- 10 minutes ago
Battling the raging whitewater at Nugget Creek, Dustin and crew must build a safe harbor for their dredge. Meanwhile, legendary miner Fred Hurt returns to help solve the mystery of the pilings gold.
跟随砂金矿工达科塔·弗雷德·赫特与其子达斯汀·赫特, 记录他们重返阿拉斯加州海恩斯区麦金利溪, 在湍急的水...
跟随砂金矿工达科塔·弗雷德·赫特与其子达斯汀·赫特, 记录他们重返阿拉斯加州海恩斯区麦金利溪, 在湍急的水...
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TVTranscript
00:05Bear, bear, bear, what you doing, buddy?
00:09Oh, you don't want to play.
00:12Bears these days just don't want to play anymore.
00:15Going to do a surprise checkup on Kayla's crew at Mark Stevens' place.
00:21Got a lot on my plate.
00:23Got more to do than I have time.
00:27In remote Southeast Alaska,
00:30Dustin Hurt has spent every last cent of his savings
00:32on his new claim at Nugget Creek
00:35and is counting on Kayla's crew at Porcupine Creek
00:39to help bankroll the entire operation.
00:42How's it going?
00:43Pretty good.
00:44We're starting to get all the little quirks worked out.
00:47Ah, that's some dirty water you got there.
00:49It's awful.
00:50So I thought you were going to kick the tailings over the road.
00:53I mean, the water's going to be that color regardless.
00:56Well, that's...
00:57That's...
00:58Well, look at the difference.
01:03Paul Richardson is three hours into his dive
01:06and dredging blind.
01:10Mind if I talk to him for a sec?
01:12Yeah.
01:13Hey, Paul, how you doing, man?
01:15Not good.
01:16So what's the digging like?
01:18Can't see.
01:22Yeah, I'm about ready to call my dive.
01:28Oh, man.
01:41There's one piece right there.
01:43It's not...
01:44It's just a flake.
01:45It's like 10 cents worth of gold.
01:47If that.
01:48It's not a lot of work for nothing.
01:50That really sucks.
01:57I might be changing some things up here.
02:00It might piss a lot of people off.
02:02It's okay.
02:03I'm okay with pissing people off.
02:07I don't like the way things are being done.
02:09I got some different ideas.
02:12It's just a show.
02:17Kayla and Justin, I'm going to need you guys to come up with me to camp and scout out your
02:22new place.
02:22We need to know where y'all are digging.
02:26Scott and Paul, you're going to stay here in the dredge.
02:30It's a lot of damn work, man.
02:33I think we need somebody with experience.
02:38You're not going to like what he has to say about anything, but I would like Fred to be here.
02:52What the hell y'all got going here?
02:54Three, two, one.
02:57Watch out.
02:57He almost died.
03:00Nobody fall over the edge.
03:02Oh.
03:05I only have two rules.
03:07Don't get hurt.
03:08Don't die.
03:11Holy moly.
03:12My wife would kill me.
03:17Is that?
03:18Yeah, dude.
03:20The fact that every pan had a little bit of gold in it was a really good sign.
03:24There you go, Scott.
03:26Woo!
03:27That's nice.
03:38Bring as much as you can because we're going to need at least two jugs.
03:42If you flip it over, it'll carry real easy, I think.
03:47Nine miles up the Sirku River, deep in the Alaskan wilderness, mine boss Dustin Hurt is a month into the
03:55mining season on his new Nugget Creek claim.
03:59It's just costing a lot of money because we're way out here, so we need to get in the water.
04:03We need to find some gold.
04:04That has to happen.
04:06We're going to go up there.
04:07I need to make a parking spot for the dredge.
04:09That's my goal today.
04:10I need us in the water.
04:12All this is costing too much, and we need to start getting gold in the pocket.
04:17That's all there is to it.
04:18It has to pay for itself.
04:21Last week, with a little help from mining legend Fred Hurt, Dustin finally punched through the ice barrier, blocking the
04:30path to his Golden Gates dive site.
04:33Hey!
04:34Holy crap!
04:36I got some gold, man!
04:40Now, with his new dive site free of ice, Dustin is about to double down.
04:46Go look for your new site.
04:47I would suggest bringing a rope, wear some harnesses.
04:50Not that you don't know what you're doing, but slips happen.
04:53We all slip.
04:54All right.
04:55Everybody know what to do?
04:55Yep.
04:56All right.
04:56It's time to hit it.
04:57Let's get to it.
