Gold Rush

THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL WE'RE LEAVING ANY OF THIS

BEHIND FOR TONY.

IT'S GETTING REALLY HARD TO KEEP UP THIS PACE.

ALL IT'S GOT TO DO IS GET ROCKS FROM THERE TO THERE!

THIS TIME OF YEAR IS HARD ON EVERYTHING.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH HARDER I CAN PUSH.

YOU PROBABLY NOTICE WHEN IT RAINS YOU ALWAYS GET

A BIT OF THAW OUT IN THE CUT.

YEAH.

I BET YOU THESE WILL THROW SOME SERIOUS WATER, HUH?

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Parker: THINGS ARE ON THE UP AND UP.

THERE'S PAY MOUNTAIN THERE, AND THAT AIN'T THE HALF OF IT.

Narrator: WINTER IS FAST APPROACHING,

AND PARKER SCHNABEL IS ON TRACK

TO HIT A RECORD-BREAKING 6,000-OUNCE $7.2 MILLION GOAL

USING TWO WASH PLANTS -- BIG RED AND SLUICIFER.

BRENNAN IS DOING REALLY GOOD DOWN AT BIG RED,

AND I'M JUST COMING UP HERE TO CHECK ON DEAN RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: PARKER'S CREW HAS SPENT THE LAST 14 WEEKS

MOVING 1.2 MILLION YARDS OF DIRT,

OPENING A 40-ACRE CUT FOR SLUICIFER.

BY FAR THE BIGGEST CUT WE'VE EVER OPENED UP,

FINALLY DOWN TO PAY,

FINALLY GETTING GOOD GOLD OUT OF IT.

HOWDY. -HEY, PARKER.

SOME GOOD-LOOKING STUFF IN HERE.

-YEP, REALLY NICE. -IT REALLY IS NICE-LOOKING PAY.

TWO FEET, THREE FEET OF PAY UNDERNEATH IT, TOO.

LOT OF GROUND TO COVER, HUH?

YEP. I THINK WE OPENED UP TOO MUCH.

YOU DON'T THINK WE'LL GET IT ALL THROUGH?

WE COULD POSSIBLY GET IT ALL STACKED, BUT I DON'T...

WE'D NEVER SLUICE IT ALL.

AT BEST, WE'VE GOT 4, MAYBE 5 WEEKS LEFT.

IT'S JUST WEATHER-DEPENDENT, AND AT THE RATE WE'RE RUNNING,

WE COULD PROBABLY RUN ANOTHER 145,000 YARDS.

WHAT DO YOU RECKON IS STILL IN HERE?

PROBABLY AT LEAST 200,000.

WE LEAVE 60,000 YARDS IN THE CUT?

I MEAN, THAT COULD BE UP TO --

I MEAN, THAT COULD BE OVER 600 OUNCES.

YEP.

PARKER PLANS TO QUIT THIS GROUND THIS SEASON.

IF HE DOESN'T MINE IT, HE COULD BE HANDING LANDLORD

TONY BEETS A $0.75 MILLION WINDFALL.

THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL WE'RE LEAVING ANY OF THIS BEHIND

FOR TONY, NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT.

THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN USE WHAT WE'VE GOT TO TRY

TO GET THIS OUT IS TO JUST CRANK THAT PLANT UP.

-YEAH. -AND WE WON'T MAKE ANY FRIENDS.

NOT ONLY IS THE PLANT PRETTY MAXED OUT RIGHT NOW,

BUT PEOPLE ARE GOING PRETTY HARD TO KEEP UP.

YEP. YEAH.

ALL WE CAN DO IS TRY.

WE NEED THIS CUT DONE.

LIKE, I DON'T WANT AN OUNCE OF GOLD LEFT IN HERE.

TO LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND FOR TONY BEETS,

PARKER NEEDS TO PUSH SLUICIFER FROM 250 TO 300 YARDS AN HOUR.

WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO BE HERE NEXT YEAR,

SO ANY PAY THAT WE DON'T GET SLUICED IS PAY

THAT WE'RE LEAVING FOR TONY, SO WE'RE TURNING THIS THING UP.

HOPEFULLY, BREE CAN KEEP UP WITH THAT.

THAT'S A LOT OF DIRT.

