Original subtitles

With their gold mining season slipping away,

three crews race to find enough gold to turn a profit.

We're not going to reach her goal, 100 ounces of win on hurry up.

At Quartz Creek, the Hoffman crew is finally running good dirt.

Really good.

And seeing Chuck Good Gold.

We had a pocket of gold.

I'm ready to take some real money.

But they're about to run out of payder.

And the only machine that can get to more is on its last legs.

At Porcupine Creek, after a mining inspector shuts them down,

Dakota Fred and his son take it out on each other.

I'm leaving.

Don't be such an ****.

And 17-year-old Parker Shnavel's first season as the man in charge

grinds to an abrupt halt.

One of the bearings that run our trauma is locked up.

At Quartz Creek in the Klondike,

the Hoffman crew has just 50 days left to find 80 more ounces of gold

to hit their 100 ounce gold.

After three months of digging in their pit,

they finally hit bedrock.

They've got a lot of gold.

They've got a lot of gold.

They've got a lot of gold.

After three months of digging in their pit,

they finally hit bedrock.

Where the richest gold deposits usually collect.

Look at the color.

People say you get into that mob-looking, pink-looking stuff.

And you're on it, baby.

So, beyond this way, you can't believe we hit bedrock.

I mean, we've talked about it for so long that it's like, you know, freaky.

They're golden this, and there's gold on the bottom.

Hopes and dreams.

That's what gold money is all about.

I've opened a dream.

So far this season, the Hoffman crew has pulled only 20 ounces of gold,

worth just $32,000 from the Klondike dirt.

Big deal.

They've dialed in their wash plan,

and moved 10,000 cubic yards of dirt.

For the last six days,

they've been feeding their wash plan with what they hope

is prime pay gravel from the layer just above bedrock.

Let's go.

Now, the Hoffman's are 100 days into the 150-day mining season.

If they can get to $160,000 in gold,

they'll be able to go home with money in their pockets.

They are banking on the dirt now sitting on bedrock

to give them their best clean-out yet.

We're on the best dairy right now.

This is the best gold there is.

So, I'm ready to get some real gold.

Big some real money.

We're probably running an ounce an hour right now,

I'm guessing.

It's really good.

Hot work is great to us.

You know, no one's taking breaks.

We're just going and going.

It's going full speed.

So, I'm not going to stop it.

The plant's running good.

Being able to keep up.

I think we're going to do really good too.

I think we're going to have a real good cleanup this time.

The scottled butt around here is that it will be the best cleanup we've had.

After running for six days straight,

they finally power down the wash plan.

Hey, where?

I think we're going to have a double digit clean-out

and roll for 10 ounces.

Todd is convinced this clean-out

will prove they can still hit 100 ounces.

We hit a pocket of gold.

I got a really good gold in here.

The Hoffman crew needs a whopping 80 ounces

in the last third of the season.

To stay on track, they need 10 ounces

worth $16,000 from this clean-out alone.

Chunk?

Chunky?

We got a chunk there?

Chunk?

Let's clean out, I'll figure out what we got.

These clean-outs are most important when we've ever done.

Hoping for more gold each time.

They remove the miners' moss from the sluice box.

Oh, Lordy!

And take it over to the gold tent for processing.

Perfect.

In those three tabs, hopefully at least 10 ounces of gold, at least.

Once I get one bin, then I'll switch it out.

Kind of anxious.

I hope for the best.

We're done with the clean-out.

We haven't seen one yet, but I think today's the day.

Oh, I get hurt.

It can't go in there.

We're trying to do his rest all the gold out of this miners' moss.

Since underneath the still ripples,

the stuff's designed to trap gold.

Now we're trying to untrap it.

Does untrap a word, Dave?

Yes.

Thurber then feeds the gold bearing dirt into the duplex jig

that separates the light dirt from the heavier black sand and gold.

Okay, that's probably enough to start, huh?

You feed for all in all feed.

Next, they feed the gold bearing material onto the gold tape.

That's it.

Look at the gold.

It's there.

Look at that.

We've had all our gold coming off of that for about 20 to 30 minutes.

It's the moment of truth.

They need at least 10 ounces from their best dirt yet.

Anything less will be a major blow,

and could just send the crew home with nothing to show for five months of back-breaking work.

