1
00:00:04,275 --> 00:00:05,827
Oh, I'm emotionally drained.
2
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:08,482
As of right now, I'm screwed.
3
00:00:08,655 --> 00:00:11,689
On this episode
of "Mine Rescue"...
4
00:00:11,862 --> 00:00:13,067
Get it up here.
5
00:00:13,068 --> 00:00:16,793
...a desperate gold miner
finds his dreams of riches
6
00:00:16,965 --> 00:00:18,413
slipping away.
7
00:00:18,586 --> 00:00:20,517
We got.2 of an ounce.
8
00:00:20,689 --> 00:00:23,586
It's unsustainable to keep
going at that rate.
9
00:00:23,758 --> 00:00:25,620
...as his greenhorn family...
10
00:00:25,793 --> 00:00:27,827
In reality, I have no idea
what I'm doing.
11
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:29,274
...struggles to mine,
12
00:00:29,275 --> 00:00:30,413
We gotta get off.
13
00:00:30,586 --> 00:00:33,517
while he juggles two jobs
to survive.
14
00:00:33,689 --> 00:00:37,068
Jared does shift work to help
fund this so that we can stay
15
00:00:37,241 --> 00:00:39,206
out here.
It's a lot of stress for him.
16
00:00:41,379 --> 00:00:44,000
And the clock is ticking
for Freddy and Juan.
17
00:00:44,172 --> 00:00:46,586
The forest fire ripped through
here and destroyed everything
18
00:00:46,758 --> 00:00:48,033
in its path.
19
00:00:48,034 --> 00:00:50,689
We don't work on hot days
because of the risks of fire,
20
00:00:50,862 --> 00:00:52,793
but that is costing us money.
21
00:00:52,965 --> 00:00:56,895
As one of the worst wildfire
seasons on record threatens
22
00:00:56,896 --> 00:00:58,724
to shut them down.
23
00:00:58,896 --> 00:01:00,378
If we don't get anything back,
24
00:01:00,379 --> 00:01:02,379
I don't know what
we're going to do.
25
00:01:02,551 --> 00:01:03,482
Zero.
26
00:01:05,379 --> 00:01:08,931
I'm hopeful that Freddy
and Juan can help us.
27
00:01:16,586 --> 00:01:18,378
I may go check with
the fire department
28
00:01:18,379 --> 00:01:20,171
to see what
the fire restrictions are.
29
00:01:20,172 --> 00:01:23,517
Over the past couple of years,
I guess there's been a massive
30
00:01:23,689 --> 00:01:24,827
amount of fires in this area.
31
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:25,999
See you a little later then.
32
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:27,344
See you in a bit.
33
00:01:28,517 --> 00:01:32,999
In the dense Cariboo Mountains
forests of British Columbia,
34
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,172
Freddy and Juan receive
a desperate SOS from
35
00:01:36,344 --> 00:01:41,482
the wildfire-ravaged Genert
Family Mine, a location that
36
00:01:41,655 --> 00:01:44,827
will soon prove to be one of
their most challenging to date.
37
00:01:51,379 --> 00:01:54,585
I'm going to meet with Cheryl,
Ray, and Jamie.
38
00:01:54,586 --> 00:01:55,793
From the sounds of it,
39
00:01:55,965 --> 00:01:57,585
they've been having a little
bit of a struggle out here.
40
00:01:57,586 --> 00:01:59,585
They have sunk every last
dollar that they have
41
00:01:59,586 --> 00:02:00,689
into this operation.
42
00:02:00,862 --> 00:02:02,793
So, really, it's kind
of sink or swim.
43
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,103
How you doing?
You must be Jamie.
44
00:02:06,275 --> 00:02:07,620
- Hi, I am.
- I'm Juan.
45
00:02:07,793 --> 00:02:09,171
- Nice to meet you, Juan.
- Nice to meet you as well.
46
00:02:09,172 --> 00:02:10,171
Hi, Ray.
Nice to meet you.
47
00:02:10,172 --> 00:02:11,310
Nice to meet you, Ray.
I'm Juan.
48
00:02:11,482 --> 00:02:12,689
- I'm Cheryl.
- Cheryl.
49
00:02:12,862 --> 00:02:14,793
- Nice to meet you.
- How are you guys doing?
50
00:02:14,965 --> 00:02:16,895
Oh, good.
Better now.
51
00:02:16,896 --> 00:02:18,482
Better now that you're
on site.
52
00:02:18,655 --> 00:02:19,689
So, Freddy's not here
right now.
53
00:02:19,862 --> 00:02:21,275
He's just a couple hours
behind me.
54
00:02:21,448 --> 00:02:23,000
We went to go check with
the fire chief to make sure
55
00:02:23,137 --> 00:02:24,793
we're OK to do the work
we got to do here.
56
00:02:24,965 --> 00:02:27,103
- Right.
- So, is this
the whole crew?
57
00:02:27,275 --> 00:02:29,517
My husband, Jared,
is missing in action.
58
00:02:29,689 --> 00:02:33,585
He had to go back to work in
Alberta, so that we could be
59
00:02:33,586 --> 00:02:36,793
out here to mine.
But he will be back tomorrow.
60
00:02:38,172 --> 00:02:42,896
Inspired by what they saw on
"Gold Rush," the Generts began
61
00:02:43,034 --> 00:02:45,517
their mining venture
10 years ago.
62
00:02:45,689 --> 00:02:48,827
Jared and I took our kids out
camping and we did some
63
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:50,895
prospecting and we were hooked.
64
00:02:50,896 --> 00:02:53,688
Over the next few years,
they ran a series
65
00:02:53,689 --> 00:02:55,688
of small operations.
66
00:02:55,689 --> 00:03:00,102
As we've gotten more into it
and we got more equipment,
67
00:03:00,103 --> 00:03:02,999
we're trying to have
a serious go at it.
68
00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,688
But in 2024,
an opportunity arose at
69
00:03:06,689 --> 00:03:11,724
a larger claim when wildfires
drove out the previous miners.
70
00:03:11,896 --> 00:03:13,103
It was just
so devastating to them
71
00:03:13,275 --> 00:03:14,895
that they weren't able
to come back.
72
00:03:14,896 --> 00:03:18,481
We had heard the old timers
were getting about an ounce
73
00:03:18,482 --> 00:03:20,724
per 20 yards.
74
00:03:20,896 --> 00:03:23,585
But the gold never
materialized.
75
00:03:23,586 --> 00:03:26,000
Since we've been out here,
we've seen roughly
76
00:03:26,137 --> 00:03:29,310
0.2 of an ounce.
It's not really adding up.
77
00:03:30,310 --> 00:03:33,379
To pay the bills,
Jared and his stepfather,
78
00:03:33,551 --> 00:03:36,481
Ray, have been forced
to take second jobs,
79
00:03:36,482 --> 00:03:40,000
leaving the mining
to his inexperienced family.
80
00:03:40,137 --> 00:03:43,000
I get six days off,
and I'll spend two days of that
81
00:03:43,172 --> 00:03:47,000
six driving, and then I get
to spend four days at the claim
82
00:03:47,137 --> 00:03:50,274
mining, and then rinse, repeat.
83
00:03:50,275 --> 00:03:53,482
Ultimately, our goal would be
to have everybody in the family
84
00:03:53,655 --> 00:03:54,826
out here full time.
85
00:03:54,827 --> 00:03:58,585
But with Jared and Ray having
to work this season,
86
00:03:58,586 --> 00:04:00,895
the rest of us have to step up
and be more hands on
87
00:04:00,896 --> 00:04:03,274
with helping out
at the mine.
88
00:04:03,275 --> 00:04:05,896
In reality, I have no idea
what I'm doing.
89
00:04:06,896 --> 00:04:08,275
I'm just trying my best.
90
00:04:09,103 --> 00:04:11,102
Do you have any of the gold
that came out of this area?
91
00:04:11,103 --> 00:04:13,274
I do.
I have some gold that we found.
92
00:04:13,275 --> 00:04:15,586
OK.
Well, it's pretty chunky stuff.
93
00:04:15,758 --> 00:04:17,517
- Yeah.
- There's some finds
in there.
94
00:04:17,689 --> 00:04:19,275
Do you guys have a goal
for what you want to be able
95
00:04:19,448 --> 00:04:21,585
to produce here?
- Uh, yeah.
96
00:04:21,586 --> 00:04:25,792
If we could get half an ounce
a day-- if even 50 ounces,
97
00:04:25,793 --> 00:04:28,310
if we could get this season
to recover some costs.
98
00:04:28,482 --> 00:04:30,102
Well, the reality is you're
running out of time to go
99
00:04:30,103 --> 00:04:32,000
out there and hit your target.
100
00:04:32,137 --> 00:04:33,343
I want to do a four-hour
test run.
101
00:04:33,344 --> 00:04:35,931
Let's get some material
through it and see what we got.
102
00:04:36,068 --> 00:04:37,171
- Great.
- All right, let's do it.
103
00:04:37,172 --> 00:04:38,620
OK.
104
00:04:42,482 --> 00:04:44,310
- Carrie, I assume.
- Freddy.
105
00:04:44,482 --> 00:04:45,689
I appreciate your time
this morning.
106
00:04:45,862 --> 00:04:48,000
OK.
