All language subtitles for Gold.Rush.Dave.Turins.Lost.Mine.S04E16.Fortune.Favors.the.Bold.720p.AMZN.WEBRip.DDP2.0.x264-NTb - HI

[dramatic music playing]

[Dave] This season's been
about man versus nature,

about us versus Alaska.

And this is the final battle.

We still need 49 ounces
to hit our target.

And I don't know
if we're gonna win

but I do know
that we're gonna battle

to the bitter end.

We got a big storm moving in,

that'll dump five
to six feet of snow.

And there's already five
to six feet of snow up there.

So it's the tipping point.

[Dave] Yeah.

Avalanche is gonna start
hitting the road

and blocking access.

It's a high consequence

and loss of life with how big
these avalanches are.

Yeah.

Think I got much time left?

I would highly recommend

getting out of here
in the next few days.

[Narrator]
On the season finale

of Dave Turin's Lost Mine.

[Nathan] All right, boys,
let's do this.

[Narrator]
It's the final push.

Here we go.

Alaska has been trying
to kick our ass

but we're gonna do a little
kicking back right now.

[Nathan] We ain't stopping
until we hit 450.

[Man] The guys are actually
banking on it

to get through the off season.

[Narrator]
But Alaska pushes back.

[Man] It doesn't look good.

The Cottonwood is
starting to drop out.

[Dave] I don't have time
to open another cut.

Holy crap...

I mean, this could happen
again tomorrow.

[bleep].

We're all tired,
we're all pushing hard.

[Narrator] How much
is the crew prepared to risk?

[Dave] They call this place
Avalanche Alley.

And we're right
in the center of it.

And we're on borrowed time.

[Narrator]
To bring home the gold.

[Dave] Back a little bit, Nate.

- [Nathan] Back?
- [Dave] A little more.

Good.

It's getting dangerous.

I don't wanna be stuck
behind an avalanche.

We need to get out
while we can.

Boy, we got to go,
we're getting the hell out.

[Dramatic music playing]

We've been on the road
for ten months,

eighteen different properties,
about five, six states.

And it all comes down to this.

[Narrator]
7:00 a.m. at Glacier Creek.

- [Dave] Good morning.
- [Man] Good morning.

Right now,
we're at 400 ounces.

We could walk away

and it's been an amazing accomplishment.

I'm very proud
of all you guys.

But I'd like to finish strong.

I really wanna hit 450 ounces.

- [Man] Let's do it.
- Do it.

We're in Alaska,
winter's coming.

[Man] Three or four days
is all we got

before the snowstorms.

The warnings
I've gotten is that

you don't stay
till the snow is here

but we're on the verge
of kicking ass

with five guys.

And I think
we need a few more days.

I'm here till the end.
I want that 450.

[Man] We need to push hard.

- Let's keep churning away.
- [Man] Right.

- We all in?
- [Man] Hell, yeah.

All in!

The season is open

and we're still prospecting.

[Narrator] Four months ago,
Dave Turin and his crew

had nowhere to mine.

We're just having
a hell of a time.

[Narrator] After 16 failed
prospects across five states.

[Man] Show me
the promised land, Turin.

I got to move on.

No gold.

[Narrator] They abandoned
civilization to seek fortune

in the wilds of Alaska.

This place will chew you up
and spit you out.

[Narrator] For the first time,
Dave purchased a claim.

[Dave] It's Shelly
and my money on the line.

Huge risk,
it's what we got to do.

[Narrator]
Starting eight weeks late,

they set up
three different plants.

[Dave] Right now, Old Den is
the only wash plant we have.

[Man] The roach
is gonna live again.

The Eagle's about twice
the size, look at that.

[Narrator] The crew battled
the Alaskan elements.

[Man] This is what nightmares
are made out of.

[Narrator] And work ground

nothing like
they'd mined before.

We have no idea

why there's not
a lot of gold down here.

[Man] You got to be
[bleep] kidding me.

[Narrator]
But they beat the odds,

banking 401 ounces
in just 12 weeks.

[Dave] These guys have
really picked up their game.

We're going faster,
more production

than we've ever gone.

It's an amazing achievement.

[Narrator] But last week
came the shock departure

of loader operator
Chris Taylor.