Narrator: LAST WEEK, THREE OF PARKER'S CREW WALKED OUT,

AND MECHANIC MITCH IS STILL RECOVERING FROM INJURY,

PUTTING MORE PRESSURE THAN EVER ON LOADER OPERATOR

BREE HARRISON TO GET THROUGH THE PAY DIRT.

I'M BARELY KEEPING UP AS IT IS, MAN. LIKE...

WE CANNOT LEAVE GOLD IN THE GROUND FOR TONY BEETS.

WE'LL JUST -- WE'VE GOT TO MAKE IT WORK.

.

Yeah. What's up?

Mike: ALL 14 OF THEM FELL OFF.

JUST AS I FINISH.

THEY'RE NOT EXACTLY LIGHT.

Narrator: WITH WINTER WEEKS AWAY,

TONY IS SERIOUSLY TRAILING PARKER

AND ONLY HALFWAY TO HIS $7.2 MILLION GOAL.

BUT RIGHT NOW, TONY IS FOCUSING ALL HIS EFFORTS

ON HIS SECOND GOAL -- GETTING DREDGE NUMBER TWO UP

AND RUNNING BEFORE THE KLONDIKE FREEZE HITS.

LOOK AT THIS GUY, MAN, ALL FANCY, GOT HIS NICE ON.

CAMO, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE HIM.

Narrator: THREE HOURS BEHIND SCHEDULE,

MIKE BEETS IS READY TO START THE LIGHT.

HIS FIRST JOB -- HOIST THE TROMMEL SUPPORT

ONTO THE PONTOONS, THEN ALIGN THE FOUR LEGS

SO THAT THEY DROP PERFECTLY INTO THEIR BRACKETS.

WHILE SON MIKE OPERATES THE CRANE...

...DAUGHTER MONICA AND OLDEST SON KEVIN

MANEUVER THE TROMMEL SUPPORT.

Monica: THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

THE STEEL HAS WARPED DURING TRANSPORT,

SO IT DOESN'T LINE UP.

Juan: WE GOT TO PULL THESE BEAMS.

THEY SPREAD OUT, SO WE GOT TO PULL THEM TOGETHER

SO WE CAN GET IT IN THE POCKETS.

WHY CAN'T WE HOOK THE CHAIN AROUND THE OTHER BEAM?

THEN YOU PULL STRAIGHT, RIGHT?

TONY, BEAM TO BEAM?

I WOULD LIKE THE RECORD TO SHOW I SAID THAT FIRST.

TONY USES A COME-ALONG TO WINCH THE LEGS BACK INTO POSITION.

MIKE CAN NOW MAKE ANOTHER ATTEMPT.

LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN.

LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN. LET HER DOWN.

Juan: THERE YOU GO.

Monica: DOWN?

WHAT?!

-THAT WENT GOOD. -DREAM TEAM.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE HOW MUCH THIS DREDGE HAS COST,

SO I DON'T EVEN THINK TONY REALIZES HOW BIG THE BILL IS.

How long is this going to take you to put it all together?

Hello?

WELL, AFTER THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IT COST,

YEAH, IT SHOULD HAVE SOME GOLD COMING OUT OF IT.

GET ON WITH IT. YOU'RE STANDING THERE YAPPING.

Enough is enough.

THIS TIME OF YEAR IS HARD ON EVERYTHING.

IT'S HARD ON EQUIPMENT. IT'S HARD ON PEOPLE.

AFTER WEEKS OF POOR GOLD WEIGHS, ROOKIE MINE BOSS

RICK NESS HAS ABANDONED THE DOWNSTREAM CUT.

THAT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE.

THAT DOWNSTREAM CUT IS DEAD.

WASH PLANT DURT REYNOLDS IS SHUT DOWN

WHILE HIS CREW OPENS UP NEW GROUND

ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE CLAIM.

NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS GET DOWN TO PAY DIRT OVER HERE

AND GET THAT PAY DIRT UP THE HILL.

Narrator: EXCAVATOR OPERATOR TERRY FRANKLIN

ATTACKS THE PERMAFROST.

RYAN AND BEN TRUCK THE GRAVEL OUT OF THE CUT.