Well, it's super high risk.
107
00:04:48,137 --> 00:04:49,931
If you take a look at
the forest, you can look at any
108
00:04:50,068 --> 00:04:51,103
of the areas around,
109
00:04:51,275 --> 00:04:54,482
our forest is like standing
firewood, right?
110
00:04:54,655 --> 00:05:00,171
The 2025 wildfire season is
already Canada's second worst
111
00:05:00,172 --> 00:05:04,482
on record, with nearly 1,300
fires having scorched
112
00:05:04,655 --> 00:05:10,000
British Columbia alone.
40% of wildfires in B.C.
113
00:05:10,137 --> 00:05:14,792
are caused by human error,
so one mistake can risk lives
114
00:05:14,793 --> 00:05:16,827
and livelihoods in an instant.
115
00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,102
Are there any fire
restrictions right now?
116
00:05:20,103 --> 00:05:21,206
Not right now.
117
00:05:21,379 --> 00:05:22,827
But when you guys are out,
if you're grinding,
118
00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,206
welding, just know the risks.
- Yeah.
119
00:05:25,379 --> 00:05:26,654
Water is your best friend.
120
00:05:26,655 --> 00:05:29,274
Get the trees limbed up as high
as you can reach, 10 feet
121
00:05:29,275 --> 00:05:31,585
or higher, because if a fire
does come through, it just
122
00:05:31,586 --> 00:05:33,689
stays on the ground and it just
rages through.
123
00:05:33,862 --> 00:05:34,827
Well, thank you for your time.
124
00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,103
Thanks so much for coming by.
125
00:05:38,586 --> 00:05:39,827
OK, well, let's do it.
126
00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:41,482
Back on the Genert Mine,
127
00:05:41,655 --> 00:05:44,103
the first two-hour
test run begins.
128
00:05:56,068 --> 00:05:57,172
First bucket.
129
00:05:58,896 --> 00:06:02,103
Ray loads paydirt
into the four-foot hopper
130
00:06:03,103 --> 00:06:07,310
that feeds a 10-foot trommel,
which washes pay into
131
00:06:07,482 --> 00:06:11,792
an 18-foot sluice box below,
where the gold should
132
00:06:11,793 --> 00:06:13,378
be recovered.
133
00:06:13,379 --> 00:06:15,000
We can't continue
running like this.
134
00:06:15,172 --> 00:06:16,413
It's costing us more money
135
00:06:17,586 --> 00:06:20,000
than what we're getting
in return.
136
00:06:30,172 --> 00:06:32,171
Oh, no!
137
00:06:32,172 --> 00:06:34,000
Everything just
plugged up solid.
138
00:06:34,172 --> 00:06:35,931
All the material's stuck
in there.
139
00:06:36,068 --> 00:06:37,275
That's not good.
140
00:06:39,206 --> 00:06:40,413
They have to go in there.
141
00:06:45,896 --> 00:06:47,895
The material gets stuck in
the hopper, so they're having
142
00:06:47,896 --> 00:06:50,172
to sit up there and wash it all
down manually.
143
00:06:50,344 --> 00:06:53,275
So it's not a very efficient
way to run.
144
00:06:53,448 --> 00:06:56,068
The stakes at the Genert Mine
are shared
145
00:06:56,241 --> 00:06:57,724
by the entire family.
146
00:06:57,896 --> 00:07:00,102
So we don't know if
it's running well or running
147
00:07:00,103 --> 00:07:02,379
terrible or what we need
to make it better.
148
00:07:04,586 --> 00:07:07,000
Jared's parents,
Ray and Cheryl,
149
00:07:07,137 --> 00:07:12,172
invested $100,000 of their own
money into the operation.
150
00:07:12,344 --> 00:07:14,274
We sold our house in Alberta,
came out here,
151
00:07:14,275 --> 00:07:16,274
we spent that money,
put it all into the mine,
152
00:07:16,275 --> 00:07:18,792
and really haven't
gotten anything out of it yet.
153
00:07:18,793 --> 00:07:22,000
We're old enough to retire now,
but we can't retire.
154
00:07:22,172 --> 00:07:23,481
We've got a mortgage now.
155
00:07:23,482 --> 00:07:26,586
Every weekend I get in
the summertime, I'm back here.
156
00:07:26,758 --> 00:07:30,274
The rest of the time, I'm at
my other job driving trucks.
157
00:07:30,275 --> 00:07:32,482
This is going to be our last
chance out here,
158
00:07:32,655 --> 00:07:33,724
our last kick at the cat.
159
00:07:42,275 --> 00:07:43,896
Let's take a look
inside the drum.
160
00:07:50,793 --> 00:07:52,482
There's not enough water
pressure to be able to wash
161
00:07:52,655 --> 00:07:55,103
the pay down into the trommel,
because there's actually holes
162
00:07:55,275 --> 00:07:57,689
in the spray bar where it's
pushing water out the side.
163
00:08:04,103 --> 00:08:06,171
That sluice,
it's way too violent,
164
00:08:06,172 --> 00:08:07,517
has way too much water.
165
00:08:20,172 --> 00:08:21,413
I'm going to do
a little panning.
166
00:08:21,586 --> 00:08:22,724
I just want to check
the material that
167
00:08:22,896 --> 00:08:24,481
they're bringing to the plant.
168
00:08:24,482 --> 00:08:27,172
You know, honestly, it doesn't
look that special to me,
169
00:08:27,344 --> 00:08:29,793
but I just want to take a look,
see what's in there.
170
00:08:33,724 --> 00:08:35,793
Not even a piece of gold,
not even one speck.
171
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,000
I'm worried that the material
172
00:08:38,137 --> 00:08:40,275
that he's pulling out isn't
really pay.
173
00:08:47,896 --> 00:08:49,999
Holy [bleep]!
174
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,585
- What is he doing?
- I don't know.
175
00:08:52,586 --> 00:08:54,103
What are you doing?
176
00:09:00,931 --> 00:09:02,000
We've got to get off!
177
00:09:04,172 --> 00:09:05,620
Oh-whoa!
178
00:09:13,275 --> 00:09:15,000
- Shut down on you?
- Yeah.
179
00:09:15,137 --> 00:09:16,585
Why don't we just go ahead
and call it?
180
00:09:16,586 --> 00:09:17,792
It's been about an hour.
181
00:09:17,793 --> 00:09:19,655
Yeah, we can shut her down.
182
00:09:22,103 --> 00:09:23,379
I think we shut it down
right now.
183
00:09:23,551 --> 00:09:25,000
We'll regroup and figure out
what we can do.
184
00:09:28,379 --> 00:09:30,103
Oh...
185
00:09:30,275 --> 00:09:31,379
Let's pull it out.
186
00:09:33,172 --> 00:09:35,689
Right now, I am feeling
a little bit disappointed.
187
00:09:35,862 --> 00:09:36,862
Yeah, you bet.
188
00:09:38,275 --> 00:09:41,792
Our test didn't go as smooth
as we had hoped,
189
00:09:41,793 --> 00:09:43,413
but I'm still hopeful.
190
00:09:43,586 --> 00:09:45,931
I have to go
to my full-time job.
191
00:09:46,068 --> 00:09:50,274
I won't be back here for five
days, and I'm hoping that this
192
00:09:50,275 --> 00:09:52,171
could possibly be
my full-time job.
193
00:09:52,172 --> 00:09:54,000
But right now, you have
to pay the bills.
194
00:09:55,482 --> 00:09:58,275
Miners in general are kind
of hopeful and, you know,
195
00:09:58,448 --> 00:09:59,517
gambling type,
196
00:09:59,689 --> 00:10:01,896
but sometimes we need to give
them tough love.
197
00:10:02,034 --> 00:10:04,274
Coming into a mine site
where everything has
198
00:10:04,275 --> 00:10:07,103
an issue, it's frustrating.
There were safety issues.
199
00:10:07,275 --> 00:10:08,447
The pay doesn't look great.
200
00:10:08,448 --> 00:10:10,172
And honestly, the plant's not
running good either.
201
00:10:13,689 --> 00:10:14,895
Coming up...
202
00:10:14,896 --> 00:10:16,310
Two or three part-time jobs
203
00:10:16,482 --> 00:10:18,896
to pay for your gold mining,
it's unsustainable.
204
00:10:19,034 --> 00:10:21,102
I'm going all-in.
It's now or never.
205
00:10:21,103 --> 00:10:22,172
That was a road.
206
00:10:22,344 --> 00:10:23,689
Let's see what lives
right here.
207
00:10:25,482 --> 00:10:27,172
Holy moly!
208
00:10:37,586 --> 00:10:38,895
Juano!
209
00:10:38,896 --> 00:10:40,310
Later that afternoon,
210
00:10:40,482 --> 00:10:42,586
at the Generts'
Cariboo Mine...
211
00:10:42,758 --> 00:10:44,102
Let's see what's going on.
212
00:10:44,103 --> 00:10:45,481
Let's go check it out.
213
00:10:45,482 --> 00:10:47,931
...Freddy arrives
for the cleanup.
214
00:10:48,068 --> 00:10:50,171
- Hello, ladies.
- Hello!
215
00:10:50,172 --> 00:10:54,378
The mine crew is now down to
Jamie and mother-in-law Cheryl.