[Chris] I hope Dave Turin
hits that 450 but to me,

it's time
to start a new chapter.

Five guys left.

It's tough.

[dramatic music playing]

[Narrator]
Now, the five-man crew

has just three days
to find forty-nine ounces

before the weather
shuts them down.

[dramatic music playing]

We're gonna buckle down,

work longer, work harder,

more than we ever have before.

[dramatic music playing]

Nathan's got that
thing turned up to about

200 yards an hour.

Jason and KC are busting
their ass to keep up.

As long as we got weather
and the plant runs,

we're making money.

Gotta get our 450
come hell or high water.

It's the only way
you can justify

being away from your family

is you damn well better
bring home the money.

[Narrator] The team mines
the Cottonwood cut.

[Jason] My teeth are clicking
big rocks,

which means good gold.

[Narrator] Ground that in
the past five weeks

has produced $340,000
in gold.

We're moving in the right
direction and that's deep.

I genuinely freaking hope

this gold stays good
going down,

might as well
have a crystal ball...

trying to see down
in the ground.

[dramatic music playing]

Doing some nice
moves there, Sanchez.

[Jason] Yeah, buddy.

[KC] Here we go.

[Narrator] The Eagle runs
at high speed

and demands 240 tons
of pay every hour.

[Andrew] I'm the guy
loading the plant

until the end of the season.

And this Eagle
is very, very hungry.

We're all tired and been
working 12, 14-hour days.

Pain is temporary,
gold is forever.

It's true. True.

[Narrator] After 12 hours
running Cottonwood pay,

it's time to check the mess.

[Man] Yeah, turn it off.

Go to the box.

What's it look like?

[Narrator] To hit their goal,

they need at least 17 ounces
of gold a day.

[Jason] Like [bleep]

There is no way in hell,
not with this box.

I'm not impressed
with what I see.

[Dave] All right,
let's get this cleaned up.

[Jason] It doesn't look good.

[Jason] I don't know
what's going on.

I think the Cottonwood cut
is just like the Pappy,

the deeper you go,
the [bleep] it's gonna get.

Over today.

[Dave] It's not exactly what
we wanted to see in the box.

But tomorrow's another day,

and gold miners
are eternally optimistic.

[dramatic music playing]

[Narrator] A new day dawns
at Glacier Creek.

I'm gonna go down and see
what Jason's got going.

You know, maybe between
the two of us,

we can figure something out.

[Narrator] With minimal gold

showing in the box
last night,

their season goal
hangs in the balance.

- [Dave] Hey, Jason.
- [Jason] What's up, Dave?

[Dave] What's going on
down here?

[Jason] You know, Dave,

you know, you look over
across at that wall,

and you see nothing but nice
river gravel, shingles.

That upper five feet,
it's carrying good gold,

but everything below that.

I mean, it's like all sand.

[Dave] Yeah, it's just weird.

[Jason] It's just not
paying out.

Well, it's like this
across this whole cut.

Well, you can see
the big rocks down there

a little bit lower level.

There really should be
a pot of gold down here.

Take a pan.

Some... We're in this
big stuff.

[Dave] See if it gets
any better on this side.

I got to clean it up a little
bit but you got one and two.

I mean, that's top
gravel gold, Dave.

Which is not normal
with the placer mine.

[bleep].

[bleep].

Normally, any deposits,
the deeper you go

or right above bedrock,

that's where you end up
with your best gold.

Not the case here.
It's all towards the surface.

The only theory
I can really come up with

is the fact that
it's a younger deposit.

[Narrator] Nearly all gold
deposits modern miners chase

are hundreds of thousands
of years old,

enough time for gold
to collect

on impenetrable bedrock.

Jason's theory,

the crew has now hit ground

containing relatively
young placer gold

that hasn't had time
to settle.

So the deeper they mine,
the less gold there is.

[Dave] The question is,

how much gold we're gonna get
out of this cut?

I know you said,
"Stay on the gold,"

but I don't think I can do it
here in Cottonwood, Dave,

because this isn't
gonna cut it.

[Dave] I've got to find
freaking glory hole,

you know, or something
to hit us at that 450.

We can't be stopped,
but we're running out of days.