Now we can do it.

One, two, three.

But this is not a good clean up.

We're going to be disappointed.

I can't live my family star.

We're going to take care of my wife and three kids.

Come on, guys.

I think it's some good.

How do I do it?

Good.

Good.

Good.

That's a little late.

Wow.

Eight out.

A lot of blue sets 7.74.

Good cash buddy.

Yeah.

I expected 10 or 12 ounces out of there.

We only got about eight.

Whoa.

I mean, these guys aren't going to make wages with what we're getting out of this cut.

It's tough when you got little kids at home and mortgages.

I could just imagine what their wives are saying.

You know, they're probably asking the questions.

How many bills can I pay?

Can we get a new car?

Can we get a new house?

A new carpet?

Who knows?

Pretty tough for me to live.

Down south at Porcupine Creek.

Dakota Fred's claim has been shut down by M.

The Mind Safety and Health Administration.

I finally get my four guys all together in all the same place.

The equipment is working.

Poof.

And steps Mr. M. Shaw.

I so pissed off.

I can't even think about right.

Before he can reopen the mind, Fred has to address all of the M. Shaw violations.

Some have been classified as significant and substantial.

Meaning there was a significant risk for injury to occur.

There's some rocks in the way here.

Where aren't there rocks out here.

Going down to our slew sparks.

He called this severe and substantial.

I mean, a crippled up of 70 year old dude can walk down this.

You know?

So, that's a severe and substantial violation.

So far this season, the Dakota boys have only found 19 ounces of their 100 ounce gold.

Horcupine Creek is shut down.

Because Fred's crew did not go through on-site M. Shaw training.

Untrained minors are a hazard to themselves and others.

The Dakota boys can't mind until they get an approved trainer on-site.

They said you're off the mine site.

That's it. It's Andy your mining until you get this training done.

We did our training.

We have been cited for violating a rule number.

Give you this number.

48.25.

At damn book.

Well, we took our 24 hours of training in North Dakota.

Paul and I and Dustin.

We all received 24 hours of training.

I mean, you know, you bend over backwards.

You try to do their thing right.

And then you still get bent forward.

These people have cost me about 40 to $50,000 in income.

And if I seem like I'm a little upset about it, you bet I am.

American people ought to be upset.

It's stuff like this.

Job killer, you damn right it is.

While they wait on a trainer, all Fred and his son Dustin can do are some minor repairs.

I do not show what you want to eat me though.

Well, let me wait. Don't move it till the end.

And father and son are on edge.

Let me know what we're doing first.

What the f*** you doing?

I ask you to hold the thing so I can smell it.

I'm sorry to be like that right now.

Well, don't talk to me like like I'm going to let it go.

Well, I've got, I've got my leg under.

I'm going to hand under it.

I'm going to be like that right now.

I'm just standing at the holding it.

I say nothing.

You're just walking back and forth is what you were doing.

And you're not saying I ask you to hold it.

What else do I got to say?

Well, I wanted you to hold it while I was trying to get a pair of bike grips.

I need some help with somebody that'll at least listen to what I ask them to do.

If we're not going to work, there's no reason for me to be here.

That's what I do.

I work.

I'm sitting around looking at the mind.

Thinking about the things I should be doing here.

And it's just not going to cut it for me.

At the big nugget mine in southeast Alaska.

17-year-old Parker Schnabel has less than two weeks until he has to go back for his senior year of high school.

For the first time in over a month, he's into some good gold.

So we dug that way on last Wednesday and got one ounce.

We're just about.

And then we dug this way on Thursday and got just about two ounces.

So we want to go that way.

But our property line is somewhere over there.

After a great start to the sea's rocket,

Parker quickly ran out of pader.

I've got everything I need except dirt with gold in it.

He explored two untouched dig sites, but struck out on vote.

In his search for virgin ground, he's been forced to the very edge of his claim.

Parker is now hell bent on finding out if he can dig any further in his new hot location.

Okay.

He uses GPS to find the edge of his claim.

There we go.

If he can't dig any further, he'll be out of pader again.

Okay.

I'm standing on a property line right now and it goes that way.

And our excavators right there.

So I would go another 15 feet probably.

The problem with that is it's not a real scientific GPS.