216
00:10:54,379 --> 00:10:56,172
This is Freddy.
Freddy, Cheryl, and Jamie.
217
00:10:56,344 --> 00:10:57,896
- Hi.
- How's it going here?
218
00:10:58,034 --> 00:10:59,689
- Great to meet you.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
219
00:10:59,862 --> 00:11:01,136
- Jamie?
- Yes.
220
00:11:01,137 --> 00:11:03,275
- We're sure glad you're here.
- How's the cleanup going?
221
00:11:03,448 --> 00:11:05,586
- Going good.
- I'm done.
222
00:11:05,758 --> 00:11:06,896
Well, let's get it weighed up.
223
00:11:08,620 --> 00:11:09,689
Well, here we go, Freddy.
224
00:11:09,862 --> 00:11:11,137
Yeah, moment of truth.
225
00:11:12,103 --> 00:11:17,000
The Generts need at least
0.06 ounces from the test run
226
00:11:17,172 --> 00:11:19,655
to hit their half-ounce
per day goal.
227
00:11:22,103 --> 00:11:24,068
0.02.
228
00:11:25,103 --> 00:11:28,275
Less than a third of what
they need per day.
229
00:11:28,448 --> 00:11:29,413
That's pretty sad.
230
00:11:30,586 --> 00:11:31,895
It's sad.
231
00:11:31,896 --> 00:11:34,862
Maybe it's lucky you broke at
one hour, because every hour
232
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:36,378
you're running,
you're throwing money away.
233
00:11:36,379 --> 00:11:38,102
- Yeah, right.
- And we don't want that.
234
00:11:38,103 --> 00:11:39,896
Well, what we want is we're
gonna go back, put our heads
235
00:11:40,034 --> 00:11:42,103
together, and come up
with a plan for you guys.
236
00:11:42,275 --> 00:11:43,275
Thanks, Freddy and Juan.
237
00:11:43,448 --> 00:11:45,206
You're welcome.
238
00:11:45,379 --> 00:11:47,931
I'm a little worried now after
seeing the amount of gold.
239
00:11:48,068 --> 00:11:50,758
It's unsustainable to keep
going at that rate.
240
00:11:50,931 --> 00:11:53,379
You know, you'd have to get two
or three part-time jobs to pay
241
00:11:53,551 --> 00:11:54,792
for your gold mining.
242
00:11:54,793 --> 00:11:57,585
It's not good to see that
it's costing us more money
243
00:11:57,586 --> 00:12:00,172
to get that gold out
of the ground
than the pay.
244
00:12:00,344 --> 00:12:02,275
So I don't have a gold mine
budget anymore.
245
00:12:02,448 --> 00:12:03,586
It's gone.
246
00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,481
So, what's the deal
with the bucket
247
00:12:09,482 --> 00:12:10,688
being in the hopper?
248
00:12:10,689 --> 00:12:12,862
- The machine broke down.
- Hm.
249
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,171
So, we weren't able to finish
the test run.
250
00:12:15,172 --> 00:12:17,171
Driving in here, it looked
like there's a lot of equipment
251
00:12:17,172 --> 00:12:18,274
that might not run.
252
00:12:18,275 --> 00:12:19,758
I don't think any of it
runs, Freddy.
253
00:12:19,931 --> 00:12:21,517
So, one of the things
I'm really worried about,
254
00:12:21,689 --> 00:12:23,068
we got to get a machine
coming out here
255
00:12:23,241 --> 00:12:24,586
because we have
to do prospecting.
256
00:12:24,758 --> 00:12:26,000
Because the material
they brought to the plant
257
00:12:26,137 --> 00:12:27,689
was absolute garbage.
- OK.
258
00:12:27,862 --> 00:12:31,274
The hopper is another issue,
and it should be feeding itself
259
00:12:31,275 --> 00:12:33,068
instead of someone up there
babysitting it.
260
00:12:33,241 --> 00:12:34,895
And the sluice is
completely inadequate.
261
00:12:34,896 --> 00:12:35,895
It's too narrow.
262
00:12:35,896 --> 00:12:37,206
It needs to be a foot wider.
263
00:12:37,379 --> 00:12:39,931
- How'd the spray bar do, Juan?
- It's not good, Freddy.
264
00:12:40,068 --> 00:12:41,482
There's actually holes
in the spray bar where
265
00:12:41,655 --> 00:12:43,896
it's actually pushing water
out the side of the trommel.
266
00:12:44,034 --> 00:12:45,379
There's safety issues
that I want to address,
267
00:12:45,551 --> 00:12:48,000
like the stairs going up.
- Yeah, OK.
268
00:12:48,172 --> 00:12:50,102
Really, all this is for naught
unless we can find some
269
00:12:50,103 --> 00:12:51,378
material that's worth running.
- Exactly right.
270
00:12:51,379 --> 00:12:53,862
- That'll be my first goal.
- All right.
271
00:12:56,275 --> 00:13:00,103
To transform the mine
into a profitable operation,
272
00:13:00,275 --> 00:13:03,171
a three-inch water jet will be
mounted at the back of
273
00:13:03,172 --> 00:13:07,862
the hopper to break up the pay
and drive it into the trommel.
274
00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,172
Then, inside the drum, a new
spray bar will be added
275
00:13:12,344 --> 00:13:16,585
to the existing thread to wash
gold-bearing material
276
00:13:16,586 --> 00:13:18,068
into the sluice.
277
00:13:18,241 --> 00:13:21,517
And finally, the sluice box
will be widened an extra
278
00:13:21,689 --> 00:13:26,103
12-inches to boost capacity
by 50%.
279
00:13:38,896 --> 00:13:40,792
Hi, dear!
280
00:13:40,793 --> 00:13:44,378
After a 600 mile drive
from the oil fields,
281
00:13:44,379 --> 00:13:47,689
Jamie's husband, Jared,
returns to the mine.
282
00:13:47,862 --> 00:13:49,482
- Morning, baby.
- Hi, baby.
283
00:13:51,172 --> 00:13:53,000
- I missed you.
- I missed you.
284
00:13:54,310 --> 00:13:55,862
How's it going?
285
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,000
Uh...
286
00:13:58,137 --> 00:14:00,310
It's not looking good.
287
00:14:00,482 --> 00:14:01,689
I hope they can help.
288
00:14:02,689 --> 00:14:06,689
I got into gold mining 10
or 11 years ago just because
289
00:14:06,862 --> 00:14:09,931
it looked really cool
watching "Gold Rush."
290
00:14:10,068 --> 00:14:13,275
We went out to this old fella's
claim on the Fraser River.
291
00:14:13,448 --> 00:14:15,688
First, we had a pan,
and we panned it,
292
00:14:15,689 --> 00:14:17,206
and my eyes lit up.
293
00:14:17,379 --> 00:14:18,620
Oh man, look at that!
294
00:14:18,793 --> 00:14:22,171
That's when gold fever sunk in.
It's a real thing.
295
00:14:22,172 --> 00:14:24,481
But mining is
amazingly expensive,
296
00:14:24,482 --> 00:14:25,931
and things are pretty tight.
297
00:14:26,068 --> 00:14:30,274
I can't continue pouring money
in every year.
298
00:14:30,275 --> 00:14:32,688
It's now or never.
299
00:14:32,689 --> 00:14:33,792
How we doing?
300
00:14:33,793 --> 00:14:35,206
- Hi guys.
- How you doing?
301
00:14:35,379 --> 00:14:36,310
- Hi, good.
- I'm Juan.
302
00:14:36,482 --> 00:14:37,379
- Jared.
- Nice to meet you, Jared.
303
00:14:37,551 --> 00:14:38,862
- Freddy.
- Freddy, nice to meet you.
304
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,102
Nice to meet you, Jared.
305
00:14:40,103 --> 00:14:41,586
Well, we put our heads together,
306
00:14:41,758 --> 00:14:43,517
You know, we came up with
a few ideas for the plant.
307
00:14:43,689 --> 00:14:45,102
One of the first things
that we want to do is,
308
00:14:45,103 --> 00:14:46,412
we focus on that hopper.
309
00:14:46,413 --> 00:14:48,482
We're going to put a jet in
the back, so that material can
310
00:14:48,655 --> 00:14:50,068
get fed down into the trommel.
311
00:14:50,241 --> 00:14:51,689
Inside the trommel itself,
312
00:14:51,862 --> 00:14:52,999
put a whole new spray bar
in there.
313
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,103
Then we want to build a new
sluice box.
314
00:14:55,275 --> 00:14:56,412
OK.
315
00:14:56,413 --> 00:14:57,689
The intention is,
we're going to actually run
316
00:14:57,862 --> 00:14:59,413
a little more material
when we have that spray bar
317
00:14:59,586 --> 00:15:00,895
in the back of the hopper.
318
00:15:00,896 --> 00:15:02,310
And in order to do so,
we've got to have
319
00:15:02,482 --> 00:15:03,758
that wider box.
- OK.
320
00:15:03,931 --> 00:15:05,171
Yeah, I need to go
prospect on this.
321
00:15:05,172 --> 00:15:06,206
Yeah, yeah.
322
00:15:06,379 --> 00:15:07,999
Because everything I see here
is tailings.
