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[dramatic music playing]
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[Freddy] People often ask me
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why we do what we do.
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Is it for the love of gold?
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Sure.
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[man] That looks real good.
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[Freddy]
Do I like helping people?
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Let's get them some more gold.
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[Freddy] Definitely.
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[man 1] Woo! [laughs]
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[man 2] Yeah.
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[Freddy] But why I love
rescuing struggling miners...
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is to help them
achieve their dreams.
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[man] Look at that.
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-[laughing]
-[woman] I got to hug you
again.
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[Freddy] And at the very core,
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every miner we come across
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are doing it
for their family.
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[Juan] Family is everything.
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It's why we go out
and put it in the hard hours.
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[man] First one,
only about 6,000 more to go.
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[Juan] With the hope of making
life better for them.
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[indistinct chatter]
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[Juan] At the end of the day,
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we all want one thing,
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to leave a lasting legacy.
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This changes our life.
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Thank you.
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[car honking]
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[Juan] Freddy,
what's going on, buddy?
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[Freddy] How's it going, bud?
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Good to see you. Come here.
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-Let's do it?
-[Freddy] All righty.
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[narrator] On this episode...
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Hey, good to see you guys.
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[narrator]
Freddy and Juan reflect
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on last year's
most pivotal rescues.
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I'm really excited
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and think we can have
an amazing year.
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[narrator] As well as
their biggest challenge yet.
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They're the first
ones that have beat us.
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[narrator] As they check in
with the miners themselves.
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Need to get quite a bit
of gold is what we're asking.
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-Yeah.
-[laughter]
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[narrator]
To find out who is closer
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to achieving
their golden dream.
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This is a 400% increase
in gold.
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-[crowd cheering]
-[man] Holy smokes.
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That's what I'm talking about.
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[narrator] For themselves
and their families.
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[Juan] I'm proud
of that, Freddy.
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-Right on, buddy.
-Nice job, bud.
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Likewise.
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You know, Freddy,
over the years,
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we helped quite
a few families,
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a lot of miners, and, uh...
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A lot of memories,
good and bad.
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Well, you know, and for us,
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we've been working together
for going on nine, ten years.
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-Yeah.
-Almost a decade.
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But right off the get-go,
me and you kind of teamed up
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because we have
the same mindset...
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-[Juan] Mmm-hmm.
-you know?
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-Same mentality
in a lot of things.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
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-A lot of skillsets
that are the same.
-Yeah.
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And our stupid humor's
the same.
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-[laughs]
-Uh-huh.
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-Couple of dumbasses.
-Yeah.
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[laughter]
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But, you know, last year,
there was a lot of challenges,
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you know, between roads
that we were on
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and coming up with, uh,
creative fixes on the fly.
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-We didn't give up, though.
-[Juan] No.
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There's no give up
in you or me, Fred.
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-There was that big family
that we helped, the Adams.
-The Adams.
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Yeah. They sold everything.
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That's gold.
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-[Heidi] You betcha.
-[Matt] There you go.
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[boy] It's gold.
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-I got gold.
-My goodness.
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[Juan] They sold
their businesses,
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their homes, everything.
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They wanted to start
this new life as a family.
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-[Freddy] Bought
that property there.
-[Juan] Yeah.
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-Hey, guys.
-[Rodger] Hey.
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-How you doing?
-[Juan] Good. How you doing?
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-Juan, I'm Rodger.
-Rodger? Nice to meet you,
Rodger.
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-You too.
-Matt.
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[Juan] Matt.
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[narrator] With a collective
dream to leave the nine
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to five grind, mine gold,
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and live off
the same remote land,
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Rodger Adams
and his 13-member family
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took their chance.
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I just decided to sell my
business and go gold mining.
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Might be crazy,
but that's what we're doing.
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A lot of us
don't have jobs anymore
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and we're banking on this
entirely to be our future.
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Well,
it's a pretty cute family.
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You know, getting there
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and houses
are all half built,
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and they're still
living in campers, you know?
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They wanted to pretty much
live off the land.
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[country music playing]
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Well, this is just
the little beginning
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of our garden area.
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It's gonna be about
four times this size
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when we get it all ready here.
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But, for this year,
this was a good start.
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-[Juan] They wanted to have
it all.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
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And they'd never mined
gold before.
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-[Juan] None of them.
None of them.
-[Freddy] Yup.
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-[Juan] And, uh, I'd be
scared, you know, to death...
-[Freddy] Yeah.
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-[Juan] about it.
-[Freddy] Yup.
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You know, 'cause I know a lot
of them had a bunch
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of little kids as well.
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It was a huge step.
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[narrator]
For the Greenhorn miners,
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including sons, Keiran,
Tristan, Taylor,
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and Matt, success depends
on keeping their plant
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running without breakdowns.
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We picked up this conveyor
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that's actually been a little
bit of a fight for us
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and I'm sure you guys
will hate it as much as we do.
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[Juan] I'd love to start
a four-hour test run
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and we'll go from there.
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Let's do it.
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[Juan] First bucket.
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You know,
as we went in there,
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all the material favored
the one side
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-of the sluice box,
so it was running super heavy.
-Yup.
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[Rodger] No bueno.
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We'll have to get away to
get that material evened out.
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Remember all the material
that conveyor
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was throwing on the ground?
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-Yeah. Yeah.
-You know, tons of material.
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[Freddy] I don't like
the look of that.
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When it's too wet,
stuff sticks to it
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and then it, uh, it dribbles
off as it comes back.
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And that's what caused
our pile of stuff up there.
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Well, conveyors can either
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be a blessing or a curse.
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You can't move material
cheaper
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than the conveyor can.
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But at the same time,
conveyors can have issues
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and theirs was full of issues.
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[machine crashing]
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[man] Hey.
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[Freddy] The conveyor shut
off.
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[Juan] Shut down.
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[Freddy] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Shut it down. Shut it down.
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[Juan] Hey!
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Don't start the conveyor.
It's bound up.
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All this stuff
that's coming down,
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built up under here.
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-We should've realized.
-[man] It sent the belt off
track and now it's jammed in.
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If we keep on running,
we run the risk
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of losing the $5,000 belt.
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[narrator] To get this family
back on the gold,
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Freddy and Juan moved the
conveyor
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closer to the plant.
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Attach an innovative
one of a kind wiper
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to the base of the belt
to prevent pay
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from jamming underneath
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and install a V chute
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to evenly disperse pay
and increase their recovery.
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We built that wiper
out of parts that we had.
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-Double wiper...
-Yeah.
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and a broom. And a broom.
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-And springs
off your RC car.
-[laughing]
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The car weighs quite a bit.
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-My baby, Freddy.
-I know.
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I still need springs, Freddy.
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You still haven't got me
any springs yet.
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But you still have my RC car
that you took.
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We'll just call it even then.
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-I'll get you springs.
-[Juan] Okay.
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[laughter]
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Compress those springs up
quite a ways
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-kind of like
I've got it here.
-Oh, yeah. Yeah.
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[Freddy] Holy freak, holies.
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-What do you think?
-[man] Looks good.
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[Matt] Yeah. This is great.
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[Juan] Well,
let's start the test, huh?
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-Let's do it.
-Let's do it.
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[narrator] With a modified
sluice box
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00:06:35,867 --> 00:06:37,967
and fixes to
the conveyor complete...
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-[Juan] Yeah. Fire it up.
-[Rodger] Yes, sir.
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All right.
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[narrator] Freddy and Juan
run a final test
192
00:06:42,867 --> 00:06:44,667
to see
if they've helped secure
193
00:06:44,667 --> 00:06:47,100
the family's
homesteading dream.
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[Juan] That's working damn
good up there, Freddy.
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[Freddy] Perfect.
That's running good.
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I like the sound of that.
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[Freddy] That's four hours.
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00:06:59,033 --> 00:07:00,934
That should
be the last bucket.
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00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:03,767
[Juan] Now we run
a full four hours.
200
00:07:03,767 --> 00:07:04,867
-Smooth.
-[Juan] Flawless smooth.
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00:07:04,867 --> 00:07:05,867
Yup.
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00:07:05,867 --> 00:07:08,367
[upbeat music playing]
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00:07:08,367 --> 00:07:10,567
[narrator] The four-hour test
must deliver
204
00:07:10,567 --> 00:07:13,367
at least 1.25 ounces.
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[upbeat music playing]
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00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:17,400
[Freddy] Well, guys...
207
00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:19,767
1.93.
208
00:07:19,767 --> 00:07:20,900
-[man] Hey.
-[Matt] Great. That's better.
209
00:07:20,900 --> 00:07:21,967
-[Freddy] Almost two ounces.
-All good. That's better.
210
00:07:21,967 --> 00:07:23,367
-[man 1] Yeah.
-[man 2] [indistinct] Yeah.
211
00:07:23,367 --> 00:07:25,100
-Damn good.
-[man 2] Nice.
212
00:07:27,066 --> 00:07:29,066
And I'm really hoping
that they're still mining
213
00:07:29,066 --> 00:07:30,767
-and making money.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
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00:07:30,767 --> 00:07:31,700
Well, let's give them a shout.
215
00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:33,300
Yeah, let's give them a call.
216
00:07:34,166 --> 00:07:35,600
How you guys been?
217
00:07:36,500 --> 00:07:37,667
It's been good.
218
00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:39,867
How did those fixes work out
for you guys?
219
00:07:39,867 --> 00:07:42,467
Everything seems
to be working real well.
220
00:07:42,467 --> 00:07:44,900
[Rodger] The V chute
is just working fantastic.
221
00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:48,000
We have a nice even flow
to the sluice box here.
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00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:49,500
On this side,
we have the conveyor,
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00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:52,266
which we were having quite
a struggle with previously.
224
00:07:52,266 --> 00:07:54,467
And this year,
it's been way better.
225
00:07:54,467 --> 00:07:56,867
[Keiran] It's really
helping us produce more.
226
00:07:56,867 --> 00:08:00,700
Here's some gold
from the last couple weeks.
227
00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,467
You guys were able
to meet your, uh, your goal?
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00:08:05,467 --> 00:08:07,767
Our goal was like
a hundred ounces or whatever.
229
00:08:07,767 --> 00:08:10,667
-[Freddy] Yup.
-And, uh, we ended up
with 103.