You know, it's only accurate within 30 feet or so.

So it sucks, but I'm not going to dig any further towards the line.

Because we're just too close.

If Parker digs on someone else's land,

he risks a lawsuit that could close down the mine.

I'd rather lose a little money than lose a lawsuit.

So that's a bummer.

Now that we can't go back any further,

the only option is to go deeper.

There might just be nothing while we're in a bedrock.

It happens.

Up in the clondike.

The Hoffman crew is also nearly out of pader.

They've bought them down in their pit.

I'm at the bedrock.

So now we've only got about two days of run lap.

So this whole tent here is just about to play now.

But 28 ounces out of this cut.

Problem is we're out of pader.

With just 49 days of mining left,

the crew needs to open up a second cut to get to new pader.

First, the crew has to remove the vegetation.

And an eight foot layer of frozen mud on a new part of the claim.

And time is running out.

Be honest with me, how long is it really going to take?

Get that second cut done.

Well, how long are we talking?

What do you think Greg?

Three weeks?

Guys?

We need this two weeks, not three weeks.

This pit took us a month.

Now you want to open up a second one in two weeks?

I only do I want to.

I think you guys can do it.

The 400's got to play a big role.

Jack starts clearing trees.

If we're going to be able to give these guys the money that they need for the season,

we got to have that second cut.

But if they're going to hit Todd's two week deadline,

Jack has to push his excavator to its limit.

It's not easy.

The 400's already gone through one final drive and can't afford a second one.

So I'm going to take it easy on it, just kind of maybe in a long.

If the 400 breaks down again, there may be no second cut.

The 400 excavator has already broken down once a week ago.

Greg got its stuck in court's creak.

The final drive that powers its left track seized up.

Jack could only manage a temporary fix.

I put the plate back on.

Seal it in every day and some moisture won't get in.

It's going to be limping along.

Guys are already on that cut.

They've got a little bit of it knocked off already.

Got to get down the pater.

Otherwise we're screwed.

No.

Suddenly, the 400's left track starts seizing up again.

No, no, no.

The only way it can move is by pulling itself along with a bucket.

Right now, we're walking in a tight road.

Jack has no option, but to shut it down, just when they need it most.

In southeast Alaska, the porcupine creak claim remains shut down.

This is Fred heard column back.

Fred can't reopen his mind until he gets a safety trainer on site.

You can just leave a message just to what's the status of a instructor.

We assume things are not going well by now.

We're just passing time right now.

It's all we're doing, just passing time.

It just absolutely, uh, so demoralizing.

I don't know what else to do out here.

My dog got a town taking a shower.

Get clean for at least 10 hours.

Yeah, he's got me off the laundry mask.

I'm going to take a shower.

Well, y'all go do it.

You did deserve a shower, huh?

Oh, I don't know shower.

Okay.

How many days have been a week?

Fred's being a.

He's going to blow a gasket when you ask to go take a shower.

A shower.

Something that small.

Everything breaks down when you got nothing but pitily junk to do.

I don't care if it's been a hundred days since they had a shower.

Priorities is what it is.

You got me an idea of busting their ass for you.

Well, oh, don't give me that crap.

Well, I do my job.

I expect others to do that.

Simple.

I'm already crazy enough out here.

The fact is you've been real hard to work with lately.

I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

No, no, no, no.

It's continues.

I'm not going to be in my cylinder.

I'm not.

I'm not gusty.

It's the canteen.

And that's part of it, right there.

The threat, this threat all the time.

I'm leaving.

I guess it.

That's the first time I've said that.

Oh, but I'm just the first time I've said that.

Don't be such a f***.

It's the first time I've ever said that.

We're all going to up and leave at some point.

To keep this stuff up.

We're ready to tell this night.

If Fred kept mine soon,

he's in danger of not only losing his crew,

but his whole season.

As absolute zero appreciation for what we're doing.

I know there's been times that I really

bent people out of shape.

It's their problem.

Not mine.

Across the creek, it big nugget mind.

Parker is digging a test hole at his new site.

Emerson Trinch.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

He's out of Peter.

And right up against the edge of his claim.

He only has one direction left to dig.

Down.

To save his family mind,

he has to find a deep pastry.

The thing is here.