323
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,103
Yeah.
324
00:15:10,103 --> 00:15:13,793
So we're thinking about $5,000
in materials.
325
00:15:13,965 --> 00:15:16,068
But the excavators
that you have here,
326
00:15:16,241 --> 00:15:17,378
none of them are up to par.
327
00:15:17,379 --> 00:15:19,171
We found somebody that had
an excavator that we could
328
00:15:19,172 --> 00:15:20,896
borrow for a few days,
329
00:15:21,034 --> 00:15:22,413
but we have to pay
for transport.
330
00:15:22,586 --> 00:15:24,103
And that'll be about $3,000.
331
00:15:24,275 --> 00:15:25,758
OK.
332
00:15:25,931 --> 00:15:27,413
So all in, it's going
to be $8,000.
333
00:15:29,758 --> 00:15:31,068
That's a lot of money, I know.
334
00:15:33,379 --> 00:15:35,481
Er...
335
00:15:35,482 --> 00:15:38,274
- I think we can do that.
- Well, deal then.
336
00:15:38,275 --> 00:15:39,585
- Deal.
- Let's do it.
337
00:15:39,586 --> 00:15:40,896
- I appreciate it, guys.
- Yeah, no worries.
338
00:15:41,034 --> 00:15:42,103
- Thanks, Freddy.
- You're welcome.
339
00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:43,343
- You're very welcome.
- Thanks, Juan.
340
00:15:43,344 --> 00:15:44,517
- You're very welcome.
- Thanks, Freddy.
341
00:15:45,689 --> 00:15:47,793
That was pretty awesome
meeting Freddy and Juan.
342
00:15:47,965 --> 00:15:50,206
I was giddy like a schoolgirl.
343
00:15:50,379 --> 00:15:53,378
8,000 is a pretty big hit,
but I don't see I have
344
00:15:53,379 --> 00:15:55,103
much of a choice to do it.
345
00:15:55,275 --> 00:15:57,068
If I want to continue,
I have to do this.
346
00:16:09,931 --> 00:16:12,517
To help get the mine
on track...
347
00:16:12,689 --> 00:16:13,688
Am I pulling on it?
348
00:16:13,689 --> 00:16:15,171
Yeah, that's the one
you're pulling on.
349
00:16:15,172 --> 00:16:18,999
Jared's called in his mechanic
brother, Sandy, to work
350
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,103
on their stricken excavator.
351
00:16:21,275 --> 00:16:23,517
I'm going to be here on
the mine helping Jared get some
352
00:16:23,689 --> 00:16:25,585
of these machines running
as best I can.
353
00:16:25,586 --> 00:16:27,275
Pull that wire again.
354
00:16:27,448 --> 00:16:30,310
With all the time and money
that Jared's put into this,
355
00:16:30,482 --> 00:16:33,000
I would just really love
to see it succeed.
356
00:16:33,172 --> 00:16:34,999
I think that goes
to the starter.
357
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,895
OK.
Go turn the key.
358
00:16:37,896 --> 00:16:39,000
OK, ready?
359
00:16:52,103 --> 00:16:53,586
Hey, thank you, guys.
360
00:16:53,758 --> 00:16:57,931
Next, Juan spots a fault with
one of the other excavators.
361
00:16:59,689 --> 00:17:02,274
Your pin on your cylinder
for your bucket's actually ready
362
00:17:02,275 --> 00:17:03,688
to come out.
363
00:17:03,689 --> 00:17:06,171
So the pin itself has this
little plate that holds the pin
364
00:17:06,172 --> 00:17:08,793
in place.
It's broke off, so...
365
00:17:08,965 --> 00:17:10,792
We can knock that pin back
366
00:17:10,793 --> 00:17:12,931
where it needs to be
and get it on.
367
00:17:15,379 --> 00:17:19,103
It's extremely important that
this excavator works correctly.
368
00:17:19,275 --> 00:17:21,688
Without it, there's no mining.
369
00:17:21,689 --> 00:17:24,103
So it's got to be tough
for you to work a full week
370
00:17:24,275 --> 00:17:25,758
in the oil field,
then come out here
371
00:17:25,931 --> 00:17:27,620
and work at the mine
site, huh?
372
00:17:27,793 --> 00:17:29,688
All that travel,
all that time, and...
373
00:17:29,689 --> 00:17:31,379
2,000 kilometers
a week, and then...
374
00:17:32,689 --> 00:17:37,517
trying to forget about
the stresses out here so I can
375
00:17:37,689 --> 00:17:39,103
focus on my job at work.
376
00:17:39,275 --> 00:17:41,102
And Jamie, you know,
the first day that we did
377
00:17:41,103 --> 00:17:42,689
a test run, it was kind of cool
to see her,
378
00:17:42,862 --> 00:17:44,482
that she actually just jumped
right in there and wanted to be
379
00:17:44,655 --> 00:17:45,655
a part of it.
- Yeah.
380
00:17:45,827 --> 00:17:48,172
We had up to 300 head of goats
at one time.
381
00:17:48,344 --> 00:17:49,654
That's a lot of work.
382
00:17:49,655 --> 00:17:51,586
And she'd be in there wrestling
goats with me, holding them
383
00:17:51,758 --> 00:17:53,171
down so we can give
them injections.
384
00:17:53,172 --> 00:17:55,792
And yeah, Jamie's always been
385
00:17:55,793 --> 00:17:56,862
been one to give 'er.
386
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,102
Yeah, once she knows
how to do it,
387
00:17:58,103 --> 00:17:59,275
she's going to give it 100%.
388
00:17:59,448 --> 00:18:01,585
And she'll probably really
excel at it, too, I'm sure.
389
00:18:01,586 --> 00:18:02,895
Yeah.
390
00:18:02,896 --> 00:18:04,758
You know, at the end of the day,
you know, if you can enjoy
391
00:18:04,931 --> 00:18:06,102
your time with your family.
392
00:18:06,103 --> 00:18:07,862
And I think a lot of people
would kind of strive to try
393
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,000
to do that one day, right?
You're that close to doing it.
394
00:18:10,137 --> 00:18:12,413
- Yeah, we are.
- You're that close.
395
00:18:12,586 --> 00:18:14,103
Well, let's finish this
up, huh?
396
00:18:14,275 --> 00:18:15,550
Yeah, sounds good to me.
397
00:18:15,551 --> 00:18:17,000
Let me try to open this up
just a little more.
398
00:18:23,689 --> 00:18:26,274
Ah-ha-ha! Popped right in.
There's some good news.
399
00:18:26,275 --> 00:18:27,688
That's good.
400
00:18:27,689 --> 00:18:28,793
Thanks, Juan.
401
00:18:35,620 --> 00:18:38,172
- So hose on and then
pass you the hose?
- Yeah.
402
00:18:38,344 --> 00:18:39,895
Excavators fixed,
403
00:18:39,896 --> 00:18:42,103
Juan begins work
on the washplant's
404
00:18:42,275 --> 00:18:43,517
new water chute.
405
00:18:43,689 --> 00:18:45,102
I cut a hole right here.
We're going to put
406
00:18:45,103 --> 00:18:46,896
that jet on the back
of the hopper,
407
00:18:47,034 --> 00:18:48,103
and we'll put a diverter plate.
408
00:18:48,275 --> 00:18:50,000
So he was going to wash
all that material down
409
00:18:50,172 --> 00:18:51,103
into the trommel.
410
00:18:54,793 --> 00:18:56,792
Go towards you a little bit.
411
00:18:56,793 --> 00:18:58,481
Toward us?
Come out a bit? Yeah.
412
00:18:58,482 --> 00:18:59,793
Right there.
413
00:19:09,275 --> 00:19:10,517
So, I got the jet all done.
414
00:19:10,689 --> 00:19:12,310
I got the deflector plate
on there.
415
00:19:12,482 --> 00:19:14,896
So now when that material
piles up, this will push it all
416
00:19:15,034 --> 00:19:16,309
into the trommel.
417
00:19:16,310 --> 00:19:18,000
It's going to actually increase
their production by a lot
418
00:19:18,172 --> 00:19:20,068
because now they'll be able to
feed it instead of having to be
419
00:19:20,241 --> 00:19:21,793
up here and washing it down
by hand.
420
00:19:21,965 --> 00:19:25,102
- This will do it all.
- Oh, cool!
421
00:19:25,103 --> 00:19:27,172
We got the job done,
but the reality is,
422
00:19:27,344 --> 00:19:28,896
Freddy and I still have a lot
to do here.
423
00:19:41,482 --> 00:19:43,586
Well, you want to show me where
you got that pay
424
00:19:43,758 --> 00:19:45,172
you ran on the first test there?
425
00:19:45,344 --> 00:19:46,965
Yeah, it's just up here.
426
00:19:47,103 --> 00:19:48,448
In British Columbia,
427
00:19:48,620 --> 00:19:50,585
Freddy starts
his gold sleuthing
428
00:19:50,586 --> 00:19:52,481
at the mine's old cut.
429
00:19:52,482 --> 00:19:54,344
So they mined right in here
last year?
430
00:19:54,517 --> 00:19:55,757
Yeah.
431
00:19:55,758 --> 00:19:57,344
I was told they were getting
good-sized nuggets out of it.
