Gold Rush

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

OH, MY HAND.

WHAT'S UP?

APPARENTLY, CHAD BROKE HIS HAND OR SOMETHING.

-IS IT BAD? -YEP, IT'S BAD.

Rick: MY DAD'S IN AT 475.

I MEAN, I'M HAVING A BLAST. THIS THING IS AWESOME.

Rick: HOLY

COME ON!

I FELL IN A SINKHOLE OVER HERE.

-WHOA -I LOVE THAT SOUND.

-WE MAXED OUT. -OH, NO, WE BROKE THE SCALE!

WE BROKE THE SCALE!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON HERE,

AND IT'S KIND OF CRUNCH TIME.

I SURELY WOULDN'T DO THIS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.

Narrator: IT'S DAWN AT QUARTZ CREEK.

RICK NESS' DAD IS HELPING HIM RUN 140 YARDS

THROUGH HIS WASH PLANT 24/7,

CHASING THEIR 1,000 OUNCE, $1.2 MILLION TARGET.

MY DAD CAME UP TO HELP ME OUT.

I FEEL A LITTLE BAD THAT HE TOOK ON THE NIGHT SHIFT,

BUT THAT'S JUST WHAT HE DOES, YOU KNOW,

HE'S JUST TRYING TO HELP ME OUT,

SO, I'LL TAKE IT, MAN, I NEED THE HELP,

AND MY DAD'S GOOD HELP, SO...

Narrator: BIG RICK'S BEEN RUNNING A NIGHT SHIFT

SINCE HIS SON DISCOVERED THE GROUND WAS PAYING

HALF WHAT HE HOPED.

Rick: YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING I KNEW WE HAD TO DO,

BUT I JUST REALLY COULDN'T AFFORD IT,

SO, MY DAD JUST STEPPED UP TO RUN THE PLANT

AND HERE WE GO 24/7.

PUT A DENT IN THAT PAY PILE, HUH?

HEY, IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT.

WE MOVED SOME DIRT LAST NIGHT, MAN.

I'M TIRED THOUGH, I NEED TO GO TO BED.

ALRIGHT, SOUNDS GOOD. I'LL SEE YA.

-MORNING, DAD. -MORNING, MAN.

-HOW'D IT GO? -IT WAS A GOOD NIGHT.

I THINK WE MADE SOME PROGRESS, MAN.

YEAH?

WE MOVED A LOT OF DIRT LAST NIGHT.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A NIGHT SHIFT?

NOT THAT LONG AGO, ACTUALLY.

OH, REALLY?

I DO PULL THOSE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

BUT IT WENT GOOD, THOUGH, GOOD RUN TIME?

EXCELLENT RUN TIME, I MEAN,

WE MOVED SOME GROUND LAST NIGHT...

YEAH, YEAH.

...THROUGH THAT SLUICE, SO...

THERE'S ONLY ONE PROBLEM.

I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE RUNNING OUT OF PAY REAL QUICK,

THE RATE WE'RE GOING RIGHT NOW.

OH, YEAH, RUNNING IT 24/7, HUH?

I THINK YOU'RE GONNA END UP

HAVING TO OPEN UP SOME MORE GROUND HERE, REAL QUICK.

YEAH, THE GROUND'S GOING FACT, AND I MEAN,

WE ARE STRIPPING, I MEAN, YOU KNOW,

I'VE BEEN PUSHING BACK THAT EDGE

AND THEN WANTING TO WORK AROUND THE PERIMETER

TO GET ALL THE THAW THAT WE CAN OUT OF THIS,

WHAT WE'VE GOT, BASICALLY JUST TRYING TO EXPAND IT, RIGHT?

IT'S JUST GOING SO SLOW.

WE NEED TO OPEN UP SOME MORE GROUND

IN A HURRY HERE, OR YOU'RE GONNA BE SCREWED.

AND I KNOW THAT, BUT I JUST,

I DON'T HAVE ANY WAY OF DOING IT.

IF I NEED TO OPEN UP A COUPLE ACRES AT LEAST,

THAT MIGHT BE ENOUGH TO GET US TO THE END OF THE SEASON.

YOU KNOW, TRYING TO DO IT WITH THIS LITTLE D9

IS JUST TAKING FOREVER.

Narrator: RICK CALCULATED THAT THE 6-ACRE FREEDOM CUT

WOULD GIVE HIM THE $1.2 MILLION PAYDAY

HE NEEDS TO COVER HIS COST AND PAY HIS CREW,

BUT SINCE IT'S PAYING HALF WHAT HE HOPED,

HE NOW NEEDS TO DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE CUT.

Big Rick: MAYBE YOU OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT TRYING

TO GET ANOTHER MACHINE IN HERE, START STRIPPIN'.

WELL, YEAH, I MEAN, I USED SHEAMUS' 475 THIS SPRING,

AND IT HELPED ME OUT A LOT,

BUT THE THING'S $10,000 A DAY.

I CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

WELL, I MEAN, LET'S GO SEE

IF WE CAN'T WORK A DEAL WITH HIM.

IT AIN'T MAKING HIM ANY MONEY JUST SITTIN' THERE.

YEAH, AND THAT 475 WOULD DO GOOD RIGHT HERE.

I MEAN, WE COULD JUST BE PUSHIN' THAT

RIGHT INTO THE CUT.

YOU KNOW, HEY, I MEAN, I CAN RUN THAT THING.

LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT.

LET'S SEE IF HE'LL GO FOR IT.

IT, LET'S GO TALK TO HIM.

Narrator: RICK'S PLAN,

EXTEND THE EXISTING 6-ACRE FREEDOM CUT

BY TAKING HIS D9 AND THE 475 DOZER

AND OPENING UP 2 1/2 ACRES OF NEW GROUND

ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF HIS CLAIM.