You're right.

Could I have a little time
to go check around,

punch a few holes?

No, now's not the time
to go on a wild goose chase.

I don't have time
to open another cut.

Maybe we just run
the top gravels,

at least it's paying
the bills.

I mean, we can hope...

but I don't know
450 is gonna happen.

You wanna have a good season
ending, just didn't wanna...

do all this for the last
10 months for nothing.

I can't make gold just appear
in this stuff.

I wish I had
that superpower but I don't.

[Narrator] With season-ending
snow now just two days away,

Dave faces
a critical decision.

You know what?

Those guys are busting
their butts for this.

It's a really risky gamble.

But there's not a gold miner
on this planet

that hasn't taken a risk.

And that's the same way
with this crew.

These guys
are all risk-takers.

So if Jason wants to go
find another spot,

I should let him, maybe that
will get us over 450 ounces.

You got to let him go.

Hey, Jason...

Jason, you got a copy?

[Jason] Yeah, go ahead, Dave.

[Dave] Go for it.

Go do your prospect.

[Jason] Yeah!

Let's roll the dice.

Get over 450 ounces.

It's on you, buddy.

Go get it.

[Narrator] Coming up,
will the hunt for gold...

I hope Jason finds something
that saves us, I really do.

You know what?
It might be our Hail Mary.

[Narrator] ...be enough to
keep the Alaskan dream alive?

This is it.

[Man] You think we got
50 ounces in here?

See what we got in that bag.

[dramatic music playing]

We got to get something
that's gonna hit and hit hard,

otherwise we're not
gonna make it.

[Narrator] Jason's mission,

recover 50 more
ounces of gold

before mining in Alaska
is shut down by winter.

First stop, Valdez Museum.

[Jason]
Really on our property,

there's historic hard rock
operations up above us.

I need to do some research.

I phoned ahead requesting
any mining info, maps,

anything that may help me
out on the ground.

- [woman] Hello. Are you Jason?
- Yes, ma'am.

Hopefully that will
provide you what you need.

Thank you, ma'am.
You have a wonderful day.

[woman] You, too.

[Narrator] Jason scans for
historic hard rock mines

in the Glacier Creek area.

[Jason] Let's see where we...

[Narrator] His plan,
open a new cut

close to a hard rock
gold source

in the hope of finding more
gold near to the surface.

Glacier Creek is right there.

Probably
the closest mine is...

Golden Sunlight,

I'll be damned.

That would have been a good
percentage of the source

coming into that Cottonwood

and further
on down river as well.

You know,
this report actually is

going back as early as 1898.

I mean, right here
this talks about...

Yeah, three to four foot
quartz vein outcrops.

The largest of which is
three inches in thickness.

[Narrator]
The Golden Sunlight Mine

was one of hundreds
of small operations

open during
the far northern gold rushes.

Between 1906 and 1942,

mines like these contributed
to hard rock gold

pulled from this region
totaling 55,000 ounces.

If I can get
right on the mouth

where that Golden Sunlight
opens up

and lays out
into that drainage,

might be one hell of a payday
sitting there.

[car revving]

[intense music playing]

[Narrator]
Back at Glacier Creek...

Yeah, we are shorthanded
right now.

I'm on my own.

We got to jump
from vehicle to vehicle,

it takes way longer.

Just doing the best I can.

The bottom line is I got
to keep pay to the plant.

[intense music playing]

[Nathan] I'ma grab
one more of these

and then I'ma go up there
and I'ma jump on in the dozer.

[rock clunking]

[Nathan]
As far as you can turn.

We all got to be very

efficient on machine.

I've learned more,
uh, than any other year.

We dealt with four plants
this year.

I mean, I've worked
on little machines

and I worked
on big-ass machines,

you know,
I got to go on the prospects.

[cheery music playing]

[Nathan] Getting out front
these prospects

is what I really wanna do.

- There's three pieces.
- Just little microns.

[Nathan] It means a lot to me.
It makes me feel more whole.

They see me as more
than just a mechanic.

What I set out to achieve,
I'm achieving now this season.

[Dave] For Nathan, this season
is a huge confidence builder.

He really stepped up
another level.

We're running.
Let's just find the gold.

