Gold Rush

Narrator: IN THE GOLD FIELDS OF THE KLONDIKE...

Turin: OH!

...THE HOFFMAN CREW'S GOING NOWHERE FAST.

LOSING TRACTION.

Todd: FREAKIN' KIDDING ME.

Narrator: TODD AND DAVE ONCE AGAIN FACE A DEAD END...

I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO RIGHT NOW.

...UNTIL ANDY SPINKS GOES ROGUE...

Spinks: RIGHT NOW, I FEEL LIKE I STOLE MY DAD'S CAR.

Narrator: ...TO CHASE DOWN BIG GOLD.

GOT A LITTLE GOLD SOUP GOING HERE.

AT SCRIBNER CREEK...

Parker: I THINK I'M GONNA BE SICK.

Narrator: ...PARKER SCHNABEL IS FROZEN OUT OF HIS FAR CUT.

MIGHT AS WELL BE IN FORT KNOX.

Narrator: AND WHEN HIS EXCAVATOR GOES DOWN...

OH, COME ON!

...HE'S LEFT WITH NOWHERE TO TURN.

WHERE THERE SHOULD BE GOLD, THERE ISN'T,

AND WHERE THERE SHOULDN'T BE, THERE'S TONS.

Narrator: AND AT EUREKA CREEK...

...TONY BEETS TAKES A RADICAL STEP...

...TO GET HIS 75-YEAR-OLD GOLD-MINING MONSTER REBUILT.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: AT McKINNON CREEK,

NEARLY FOUR MONTHS INTO THE SEASON,

THE HOFFMAN CREW IS FINALLY RUNNING WITHOUT A HITCH.

THEY'RE ON GOLD-RICH PAY DIRT IN THEIR NEW HAUL ROAD CUT.

Jack: I ALWAYS SAY I COULD SMELL GOLD.

I COULD SMELL IT HERE.

THIS HAUL ROAD CUT IS PHENOMENAL.

YOU KNOW, I ALMOST WANT TO LAUGH ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD.

Narrator: LAST WEEK, THEY MINED 132 OUNCES, WORTH $158,000 --

THEIR BEST CLEANUP OF THE SEASON.

THEY NOW HAVE 544 OUNCES,

OVER HALFWAY TO THEIR 1,000-OUNCE, $1.2 MILLION GOAL.

ANDY, THIS IS DAVE.

How's it going over there with the pay?

WE'RE JUST, UH, KICKING ASS, RUNNING DIRT.

THINGS ARE GOOD.

Turin: THIS HAS BEEN JUST A REAL BLESSING -- THIS HAUL ROAD CUT.

IT'S BEEN, UH, CLOSE TO THE PLANT,

THAWED OUT, AND IT'S PAID REALLY WELL.

HOPEFULLY, WE'RE GONNA WALK AWAY FROM THIS SEASON

WITH POCKETS FULL OF GOLD.

Narrator: DAVE TURIN WORKS INTO THE NIGHT

TO STOCKPILE THE RICHEST DIRT HE'S EVER MINED.

Turin: I'M FEELING THE PRESSURE RIGHT NOW.

I HAVE TO PROVE TO MYSELF THAT WE CAN DO IT.

WHAT THE

I SEE BEDROCK.

Narrator: IF DAVE'S HIT BEDROCK,

THE HAUL ROAD CUT COULD BE ALMOST OUT OF PAY DIRT.

Turin: IT'S BAD NEWS. THIS IS BEDROCK.

Narrator: WITH THE HAUL ROAD TO THE NORTH,

AND PERMAFROST ON ALL THREE SIDES OF THE CUT,

THERE'S NOWHERE TO TURN.

Turin: ANOTHER THREE OR FOUR HOURS, I'LL BE OUT OF PAY.

WE NEED MORE GROUND,

AND WE NEED MORE GROUND OPENED UP IN A HURRY.

Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING, DAVE HAS HATCHED A PLAN.

