00:00Next on Prospectors...
00:02Look out below!
00:03Mount Intero is an avalanche zone.
00:05The Colorado Spring Thaw has made the Bussey claim an unstable boulder minefield.
00:10That whole chute could go loose.
00:12You don't unload a chute from the bottom.
00:14I know, it's dangerous.
00:15Jesus, if he falls, he's got 70 feet until he hits anything.
00:19Steve Brancato and Travis Anderson battle heights and a fast-moving storm.
00:23Got rain down in the valley.
00:25When it hits, it hits fast.
00:27Oh, my God!
00:29I'm gonna find something significant.
00:32And Rich Frederick uncovers one of his biggest finds ever.
00:35It's freaking huge.
00:42They're Rocky Mountain treasure hunters.
00:44Oh, look at that! Look at that!
00:45It's gemmy.
00:46Looking to strike it rich.
00:48Yes!
00:49But the quest for gems comes at a cost.
00:52Weather, rock slides, and breed make this a deadly gem.
00:56Can't cover!
00:58They are the extreme fortune seekers known as prospectors.
01:01I think you're looking up for in the quarter million dollar range.
01:04Holy cow!
01:05Colorado's Mount Antero is North America's highest gem field.
01:13At 14,000 feet, it provides stunning beauty, constant danger.
01:20And nobody spends more time on this mountain than the Busse family.
01:25Let's roll that first thousand-carat stone today.
01:30My wife Yolanda and I and our sons have been mining Mount Antero for eight years.
01:36We stay on Mount Antero as long as the weather permits every year.
01:40We don't put stuff in camp away.
01:42Chipmunks will get into it.
01:43Yeah.
01:44My wife is Hickory Apache, as well as Navajo and Pueblo.
01:49So I often refer to them as my tribe.
01:52Go find some good stuff.
01:54The Busse's will be attacking their Thank You Lord claim, sitting at 12,000 feet.
02:03The claim has taken a beating over the winter.
02:05Constant freezing has caused rocks to break free from the slope above, making it too dangerous to mine.
02:11Mount Antero is a 95% Talos Rock Avalanche zone.
02:17You always look out for people's safety up here.
02:27On the other side of Colorado's Mount Antero, Steve Brancado and his mining partner Travis Anderson have spent weeks moving boulders, but have found very little.
02:37It's ridiculous.
02:38Every time I flip over a rock, is this it? Is this it?
02:40I mean, it gets old after a few weeks, you know.
02:45So for today, they've decided to explore some intriguing and treacherous new territory.
02:50We're going to take a little break and do some actual prospecting.
02:52I mean, after all, we are prospectors.
02:59Travis is going to be roping down onto a vertical, about a hundred foot cliff to get to this iron stain section that looks like a tremendous vein.
03:08Iron is the mineral that makes aquamarine blue.
03:12I've been eyeballing it since I first got up here, but I've got vertigo, so I'm not doing it.
03:17I'm going to be supervising this from across the draw.
03:23He's going to get in there, good Lord willing, and get into a big pocket today.
03:26100 miles south of Denver, and 60 miles east of Mount Antero, is Lake George.
03:41This is where Rich Frederick is focused on a potential treasure underground.
03:48Well, here we go. Are you ready?
03:50I did better with the blood in my mouth.
03:53Here we go. Here we go.
03:56He's down there in a hole where he likes to be all the time.
04:00I've been mining 33 years.
04:06My passion is the thrill of discovery.
04:09The best crystal I've found to date is worth $125,000.
04:14I'm not telling anybody where, but I just found some gold too.
04:19I'm going to have a great day today. I'm going to find something significant.
04:22Hey, there's something going on back here.
04:24Look at the red mud coming from back in there.
04:26It's pocket mud.
04:29Oh, oh, oh, what's this?
04:31Man, you're going to be like a kid in a candy store here in about four minutes.
04:36Oh, wow.
04:41Back on the Busse's Thank You Lord claim, they're starting to clear the loose rock
04:45that weathered down the mountain in the spring thaw.
04:48Back off and just let Brian and I rip through this bank real quick.
04:52Clear out of the way.
04:54What we're doing is a safety clear on the site.
04:59Aquamarine pockets have also weathered down from above.
05:02And moving rock means the potential for uncovering gems in the gravel.
05:07Moving rock up here is very dangerous.
05:09It only takes one rock to hit you to hurt you.
05:14Look out below!
05:16One, two, three.
05:17One, two, three.
05:22Oh!
05:23Hand grenade!
05:29We've had a few injuries on the mountain.
05:32I've had a dislocated hip, broken some ribs.
05:38A few weeks before that, I'd taken a bar on the shoulder.
05:42We take the safety of it real serious.
05:47Whoa!
05:49I'm sorry.
05:50Don't step behind me when I'm throwing rocks.
05:54Nobody steps behind me while I'm working.
06:02In Lake George, at his ace in the hole claim...
06:05Look at this.
06:06Oh, wow.
06:08...Rich Frederick may have found a pocket worthy of the title.
06:11That's a fluoride.
06:12That is a sweetheart.
06:16Ooh-wee!