I hope that Jason finds
something that saves us,

I really do.

[machine whirring]

[intense music playing]

[Narrator] Now, back on site.

Golden Sunlight Mine should be
right about here right now.

The question is where the hell
the opening is.

[Narrator] Jason puts his
mining theory into practice.

You can almost see
a dark spot.

I think that's the opening,

correlates with the map
really well.

So if you follow that down,

it's gonna put it
right over there.

I'm gonna pop a hole there.

See if we can find some gold.

[Narrator]
Jason identifies a spot

where he thinks
the adit or entrance

to the Sunlight Mine
was made.

Tracing the drainage channel,

he lands on an area
of organics

just beyond
the Cottonwood cut.

Now,
he must prove his theory.

[machine clacking]

[Jason] All right.

Let's get into this stuff, huh.

Roll the dice and dig a hole.

Hopefully not let
the team down.

[Narrator] As Jason searches
for Sunlight gold,

Dave must push even harder
in the Cottonwood cut.

[intense music playing]

[Dave] Right now,
it's just late in the season.

I don't really know the answer

whether I, uh,
open up another cut

or try to just accept this cut
for what it is

and how it's producing.

By the time I strip
with that little dozer,

it could be snowing
and I'm kicked out of here.

This year
is the learning year,

and we're gonna be back
next year.

If we hit more
than 50 ounces,

it would prove to me

that we have figured out
how to mine the ground

and we're gonna kick it
next year.

[foreboding music playing]

Oh, my God.

[bleep].

I didn't know
that was back there.

[KC] Are you okay?

[Dave] Yeah, I'm fine.

That thing could have
gone over backwards.

God, dang it.

[intense music playing]

[bleep].

It just goes to show how fast
accidents happen

and, uh, when you're tired,

you know, it makes it worse.

I'm pushing hard right now.

Yeah, there's pressure
to get us over that 450 mark,

so you we just got
to be careful with it.

[intense music playing]

I'm clicking some damn good
river gravels there.

[Narrator]
Over in the new Sunlight cut.

Listen to that.

That's that money.

Please be the money.
I need it to be the money.

[metal clucking]

[intense music playing]

See, this came
right off that mountain.

Some of the ore that the old
timers kind of threw out.

Let's run a pan of that.

All right.

If I can pan 15, 20,
then I found what we need

and we're in the money.

[suspenseful music playing]

[bleep].

That is a little bit
of a fresh

right out of the damn
source nugget.

This is genuinely
out of the hard rock.

22, 24, there's like 26
freakin' colors there, man.

[sighs]

I don't have to go back
to Dave empty-handed.

That's 450 ounces
is what that's gonna equal.

Dave, you got a copy?

Go ahead, Jason.

I'm looking at
two little nuggets

that are wrapped
with quartz and bedrock.

[intense music playing]

[Dave] What's up, Jason?

The little nuggets.

That's a nugget right there?

[Jason] A little nugget there.

Yeah, but look at all
the fines in there, too.

Yeah, that's the other one.

Woo, you might
have found something.

Well, we got to get some
to the plant and find out.

Let me clear off
some of the topsoil,

clear some of this brush,
get a road back here.

You know what?
It might be our Hail Mary.

Great job, Jason. Woo!

He's out there hustling,
he's working his ass off

to make sure he's getting
the best gold as it gets

and I admire that.

I tell you what.
I'm pretty proud of that guy.

He did the research
and guess what?

We found some gold.

I think Jason is becoming
a very good leader.

He's learning
and conquering and adapting.

He's willing
to take those risks.

If you don't have gamble
in your blood,

you're never gonna be able
to make it as a gold miner

because there's a lot
against you,

there's a lot
that you can't control.

I've learned that.

Alaska's thrown us
a lot of curve balls.

Right now, we need a break.

Maybe this is the break
we need.

All right. Sunlight cut
is open for business.

[wind blowing]

[intense music playing]

[Man] Let's go get
that freaking gold, dude.

[Narrator] At Glacier Creek...

I'll load as fast I can.

You find that pedal
on the right and let's get it.

All right. There we go.

[Narrator] Jason and KC
race to deliver pay

from the newly opened
Sunlight cut.