05:01500 feet up creek is the start of Dustin's claims, and it's here that Fred found their first goal, dubbing
05:11the area the Golden Gates.
05:14I'm excited about this area.
05:16Look at those boulders.
05:18There's going to be a line of gold right through here because this has not been touched, any of this.
05:23The virgin ground looks promising, but it will take a diver in the water to see how much gold lies
05:29beneath.
05:30You want to put the dredge right here?
05:32We haven't decided yet.
05:34Now, this seems like a lot of extra work, but I want to make a dam all the way across
05:41and make that water level match.
05:43It'll slow that water down where we're at.
05:46With that boulder out of the way, it would give me a parking spot so I could put the dam
05:51dredge in back of the boat about three or four feet behind this big rock.
05:57That big rock gone.
05:58That would be my perfect world right there.
06:01That would be an awesome world right there.
06:05To get the dredge in the water, Dustin must first move monster boulders downstream to create a dam.
06:13This will raise the water level and slow the raging current, creating a perfect spot to float the dredge and
06:21dive for what Dustin believes is an untouched deposit of gold.
06:27All right, guys, let's pop some rocks.
06:29Let's get this dam up.
06:30I need this dredge in the water.
06:32We've got to get to digging.
06:33Let's get a diver in the water, man.
06:34Let's go.
06:44So this gives you an idea of what we're dealing with with the water.
06:47This creek drops, I think, 900 feet per mile.
06:52So it's going to be fast water.
06:54No kidding.
06:58Kayla, there's a really hard hike going all the way up creek.
07:01You guys got your work cut out for you.
07:04I've only seen ice and snow as far as I've been up, so.
07:08We need to get an aerial view so we can find somewhere that's more exposed with less snow.
07:13What I was thinking for you was to continue right here.
07:17That's what we were looking at.
07:18That's a marathon right there.
07:20That's not a sprint.
07:24That's a marathon right there.
07:32That's not a sprint.
07:37Let's go.
07:38I won't.
07:40I can put a little extra weight in mine if needed.
07:44The weight I need to lose you can't take.
07:47Nope.
07:52I've got some bear doo-doo.
07:54I don't have a gun either.
07:56If we get up to a ledge that opens up where we can walk along it, we might be able
08:00to walk
08:01upstream too and get a better view.
08:03So hopefully not too far.
08:05Hopefully.
08:11Nine miles north, 79-year-old mining legend Fred Hurt returns to Porcupine Creek, the same
08:20creek where he and Dustin first started their adventure.
08:2419 years of memories.
08:27Good old Porcupine Creek mine.
08:30Over a decade ago.
08:31We know there's gold sitting under our feet.
08:34Fred gambled on the legend of the glory hole and chased an ancient waterfall over a hundred
08:40feet deep.
08:42The material is just too hard and this thing doesn't have enough power to continue.
08:46They never reached the bedrock bottom.
08:49Declaring it right now abandoned.
08:52But still got to their biggest payday.
08:56Yeah.
08:57Hell yeah.
08:59We took about three quarters of a million dollars worth of gold out of this hole.
09:03Did I have fun doing it?
09:06Hell yes, I did.
09:09Now, he's heading a mile up Porcupine Creek to take over the dredging operation at Mark
09:16Seban's claim.
09:21There seemed to be a considerable amount of problem.
09:25I probably have a little more irritating way of dealing with it than Dustin.
09:30As I'm getting a little older, I'm trying to be a little more tactful.
09:35Just a little.
09:41How's it going, Fred?
09:42Hey, hey!
09:44Hey, Fred.
09:44What's up, man?
09:45Good to see you, buddy.
09:46Yeah!
09:47Welcome back out to Porcupine.
09:48Oh, damn.
09:49How you been doing?
09:50They're just sucking down diesel.
09:52Oh, yeah.
09:54On this spot, a century ago, the early miners built a huge wooden flume to divert Porcupine
10:01Creek and mine the riverbed for millions of dollars of gold.
10:07Mark believes the remains of the pilings that supported the flume prove that the ground by
10:13the side of the creek was never mined, leaving behind a treasure trove of gold.
10:23Look, boy, y'all do have a nasty mess here.
10:27Well, we got a cesspool.
10:29Yeah.
10:31Oh, Lord!
10:32It's so murky that we can't see anything, so we can't really make good progress.
10:36We end up spending more time taking our plug-ups out.
10:40The way they have it set up now is just an impossible situation.
10:45They're dumping dirty water back into the water they're diving in.
10:50Duh.
10:52It'll settle down if we let it alone for a couple days.