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00:08:10,667 --> 00:08:13,033
Yes. Whoa.
231
00:08:13,667 --> 00:08:15,567
[Keiran] Bowl full of gold.
232
00:08:15,567 --> 00:08:16,667
-[Rodger] We've done it.
-[Tristan] That's awesome.
233
00:08:16,667 --> 00:08:17,867
I can't believe we did it.
234
00:08:17,867 --> 00:08:21,166
-For our first season,
I think we did really good.
-Yeah.
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00:08:21,166 --> 00:08:23,400
We're really happy
with all of that, so.
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00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,000
-Yeah.
-Um, you know, the fixes
that you did,
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00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:27,800
basically allowed us
to do that.
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00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,066
-Yup. Well, that's good.
That's what we're doing.
-Yup.
239
00:08:30,066 --> 00:08:32,300
Trying to help more people.
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[Rodger] And we've got
a second operation
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00:08:34,300 --> 00:08:36,100
to the south.
242
00:08:36,100 --> 00:08:38,800
We're excited to see
what we can do this year.
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00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:40,700
How's the family...
The rest of the family doing?
244
00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:42,166
More kids on the way?
245
00:08:42,166 --> 00:08:44,967
Well, yeah, there are more
kids on the way for sure.
246
00:08:44,967 --> 00:08:45,800
-[laughter]
-[Matt] Um, yeah.
247
00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:47,066
-That's homestead life.
-[Matt] Yeah.
248
00:08:47,066 --> 00:08:47,900
[Juan] That's awesome.
249
00:08:47,900 --> 00:08:49,066
[Rodger laughs]
250
00:08:49,066 --> 00:08:50,700
Well, that's exciting, guys.
251
00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:51,900
How's the homestead
coming along?
252
00:08:51,900 --> 00:08:53,667
Are you guys just about
complete with it?
253
00:08:53,667 --> 00:08:55,467
You know, it's coming along.
254
00:08:55,467 --> 00:08:57,166
So this is a new addition
to the homestead.
255
00:08:57,166 --> 00:09:00,400
This is kind of our shop,
uh, work area.
256
00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,166
Gold cleaning room, storage,
all of that kind
257
00:09:03,166 --> 00:09:04,467
of thing for now.
258
00:09:04,467 --> 00:09:05,800
Tristan here,
I think he's working
259
00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,100
on a little bit of a cleanup.
260
00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:08,667
We'll see
how it's coming along.
261
00:09:08,667 --> 00:09:10,200
Any gold in there?
262
00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,200
Great. I see a little
bit of gold in there.
263
00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:13,600
[Tristan] Right here.
264
00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,667
We were fixing up
the skid shack to, uh,
265
00:09:15,667 --> 00:09:19,166
to move into and a skid shack
is just about done,
266
00:09:19,166 --> 00:09:21,367
so we can pull in there
pretty soon.
267
00:09:21,367 --> 00:09:22,767
[Juan] Happy to hear that.
268
00:09:22,767 --> 00:09:25,300
You guys are great.
You work your butts off,
you know?
269
00:09:25,300 --> 00:09:27,767
So I know it was a pleasure
helping you guys out.
270
00:09:27,767 --> 00:09:28,567
Bye. Thanks for the help.
271
00:09:28,567 --> 00:09:29,467
-[Juan] Take care.
-Thanks so much.
272
00:09:29,467 --> 00:09:30,734
Well, the homestead boys,
Freddy,
273
00:09:30,734 --> 00:09:32,400
that's pretty dang good.
There's a lot of mouths
to feed.
274
00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:33,433
A lot of families, new babies.
275
00:09:33,433 --> 00:09:34,367
-They're gonna need
more gold...
-[Juan] Yeah.
276
00:09:34,367 --> 00:09:36,166
the way the kids
are flying in there.
277
00:09:36,166 --> 00:09:39,166
Those double sleeping bags
are causing problems in there.
278
00:09:39,166 --> 00:09:40,700
[laughs]
279
00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:42,767
[narrator] Coming up...
280
00:09:42,767 --> 00:09:44,767
[Juan] Once you kind of get
the hang of how the controls
281
00:09:44,767 --> 00:09:45,867
in that excavator work,
282
00:09:45,867 --> 00:09:48,000
it's actually pretty simple
to run.
283
00:09:48,567 --> 00:09:49,600
Okay.
284
00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:51,800
[narrator] Juan checks
if his teaching skills
285
00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,000
made the grade.
286
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:54,667
I just wanted to check up
on my student
287
00:09:54,667 --> 00:09:55,600
and see how she was doing.
288
00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,700
[narrator] And Freddy
and Juan revealed
289
00:09:57,700 --> 00:10:01,367
what went wrong on
their trickiest rescue yet.
290
00:10:01,367 --> 00:10:03,266
You're the first ones
that have beat us.
291
00:10:03,266 --> 00:10:04,700
-Yeah.
-Sorry about that.
292
00:10:04,700 --> 00:10:07,900
[dramatic music playing]
293
00:10:15,667 --> 00:10:16,900
[narrator] In Nevada...
294
00:10:16,900 --> 00:10:18,467
You're the best guy
on the computer.
295
00:10:18,467 --> 00:10:20,300
I don't know about that, Fred.
296
00:10:20,300 --> 00:10:21,867
[narrator]
Freddy and Juan reconnect
297
00:10:21,867 --> 00:10:23,467
with last year's miners
298
00:10:23,467 --> 00:10:25,634
to see how their fixes
have paid off.
299
00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:28,100
You know, Freddy,
I guess it strikes
300
00:10:28,100 --> 00:10:29,567
a chord with me when it...
301
00:10:29,567 --> 00:10:30,667
The whole family aspect
comes into it.
302
00:10:30,667 --> 00:10:33,100
You know, when you see
a father out there struggling
303
00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:34,600
and working his tail off
304
00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:35,967
to make a living
for his family,
305
00:10:35,967 --> 00:10:36,900
-it hits home,
you know, 'cause...
-Mmm-hmm.
306
00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:38,166
-[Juan] that's what
we both do.
-Well...
307
00:10:38,166 --> 00:10:39,767
-[Juan] Yeah.
-they're trying
to feed their family.
308
00:10:39,767 --> 00:10:41,867
One that kind
of stands out is Chad.
309
00:10:41,867 --> 00:10:43,100
-Chad Marmolejo.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
310
00:10:44,467 --> 00:10:47,567
[dramatic music playing]
311
00:10:47,567 --> 00:10:49,767
As a father,
you want to provide
312
00:10:49,767 --> 00:10:51,467
the best you can
for your family.
313
00:10:51,467 --> 00:10:53,266
And it's been
very difficult here.
314
00:10:53,266 --> 00:10:54,567
[narrator] Last year...
315
00:10:54,567 --> 00:10:56,200
-Morning, I'm Chad.
-[Juan] Nice to meet you.
316
00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:57,767
[narrator] Freddy and Juan
answered a call
317
00:10:57,767 --> 00:11:00,266
from father of two,
Chad Marmolejo.
318
00:11:00,266 --> 00:11:03,467
To be honest, last couple
of years were horrible.
319
00:11:03,467 --> 00:11:05,367
-Okay.
-Between breakdowns
320
00:11:05,367 --> 00:11:09,266
and the time that I could
actually run, it was...
321
00:11:09,266 --> 00:11:10,867
It's very disheartening.
322
00:11:10,867 --> 00:11:15,634
This is absolutely
the make it or break it year.
323
00:11:18,166 --> 00:11:22,100
2008, the housing crashed,
forced my company to fail.
324
00:11:22,100 --> 00:11:24,000
I was like, man,
you know, what the heck
325
00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:25,667
am I gonna do now?
326
00:11:25,667 --> 00:11:27,900
And I was like, you know,
I grew up in gold country.
327
00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:30,000
I think I had to give
that a whirl.
328
00:11:31,900 --> 00:11:33,000
[Juan] He was living on site.
329
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:33,800
[Freddy] In a tent.
330
00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:35,166
He had a little
wall tent out front.
331
00:11:35,166 --> 00:11:36,400
Eating hot dogs.
332
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,300
[Juan] You don't have
any power out here, huh?
333
00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:41,400
My existence up here
while I'm mining is definitely
334
00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:42,767
very primitive
335
00:11:42,767 --> 00:11:46,266
and it's hard living
in the tent.
336
00:11:46,266 --> 00:11:47,667
To me, if you've earned it
337
00:11:47,667 --> 00:11:48,800
and if you earned
it hard that way,
338
00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,000
-you appreciate it
that much more.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
339
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,000
Like I lived in my car
when I was 16 years old,
340
00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,767
-so nobody gave me anything.
-[Juan] Yeah. Yeah.
341
00:11:56,767 --> 00:11:58,467
[narrator] Making barely
enough to keep
342
00:11:58,467 --> 00:11:59,700
the operation going,
343
00:11:59,700 --> 00:12:01,400
let alone live on,
344
00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,700
Chad has turned
to his best friend
345
00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:06,200
of 30 years, Terry Larimer,
346
00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,100
for a financial lifeline.
347
00:12:08,100 --> 00:12:09,667
[Larimer]
I'm just trying to decide
348
00:12:09,667 --> 00:12:11,300
how big
of an investment do I...
349
00:12:11,300 --> 00:12:14,467
Do I wanna have
in this at this point.
350
00:12:14,467 --> 00:12:17,066
So you know how things happen
when a friend
351
00:12:17,066 --> 00:12:20,100
loans a friend money and
then there's a lot of trust
352
00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:23,500
that can be broken or,
you know, money to be made?
353
00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:25,200
[Freddy] Do you have
any gold we can look at?
354
00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,000
Actually, Terry has it
because I've had to sell it
355
00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,000
-for fuel and parts and...
-[Freddy] You bought
his gold?
356
00:12:31,700 --> 00:12:33,266
He did. Yup.
357
00:12:33,266 --> 00:12:35,867
And retired looking
for an investment, right?
358
00:12:35,867 --> 00:12:38,734
Yeah. One investment
is not a glass jar.
359
00:12:40,367 --> 00:12:42,033
Let's fire up a plant.
360
00:12:43,667 --> 00:12:45,467
[narrator]
During the first test...
361
00:12:45,467 --> 00:12:48,000
[Freddy] We'll start a timer.