432
00:19:57,517 --> 00:20:00,275
So I thought,
"well, that sounds good."
433
00:20:00,448 --> 00:20:02,000
But there just wasn't enough.
434
00:20:02,137 --> 00:20:04,896
We got 0.02, not enough
to pay anything.
435
00:20:05,793 --> 00:20:07,172
Something was weird
about that.
436
00:20:07,344 --> 00:20:09,137
Mm-hmm, yeah.
437
00:20:09,310 --> 00:20:10,895
Don't trust what they told you
438
00:20:10,896 --> 00:20:12,481
unless you really
know the people.
439
00:20:12,482 --> 00:20:14,068
Trust what your own eyes
tell you.
440
00:20:14,241 --> 00:20:15,274
OK.
441
00:20:15,275 --> 00:20:17,103
But I can see what you were
chasing there.
442
00:20:17,275 --> 00:20:18,758
- That red stuff.
- Yeah.
443
00:20:18,931 --> 00:20:21,481
A lot of times those surface
red layers are red because
444
00:20:21,482 --> 00:20:24,862
they are the surface gravel,
and they got oxygen to them,
445
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,896
which allows iron
to rust, right?
446
00:20:28,034 --> 00:20:31,000
So usually your surface gravels
don't carry much gold.
447
00:20:31,172 --> 00:20:32,378
OK.
448
00:20:32,379 --> 00:20:33,551
The rest of it's tailings.
449
00:20:33,724 --> 00:20:35,655
That's been stacked up there
by somebody
450
00:20:35,827 --> 00:20:37,000
that was in here before.
451
00:20:38,965 --> 00:20:42,688
In 1858, discoveries
on the Fraser River ignited
452
00:20:42,689 --> 00:20:44,655
the Cariboo Gold Rush.
453
00:20:44,827 --> 00:20:48,068
Strikes at nearby Williams
Creek in Barkerville made
454
00:20:48,241 --> 00:20:51,688
fortunes with over
3.8 million ounces
455
00:20:51,689 --> 00:20:56,171
worth over $12 billion
in today's money.
456
00:20:56,172 --> 00:20:59,034
Old timers say
the claim Jared is working
457
00:20:59,206 --> 00:21:02,793
produced more than 1,800 ounces
of gold in the '90s,
458
00:21:02,965 --> 00:21:06,448
valued today at over
$6 million.
459
00:21:06,620 --> 00:21:09,586
One way to tell you're
in tailings is there's
460
00:21:09,758 --> 00:21:11,793
no rhyme or reason
to the rocks.
461
00:21:11,965 --> 00:21:15,551
Virgin material that got laid
in there by water, all your
462
00:21:15,724 --> 00:21:18,481
flat rocks are laying flat
for the most part.
463
00:21:18,482 --> 00:21:20,895
In tailings, everything's
just haphazard.
464
00:21:20,896 --> 00:21:22,241
You know, how it was dumped.
465
00:21:22,413 --> 00:21:24,551
It's never been reworked
by water, so that's one
466
00:21:24,724 --> 00:21:26,655
of the quickest ways to tell.
467
00:21:26,827 --> 00:21:28,793
Let's go look for some
virgin ground, huh?
468
00:21:28,965 --> 00:21:30,000
All right.
469
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,688
What I think we need to do is
find a little bit of elevated
470
00:21:37,689 --> 00:21:40,482
ground, and look down,
see what we can see.
471
00:21:41,758 --> 00:21:42,896
This is all tailings.
472
00:21:43,862 --> 00:21:45,896
This is all tailings
on this side, too.
473
00:21:49,344 --> 00:21:50,965
Let's have a look
from this high point.
474
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:54,241
Well, this isn't
a great feeling.
475
00:21:54,413 --> 00:21:56,103
I thought I had something
down here.
476
00:22:09,896 --> 00:22:11,655
Well, you can see that gravel
face over there?
477
00:22:11,827 --> 00:22:12,964
Yeah.
478
00:22:12,965 --> 00:22:14,862
Well, to me, that looks
like glacial till.
479
00:22:15,793 --> 00:22:19,758
Glacial till is the debris
left behind by a glacier.
480
00:22:19,931 --> 00:22:21,689
Thousands of years ago,
481
00:22:21,862 --> 00:22:25,000
millions of tons of ice
bulldozed its way through
482
00:22:25,137 --> 00:22:27,862
the valley, crushing rocks
into fragments
483
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,585
and freeing the gold inside.
484
00:22:30,586 --> 00:22:34,172
As the glacier melted back,
the gold was left scattered
485
00:22:34,344 --> 00:22:36,551
throughout the ground.
486
00:22:36,724 --> 00:22:40,137
A hypothesis that that
hillside right there,
487
00:22:40,310 --> 00:22:43,137
you know, it's not really
structured with the main hill.
488
00:22:43,310 --> 00:22:45,448
There's a chance that's
a glacial moraine.
489
00:22:45,620 --> 00:22:49,586
A moraine is where the glacial
till has become piled up to
490
00:22:49,758 --> 00:22:53,586
form a ridge where gold is more
likely to be concentrated.
491
00:22:53,758 --> 00:22:55,378
You can see right down
below us here,
492
00:22:55,379 --> 00:22:56,585
and you've got
the road there.
493
00:22:56,586 --> 00:22:58,482
It could be good.
Who knows?
494
00:22:58,655 --> 00:23:00,585
There's only one way
to find out, though.
495
00:23:00,586 --> 00:23:01,964
Freddy's hunch?
496
00:23:01,965 --> 00:23:05,758
An old-timer's road, which cuts
through the glacial moraine
497
00:23:05,931 --> 00:23:08,793
outcrop, could hold virgin pay.
498
00:23:08,965 --> 00:23:10,758
At one time, there was
a lot of gold here,
499
00:23:10,931 --> 00:23:12,344
but they gutted this valley.
500
00:23:12,517 --> 00:23:15,034
Maybe there's some pockets
of virgin ground under the road
501
00:23:15,206 --> 00:23:16,655
that nobody took
the gold out of.
502
00:23:16,827 --> 00:23:18,792
Hopefully, we can do
a little bit of potholing
503
00:23:18,793 --> 00:23:20,448
and try to figure things out.
504
00:23:30,551 --> 00:23:31,793
Make sure we're not
right on the edge.
505
00:23:32,689 --> 00:23:36,034
In the mine's boneyard,
Juan and Jamie construct a new
506
00:23:36,206 --> 00:23:40,586
18-foot sluice, which will help
them recover more gold.
507
00:23:40,758 --> 00:23:42,378
Kind of push it to where
you want it, more or less.
508
00:23:42,379 --> 00:23:43,826
Oh, OK.
509
00:23:43,827 --> 00:23:45,758
And then you push in, twist
to the right, let go of it,
510
00:23:45,931 --> 00:23:46,792
and it locks.
511
00:23:46,793 --> 00:23:48,137
Want to try this one
real quick?
512
00:23:48,310 --> 00:23:50,793
The magnets grip the steel
like a clamp,
513
00:23:50,965 --> 00:23:53,655
keeping it square
at 90 degrees.
514
00:23:53,827 --> 00:23:55,792
Is mining something that
you really enjoy or that
515
00:23:55,793 --> 00:23:57,655
you really want to do?
- Yeah, it is.
516
00:23:57,827 --> 00:24:00,275
And when my kids can come out,
that's even better.
517
00:24:00,448 --> 00:24:03,481
Wyatt is just about 21,
and Morgan is almost 19.
518
00:24:03,482 --> 00:24:05,689
Doesn't seem like you're old
enough to have kids
519
00:24:05,862 --> 00:24:08,068
that age, so...
- So, there's...
520
00:24:08,241 --> 00:24:10,068
Well, there is a story.
521
00:24:10,241 --> 00:24:13,275
I had Wyatt when I was 20,
and then on my 21st birthday,
522
00:24:13,448 --> 00:24:14,448
I was diagnosed with
523
00:24:14,620 --> 00:24:16,862
relapsing-remitting
multiple sclerosis.
524
00:24:17,862 --> 00:24:19,585
And I was told if I wanted
to have more kids,
525
00:24:19,586 --> 00:24:21,965
I needed to do it because
the medication I was about
526
00:24:22,103 --> 00:24:25,688
to start could cause
complications during
my pregnancy.
527
00:24:25,689 --> 00:24:27,689
Yeah, you kind
of picked priorities.
528
00:24:27,862 --> 00:24:29,689
You wanted to have kids,
so you went for it.
529
00:24:29,862 --> 00:24:31,136
- Yeah.
- I get that.
530
00:24:31,137 --> 00:24:32,758
I would have never known that
she had health issues with
531
00:24:32,931 --> 00:24:35,896
her motivation and her work
ethic, but, you know, it just
532
00:24:36,034 --> 00:24:38,275
shows that she really has
the drive and she's committed
533
00:24:38,448 --> 00:24:39,793
to doing this mine.
534
00:24:39,965 --> 00:24:41,171
We should probably get back
to work then, huh?
535
00:24:41,172 --> 00:24:42,344
- Yeah.
- All right.
536
00:24:50,275 --> 00:24:52,137
I came to look at this spot.
