Bering Sea Gold

Shawn: EVERY YEAR THAT WE'RE OUT THERE MINING,

IT GETS HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND THE SPOTS

THAT PAY THIS WELL.

THAT'S A PILE OF GOLD.

IT'S GOT TO BE SOME HEAVY GOLD RIGHT HERE.

Vernon: THE COMPETITION'S GETTING PRETTY STIFF.

EVERYBODY'S JUST CLUSTERED WHERE THE KNOWN GOLD IS.

ALMOST 20 DREDGES ON THE CLAIM. I'M GOING TO SMOKE 'EM OUT.

THEY'LL BE DIVING IN A MUD CLOUD.

IT'S THE POMRENKES.

THEY'LL GET WHAT'S COMING TO THEM.

THEY CAN KISS MY ASS.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER, NOME, ALASKA.

SO LOOK AT THIS.

THAT'S SALTWATER, TOO. OH.

WE'RE OUT OF HERE.

SHE'S FREEZIN' UP, BUT AT LEAST WE'RE STILL MINING.

Narrator: AS THE FIGHT FOR GOLD REACHES THE FINAL ROUNDS...

ONLY GOT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME LEFT IN MY SEASON.

I GOT TO GET SOME GOLD.

...FINISHING STRONG IS ALL THAT MATTERS.

Zeke: THE SEASON'S WRAPPING UP,

AND I HAVEN'T FOUND THE TREASURE YET.

I HAVEN'T FOUND THE CANYON OF GOLD.

I NEED TO GET OUT THERE. I NEED TO GET AFTER IT TOUGH.

Narrator: IT'S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF.

YOU GOT TO STAY WITH DAD.

KRIS, HE'S GOING DOWN A PATH OF DESTRUCTION.

OH. READY TO GET SOME GOLD, BOY?

SOME MORNING REFRESHMENT?

I AM TURNING MY SEASON AROUND. I'M MY OWN CAPTAIN AGAIN.

I LOVE THE ENTHUSIASM! I LOVE IT!

I'VE BEEN WORKING THE WHOLE SEASON WITH MY DAD

AND NOT MADE ONE DIME FROM IT.

Narrator: AND THE GLOVES ARE COMING OFF.

IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY TODAY, MAN.

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF NOME...

LET'S GO! WE GOT EVERYTHING WE NEED --

PICK, SHOVEL, PANS, COUPLE BUCKETS.

62-YEAR-OLD STEVE POMRENKE IS WORKING ON HIS BUCKET LIST.

IT'S TOP SECRET, DYLAN. IT'S TOP SECRET?

THIS IS LIKE TOP SECRET WHERE WE'RE GOING, RIGHT?

EVERYBODY HAS TO MAKE AN OATH RIGHT NOW.

TOP SECRET. Narrator: ALL SUMMER LONG...

ARE YOU IN -- IN ON THE INLAND LANE OR OUT?

WELL, WHERE ARE WE GOING MINING?

OH, I GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT, KID.

...STEVE'S BEEN PUSHING HIS SON SHAWN

TO HELP HIM FUND ONE LAST SHOT AT AN INLAND MINING OPERATION.

THERE'S SOME GOOD GROUND.

TODAY... YEAH, I GOT A COUPLE,

TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT PLACES HERE

I'D LIKE TO PROSPECT OUT.

SO THIS IS THE PRELIMINARY RUN --

PROSPECTING RUN ON THIS PROPERTY.

SEE IF WE CAN FIND SOME GOLD. HELL YEAH.

THE OLD MAN IS LEADING THREE GENERATIONS OF POMRENKES

ON A SCOUTING TRIP TO CHECK OUT HIS CHOSEN GROUNDS.

IF I GET THIS INLAND MINE SET UP,

IT'LL BE A LIFELONG THING FOR OUR GRANDKIDS, TOO.

THEY'LL HAVE A JOB FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS.

YEAH!

LOVE THE RIDE.

I KEEP HEARING RUMORS ABOUT THIS GROUND OUT HERE,

WHETHER IT'S PRETTY GOOD OR NOT.

AND TODAY WE DECIDED WE WERE GOING TO FINALLY CHECK IT OUT.