You dig 10 feet down.

You get good gold.

You dig the next 10 feet down.

And you get half as much.

Say think, whoa.

Why go any deeper?

Well, you go deeper because you're around a property.

The Emerson Trinch site runs from Porcupine Creek right up to the edge of the big nugget claim.

Parker has already mined the top 10 feet across the entire area.

Now, he's digging a test hole to find out if there's a second pastry below 20 feet.

If there is, he'll strip away the 9,000 tons of worthless dirt that lie on top.

To get to the gold-rich Peter beneath.

So you're looking at a hundred by 200 yards area that you could take down the bedron.

Two football fields down the bedron.

And this is a test of that.

So it's good.

It'll give us a good idea of what's down there.

Who knows what's below that?

Parker holds 40 yards of test dirt across the creek

to his wash plan.

This test will determine if there's enough paid dirt in Emerson Trinch

to keep the big nugget mine running.

I feel a bad day today.

It rules out probably two years worth of digging.

It's a big day for the mine.

Gary Grogan fires up the wash plan.

And the critical test dirt is loaded into the shaker.

The finer material drops down into the revolving trommel.

But just as the test dirt starts running through the smooth spots.

The wash plan locks up.

Hey!

We've got one of the bearings that run our trommel is locked up.

So that's a pain in the ass.

This whole bearing is gone.

And the front one went.

And when the front one went, it put the wheel to an angle.

This is really not something that we need right now.

We're going to fix this as fast as we can.

The key to Parker's wash plan is the revolving trommel that washes away the

pattern and screens out rocks bigger than half an inch.

The trommel sits on two pairs of supporting wheels.

Each wheel is held in place by bearings that allow it to rotate.

Dirt has packed up one of the bearings.

And it is seized up causing the wheel to slip out of place.

As a result, the trommel can no longer turn.

Well, as crew jacks up the four-ton trommel to get to the faulty bearings.

Parker races into town to try to get new bearings.

Until he can get the trommel turning again,

the future of the big nugget mine is in jeopardy.

In the clondike, Todd has given his crew just two weeks to open a second cut.

They can't make the dead line without the four-hundred, and it's dead in the water.

Right on cue.

Mechanic James Harness arrives back at Quartz Creek.

Welcome back.

Yeah, I feel almost human.

But I'm filthy.

Yeah, man.

How are you feeling?

I'm doing all right.

Three weeks ago, Harness was forced to leave the claim.

I'm overdone it, and then pretty much wasted my back.

Wow.

Harness went south to take care of his recurring back pain.

See you later.

So I've got to fix myself before I can fix anything else.

Did you make it to the doctors?

Did you?

Any help?

Two choices.

I either go have an operation in DC that could very likely could end up in complications

where I'd lose one or both of my arms.

I thought would just a few weeks left.

I better not go that route.

I'll just get medication for now and tough it out.

Trying to make the best of it.

Harness hardly has time to unpack.

The four-hundred is in need of his expertise.

Yeah, it's good to have James back.

We've sprung a leak on the final drive.

It's got a seal in there that's not going good.

And I need that 400 again.

So I need James to come through.

Without that machine, we're in trouble.

And I've never been inside one yet.

So I'm going to anxious to find out how it ticks.

Each track on the 400 excavator is driven by a mechanism

known as a final drive.

To keep this complex gear system lubricated,

it needs to be a third of the way full of oil.

Deep behind the gears in the main drive sprocket,

a rubber o-ring seals the lubricating oil inside the cylinder.

But the o-ring in the 400 has failed.

And the oil has leaked out causing the gears to seize up.

Harness has to replace the o-ring.

But first, he's got to get to it.

At this point, there's only one way to find out if this is even fixable.

The exploratory surgery to find out how it ticks.

In southeast Alaska,

Parker is performing his own surgery.

His wash plant needs a new set of bearings.

The crew drops them into place.

She's there.

We need to come out.

Maybe an eighth.

Okay.

If it's straight, that's perfect.

All right.

Good job.

Perfect.

Right on the holes.

Right?

Yes.

Once they are bolted into position,

Parker can get his trauma rolling again.

Let's get it.

Now, he can finish running the all-important Emerson trench test dirt.

At least there's still hope.

Sometimes it's like my grandpa says all you have is hope.