362
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,767
[narrator] Freddy
and Juan quickly realized
363
00:12:49,767 --> 00:12:51,734
the challenge ahead.
364
00:12:56,100 --> 00:12:58,700
Spray bar broke off
11 seconds in.
365
00:13:00,567 --> 00:13:01,900
It definitely seems like if
366
00:13:01,900 --> 00:13:03,900
it's not one thing,
it's another.
367
00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:08,333
You can see that material
that's coming off the end
368
00:13:08,333 --> 00:13:10,667
of the trommel and it's still
really dirty like that,
369
00:13:10,667 --> 00:13:12,000
we know we're losing gold.
370
00:13:15,367 --> 00:13:17,000
And he had a problem
with clay, right?
371
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,367
He wasn't breaking it up.
372
00:13:18,367 --> 00:13:19,567
He was losing
a lot of that gold
373
00:13:19,567 --> 00:13:20,900
-out the end
of the trommel because...
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
374
00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:22,600
-it wasn't getting
properly scrubbed.
-Yup.
375
00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,367
Remember that grain separator
screen...
376
00:13:25,367 --> 00:13:28,567
-Oh, man.
-shaker, whatever it was
from the 1930s?
377
00:13:28,567 --> 00:13:30,867
Remember it's plugged
with rocks and it was...
378
00:13:30,867 --> 00:13:32,166
It wasn't gonna last long.
379
00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:33,467
That thing was so dang loud.
380
00:13:33,467 --> 00:13:36,000
You could hear it
on the dark side of the moon.
381
00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:38,567
[narrator]
Freddy and Juan's fix,
382
00:13:38,567 --> 00:13:41,700
replaced the shaker deck
with a rock scrubber
383
00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:44,367
made from repurposed pipe,
384
00:13:44,367 --> 00:13:45,867
fitted with steel rods
385
00:13:45,867 --> 00:13:49,600
to break up the clay covered
gold rich material.
386
00:13:50,667 --> 00:13:51,700
[Freddy] That scrubber.
387
00:13:51,700 --> 00:13:53,100
[Juan] I thought it was
actually pretty decent.
388
00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:55,266
-I would've liked
a bigger piece...
-Oh, yeah.
389
00:13:55,266 --> 00:13:59,100
you know, but use
what you got sometimes.
390
00:13:59,100 --> 00:14:01,300
[narrator]
But Chad's greatest obstacle
391
00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:03,100
lies at his deep cut,
392
00:14:03,100 --> 00:14:05,967
two miles
from his wash plant.
393
00:14:05,967 --> 00:14:08,100
Well, he was trucking
material in
394
00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:10,867
from down the road
quite a few miles, right?
395
00:14:10,867 --> 00:14:13,967
It's exciting stuff,
but also it's a lot of work
396
00:14:13,967 --> 00:14:17,200
and the trucking,
the overburden, uh,
397
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,900
you know, the reclamation
side of it.
398
00:14:19,900 --> 00:14:23,467
But this is the spot
that gold fever first bit me.
399
00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:25,600
[Freddy] So this
is your deep cut, huh?
400
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:26,767
[Chad] Yeah.
401
00:14:26,767 --> 00:14:28,367
This is promising material.
402
00:14:28,367 --> 00:14:31,166
Sure it's pretty in the pan,
but it costs you two dollars
403
00:14:31,166 --> 00:14:33,000
to get one dollars'
worth of gold.
404
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,800
[narrator] Each week,
Chad spends most of his time
405
00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:37,266
stripping overburden
406
00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:39,600
and trucking pay
to his plant,
407
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,300
leaving him
just two days to run.
408
00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:45,867
Freddy's fix,
search for pay in an old cut
409
00:14:45,867 --> 00:14:49,100
just a few hundred feet
from Chad's plant.
410
00:14:52,367 --> 00:14:54,934
[device beeping]
411
00:14:57,467 --> 00:15:00,533
No human's ever seen
this dirt before.
412
00:15:03,266 --> 00:15:05,266
[device beeps]
413
00:15:05,266 --> 00:15:07,500
[suspenseful music playing]
414
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:10,300
And I got something
in the pan.
415
00:15:10,300 --> 00:15:13,100
Hopefully it's not
a hunk of iron or something.
416
00:15:13,367 --> 00:15:14,767
Oh, there it is.
417
00:15:14,767 --> 00:15:15,800
That's a nice little nugget.
418
00:15:16,166 --> 00:15:17,734
Really nice actually.
419
00:15:18,266 --> 00:15:19,900
Hey, Chad, you got a second?
420
00:15:19,900 --> 00:15:21,767
[Chad] Yeah.
421
00:15:21,767 --> 00:15:24,266
[Freddy]
I went up in your hole
next to the plant...
422
00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:25,233
Yeah.
423
00:15:25,233 --> 00:15:27,133
[Freddy] with a metal
detector, there's one.
424
00:15:27,467 --> 00:15:29,133
I'd run all this.
425
00:15:30,066 --> 00:15:31,567
Okay. Sounds good.
426
00:15:31,567 --> 00:15:34,800
But we found him material
on the property
427
00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:36,767
that wasn't as good a pay,
428
00:15:36,767 --> 00:15:39,300
but it paid more because
you didn't have to truck it.
429
00:15:39,867 --> 00:15:41,800
First bucket, here we go.
430
00:15:42,700 --> 00:15:43,667
[narrator] Fix is complete.
431
00:15:43,667 --> 00:15:46,066
Moment of truth, Juano.
432
00:15:46,066 --> 00:15:49,300
[narrator] Chad's future
rests on the final gold wave.
433
00:15:51,100 --> 00:15:52,700
They're running
a lot more material
434
00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:54,166
and it's a lot cleaner
than it's ever been.
435
00:15:54,166 --> 00:15:56,200
We're smoking it.
436
00:16:00,066 --> 00:16:02,667
-[Juan] Hey, guys,
last bucket.
-[Freddy] Last bucket.
437
00:16:02,667 --> 00:16:05,700
[machine whirring]
438
00:16:10,100 --> 00:16:12,300
[suspenseful music playing]
439
00:16:12,300 --> 00:16:16,033
Well, you guys ready to,
uh, see what you got?
440
00:16:17,500 --> 00:16:19,867
[narrator] For Chad to secure
best friend Terry's
441
00:16:19,867 --> 00:16:21,500
vital investment,
442
00:16:21,500 --> 00:16:24,166
the upgraded plant
must produce no less
443
00:16:24,166 --> 00:16:26,834
than double the previous run.
444
00:16:28,367 --> 00:16:30,200
[Freddy] Well, there's over
a half ounce.
445
00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:35,800
We're over 0.86
from last time.
446
00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,266
And, uh, 1.68.
447
00:16:41,266 --> 00:16:42,400
-[Larimer] Woo-hoo.
-Oh, wow.
448
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:43,767
-[Juan] Double, I told you.
-Hey.
449
00:16:43,767 --> 00:16:44,967
-[man] Double.
-Yeah.
450
00:16:44,967 --> 00:16:46,166
-[Juan] Double. Double.
-[man] That's awesome.
451
00:16:46,166 --> 00:16:47,900
-[man] I know
we want more than double.
-Congrats, guys.
452
00:16:49,567 --> 00:16:50,333
[Chad] I'm all in.
453
00:16:50,333 --> 00:16:51,500
I mean,
if you'll still have me
454
00:16:51,500 --> 00:16:53,266
-as a partner on this deal...
-[Larimer] Thank you.
455
00:16:53,266 --> 00:16:55,400
[Chad] I'm all in.
I'm ready to do this.
456
00:16:57,767 --> 00:16:58,700
I'm really hoping
that they're still
457
00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:00,600
working together
and they're making gold...
458
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:01,567
-Yeah.
-making some money.
459
00:17:01,567 --> 00:17:03,033
Yeah, me too.
460
00:17:03,867 --> 00:17:05,400
How's it going, guys?
461
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:06,533
What's going on?
462
00:17:06,533 --> 00:17:08,166
Chad, you got the whole
Santa Claus thing going on.
463
00:17:08,166 --> 00:17:09,266
It's looking good.
464
00:17:09,266 --> 00:17:11,000
Thanks, man.
465
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:12,133
[Freddy] Yeah.
466
00:17:12,133 --> 00:17:13,767
[Juan] Are you guys still at
it and still partnered up?
467
00:17:13,767 --> 00:17:14,767
Oh, yeah.
468
00:17:14,767 --> 00:17:17,100
I'm still helping him
get running this spring.
469
00:17:17,100 --> 00:17:18,100
[Juan] That's great.
470
00:17:18,100 --> 00:17:20,467
How'd your operation go
after we left last year?
471
00:17:20,467 --> 00:17:22,300
Pretty darn good actually.
472
00:17:22,300 --> 00:17:23,600
We increased production.
473
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,700
I'd say we were right
around eight ounces.
474
00:17:26,700 --> 00:17:27,567
What did you do
the year before?
475
00:17:27,567 --> 00:17:29,100
-What did you do
the year before?
-Yeah.
476
00:17:29,100 --> 00:17:32,166
Oh, gosh. Uh, maybe two?
477
00:17:32,166 --> 00:17:33,266
-Nice.
-Wow.
478
00:17:33,266 --> 00:17:34,767
Awesome. Good for you.
479
00:17:34,767 --> 00:17:37,367
The stuff that you guys did
really helped the production
480
00:17:37,367 --> 00:17:39,967
of the plant and
definitely the recovery.
481
00:17:39,967 --> 00:17:41,133
[Chad] Oh, yeah.
482
00:17:41,133 --> 00:17:44,867
I'm really excited and think
we can have an amazing year,
483
00:17:44,867 --> 00:17:47,467
you know, and it's all right
there next to the plant.
484
00:17:47,467 --> 00:17:50,000
I'm just really wanting
to make this work
485
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,667
for being able
to provide for my family.
486
00:17:52,667 --> 00:17:54,300
-Well, guys...
-[Juan] Yeah, very cool.
487
00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:55,600
it's been a pleasure.
488
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,500
I enjoyed working with you.
489
00:17:57,500 --> 00:17:58,400
-All right. Thanks, guys.
-You got it.
490
00:17:58,400 --> 00:17:59,967
-Bye for now guys.
