Gold Rush

I WANT HILARIOUS GOLD.

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH..."

Todd: WE GOT A CHANCE TO PROSPECT

THE RICHEST CREEK EVER FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA.

YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS, YOU GO FOR IT.

OUR BEST CHANCE IS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Ness: THAT'S UGLY.

Doumitt: TWO TIRES IN 20 MINUTES.

I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT.

GEEZ.

WHAT THE

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. -STOP!

WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY MORE WATER.

WE ARE KICKING ASS.

Nice job, bud.

Narrator: SPIRITS ARE HIGH ON THE HOFFMAN CLAIM.

WHAT?

THAT JUST HAPPENED.

I DIDN'T PUT ONE SCOOP IN HIS TRUCK.

Didn't get any dirt in there.

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

Narrator: AFTER JUST SIX WEEKS,

THE CREW ALREADY HAS 484 OUNCES OF GOLD.

AND THEY'VE JUST HAD THEIR BEST CLEANUP SO FAR --

204 OUNCES, WORTH $220,000.

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA ASK YOU NOW, DAVE.

I'D LIKE TO TAKE MY DAD, HUNTER, AND FREDDY

TO TAKE A LOOK AT ELDORADO.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Narrator: AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON,

THREE GENERATIONS OF HOFFMAN MEN

SCOUTED THE LEGENDARY ELDORADO CREEK

WITH CLAIM OWNER PETER TALLMAN.

Tallman: THIS IS THE RICHEST DOCUMENTED CREEK

IN NORTH AMERICA.

Narrator: SINCE DISCOVERING ELDORADO CREEK IN 1896,

MINERS HAVE PULLED OVER $1 BILLION WORTH OF GOLD

FROM THE AREA.

Jack: OH, MY GOSH.

BUT NO ONE HAS EVER FOUND THE SOURCE OF ALL OF THE GOLD.

I WANT TO DO IT.

TO PURSUE JACK'S DREAM,

DAVE TURIN HAS TO AGREE TO RUN McKINNON CREEK

WHILE THE HOFFMANS PROSPECT ELDORADO.

I HATE SPLITTING UP THE CREW,

BUT WE GOT A BIG MOUNTAIN OF PAY,

PLANT'S DIALED UP.

EVERYTHING'S RUNNING SMOOTH.

IF YOU GOT TO GO, NOW'S THE BEST TIME.

Todd: WE GOT A CHANCE TO PROSPECT

THE RICHEST CREEK EVER FOUND, BASICALLY,

IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.

BE CAREFUL.

LOVE YOU. SEE YOU IN A BIT.

YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS, YOU GO FOR IT.

Narrator: THE SHORTEST ROUTE UP TO ELDORADO

IS A MUDDY DIRT TRACK.

Todd: TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT PROSPECTING

WITH MY DAD AND MY SON,

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHERE YOU KIND OF DREAM OF.

SOME PEOPLE MAY LAUGH AT US, BUT IN THE END,

WE DO THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT.

HEY, FREDDY, WE GOT A TREE IN THE WAY.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO STOP.

HUNTER, YOU GET OUT. HOOK THE WINCH ON.

I'LL BACK THE POLARIS UP, AND I'LL JUST PULL IT.

Jack: COME ON.

COME ON.

COME ON.

COME ON.

LOOKS LIKE WE GOT IT.

WE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME.

LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I MEAN, COULD GOLD BE UP HERE THIS HIGH?

IT'S WHEREVER THE FAULT IS.

YOU GOT TO START AT THE TOP.

AND THEN IF IT'S NOT THERE, WE HAVE TO WORK OUR WAY DOWN.

Narrator: SOMEWHERE HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE ELDORADO,

THERE IS A GOLD-RICH QUARTZ VEIN.

OVER TIME, STREAMS HAVE ERODED THIS VEIN,

CARRYING GOLD DOWN INTO THE VALLEYS BELOW.

AS THE HOFFMANS WORK THEIR WAY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN,

THE HIGHEST GOLD THEY FIND

SHOULD REVEAL THE LOCATION OF THE VEIN --

THE SOURCE OF THE GOLD.

WE'RE ALMOST AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN HERE.

IF THE VEINS WERE UP THERE AND WE'RE CLOSER TO THEM

THE GOLD COULD BE DANG GOOD RIGHT HERE.

IF THE VEINS ARE DOWN BELOW US, THERE MAY NOT BE SQUAT HERE.

LET'S PAN SOME.

LET'S CHECK IT OUT.

Dodge: IT'S PRETTY DANG HARD TO FIND A FAULT LINE OR A VEIN.

WE'RE LOOKING AT FEET AND FEET OF BLACK MUCK

ON TOP OF WHO KNOWS WHAT UNDER US RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: FINDING A FAULT LINE

IS LIKE FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK.

LOOKING FOR SOME ROUNDED GRAVEL, HOPEFULLY CLOSE TO BEDROCK.

PROBABLY ONE OF THE BETTER SPOTS TO HOPEFULLY FIND THE SOURCE.

Todd: WE ARE IN THE RIGHT AREA.

WE JUST GOT TO FIND THE RIGHT SPOT.

-NOTHING. -NOTHING.

NO GOLD HERE.

WE'RE ABOVE THE SOURCE.

WE GOT TO GO DOWNHILL BELOW THE SOURCE

'CAUSE GOLD FOLLOWS GRAVITY AND GOES DOWN.

WELL, WE'LL DROP DOWN LOWER, WE'LL PAN,

AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN FIND IT.