If the test dirt is full of gold, Emerson trench

could save the big nugget mine.

Emerson trench has potential to be dug

and that would take a couple of years.

We don't see a thing yet.

Parker's future is writing on this cleanup.

Not much.

I see less dollars than what we expect.

It's pretty easy math.

Pretty sad, pretty sad day.

My last one for the season.

I don't know what to do.

Parker goes back to school in a week.

The Emerson trench dig is a bust.

He has no time left to turn around his first season

as the boss of the big nugget mine.

Summers over.

Where am I so fast?

Back in the clondike,

the Hoffman crew has just 46 days left

until winter descends on them.

To make any money in their second mining season,

they have to get the 400 running.

I got to get a second cut open

and I got to get that material up.

So we're in trouble.

I've probably got 50 other things I'm supposed to be working on

and this has got to take priority.

James Harness hunts the leaky seal

locked deep inside the final drive.

We have to either try to go in from the outside

or pull the whole track off.

I don't want to do the track unless we absolutely have to.

So the only way to get in here is to go in through the front

and see what I can find.

This has to work.

The future of the whole season depends on this machine.

Without it, we can't break through the ice and get to where we need to get to the gold.

The every part on this thing is so heavy.

It could really hurt you.

Harness works through chronic back pain

to take apart the final drive.

The gears are gone.

Something's gone through here that tore this up.

All three of these gears are gone.

The chunk came out of this piece right here

and that chunk went through the rest of the teeth

and it took bites out of them.

So this is what last.

That's not good at all.

Harness now not only needs to fix the leaky seal.

He needs replacement gears as well.

Hard to come by in the middle of nowhere.

There's none of these final drives around.

There's only a few around the world that are used.

So I'm going to town

and it would be a absolute drop dead miracle

if there's parts.

You know, we're in the hospital.

While Jack begins the hunt for spare parts,

I'm not even halfway down yet.

Harness continues to unpack the layers of gears

in his search for the root of the problem.

It's kind of a bit not easy.

The leaky seal.

Right now we're stuck.

The seal that we need to replace is on the back side of these bearings.

So we can't get to it.

James, what do you think? How bad is it?

The track's got to come off.

I didn't want to take it off.

So it's the worst case scenario, unfortunately.

Taking the whole track off is a big job.

And it will have to wait.

I'm not doing too well.

I am in a lot of pain.

There's a limit that I can go

and then I just can't do it here.

And I'm about there.

It's 8 a.m. in the Klandike.

The 400 is broken down,

and Jack still hasn't found replacement parts.

After working hard, the previous day,

harness is still in bed.

We got to get on that second cut.

Otherwise we're dead in the water.

Jack!

With their season nearing the end,

Jack and Thurber pick up where harness left off.

They now have to get the left track off the 400.

The track is holding against the pin,

so we got to drive that pin out,

then the track will release.

And the only way to get it apart

is with this humongous hydraulic setup.

I got it in a little 100,000.

I think it's at 100,000 tons,

but anyway, it's big, you know.

They used the 2208 to hold the hydraulic rim

that will push out one of the track pins.

That's good.

That's got a pump off.

That's the right way, go back.

Moving.

I'm opening it, yes.

It's going.

Oh, good.

They get wet.

They get dead.

How's this rocket on this side?

Good, just keep going back.

Jack and Thurber finally unrolled

the 6.5,000 pound track.

No, no, no.

Wow, that's funny.

To get to the broken seal.

Yeah, well, there it is, look.

The whole thing is caused by

this oaring right here.

It's cracked, plus it's been fried.

With just 44 days of the mining season left,

Dakota Fred's crew down at Porcupine Creek

is all smiles.

Oh, yeah.

This is the first time she's smiling.

Oh, ****.

I'm smiling every day.

First deadness son has shown this long in four weeks.

The crew is relieved because Fred finally has

safety instructor John Ballard on site.

His training session is the only thing

standing between the Dakota boys and gold mining.

Image off says every one of these things must have

that's on must be secured.

If you're your fire exchanger, it is accessible.

After going through the training,

the crew finally gets the green light.

Okay, we've done our site specific.

You guys had your hazard training.

You got a good safe site here.

Got a good crew.