06:20Fluoride is a common translucent crystal that can be found in large deposits all over the world.
06:26Coming in a rainbow of colors, the price per carat ranges from $11 to $25.
06:31Hey, check this one out.
06:33That thing's heavy.
06:36The New Age type people really like them.
06:38It fluoresces and phosphluoresces.
06:41In the dark, it'll still stay glowing.
06:43Oh, Donovan.
06:44Oh, boy.
06:45This might be the biggest one yet.
06:47Oh, look at that.
06:49Look at it on the bottom.
06:51And it is octahedron.
06:53Look at that jemmy one on the top.
06:55Look at the deep color saturation in that.
06:58Oh, wow.
06:59Woo-hoo!
07:01I'm so excited about it.
07:03I've got floralitis.
07:05Look it.
07:06It's starting to grow all over me.
07:08Ha-ha.
07:10Ha-ha.
07:12Back on Mount Antero, Steve Brancato and his mining partner Travis Anderson are prospecting a very dangerous rock base on his claim in search of aquamarine.
07:27There's nuts.
07:29Trap hasn't even tied off yet.
07:31It's frightening just to watch him.
07:33It really is.
07:35The two falls, he's got 70 feet until he hits anything.
07:39And then he's got another 40 or 50 feet after that before he finally stops.
07:43So, we're gonna go down and check this out as fast as we can and, uh, get the hell out of here.
07:51All right, be careful, man.
07:52It might seem crazy, but if you're hanging off a rope and you pull a crystal out that's worth $100,000, then, you know, it was crazy.
08:04It makes me a little dizzy even sitting here watching.
08:09It's like a loved one.
08:10I gotta go down.
08:11I'm safe.
08:12Oh!
08:13Oh!
08:14I'm safe.
08:15Oh!
08:16I'm safe!
08:17I'm safe!
08:18Oh!
08:19Um!
08:20On Colorado's Mount Antero, Steve Brancato is looking for his next million dollar find.
08:45His mining partner, Travis Anderson, repels down a sheer cliff to investigate a potential aquamarine pocket.
08:55Oh my God!
08:58Drown!
09:03Sweet, you got it.
09:08Yeah, I'm over here.
09:10I'm hanging there and I see this big, huge, you know, what looks to be like a 500-pound slab of rock and it's falling right down on top of the ropes.
09:22It might yank on your anchor, it might cut your rope.
09:25If it wasn't for this rope, you'd be dead.
09:31Despite the dangers, Travis has made it to the target area, the iron staining being a likely sign of aquamarine.
09:39All of this is pegmatic, pocket formation.
09:44But as he begins to excavate the potential pocket...
09:48Got rain down in the valley.
09:51...Steve spots a danger.
09:54When it starts to build up down in the valley and come up here, it's usually indicative of a big storm.
10:01We really need to keep an eye on the weather because when it hits, it hits fast.
10:09On the other side of the mountain, the weather has not yet affected the buses' attempts to clear their claim.
10:28But before they can begin to hunt for aquamarine, they must deal with the effects of the Colorado spring freeze thaw.
10:45Let's take a look at this first corner.
10:47A chute near a ship rock has been filled in with broken boulders, creating a steep, shifting talus slope.
10:54That whole chute could go loose.
10:56And the busses must clear it from above.
11:03I'm trying to knock as much loose off this loaded rock chute as possible.
11:08If I hit just right on the right edge, there may be a rock that would give way and the whole thing would go.
11:22No point.
11:23It seems loose, but it's not going.
11:27After an hour with no luck, Brian Jr. decides to take a new, very dangerous approach.
11:32I'm right underneath you.
11:34One that doesn't sit well with his father.
11:36You're not on ship rock, so get yourself on ship rock or come back up here, please.
11:44I disagree with Brian.
11:46You don't unload a chute from the bottom.
11:49The bottom of the chute is unstable and could result in Brian Jr. being swept away in an uncontrolled slide.
11:57I know it's dangerous.
11:58I'm going to leave if you don't do something different.
12:03It's a matter of life and death.
12:04It's not worth a gemstone to put yourself in a treacherous spot.
12:09I see a pretty big rock here.
12:10Enough's enough.
12:11Listen.
12:12He's not a rookie.
12:13He does have 13 years experience, but there is safety issues.
12:18Give me a moment.
12:19We've been very fortunate that we haven't had any serious injuries.
12:25Beautiful place.
12:26Gotta be safe.