I got to get as many loads
up there as fast as I can

and, uh, safe as I can.

Rick got up to 61 loads,

if we can beat it,
that would be great,

record-breaking time.

Here comes the Sunlight cut.

This is always that last push.

It's best when you give
yourself a good

kick in the ass
and keep going,

dig down deep and see
what you're made of.

There goes load number one
out of the Sunlight cut.

While I'm out here mining,
my family has struggled.

My wife is missing.

They got search and rescue
looking for them.

I have to get back there.
This is horrible.

It was the most horrific
thing I ever went through

and I knew
we had a mission to do.

Once I knew they were safe,

I came back to finish out
the season

all the way to the end.

It's been a rough year for KC.

You have to have courage
and determination

to live up here
and KC has that.

But that's what it takes to
make money in this business,

that you'd be willing
to work that hard.

[Nathan] KC, man,
he's such a good guy.

His heart is a solid
piece of gold.

He will would do anything
for this team, anything.

[wind blowing]

[intense music playing]

[Dave] I'm out
checking the roads out.

[Narrator]
As the weather deteriorates,

Dave assesses
the five-mile dirt road,

the only way
in and out of the mine.

[Dave]
I'm a little worried about

getting our equipment
out of here,

getting people out of here
before the snow falls.

We're in a avalanche zone.

Avalanche Alley
they call this.

We've got to pay
attention to that.

[Narrator] Six feet of snow

already blankets
the slopes above.

With more forecast
to hit tomorrow,

the entire mine site
is at risk of avalanche.

The steep slopes
of this valley

are known as a terrain trap.

When an avalanche hits,
there's nowhere to run.

Look, Den Dempsey
showed me pictures

of avalanches coming
right down to this road.

We were mining up here
in the winters.

- [Dave] You mined in the winter?
- Yeah.

It was the most dangerous
thing I've ever done.

- Holy cow.
- I mean we'd watch avalanches

come out of this and we had
one come right behind us.

I thought
I was gonna get buried.

- [Dave] Oh, my goodness.
- And you could see...

- It's got to be 30 feet, doesn't it?
- Oh, yeah.

[intense music playing]

[car door closes]

Holy [bleep],

that wasn't here yesterday.

You know,
it was cold last night,

froze, you getting
a little bit of moisture,

freeze-thaw action
and you end up with this.

I mean you look around,
look how steep this valley is.

We got a lot of snow up top,
you know,

we get an avalanche
or something,

blocks the road,
we're stuck in here.

But we got a lot
of work to do,

try to beat winter.

[Andrew]
It's time to kick ass.

Our season
is coming down to hours.

KC is going back and forth
like a crazy person.

We're running hard.

[Narrator] Back on the mine...

I got a short window
to get as much pay

out of this Sunlight cut
as I can to that Eagle.

[Narrator] The team runs
the plant all out

at 200 yards per hour.

I'm trying to kind of feather
the material into this plant

because we don't wanna put
a big jolt of weight at once

on the [indistinct] belt.

Thank you, Andrew,
for your attention,

I appreciate it.

I mean, Andrew's fed the plant

hundred percent correct.

It's not overfilling it.

Doing good. Doing real good.

You know,
Andrew has definitely grown

for his first season
with Team Turin.

I've never seen somebody
show so much interest.

He wants to learn.

I've never operated
an articulating

haul truck before.

There's a lot
of buttons in here.

We'll figure it out.

[Jason] Nice and easy, Andrew.

All right. I got this.

There you go.

Now I just need to learn
how to operate a dozer.

I believe by the end of this,

I'm gonna be a lot
better miner

that I was on day one.

Dave took a chance with me

bringing me on to this crew.

Being a trusted crew member,

it's an accomplishment.

You never really know how good
somebody is gonna be

until you actually
put him to work.

As far as I'm concerned,
I hit a home run with Andrew.

He's been great.

[intense music playing]

[truck revving]

All right. Jason,
61 is equal in Rick's load

so everything after this
is gravy.

The next one is a record.

Hell yeah, dude.

Attaboy, Morgan.
Way to go, my man.

Woo!

Good job, KC.

[KC] Come on, big money.

I got this truck pedal
to the metal.