10:54It'll settle down and we'll have some clarity, but as soon as we fire the dredge up, it's
10:58all back to this again.
11:06I would put two of them, make two ponds out of one.
11:10Two ponds?
11:11I would.
11:14I'd rather spend the half a day, divide the pond in two parts so we can see what we're doing.
11:19We're going to split this and make two ponds out of this, and then we're going to go ahead
11:23and put the dredge in a secondary pond.
11:26That will clarify the water, and it should be okay.
11:33Fred's plan?
11:34Build a berm to divide the pond in two, placing the dredge between the two ponds so all the
11:42dirty water from the sluice goes straight into the lower pond, keeping the dive pond clear
11:49for the crew to dredge for gold.
12:06Paul and Scott indicated it was just going to take them a half a day to build that peninsula
12:12all the way across that pond.
12:14Ain't going to happen.
12:16There'll be a day, day and a half, maybe two days, especially the way they're doing it.
12:30Hey, put your dirt on top of dirt, like right here, and just ease it, then dump it.
12:39Don't ever dump dirt in the water.
12:42Copy that.
12:44Water is like kryptonite.
12:46If you drop dirt through it, it just dispenses it.
12:50You lose 80% of the buoyancy of your dirt.
12:55I could get on that thing, get that thing out there at 15 feet in about an hour.
13:02It's hell to know stuff and not be able to pass it on to people.
13:09What the hell y'all got going here?
13:14You want me to get that thing started for you so you can get your ass moving?
13:19If you want to show me exactly what you're talking about, because I think I got an idea.
13:24I'll be on it in 20 minutes.
13:26Cool.
13:26Go for it, man.
13:27All right.
13:30I kind of bowed to the experience that Fred has.
13:32He's got a ton of time on excavators.
13:41With nearly a quarter of a century in the construction business,
13:46there is nothing Fred doesn't know about moving dirt.
13:50Come on, let's go.
13:53Now in the hot seat, the berm build shifts into overdrive.
13:59You've got to teach these young bucks everything.
14:07Up ahead.
14:08Ready for some noise?
14:12Nobody fall over the edge.
14:14Man, holy moly.
14:15This is what white water is all about, folks!
14:28Man, if that would go on top of those, that would be good.
14:31This is going to go down there.
14:33We're going to use it for a dam.
14:34Come on, come on.
14:36Oh, yeah.
14:37That's a busy, busy day, amigo.
14:38Busy, busy day.
14:42At the Golden Gates, Dustin's crew battles some of the most challenging conditions they've ever faced.
14:49That's it!
14:49The goal?
14:51To have their dredge in the water by week's end.
14:54But first, they must build it a safe harbor.
14:57We are way behind schedule.
14:59But we can't leave.
15:00We've already been in the water already.
15:01Had a couple ounces to show for it.
15:04And it's just taking us forever.
15:11Three, two, one!
15:14Woo-hoo!
15:15Nice!
15:17Did you hear that?
15:20They just popped a rock.
15:24High on the ridgeline overhead, Kayla and Justin bushwhack deep into bear country in a desperate search for a second
15:32dive site.
15:33We've got enough elevation gain right here.
15:36If we start kind of traversing across, maybe to find an edge instead of keep going up, we might be
15:42able to get a good view.
15:44We really need to find somewhere where the snow has melted.
15:57I'm just trying to get little foot grabs.
16:00That way we at least have good traction.
16:02And voice sliding down to who knows what would stop us.
16:06I don't like how it looks down there.
16:14We've made it higher up the mountain.
16:17Trying to get a view of vantage so we can determine where we might have a good spot to start
16:23mining.
16:24And we're still bushwhacking.
16:32After a grueling four-hour climb, they've yet to find what they're looking for.
16:38It's definitely not easy.
16:40I thought I'd do a little better personally at this than I have been, but it's exhausting.
16:46For new recruit Justin Peterson, the harsh trail is a long way from his old job.
16:53From being a regular worker at a weld shop to trekking to mountain goading following Kayla, this is something else.
17:04What have you gotten yourself into?
17:05I know.
17:11It just keeps getting thicker and thicker as we go.
17:14Let's go up and through all this .
17:18Like, I think there's a cliff edge right over here, but it's so overgrown, I don't know if we're even
17:22going to be able to see from this side.
17:24With all this plant debris and duff, it's real slick.
17:28There's really no good footing right here.
17:29I wouldn't recommend following me right here.
17:39I'm going to climb up here for just a second to see if maybe there's an opening where we can
17:43see something.