-See you later, Chad.
491
00:17:59,967 --> 00:18:01,367
To tell you what,
that ground there
492
00:18:01,367 --> 00:18:03,000
-testing around in there...
-It's dang good.
493
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:04,800
-Yeah. I'd mine there.
-Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
494
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:06,567
Gold is money
and money is gold.
495
00:18:06,567 --> 00:18:07,800
Absolutely.
496
00:18:18,300 --> 00:18:19,333
[wind howling]
497
00:18:19,333 --> 00:18:21,467
[Juan] There's always
something to learn, right?
498
00:18:21,467 --> 00:18:22,700
We worked hard last year.
499
00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:23,967
-You know, it's good...
-Yeah.
500
00:18:23,967 --> 00:18:25,233
-to see all the miners
and how they've done and...
-Mmm-hmm.
501
00:18:25,233 --> 00:18:27,900
Well, what was your favorite
part of last season, Juan?
502
00:18:27,900 --> 00:18:29,066
Your favorite moment?
503
00:18:29,066 --> 00:18:30,867
It's hard
to really pick just one,
504
00:18:30,867 --> 00:18:33,600
but I think the one
that stands out right now
505
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:35,867
in my mind was Terry and
Stephanie in British Columbia.
506
00:18:35,867 --> 00:18:37,867
-Yeah. Mmm-hmm.
-They're a really nice couple.
507
00:18:37,867 --> 00:18:39,867
-And it was just Terry there
in the beginning.
-I know.
508
00:18:39,867 --> 00:18:41,166
You know,
they were small operation,
509
00:18:41,166 --> 00:18:42,900
but I think honestly
with what we did there,
510
00:18:42,900 --> 00:18:44,500
it probably had one
of the bigger impacts
511
00:18:44,500 --> 00:18:45,700
-between a family, right?
-Yeah.
512
00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:51,200
-[Juan] Nice to meet you.
Juan.
-Juan, nice to meet you.
513
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:52,967
-Nice to meet you, Terry.
-Freddy.
514
00:18:52,967 --> 00:18:56,100
[narrator]
On their 247 acre claim,
515
00:18:56,100 --> 00:18:58,000
Terry Lind and wife Stephanie
516
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,200
watched their retirement
evaporate
517
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,500
with all work and no pay.
518
00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:04,867
I wanna know where the big guy
519
00:19:04,867 --> 00:19:07,700
hit his jewelry box
and I wanna dig it up.
520
00:19:07,700 --> 00:19:09,967
[narrator] But so far,
he was struggling
521
00:19:09,967 --> 00:19:12,467
to run the mine on his own.
522
00:19:12,467 --> 00:19:14,166
Took me all summer
to go through,
523
00:19:14,166 --> 00:19:17,066
I would say about 40,
50 yards of material.
524
00:19:17,066 --> 00:19:17,967
-[Juan] That's all you've ran?
-See...
525
00:19:17,967 --> 00:19:19,967
That's all I've ran
through this plant.
526
00:19:19,967 --> 00:19:21,800
[Freddy] You're doing
all this all by yourself, huh?
527
00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,100
Yes, I am.
528
00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:26,100
Remember him out there
with pry bars and shovels?
529
00:19:26,100 --> 00:19:27,367
-Oh, blisters everywhere.
-Yeah. Yeah.
530
00:19:27,367 --> 00:19:29,166
-Yeah. Bleeding.
-Ah, he was bleeding too.
531
00:19:29,166 --> 00:19:30,667
Yup. Yup.
532
00:19:30,667 --> 00:19:31,600
[Lind] Now I gotta bang
the side,
533
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,233
you know, just to keep
the material moving.
534
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,000
[Freddy]
How's it going, Terry?
535
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:41,000
[Lind] Terrible.
536
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:42,133
I'm working like a dog.
537
00:19:42,133 --> 00:19:43,700
-Yeah, we try.
-But this is what
I do on a daily base
538
00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:45,400
when I am out here.
539
00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:47,967
Remember their material
was so clumped
540
00:19:47,967 --> 00:19:49,467
and so mudded up
541
00:19:49,467 --> 00:19:50,700
that it wouldn't run
through the hopper?
542
00:19:50,700 --> 00:19:51,700
It was just a sticky mess.
543
00:19:51,700 --> 00:19:54,367
It just gets stuck
right on the sides there.
544
00:19:54,367 --> 00:19:56,000
[Freddy] Pretty
wet material, eh, Juano?
545
00:19:58,166 --> 00:20:00,166
The only option
we had in the time period
546
00:20:00,166 --> 00:20:01,900
that we were there
was to wind road
547
00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:05,567
in that material and let
the sun hit more of it, right?
548
00:20:05,567 --> 00:20:07,000
And dry it out.
549
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,400
[Juan] Sometimes
those simple fixes
550
00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,467
are some of the most,
uh, ingenious fixes
551
00:20:10,467 --> 00:20:11,667
-that actually
help a lot, right?
-Yeah.
552
00:20:11,667 --> 00:20:14,100
And it's free, the sun did it.
553
00:20:14,100 --> 00:20:16,967
[narrator] Freddy and Juan
also attached two vibrators
554
00:20:16,967 --> 00:20:20,233
to the hopper to prevent it
from clogging...
555
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,800
and add a heavier
counterweight
556
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:24,367
to the pre-wash
557
00:20:24,367 --> 00:20:27,567
to help get rid
of any remaining pay.
558
00:20:27,567 --> 00:20:29,467
Freddy, well, you and I
both saw it, right,
559
00:20:29,467 --> 00:20:30,967
-right when we got there.
-Mmm-hmm.
560
00:20:30,967 --> 00:20:32,667
The only way that operation
was gonna be functional
561
00:20:32,667 --> 00:20:34,266
if there was several people
on the ground
562
00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:35,567
-to actually work.
-Yeah, at least two.
563
00:20:35,567 --> 00:20:36,500
[Juan] Yeah.
564
00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:37,867
[Freddy] Probably the...
565
00:20:37,867 --> 00:20:38,967
-[Lind] Biggest.
-biggest fix.
566
00:20:38,967 --> 00:20:42,000
We'd like to get your wife
introduced into being able
567
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,367
to help a little bit more.
568
00:20:43,367 --> 00:20:44,900
You know,
she loved going out there
569
00:20:44,900 --> 00:20:47,800
and mining when it was just
a pick and shovel operation,
570
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:49,767
but once he brought
the Track-O in
571
00:20:49,767 --> 00:20:51,166
and a little bit bigger plant
572
00:20:51,166 --> 00:20:54,066
-and so forth and so on,
she was intimidated.
-Yeah.
573
00:20:54,066 --> 00:20:56,000
Anything can go wrong.
574
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,400
I really don't feel
I have a place down there
575
00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,266
because I really don't know
what to do.
576
00:21:00,266 --> 00:21:02,100
And Terry, he was like,
"Well, if you could do it,"
577
00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:03,100
he's, "I'm all for it
578
00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:04,233
because I've been asking her
to do it for years
579
00:21:04,233 --> 00:21:06,066
and she really was
kind of reluctant to do it."
580
00:21:06,066 --> 00:21:07,967
-Until you talked to her.
-[Juan] Yeah. I know. It was--
581
00:21:07,967 --> 00:21:11,300
You gave her just enough
confidence to help.
582
00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:12,266
[Juan] Once you kind
of get the hang
583
00:21:12,266 --> 00:21:14,667
of how the controls
in that excavator work,
584
00:21:14,667 --> 00:21:16,834
it's actually pretty simple
to run.
585
00:21:17,300 --> 00:21:19,166
Okay. I can try.
586
00:21:19,166 --> 00:21:20,767
I'm not gonna promise
anything but--
587
00:21:20,767 --> 00:21:22,867
Well, that's all
we can ask for.
588
00:21:22,867 --> 00:21:24,867
I'm happy we were able
to, at least, get her...
589
00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:26,166
You know, get that
little seed planted
590
00:21:26,166 --> 00:21:28,367
-where she wanted
to try to do it.
-Yeah.
591
00:21:28,367 --> 00:21:29,400
Okay. Ignition.
592
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,100
[Juan] Pull that throttle back
just a little bit.
593
00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:33,266
All right. Right there.
594
00:21:33,266 --> 00:21:34,300
And trust me, I was nervous
'cause I'm like, man,
595
00:21:34,300 --> 00:21:36,166
-she can go
over there and smash...
-Smash it.
596
00:21:36,166 --> 00:21:39,166
that hopper in a matter
of seconds, it' d be done,
right?
597
00:21:39,166 --> 00:21:40,500
-All right.
-Okay.
598
00:21:40,500 --> 00:21:42,300
[Juan] We'll just grab
a bucket of dirt right there
599
00:21:42,300 --> 00:21:43,500
out of that pile.
600
00:21:47,667 --> 00:21:49,000
Other way.
601
00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:50,834
You're fine.
602
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,567
It was definitely
a gamble, Freddy,
603
00:21:53,567 --> 00:21:55,066
you know, trying
to get her involved.
604
00:21:55,066 --> 00:21:58,100
[Stephanie] Straight back
with the left hand.
605
00:21:58,100 --> 00:21:59,400
Oh, big rocks.
606
00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:00,734
Little nerve-racking still.
607
00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:09,100
-That's pretty dang good.
-Not bad. Not bad.
608
00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:11,867
And it was really great to see
her confidence start building.
609
00:22:11,867 --> 00:22:13,800
-I mean, she did well.
-[Freddy] Yup. She did well.
610
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,667
First bucket, Stephanie!
611
00:22:16,667 --> 00:22:20,133
[dramatic music playing]
612
00:22:30,066 --> 00:22:31,600
[Juan] You could see it,
the material that's coming
613
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,100
-out the end of it,
just clean.
-[Freddy] Clean.
614
00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:34,467
[Juan]
And we're running three times
615
00:22:34,467 --> 00:22:36,800
-as much material now too.
-Yeah.
616
00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:38,767
[Lind] I am so ecstatic.
617
00:22:38,767 --> 00:22:40,166
Stephanie is actually
feeding the plant
618
00:22:40,166 --> 00:22:42,100
for the very first time.
619
00:22:42,100 --> 00:22:44,000
This is absolutely unreal.