537
00:24:52,310 --> 00:24:54,171
We can stay to the side there
and at least get a trench
538
00:24:54,172 --> 00:24:56,000
in here and see what it
looks like.
539
00:24:56,137 --> 00:24:57,379
OK.
540
00:24:57,551 --> 00:25:00,103
On the other side of
the claim, Freddy locates
541
00:25:00,275 --> 00:25:04,379
a spot to test under an old
mining road for virgin pay.
542
00:25:04,551 --> 00:25:06,379
Maybe they didn't touch it,
so let's see
543
00:25:06,551 --> 00:25:07,896
what lives right here.
- OK.
544
00:25:09,344 --> 00:25:10,551
Hey, Juan, you got a copy?
545
00:25:11,689 --> 00:25:12,688
Go ahead, Freddy.
546
00:25:12,689 --> 00:25:14,689
I see that excavator
showed up.
547
00:25:14,862 --> 00:25:17,000
Yeah, 10-4, do you want me
to bring it on down to you?
548
00:25:17,172 --> 00:25:18,275
Yeah, if you wouldn't mind.
549
00:25:23,379 --> 00:25:27,448
With the Genert's unreliable
excavators, Freddy and Juan
550
00:25:27,620 --> 00:25:30,586
truck one in that can dig
to almost 30 feet.
551
00:25:33,896 --> 00:25:34,965
What do you think, buddy?
552
00:25:35,103 --> 00:25:36,137
Sweet machine.
553
00:25:36,310 --> 00:25:37,585
Thanks for bringing it down.
554
00:25:37,586 --> 00:25:39,758
- Yeah.
- This is a huge machine.
555
00:25:39,931 --> 00:25:41,034
That's awesome.
556
00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:42,793
See if I'm tall enough to get
in this guy.
557
00:25:52,965 --> 00:25:55,034
My hope, this was their road
558
00:25:55,206 --> 00:25:57,689
when they dug these pits
beside us.
559
00:25:57,862 --> 00:26:01,068
This was the only spot I could
see that we could have a look at
560
00:26:01,241 --> 00:26:02,689
in the time period
we're here.
561
00:26:10,448 --> 00:26:13,068
- Well, let's try that level.
- OK.
562
00:26:29,275 --> 00:26:30,965
Zero.
Not a color in it.
563
00:26:35,103 --> 00:26:36,896
- That's disappointing.
- Yeah.
564
00:26:37,034 --> 00:26:38,034
Really disappointing.
565
00:26:53,137 --> 00:26:54,586
I just had a chat
with Freddy.
566
00:26:56,379 --> 00:26:58,034
There might not be ground
there, basically.
567
00:27:02,344 --> 00:27:03,793
Ugh...
568
00:27:18,689 --> 00:27:21,379
What I want to do is get some
material from down deeper
569
00:27:21,551 --> 00:27:24,482
in here and then have a look
at it from a greater depth.
570
00:27:25,586 --> 00:27:29,171
At the Genert Mine,
Freddy rolls the dice on one
571
00:27:29,172 --> 00:27:33,103
last option, finding
gold at bedrock.
572
00:27:33,275 --> 00:27:35,172
Well, this is definitely
virgin material.
573
00:27:36,172 --> 00:27:37,793
I just don't know how much
of it's here.
574
00:27:43,275 --> 00:27:45,103
- We're down to bedrock here.
- Yep.
575
00:27:45,275 --> 00:27:47,274
We took those pans about
five to six feet, right?
576
00:27:47,275 --> 00:27:48,896
But now we're down
12 feet or so.
577
00:27:49,034 --> 00:27:50,137
OK.
578
00:27:50,310 --> 00:27:52,241
So I got some
in the bucket there.
579
00:27:52,413 --> 00:27:54,068
Let's pan it
and see what's in it.
580
00:27:56,551 --> 00:27:58,068
When I pan, I like to take,
581
00:27:58,241 --> 00:27:59,895
you know,
not just the same spot.
582
00:27:59,896 --> 00:28:01,000
Yeah.
583
00:28:01,172 --> 00:28:02,688
I'll pick around
through that material.
584
00:28:02,689 --> 00:28:05,068
So we get a little bit more
scientific test.
585
00:28:19,137 --> 00:28:20,482
Holy moly!
586
00:28:22,275 --> 00:28:24,137
That's the stuff dreams are
made of right there.
587
00:28:25,655 --> 00:28:27,000
I'm absolutely amazed
588
00:28:27,137 --> 00:28:28,896
that Freddy was able to find
something in here.
589
00:28:29,034 --> 00:28:31,172
I'm hopeful there's
a few thousand yards
590
00:28:31,344 --> 00:28:34,448
of material there.
This is incredible.
591
00:28:34,620 --> 00:28:36,137
Well, that is what
I wanted to see.
592
00:28:36,310 --> 00:28:39,448
We'll run a second test
and see what's in it.
593
00:28:45,896 --> 00:28:46,896
How you doing, guys?
594
00:28:47,034 --> 00:28:48,000
Good, how are you guys?
595
00:28:48,137 --> 00:28:49,481
Good, doing good.
596
00:28:49,482 --> 00:28:52,862
With 24 hours left before
the second test, Juan enlists
597
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,344
Jared and brother Sandy
to help with the next fix.
598
00:28:56,517 --> 00:28:58,241
If you guys could help Freddy
and I, we need to get that
599
00:28:58,413 --> 00:29:00,689
spray bar out of the trommel.
See if we can break it loose
600
00:29:00,862 --> 00:29:02,172
here on this end,
to get it unthreaded.
601
00:29:02,344 --> 00:29:03,241
- You good with that?
- Perfect, yeah.
602
00:29:03,413 --> 00:29:04,275
Awesome.
Thanks, guys.
603
00:29:04,448 --> 00:29:06,206
See you in a bit.
604
00:29:08,689 --> 00:29:11,068
So the problem with the old
spray bar, it was actually
605
00:29:11,241 --> 00:29:13,274
pushing water outside
of the trommel, and it really
606
00:29:13,275 --> 00:29:15,103
wasn't cleaning
the material properly.
607
00:29:15,275 --> 00:29:16,688
With this new one,
it's going to allow us to be
608
00:29:16,689 --> 00:29:19,171
able to concentrate that water
where it needs to be
609
00:29:19,172 --> 00:29:20,379
and get that material washed.
610
00:29:23,896 --> 00:29:25,000
You stick that in there.
611
00:29:28,241 --> 00:29:29,895
Nope.
612
00:29:29,896 --> 00:29:32,034
- Heavier body.
- Yeah, get up here.
613
00:29:36,275 --> 00:29:37,586
There you go.
614
00:29:39,379 --> 00:29:41,448
We're putting these pipe
nipples on so we can reduce
615
00:29:41,620 --> 00:29:43,482
the water flow, so we have
a nice even flow across
616
00:29:43,655 --> 00:29:46,103
the whole bar to get
a good wash.
617
00:29:46,275 --> 00:29:48,172
And I'm using the end
of the old spray bar so that way
618
00:29:48,344 --> 00:29:50,655
we know that we have the right
thread pitch to be able
619
00:29:50,827 --> 00:29:52,793
to screw it back onto the plant,
and we know it's going to fit.
620
00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,688
This is an awesome new
spray bar.
621
00:29:57,689 --> 00:29:58,895
Juan did excellent.
622
00:29:58,896 --> 00:30:00,895
You gonna start
throwing her in?
623
00:30:00,896 --> 00:30:03,481
- Yeah, I think so.
- Oh, OK.
624
00:30:03,482 --> 00:30:05,758
- This is heavy.
- My end's light.
625
00:30:05,931 --> 00:30:07,103
I got the heavy side for sure.
626
00:30:07,275 --> 00:30:08,793
Yeah, I'm sure.
627
00:30:08,965 --> 00:30:10,000
OK, let's set her down.
628
00:30:12,655 --> 00:30:15,481
We're gonna see if this
side's heavier.
629
00:30:15,482 --> 00:30:17,586
- This side's way easier.
- It's the same.
630
00:30:25,103 --> 00:30:27,137
Oh, look at that.
It's tight.
631
00:30:27,310 --> 00:30:28,758
Like we're
professionals or something.
632
00:30:35,379 --> 00:30:37,000
- Hi, Freddy.
- How's it going?
633
00:30:37,172 --> 00:30:38,448
Going good.
634
00:30:38,620 --> 00:30:39,896
Right now,
you got a little bit
635
00:30:40,034 --> 00:30:41,585
of a safety issue here.
- Yes, yes.
636
00:30:41,586 --> 00:30:43,137
There's no stair treads in
the frameworks on them.
637
00:30:43,310 --> 00:30:44,447
Yeah.
638
00:30:44,448 --> 00:30:46,379
So, I was repurposing
your old riffles.
639
00:30:47,758 --> 00:30:50,862
We'll tack them in.
Why don't you try that?
640
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:52,034
You're going to start it,
641
00:30:52,206 --> 00:30:54,481
click, and then go
chk-chk, too-too,
642
00:30:54,482 --> 00:30:55,895
about an eighth of an inch,
and then you stack
643
00:30:55,896 --> 00:30:58,000
your dimes, OK?
- OK.
644
00:30:58,137 --> 00:31:00,379
Here, we stack one,
we stack two.