17:44There's no point in both of us climbing up here right now if it doesn't open up.
17:47So I'll be back in a minute.
17:49All right.
17:53Be careful.
17:55You're so overgrown, it's just so hard to tell where to go.
18:00I can't tell where the ledge is.
18:03Can you see anything yet?
18:08Heck yeah.
18:09I see two good sections without snow.
18:12That is excellent.
18:14Yeah, that water's open.
18:16Running east to west, the stretch of creek is exposed to twice as much sunlight.
18:23This open water could be their only chance to mine the creek this season.
18:29It looks like there's a good-sized stretch of creek here that's way more exposed, so it has no snow.
18:34Just knowing that it's not covered in snow all the way up is a huge accomplishment.
18:39If we could not have to spend that extra time messing with the snow as much, that would save us
18:44a lot of work.
18:46It's been quite the day of a hike, but it was totally worth it.
18:49If we can bypass that patch of snow above the other crew's site, we can start sampling and then find
18:54a spot to put our dredge.
18:55I say we go back down and then start figuring out where we're going to cut a trail.
19:04Come on, let's go!
19:06On the other side of the mountain at Porcupine Creek, in need of an injection of cash, Dustin has turned
19:14to his father, Fred, for help.
19:17Pretty soon, I'm going to have my bucket into the wall, aren't I?
19:21Just shove your bucket down.
19:25Don't dump!
19:26Don't dump!
19:27Hey!
19:30Don't dump!
19:31Just put it level and push right on out there.
19:35There you go!
19:37I know you know how to build a road.
19:44Pretty soon they'll have it cut off, they'll be doing all their activity out into this pond here.
19:49This other pond over here will be their discharge pond.
19:51We'll see how quick he can get this peninsula finished here.
20:00Flatten your bucket out a little bit there.
20:02All right, bag drag, right there.
20:09Woo!
20:17Look at that, huh?
20:18Oh, yeah.
20:19Almost like we know what we're doing.
20:21Yeah.
20:22What a day.
20:23Woo!
20:24I mean.
20:24What a day.
20:26After nine, ten hours, you start feeling a little bit on the rough side.
20:31I think we're in great shape.
20:33Yeah.
20:33Good job, guys.
20:34I'm excited about tomorrow.
20:35Me too.
20:36There's a pretty good chance that Scott and Paul, they're going to be dredging up gold tomorrow.
20:54May need to go over there and fish for that other drill.
20:56After finding the only section of open water up Creek, Kayla and Justin's job has just begun.
21:05Today's main goal is to get a trail started to our site.
21:09I have an idea of the area that we're going to go scout out.
21:12Either way, we need to get a trail established to get around that cliff wall that is blocking us right
21:18now.
21:19Dustin has just the trail busting tool for the mammoth task.
21:24We got us a really awesome jackhammer.
21:26We got the biggest, widest paddles I could get on it.
21:29I've used jackhammers plenty of times before at different construction jobs I've had in the past.
21:35But I've never quite used them on a bedrock wall over a creek trying to make a trail.
21:41So this will be something really new for me.
21:46And we're off.
21:48All right.
21:49Get ready to jack.
22:00Definitely a top heavy load.
22:08It's not going to be easy, but hopefully it kind of flattens out a little bit once we get farther
22:12up.
22:13It's just really hard to tell past that corner.
22:16If we can at least just get to that point and then figure out where to go from there, that
22:19would be great.
22:22So, let's get at it.
22:24All right.
22:24Ready for some noise?
22:35This rock's a little more solid under the top stuff.
22:38Oh, really?
22:39Yeah.
22:40Try and get to this edge a little more.
22:42I was hoping I'd pop the whole line and fracture it down, but...
22:46As Justin cuts a path with a jackhammer that delivers nearly 900 impacts per minute, Kayla must find rock strong
22:55enough to risk her life on.
22:58The rock that we're dealing with here is shale, and shale's really crumbly, so it's hard to set anchors in
23:05because they don't secure very well.
23:08The rock shatters.
23:09There's a lot of cracks in it, and there can be cracks behind that you don't even see.
23:13Sometimes, when you're hammering the anchor in, the rock just shatters, so it's kind of rock to be putting anchors
23:19in.
23:22Cutting a path on this kind of grade and stuff, it's a new experience.
23:27It's a bit crazy, but if you can do what others didn't do, you're going to get the gold.
23:34That's... it takes... it takes crazy to find the gold.
23:47700 feet down creek, to get his dredge in the water, Dustin hauls in some heavy equipment.