I'm talking full speed ahead.
I'm hauling ass.

[bleep] carnage.

[bleep]. Ahh.

Nate, Nate,
you got a copy, dude?

[Nathan] Yeah. Go ahead, KC.

Dude, I think
I just clipped a rock.

[bleep].

Clipped something.

Let's go backwards some,
I hear it.

Ho, oh, oh. [Bleep].

[dramatic music playing]

[Nathan] It's got definitely
a hole in the tire.

It must've got right in there.
It must have hit something.

[KC] Like, I didn't see
anything. Just bam.

Hit me.

[Nathan] Well, we ain't got
[bleep] your tire with.

If it's got a hole
and it's that bad,

I mean, it's blowing out
pretty good. Yeah.

[KC] [bleep].

- Hey, Dave.
- Hey.

- There you go.
- [Dave] [bleep].

Well, that's a hell of a hole.

Look at the air
coming out of there.

Why don't you go
get on the phone,

and I don't care
if you wake somebody up.

We gotta find a tire guy
because this is our last hope.

If we don't have a front tire
on that

[bleep] we're not running.

This is not
what I need right now.

That's the one piece of
equipment I can't do without.

I mean without a haul truck,
we're done.

[dramatic music playing]

[wind howling]

[dramatic music playing]

[Dave] Let's dump it.

[KC] Okay.

[rumbling]

[Narrator] A burst tire
cripples the rock truck.

[Dave] Hey, Andrew,

sorry about the pile
in the middle of your road.

But I had to get this truck
out of here.

He's got a flat tire.

Go ahead and put it
in the plant.

[Andrew] Copy that.

[Narrator] The crew mechanic
makes a last ditch call

for a replacement.

Hey, it's Nathan.
Hi, I'm trying to find

a frickin' tire guy.

Tire guy the number I have,
he didn't answer his phone.

[dramatic music playing]

He stops in October.

[bleep].

Do you know anybody else?

Anybody at all around Valdez?

[Narrator] In late October,

Team Turin
is the only operation

still mining the valley.

[Man] The end might be nearer
than we thought.

[dramatic music playing]

- Tell me what you got.
- Nothing.

Oh, man.

We got nothing.
We've been [indistinct]

I mean, I can't run that
material up with loaders,

- that's not gonna do any good.
- Right.

[dramatic music playing]

If we run what's left
in the pay pile

and let's just pack it up.

End of the season, boys.

When that pile is gone,
we're done.

[Andrew] Well, that sucks.

- [Man] Party's over.
- [Dave] That's it.

Hopefully, we got over
our 450 ounces.

[Nathan] I think we really
pushed our luck here.

I mean, you know,
we had a truck tire go out

and we have weather coming in.

Maybe it's God's way telling
us it's time to go home.

[Jason] You know, Alaska tried
to break us. It didn't.

It broke a tire before
it ever broke Team Turin.

[Dave] When you think about
what we've been through,

you know, overcoming things

that...
are almost insurmountable

and I feel like that's
what we've done this year.

It's about a group of guys
coming together

and doing something extraordinary.

[KC] This is the last
of the pay.

Season over.

Last bucket, boys.

Woo-hoo!

Good job.

[Dave] That's it, boys.
Last bucket. Woo-hoo!

Last of the Glacier Creek gold
for 2021.

Good job, you guys.

[Nathan] All right, KC,
let's kill that pump.

Woo-hoo!

Yeah.

Good job, baby.

[Dave] Three months ago,

I didn't even have a place
to mine.

So for us to be
where we're at right now,

I think
it's an amazing achievement.

Hopefully, the Sunlight cut
gives us what we need.

You know, our season comes
down to this box right here.

That's where our answers are.

- [Nathan] What's up?
- [Jason] Hey, dude.

How's she looking, brother?

[Narrator]
Under cover of darkness,

it's time to see
if their Sunlight cut gamble

has paid off.

There ain't [bleep]
down here, Nater.

[Nathan] You got some pickers.

A picker up there.

The middle
is looking pretty good.

[Jason] Yeah.

- [Man] There's some down there on the left side.
- [Man] Oh, yeah.

That's so much better than...

Because I wasn't seeing
[bleep] at first.