So what we're going to do now is sign off the 5,000

trains.

We have a soft form.

Should you have been had your site specific?

Okay.

Be sure to push hard.

That shows today.

I'm certified now.

I've had my on site specific training.

It's a good deal.

Should we do my signature?

D-minus, I don't know what to get for green.

I got an A plus.

Yeah.

We're set and ready to go.

We're going to be running hard and going deep.

The Dakota boys are back in business.

But they only have a little time left

to get the 81 ounces of gold.

They still need to hit their gold.

Good bucket.

Good bucket.

Oh, I can see it's gold soup going out there.

We're going to think, go.

Can't keep us down.

That low men's job.

We'll be too much longer.

I'll be down in the bottom of that pit.

I got a full crew.

We're back at it.

We're processing.

I'm happy.

I told them.

One ton of pader from a gold mine

produces an average of less than a fifth of an ounce of gold.

Worth about $300.

One ton of old cellphones

can contain up to five ounces of gold,

worth around $8,000.

At the Big Nugget Mine, Parker's mining season is over.

He plans on spending his last week before high school checking out the bigger mining operations

up in the Klandaik.

I'm ready to go to Dawson.

It would be nice to see how things work in other mines.

With his first season as boss behind him, Parker totals up his gold.

33 ounces.

It looks like a lot of gold, but we spent a lot of money to get it.

Parker found $53,000 worth of gold, but he spent a lot more than that to get it out of the

ground.

I think for me, it's not so much about the dollars.

It's just trying to do my best and make my grandfather and my family happy.

I come out here and give everything I've got.

I feel like I've done my job.

The only thing left is for Parker to turn the mine back over to his 91-year-old grandpa.

When school starts Tuesday, the next Monday.

Next Monday.

You only got a few days.

Thanks.

And I'd want you to be...

Well, I'll take care of it.

In charge and control.

I understand that.

OK.

Even though he fell short, Parker holds out hope.

Big nugget can still break even in his grandpas capable hands.

If we don't have any big breakdowns, and if the ground can give us the mountain day,

then we'll break even.

Up north in the clondike, Jack has hit the jackpot.

Look what we found.

Oh, wait.

Dude, no, wait.

Check it out, Todd.

This used final drive has all the parts they need to fix the 400.

Look at that thing.

Oh.

What's that, way?

David and I picked it after about 1100 pounds.

Oh, yeah, right.

In, incredible.

They were off and laying there.

Just to wait.

So you drove up to some guys' mind.

He had one off and he backed up and took it.

This is just one of the several miracles that has happened on our frickin' mining for their unbelievable.

All thanks, cool.

I wouldn't bet against my dad.

I mean, he did just find a final drive off a machine ready to load in a back with

a short drive from here.

And we looked.

There was eight of them in the whole United States.

I mean, the guys got nine lives.

That will range good.

After a day's rest, harness is back at it.

This is looking good.

Looks nice.

Every little second counts right now.

After the new O-ring is looped up, it fits like a glove.

Can you just hold that?

Yeah.

Can you?

They replaced the broken gears with the used gears from the spare final drive

and bolt the cover back on.

Finally, they oil the cylinder to stop it from seizing up again.

Hey.

Let's go.

We went to hell and back.

You know, I can look like you did repair and we're going to find out.

Start it up.

OK, OK.

Now we're getting somewhere with a 400 back up and running.

The hopman crew can finally get back to digging out a second cut.

They have just 44 days left to get their 100 ounces of gold or $160,000 out of the ground.

If they can beat the odds.

Each minute will go home for the first time as gold miners with gold in their pockets.

It's good to see it running.

Jackson is happy place, you know, he's on that 400 and it's good to see it back in the

pit.

What I'm proud of is that our team is working good.

So there's just a lot of things that are going in our favor right now.

I think God's got us here for a reason.

I don't know what it is.

Maybe just to learn how to buy it.

But in that second cut could be a pile of gold, the size of the fricking pick up.

I'm Crystal Doyle, Executive Producer of Gold Rush.

This time on the Gold Rush after show, what was Grandpa John's take on your season

total.

Honestly, I think that he is pretty disappointed.

I never asked him, you know, how could I have done better?

Watch the Gold Rush after show at discovery.com slash Gold Rush after show.