Narrator: OVER THE LAST 120 YEARS,

ELDORADO CREEK HAS BEEN MINED BY THOUSANDS OF PROSPECTORS.

BUT JACK HAS FAITH IN HIS QUEST.

CAREFUL, DAD.

THEY WORKED THIS PLACE HARD.

THEY GOT A LOT OF GOLD OUT OF HERE.

BUT THEY'VE MISSED THE SOURCE.

WATER'S NOT GETTING ANY WARMER.

OH, DUDE.

-YOU CAN DO IT. -NO.

YOU PUT YOUR HANDS IN THERE.

-YOU CAN DO IT! -DON'T PUSS OUT.

Todd: JUSTIN BIEBER OF THE NORTH.

-DUDE. -QUICK PAN.

COME ON, COLOR.

I'M NOT SEEING WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE YET.

YEAH, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING.

SAME RESULT AS THE LAST PAN, TODD -- NOTHING.

SO FAR, WE HAVEN'T HAD VERY GOOD LUCK.

LET'S KEEP MOVING.

LET'S GO TRY ANOTHER SPOT.

THERE'S GOT TO BE VIRGIN BACK IN HERE.

-FREDDY. -YEAH?

I BROUGHT THAT DRONE UP HERE.

I WAS THINKING IF WE TOOK THE DRONE OUT, FLEW IT UP ABOVE,

WE CAN KIND OF GET A GOOD LOOK UP ON THE HILL HERE.

MAY BE A LITTLE VIRGIN PATCH UP THERE.

YOU CAN COVER MORE GROUND WITH THAT IN AN HOUR

THAN WE CAN IN A WEEK WALKING AROUND IN THIS THICK STUFF.

Narrator: HUNTER IS BRINGING PROSPECTING

THE LEGENDARY ELDORADO CREEK INTO THE 21st CENTURY.

TAKE IT AS HIGH AS YOU CAN GET ME.

THE DRONE ALLOWS THE HOFFMANS TO SURVEY THE VALLEY

FROM 200 FEET ABOVE THE TREES...

GOOD, HUNTER. GOOD.

...SOMETHING THE OLD-TIMERS COULD ONLY DREAM OF.

WHAT'S UP HERE? LOOK AT THAT.

Dodge: HUH, WONDER IF IT'S AN OLD BENCH UP THERE --

AN OLD BENCH ON THE SIDE.

A BENCH IS WHERE THE CREEK USED TO BE.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN UP THERE 10,000 YEARS AGO.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN UP THERE A MILLION YEARS AGO.

SEE WHERE THOSE SPRUCE TREES ARE ON THE BENCH?

-YEAH. -WE KNOW THAT'S VIRGIN.

THOSE SPRUCE TREES ARE 150 YEARS OLD.

IT HASN'T BEEN MINED THERE.

LET'S GO FOR A LITTLE HIKE AND SEE WHAT'S UP THERE.

Narrator: THE HOFFMANS MAY HAVE JUST FOUND

THE LAST VIRGIN GROUND IN ELDORADO CREEK.

IS THIS IT, YOU THINK?

THAT SURE LOOKS LIKE THAT BENCH YOU HAD ON THAT DRONE.

YOU SEE WHERE IT GOES UP?

YOU CAN JUST SEE IT STARTING TO FLATTEN.

WE'RE RIGHT UP FROM WHERE WE WERE FLYING THE DRONE.

IT WAS JUST TO THE LEFT OF US, UP THE HILL

A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS. -OKAY.

Narrator: JACK'S DREAM IS ALIVE.

ALL WE GOT TO DO IS FIND ONE PLACE THAT THEY MISSED.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT COULD HAVE ALL THE GOLD.

THIS COULD BE THE FAULT.

TELL YOU WHAT, I THINK I MIGHT WAIT HERE ON THIS ONE.

I'M BUILT FOR COMFORT, NOT CLIMBING.

-IT'S PRETTY STEEP RIGHT HERE. -YEAH.

WELL, THIS IS DEFINITELY VIRGIN GROUND.

THOSE TREES ARE 150 YEARS OLD.

LET'S PUNCH A HOLE RIGHT HERE, HUNTER.

SEE WHAT LIVES UNDER THIS.

Narrator: BUT IN THE KLONDIKE...

OH, GEEZ.

THAT'S NOT GOOD.

...VIRGIN GROUND NEVER COMES EASY.

OOH, FEEL THAT -- ICE-COLD.

LET ME TRY A PICK.

EVEN THE ROOTS ARE FROZEN.

HEY, TODD. -YEAH?

GROUND'S FROZE SOLID.

WE SURE AS HECK AREN'T DIGGING IT WITH A SHOVEL.

Schnabel: YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER MACHINE COULD HAVE BROKE DOWN,

BUT WHEN THE WASH PLANT GOES,

YOU KNOW WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY GOLD.

Narrator: AT SCRIBNER CREEK,

PARKER SCHNABEL'S TAILINGS CONVEYOR IS JAMMED.

AND HIS WASH PLANT IS SHUT DOWN.

THAT'S PROBABLY GONNA TAKE US A COUPLE HOURS TO GET IT GOING.

BUT LET'S GET IT CLEANED UP AND BACK TOGETHER AS FAST AS WE CAN.

I MUST HAVE DID SOMETHING WRONG YESTERDAY TO DESERVE THIS,

THAT'S FOR SURE.

SIX WEEKS INTO THE SEASON,

PARKER HAS ONLY 171 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WORTH $180,000 --

HALF WHAT HE HAD THIS TIME LAST YEAR.