620
00:22:44,467 --> 00:22:46,000
[Freddy] Hey, Stephanie.
621
00:22:46,300 --> 00:22:47,700
Last bucket.
622
00:22:48,166 --> 00:22:49,533
[Stephanie] Okay.
623
00:22:49,967 --> 00:22:53,200
[dramatic music playing]
624
00:22:57,066 --> 00:22:58,967
[Lind] My goodness.
You were in the excavator.
625
00:22:58,967 --> 00:23:00,700
-Yup.
-[Lind] How you doing? You--
626
00:23:00,700 --> 00:23:02,400
-I did it.
-Yes.
627
00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,266
Sure. Nervous, but I did it.
628
00:23:04,266 --> 00:23:05,767
[Lind] Well, high five.
629
00:23:05,767 --> 00:23:07,467
Great, hon.
I'm so proud of you.
630
00:23:07,467 --> 00:23:08,667
Juan's a great teacher.
631
00:23:08,667 --> 00:23:10,300
He was very easy to follow.
632
00:23:10,300 --> 00:23:11,967
No crazy commands.
633
00:23:11,967 --> 00:23:13,967
That's good.
So better him than me?
634
00:23:13,967 --> 00:23:15,266
[Stephanie] Probably.
635
00:23:15,266 --> 00:23:17,100
[laughs]
636
00:23:17,100 --> 00:23:18,767
-[Stephanie] Yeah.
-Yeah.
637
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,367
Well, there's definitely
more gold there
than there was the first time.
638
00:23:26,367 --> 00:23:28,266
[Juan] A lot more
fine gold too.
639
00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:29,567
[narrator]
For Terry and Stephanie,
640
00:23:29,567 --> 00:23:30,767
to stand a chance
641
00:23:30,767 --> 00:23:32,467
at recouping
their investment,
642
00:23:32,467 --> 00:23:34,867
they need to double
their previous run.
643
00:23:34,867 --> 00:23:36,200
Well...
644
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:37,667
-[Juan] Look at that.
-[Freddy] 0.2 ounce.
645
00:23:37,667 --> 00:23:39,767
-Awesome.
-[Freddy] That's pretty good.
646
00:23:39,767 --> 00:23:42,166
But I remember it was
around 200% increase.
647
00:23:42,166 --> 00:23:43,467
[Juan] That's a pretty
dang good increase.
648
00:23:43,467 --> 00:23:44,667
-That gamble paid off.
-Yeah.
649
00:23:44,667 --> 00:23:46,266
We're able to get
in there, help her,
650
00:23:46,266 --> 00:23:47,767
get her that confidence
she needed.
651
00:23:47,767 --> 00:23:50,400
Yeah. And we made it
from a one-man operation back
652
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,266
-to a family operation.
-Yeah.
653
00:23:52,266 --> 00:23:54,233
Fingers crossed
that they did well.
654
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:57,300
Well, hello, Terry.
655
00:23:57,300 --> 00:23:58,867
[Juan] Hey, buddy.
Good to see you, Terry.
656
00:23:58,867 --> 00:24:01,266
You too, Juan.
Good to see you too, Freddy.
657
00:24:01,266 --> 00:24:02,767
I just wanted to check up
on my student
658
00:24:02,767 --> 00:24:04,967
and see how she was doing.
[chuckles]
659
00:24:04,967 --> 00:24:07,066
[Lind] She's been
actually doing really well.
660
00:24:07,066 --> 00:24:10,500
You know, her confidence
level is slowly gaining.
661
00:24:10,500 --> 00:24:11,900
Well, really? It's kind
of nice to know
662
00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:13,467
that Stephanie kind
of stuck with it
663
00:24:13,467 --> 00:24:15,500
and you're no longer
a one-man band.
664
00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:16,700
That is so true.
665
00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:18,867
How did everything go after
when we worked on your plant?
666
00:24:18,867 --> 00:24:20,667
-Go okay?
I was really happy
667
00:24:20,667 --> 00:24:23,700
because it ran
flawlessly, guys, you know?
668
00:24:23,700 --> 00:24:25,367
It was really nice
to sit there
669
00:24:25,367 --> 00:24:26,700
and run material
670
00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:28,767
and didn't have to worry
about nothing binding up...
671
00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:30,900
-Nice.
-[Lind] and just a nice flow.
672
00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:33,166
It's like a whole
new plant, Freddy.
673
00:24:33,166 --> 00:24:34,166
How'd you end up? Do you...
674
00:24:34,166 --> 00:24:35,700
Were you able to put
a little bit of gold away?
675
00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:38,500
[Lind] Yeah. We did
actually not too bad.
676
00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:42,000
We were doing roughly
two ounces of gold
677
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,700
out of 150 yards.
678
00:24:43,700 --> 00:24:44,634
That's pretty good.
679
00:24:44,634 --> 00:24:48,567
I'm really hoping
to well exceed 200 yards
680
00:24:48,567 --> 00:24:50,567
of pay dirt this year
681
00:24:50,567 --> 00:24:52,467
and see what I pull out.
682
00:24:52,467 --> 00:24:53,767
Well, you were...
683
00:24:53,767 --> 00:24:55,867
You were great to work with.
You and your wife.
684
00:24:55,867 --> 00:24:57,300
-Yeah.
-We had a lot of laughs.
685
00:24:57,300 --> 00:24:59,367
-Oh, that we did.
I really enjoyed working
686
00:24:59,367 --> 00:25:01,066
with you, Freddy
and Juan, you know?
687
00:25:01,066 --> 00:25:02,000
It was awesome.
688
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,967
Terry, it was great
to catch up with you.
689
00:25:03,967 --> 00:25:05,867
We wish you the best of luck
in this next season,
690
00:25:05,867 --> 00:25:07,667
and, hopefully, you kill it
out there.
691
00:25:07,667 --> 00:25:09,000
Yup. Tear it up.
692
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,166
Get that gold.
693
00:25:10,166 --> 00:25:11,166
I will do that, guys.
694
00:25:11,166 --> 00:25:12,667
And you guys have
a great season.
695
00:25:12,667 --> 00:25:14,800
And go help a bunch
of other miners how
696
00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,266
to succeed their dreams
as well.
697
00:25:17,266 --> 00:25:18,600
-Well, thanks.
-Appreciate it.
698
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:19,667
[Freddy] Thank you.
Bye for now.
699
00:25:19,667 --> 00:25:21,500
Awesome. Thanks, guys.
700
00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:23,000
I'm proud of that, Freddy.
And, hopefully, this year,
701
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,367
he gets out there
and just kills it.
702
00:25:24,367 --> 00:25:25,667
-Yup.
-Right on, buddy.
703
00:25:25,667 --> 00:25:27,734
-Nice job, bud.
-Likewise.
704
00:25:31,166 --> 00:25:33,500
[narrator] This season,
one of Mine Rescue's
705
00:25:33,500 --> 00:25:35,467
biggest gold hauls.
706
00:25:35,467 --> 00:25:36,600
We started running that stuff
707
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,367
that Freddy and I tested,
708
00:25:38,367 --> 00:25:40,533
and it's better than anything
we could have hoped for.
709
00:25:40,867 --> 00:25:42,300
Holy.
710
00:25:43,867 --> 00:25:45,333
That's unbelievable.
711
00:25:48,767 --> 00:25:52,000
[upbeat music playing]
712
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,467
Of all the mines
we helped last year,
713
00:25:57,467 --> 00:26:00,166
which one do you think
was the most emotional?
714
00:26:01,667 --> 00:26:03,800
Well, you know,
we had Rich and Kevin,
715
00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:05,567
-the Montana boys,
that we helped out.
-[Freddy] The Montana.
716
00:26:05,567 --> 00:26:07,367
Rich had sold everything
717
00:26:07,367 --> 00:26:09,467
and he thrown every bit
of his spaghetti
718
00:26:09,467 --> 00:26:11,066
-at the wall that he had.
-[Juan chuckles]
719
00:26:11,066 --> 00:26:13,500
For Kevin and Rich, Freddy,
it wasn't just about the gold.
720
00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:15,300
It was about a brotherly
relationship.
721
00:26:15,300 --> 00:26:16,767
Yup.
722
00:26:16,767 --> 00:26:20,266
[dramatic music playing]
723
00:26:20,266 --> 00:26:21,700
This is the only thing
I've got.
724
00:26:21,700 --> 00:26:24,166
I've put everything into this.
725
00:26:24,166 --> 00:26:26,867
I have $75,000
in cash invested.
726
00:26:26,867 --> 00:26:30,266
Rich probably has three,
four times that.
727
00:26:30,266 --> 00:26:32,600
[narrator]
Recently reconciled brothers,
728
00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:33,867
Kevin and Rich Dietz,
729
00:26:33,867 --> 00:26:35,967
sold everything they had
730
00:26:35,967 --> 00:26:38,166
in a bid to rekindle
their relationship
731
00:26:38,166 --> 00:26:39,367
through mining.
732
00:26:39,367 --> 00:26:41,567
How much gold did
you produced last year?
733
00:26:41,567 --> 00:26:43,000
We produced 5 ounces
734
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,200
and moved about 500 yards
of dirt.
735
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:47,767
This year, we've moved
about 700 yards of dirt
736
00:26:47,767 --> 00:26:50,400
-and we've got about 3 ounces.
-[Juan] Oh.
737
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:51,867
So you're not making money
is what you're saying.
738
00:26:51,867 --> 00:26:54,000
[Kevin]
No. We're not even close.
739
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,800
We're in big trouble.
740
00:26:56,266 --> 00:26:57,967
Right.
741
00:26:57,967 --> 00:27:00,066
Well, remember,
when we first got there, we...
742
00:27:00,066 --> 00:27:02,166
Me and you both looked at
the material they were running
743
00:27:02,166 --> 00:27:04,266
and they only had
some pay in it.
744
00:27:04,266 --> 00:27:06,367
[Juan] Oh, it was... Yeah.
It was bad material.
745
00:27:06,367 --> 00:27:08,100
There's nothing to speak of.
746
00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:09,567
[narrator] And this pressure
only added
747
00:27:09,567 --> 00:27:11,967
to their strained
relationship.
748
00:27:11,967 --> 00:27:12,867
From, what, the sounds of it,
749
00:27:12,867 --> 00:27:16,000
they really hadn't
gone long for a while.