23:54So, we're going to go set up some winches.
23:57Wes is going to be on winches.
24:00We're going to be in charge of carrying them up there and bringing all this stuff up for him,
24:04because this is some heavy jokes.
24:06It's not going to be fun.
24:10If you don't mention how heavy it is, then I can't feel it.
24:12So, don't remind me, man, about how heavy it is.
24:16It's heavy.
24:18These are real heavy.
24:19To complete the dam, they need the 132-pound winches to drag the creek's boulders into place.
24:26Nobody fall over the edge.
24:33Holy .
24:34Need a break.
24:40I've been trying to set up camp.
24:43I have not been lifting winches up mountains.
24:46But if we don't get any gold, we won't make the end of the damn season.
24:55We're doing this.
25:05We're doing this.
25:06Yeah!
25:08Holy crap!
25:10Woo-hoo!
25:13Pressure marks.
25:15Look at that.
25:20So, right now, we're trying to set up our redirect on the other side.
25:25To create a dam, Wes's plan is to install a pair of winches on the near side of the creek,
25:31and a redirect on the far bank, which will allow them to maneuver the lift pulley up and down the
25:38creek.
25:41Looking good.
25:43We're going to use this pulley to redirect this line to grab any rock anywhere up this creek.
25:50Anywhere.
25:51Anywhere.
25:51But before they can start dragging rocks, Carlos has the dangerous task of crossing the raging river.
25:59I don't know how to get a redirect on that side without getting hurt, washed away, or killed.
26:08That's the fastest part of this creek right now, and it's going millions and millions of gallons a frickin' second.
26:16And it's frickin' deep.
26:17This water's the next level fast, dude.
26:20Yeah, no, I agree.
26:21It's, uh, that's rough.
26:23Rough .
26:24If I can get out to this main rock right here, set up a temporary anchor point.
26:32Yeah, dude, it sounds like a great plan.
26:37Aaaaah!
26:39Holy moly!
26:45I'm doing this again, man.
26:47Holy moly!
26:49Aaaaah!
26:51Aaaaah!
26:54Aaaaah!
26:55I've got it!
26:56You made it!
26:57Good!
26:59Good!
27:00Perfect!
27:02My wife would kill me!
27:07Yeah!
27:09Almighty!
27:23Kids stay in school, otherwise you'd be doing this.
27:33Woo-hoo!
27:36This is crazy!
27:39Wow!
27:42This is what whitewater's all about, folks!
27:47There's no code!
27:49All the sake of gold!
27:56First safety line secured,
27:58Carlos can now brave the whitewater further down the creek
28:02to bring the new winch system online.
28:05Time to hell to get out of here!
28:08He's going swimming, it's not even break time!
28:13I need this back!
28:17Good job, James!
28:19Yeah, there you go!
28:20Carlos is working right now to put us to redirect on the other side.
28:24It'll just give us the ability to direct our rocks and put them where we want them.
28:31Looking good!
28:33Just do it!
28:36You're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
28:43Good job, man!
28:46Coming up!
28:47Oh, you're not getting over there.
28:53They're like eight foot at a time!
28:57I tell you, do what you do, man. I don't know.
29:00No problem, man. We're good! We're good!
29:02I got a carload, man!
29:04Woo-hoo!
29:04Yeah!
29:06Rock Warriors, man!
29:07Dude, I am such a badass, bro!
29:13Go get that to stick!
29:15Finally, with the heavy-use winches installed, the miners can get to work.
29:19Yeah!
29:21Oh, yeah. Now we're moving.
29:22We're so close to getting the drenge in, I think this is gonna work to our advantage.
29:26That's what I got going right now.
29:31Up ahead.
29:32Fire it up!
29:33This water is nasty when you can't see.
29:37The last thing I want to do is bust through the ice.
29:40Three, two, one!
29:42Go!
29:43He almost died!
29:58At Porcupine Creek...
30:00Time to get dressed.
30:03Let's see what that water looks like.
30:06It's time to put Fred's master plan to increase visibility to the test.
30:13Ideally, they would let this front pond settle just a little bit more.
30:17But they need to get in there and find out and get some gold.
30:20Fire it up!
30:24Come on, baby!
30:26Dustin is banking on the pilings pond delivering some fast gold to fund his Nugget Creek operation.
30:34The possibility that there's just a pocket of gold down there that's untouched, I mean, I won't let that haunt
30:44me. I gotta find out.
30:49All right, there we go.
30:51You coming?
30:53Gotcha.