IT'S STARTING TO GET AWFUL COLD IN THE MORNING,

AND SUNLIGHT IS DEFINITELY NOT AS MUCH AS IT USED TO BE.

That's for sure.

WE'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO JUST PUT OUR NOSE

TO THE GRINDSTONE AND KICK ASS.

TERRY, I CAN SEE YOU'RE STRUGGLING BACK THERE.

HOW'S THE DIRT LOOKING?

NOT LIKING IT AT ALL.

I'M NOT GETTING DOWN TO PAY DIRT FAST.

THE FROST, IT'S REALLY SCREWING ME.

YOU GOT TO SCRAPE THAT GRAVEL INCH BY INCH

TO GET IT OUT OF HERE,

AND THAT'S SO TEDIOUS AND SO HARD ON EQUIPMENT.

THERE'S 2, 3 FEET OF EARTH

THAT'S GOT TO COME OUT OF HERE YET, AND IT'S NOT THAWING.

Narrator: TO HIT THEIR 1,000-OUNCE, $1.2 MILLION GOAL,

THE NEW UPSTREAM CUT NEEDS TO YIELD $200,000.

I THINK IF YOU DO THE MATH, THE AREA THAT WE GOT OPENED UP

IS WHAT WE NEED TO GET OUR GOAL,

BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN

WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT PAY DIRT OUT OF THERE IN TIME.

I DON'T KNOW, MAN.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH HARDER I CAN PUSH.

Narrator: RICK CAN'T SLUICE A YARD UNTIL THE UPSTREAM CUT THAWS.

HE TURNS TO CLAIM OWNER SHEAMUS CHRISTIE FOR HELP.

-HEY, SHEAMUS. -HEY, RICK.

SO I TRYING TO MOVE INTO THAT UPSTREAM CUT THERE,

AND, I MEAN, IT'S JUST FROZEN,

AND WE'RE NOT GETTING MUCH HEAT ANYMORE.

NO, THE HEAT IS GONE.

-YEAH. -THERE'S LIMITED AMOUNT,

AND THEN IT STARTS FREEZING AGAIN AT NIGHT.

YEAH, I JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY OTHER LITTLE TRICKS

OR ANYTHING YOU KNOW OF.

YOU PROBABLY NOTICE WHEN IT RAINS

YOU ALWAYS GET A BIT OF THAW OUT IN THE CUT.

-YEAH. -THE RAIN MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.

YEAH.

I MEAN, EVEN WHEN YOU POUR COLD WATER ON AN ICE CUBE, IT MELTS.

EXACTLY.

IT'S THE MOVEMENT OF THE WATER, RIGHT?

-YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. -YEAH, SO A FEW YEARS AGO,

I BOUGHT THIS BIG BOX OF SPRINKLERS FROM AN AUCTION.

OKAY.

ALWAYS DID HAVE A THOUGHT THAT THEY MIGHT WORK

AT SOME POINT FOR THAWING OUT THE GRAVEL IN A CUT.

I JUST NEVER HAD TO USE THEM FOR THAT.

THERE'S A FEW OF THEM HANGING UP OVER HERE.

OH, YEAH.

OH, YEAH, SO IT AIN'T JUST, LIKE, SOMETHING ON A LAWN.

Sheamus: NAH.

I BET YOU THESE WOULD THROW SOME SERIOUS WATER, HUH?

SO WHAT KIND OF PREP DO YOU KNOW THERE WOULD BE?

THEY'D BE EASY TO SET UP.

TAKE AN OLD TRUCK RIM OR SOMETHING.

I GOT A BUNCH OF OLD RIMS.

Rick: JUST USE STUFF YOU GOT LAYING AROUND,

KEEP IT SIMPLE, HUH?

AND I GOT LOTS OF STUFF LAYING AROUND.

-YEAH, YOU DO. -PUT AN ELBOW ON HERE.

IT'LL STAND STRAIGHT UP.

WELD A PLATE IN THE CENTER HERE TO HOLD THE SPRINKLER.

MM-HMM.

AND EVERYTHING IS HERE. IT'S CHEAP.

KIND OF KEEN TO TRY IT OUT ACTUALLY.

-COOL. ALL RIGHT. -I'LL SEE YOU LATER TODAY.

-OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD, RICK. -THANKS, SHEAMUS.