750
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,867
Acquaintance, maybe
a better word than brothers.
751
00:27:19,867 --> 00:27:21,767
After I left home,
it was roughly four decades
752
00:27:21,767 --> 00:27:24,367
before Rich and I reconnected,
753
00:27:24,367 --> 00:27:27,400
and we reconnected
through gold.
754
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:28,900
Jerry. Jerry, you got a copy?
755
00:27:28,900 --> 00:27:31,033
Kevin, we don't care
about that.
756
00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:34,400
[Kevin] That ain't
gonna cut it, Rich.
757
00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,100
It's a lot easier just
to fast pan the stuff
758
00:27:37,100 --> 00:27:39,066
and get all the refines
into one.
759
00:27:39,066 --> 00:27:41,266
And you'd be saving
a whole lot of time.
760
00:27:41,266 --> 00:27:43,467
[Rich] We're both stubborn
and pretty pigheaded.
761
00:27:43,467 --> 00:27:44,900
I don't know
if it's gonna work out.
762
00:27:44,900 --> 00:27:47,300
If the gold fails, I think--
763
00:27:47,300 --> 00:27:48,700
Puts a lot of stress
on relationship.
764
00:27:48,700 --> 00:27:50,200
To keep them
from spending more money...
765
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,200
-We shut them down.
-we shut them down. We had to.
766
00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:55,967
[narrator] The first test
lasted just 40 minutes.
767
00:27:55,967 --> 00:27:57,634
[man] We gotta shut them down.
768
00:28:00,166 --> 00:28:01,567
[Rich] This might be
the shortest run
769
00:28:01,567 --> 00:28:03,100
of our history.
770
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:06,867
So this is what
you're digging?
771
00:28:06,867 --> 00:28:08,800
Yeah. This is
the material right here.
772
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,166
I'm sure there's a tremendous
amount of gold around here,
773
00:28:12,166 --> 00:28:14,266
but this whole pit right here,
774
00:28:14,266 --> 00:28:16,433
in my eyes, is played out.
775
00:28:18,300 --> 00:28:19,667
So this is
the retirement plan then?
776
00:28:19,667 --> 00:28:20,934
I'm all in.
777
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:24,367
Ooh.
778
00:28:24,367 --> 00:28:25,700
[chuckles]
779
00:28:27,667 --> 00:28:29,300
Really, the big fix
was that ground.
780
00:28:29,300 --> 00:28:31,667
Oh, and I searched
all over for gold,
781
00:28:31,667 --> 00:28:34,233
trying to find stuff
that the old-timers missed.
782
00:28:35,166 --> 00:28:36,467
[narrator] For three days,
783
00:28:36,467 --> 00:28:39,467
Freddy scours the claim
looking for signs
784
00:28:39,467 --> 00:28:41,600
of untouched pay dirt.
785
00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:43,000
[Freddy] Now, let's see
what's in it, huh?
786
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:44,400
[Rich] Yeah.
787
00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:46,600
[Freddy] Tan colors.
788
00:28:47,367 --> 00:28:48,700
That's not good.
789
00:28:49,066 --> 00:28:50,600
[bleep].
790
00:28:51,467 --> 00:28:53,767
-But it was a pain
in the butt...
-It was.
791
00:28:53,767 --> 00:28:56,266
'cause I'm out prospecting
all over, not finding much,
792
00:28:56,266 --> 00:28:58,000
and I'm like, "We're running
out of time here.
793
00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,166
I'll tell you that."
794
00:29:02,967 --> 00:29:06,767
But then we found that stuff
that the old-timers missed.
795
00:29:06,767 --> 00:29:09,767
This layer, from right here,
looks promising.
796
00:29:09,767 --> 00:29:11,400
You guys wanna start
getting pay down
797
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,967
-so we can run
a second test here.
[man] Yeah?
798
00:29:13,967 --> 00:29:15,467
-And it was good.
-It was dang good.
799
00:29:15,467 --> 00:29:17,900
-Yeah. Better than expected.
-[Juan] Yeah.
800
00:29:20,266 --> 00:29:22,567
[narrator]
Gold-rich pay sourced,
801
00:29:22,567 --> 00:29:25,333
Freddy and Juan
run a final test.
802
00:29:33,867 --> 00:29:36,000
[Kevin] I like that flow
much better.
803
00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,266
We got a chance.
804
00:29:37,266 --> 00:29:39,000
Yup.
805
00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,000
[Kevin] That looks
very good dirt.
806
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,934
Way different than the stuff
we've been running.
807
00:29:45,266 --> 00:29:46,567
Shut it down, guys.
808
00:29:46,567 --> 00:29:48,200
Shutting it down.
809
00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:57,734
Pour it out, Juan-O.
810
00:29:58,867 --> 00:30:00,266
[narrator]
The test must deliver,
811
00:30:00,266 --> 00:30:03,100
at least, $600 worth of gold.
812
00:30:07,967 --> 00:30:09,100
-[Freddy] 0.44.
-[Juan] 0.44.
813
00:30:09,100 --> 00:30:11,767
[Freddy] Right there is almost
$900 worth of gold.
814
00:30:11,767 --> 00:30:13,700
-Dude. Hey.
-[chuckles]
815
00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:15,567
-That's amazing, ain't it?
-There you go.
816
00:30:15,567 --> 00:30:18,000
[narrator] An increase
of over 500%
817
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,367
from the first test.
818
00:30:19,367 --> 00:30:20,467
I love you. I believed you.
819
00:30:20,467 --> 00:30:21,567
I'm hoping
they're still at it
820
00:30:21,567 --> 00:30:22,533
and I'm hoping
they're making gold
821
00:30:22,533 --> 00:30:25,166
to be able to keep
that relationship strong.
822
00:30:25,166 --> 00:30:26,800
I hope so too.
823
00:30:28,300 --> 00:30:30,000
[Juan] Hey, good
to see you, guys.
824
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,000
Great seeing you, guys.
825
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:31,934
-Nice to see you, guys.
-Nice to see you, guys.
826
00:30:31,934 --> 00:30:34,166
Hey, uh, so how'd it go
after we left?
827
00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:35,166
Did you get...
828
00:30:35,166 --> 00:30:37,500
Did you run some decent gold
through the plant?
829
00:30:37,500 --> 00:30:39,467
We ran about 95 yards
830
00:30:39,467 --> 00:30:41,467
and we got almost
2 ounces of gold.
831
00:30:41,467 --> 00:30:42,800
-Oh, 2 ounces, a hundred.
-[Juan] Wow.
832
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:44,266
[Freddy] Over 2 ounces,
a hundred.
833
00:30:44,266 --> 00:30:45,800
Congratulations, guys.
That's sweet.
834
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,667
We got a lot there
waiting to go still.
835
00:30:47,667 --> 00:30:48,767
Well, that's good news.
836
00:30:48,767 --> 00:30:49,767
Well, and it's gotta be
exciting
837
00:30:49,767 --> 00:30:50,867
that you know
you got a property
838
00:30:50,867 --> 00:30:52,667
that has gold
on it now, right?
839
00:30:52,667 --> 00:30:54,900
I'm excited
about the gold that's there.
840
00:30:54,900 --> 00:30:56,300
I mean, there's a lot
of gold there,
841
00:30:56,300 --> 00:30:58,467
so I thank you very much
for that.
842
00:30:58,467 --> 00:30:59,667
Now, don't get me wrong,
843
00:30:59,667 --> 00:31:01,100
I'm really excited
that you guys were able
844
00:31:01,100 --> 00:31:03,467
to get a couple ounces
out of a hundred yards,
845
00:31:03,467 --> 00:31:06,066
but I really wanna know how
is your guys' relationship?
846
00:31:06,066 --> 00:31:09,066
Our relationship
is on the right track.
847
00:31:09,066 --> 00:31:10,667
-Oh, good.
-We've been talking
848
00:31:10,667 --> 00:31:12,066
-and everything's good.
-[Freddy] Good.
849
00:31:12,066 --> 00:31:13,667
And it's my plan this year
850
00:31:13,667 --> 00:31:15,300
is to do some prospecting
851
00:31:15,300 --> 00:31:18,166
while Rich runs that mine
and go from there.
852
00:31:18,166 --> 00:31:20,400
You find
what the old-timers missed,
853
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:22,767
you could, you know,
put bank in your wallet,
854
00:31:22,767 --> 00:31:24,100
get all the gold you can.
855
00:31:24,100 --> 00:31:26,300
Well, perfect.
We're excited for it.
856
00:31:26,300 --> 00:31:27,867
-Yeah.
-You guys really changed
857
00:31:27,867 --> 00:31:31,000
our whole
gold mining trajectory,
858
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,867
because we would
have been digging to China
859
00:31:33,867 --> 00:31:35,767
and wondering
where all the gold went.
860
00:31:35,767 --> 00:31:37,500
Well, the sky's the limit
for you guys
861
00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:38,700
in that canyon, I think.
862
00:31:38,700 --> 00:31:39,700
Take care, guys.
863
00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:41,667
Talk to you later. Bye.
864
00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:42,700
Pretty cool, huh?
865
00:31:42,700 --> 00:31:43,900
Yeah. That's really good,
Freddy.
866
00:31:43,900 --> 00:31:46,300
-You see a smile
on his face now.
-[Juan] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
867
00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:48,266
Well, that's definitely
better than expected.
868
00:31:48,266 --> 00:31:50,367
[Juan] Yeah. You know,
over the last year, Fred,
869
00:31:50,367 --> 00:31:51,767
there was a lot of challenges,
870
00:31:51,767 --> 00:31:53,900
but, honestly,
it really tested us.
871
00:31:53,900 --> 00:31:55,867
What do you think
the most challenging mine
872
00:31:55,867 --> 00:31:57,467
that we helped was last year?
873
00:31:57,467 --> 00:31:59,767
Well, with the Waits,
we did quite a bit there,
874
00:31:59,767 --> 00:32:00,667
-Freddy.
-We did.
875
00:32:00,667 --> 00:32:02,567
But, you know,
at the end of the day,
876
00:32:02,567 --> 00:32:04,000
a nugget screwed us.
877
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,867
[dramatic music playing]
878
00:32:07,867 --> 00:32:09,500
-Freddy, nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
879
00:32:09,500 --> 00:32:10,500
I'm Heidi.