30:54Yeah.
30:55Loud and clear.
30:56Loud and clear.
31:02Good luck down there, Scott!
31:04Good luck!
31:05So far, the crew has yet to dredge a single ounce of gold from the pond.
31:11How's all your systems working down there, Scott?
31:15Feels pretty good so far.
31:17Hot water's good, air's good.
31:19Good water and good air?
31:20Good water and good air.
31:22How's the visibility down there?
31:24I got about two inches.
31:26Well, it's better than last time when you said you couldn't even see your fingers in front of your mask.
31:32So, hell, you got visibility now. We'll call it, you got visibility down there now.
31:38From zero to something.
31:39Just remember the old woman and making love to her at night.
31:44You just gotta kind of feel your way around.
31:50I'll bring in something up and get it out of the way.
31:55Oh, .
31:56He pulled a piece of board out that's got a big old metal spike sticking out of it.
32:01Just on the spike.
32:02Wow.
32:03Running into that.
32:05Damn.
32:06That's a homemade mill.
32:08Yeah.
32:09It could be deadly.
32:13Back to home.
32:16The material is changing, not the sludgy stuff.
32:21Yeah.
32:22It feels a lot more like that glacial till.
32:24Huh.
32:26Might be right on top of bedrock, dude.
32:27Scott is down there trying to find the very bottom of where that bedrock kind of flattens out down there.
32:35That's where the gold always is in Porcupine.
32:39This material feels great.
32:41Hey, that's a good sign.
32:43That is a good sign.
32:45I got a 12-foot area cleared.
32:48Uh-oh.
32:49Got a little problem here.
32:51The landlocked dive site presents a new problem.
32:55Ah, we got dirty water, but it's circulating back up here.
33:00It's three inches higher in the back than it is in the front.
33:04In 15 minutes, that'll all be right over the top of Scott.
33:08We're gonna drain that water out of there, I guarantee.
33:12All right, Scott, you're in the good hands of Paul.
33:17Fred's gonna go grab the excavator.
33:22Dig us a trench, see if we can get this water to flow out, and hopefully that changes our flow.
33:27This water is nasty and you can't see.
33:32If Fred's new plan to clear the backed up tailings doesn't work,
33:37the crew can forget any chance of their much-needed payday.
33:45All right, we got about one more dig and we're ready to dump some water.
33:54There she goes!
33:58She's flying out of here now.
34:00That should clarify that pond up in the front.
34:03Good job, man.
34:04All right, that's just about done it.
34:06We got a good flow coming out of the dirty water pond into the creek.
34:13My visibility is a lot better than what it has been, so I'll take it.
34:17It actually feels really good.
34:19Hey, Scott, I think you've set the record here for the longest section without no plug-ups.
34:25Well, let me try it.
34:35On the other side of the mountain, Kayla and Justin are six hours into their mission to reach their potential
34:41new dive site, but they still have another 300 feet to go.
34:47Hand-cutting a trail, it's definitely challenging.
34:50It seems like it goes so slow.
34:53There's so much that needs to be done.
34:54It makes it feel like you're not really getting any progress done and it's just an endless chore, but slowly
35:01but surely we'll get it done.
35:03Hey!
35:04What's going on?
35:06How do you like our highway?
35:08I can drive my four-wheeler up there.
35:10All right, wait, wait, wait.
35:12This is way too much work.
35:14Before you do this, I need to know if there's gold up there.
35:18So what I would do, I would go and put like, they call it a P line.
35:24And it's just basically an exploration trail.
35:29And then you find out if it's possible, it's worth putting in that effort.
35:32Makes sense if you just go balls to the wall trying to get it, you hit a dead end.
35:37You've wasted all that time when you could have discovered it with a little bit less and figured another route.
35:42You cut only enough, just enough to where it's not a lot of effort and you're moving fast.
35:53I'm gonna check this rock right here and figure out where to put my first anchor bolt.
36:00It's all crumbly.
36:02Let's see.
36:05That's not the greatest.
36:12Using Dustin's P line strategy, Kayla makes rapid progress across the cliff.
36:21Can you see anything yet?
36:24Once we get around this crest, there's land right here.
36:29The problem is I just don't see any good rock for an anchor bolt, unless I do it like right
36:33here.
36:35But this isn't that great a rock either.
36:38One failed bolt and it's a 20-foot drop to the creek below.
36:42Last thing I want to do is bust through the ice.
36:44I don't like it, but I'm gonna go for it.
37:01In Alaska, you always have to keep your head on a swivel.
