Gold Rush: White Water

DUSTIN, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA. YOU DON'T KNOW ME.

YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH

AND WHAT I'VE DONE AND THE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE

AND WHAT I'VE SACRIFICED TO GET TO THIS POINT

TO BE QUALIFIED TO BE HERE IN THIS CREW WITH YOU GUYS.

AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, YOU'RE NOT QUALIFIED

TO BE IN THIS CREW.

YOU'RE QUALIFIED TO... ALL RIGHT. THEN, I'M DONE.

THEN I'LL LEAVE. THEN BE GONE.

. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

I'M OUT OF HERE.

GO. DO YOUR THING.

PICK UP ON THE FRONT END.

YOU'RE NOT EVEN LINED UP YET.

DUSTIN, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

DON'T MAKE ME TAKE CHARGE. I DON'T WANT TO.

I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO CARLA.

I'M A COMMERCIAL DIVER. I WORK OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM

FOR 15 YEARS NOW.

DON'T GO INTO THAT WHITEWATER.

THE WATER'S COMING UP RIGHT NOW.

OKAY, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY AIR?

AH, .

UH-OH. I SAW IT TOO.

I SAW IT. UH-OH.

HOLY .

DAMN, LOOK AT ALL THAT GOLD THAT'S IN THERE!

THE GOLD IS SITTING ON THE SURFACE RIGHT NOW.

WE JUST FOUND IT.

WOO!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

DON'T LET GO OF THE END OF THAT ROPE.

THAT'S ALL.

DON'T FALL.

TRUST YOU, MAN.

Narrator: HIGH IN ALASKA'S REMOTE CHILKAT MOUNTAINS,

THE DAKOTA BOYS ARE WORKING ON THE TRAIL

BETWEEN THEIR CAMP AND THE DIVE SITE.

WE'VE GOT A TREE THAT'S HANGING OFF BY THE ROOTS,

STRAIGHT DIRECTLY OVER OUR TRAIL.

IF IT FELL DOWN AND HIT ANYBODY,

THAT WOULD BE THE END OF SOMEBODY.

Dustin: OW. WE NEED TO GET TO WORK.

HOPEFULLY IT ELIMINATES ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT KILLS US.

IT SHOULD BE STRAIGHT BELOW YOU.

THAT TREE LOOKS LIKE IT'S HANGING OVER THE EDGE.

YEAH, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I CAN GET DOWN TO IT.

THIS IS A LOT OF WORK.

IT REALLY BETTER PAY OFF. UGH.

Narrator: DUSTIN AND HIS CREW ARE CHASING A DREAM --

THAT THESE DEADLY McKINLEY CREEK RAPIDS

HIDE SOME OF ALASKA'S UNFOUND GOLD DEPOSITS --

PLUNGE POOLS BELOW THE SURFACE

THAT HAVE TRAPPED MILLIONS IN GOLD.

THIS SEASON'S PRICE TAG, $50,000 IN RUNNING COSTS.

SO THEY'LL NEED TO FIND AT LEAST 42 OUNCES OF GOLD

BEFORE ANY OF THEM MAKES A CENT.

THE RACE IS ON TO FINISH THEIR DIVE PLATFORM

AND START DREDGING FOR GOLD.

BUT FIRST, DUSTIN HAS TO REMOVE THE DEAD TREE

THAT'S THREATENING TO FALL ON THEM.

Dustin: LITERALLY STANDING ON TOP OF THEM, I BELIEVE.

I CUT THIS LOOSE, HOPEFULLY THERE'S NO

CHAIN REACTION AND THINGS FALL ON ME.

COPY THAT.

CRAZY. IT'S ALL RIGHT.

I THINK THE WHOLE LITTLE LEDGE IS GOING TO GO WHEN IT GOES.

COME LOOSE!

YEAH! FINALLY.

THAT WAS A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE.

THANKS FOR CATCHING MY BACK ON THAT ONE.

YOU CONQUERED IT, MAN. HOLY COW.

WELL, THAT'S ONE LESS HEADACHE WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT NOW.

YEAH, SO IT DOESN'T KILL SOMEBODY.

NEXT STEP FOR DUSTIN, PAUL, WES, AND GREENHORN ZACK --

HAUL THE LUMBER OVER THE TREACHEROUS MILE-LONG TRAIL

BETWEEN CAMP AND THE DIVE SITE.

ZACK, WHAT I NEED YOU TO DO IS JUST TO GO UP

AND DOWN THAT HILL OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF WALKING.

MAN, I THINK IT'D BE PERFECT TO JUST THROW SOME TWO-BY-FOURS

IN BETWEEN THAT LITTLE GAP ON MY HANDLEBARS

ON MY DIRT BIKE THERE AND JUST SIT ON 'EM

AND RIDE 'EM UP THE HILL.

IT'S NOT SAFE ENOUGH TO BE OVER THERE TO DO THAT.

YOU'D BE JOUSTING WITH TREES AND STICKS.

CAN'T BE LAZY.

I JUST DON'T SEE HOW A SIMPLE LITTLE IDEA TURNED INTO

ME NOT WANTING TO DO IT NOW AND ME BEING LAZY.

I WAS JUST... NO, NOT LAZY.

A LITTLE...

IT JUST OPENS YOU UP FOR TOO MUCH.

YOU KNOW HOW WE ARE. YOU KNOW HOW WE ROLL.

WHEN THEY WRITE ME OFF INSTANTLY WHEN I COME UP WITH AN IDEA,

IT REALLY FRUSTRATES ME AND PISSES ME OFF.