[Man] You think we got
50 ounces in here?

Well, I guess
the gold room will tell.

You know, this isn't
really the way we wanted

to end the season
on a flat tire,

- but I think it's time.
- Yup. I agree.

You know,
the snow's right there.

We've been warned and...

I feel really proud
of what we've accomplished.

We're in Alaska and you guys,
you figured it out.

You managed it.
You conquered it.

- I'm [bleep] proud of everybody.
- Amen.

- [Man] Yes, we are.
- It looks pretty good in the box.

- [KC] Yup.
- We'll clean it up. Get it up to Shelly.

See if the Sunlight cut
put us over the top.

I've been doing this for a
while but I have to say

that this year stands out

to me as one of the most
amazing accomplishments.

We've overcome Alaska.

If it's there, great.
If it's not [bleep] we tried.

[tense music playing]

[Narrator] Morning in Alaska.

Snow's here. She's here.

Pretty big flakes
coming down, boys.

[Narrator] Mother Nature
finally issues

her eviction notice.

Winter's here,
a hundred percent.

[Narrator] Ten inches of snow
can fall in an hour.

[man speaking]

[Narrator] The team
must collect the essentials

and get out.

Anywhere else in the Lower 48,
I'd be okay with it snowing.

But this place, you know,
is Valdez Alaska.

We have one road in,
one road out.

We don't need to be
getting trapped here.

[tense music playing]

[Jason] You know, this is
an eye opener.

I just hope we can
get everything cleaned up

and get the hell out of here
before we're sitting

under 30, 40 feet of this.

[Dave] Jason.

Back a little bit, Nate.

A little more.

- There you go.
- [Jason] There, we got it.

[engine revving]

Alaska throws snowballs
at you,

it ain't a snowball,
it's an avalanche.

[tense music playing]

[Dave] And that's it.
Mine's shut down.

Just at the right time.

I'm not being caught
with my pants down.

No way in hell.

[wind howling]

[tense music playing]

If you'd asked me
eight months ago,

I'd be in the position
that I'm at,

I would have
never expected this.

It's crazy how we started
and I had nothing.

No prospects.
Had no ground to mine.

Now, I'm mining in Alaska.

And now, I've got
an opportunity

to have a great mine
in Montana.

[uplifting music playing]

[Dave] I've never been in
a place where I'm doing good mining,

but I've got great ground
in the future.

It's a really good place
to be.

If you try to balance it
all out,

I've got so much wrapped up
in Alaska,

you know,
Alaska I own the claims

and, you know, the amount

of effort and time
that we put in there,

all my equipment's up there,
the guys are there.

But great gold in Montana,

we can get permits.

Could be great.
What do you do?

We've got some big decisions
to make.

But as problems go,

this is a great problem
to have.

[dramatic music playing]

The Sunlight cut, I mean
it can make or break us.

I mean, that's the truth.
It's a make or break.

Believe me, I know
because I'm sweating that break.

[Nathan] Either you're gonna make
it, or you're gonna break it.

[Narrator]
After a five-month season,

but just 13 weeks
spent mining...

[KC] I think you made
the right decision taking the gamble,

even if we don't hit 450.

We'll see.

[Narrator] It's time
for the crew to discover

if its epic Alaskan gamble
has paid out.

- Hey, guys.
- [Nathan] Hey, Dave. Hey, Shelly.

- What's up, guys?
- [Nathan] Woo-hoo!

I think you're carrying
quite a heavy backpack there.

Well, that's a good sign.

- [Nathan] Bring it over.
- [Shelly] Yeah.

[Man] Sweet.

[KC] Oh, oh.

You know what, you guys,
three months ago,

I didn't think I'd be here.

I didn't think
we'd have this...

bag full of gold.

[KC] I didn't think
we'd have any gold at all.

The world says
success is 450 ounces.

But I view success
as this team

and what we've become.

And I feel like regardless
of whether we hit

450 ounces after this year,

I think we can
conquer anything.

- Five guys and a gal.
- And here we are

still standing strong.

And let's hope that it shows

- in that gold total.
- [Dave] Yeah.

- I believe that...
- [KC] Oh, there's a hundred.

So...

[suspenseful music playing]

So this is 401 ounces.