37:05There it goes!
37:07Because you never know what may fall out of the sky.
37:10Woo-hoo!
37:12All right!
37:13Literally, literally dropped us a package.
37:17Literally!
37:18One of the hoses that we need for the dredge.
37:22This looks...
37:25perfect!
37:43On Nugget Creek, Kayla and Justin are within inches of reaching what could be their dive site for the season.
37:50So the good news is, once we get around this crest, there's land right here.
37:56Oh my goodness, I can hear the water around the corner.
37:58It's right there.
37:59Right there!
38:03All cleared.
38:10What I did was put my butt against the snow and shimmy my feet across.
38:13All right.
38:15I got a lot of land to work with over here.
38:16Definitely.
38:21You see what I see?
38:23Look at those banks over there.
38:27That's quite the sweep.
38:29I like this spot.
38:32What do you think? You like it?
38:33Yeah.
38:35You can tell, like, the way the bedrock comes out right there, that it pushed everything.
38:40So this was where everything was pushed to.
38:42Yeah.
38:42Same with that on that side.
38:44Because that hits that rim.
38:45Comes this way.
38:48Smashes over there.
38:49This way.
38:50Here it backs up.
38:52You can tell the material's built up here.
38:58Free of ice and snow, this section of creek is Kayla's only hope
39:03for a successful season.
39:05Now it's time to do some sampling.
39:07It's a lot more exciting because now we know we have potential to find some gold.
39:18So obviously when we're panning, we're looking for gold if it's obvious.
39:22But we're looking for the black sands, pyrites, other heavy minerals that would give us an idea of the gold
39:30being here.
39:31Gold tends to be the deepest one of them all.
39:42I got gold already.
39:52Bingo.
39:54Usually with water this fast, most of it's settled all the way down to the bottom.
39:58So the fact that every pan at least had a little bit was a really good sign.
40:03So the next step is to get Paul and Scott back with us and start dredging.
40:11I need a parking spot right here for this dredge.
40:14These rocks are in my way and I need those rocks right there.
40:19Down creek at the golden gates.
40:21Throttle up.
40:22In a desperate attempt to get his dredge in the water.
40:26Hell yeah!
40:28Nice job!
40:30Dustin pushes his winch system to the brink.
40:33We need to get rid of that big rock tube right there.
40:36That's the asteroid rock.
40:38And we're going to send it back to outer space.
40:41To make this dam, it's ideal to use big rocks like this.
40:45But God, if we can't move them, we have to make smaller rocks more manageable.
40:49We're ready for power hits.
40:53The huge asteroid rock is too large for the winches.
40:57So they'll need to blow it to pieces.
41:06Come on out of there.
41:09Hit!
41:10Hit!
41:12Ah!
41:15That's our nemesis right now.
41:17Need it out of the way.
41:20Three, two, one!
41:22That didn't do anything, dude.
41:24Let's try that again.
41:25It has to move because it's in my damn way.
41:29Ready!
41:31But blast after blast, the asteroid rock refuses to budge.
41:36Get rid of this damn thing.
41:37It's ruining my life right now.
41:41In my opinion, this should have already been done.
41:44So I'm flipping out a little bit.
41:46I need my damn dredge in the water.
41:49And I'm losing my .
41:51It's freaking me the .
41:53Like nobody understands how important this really is right now.
41:58But we all have to apply for a new job because we didn't get this done.
42:02What's our main objective today, bro?
42:05Park the spot for the boat.
42:07Is that right?
42:09Can you help me do that today, man?
42:10Yeah, yeah, yeah.
42:11I'd really appreciate it.
42:14Really appreciate it.
42:18Put another head in there.
42:20Oh, you want to put another one in there?
42:22Yeah, put like mini boosters that'll fit in there.
42:26Get one more, yeah.
42:27Let's drill some more holes and pop some more.
42:29Snap that on a million pieces.
42:42Ready!
42:44Three, two, one!
42:47Nope.
42:50Nothing!
42:51What the just happened?
42:54That's our first misfire.
42:55Did they get unplugged somehow?
42:57It probably unplugged because of the current.
42:59Unplugged!
43:00I know y'all are working hard and everybody's working hard.
43:02I just...
43:03I don't think everybody understands how important it really is.
43:12Out of the hole!
43:13Three, two, one!
43:17Oh!
43:18Almost died.
43:20You all right?
43:21You all right, dude?
43:21Holy .
43:22Freaking crazy!
43:23You almost died just now.
43:25Holy .