645
00:31:00,551 --> 00:31:04,965
"Stacking dimes" means making
each weld smooth and round,
646
00:31:05,103 --> 00:31:07,034
just like coins in a stack.
647
00:31:07,206 --> 00:31:08,481
We just stacked nine dimes.
648
00:31:08,482 --> 00:31:09,655
Nine!
649
00:31:09,827 --> 00:31:11,448
OK, this is the last weld
right there.
650
00:31:12,896 --> 00:31:14,586
Stack those dimes.
651
00:31:14,758 --> 00:31:16,344
Get a little closer.
652
00:31:16,517 --> 00:31:17,586
There you go.
653
00:31:18,689 --> 00:31:19,792
- You got it.
- Did I?
654
00:31:19,793 --> 00:31:21,481
- Yeah.
- Thanks, Freddy.
655
00:31:21,482 --> 00:31:22,551
You're welcome.
656
00:31:22,724 --> 00:31:24,000
I feel pretty good.
657
00:31:24,172 --> 00:31:25,412
Freddy said I did OK.
658
00:31:25,413 --> 00:31:28,241
I think this skill is really
important to have out here.
659
00:31:28,413 --> 00:31:30,379
If Jared and Ray are gone
660
00:31:30,551 --> 00:31:33,000
and we need something welded,
then I can do it.
661
00:31:41,172 --> 00:31:44,965
We're making a wider sluice box
to give them more area for that
662
00:31:45,103 --> 00:31:47,896
gold to fall out, so we can
spread that material out wider.
663
00:31:48,034 --> 00:31:50,034
It's going to be a lot more
efficient sluice box than
664
00:31:50,206 --> 00:31:51,551
the one they had.
665
00:31:51,724 --> 00:31:55,171
With hours remaining
on the final day of fixes
666
00:31:55,172 --> 00:31:58,758
and the critical sluice
unfinished, the Generts get
667
00:31:58,931 --> 00:32:00,689
a welcome surprise.
668
00:32:00,862 --> 00:32:04,275
Ray's taken the afternoon off
to lend a hand.
669
00:32:04,448 --> 00:32:06,344
Ray is incredibly hardworking.
670
00:32:06,517 --> 00:32:08,965
He is gone most of the days
during the week, but he tries
671
00:32:09,103 --> 00:32:11,379
to make up for the week
he wasn't here.
672
00:32:11,551 --> 00:32:13,103
He just goes and goes
and goes and goes.
673
00:32:13,275 --> 00:32:15,034
- How's it going guys?
- Good.
674
00:32:15,206 --> 00:32:16,792
We're here to help.
675
00:32:16,793 --> 00:32:18,344
You guys want to cut
some riffles?
676
00:32:18,517 --> 00:32:20,171
We do.
677
00:32:20,172 --> 00:32:23,379
So, our sluice is
35 and a half.
678
00:32:30,793 --> 00:32:34,793
Right now, I'm just getting
this fairly close to the pitch.
679
00:32:34,965 --> 00:32:36,895
We'll have it
in the sluice box.
680
00:32:36,896 --> 00:32:40,000
That way when I weld the ears
on for these jacks,
681
00:32:40,137 --> 00:32:41,896
I can get them straight
up and down.
682
00:32:43,862 --> 00:32:48,000
The jacks will make the sluice
adjustable for the type of pay
683
00:32:48,137 --> 00:32:49,103
they are running.
684
00:32:49,275 --> 00:32:50,481
Well, all finished.
685
00:32:50,482 --> 00:32:52,689
Looking good.
Let's get her up to the plant.
686
00:32:58,482 --> 00:33:00,344
Right now, it's all hands
on deck.
687
00:33:00,517 --> 00:33:02,895
We're going to get this thing
in, get this test run done,
688
00:33:02,896 --> 00:33:04,896
and head on to the next mine.
689
00:33:07,344 --> 00:33:09,103
- So we'll riffle this up.
- OK.
690
00:33:09,275 --> 00:33:10,551
So we're going
to put it in like shingles.
691
00:33:10,724 --> 00:33:14,689
Sluice build complete,
Freddy gives a quick tutorial
692
00:33:14,862 --> 00:33:18,482
to mechanic brother Sandy
on how to configure it.
693
00:33:18,655 --> 00:33:20,137
So now we take
our miner's moss.
694
00:33:20,310 --> 00:33:21,586
We don't overlap this stuff.
695
00:33:27,482 --> 00:33:29,275
OK, now grab one
of our heavy riffles.
696
00:33:30,275 --> 00:33:32,172
So we'll go right up to the top
with that one.
697
00:33:40,034 --> 00:33:41,137
Done.
698
00:33:48,068 --> 00:33:49,896
You can start walking that end
this way.
699
00:33:50,896 --> 00:33:52,103
- You good?
- Still all right.
700
00:33:53,137 --> 00:33:57,793
Last task before the test run,
the sluice installation.
701
00:33:57,965 --> 00:33:59,000
- Oh, we're going under that?
- Yeah.
702
00:33:59,172 --> 00:34:01,000
- OK.
- Oh, we're golden.
703
00:34:02,586 --> 00:34:04,103
We've learned a ton since
704
00:34:04,275 --> 00:34:06,000
Freddy and Juan showed up here.
705
00:34:06,137 --> 00:34:08,586
Words can't express
the gratitude I have
706
00:34:08,758 --> 00:34:10,172
for those guys right now.
707
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,793
What do you say?
Let's start a test run.
708
00:34:13,965 --> 00:34:15,378
All right.
Let's wash some rock, guys.
709
00:34:15,379 --> 00:34:17,103
Let's see this run.
710
00:34:19,586 --> 00:34:21,379
Overall, the fixes were great.
711
00:34:21,551 --> 00:34:23,793
And we know we got
virgin material here.
712
00:34:23,965 --> 00:34:25,793
We'll just run a second test
and see what happens.
713
00:34:41,137 --> 00:34:42,171
What do you think, guys?
714
00:34:42,172 --> 00:34:43,344
Looks like we're ready to run.
715
00:34:43,517 --> 00:34:44,862
So why don't we do a two-hour
test run, huh, Juan?
716
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,067
Yeah.
717
00:34:46,068 --> 00:34:47,585
I'm excited to see
how she runs now.
718
00:34:47,586 --> 00:34:49,000
In British Columbia...
719
00:34:49,137 --> 00:34:50,275
All right, let's do it.
720
00:34:51,344 --> 00:34:54,793
It's the moment of truth
at the Genert Family Mine.
721
00:34:54,965 --> 00:34:58,344
There's a lot at stake here
for us with everything, so I'm
722
00:34:58,517 --> 00:35:01,103
hoping with the improvements,
the sluice and the spray bar,
723
00:35:01,275 --> 00:35:04,172
that we should improve,
and I'm really excited to see
724
00:35:04,344 --> 00:35:06,274
what's in the box after we run.
725
00:35:15,413 --> 00:35:16,309
That's good.
726
00:35:16,310 --> 00:35:17,586
Well, let's make some gold.
727
00:35:19,344 --> 00:35:20,448
First bucket.
728
00:35:29,241 --> 00:35:30,689
So far, everything
looks great.
729
00:35:32,689 --> 00:35:34,482
Already it's more material than
we were running the first
730
00:35:34,655 --> 00:35:36,481
go around, huh?
- Awesome, awesome.
731
00:35:36,482 --> 00:35:39,103
Now we're not having to stay
up there and hose it all down.
732
00:35:39,275 --> 00:35:40,413
It's washing itself down.
733
00:35:42,586 --> 00:35:45,068
I think this test run's going
pretty good so far,
734
00:35:45,241 --> 00:35:47,344
These fixes are awesome
735
00:35:47,517 --> 00:35:50,655
above and beyond what I
could have ever expected.
736
00:35:50,827 --> 00:35:54,275
But we've all learned a ton
with Freddy and Juan here.
737
00:35:54,448 --> 00:35:57,068
Tomorrow's gold weigh
will determine
738
00:35:57,241 --> 00:35:58,448
whether or not we stay here.
739
00:36:03,689 --> 00:36:05,344
Sluice is running
pretty decent.
740
00:36:05,517 --> 00:36:06,551
Yeah, it's not bad.
741
00:36:06,724 --> 00:36:08,586
By adding this extra wide
sluice box,
742
00:36:08,758 --> 00:36:11,172
it allows us to run
more material.
743
00:36:25,448 --> 00:36:27,171
When you put material
into the plant,
744
00:36:27,172 --> 00:36:28,482
it's got to go
somewhere, right?
745
00:36:28,655 --> 00:36:31,068
We don't want it building up
where it's coming up
746
00:36:31,241 --> 00:36:32,896
the sluice box.
747
00:36:33,034 --> 00:36:34,275
So you got to take care of it.
748
00:36:36,241 --> 00:36:38,862
Sandy's going to get
that trackhoe here
749
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:40,655
where he can take
care of the tailings.
750
00:36:50,137 --> 00:36:51,275
Now start turning.
751
00:36:56,655 --> 00:36:58,000
There you go!
752
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,103
- Last bucket, Jared.
- Yeah, sounds good.
753
00:37:21,482 --> 00:37:22,793
Get my granny glasses on.