ZACK'S ALWAYS TRYING TO FIND THE EASY WAY, JUST LIKE FRED,

BECAUSE HE'S A MACHINE OPERATOR. BUT OUT HERE,

IT TURNS INTO PHYSICAL, HARD LABOR HAS TO HAPPEN.

LET'S SEE HOW THAT WORKS OUT.

Narrator: 24-YEAR-OLD ZACK HAS BEEN A LOGGER FOR EIGHT YEARS,

BUT THIS IS HIS FIRST TIME MINING.

Zack: YOU KNOW, I'M THE NEW GUY HERE.

I'M THE LOWEST ON THE TOTEM POLE.

BUT IT IS HARD, ESPECIALLY COMING FROM A POSITION

WHERE I WAS RUNNING MY OWN CREWS

AND I HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKING UNDER ME TO WHERE NOW,

I'M WORKING UNDER EVERYBODY ELSE.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GOING TO BE ABLE

TO GET USED TO THAT, REALLY.

I'M GOING TO DO IT MY WAY, THAT'S JUST ALL THEIR IS TO IT.

SO HERE I GO.

THIS SUCKS.

Narrator: OVER THE LAST 120 YEARS,

THE CREEKS AROUND THE CHILKAT MOUNTAINS

HAVE PRODUCED MORE THAN $100 MILLION WORTH OF GOLD.

MEN HAVE MADE THEIR FORTUNES AND LOST THEIR LIVES.

THREE WEEKS AGO, THE DAKOTA BOYS RETURNED FOR ANOTHER SEASON

TO FIND THEIR FORTUNES DIVING FOR GOLD.

I THINK THAT'S GOING TO MAKE YOU A WEALTHY MAN.

BUT FOUND ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT HAD BEEN DESTROYED.

THE WATER MUST'VE COME UP EIGHT FEET.

THERE AIN'T A THING LEFT.

FRED WAS FORCED TO TAKE A $50,000 LOAN

FROM OLD RIVAL TODD HOFFMAN.

I WILL BE CHECKING IN.

NOW, FRED MUST DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.

Fred: IF TODD HOFFMAN DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH IN ME

THAT HE HAS TO SEND SOMEONE DOWN,

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HIS BACKGROUND IS,

DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR QUALIFICATIONS ARE, AN OUTSIDER.

I GUESS IF I NEED MONEY,

I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH CIRCUMSTANCES HERE.

YOU MUST BE CARLOS. YES, SIR.

HOW YOU DOING? FRED?

FRED, YEAH. HOW YOU DOING, SIR?

I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF DIVE GEAR TO BRING,

SO I JUST BROUGHT THE WHOLE THING.

IT'S PRETTY HEAVY.

WE'LL JUST SQUEEZE 'EM UP IN THERE.

WHAT KIND OF A BACKGROUND DO YOU HAVE?

WELL, I'VE DONE 13 YEARS

IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.

GOT OUT OF THAT, WENT INTO COMMERCIAL DIVING,

DID THAT SINCE 2002.

YOU KNOW WHY I'M HERE, RIGHT?

UH... I DO DIVING.

YEAH, I UNDERSTOOD, UH,

TODD WAS SENDING SOMEBODY UP TO, UH,

HE SAID "HELP US OUT." I HOPE THAT'S THE CASE.

IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT

COME UP HERE TO, UH, JUST KEEP AN EYE ON US,

'CAUSE, UH, WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING.

SENIOR HOFFMAN SENT ME OUT HERE JUST TO --

JUST TO PROTECT HIS INVESTMENT.

Fred: WE'RE AT CAMP.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS, MAN?

I MEAN, THIS IS WOODS. DEEP WOODS OUT HERE.

I'M MORE FOCUSED ON THAT, UH, THAT CROSSING RIGHT THERE.

THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE CABLE.

Narrator: TO GET TO THEIR CLAIM,

THE DAKOTA BOYS HAVE STRUNG A 250-FOOT CABLE

ACROSS A CANYON THAT'S 400 FEET DEEP.

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY ACROSS, RIGHT?

WE HAVEN'T DROPPED ANYBODY.

YET.

CRAP.

Carlos: I'M NOT SCARED OF HEIGHTS, I'M JUST SCARED OF FALLING.

AND I'M SCARED OF FALLING AND SURVIVING.

-Fred: ARE YOU READY? -YEAH.

-ARE YOU READY? -YEAH. I'M READY.

SON OF A .

SON OF A . DAMN IT.

OH, !

OH.

AH. HO.

HOLY .

TOUCHDOWN. ALL RIGHT.

GOOD TO GO. ALL RIGHT. TURN ME OFF.

TURN ME OFF. AGH, DAMN IT.

HE SEEMED A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS ABOUT THAT.

I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT.

I DIDN'T HEAR HIM SCREAMING.

THAT'S MY GEAR. DON'T DROP.

DON'T DROP, PLEASE.

THIS IS JUST GETTING TO WORK, THE COMMUTE TO WORK.

YEE-HAW! I THOUGHT THEY JUST DO THIS

IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES JUST TO GO TO WORK.

HOLY CRAP.

ALL RIGHT. I'M HERE.

WELL, LET'S GRAB THAT BOX.

WE'VE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO.

DO I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEARS IN THIS KIND OF AREA?

A LITTLE BIT.

Narrator: THE MINE SITE IS A GRUELING ONE-MILE HIKE

THROUGH McKINLEY'S RUGGED CANYONS.

DOES THAT GO ALL THE WAY AROUND?

DUSTIN, WES, AND PAUL HAVE MINED TOGETHER FOR THREE YEARS.

LET'S DO THAT.

TODD'S MAN CARLOS HAS NEVER MINED IN HIS LIFE.