43:26You almost died.
43:28You all right?
43:28Lucky mother .
43:29Man.
43:30I saw that come flying.
43:31That was...
43:33Three, two, one!
43:36Watch out!
43:37Oh!
43:38That was freaking crazy!
43:40You almost died just now.
43:43Did it get you?
43:45Holy .
43:47This is 60 feet away.
43:49It hit right here.
43:50Carlos is weighing right there.
43:52Holy .
43:53Fly rock is absolutely the deadliest thing that there is.
43:58I thought Carlos was a goner, dude.
44:00I was standing next to him and it hit him and he went like this.
44:04I...
44:04Oh, my God.
44:05It just happened so fast.
44:07It, like, hit the bank but it hit his shoulder at the same time.
44:09And that rock weighs probably 20, 25 pounds.
44:14It blew the hell out of that rock, though.
44:17Are you hurt?
44:18No.
44:18Am I dead?
44:19Just tell me I'm not dead, dude.
44:20He was bleeding for a little bit.
44:24I only have two rules.
44:26What are they?
44:27Don't die.
44:28Don't get hurt.
44:29Don't die.
44:31No one tells my wife.
44:34Oh, my God.
44:35You're not putting this on TV.
44:36She'll kill you.
44:37Yeah, we figured it was a good time to call it for the day.
44:40Yeah, dude.
44:41We're done.
44:43It was almost catastrophic.
44:45We're superstitious when it comes to big problems.
44:47Holy moly.
44:49When things start to go wrong, we bail.
44:51That's it.
44:53I'm getting desperate right now.
44:56It's going on too long.
44:57I'm running out of damn money.
44:58No dam, no dredge,
45:00and one of his crew almost critically injured,
45:03Dustin's week is left in ruins.
45:05I've got too much tied up into this,
45:08and I thought we'd be in the damn water by now.
45:10I was naive and dumb,
45:12and now I'm desperate.
45:21At Porcupine,
45:22Scott Allen is the only member of Dustin's crew
45:25that's actually dredging for gold.
45:29All the pressure is on him to deliver a big payday.
45:33Done.
45:34I think we found a good spot here, buddy.
45:37Perfect.
45:38Give me a tug on my umbilical so I can orientate myself.
45:41All right, I'm pulling up on your hose.
45:44Although it's not a bad dive, Scott.
45:46You've been in for like five hours now, so...
45:49Keep following the hose there.
45:53After a five-hour dive,
45:55it's time to see if all their hard work has paid off.
45:59So you started cleaning bedrock?
46:00I was on bedrock for a good long while,
46:01so I'm really excited to see what's in there.
46:05One way to find out.
46:06Let's check it.
46:07Shut it down.
46:08Let's go check it out.
46:16All right, come on, baby.
46:19That?
46:20Yeah, dude.
46:21I mean, there are three pictures right there.
46:23That's nice.
46:25That...
46:25Whoa, look.
46:26There you go, Scott.
46:28Wow.
46:29Wow, that's some weight, man.
46:34Seven jewelry-grade nuggets
46:36worth a lot more than fine gold.
46:38It's been a long dry spell, but...
46:40Somebody had to break it.
46:42You found the right spot.
46:43It's good to finally start seeing some gold.
46:45I mean, this is the first good gold of the season.
46:48This pond almost had us defeated.
46:50It actually almost did.
46:51Oh, yeah.
46:53Look at that.
46:54I've made a few suggestions on how to clarify that water a little bit.
46:58Well, finally today, we got in there,
47:01we actually found a little bit of gold.
47:06It's a little bit hard to leave right now.
47:08Just find some gold.
47:10But it's up to them to continue this.
47:13And it's time for me exit stage left.
47:19On the next gold rush, white water.
47:23The dredge made it to Nugget Creek.
47:26All right, you guys.
47:27We're gonna do some heavy off-road.
47:29Oh, .
47:30Wow.
47:30It's working, man.
47:32Keep on going.
47:33Pull, pull.
47:33Even with their head start,
47:35my crew still got a dredge in the water first.
47:37That's an awesome sight seeing the dredge going.
47:39We are in the water.
47:41We are mining now.
47:43Chester, it's freaking me out.
47:45Saw me to have an anxiety attack
47:47or a heart attack.
47:49He's gotta be all right
47:50because we gotta get gold out of Nugget Creek.
47:52Taylor's a beast.
47:53I just try to keep up.
47:55You ready?
47:56I'm gonna find some gold.
47:57Today's gonna be the change.
47:59The change we needed.
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