOME FUEL THERE.

TO WHITE MOUNTAIN?

I THINK I CAN.

Narrator: THE TINY VILLAGE OF WHITE MOUNTAIN, POPULATION 200,

77 MILES FROM NOME AND NEARLY 30 FROM THE BLUFF,

IS SHAWN'S ONLY HOPE TO GAS UP AND AVOID CALLING FOR RESCUE.

HOPEFULLY, I DON'T GET STUCK.

WE'LL FIND YA.

IF YOU'RE NOT BACK BY DARK, WE'LL COME LOOK FOR YA.

THERE'S NOTHING GONNA STOP US FROM MINING HERE.

I'M GONNA VENTURE OUT AND GO TO THIS VILLAGE,

GET ENOUGH FUEL TO KEEP ON MININ',

AND I AIN'T GONNA QUIT.

WELL, I'M GONNA GO FOR FUEL.

YOU GUYS, UH, GO PROSPECTING OUT HERE ON THE CLAIM.

ALL RIGHT.

LET'S GO.

Narrator: WITH JUST OVER 2 WEEKS REMAINING IN THE SEASON,

FINDING WHITE MOUNTAIN AND REPLENISHING THE FUEL IS

MAKE-OR-BREAK FOR THE POMRENKE CREW.