754
00:37:24,068 --> 00:37:25,793
Yep, she's got gold in her.
755
00:37:25,965 --> 00:37:28,137
There's definitely some
mustard in this box.
756
00:37:28,310 --> 00:37:29,688
- Hey, Jamie.
- Come have a look.
757
00:37:29,689 --> 00:37:32,481
- Lots of fine stuff.
- Get in there.
758
00:37:32,482 --> 00:37:34,068
- Oh, yeah.
- See it? There.
759
00:37:34,241 --> 00:37:36,378
- A little bit bigger here.
- Over here.
760
00:37:36,379 --> 00:37:37,689
Nice work, Mr. Dodge.
761
00:37:38,758 --> 00:37:41,655
I think this has
significantly improved.
762
00:37:41,827 --> 00:37:43,103
That's the biggest piece I
see, but all through here
763
00:37:43,275 --> 00:37:44,068
is gold.
764
00:37:44,241 --> 00:37:45,136
So yeah, get her cleaned up,
765
00:37:45,137 --> 00:37:46,103
and we'll meet
you in the morning.
766
00:37:46,275 --> 00:37:47,274
All right, see you guys
in the morning.
767
00:37:47,275 --> 00:37:48,758
- Thanks, guys.
- Yep, awesome.
768
00:37:50,172 --> 00:37:54,068
I'm thrilled to see a light
at the end of the tunnel.
769
00:37:54,241 --> 00:37:56,034
I'm more excited than I can
express with words.
770
00:38:04,862 --> 00:38:06,274
- How's it going, guys?
- Good.
771
00:38:06,275 --> 00:38:07,379
- How are you doing today?
- Good.
772
00:38:07,551 --> 00:38:08,586
Get her all cleaned up?
773
00:38:08,758 --> 00:38:09,965
Yep.
774
00:38:10,103 --> 00:38:11,655
This is what we ended up with.
775
00:38:11,827 --> 00:38:13,689
Better than what we had
in the first.
776
00:38:13,862 --> 00:38:14,931
I guess we'll see.
777
00:38:16,172 --> 00:38:19,068
All the rumor is,
and the testings have shown
778
00:38:19,241 --> 00:38:21,000
that this might be the ground
that we've needed
779
00:38:21,172 --> 00:38:22,379
all this time.
780
00:38:22,551 --> 00:38:23,895
I think we've got
good ground now.
781
00:38:23,896 --> 00:38:25,000
I think we're going to do well.
782
00:38:25,965 --> 00:38:28,344
During our first test run,
it was a 0.02.
783
00:38:28,517 --> 00:38:30,000
That was for a one hour run.
784
00:38:30,137 --> 00:38:32,275
So on the final test run,
we did two hours.
785
00:38:32,448 --> 00:38:35,344
We would have gotten 0.04,
which is still only a hundred
786
00:38:35,517 --> 00:38:37,137
dollars worth of gold
for two hours.
787
00:38:37,310 --> 00:38:39,103
Your goal right now is about
half an ounce daily, right?
788
00:38:39,275 --> 00:38:40,344
Yeah.
789
00:38:40,517 --> 00:38:41,585
let's see what we got
out of two hours.
790
00:38:41,586 --> 00:38:42,965
Yeah.
791
00:38:49,448 --> 00:38:51,758
0.33, third of an ounce.
792
00:38:52,793 --> 00:38:55,172
Almost three times
what they need
793
00:38:55,344 --> 00:38:56,862
to hit their daily goal.
794
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:58,172
That's really great, guys!
795
00:38:59,241 --> 00:39:00,896
That's a massive
increase, you know,
796
00:39:01,034 --> 00:39:03,274
and the great thing is that
now you're actually on decent
797
00:39:03,275 --> 00:39:05,000
ground that's actually virgin
instead of going through
798
00:39:05,172 --> 00:39:07,103
the tailings that we were doing
in the beginning.
799
00:39:07,275 --> 00:39:09,344
And with the plant running
the way it is,
800
00:39:09,517 --> 00:39:10,862
we're able to run
a lot more material.
801
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,585
But you got to keep
prospecting because that whole
802
00:39:13,586 --> 00:39:16,172
mine's tailings piles, right?
- Yeah.
803
00:39:16,344 --> 00:39:17,551
Who knows what's under them?
804
00:39:17,724 --> 00:39:19,034
I'll be able to recognize
those tailings
805
00:39:19,206 --> 00:39:21,172
a little better now.
- Yeah.
806
00:39:21,344 --> 00:39:22,896
You actually have a real
possibility of making
807
00:39:23,034 --> 00:39:24,895
this work.
- Yeah, we can work with this.
808
00:39:24,896 --> 00:39:27,448
You kind of mentioned to me
earlier that eventually this is
809
00:39:27,620 --> 00:39:28,793
something that you want to do
as a family, right?
810
00:39:28,965 --> 00:39:30,309
- Yep.
- Yeah.
811
00:39:30,310 --> 00:39:32,171
Well, with gold like that,
that's no longer a dream.
812
00:39:32,172 --> 00:39:34,241
You know, that actually could
be your reality.
813
00:39:34,413 --> 00:39:35,862
Yeah.
That's amazing.
814
00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,758
I think if we can keep this up,
I won't have to be
815
00:39:38,931 --> 00:39:40,965
a mechanic anymore.
- Oh, you still will be.
816
00:39:42,241 --> 00:39:44,688
Mechanic at a gold mine, yeah.
817
00:39:44,689 --> 00:39:47,379
There's lots of gold in this
area, so look around.
818
00:39:47,551 --> 00:39:50,481
- Don't run tailings.
- Well, thank you very much.
819
00:39:50,482 --> 00:39:51,792
- Thanks a lot, you guys.
- Thanks for everything.
820
00:39:51,793 --> 00:39:53,172
- You're welcome.
- Thank you.
821
00:39:53,344 --> 00:39:56,171
It was amazing to ride around
with Fred and learn some stuff.
822
00:39:56,172 --> 00:39:58,862
They're leaving me with hope
for my future, so I'm chomping
823
00:39:59,000 --> 00:39:59,965
at the bit to get out there
824
00:40:00,103 --> 00:40:01,481
and get the rest
of that pile run.
825
00:40:01,482 --> 00:40:03,068
Well, you guys take care.
826
00:40:03,241 --> 00:40:05,793
- We've got to hit the road.
- Bye.
827
00:40:05,965 --> 00:40:07,758
My confidence has skyrocketed.
828
00:40:07,931 --> 00:40:10,172
I'm able to do things that
I wasn't able to do before,
829
00:40:10,344 --> 00:40:12,172
so I'm really grateful
for that.
830
00:40:12,344 --> 00:40:15,274
Jared really wants to be
kind of a family mine.
831
00:40:15,275 --> 00:40:16,586
Now he has that option.
832
00:40:17,482 --> 00:40:19,585
I really enjoyed working
with this family.
833
00:40:19,586 --> 00:40:20,861
They stepped up.
834
00:40:20,862 --> 00:40:24,275
I taught Jared how to spot
the difference between tailings
835
00:40:24,448 --> 00:40:25,757
and virgin ground.
836
00:40:25,758 --> 00:40:28,344
That's a biggie, because if
you run tailings, you go broke.
837
00:40:28,517 --> 00:40:29,896
You know, the sky's the limit
for him now.
838
00:40:38,172 --> 00:40:41,895
Hey Freddy and Juan,
thank you for this season
839
00:40:41,896 --> 00:40:44,448
and everything that you guys
taught us.
840
00:40:44,620 --> 00:40:47,103
We ran the rest of that
virgin material from under
841
00:40:47,275 --> 00:40:48,585
the road the next day.
842
00:40:48,586 --> 00:40:52,481
We ended up with just about
an ounce from it, but I'll be
843
00:40:52,482 --> 00:40:55,551
honest, we're not going to go
back to the same claim.
844
00:40:55,724 --> 00:40:56,792
With the amount of tailings,
845
00:40:56,793 --> 00:41:00,482
it was such a big risk
to go after it.
846
00:41:00,655 --> 00:41:03,792
Now Ray and I actually bought
our own claims.
847
00:41:03,793 --> 00:41:07,274
That's something like 600 acres
of our own now.
848
00:41:07,275 --> 00:41:10,895
And with the knowledge I got
from Freddy, I'm confident
849
00:41:10,896 --> 00:41:13,172
I'll be able to go out there
and prospect that.
850
00:41:13,344 --> 00:41:18,758
This season really gave me
a taste of stepping up
851
00:41:18,931 --> 00:41:21,793
and the things that I learned
from Freddy, like learning how
852
00:41:21,965 --> 00:41:25,103
to weld, stacking dimes.
I'll never forget that.
853
00:41:25,275 --> 00:41:26,896
I'm going to get her
to weld up the exhaust
854
00:41:27,034 --> 00:41:28,171
on the excavator.
855
00:41:28,172 --> 00:41:29,896
Anything that breaks, if I need
any welding done.
856
00:41:30,034 --> 00:41:33,172
So the future's looking good.
Confidence is high.
857
00:41:33,344 --> 00:41:35,481
We're not giving up.
Thank you again.
858
00:41:35,482 --> 00:41:36,586
Yeah, thanks, guys.