880
00:32:10,500 --> 00:32:13,266
[narrator] Lured by Montana's
nugget country,
881
00:32:13,266 --> 00:32:16,500
husband and wife team,
Bryce and Heidi Waits,
882
00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:17,967
turned their hobby mine
883
00:32:17,967 --> 00:32:20,300
into a fulltime
family business.
884
00:32:21,500 --> 00:32:23,166
This is the American dream.
885
00:32:23,166 --> 00:32:25,066
You know,
if you want a good life,
886
00:32:25,066 --> 00:32:27,000
you have to get it yourself,
build it yourself.
887
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,600
A lot of people doubted us
888
00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:30,166
when we're like,
"We're buying a gold mine."
889
00:32:30,166 --> 00:32:31,400
"Oh, I can't believe it."
890
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,166
And, you know, we'd love
to prove them all wrong
891
00:32:33,166 --> 00:32:35,200
and say, well, we made
a life out of this.
892
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,266
They had issues from day one,
especially with how spotty
893
00:32:38,266 --> 00:32:39,800
-that ground was.
-Mmm-hmm.
894
00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,100
Of the last 30 pans
I've done up here,
895
00:32:42,100 --> 00:32:44,667
I haven't found
one single speck of gold.
896
00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:47,200
[narrator] With over 30 acres
to work,
897
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,367
the claim's ground
was hard to read.
898
00:32:50,367 --> 00:32:51,500
[Freddy] What are you pulling
out of here
899
00:32:51,500 --> 00:32:52,467
for a two-day run, roughly?
900
00:32:52,467 --> 00:32:55,200
[Bryce] It depends,
because of the nuggets.
901
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,166
You know, we've had
as low as five bucks a yard
902
00:32:58,166 --> 00:33:00,100
all the way up
to 50 bucks a yard.
903
00:33:00,100 --> 00:33:01,367
And then on top of that, Fred,
904
00:33:01,367 --> 00:33:03,567
you know, they had an issue
with the excavator.
905
00:33:03,567 --> 00:33:05,500
My little excavator
that I run with now,
906
00:33:05,500 --> 00:33:07,867
it is literally
like digging with a teaspoon.
907
00:33:07,867 --> 00:33:09,600
That's a huge limiting factor.
908
00:33:10,100 --> 00:33:12,266
All right.
Let's get some gold.
909
00:33:12,266 --> 00:33:14,166
They really couldn't feed
that plant consistently.
910
00:33:14,166 --> 00:33:15,533
Oh, hey!
911
00:33:16,266 --> 00:33:17,400
Get it.
912
00:33:20,166 --> 00:33:22,433
We're all plugged up
up here now.
913
00:33:27,367 --> 00:33:29,400
That was it. Last bucket.
914
00:33:35,567 --> 00:33:36,667
[Freddy]
Well, let's weigh it up.
915
00:33:36,667 --> 00:33:38,000
There's that big nugget.
916
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,100
But, remember,
seeing that nugget
917
00:33:40,100 --> 00:33:41,900
-in the first test run
at the Waits?
-Oh, I know.
918
00:33:41,900 --> 00:33:43,600
Especially when he said,
"This is the biggest piece
919
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:44,667
-of gold we've ever seen..."
-[Juan] Yeah, I know.
920
00:33:44,667 --> 00:33:45,800
"on the property."
921
00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:47,567
So then it really
threw off the scales.
922
00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:48,667
That's exactly right.
923
00:33:48,667 --> 00:33:49,934
Here we go.
924
00:33:56,166 --> 00:33:57,867
0.62.
925
00:33:57,867 --> 00:33:59,300
[narrator] Six-tenths
of an ounce
926
00:33:59,300 --> 00:34:01,400
worth over $1,100.
927
00:34:02,166 --> 00:34:03,400
-It's a good run.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
928
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:04,767
-That's not bad.
-[Juan] That's a good run.
A dang good run.
929
00:34:04,767 --> 00:34:06,066
[narrator]
A quarter-ounce nugget
930
00:34:06,066 --> 00:34:08,266
is a welcome site
for the Waits,
931
00:34:08,266 --> 00:34:11,367
but rare
and sets an unreliable bar
932
00:34:11,367 --> 00:34:13,467
for the first test.
933
00:34:13,467 --> 00:34:14,767
-Me and you were like,
-"Uh-oh."
934
00:34:14,767 --> 00:34:16,000
-Uh-oh.
-Uh-oh.
935
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,066
[laughs]
936
00:34:18,066 --> 00:34:19,266
-My heart sunk a little bit.
-Yeah.
937
00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:20,266
I was super pumped for them,
938
00:34:20,266 --> 00:34:22,800
but I'm like that's
gonna really throw us off.
939
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:26,000
[narrator] Coming up...
940
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,166
Freddy and Juan's
fears come true.
941
00:34:29,166 --> 00:34:30,867
-Not good, Fred.
-Yeah.
942
00:34:30,867 --> 00:34:32,300
[narrator]
But they finally learned
943
00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:35,900
if their fixes have
turned fail to fortune.
944
00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:37,934
Did you get quite a bit
of gold is what we're asking.
945
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:43,533
[dramatic music playing]
946
00:34:43,533 --> 00:34:45,333
Hey, Fred, come check
this out real quick.
947
00:34:46,467 --> 00:34:47,767
Got my new family wagon.
948
00:34:47,767 --> 00:34:49,266
Well, that's nice, Juan.
949
00:34:49,266 --> 00:34:50,767
Yeah. Dan and I can take
the little kids out.
950
00:34:50,767 --> 00:34:51,700
-[Freddy] Yeah.
-They love to go riding
951
00:34:51,700 --> 00:34:52,767
-all the time.
-Yeah.
952
00:34:52,767 --> 00:34:54,367
But don't feel
left out, Freddy.
953
00:34:54,367 --> 00:34:56,100
I got something special
for you too.
954
00:34:56,100 --> 00:34:57,600
-Come check this out.
-Oh, great.
955
00:34:57,600 --> 00:34:59,367
-[laughs]
-[Juan] I know it's
a little big right now
956
00:34:59,367 --> 00:35:00,767
but you'll grow
into it, all right?
957
00:35:00,767 --> 00:35:02,166
-Yeah.
-[laughs]
958
00:35:02,166 --> 00:35:03,367
I don't know
if I can get my feet
959
00:35:03,367 --> 00:35:04,500
to the ground, Juan.
960
00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:05,667
Is that for a little Freddy?
961
00:35:05,667 --> 00:35:08,100
-Yeah. It's little Freddy's.
-Smartass.
962
00:35:08,100 --> 00:35:10,066
Short jokes never end,
do they, Juan-O?
963
00:35:10,066 --> 00:35:11,467
-No, they don't.
-[laughs]
964
00:35:11,467 --> 00:35:13,300
Let's go make
some phone calls.
965
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,567
[narrator] In Reno,
Freddy and Juan catch up
966
00:35:23,567 --> 00:35:26,567
with the families
who they helped last year.
967
00:35:26,567 --> 00:35:28,367
You know, the Waits,
when they said
968
00:35:28,367 --> 00:35:30,100
it's the biggest nugget
they've ever found
969
00:35:30,100 --> 00:35:31,567
on that first test run--
970
00:35:31,567 --> 00:35:33,567
We knew we had
our work cut out for us.
971
00:35:33,567 --> 00:35:36,500
[narrator] With the first
weigh skewed by a nugget,
972
00:35:36,500 --> 00:35:38,967
Freddy and Juan faced
an uphill battle
973
00:35:38,967 --> 00:35:41,300
to improve
the Wait's recovery.
974
00:35:42,567 --> 00:35:44,867
One of the big things
we gave them
975
00:35:44,867 --> 00:35:47,600
is the knowledge,
how to prospect
976
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:49,767
-and investigate.
-Yeah.
977
00:35:49,767 --> 00:35:52,567
[narrator] To improve the odds
on their spotty ground,
978
00:35:52,567 --> 00:35:54,300
the Waits get a master class
979
00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:57,300
in hunting
for gold-rich pockets.
980
00:35:57,300 --> 00:35:58,867
Okay. Let me show you guys.
981
00:35:58,867 --> 00:36:00,467
This has been reworked.
982
00:36:00,467 --> 00:36:01,667
[narrator]
And Freddy builds them
983
00:36:01,667 --> 00:36:04,066
a smaller prospector sluice
984
00:36:04,066 --> 00:36:06,200
that can be easily moved
around the site
985
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:07,567
to test pay dirt.
986
00:36:07,567 --> 00:36:09,667
You're not miners
anymore, right?
987
00:36:09,667 --> 00:36:10,867
You're prospector miners
988
00:36:10,867 --> 00:36:12,000
-on this property.
-Yeah.
989
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:13,667
We did a lot of repairs.
990
00:36:13,667 --> 00:36:15,166
And then we do
the second test.
991
00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:17,400
I'm like, "This is it.
This is the one."
992
00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:21,000
-Ooh.
-Yeah.
993
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:22,233
Well, this is
what we got, guys.
994
00:36:31,700 --> 00:36:33,133
0.31.
995
00:36:34,767 --> 00:36:36,900
-Not good, Fred.
-Yeah.
996
00:36:36,900 --> 00:36:40,000
[narrator] An unprecedented
50% decrease
997
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,367
from the initial gold weigh.
998
00:36:42,367 --> 00:36:44,367
Well, we knew
we were gonna get beat
999
00:36:44,367 --> 00:36:46,000
-sooner or later.
-And we got beat,
1000
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:47,400
-fair and square.
-Exactly. Right. Yeah.
1001
00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,400
Remember what the Waits'
main goal was for this season?
1002
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:52,266
Yeah. Ultimately, they wanted
to run more material
1003
00:36:52,266 --> 00:36:54,000
by having a bigger
excavator, right?
1004
00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,667
I don't know if they did
or not, Freddy.
1005
00:36:55,667 --> 00:36:57,266
Why don't we give them a call
and find out?
1006
00:36:57,266 --> 00:36:58,500
Let's find out.
1007
00:36:58,500 --> 00:37:00,367
Fingers crossed.
1008
00:37:00,367 --> 00:37:02,000
-Hi, strangers.