LOT OF PAY DIRT INLAND. IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF --

IT'S CALLED BRAIDED CHANNELS, FROM WHEN THE GLACIERS RETREATED

OFF OF THIS PLAIN HERE.

AS THE GLACIERS MELTED AND RECEDED,

IT LEFT OUT RIVER CHANNELS.

THEY -- THEY RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE.

YOU GOT TO KNOW WHAT DIRT TO RUN AND WHAT DIRT NOT TO RUN.

Narrator: IN NOME, FINDING DIRT TO RUN IS PART GEOLOGY...

JUST SCOOT ALONG HERE.

I DON'T KNOW. ALL RIGHT.

YOU TAKE THE HIGH ROAD. I'LL TAKE THE LOW ROAD.

Narrator: ...AND PART DETECTIVE WORK.

DO YOU SEE A BUILDING? DO YOU SEE A ROAD?

DO YOU -- ONLY THING YOU SEE IS A PILE OF TAILINGS

ON THE BANK OVER THERE.

Narrator: TAILING PILES ARE DISCARDED DIRT

MARKING GROUND ALREADY RUN BY MINERS LONG SINCE DEAD AND GONE.

FOR OVER A CENTURY, THIS TUNDRA HAS BEEN WORKED BY MAN

AND MACHINE ALIKE.

THE OLD TIMERS GOT A LOT OF THE GOLD,

BUT THEY DIDN'T GET IT ALL.

THE OLD TIMERS DID ALL THE HARD WORK

GOING AROUND AND FINDING IT.

NOW WE JUST WANT TO SEE IF THEY LEFT ANY BEHIND FOR US.

THAT WHITE MOSS, I CALL THAT MINER'S MOSS.

IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST PROSPECTING FUNGI

THAT YOU LOOK FOR.

WHEN YOU HAVE MINERALIZED GROUND AND GOLD POPPING UP

OUT OF THE GROUND, YOU HAVE MINER'S MOSS.

LOOK AT THAT.

MAN...

WOW. FROM THERE TO THERE, DYLAN.

DIG A HOLE.

DO YOU WANT GO JUST OFF THE TOP OF ONE OF THESE

TAILING PILES? SURE, RIGHT OFF THE TOP.

IT'S BEEN WASHING DOWN FOR YEARS.

BEACH GRAVEL, SAND GRAVEL.

HERE, YOU GOT BOOTS ON?

I'D SAY THERE'S WATER DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE.

DON'T BE LOSING ANY.

SEE ANYTHING?

OH, YEAH, BABY!

THAT'S A NICE LOOKIN' PAN.

THAT'S A GOOD MONEYMAKER RIGHT THERE.

WELL, I GUESS WE FOUND OUT WHAT WE WANTED TO FIND OUT HERE.

NOW WE'LL GO TO PRELIMINARY STEP NUMBER TWO AND GET A --

GET THE EXCAVATOR OUT HERE AND GO FROM THERE.

DIG SOME HOLES, DO SOME REAL SERIOUS TEST PANNING...

FOR QUANTITY AND QUALITY...

AND THEN GO FROM THERE.

THERE'S GOLD ALL OVER IN THESE HILLS, BUDDY.

Narrator: WHILE THE POMRENKES ARE FINDING GOLD ON LAND,

NINE MILES TO THE WEST

ON THE TOMCOD CLAIM...

Narrator: THEIR CHIEF RIVAL, HANK SCHIMSCHAT,

IS ALREADY ON THE BERING SEA.

RIGHT NOW WE'RE GONNA MINE RIGHT HERE.

RIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF THIS GUY'S CAMP.

THERE'S AN OLD RIVERBED THAT COMES OUT.

AND UM, IT'S, UH, A NICE BIG BOULDER HOLE OVER HERE

WHERE I'VE BEEN DIGGING.

THERE'S SOME ROCKS I CAN'T MOVE OUT THERE.

BUT WHAT I WANT TO DO IS, I WANT TO DIG AROUND 'EM

'CAUSE THERE'S BIG CHUNKS OF GOLD UNDERNEATH THEM.

BOULDERS AND GOLD, ALMOST LIKE A COUNTRY SONG.

Narrator: WITH 224 OUNCES WORTH $290,000 COLLECTED

HIS SOPHOMORE SEASON,

HANK'S LOOKING TO HIS SECRET HONEY HOLE

TO HELP HIM END ON A HIGH NOTE.