THE MINED-OUT CUT RUNS ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HAUL ROAD,

A VITAL ARTERY USED BY ROCK TRUCKS

TO TRANSPORT PAY TO THE WASH PLANT.

WITH THE CUT FINISHED, DAVE PLANS TO DIG UP THE ROAD.

Turin: THERE COULD BE A PILE OF GOLD RIGHT UNDER THIS ROAD.

Todd: HMM. AND I WANT TO GO GET IT.

THAT'S A BIG DECISION.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE SHOULD DO THAT.

WHY DON'T WE THINK ABOUT THIS DIFFERENTLY?

IF THE GOLD'S DIVING UNDER THE ROAD,

I DOUBT IT'S GONNA STOP, RIGHT?

WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND PUT TWO DOZERS OVER HERE,

AND WE'LL MAKE A CUT RIGHT ALONG THIS ROAD?

ALL RIGHT. LET'S DO IT. OKAY.

TODD IS BETTING THAT THE PAY STREAK

WILL CONTINUE UNDER THE ROAD,

BUT INSTEAD OF DIGGING UP THEIR MAJOR ARTERY, HE SUGGESTS

JUST CONTINUING THE HAUL ROAD CUT ON THE NORTH SIDE.

THAT CLEANUP ON THAT OTHER SIDE THERE WAS SO AWESOME.

I EXPECT, UH, SOME GREAT THINGS

ABOUT THIS LITTLE CUT RIGHT OVER HERE.

Narrator: TO GET DOWN TO THE PAY STREAK,

TODD AND DAVE NEED TO STRIP AT LEAST FOUR FEET OF OVERBURDEN.

THEY PUT BOTH DOZERS ON THE CUT TO GIVE THEM THE BEST SHOT

AT KEEPING THE WASH PLANT FED WITH PAY DIRT.

I GOT TO KEEP THIS PLANT ON,

AND IT'S LIKE WE'RE JUST BARELY ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE PIPER,

AND IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE -- THE PRESSURE.

I'M KIND OF BITING OFF

A LITTLE MORE THAN THIS LITTLE DOZER CAN DO,

BUT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE TIME, YOU KNOW?

WE REALLY NEED TO GET THIS CUT OPEN FAST.

DAVE, THIS IS SOFT DOWN HERE.

YEAH, SHE'S PRETTY SOFT.

WHOA!

EASY.

WHOA. OH, NO.

OH!

LOSING TRACTION.

Narrator: DAVE'S 54-TON D9 DOZER

SINKS IN THE THICK KLONDIKE MUD.

OH!

IT'S REALLY STUCK.

ANDY, GOT A COPY?

Yeah, go ahead, Dave.

I'M STUCK BAD.

AND ASKING FOR SOME HELP PULLING ME OUT.

GO AHEAD. When you're ready.

Turin: ANDY'S COMING IN WITH THE 700.

WE GOT A LOT ON THE LINE RIGHT NOW.

YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TIME

TO BE PULLING MACHINES OUT OF GETTING STUCK.

OKAY, ANDY.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOT ENOUGH PULL

OR ENOUGH STRENGTH.

COME ON, GIRL.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE WORKING. WE'RE WORKING.

WE'RE WORKING.

COME ON, ANDY! LITTLE MORE.

Little bit more.

WHOO! I GOT IT, ANDY!

NICE JOB, ANDY.

Thank you.

YOU BET.

Todd: THIS LITTLE GOLD CHANNEL

OBVIOUSLY ISN'T GONNA GIVE UP REAL EASY,

SO THIS IS GONNA BE TOUGH.

FREAKIN' KIDDING ME.

NOT GOOD.

HEY, DAVE. I'M STUCK OVER HERE, TOO.

WHEN YOU START FEELING YOUR TRACKS SINK,

YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AT THIS, UH, POINT OF NO RETURN.

THIS AIN'T GONNA WORK.

THIS CUT'S GONNA BE A LOT HARDER THAN WE THOUGHT.

YEAH, I KNOW.

Narrator: OPENING THIS NEW CUT JUST MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE.