Right.

Well?

- [Man] Oh!
- [Man] No way.

- Here's what's left.
- [Man] Wow.

[Narrator]
The crew needs 49 ounces

to hit its 450 ounce target.

- [Shelly] Okay.
- [Man] Come on, Shelly. Let's see what we got.

- [Shelly] All right.
- [Man] Come on, Shelly. Pour that gold.

[Dave] KC, read the numbers.

- You see them?
- [KC] All right. Seven.

There's 10.

Going 14.

- [Man] Come on.
- [KC] Come on 20.

[KC] Come on 49.

Now, there's 24.

- Twenty-eight.
- Come on.

[KC] There's 30.

- Come on. There's 33.
- [Man] Come on. Please, come on.

- Thirty-six.
- [Man] Whoa.

- Forty-seven.
- Here we go. Here we go.

Forty-eight.

- [Nathan] Woo!
- [KC] That's 50.

- [Nathan] Yeah.
- [Dave] All right.

We're over.

[indistinct chatter]

[Man]
Oh, that's the big money.

- [Nathan] Come on, Shelly.
- Keep on pouring.

[KC] Keep going.
Oh, big money. Come on.

- [Nathan] Come on.
- [KC] Sixty. Woo.

- Look at that.
- 61.9. We are in business.

- Here we go.
- [Nathan] That's what I'm talking about.

- [Shelly] A beautiful sight.
- [KC] That is good [bleep] right there.

- [Man] Outstanding.
- [KC] Yup.

[Narrator] Their high stakes
gamble in the Sunlight cut

pays out a record
61.9 ounces.

We worked our asses off
for that.

You know,
starting when we started,

and to come up
with 463 ounces,

- it's a hell of an achievement.
- [Shelly] Yes. Yes.

[Narrator] In just 13 weeks,

the crew extracts a total

of 463 ounces of gold

worth over $833,000.

You put your heart and soul
into something,

you accomplish anything.

That right there proves it.

I feel like the future
looks good right now.

This is the first year
I've been able to return.

So I'm excited to be back
next year.

Where we go from here,

this is our hub,

we're gonna branch out.

This is
just a starting point.

[Nathan] This is just
the beginning of my dream.

I got to come out here
and experience Alaska,

and I don't take it
for granted.

[Jason] Alaska has definitely
put me to the test.

But next season,
to take this operation

to whatever heights
we possibly can.

[KC] For my future,
I've got to make sure

family first, mining second.

But one way or another,
I'm gonna stay a gold miner.

It's always been a dream
of mine to be a gold miner.

I'm just gonna keep building
to be better for the future.

All right, gentlemen.
Drinks are on me.

- Hey, I'd like that.
- [Dave] Let's go have a drink.

- [Man] It's all good.
- [Man] Love you, guys.

[Dave] Love you, guys.

[dramatic music playing]

[Dave] You got everything?
Yeah.

- [Dave] Everybody's got their bags?
- [Man] Yeah, man.

I got something for you, boys.

- There you go.
- [KC] Yeah. Now, we're talking.

- Nathan.
- Hey.

That's what I like to see,
right there.

- Andrew.
- Thank you.

I put some nuggets in there,
you guys.

- [Andrew] Oh, sweet.
- That's cool, man.

[Dave] Jason.

- KC.
- Thank you.

- [Dave] Here you go.
- [KC] Thank you.

- Go see your families.
- Thank you, brother.

- [Dave] Love you, guys. All right. Good job.
- [Nathan] Love you, man.

- Good job, Andrew.
- [chuckles]

Jason, good job, buddy.

- Good job. JC.
- [Man] Let's catch that jet plane, boys.

- Let's go see our family.
- Yeah.

[Shelly] Good team.

[Dave] Yeah, great team.

[dramatic music playing]

I believe the American Dream
is getting enough gold

to start looking
to the future.

I'm gonna miss 'em.

- [Dave] Yeah, I know.
- [Shelly] You will too.

- [Dave] Oh, I'll miss those guys.
- [Shelly] Yeah.

There's great gold in Alaska

waiting to be found.

[airplane engine revving]

Next year is the season
that's gonna change.

It's gonna change everything.

[tense music playing]