-[Juan] How's it going?
1009
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,000
-It's good to see you guys.
-Really good
to see you guys, yeah.
1010
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:06,000
Anyway, we wanted talk
about your season
1011
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,000
'cause you're the first ones
that have beat us.
1012
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:09,166
Yeah. Yeah.
1013
00:37:09,166 --> 00:37:10,900
-[laughs]
-Sorry about that.
1014
00:37:10,900 --> 00:37:13,000
Hope... Hopefully,
the last ones too.
1015
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,200
-[Freddy] No, you won't be.
-[Juan] Well, probably
1016
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:15,467
-won't be, no.
-[Freddy] No.
1017
00:37:15,467 --> 00:37:16,333
How'd you guys do
1018
00:37:16,333 --> 00:37:17,533
towards the end
of the season last year?
1019
00:37:17,533 --> 00:37:19,467
Did you get quite a bit
of gold is what we're asking.
1020
00:37:19,467 --> 00:37:21,400
-Yeah.
-[laughs]
1021
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:23,266
Oh, yeah. Absolutely.
It got...
1022
00:37:23,266 --> 00:37:24,600
It only got better
from there.
1023
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:26,567
If you had been there
a couple more days,
1024
00:37:26,567 --> 00:37:28,166
you'd have seen
the improvement.
1025
00:37:28,166 --> 00:37:29,300
-[Juan] I see.
-That's all it would've taken.
1026
00:37:29,300 --> 00:37:30,600
For sure.
1027
00:37:32,367 --> 00:37:33,133
[Heidi] All right, guys.
1028
00:37:33,133 --> 00:37:34,767
Show us what we got
in the box.
1029
00:37:34,767 --> 00:37:35,967
[Bryce] Here at the top,
1030
00:37:35,967 --> 00:37:39,600
we got a couple
nice little pieces.
1031
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:41,967
Nice little nugget there.
1032
00:37:41,967 --> 00:37:44,700
Working down, there's a bunch
here in the miners moss.
1033
00:37:44,700 --> 00:37:48,700
Since your sluice box setup
made it so much easier
1034
00:37:48,700 --> 00:37:50,266
-for sampling...
-Yeah.
1035
00:37:50,266 --> 00:37:52,100
you know, we just kept
working our way up,
1036
00:37:52,100 --> 00:37:53,467
doing little 10-yard samples
1037
00:37:53,467 --> 00:37:56,967
until we hit stuff
that looked good.
1038
00:37:56,967 --> 00:37:58,467
And right towards
the end of the season,
1039
00:37:58,467 --> 00:38:00,200
we were pretty consistently
1040
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,467
in $20 to $30-a-yard material.
1041
00:38:03,467 --> 00:38:05,100
-Nice. That's good to hear.
-Yeah.
1042
00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:06,767
You know, I know last year
you guys were talking
1043
00:38:06,767 --> 00:38:07,767
about one of your main goals
1044
00:38:07,767 --> 00:38:09,900
was to be able to get
into a bigger excavator
1045
00:38:09,900 --> 00:38:11,367
to be able
to run more material.
1046
00:38:11,367 --> 00:38:12,700
Were you guys able to do that?
1047
00:38:12,700 --> 00:38:15,500
[Bryce] We were.
We did get a good deal
1048
00:38:15,500 --> 00:38:17,800
on a bigger excavator.
1049
00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:19,567
Well, that's good news.
1050
00:38:19,567 --> 00:38:22,700
[Heidi] Here's our new machine
that we got this year.
1051
00:38:22,700 --> 00:38:25,200
And this is where
we've been digging.
1052
00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:27,233
It's amazing
1053
00:38:27,867 --> 00:38:30,834
how much less time
he spends digging
1054
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,400
with a much bigger bucket.
1055
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,467
Well, you guys
are an absolute pleasure
1056
00:38:35,467 --> 00:38:36,967
-to work with.
-[Heidi] Thank you.
1057
00:38:36,967 --> 00:38:38,867
If you guys are back
in Montana, let us know.
1058
00:38:38,867 --> 00:38:40,767
We'll try and hook up.
Have a beer.
1059
00:38:40,767 --> 00:38:43,000
-[laughs] Sounds great.
-Take care, guys.
1060
00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:44,166
You guys take care. Thank you.
1061
00:38:44,166 --> 00:38:45,900
-See you, guys.
-Bye.
1062
00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:46,900
That was good news.
1063
00:38:46,900 --> 00:38:48,400
That nugget won that battle
1064
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,400
but it sounds
like we won the war.
1065
00:38:52,100 --> 00:38:53,567
Well, Freddy,
at the end of the day,
1066
00:38:53,567 --> 00:38:54,867
most of the people
we helped last year,
1067
00:38:54,867 --> 00:38:56,367
they're continuing to,
1068
00:38:56,367 --> 00:38:57,433
you know, do what
they wanna do and mine.
1069
00:38:57,433 --> 00:38:59,400
-Catching more gold. Yup.
-[Juan] Catch more gold.
1070
00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:01,867
Oh, what do
we got going on here?
1071
00:39:01,867 --> 00:39:03,400
We got the bosses
coming in, Freddy.
1072
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:04,600
Hello, girls.
1073
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,934
Aiden, Addie.
1074
00:39:08,100 --> 00:39:09,166
Hi, Little Freddy.
1075
00:39:09,166 --> 00:39:11,100
Oh, he's got a lot bigger
1076
00:39:11,100 --> 00:39:13,600
since the last time
I've seen Little Freddy.
1077
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,000
[Juan] I just ordered his
new welding shirt, Freddy,
1078
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:16,667
and they're the same size
as yours.
1079
00:39:16,667 --> 00:39:18,166
Yeah. One size
bigger probably.
1080
00:39:18,166 --> 00:39:19,266
[Juan laughs]
1081
00:39:19,266 --> 00:39:20,767
Freddy, you know, it's...
1082
00:39:20,767 --> 00:39:22,000
It's getting harder and harder
1083
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:23,400
to leave the house these days,
1084
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:25,266
-you know, with the
little ones growing up.
-Mmm-hmm. I can see why.
1085
00:39:25,266 --> 00:39:27,367
But, you know, I know what...
A lot of these families
1086
00:39:27,367 --> 00:39:28,634
that we're helping out,
1087
00:39:28,634 --> 00:39:30,266
they're trying
to make a living for them
and their families,
1088
00:39:30,266 --> 00:39:32,000
and I can appreciate that.
1089
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:33,200
So it makes me wanna work
a little harder
1090
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:34,800
and do a little better
for them.
1091
00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:37,000
-And I know you too as well.
-Yeah.
1092
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,467
[Juan] All right, little ones.
We better get back to work.
1093
00:39:39,467 --> 00:39:41,166
-[Freddy] Kid stampede.
-Yeah.
1094
00:39:41,166 --> 00:39:42,166
Well, let's finish
packing up...
1095
00:39:42,166 --> 00:39:43,600
-[Juan] Let's do it.
-and get on the road, bud.
1096
00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:45,467
[Juan] It's that time, Freddy.
Let's get it.
1097
00:39:45,467 --> 00:39:47,667
[Freddy] You know, we learned
quite a bit too, you know?
1098
00:39:47,667 --> 00:39:50,934
[upbeat music playing]
1099
00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:02,066
[dramatic music playing]
1100
00:40:02,066 --> 00:40:04,400
[Freddy] Let's roll
some dice here.
1101
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:06,834
[Juan] I'm from Nevada.
1102
00:40:06,834 --> 00:40:08,400
We like to gamble
a little bit.
1103
00:40:09,100 --> 00:40:10,100
[Freddy] You know how it is,
1104
00:40:10,100 --> 00:40:11,400
everything's a flip
of a coin.
1105
00:40:13,100 --> 00:40:14,200
[Juan] I feel pretty
confident right now.
1106
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,734
I'm willing to put our money
where our mouth is.
1107
00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:20,400
[Freddy]
Hey, Juan, let's do something
we've never done before.
1108
00:40:22,100 --> 00:40:23,400
[Juan] Double or nothing.
1109
00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:24,900
[Freddy] Double or nothing.
1110
00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:29,200
[Juan] If we can't double
the miner's gold,
1111
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:31,500
we won't charge him a dime.
1112
00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:33,767
Well, I hate to bet
against you but game on.
1113
00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:36,500
-Let's do it.
-[Freddy] Let's catch
some gold.
1114
00:40:38,567 --> 00:40:40,266
[man] Everything
is on the line.
1115
00:40:40,266 --> 00:40:41,567
Literally everything.
1116
00:40:41,567 --> 00:40:43,166
[man] This is the biggest
casino there is.
1117
00:40:43,166 --> 00:40:45,000
You have no idea
if there's anything
1118
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:46,567
beneath the surface.
1119
00:40:46,567 --> 00:40:48,900
I'm all in.
It's a serious commitment.
1120
00:40:50,567 --> 00:40:52,300
[Freddy] Bringing
a seismic crew in here.
1121
00:40:52,300 --> 00:40:53,500
[man] Holy cow.
1122
00:40:55,567 --> 00:40:56,433
[Juan] The rotating brush
1123
00:40:56,433 --> 00:40:58,266
is something
we've never done before.
1124
00:40:58,266 --> 00:40:59,100
[Freddy] That's exciting.
1125
00:40:59,100 --> 00:41:00,834
[Juan] Our first attempt
at solar.
1126
00:41:02,066 --> 00:41:03,900
Holy crap. That's hot.
1127
00:41:05,066 --> 00:41:06,500
Underground, everything
wants to kill you.
1128
00:41:06,500 --> 00:41:08,467
[man] Out, out, out.
We gotta go.
1129
00:41:08,467 --> 00:41:09,867
[man] We got forest fires
nearby.
1130
00:41:09,867 --> 00:41:12,767
If we don't get 100 ounces
this year, it's over.
1131
00:41:12,767 --> 00:41:15,000
Freddy and Juan
are my last hope.
1132
00:41:16,467 --> 00:41:18,700
That's 10 times
the amount of gold.
1133
00:41:18,700 --> 00:41:20,300
-[man] Woo!
-Hey!
1134
00:41:20,300 --> 00:41:22,967
It turns your dream out here
into a reality.
1135
00:41:22,967 --> 00:41:24,500
Woo!