THERE IT IS, 475.

SWEET.

HUGE, HUH?

YEAH, THAT IS A WHOPPER.

HEY, SHEAMUS.

-HEY, HOW'S IT GOING, RICK? -GOOD.

I WANT YOU TO MEET MY DAD. THIS IS ALSO A RICK.

THAT'S EASY TO REMEMBER.

HEY, RICK. SHEAMUS, NICE TO MEET YOU.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, A LITTLE MAINTENANCE?

YEAH, GETTING CAUGHT UP ON SOME MAINTENANCE,

GETTING IT READY TO GO.

WELL, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I CAME HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT,

IS MAYBE PUTTIN' IT TO WORK TOMORROW.

OH, YES.

IS THERE ANY KIND OF A DEAL YOU CAN GIVE ME ON IT?

WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT IT COSTS, RICK.

YOU RENTED IT IN THE SPRING. IT'S 10 GRAND A DAY.

THIS SPRING WHEN I RENTED IT FROM YOU,

IT WAS WITH AN OPERATOR AND ALL THAT STUFF, RIGHT?

AND I DON'T REALLY NEED THAT.

I WAS KIND OF HOPING MY DAD COULD JUMP IN THERE

AND DO THAT PART.

YEAH, I'M JUST -- HAVE A HARD TIME

JUST STICKING ANYBODY ON THIS MACHINE, MAN.

I ONLY PUT PEOPLE ON IT THAT I TRUST.

Big Rick: LET ME PUT YOU AT EASE A LITTLE BIT, EH?

SO, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS THING FOR 38 YEARS.

I'VE BEEN RUNNING ALL KINDS

OF DIFFERENT-SIZED DOZERS AND STUFF.

I AM CERTAINLY NOT GONNA ABUSE YOUR MACHINE, SO...

WELL, ABUSING'S ONE THING,

BUT IT'S ALSO, YOU CAN GET INTO TROUBLE, TOO.

IF IT COULD SINK, IT COULD GET BADLY STUCK.

I THINK WE'D BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT

WITHOUT ANY ISSUE AT ALL, SO...

OKAY, WELL, THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN

IS I CAN ASK YOU TO GET OFF.

YEAH, WELL, IF MY DAD'S GONNA OPERATE IT,

WHAT SORT OF A DEAL CAN YOU GIVE US?

NO OPERATOR FEE, NO FUEL.

SO, $600 AN HOUR, THAT'S THE BEST I CAN DO.

SORRY, MAN, DON'T WANT TO BE A DINK ABOUT IT,

BUT, MAN, IT'S EXPENSIVE.

-I GET IT. -I HAVE TO COVER MY COSTS

OR I'M NOT GETTING ANY FURTHER AHEAD.

-ALRIGHT, LET'S DO IT. -ALRIGHT.

-THANKS, SHEAMUS. -YOU BETCHA.

-THANKS, SHEAMUS. -YOU'RE WELCOME.

Narrator: BIG RICK'S IDEA PAID OFF.

ON A 10-HOUR DAY, THE 475 WILL COST $6,000,

DOWN $4,000 FROM THE SPRING.

STEEP, BUT I GUESS WE NEED IT, HUH?

WELL, ALL I CAN SAY IS WE BETTER MAKE GOOD USE OF THAT.

Parker: WE ARE JUST WAY BEHIND THIS YEAR.

AND WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR WHERE I WANT TO BE.

Narrator: HALFWAY THROUGH HIS SEASON,

PARKER SCHNABEL HAS MINED 1,586 OUNCES,

WORTH $1.9 MILLION,

BUT LESS THAN A THIRD OF HIS 6,000-OUNCE,

$7.2 MILLION TARGET.

Parker: BUT ONE GOOD THING THAT DID HAPPEN HERE LAST WEEK

IS WE OVERTOOK TONY BEETS, SO, YOU KNOW,

IT MIGHT NOT MEAN MUCH, BUT IT FEELS GOOD TO ME.

DON'T WANT THAT OLD, MAD VIKING BEATIN' US THIS SEASON.

Parker: PARKER HAS TWO WORKING WASH PLANTS

ON HIS 61-ACRE CUT.

HIS BIGGEST PLANT, SLUICIFER,

IS RUNNING 250 YARDS OF DIRT EVERY HOUR.

AT THE OTHER END OF THE CUT,

LOADER OPERATOR BREE HARRISON, IS PUSHING 200 YARDS AN HOUR

THROUGH PARKER'S SECOND PLANT, BIG RED.

IT'S DEFINITELY IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THIS PLANT MOVING.

WE'RE ALREADY REALLY FAR BEHIND.

IT'S LATE INTO THE SEASON.

WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH AND DEFINITELY NOT

WHERE WE NEED TO BE, SO IT'S GOOD

THAT WE FINALLY GOT EVERYTHING SORTED,

BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD FOR ANY MORE DOWNTIME.

IT REALLY SCREWS US OVER.

WHY ARE YOU BEEPING?

OH

FOR SAKE.

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER.

Bree: Parker, you got a copy?

YEAH, GO AHEAD.

MY LOADER'S GOT A FLAT DOWN AT BIG RED.

THAT'S JUST WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW.

AND THAT'S THE ONLY LOADER DOWN THERE.

ALRIGHT, WELL, YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO SHUT THE PLANT DOWN

UNTIL WE CAN GET THAT FIXED.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

THIS IS JUST WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: CHANGING A LOADER TIRE'S A JOB

FOR MECHANIC MITCH BLASCHKE,

BUT MITCH IS ABOUT TO HEAD HOME TO SEE HIS FAMILY.