12:27But there is safety issues
12:32Give me a moment
12:38We've been very fortunate that we haven't had any serious injuries
12:46Beautiful place gotta be safe
12:48Back on the other side of Mount Antero Steve and his mining partner Travis are facing their own dangers
13:02The dangerous Thunderheads typically comes up out of the valley out of the southeast
13:07Those are the worst storms. Those are the ones that make me nervous
13:12It's more likely when it rains that something's gonna fall down from above
13:18It's raining, it's cold
13:27And now there's lightning
13:30When you're above timberline you wish there was a tree for it to draw the attention of the lightning
13:35You're the only thing that it wants to hit up there
13:42Coming up
13:44Rich Freddard makes his best find of the day. It's Jimmy
13:48It's freaking huge
13:57Prospector Steve Brancado has been mining Colorado's Mount Antero for over a decade
14:01Not to put any pressure on you or anything. It's building up coming in from the west
14:07And experience has told him that storms coming in from the valley below spell bad news
14:12When the clouds start gathering together is when we really have a problem
14:23And now an electrical storm has moved in fast
14:27Catching Steve and his mining partner of two years Travis Anderson in a vulnerable spot
14:31As the storm rolls up the valley over the mountain Travis makes it to lower and safer ground
14:59For steve it's the second time this season that the weather's chased him off the mountain with no gems to show for his effort
15:08Well, that was a big waste of time. It's ridiculous
15:11On the other side of Mount antero brian bussy jr. Despite his father's protests has finally managed to clear a dangerous section of the talus shoot
15:26Where is that blue? Come on? Just roll on out. I can't find you come find me
15:3399% of what we do or is move rock and it's the non-glorious part of mining the finding crystals is fun and easy
15:43Watch for blue. That's great gravel more than likely see some aquamarine when we break this out here
15:49The busses are on the hunt for aquamarine one of the most popular gemstones because of its shine hardness and typical lack of flaws
15:59Its color ranges from blue to a deep sea blue the world's largest aquamarine was found in brazil dubbed the dom pedro uncut it weighed in at almost 60 pounds
16:10Nice found some aqua looks like this can be a good spot
16:14Aquamarine ranges from one to six hundred dollars per carat that all depends on clarity and color
16:23But the dark blue clear stones we consider them worth more than their weight in gold. Oh, look at that
16:30That's about a 10 carat aquamarine crystal. There's aqua. Yes, and i'm guessing 20 carats
16:38blue fever
16:40The thrill of finding the next piece keeps me going wow
16:45Just like that that's beautiful stone
16:47beautiful stone
16:51If we make that all into jewelry and sell it there's between two and three thousand dollars worth of jewelry value in the hand there today
17:00It wasn't a bad day
17:02One hundred miles south of denver and 60 miles east of mount antero
17:11rich fredard's ace in the hole claim has turned into a royal flush of fluorite
17:15Oh my goodness, it's jimmy. I want you to see it your own self
17:24Get on your belly enjoy it. Oh, it's freaking huge
17:28Oh
17:33But they're out to uncover the best find of the day what is going on what are you what are you what are you?
17:42And what riches found oh
17:45Mike just make his whole year. This is what it's all about dude. Oh man look at that, huh
17:59What is going on what are you what are you what are you?
18:03Near lake george, colorado rich fredard and his mining partner donovan sutters may have found their best pocket of the season
18:11Oh, man
18:14This is what it's all about dude
18:17There you go
18:19Be very very careful up most careful
18:22Oh, man look at that, huh?
18:26That's why we came back here today
18:29We knew there was something really good
18:32What I just pulled out is the gemmiest largest fluorite cube in the pocket system so far
18:39It's worth the whole day just this one piece
18:41Every pocket has a sweet prize in it. That's the sweet prize. Wow
18:46It's awesome. I'd be giggling all the way home
18:53I have a great feeling this is going to make my year
19:04Two weeks later rich has asked renowned mineral expert brian lees of collector's edge to appraise his fluorites and assess the value of his pocket
19:13I've got several very good specimens and I believe they'll bring a high dollar
19:17I heard you had some exciting things
19:19It's the fluorites that i'm really interested in the green center is what actually
19:26phosphoresces
19:30The longest i've seen a fluorite phosphoresce
19:33Maybe a minute but these eight hours wow that really is unusual
19:37You know a fluorite's common form is a cube so you see the outline of the cube right there
19:43You had a different set of conditions from when it formed the green to when it formed the purple
19:47I have never seen that on a pike's peak fluorite before
19:50The basic thing here that hurts these pockets is the iron contained within these the fluorites from pike's peak
19:55I've seen several with a mirror like luster
19:58Unfortunately because of of all the iron in these pockets you have a matte luster instead of a mirror bright luster
20:03Right, okay
20:04But what else have you got in this box?
20:05Okay, this one I call the miracle fluorite
20:08Look at the color in that blue lavender color
20:11That's probably the sweetest piece out of the pocket
20:14It's fantastic
20:17My guess is he's gonna say maybe two thousand dollars for it
20:22It's gorgeous
20:24I'd put a price between four and five thousand dollars on this piece
20:28It doesn't have the unusualness of the first piece with the double modification
20:33I would probably put a similar value on this specimen
20:36I would like to see a price on that of four or five thousand dollars
20:39Wow
20:39You can search for a lifetime and not find it
20:42Such a cool piece
20:43I must be a lucky guy
20:46Oh gosh
20:47I'd probably say
20:50In terms of total amount for the pocket
20:52Maybe $15,000 range
20:56Wow
20:56Wow, Brian, that's awesome
20:59I really had no idea
21:01I'm thrilled
21:02I had no idea that pocket was that valuable
21:04I've got awesome unique material
21:06It's very sellable
21:08I'm quite happy about it
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