Todd: THIS IS JUST TOO WET.

IT WON'T SUPPORT THOSE DOZERS.

DUDE, I WAS HOPING YOU AND I'D BUST THIS OPEN

AND GET PAY OUT HERE REAL QUICK,

BUT...THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN, IS IT?

I DON'T LIKE THIS, DAVE,

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: 15 WEEKS INTO THE SEASON...

...PARKER SCHNABEL HAS MINED 1,313 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WORTH $1.5 MILLION.

HE'S NOW DIGGING OVERBURDEN

TO GET DOWN TO THE GOLD-BEARING PAY DIRT

IN A NEW SECTION OF THE FAR CUT.

SO, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE JUST EXTENDING THE FAR CUT.

THE PANS HAVE BEEN LOOKING GOOD.

WE'RE JUST TRYING TO STAY AHEAD.

Narrator: TO HAVE A SHOT

AT A 2,000-OUNCE, $2.4 MILLION SEASON,

PARKER NEEDS TO BE WASHING DIRT ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.

Doumitt: I'VE GOT ENOUGH PAY TO MAKE IT ALMOST THROUGH THE DAY.

THEY CAN'T OPEN UP GROUND FAST ENOUGH

TO KEEP THIS BEAST RUNNING.

I NEED PAY.

WE'VE GONE PRETTY MUCH 24/7

SINCE WE STARTED SLUICING THIS YEAR.

NOW, AT THIS STAGE IN THE SEASON,

WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO RUN OUT OF PAY

AND HAVE TO SHUT THE PLANT DOWN.

Narrator: PARKER'S GOT ALL HIS MACHINES WORKING THE CUT.

Parker: DEFINITELY ALL HANDS ON DECK HERE.

I'M LOADING TRUCKS WITH THE EC700 AND GETTING THE MUD OUT.

RICK'S DOWN ON THE LOWER END HAULING OFF THE SHALLOWER STUFF.

THAT LOOKS LIKE PAY DIRT TO ME.

THAT LITTLE BLACK GRAVEL -- THAT SHOULD BE IT RIGHT THERE.

WELL, IT'S A DAMN GOOD THING THAT IT'S NOT FROZEN.

YEAH, THAT'S FOR SURE.

HEY, CHRIS, YOU GOT A COPY?

RICK AND I FOUND YOU A LITTLE BIT OF PAY DIRT.

ROGER, ROGER. YEP.

WELL, THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE.

THAT'S THE FIRST BUCKET OF PAY DIRT.

WE'RE ALL EXPECTING, YOU KNOW, REALLY GOOD RESULTS OF THIS

BECAUSE IT'S ALL REALLY GOOD GRAVEL.

OH, COME ON!

PRETTY RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: AT SCRIBNER CREEK, RICK HAS FINALLY HIT PAY DIRT,

BUT RIGHT WHEN HE NEEDS TO MINE IT,

HIS EXCAVATOR HAS BROKEN DOWN.

WELL...

BUSTED A TRACK LINK, SO THE TRACK SPILT APART,

AND THEN THIS GIANT -- THIS IS A TENSIONER SIDE,

SO WHEN THE TRACK -- WHEN THE TRACK SPLIT,

THE TENSIONER SHOT OUT WITH THE IDLER WHEEL.

SO IT'S PRETTY RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: TO KEEP THE EXCAVATOR'S TRACK TAUGHT,

A LARGE SPRING ON THE TENSIONER PUSHES THE IDLER WHEEL

AWAY FROM THE DRIVE COG.

WHEN THE TRACK LINK SNAPPED, THE PRESSURE

FORCED THE TENSIONER AND THE IDLER WHEEL OUT.

FIXING A TRACK IS USUALLY DONE IN A SPECIALIZED WORKSHOP,

BUT THIS FAR FROM TOWN, MECHANIC MITCH BLASCHKE

HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO MacGYVER A FIX ON SITE.

Blaschke: WELL, THESE BRAND-NEW PARTS HERE