Hank: YOU LEARN HOW TO FOLLOW THE GOLD.

IT'S ANOTHER CONCEPT THAT I'VE LEARNED IN TWO YEARS.

THE GOLD COMES FROM THE CREEKS, BASICALLY, AND THE GLACIERS.

SO THEY RUN IN LINES.

THEY MIGHT MEANDER, BUT THEY RUN IN LINES.

AND SO ONCE YOU GET ON A GOOD LINE, YOU NEED TO FOLLOW IT.

TIME TO GO MININ'.

ROCKS.

ROCKS AND ROCKS AND ROCKS AND ROCKS.

IT AIN'T EASY WORKING ON THE BERING SEA

TRYING TO GET THIS GOLD, IT JUST AIN'T.

PUT YOUR BUCKET DOWN, AND YOU'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF ROCKS.

YOU CAN'T DIG THROUGH 'EM.

YOU GOT TO SNEAK DOWN IN BETWEEN 'EM

AND THEN TRY TO PULL 'EM.

WHOA, YEAH!

LOOKIN' GOOD. SHOULD WE DO A TEST PAN?

WE GOT -- NO WAY!

I THINK YOU HIT THE MOTHER LODE, BOSS.

HOLY ! YOU KIDDING ME?

OH, MY GOD!

OH, IT'S GOOD OUT HERE.

GOOD SPOT.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST TEST PAN OF THE YEAR

I'VE SEEN RIGHT THERE. THAT'S AWESOME.

I'M GETTING GOLD FEVER.

NEVER HAD IT BEFORE, BUT I TELL YOU WHAT,

WHEN YOU SEE THESE KIND OF PANS, WOW!

YOU GOT TO KEEP ON IT.

Narrator: WHILE HANK MAKES THE MOST OF HIS SECRET SPOT,

SEVEN MILES TO THE EAST,

BACK ON BELMONT BEACH... LET'S GET GOING.

NEWLY MINTED CAPTAIN KRIS KELLY,

ALONG WITH HIS PARTNER, BOSTON DAVE,

IS HEADED TO SEA...

Kris: SO TODAY IS OUR MAIDEN VOYAGE TOGETHER.

I KNOW FOR SURE WE'RE GONNA GET A COUPLE OUNCES.

Narrator: ...ON THE 14-BY-16-FOOT LOKO.

Kris: EXTREMELY SMALL SPACES. EVERYTHING IS SO COMPACT

THAT YOU HAVE TO CRAWL AROUND TO DO ANYTHING ON THIS BOAT.

IT'S KIND OF DANGEROUS.

LET'S ROCK AND ROLL.

BUT I'D RATHER BE HERE THAN WORKING WITH MY DAD ANYMORE.

Narrator: SINCE KRIS CAME TO TOWN TO DREDGE WITH HIS FAMILY,

THE KELLYS' STORY HAS BECOME A RAMBLING TALE.

READY? HERE WE GO.

I HOPE YOU AND MY BROTHER LIVE GREAT.

YUP. ANYTIME.

HIS LITTLE BROTHER QUIT.

HIS DAD DROVE HIM NUTS.

I JUST HATE THIS TOWN.

Narrator: HIS LITTLE BROTHER CAME BACK.

DAMN. SHE'S SO SMALL, SHE'D FIT UP A SUCTION HOSE.

Narrator: HIS DAD BABY WITH A WOMAN WHO WASN'T HIS MOM.

MY LITTLE PUMPKIN-HEAD.

I QUIT THIS BOAT RIGHT NOW!

Narrator: KRIS QUIT.

TEN GRAND BUYS YOU HALF THE LOKO.

I THINK IT MIGHT WORK, DUDE.

Narrator: THEN, KRIS BOUGHT INTO A NEW DREDGE.

ANOTHER GOOD INVESTMENT BY KRIS KELLY.

Narrator: OKAY? ALL RIGHT.

Kris: IT GOES ON AND ON HOW MANY TIMES I'M SCREWED BY MY DAD

IN ONE SEASON. IT'S DISGUSTING.

IT'S ABOUT TIME I ACTUALLY START TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY.